Today – Page 18 – General History

The unfortunate House of Stuart

Stuart James VI of Scotland (and Ist of England) / luminarium.org

Genealogy: The Stuart dynasty was important in the shaping of Britain and brought little luck to the family; they started as Stewards of Dol in Brittany around the end of the 11^th century. Two of them became Stewards-Guardian of Scotland in the 13^th century. Roberts I & II and David II were kings. James I of Scotland married Joan Beaufort, a granddaughter of John of Gaunt: their son James became IInd of Scotland. The English connection thus began, because John of Gaunt was a younger son of an English King (Edward III), and father to another English King (Henry IV). (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-02-03T11:20:56+00:00 February 3rd, 2012|Dutch History, English History, French History, Today, World History|2 Comments

The Native Americans

Before bullying political correctness did its best to blow good language off the map, ‘Native Americans’ meant “Redskins”, “Red Indians”, occasionally (especially in Westerns) “them varmints!”, “the red man”, “Indians!”, “Take cover behind the wagons, “‘tis them savages agin!” etc. etc. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-26T11:15:54+00:00 January 26th, 2012|Today, US History|0 Comments

The British manor house & the manorial system

Classic example: Madresfield, Malvern, Worcs. / flickr.com

An eager traveller can find a multitude of manor houses still standing in England. Most are occupied by families, many by the same family that has owned the house for centuries, and which has passed by the law of promogeniture down the male line. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-25T08:50:52+00:00 January 25th, 2012|English History, Today, World History|0 Comments

Two grand opera composers: Wagner & Verdi

Richard Wagner / javeriana.edu.co

Professional music critics tend to bicker over the greatness or otherwise of these two composers, born as almost exact contempories, within months of each other in 1813. Wagner was of course German, wrote opera principally, keeping wary of symphonies and concerti, though God knows what masterpiece he might have written if he had steered away from the human voice. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-11T18:00:33+00:00 January 11th, 2012|German History, Italian History, Philosophy, Today, 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

Disadvantages of being English and old

One of these (there are many others) is the question of communication if you are British and over fifty-five, with someone equally British but under thirty-five. Multitudes of Brits visit the Atlantic island where I live, tourists mostly. On my ultimate expedition to a favourite seafront restaurant, where the Atlantic actually rolls up and crashes against the seawall below the place, the tables to my right and left were crowded with large English families, an encouraging concept. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2012-01-01T11:31:48+00:00 January 1st, 2012|Humour, Jewish History, Philosophy, Today|0 Comments

Piracy

Too late to repel boarders! / en.wikipedia.org

Piracy, or the practice of robbery and murder on the high seas, is in the news again. Merchant ships and even private yachts are being attacked in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea by highly mobile young men and women armed with machine guns, not cutlasses.

Piracy can be traced by the student right back to ancient history. As long as there have been navigable oceans and rivers, and unprotected merchant shipping, there have been pirates. They have been vividly described in classical literature, successful Victorian novels, and a multitude of twentieth century movies. Pirates have helped the Disney Empire to re-instate itself for the nth time, with a vastly successful series called Pirates of the Caribbean. The reverse of the coin happened to poor Roman Polanski though, with a really dreadful film of his made in 1985 starring Walter Matthau called simply, Pirates. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-24T16:45:45+00:00 December 24th, 2011|Today, World History|1 Comment

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

Another Godless Christmas

It is the 17 December, 2011. In seven days virtually all the countries in the world will begin a few days off work (if they have any) on a holiday that will extend to the end of the year on the evening and night of the 31 December. The following day will begin the year 2012, grimly destined by many to be the last Year of the Human in History. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-17T17:39:20+00:00 December 17th, 2011|Today, World History|1 Comment

Spain: the Shadow of a Republic

Iñaki Urdangarin is the King and Queen of Spain’s son-in-law. This retired athlete married the Infanta Cristina, and they have four bright-looking children, three boys and a girl. The media seem determined to destroy him, alleging fraudulent activities. The bemused public is not quite sure what to think, though the newspapers are busy telling them what to think. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2011-12-16T17:22:25+00:00 December 16th, 2011|Spanish History, Today|1 Comment