Why Assassinate Abraham Lincoln?
President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America was assassinated on April 14th 1865. But why? What had this ‘man of the people’ done to deserve such a violent end? Born in a log cabin in Kentucky on February 12th 1809 Abraham Lincoln was raised on the American frontier in Indiana. […]
The Act of Supremacy
On the 3rd November 1534 the first Act of Supremacy was passed? The Act of Supremacy This was the act that made Henry VIII the head of the Church of England, replacing the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Then Came Mary she repealed the Act of Supremacy His daughter Queen Mary was a fanatical […]
Did an Italian Columbus discover America for Spain!
We do know that on October 16th 1492 Christopher Columbus’ fleet anchored at “Fernandina” He, an Italian, thought he had reached America! But, in fact, he hadn’t he had reached Long Island in the Bahamas. However, he goes down in history as having found America, which of course he didn’t, well not this time. He […]
Have you heard of the “Night Witches”?
“The Night Witches” is the name given by German soldiers to Russian female pilots on the Eastern Front during World War II. “The Night Witches” flew under the cover of darkness their wooden biplanes toward their target. Then, as they got close to their target, they switched their engines to idle mode, glided over their […]
The Spanish meet the Aztecs
On the 8th November 1519, the conquistador, Hernán Cortes, arrived in Tenochtitlan along with 400 Spaniards and around 1000 native troops. Who Was He? His full name was Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, he was the 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca, his expedition caused the end of the Aztec Empire, which […]
Things you may not know about Shakespeare?
As April 23rd is Shakespeare’s birthday, or is it, (more later) I thought I would write some notes about him. Shakespeare’s father John came to Stratford upon Avon from Snitterfield before 1532 as an apprentice glover and tanner of leathers. He prospered and began to deal in farm products and wool before being elected […]
May 19th is an interesting date for Tudor England
This was the date of a marriage and an execution, both related to Henry VIII. On May 19th, 1499 Catherine of Aragon married Henry’s elder brother, Arthur, by proxy! Yes, by proxy, this was because Catherine was 13 and Arthur 12 and they were in two different countries. It all came about due to the […]
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. He is responsible for commissioning ‘The Doomsday Book’, one of the most important historical documents ever created. William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert 1st of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and […]
Theseus
Theseus was the hero of many Greek legends, most notably Theseus and the Minotaur but was he a real person? Theseus was a mythological king and founder hero of Athens, sometimes described as the son of king Aegeus and sometimes the son of the god Poseidon. He was everything a Greek hero should be handsome, […]
Henry VIII
If you think of an English monarch, 9 times out of 10 Henry VIII will come to mind. He was an imposing character in life, and what he did while he was King, good and bad he shaped the Britain we live in today! Henry VIII was born on the 28th June 1491 and became […]