Spanish History – Page 7 – General History

The sea battle of Trafalgar

Artist’s impression of part of the Battle of Trafalgar / britishbattles.com

There is a running fight, not unlike the battle of Trafalgar itself, between Spanish, British and French historians, which has continued without pause since 1805. Friendships which should have been for life have been broken because of this eminently historical conflict on the high seas. I prefer to examine the views of American historians, who should have no axe to grind, as 1805 happened a long time before US influence dominated, or at least tried to dominate the world. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-12-20T09:12:20+00:00 December 20th, 2012|British History, English History, French History, Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

Historians Polybius, Sallust, Seneca, Suetonius & Tacitus

POLYBIUS (204 – 122 BC) had the good luck (from the intellectual point of view) to be a historian during the rise of Rome after the 2^nd Punic War. He was a Greek of noble blood not without political importance, but he was taken toRome with several other Greeks as hostages. This happened after the Roman intervention in Athens by Aemilius Paullus and others. Polybius formed a circle of clever fellows around his captor who became his mentor. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-12-10T10:47:36+00:00 December 10th, 2012|Greek History, History of Rome, Italian History, Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

The Pizarro brothers and Perú

Gonzalo, another Pizarro brother / year8ttincas.wikispaces.com

Francisco Pizarro was born in 1475 in Extremadura in western Spain, when that country was even more powerful than France. He became a conquistador and an important explorer. He started the adventures that took him half way round ther world by joining Vasco Nuñez de Balboa’s expedition across what is now Panama, eventually discovering the Pacific in 1513. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-12-04T11:39:29+00:00 December 4th, 2012|History of the Cinema, South American History, Spanish History|0 Comments

Georgia (West Asia) & Georgia (USA)

Asian Georgia is separated from Russia by the Caucasus Mountains. It has a coast on the Black Sea, shares a border with Turkey to the west, and has boundaries with Azerbaijan and Armenia to the east and south. All these proximities have affected Georgia in one way or the other (usually the other) throughout her history. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-29T11:50:33+00:00 November 29th, 2012|A History of North America, British History, English History, Spanish History, Today, US History, World History|0 Comments

Intereconomía

This broadcasting company has radio and TV channels and business channels run by experts. Beyond doubt this communications group helped Spanish people make up their minds about the nearly eight years of Zapatero’s disastrous administration, which was democratically ended a year ago next Sunday. It is now Thursday. On November 20^th, 2011 the General Election results silenced the PSOE and awarded the PP an absolute majority which they seem loath to use. This is all fine and historical but what about Intereconomía?

The station is a part of the daily newspaper La Gaceta, a journal still not mentioned by state-owned television among their ‘distinguished’ list, which includes the Marxist/Socialist organ of the PSOE El País; the heavily right-wing mouthpiece of its chief editor Ramírez – El Mundo; the official spokesmen of the centre-right ABC: a few regional newspapers blindly not including El Día (Canary Islands), and that odd mixture of cultures and opinions La Vanguardia. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-22T11:47:44+00:00 November 22nd, 2012|English Language, Humour, Philosophy, Spanish History, Today|0 Comments

Another modest proposal: Gibraltar

Gibraltar: contentious since 1704

The spiky old issue of Gibraltar is digging Spanish and British statesmen in the most tender part of their well-fed anatomies – what to do with Gibraltar? Ever since the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (very nearly three hundred years ago), the two puissant old ladies have been scratching at each other’s eyes because of Gibraltar. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-16T10:01:06+00:00 November 16th, 2012|Austrian history, British History, French History, Humour, Russian history, Spanish History, Today, World History|0 Comments

Six wives for Henry VIII

An unusual impression of the great monster when still young, playing (royal) tennis / flickriver.com

“History!” snorted an ex-pupil of mine the other day, “nothing but kings and dates!” I am not even sure if History is still taught in British schools of the present day. Most children one meets know nothing at all about Britain’s past, good or bad. They might recognise a few of the names – Alfred (‘wasn’t he a Viking?’), Budicca or Boadicea (‘she had scythes on her chariot’s wheels isn’t it?’), Nelson (‘he won at Waterloo!’), Wellington ‘the French shot him at Trafsomething?’) etc. etc. Ministers of Education ensure that English is taught so that pupils mispronounce the words and cannot write them. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-13T13:09:59+00:00 November 13th, 2012|British History, English History, German History, Philosophy, Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

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…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-11-12T11:08:51+00:00 November 12th, 2012|British History, Dutch History, English History, French History, History of the Low Countries, Philosophy, Spanish History, Today, World History|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

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