English History – Page 22 – General History

Queen Victoria & the European royal families

Victoria, the ‘grandmother of Europe’ / britroyals.com

Nearly all the royal families in Europe – those remaining – are related to each other. This is not a coincidence, and it is worth considering, as many countries formerly loyal to the reigning family have either become republican, or having second or third thoughts about the monarchy. It is perfectly possible that our grandchildren will only read about kings, queens, their consorts and their often troublesome children in a book or on a plasma screen. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-16T11:10:20+00:00 January 16th, 2012|Dutch History, English History, German History, History of India, Russian history, Spanish History, World History|3 Comments

Two Wilhelms of Prussia

Wilhelm II / telegraph.co.uk

Prussia as a separate State merged, with many other Germanic kingdoms, grand dukedoms and principalities into a united Germany. But Prussia had a great deal of history beforehand. Just one example – if Prussia in the form of Marshall Blucher and his Prussian troops (qv.) had not arrived in the nick of time in 1815, the Battle of Waterloo might well have been won by Napoleon Bonaparte (qv.) and the whole history of Europe after the battle would have been radically different. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-14T14:33:16+00:00 January 14th, 2012|English History, German History, Russian history, World History|0 Comments

The Englishman abroad: aspects of the typical British tourist over two centuries

The Englishman abroad: aspects of the typical British tourist over two centuries

In the 18th and 19th centuries, two kinds of Englishman ‘went abroad’, or left Britain for a period. The first of these was the young man on the Grand Tour: He was between 19 and 25 years old, fresh from the University (which was invariably Oxford of Cambridge); rich because he had been born rich, travelling in his own coach with a driver, possibly two grooms and a valet. He may have been accompanied by friends, and a tutor who had befriended him at university. He carried at least two pistols in a case, for protection during long journeys in savage countries like France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Austro-Hungary or Spain. He aimed to stay in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Venice, Budapest, Madrid and Constantinople. His valet was usually of the same age, better looking, worse-dressed, more intelligent, cunning and always critical of ‘the young master’. He was trusted by the young man’s parents to bring the traveller back alive. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-09T11:09:33+00:00 January 9th, 2012|English History, Humour, Today, World History|0 Comments

The University

A corner of the University of Santiago, Spain, one of the oldest universities in the world / tuhostal.com

It is an institute of higher education, responsible for taking students from the schools and giving them, through teaching, research and studies, an extended education which may lead to a Degree. The difference between a College and a University is that there may be many colleges in one university campus, each teaching different disciplines. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-20T09:21:52+00:00 December 20th, 2011|English History, French History, German History, Italian History, Today, US History, World History|0 Comments

The Pilgrimage of Grace & The Pilgrim Fathers

The pilgrimage ‘of Grace’ / channel4.com

Pilgrimage of Grace is a euphemism for an outbreak of rebellions in the northern counties of England in 1536/7. The most prominent of these was led by a lawyer called Robert Aske. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-13T19:10:56+00:00 December 13th, 2011|English History, US History|0 Comments

Waterloo

The struggle for the farmhouse at Hougoumont, Waterloo 1815 / handpaintedsoldiers.com

The battle that brought the Napoleonic Wars to a much awaited end took place around 18 June, 1815. Those involved in the bloody conflict were French, Prussian, Belgian, Dutch and British. The battle takes its name from a small Belgian village that stands nearby. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-05T18:17:29+00:00 December 5th, 2011|English History, French History, German History|2 Comments

Eton College

The statue of the Founder / touriststamps.co.uk

Eton is not only the name of the best-known school in the world; it is also historical, in that it was founded by a king. Henry VI, the physically weak and sick son of the hero of Agincourt Henry V, founded the college in October, 1440. The school has just passed its 570^th anniversary. Obviously, it is one of the oldest established places of education in Britain, and the world. I believe the oldest is St. Albans, founded for poor boys in the 11^th century: I will probably be corrected. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-11-30T09:15:33+00:00 November 30th, 2011|English History, Today, World History|1 Comment

The Gunpowder Plot

“Remember, remember/ The Fifth of November /Gunpower, Treason and Plot/ I see no reason/ Why gunpowder treason/ Should ever be forgot!”

The finding and arrest of Guy Fawkes / lookand learn.com

This traditional comic verse, in progressive modern times sadly forgotten (if they ever knew it) by English children, is four hundred years old. It commemorates a Catholic plot to assassinate King James I of England (and VI of Scotland) with his entire Parliament at the State Opening on 5 November, 1605. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-11-28T18:36:55+00:00 November 28th, 2011|English History|0 Comments

The Great Plague & Fire of London

The Great Fire that extinguished the Plague / answers.com

Bubonic plague had recurred often in the Europe of the Middle Ages. Thought to have been spread by ship-going rats (themselves immune) the plague hit London and south-East England worse in the period 1664/1665 than at any other time in previous centuries. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-11-27T13:25:25+00:00 November 27th, 2011|English History|0 Comments

Richard III, or how a Pack of Lies became History

The most popular portrait of Richard, playing with his sovereign’s ring / simple.wikipedia.org

William Shakespeare usually wrote his History plays with careful regard for the facts. He read Polydore Virgil, Edmund Hall, Holinshed and other historians before putting historical events into theatrical plays written to attract a large public to his theatre. In one play, however, Shakespeare appears to have taken the written words of saints like Thomas More into his scheme of things without investigation or doubt. More wrote history to suit King Henry VII’s pleasure. After all, the first Tudor (q.v.) had usurped a usurper’s throne, but the less said about that the better. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-11-22T18:45:00+00:00 November 22nd, 2011|English History, English Language|1 Comment