Figures in a Revolution: Two French revolutionary leaders
The former government in Spain, evicted by a powerful majority of votes last November 20, had two Robespierres and one Fouquier-Tinville. I refer to leaders of the French Revolution (q.v.). Now their Spanish clones have [...]
Merry King Charles II and his Ladies
Charles II – VERY popular with the ladies / historical-nonfiction.com At the same time as Felipe IV reigned in very grand Spain, and Louis XIV in very rich France, the ‘Sun King’s’ cousin [...]
Nazis invade the Soviet Union: ‘Barbarossa’
Joaquim von Ribbentrop, architect of the Nazi/Soviet Pact / guardian.co.uk Contrary to all expectations, and especially remembering the previously signed Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 achieved by von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s armies invaded the Soviet [...]
Separatism for all!
I am becoming all fired up with enthusiasm for the Pandora’s Box of separatism. In Cataluña, Catalunya and Catalonia, Mr Arthur More y More says Cataluña etc. is a Nation, speaking its own language, and [...]
Anti-Semitism
My inspiration to write more on this spiny subject came from one of the published Comments on this site. The Comment can easily be found under the subject heading Jewish History. One of my previous [...]
Three Tsars – Three Alexanders
Alexander I, Tsar of Russia was born in 1777, and was Tsar (King, Kaiser, Emperor etc.) from 1801 when he was 24 until 1825. His father was promisingly known as ‘The Mad Tsar’, but when [...]
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 [...]
Renaissance
Painting of cardsharpers by Caravaggio / fotos.org This difficult word represents something more than merely being a favourite in the fevered mind of a history examiner. Without the Renaissance the world would now [...]
Two very different Retz (or) Rais (or) Rays; Gilles & Paul
Gilles de Rais (or Retz etc) / deviantart.com These two Frenchmen are joined by their blood, as in family ties, but there is a major difference in their characters. Gilles de Retz lived [...]
Four Murdered Monarchs
Regicide is the killing of a ruling king by his subjects. In a multitude of events throughout history the regicide has been perpetrated by members of the ruler’s family. This was especially the case in [...]
The War of 1812 (USA versus Britain)
The British burn the White House, Washington DC, 1812 / nytimes.com This was a brief war between Britannia and Uncle Sam that many Americans and Britons know nothing about. Still it happened, and [...]
1805 – 1815
Here for students of history is a plan of events between the naval battle of Trafalgar and the final battle in the European conflict against Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo. The career of Arthur Wellesley, the [...]
Social Democracy
Definition: a social democrat is a usually suscription-paying member of a left-wing, ex-communist or centre-left political party that combines basically socialist aims with constitutional methods, plus a general acceptance (or tolerance) of some of the [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Nancy Mitford on French XVIII doctors
“Presque tous les hommes meurent de leurs remèdes et non de leurs maladies” (Molière) Here is English authoress Nancy Mitford on seventeenth century French doctors: […]
Battles at Crècy and Poitiers; and The Jacquerie
Crecy / historywarsweapons.com The two armed conflicts took place respectively in 1346 and 1356. Ten years separate them, though were similar in tactics and spirit. Both were part of King Edward III [...]
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