history
Past politicians, legislation and political movements have changed the course of history in ways both big and small. Welcome to our blast to the past.
Edward Grim: The Man who Stood by Thomas Beckett
Very little is known about Edward Grim, either before or after the event that is the reason why he is known about at all, but the document he left behind offered a perspective on that event that is well worth remembering.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
Emperor Augustus of Rome
Although Julius Caesar acted in many ways like a monarch, the change from Roman Republic to Roman Empire dates from the accession to the role of head of state of Gaius Octavius (later Gaius Julius Caesar, but generally known as Octavian), with the title Caesar Augustus. This took place in 27 BC, but the process of turning Octavian into Augustus had been a long and painful one.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
The Myth of the Black Hole of Calcutta
The story of the Black Hole of Calcutta was one that was believed for decades to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but what really happened would appear to be very different from what the history books used to tell.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
Peter Minuit and Dismal Jimmy
On 24th May 1626, a director of the Dutch West India Company named Peter Minuit, a Dutch-speaking German, bartered a consignment of pots, pans, fish hooks, tools and cloth, together worth around 60 guilders, for an island at the mouth of the Hudson River. The value of that island, named Manhattan (“island of hills”) in the local Algonquin language, has risen considerably between then and now!
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
The Marriage and Divorce of Napoleon and Josephine
On 9th March 1796 Napoleon Bonaparte, rapidly rising through the ranks of the French military, married Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie in a civil ceremony. She was six years older than him and had been married before to a victim of the guillotine, but had retained his name of de Beauharnais. She had also been imprisoned for a time so was perhaps fortunate to have survived.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
The Emancipation of Russia's Serfs in 1861
The Emancipation of the Serfs of 1861, carried out by Russian Tsar Alexander II, is often regarded as a rare act of liberalism and humanity by an autocratic regime. However, in reality it was just another measure designed to preserve the status quo.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
The story of Monmouth's Ash
James Fitzroy 1st Duke of Monmouth was born on 9th April 1649 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His father was King Charles II of England and his mother was Lucy Walter, the King’s mistress. The couple had fled to The Netherlands after the execution of the King’s father, King Charles I.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
The possibly bizarre death of King Charles IX
King Charles IX of France died on 30th May 1574 at the age of 23, probably from tuberculosis. However, the stories that arose shortly after that time painted a much more sinister picture, with his death being attributed, one way or another, to his mother, the scheming regent Catherine de Medici.
By John Welford6 years ago in The Swamp
