Dean Swift

Orange and Orléans

Young William of Orange, future William III of England / journal.carlottamanaigo.com

When James II made his Catholicism too ostentatious for seventeenth century Protestant politicians to stomach, a successful conspiracy was made to remove him from the throne he had inherited from his brother Charles II. Among the conspirators was John Duke of Marlborough, who had been raised to the dizzy heights he attained from being a country squire. Most of the raising had been done by James II. Do not put your faith in country squires who rise to become Dukes and have colossal palaces (Blenheim) built for them by ‘a grateful nation’. The conspirators then invited a Dutchman to come to Britain and become William III, which he did, albeit with some reluctance. He was a firm Protestant descending from Mary Queen of Scots, a Stewart, and was married to another Mary, Mary of England. This was considered a good enough claim by the conspirators, and so the Dutchman became King of England,Scotland and Ireland. Silly weak James went without much pushing into exile, where he stayed. (more…)

Normandy, Normans and the Norman Conquest

Normandy was once the home of Celtic tribes in north-western France. It was the kingdom of Clovis, founder of the Frankish empire (466 – 511). It came under Meringovian rule and was invaded and occupied by the Vikings (q.v.) in the 9^th century. Rollo was the Viking leader who accepted Normandy as a fief from the King of France, which was gentlemanly of him as the French King was quite powerless to do anything else but accept the norsemen’s occupation. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-08T12:22:41+00:00 November 8th, 2012|British History, English History, French History, Scottish history, Today, World History|0 Comments

New England and New France

Of course we have all heard of New England, though its composition may confuse us at times, but did we know that there was a New France?

America first: New England is a region in the north-east, comprising the six states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. If such a thing exists still in America, it is the classiest region in the United States, but not necessarily the richest. If you descend from a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, your permanent residence is likely to be in New England. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-07T13:02:51+00:00 November 7th, 2012|A History of North America, British History, English History, French History, Today, US History, World History|0 Comments

A brief history of Turkey

Turkey is one of those countries where people are proud of being Asian, and at the same time dream of becoming European. Geographically the division exists; the Asian and European parts are separated by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and that wretched channel of the Dardanelles that has always caused such trouble and bloodshed.

The smaller, European part is bounded by Bulgaria and Greece. The very much larger Asian sector comprises the whole of Asia Minor, known as Anatolia. The Black Sea is to the north, Georgia, Armenia and Iran to the east, Iraq and Syria on the south, and coasts on both the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas: surrounded by big trouble as you can see. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-06T13:33:40+00:00 November 6th, 2012|History of Turkey|0 Comments

Titus Oates (1649 – 1705): a great scoundrel

Titus Oates / findagrave.com

Oates had an erratic career; he was certainly a pathological liar, and lived in a dream world of his own, people with conspirators whom he determined to stamp out, not recognising himself in them.

Has ordained as an Anglican clergyman, but he accused a schoolmaster of his acquaintance of maintaining sexual relations with his pupils. The court found Oates guilty of false accusation and sent him to prison to cool off. Released, he got into the Navy as a chaplain, but was quickly drummed out – prosecuted (perversely enough) for sodomy. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-04T12:01:10+00:00 November 4th, 2012|British History, English History, French History, Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

Quis? Who is the man in the ancient photograph?

The seventh in our new series of pictures from the past; can you tell us who this is? Here is the clue:

His mind was full of songs of the earth.

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-03T09:57:10+00:00 November 3rd, 2012|World History|0 Comments

Two proud Dukes of Buckingham (too proud perhaps?)

George Villiers (pronounced ‘Villers’) Duke of Buckingham / nowportsmouth.co.uk

Henry Stafford, 2^nd Duke of Buckingham was born around 1454 in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He was a member of the House of Lancaster, being a descendent of Edward III, and most of his forebears had lost their lives fighting the House of York in the interminable wars over royal succession (1455 – 85).

In 1460, only six years old, he succeeded his grandfather as Duke of Buckingham. At twelve he was dynastically married to Catherine Woodville, a sister-in-law of the Yorkist King Edward IV. Edward had married Elizabeth Woodville, a strong-minded woman of mean temper, probably as his second wife, though the first marriage was supposed to be a secret. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-02T18:33:44+00:00 November 2nd, 2012|British History, Dutch History, English History, French History, History of the Low Countries, Scottish history, Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

A brief history of Greece

Greece is a maritime, mountainous country in south/east Europe, bounded by Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the east. It mostly consists of islands, which include many from fables, such as Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades and the Sporades. The peninsula is bounded by the Ionian, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-02T14:30:41+00:00 November 2nd, 2012|Greek History|0 Comments

John Brown and his body

The hanging of old John Brown / civiliansscholars.com

“John Brown’s body lies a mouldr’n in his grave . . .” The words and music are American, but the song remembering Brown and what happened to him is truly international. In the Spanish Catholic church there is even a hymn sung to the same music, though few priests will admit it.

Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut in 1800. His family was religious, and strongly affected by insanity. As he grew up he became convinced that he had been placed on Earth especially by God to save the blacks and abolish slavery. In 1851, at Springfield, Mass., he organised a black defence group called The League of Gileadites, trained to attack slave-catchers, help escaped slaves to the North on the ’Underground Railroad’, and prevent captured slaves from being returned to the South. As part of a band of the Free Soilers, in 1856 his men savagely murdered five pro-slavery farmers at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-10-31T09:19:08+00:00 October 31st, 2012|A History of North America, US History, World History|0 Comments

Powerful women in history: the Empress Dowager Cixi

The Dowager Empress Cixi of China / en.wikipedia.com

She was the real ruler in China from 1861 – 1908. She was intelligent, literate, well able to express herself, and able in all matters. She did not like foreigners and said so. She was also the only woman to exercise true power within the Quing Dynasty which ruled China from 1644 to 1912. They were originally Manchus, a hunting tribe from ther north-east, It was the Quing who extended China’s control to Mongolia, Tibet and part of Turkestan. None of these had been a part of China under the Mings (1368 – 1644). The Quings were the first to hold Tibet. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-10-29T10:28:54+00:00 October 29th, 2012|French History, History of China, History of the Cinema, US History, World History|0 Comments

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