#king karl ix

[andiatas]

King Karl IX's ointment horn flask

The flask was made in 1606 by Swedish-born goldsmith Peter Kiämpe in Stockholm. It is made of gold with relief ornament in multi-coloured enamel and set with ten diamonds, eight rubies and six Karelian garnets.

The idea for the ointment horn flask can be attributed to a verse from the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament: "Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon."

Photo: royalpalaces.se

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF GRAND DUCHESS OLGA ALEXANDROVNA

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexander III of Russia, was born on 13 June 1882 at Peterhof Palace in Saint, Petersburg, Russia. She was christened on 23 July (Saint Olga's Day) in the Grand Palace Church, Peterhof by the Confessor of Their Imperial Majesties archpriest Bazhanov. Her godparents as listed:

KING CHRISTIAN IX OF DENMARK - her maternal grandfather, the Danish King was among her godparents. His initial unpopularity at the start of his reign, and the many years of political strife, where the king was in conflict with large parts of the population, his popularity recovered towards the end of his reign, and he eventually became a national icon due to the length of his reign. He was absent at the christening of his Russian grandchild.

PRINCESS LOUISE OF HESSE-KASSEL, QUEEN CONSORT OF DENMARK - his maternal grandmother was another of her godparents. Louise became the Queen consort of Denmark upon her husband’s - King Christian IX - accession in 1863. Through her six children, she was a grandmother of not only the future Tsar of Russia (Nicholas II, Olga's eldest brother), but also that of King George V of the United Kingdom; King Constantine I of Greece; King Christian X of Denmark, and King Harken VII of Norway. Like her husband, Louise was also absent at the christening.

GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA, QUEEN CONSORT OF WÜRTTEMBERG - her great-aunt was one of her godparents. She was the younger sister of her late grandfather, Alexander II. Attractive, cultured and intelligent, she had been considered to be one of the most eligible princesses in Europe. In 1846, she married Crown Prince Karl of Württemberg. She was absent at the christening of her namesake.

GRAND DUCHESS OLGA KONSTANTINOVNA OF RUSSIA, QUEEN CONSORT OF GREECE - her aunt and namesake was named as one of her godparents. Olga Konstantinovna was the first cousin of her father Alexander III, being the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia. At 16, she married King George I of Greece, the brother of her mother Maria Feodorovna. Queen Olga was a popular figure in Russia, and in Greece. She was present at the christening.

GRAND DUKE ALEXEI ALEXANDROVICH OF RUSSIA - her uncle was another listed godparent of the young grand duchess. A naval officer for most of his life, he had a significant contribution in the equipment of the Russian navy with new ships and in modernizing the naval ports. He was present at the christening of his niece.

Source

[seriously-mike]

How The World Was Made Boringly Efficient

I have already reposted several posts about history under the tag #history was written by the Victorians, about the misconceptions that entered the public consciousness during the early modern era (mostly the Victorian age, indeed) and refuse to leave. That and, I promised a post about the modern perception of government and public services that just can't line up with fantasy worlds and, even, the ideas of some historians.

It hit me when in @milkywayan's post about medieval food, the typical idea of which is heavily tainted by Victorian ideas that, unsurprisingly, came from then-contemporary poverty food. And I really don't want to sound like Ted Kaczynski, but: blame the industrial society for that. And capitalism.

There will be a lot of things in this post that I copied from an unfinished draft of mine tentatively titled "Writing Fantasy in the Information Age" - mostly because back then I focused on the modern times entirely too much and a lot of the issues come from earlier eras. This is a general disclaimer for the tangents that will appear further on.

For the King and... That's It

The medieval (and earlier) concept of government was heavily personal, and with a lot of independence involved. I do remember, for example, scenes from the Asterix comics where the Roman governors did as they pleased and as long as their duties towards Rome were fulfilled (for example, paying the set taxes and pocketing much more for personal gain) they were left unbothered. The same can be said about patriotism, or more precisely the loyalty to the ruler, because the concepts of patriotism and nation as we understand it are Enlightenment-era ideas. And when I'm saying it was personal, it was personal. For example, the entire clusterfuck that was 17th century Poland started with the overly inflated ambitions of Swedish Prince Sigismund Vasa, a fanatical Catholic (oh shit) elected the king of Poland. His fanaticism caused us no end of trouble and wasted opportunities - for example, in order to hold the Swedish throne after his father Johan III died, he had to be forced to sign religious liberties for the local Protestants and never really gave up ideas of Catholic reconquista of Sweden, leading the regent, Sigismund's uncle Karl IX to oust him and take the throne, which led to over half a century of violent dynastic shin-kicking as both sides tried to take over the other without much success. Mostly because Sigismund refused to allow his son, prince Władysław, to change his faith for political reasons - neither to secure the Swedish throne nor, after we thoroughly kicked a lot of Muscovite ass, the throne of Russia. Just fucking imagine: we forced the Russian tsar Vassily Shuysky to pay homage to king Sigismund and accept prince Władysław as the new tsar only for the king to go "lol, nope" and scuttle the whole plan. All that despite two centuries and a half of wide-ranging religious tolerance introduced by king Casimir the Great and reinforced by various acts throughout the reign of the Jagiellonian dynasty.

And since we're at the 17th century clusterfuck, there's the issue of Cossack ataman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who caused us a lot of trouble because nobody gave a shit about his personal feud with noble Daniel Czapliński. Basically, Czapliński stole part of Khmelnytsky's land, Khmelnytsky filed complaints to everyone higher and higher up culminating in an audience with the king, and achieved fuck-all. Much like a lot of people trying to get any help from the Polish government ever since. Worse yet, he was given a lot of shit for being that old-school Ruthenian Orthodox Cossack with a stupid haircut, mostly from the local prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, who was as much of a Polish Catholic poser as he could be. So, unfortunately, Khmelnytsky made some hasty and truly weird alliances, started a war and lost it, much like a lot of neglected Cossack leaders before and after him. Neglected, you ask? Well, I told you it was personal: the local nobles weren't willing to accept the Cossack leaders as people of equal standing, for various reasons, and treated them like uppity peasants.

And as for filing complaints to the King, we don't have the greatest track record about that either - for example, @bizarrepotpourri cited an example from the 15th century chronicle of Jan Długosz, regarding robber knights in southern Poland, that apparently never saw a resolution, as the stories of supposed punishment have multiple contradicting versions that don't line up with any records and sound like a smear campaign orchestrated by a rival noble family that was unsuccessfully tempted into treason by the Hungarians.

So, don't be surprised by all the free-for-all fuckery that goes on in A Song of Ice and Fire, for example. GRRM, while being laughably inept in some fields and rude and unreasonable about others, nailed the ambitions and liberties medieval nobles had, the way kings had to rely on the nobles by bribing and threatening them when necessary, and not really giving a shit as long as the internal conflicts didn't threaten the Royal house. Also, back to the elevator pitch for this post, and the quote by historian David Sturdy, don't expect the peasants to feel much loyalty to the land or country - they obey their local noble, and the king just in case, but apart from that they'll focus on defending their heimat - mostly their village and some lands around it, and if dragged into a bigger conflict by their liege (whether on the orders of the king or because of some dick-measuring contest against the neighboring noble), they'll be fairly confused about the whole thing. Forget the enthusiastic cries of "For Temeria!" from The Witcher 3 and other nonsense like that. They're more likely to raise torches and pitchforks against unjust taxes and services forced on them.

Guards! Guards! ...Guards?

While the concept of a Guild of Thieves as some kind of organized crime in the fantasy city of your choice is farfetched, don't expect any serious police force either. The city guard was usually tasked with manning the city gates and towers, also for fire watch duties, and, as I read in a book fragment helpfully photographed by @jurian-is-cinnamon-roll, the enforcement of some decency laws fell directly on the local executioner - for example, a too deep cleavage could get you a whipping. The judiciary role was fulfilled mostly by the city's government (unless some Serious Shit happened, as that required the appeal to the next instance higher up) and, unsurprisingly, the guards were often used as the Group In Charge's personal enforcers as well, meaning they were widely disliked and corrupt as fuck. So, getting caught by the onlookers and dragged to the nearest guard in the name of public safety was as or even more likely than being seized by the conveniently close patrol.

Another very important issue related to the city guards is that there was no municipal lighting to speak of - as in, no street lights, meaning that after sunset, the whole city was pitch-ass dark and you had to bring your own lamps and/or hire servants (called link-boys) to do it for you. And even then, with understaffed and corrupt city guard, you risked getting robbed by gangs of thugs.

Out of the cities, it was even worse: with the traffic few and far between, because not really that many goods had to be shipped long way away, there was nobody to come to your aid on the long stretches of roads, particularly through uninhabited terrain like all the vast woodlands or bare, rocky areas. Typical robbers weren't the Merry Men of Sherwood, but brutal thugs if not outright homicidal maniacs. Sometimes even minor nobles, particularly in German states, supplemented the income from their fiefs by ambushing trade caravans, at least until they became too much of a nuisance and had, for a lack of a better word, a posse sent after them. Then, there were pirates - while a lot of the current pop culture focuses on the late 17th-early 18th "Golden Age of Piracy" on the Atlantic, there are also the earlier North Sea pirates preying on the Hanseatic ships in the 14th century and Barbary Pirates operating on the Mediterranean Sea for over a millenium - from the 8th to the 19th century.

Million Ways to Die in the Medieval Times, A Lot of Them Embarrassing

I once said jokingly that “in Bismarck’s time, they made a lot of babies in the countryside because they wore out quickly”, a reference to many infant and child deaths that unsurprisingly skewed the statistics and led to the “barely anyone lived past 30 in the Middle Ages” myth.  Sure, there’s five centuries between Middle Ages and the Iron Chancellor, but as opposed to other things mentioned before, we had to wait for the important changes in the field of medicine all the way to late 20th century. Here's a page from a 17th century document listing the number of deaths in London, 1632 AD.

So, what was I saying about "making a lot of babies because they wore out quickly"? Over two thousand dead babies that year in London alone, not counting stillborn ones. Almost 1800 cases of tuberculosis, an illness pretty much unheard of in the modern world because we vaccinated the ever-coughing shit out of it. Over a thousand cases of fever, over half a thousand cases of pox and almost as many deaths by the notoriously neglected British teeth (read: abscesses, infections, inflammations, etcetera). In a city of about 250 thousand inhabitants.

Of course, any medical help was entirely private, small-scale and fully paid for by the patient - be it actual physicians, resident or itinerant barbers, herbalists or whoever had any medical knowledge or at least conviction of it. There was also a lot of mad science and outright quackery going on, not to mention treason - I do recall a case where the court physician of a Pomeranian duke was executed because somehow, strangely, the duchess' every pregnancy ended in stillbirth - until it was found out that he conspired with the neighboring state (I can't remember whether it was Denmark or one of the German states that had their distinct identities back then) to prevent the duke from siring a legitimate heir.

There were also no hospitals to speak of - what was called a "hospital" was, in fact, an almshouse - part asylum, part housing for the poor and elderly who had to express their gratitude by praying daily for the almshouse's founder good health and fortune. This also means that monks running those places didn't necessarily have any medical knowledge to speak of.

And since we're at embarrassing deaths, let's go back to the previous sections that regarded justice and law enforcement. You're probably thinking that in the Middle Ages, the lawmakers were going out of their way to have people hanged for just about anything and, well... that's bullshit. Not quite Victorian bullshit, as the stereotypical harsh law dubbed the "Bloody Code" was introduced during the reign of king George III - you know, the crazy one - although it has been entirely the doing of the British parliamentarians taking it out on the poor, as they're wont to do even now. While earlier penal codes like the Holy Roman Empire's Constitutio Criminalis Carolina did warrant the death penalty for grand theft, they also defined fairly high value of the stolen items - if I remember correctly, one golden ducat. The Bloody Code, however, aimed at a value about twenty times lower, and that would be 12 pence, or one shilling. Even with over two centuries of gradual depreciation of coin, that value was bubkes, and so the juries often undervalued the stolen goods, as not to hang everyone dragged before the court. For example, a sheep that was worth six shillings could be valued at ten pence, just so the thief could be hauled off to Australia instead and get pressed to work there. And while I know that other Tumblr users know the subject better than me, I learned long ago that being hanged was indeed embarrassing, certainly much more than having your head chopped off in public.

But, a lot of punishments weren't meant to be an embarrassing death or even maiming - if you ever saw the device known as the stocks, that one was meant mostly for embarrassment. Not only you had to be locked in them for several days, but also everyone around knew you and could give you a couple of harsh words or rotten produce. So your reputation was most probably dragged through the worst kind of shit by that, and if you kept going at it, you could be chased out of the area with the promise of a very embarrassing death if you returned, or just skip that and die a very embarrassing death. There were also other creative devices that made your life hard and made you look stupid, but I think I should leave that for some other time.

Mostly Rural and All-Natural

Now, let's focus on the post that started it all: the food. The Victorian age is well past the time when the majority of people started moving to cities, meaning that a lot of stuff had price tags and not many people could actually grow their own food. The Middle Ages, well, they were mostly rural and all-natural, like the title of this section says. This meant that, as the post about the food mentioned, people not only had a well-rounded diet that included eggs, milk and cheese, but also a large variety of vegetables and herbs, plus a lot of stuff found or caught in the wild - now, while venison and boar were the meat of kings and you would be royally fucked up for poaching those, nobody was particularly bothered about hares, for example. Also, when it came to clothing, homespun wool and linen were common materials and they could be dyed using various plants growing in the wild. The little display I linked should give you an idea of what was possible - and what, unsurprisingly, people refuse to acknowledge due to historical misconceptions.

This, of course, doesn't cover a lot of sumptuary laws that were common through history (and moreso in the Far East, particularly Japan). For example, the Ancient Romans had strict regulations as to who was allowed to wear silk clothing and clothing that was dyed purple, and multiple sumptuary laws in medieval Europe regulated the permission to wear certain furs, most importantly ermine that is now archetypical of royalty, and the amount of precious metals. So don't be surprised at the story I mentioned in the post about medieval executioners: I'm guessing that sumptuary laws were the reason why the infamously flamboyant clothes of a corrupt guildmaster were off-limits to the executioner who would be permitted to take them otherwise.

And Then What?

Okay, let's finish this. What's the deal with "boringly efficient" of the title? Well, for starters: the urbanization, industrialization and flight to cities that led to the simplification and unification of clothing, food etc. through large-scale production. That moved the burden of making clothes or growing food from single families to large enterprises, but also changed the whole structure of people's diets due to logistics. Our vegetables aren't the medieval vegetables, our dairy is not the medieval dairy and most importantly, our meat isn't the medieval meat, for better (no parasites like tapeworms) or worse (being pumped full of veterinary medicine, water and salts, for example). We also have access to incomparably more fabrics and dyes due to the progress of chemistry and textile industry. But still, those things are produced elsewhere, by someone else, and most of us just have to buy the same standard stuff from the store instead of creating bespoke outfits or at least hiring someone skilled to do it. Boring, right?

While luxury imports were well known since the ancient times, the formation of trading companies that at one point could rival governments and noble houses in their power did increase the range and volume of imports, and colonization of far-off regions also added a thing or two to that. And with the increase of volume, the prices tend to drop, so a lot of extraordinary stuff like all the exotic spices, now being grown in large-scale plantations, became boring. I mean, I can have cinnamon any day now - a lot of medieval nobles would die of bloody flux at the sight of such impertinent flamboyance.

Then, there's politics and sociology running forward full-blast ever since the late 18th century. The Enlightenment redefined a lot of fundamentals, like the concept of a nation divorced (or sometimes widowed) from the reigning monarch and his lineage. The necessity to include first the bourgeoisie and later even the peasants' representation in the government also required surveillance and maintaining order among them instead of just, well, keeping them around and sending the troops to beat the shit out of them if they became unruly. Hence the development of modern police forces, intelligence agencies and, on the other hand, social services to make sure the poor aren't wallowing in desperation and lawlessness (mostly). So most of the time, everything is peaceful and boring. Of course, there's still exploitation going on, but fortunately nowhere near the scale that caused large-scale uprisings in the medieval times (unless some government spectacularly fucks up and causes nationwide riots, which happened even in post-WW2 Europe) - mostly because of the necessity of representation I mentioned above.

Also, governments need people alive and working to pay taxes and, sometimes, wage wars. So they can't just ignore epidemics, dishonest food companies causing mass food poisoning by cutting costs, etcetera. Hence the rapid progress of medicine and incomparably more chill approach to law and its enforcement (mostly). Hard to believe the Medieval times were way crazier, right?

[catie-does-things]

Partial List of Royal Saints

Saint Abgar (died c. AD 50) - King of Edessa, first known Christian monarch 

Saint Adelaide of Italy (931 - 999) - Holy Roman Empress as wife of Otto the Great

Saint Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury (died 944) - Queen of the English as wife of King Edmund I

Saint Æthelberht of Kent (c. 550 - 616) - King of Kent

Saint Æthelberht of East Anglia (died 794) - King of East Anglia

Saint Agnes of Bohemia (1211 - 1282) - Bohemian Princess, descendant of Saint Ludmila and Saint Wenceslaus, first cousin of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Bertha of Kent (c. 565 - c. 601) - Frankish Princess and Queen of Kent as wife of Saint Æthelberht

Saint Canute (c. 1042 - 1086) - King of Denmark

Saint Canute Lavard (1096 - 1131) - Danish Prince

Saint Casimir Jagiellon (1458 - 1484) - Polish Prince

Saint Cormac (died 908) - King of Munster

Saint Clotilde (c. 474 - 545) - Queen of the Franks as wife of Clovis I

Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg (c. 975 - 1033) - Holy Roman Empress as wife of Saint Henry II

Saint Edmund the Martyr (died 869) - King of East Anglia

Saint Edward the Confessor (c. 1003 - 1066) - King of England

Saint Edward the Martyr (c. 962 - 978) - King of the English

Saint Elesbaan (Kaleb of Axum) (6th century) - King of Axum

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 - 1231) - Princess of Hungary and Landgravine of Thuringia

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271 - 1336) - Princess of Aragon and Queen Consort of Portugal

Saint Emeric (c. 1007 - 1031) - Prince of Hungary and son of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Saint Eric IX (died 1160) - King of Sweden

Saint Ferdinand (c. 1199 - 1252) - King of Castile and Toledo

Blessed Gisela of Hungary (c. 985 - 1065) - Queen Consort of Hungary as wife of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Saint Helena (c. 246 - c. 330) - Roman Empress and mother of Constantine the Great

Saint Henry II (973 - 1024) - Holy Roman Emperor

Saint Isabelle of France (1224 - 1270) - Princess of France and younger sister of Saint Louis IX

Saint Jadwiga (Hedwig) (c. 1373 - 1399) - Queen of Poland

Saint Joan of Valois (1464 - 1505) - French Princess and briefly Queen Consort as wife of Louis XII

Blessed Joanna of Portugal (1452 - 1490) - Portuguese princess who served as temporary regent for her father King Alfonso V

Blessed Karl of Austria (1887 - 1922) - Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Croatia, and King of Bohemia

Saint Kinga of Poland (1224 - 1292) - Hungarian Princess, wife of Bolesław V of Poland and niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Ladislaus (c. 1040 - 1095) - King of Hungary and King of Croatia

Saint Louis IX (1214 - 1270) - King of France

Saint Ludmila (c. 860 - 921) - Czech Princess and grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia

Blessed Mafalda of Portugal (c. 1195 - 1256) - Portuguese Princess and Queen Consort of Castile, sister of Blessed Theresa of Portugal

Saint Margaret of Hungary (1242 - 1270) - Hungarian Princess, younger sister of Saint Kinga of Poland and niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 - 1093) - English Princess and Queen Consort of Scotland

Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy (1812 - 1836) - Sardinian Princess and Queen Consort of the Two Sicilies

Saint Matilda of Ringelheim (c. 892 - 968) - Saxon noblewoman and Queen of East Francia as wife of Henry I

Saint Olaf (c. 995 - 1030) - King of Norway

Saint Olga of Kiev (c. 900 - 969) - Grand Princess of Kiev and regent for her son Sviatoslav I, grandmother of Saint Vladimir the Great

Saint Oswald (c. 604 - 642) - King of Northumbria

Saint Radegund (c. 520 - 587) - Thuringian Princess and Frankish Queen

Saint Sigismund of Burgundy (died 524) - King of the Burgundians

Saint Stephen of Hungary (c. 975 - 1038) - King of Hungary

Blessed Theresa of Portugal (1176 - 1250) - Portuguese Princess and Queen of León as wife of King Alfonso IX, sister of Blessed Mafalda

Saint Vladimir the Great (c. 958 - 1015) - Grand Prince of Kiev and grandson of Saint Olga of Kiev

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.12 (before 1940)

910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors. 1206 – The Ghurid general Qutb ud-Din Aibak founds the Delhi Sultanate. 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of France, an inter-faith debate, known as the Disputation of Paris, starts between a Christian monk and four rabbis. 1381 – Peasants' Revolt: In England, rebels assemble at Blackheath, just outside London. 1418 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Parisians slaughter sympathizers of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac, along with all prisoners, foreign bankers, and students and faculty of the College of Navarre. 1429 – Hundred Years' War: On the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk. 1550 – The city of Helsinki, Finland (belonging to Sweden at the time) is founded by King Gustav I of Sweden. 1643 – The Westminster Assembly is convened by the Parliament of England, without the assent of Charles I, in order to restructure the Church of England. 1653 – First Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of the Gabbard begins, lasting until the following day. 1665 – Thomas Willett is appointed the first mayor of New York City. 1758 – French and Indian War: Siege of Louisbourg: James Wolfe's attack at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, commences. 1772 – French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 25 of his men are killed by Māori in New Zealand. 1775 – American War of Independence: British general Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachusetts. The British offer a pardon to all colonists who lay down their arms. There would be only two exceptions to the amnesty: Samuel Adams and John Hancock, if captured, were to be hanged. 1776 – The Virginia Declaration of Rights is adopted. 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battle of Ballynahinch. 1817 – The earliest form of bicycle, the dandy horse, is driven by Karl von Drais. 1821 – Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Isma'il Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom. 1830 – Beginning of the Invasion of Algiers: Thirty-four thousand French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch. 1864 – American Civil War, Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: Ulysses S. Grant gives the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee a victory when he pulls his Union troops from their position at Cold Harbor, Virginia and moves south. 1898 – Philippine Declaration of Independence: General Emilio Aguinaldo declares the Philippines' independence from Spain. 1899 – New Richmond tornado: The ninth deadliest tornado in U.S. history kills 117 people and injures around 200. 1900 – The Reichstag approves new legislation continuing Germany's naval expansion program, providing for construction of 38 battleships over a 20-year period. Germany's fleet would be the largest in the world. 1914 – Massacre of Phocaea: Turkish irregulars slaughter 50 to 100 Greeks and expel thousands of others in an ethnic cleansing operation in the Ottoman Empire. 1921 – Mikhail Tukhachevsky orders the use of chemical weapons against the Tambov Rebellion, bringing an end to the peasant uprising. 1935 – A ceasefire is negotiated between Bolivia and Paraguay, ending the Chaco War. 1939 – Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor. 1939 – The Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York.

[die-greifen]

when: royally fun facts

They may not be fun, but some of them are made-up. Made up facts are in italics.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia

(Karolina Augusta's great-great-grandmother)

Is the granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia

Is the mother of Alexandrine, Queen Consort of Denmark

Is the mother of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Is the mother of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany

Following the death of her husband, had a illegitimate son with her personal secretary

Three of her brothers were murdered by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution

Princess Karola of Urach

(Karolina Augusta's great-grandmother)

Karola’s father, Wilhelm Karl, 2nd Duke of Urach, was briefly elected as the King of Lithuania in 1918.

Princess Karola of Urach was the first queen consort of Mecklenburg, and also the last Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Karola was the grand-niece of Empress Elisabeth ‘Sisi’ of Austria.

Karola was the half-niece of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.

Karola half-first cousins include Leopold III of Belgium, and Marie José, the last Queen Consort of Italy.

Karola and Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom, both descend from morganatic branches of the House of Württemberg. Karola and Mary were third cousins as great-great-granddaughters of Friedrich II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg.

Karola was a Roman Catholic and retained her faith following her marriage to Heinrich Ludwig, though their children were brought up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg.

Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

(Karolina Augusta's grandmother)

Thyra’s father, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was overthrown by her father-in-law, King Heinrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg

Thyra was the first Crown Princess of Mecklenburg (1939 - 1954)

Thyra was the second Queen of Mecklenburg (1954 - 1980)

Thyra was the niece of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark (1912 - 1947)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederik IX of Denmark (1947 - 1972)

Thyra was the niece of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany (1905 - 1951)

Thyra was the first cousin of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (1951 - 1994)

Thyra was the niece of Marie Louise, Margravine of Baden (1928 - 1929)

Thyra was the first cousin of Berthold, Margrave of Baden (1929 - 1963), who married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (the older sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Thyra was the niece of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (1913 - 1918) and head of the House of Hannover (1923 - 1953)

Thyra was the first cousin of Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover (1953 - 1987)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederica, Queen of Greece (1947 - 1964)

Princess Eleonora of Leiningen

(Karolina Augusta's mother)

Descends from all three children of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld: Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen; Princess Feodora of Leiningen; and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Queen Karolina Augusta I of Mecklenburg

Is the first female ruler in Mecklenburg’s 900 year history.

Will be the final ruler from the House of Mecklenburg which will eventually bring an end to the House’s status as the longest still reigning house in European history.

Is descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Has been the youngest monarch in the world since 1992.

Has 15 godparents:

HRH Princess Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark (paternal second cousin once removed)

HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HSH Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HM Silvia, Queen of Sweden (family friend)

HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (paternal and maternal second cousin twice removed)

HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (paternal third cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (paternal third cousin once removed and family friend)

HRH Prince Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (paternal third cousin)

HH Prince Harald of Denmark (paternal first cousin once removed)

HSH Prince Hermann Friedrich of Leiningen (maternal first cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias (paternal third cousin)

HH Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (distant cousin and family friend)

HSH Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (distant cousin and family friend)

[roehenstart]

Karl IX of Sweden. Unidentified painter.

[norsesuggestions]

King Karl of sweden voice:

(indeed this is brother of the previously mentioned Erik of sweden)

King Karl: you know what? Fuck it. I am also gonna make up the number after my name.

Who keeps tracks of how many kings named Karl there is ANYWAY?

I am King Karl IX now! Nice

[americaneldritch]

The Treehouse of Tarot

Current draft, looking for feedback. Also, looking for artists to draw a card! Currently, the Fool, the Devil, the World, and Judgement are spoken for. Everything else is up for grabs / debatable. 

Major Arcana

The Fool - Homer The Magician - Milhouse The High Priestess - Lisa   The Empress - Ms. Krabapple The Emperor - Grandpa Simpson The Hierophant - Lionel Hutz The Lovers - THE LOVEJOYS The Chariot - Otto Strength, RADIOACTIVE MAN (?) The Hermit - Bleeding Gums Murphy Wheel of Fortune - KRUSTY Justice - Chief Wiggins The Hanged Man - SIDESHOW BOB Death - BART Temperance - MAUDE FLANDERS The Devil: FLANDERS (with Rod + Todd) The Tower: Itchy and Scratchy   The Star: MAGGIE The Moon - BART AGAIN?? The Sun - MR. BURNS Judgement - Groundskeeper Willie The World - MARGE

MUGS (cups)

Ace: Big Yellow Hand, Moe's tavern II: Barflies (Larry & Sam) III: Duffman and Duff Girls IV: Mr. Teeny V: Bumblebee Man VI: Bart + Milhouse Slushie Binge VII: Crazy Cat Lady VIII: Kent Brockman IX: Sea Captain X: Cletus & Family Page: Akira & Blinky Knight: Moe   Queen: Malibu Stacy bathing in a mug of water   King: Barney sitting on a bar stool in a sea of Duff DONUTS (pentacles) Ace: Big yellow Hand, maybe the Church b/g? II: Disco Stu III: Comic Book guy + Wendell + Lewis Clark (+Richard?) IV: Mayor Quimby V: Sherri and Terri VI: Dr. Nick Dropping Pills VII: Hans Moleman VIII: Sarah Wiggum (?) IX: Selma and Jub Jub X: Abe Simpson + old folks? Page: Lard Lad Knight: Poochy Queen: Luane van Hauten (?) King: Apu NUCLEAR RODS (wands) Ace: Big yellow HAND, Power Plant in background II:  Professor Frink III: Tibor IV: Karl & Lenny V: Whole Simpsons family (plus Abe?) holding rods VI: The Very Tall Man (on a very small horse, with Nelson laughing) VII: Radioactive Man VIII: Just eight rods... what to do with this one? Bobo? Smilin' Joe Fission? IX: Lunch Lady Doris stirring a pot with a rod X: Ol' Gil Page: Fallout Boy Knight: Dr. Hibbert Queen: Mindy Simmons King: Smithers  SWORDS (swords) Ace: Big Yellow Hand  II: Baby Sitter Bandit  III: The Tell-Tale Heart with Alison Taylor   IV: Vampire Mr. Burns  V: Nelson + Bullies VI: Fat Tony VII: Frank Grimes VIII: Skinner's Mother IX: McBane X: Scratchy (with itchy?) Page:  Ralph Knight: Bartman (or Snake Queen: Laura Powers King: Mr. Teeny

[princessvictoriamelita]

Princess Louise and Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia.

Great-great-grandchildren of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark.

Their parents were Prince Friedrich Sigismund of Prussia and Princess Marie Louise of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Their father died in 1927 after falling from a horse.

[andiatas]

The Crown of the Swedish Heir / The Crown Princess' Crown

King Karl X Gustav's Crown of the Heir Apparent with its blue cap is the crown of Crown Princess Victoria. It was made in 1650 by Jurgen Dargeman in gold and set with pearls, diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.

The crown was made quickly for Queen Kristina's coronation in 1650. Only 17 days before the coronation, the Queen reminded the council that, according to tradition, the heir to the throne wore a unique costume consisting of a cloak, a crown and a cap. Jürgen Dargeman had just over a week to make a new crown for Karl (X) Gustav.

Because time was so short, Dargeman reused the crown created for Queen Kristina the Elder to wear for King Karl IX's coronation. He applied enamel decorations from the old crown and newly mounted stones to a freshly made plain crown ring with eight triangular points.

At the coronation, the crown is not worn directly on the head — instead, it is placed over a velvet hat, embroidered in gold and silver and edged with ermine.

The Crown of Sweden's Heir Apparent remains virtually unchanged to this day. The only alteration of any significance was carried out for the coronation of King Gustav III in 1772 when two of the lower sceptres were replaced with black enamelled corn sheaves, the symbol of the great Vasa dynasty.

King Gustaf V was the last to wear the crown (sans velvet hat), and it can now be seen at the Treasury at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, and the hat can be seen at the Royal Armoury.

Photos: The Royal Court of Sweden

[qsdblogging]

10 More TV Shows You Need To See

This is the second installment of my recommendations of shows for you to add to your own lists. I watch a lot of television and I’ve got, what I consider to be at least, a wide variety of shows under my favorites. 

If you haven’t seen the first list, you don’t need to unless you want to see another list of ten shows you may want to check out if you’re looking for anything new to watch.

Warning, though, some of these don’t end the best way and may end up more as a disappointment. I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

I. Warehouse 13.

Pete and Myka, U.S Secret Service Agents, are deployed to South Dakota’s Warehouse 13 with a new assignment from an authority above and outside the government. 

Intrigued?

With the Warehouse comes assignments regarding objects that hold some sort of abilities that can cause people to do wild and crazy things. It’s their job to find the artifacts (as they all hold significance to history) and bring them back to the Warehouse for safe keeping.

Things get wild and some serious topics get handled, but the show isn’t alone. It’s connected to another on this list, Eureka. More on that when you get to Eureka.

Some familiar faces are Eddie McClintock who played a part in Bones, one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Joanne Kelly who played a role in The Dresden Files television series, Allison Scagliotti who played roles in Stitchers, The Vampire Diaries, and Drake & Josh, Aaron Ashmore (twin brother to Shawn Ashmore, who has been in the X-Men movies alongside appearing in The Boys, and voicing Conrad in Man of Medan) from Killjoys, Lost Girl, and Smallville, and Jamie Murray from Castelvania, Gotham, The Originals, Once Upon a Time, Defiance, and Dexter.

I highly recommend, especially because the dynamic of the characters is really interesting and covers a lot. 

II. Eureka.

As mentioned above, this is connected to Warehouse 13. But only in the last two seasons of this show are the two connected. 

Eureka is a town full of geniuses and advanced technology that the government funds, and when a new sheriff comes to town, he’s exposed to all the daily occurrences the locals get up to. And maybe a couple instances of time travel that may or may not have to do with the connection.

The town is full of faces you may recognize. Colin Ferguson who has roles in Haven, The Vampire Diaries, and Maytag commercials, Erica Cerra who has roles in The 100, Supernatural, Deadly Class, and the first Percy Jackson film, Felicia Day who has roles in The Magicians, Supernatural, Con Man, The Guild, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Trevor Jackson who has roles in Grown-ish, and a couple Disney productions.

It’s a huge science fiction show and if you’re into that, give it a watch.

III. Alphas.

Now, like the two above is, Alphas is a science fiction packed drama. And it’s rumored to be connected, like be in the same universe, as Warehouse 13 and Eureka. It’s never been confirmed, but there is one character (same name and job) that plays a part in both Alphas and Warehouse 13, which is the stem for the theory. (Plus, some other ideas floating around). 

But Alphas focuses on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities while they, themselves, have abilities. These powered people are referred to as Alphas, due to their nature.

Unfortunately, this show ends on a cliffhanger in its second season.

Yet, I still recommend giving it a shot because it truly is an interesting show and it’s got some people you may recognize. 

IV. Haven.

If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s “Colorado Kid”, you’ll most likely enjoy this show since it’s loosely based off of it. 

Set in the coastal town of Haven, Maine, FBI Agent Audrey Parker comes to town to find that the residents have dormant curses, or rather troubles, that can be triggered at any given moment. She, along with the Sheriff and the town’s black sheep, must deal with the troubles’ deadly effects. And a few things may be revealed about herself too along the way.

It’s pretty interesting and I enjoyed it quite a lot when I first watched it. I’m not the biggest fan of Stephen King, and the connection seems to barely be there, but I wouldn’t know given my dislike for King. 

I highly recommend giving Haven a shot, however, especially if you’re a crime and fantasy fan. 

V. Lost Girl.

Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth of her own mysterious origins. (Taken from IMDB). 

Plus, there a lesbian romance or two. 

Now, the show itself is pretty strong holding in its own storyline and lore, but the last season does get a bit rocky feeling. It could’ve been better, and it definitely feels a little rushed, but it wasn’t too bad of an ending. However, it’s not a show that got cancelled before it could wrap things up and it leaves things pretty open-ended.

In my books, that’s a point. I highly recommend this is if you’re a fan of fantasy.

VI. Almost Human.

Unfortunately, this is one of the ones in the list that only has one season (that seems to be out of order and frankly I’m not entirely sure of the order myself, so rely on googling it yourself and hopefully you find the right order) and was cancelled not long after airing. 

BUT, it’s a good watch. It’s set in the distant future, where cops are assigned an android partner to protect and serve. Things get pretty wild and I’m quite sure there are some bombs involved at some point, but there’s a bonus to all the madness of Almost Human.

Minka Kelly and Karl Urban. Two incredibly beautiful human beings.

I highly recommend bingeing this single season show. 

VII. American Gods.

This shows feels very confusing. But it’s still a good watch. 

It centers on a recently released ex-con named Shadow Moon. He runs into a man full of mystery named Wednesday (and you’ll later come to find out who he really is, or you may already know given your knowledge on the book of the same name or just how well you know mythology) who seems to know more than Shadow about his own life and past. 

There are Gods, mischief, and a lot of crazy shit in this show. So far it’s on it’s third season as far as I know (I have to rewatch the first two before I pick it back up).

You should give it a shot, but I won’t blame you if you feel way too confused about the whole thing.

VIII. The Boys.

Now, there’s a lot of controversy regarding this Amazon Original Series, but honestly, I think everyone should at least give it a chance. I know a lot of Tumblr users were put off on trying to due to the advertisements on the site. 

If you don’t know what this series is about, it follows a group of vigilantes set on taking down the corrupt superheroes that are abusing their powers and status.

It covers a lot of ground. Murder, sabotage, terrorism, capitalism, and a lot more. Feminism and sexual harassment occur, but there are warning before each episode for what you may see in the contents.

Some familiar faces include Karl Urban, who’s known for his roles in Thor: Ragnarok, the newer Star Trek movies, Almost Human, Lord of the Rings, and more, Erin Moriarty from Jessica Jones, Laz Alonso from The Mysteries of Laura, Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl and The Covenant, and Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has been confirmed to be joining the cast for its third season.

The Boys is currently on it’s second season, being released on a weekly schedule. So, if you like superheroes and graphic content, this show might be it for you.

IX. Chuck.

Chuck is the result of when a twenty-eight year old computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. assign two agents to protect him and exploit the knowledge, turning Chuck Bartowski’s life upside down. (Taken from IMDB).

This is one of the shows I cannot recommend enough to people. It’s the right mixture of action and comedy, plus a little romance. Spies, love, and murder, oh my! What more could you want? 

Plus, Zachery Levi plays Chuck. If you don’t know him by name, you probably would recognize him from some of his roles with the most recent being in Shazam!, Fandral in the second and third Thor films, voicing Eugene Fitzherbert (or Flynn Rider) in Tangled, and Heroes: Reborn. 

If Zachery Levi playing a lovable computer geek turned spy doesn’t interest you, maybe some more familiar faces will. 

Yvonne Strahovski from The Handmaid’s Tale, The Astronaut Wives Club, acting as Daenerys in a Princess Rap Battle on Youtube, and Dexter. Adam Baldwin from Firefly/Serenity, Bones, Angel, The Last Ship, and Independence Day. Brandon Routh who plays Ray Palmer from the DC Shows. Matt Bomer from Doom Patrol, American Horror Story, White Collar, Magic Mike, and True Calling.

X. Deadly Class.

Unfortunately, I have a truly bad streak with new shows. Deadly Class, like others that have been mentioned in these lists of mine, got cancelled and on a cliffhanger no less. However, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the action-packed coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. 

Following a new recruit for a high school training assassins, things get pretty wild when you pair death and teenagers. 

[historywithlaura]

ANNA OF AUSTRIA

Queen Consort of Poland and Sweden

(born 1573 - died 1598)

pictured above is a portrait of the Queen of Poland and Sweden, by Marcin Kober from 1595

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

SERIES - On this day August Edition: Anna was born on 16 August 1573.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

ANNA was born on 16 August 1573, in Graz. She was the eldest daughter of Archduke Karl II of Austria and Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria.

As a granddaughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor she was a member of the Austrian branch of the HOUSE OF HABSBURG and thus was an ARCHDUCHESS OF AUSTRIA from birth.

In 1592 she married SIGISMUND III, the Monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (as Zygmunt III, King of Poland and Zigmantas III, Grand Duke of Lithuania). Her husband was also the Crown Prince of Sweden as the eldest son of Johan III, King of Sweden and Princess Katarzyna (Jagiellon) of Poland. They had five children (check the list below), but only one reached adulthood.

During negotiations for her wedding, the Polish nobility were not in favor of a Habsburg union and tried to prevent the wedding and her entry into the country.

After her wedding she became the QUEEN CONSORT OF POLAND, the GRAND DUCHESS OF LITHUANIA and the CROWN PRINCESS OF SWEDEN.

By November 1592 her husband succeeded his father as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland, and she also became the QUEEN CONSORT OF SWEDEN and GRAND DUCHESS OF FINLAND.

Aged only 24, the Queen Consort of Poland and Sweden died in 1598, in Warsaw, while giving birth to her last children.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

A year after her death her husband was formaly deposed as King of Sweden, after he lost the Battle of Stångebro against his Protestant uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland (future King Karl IX of Sweden).

Sweden had been in Civil War since 1547 do to religious conflicts, as the Reformation had been introduced in the 1520s by King Gustaf (the first member of the House of Vasa to rule Sweden) and her father-in-law and her husband had been trying to reinstate the Catholic faith during their reigns.

So upon her husband's death in 1632, her only surviving son was elected as Władysław IV, Monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian (as Władysław IV, King of Poland and Vladislovas, Grand Duke of Lithuania) but did not became King of Sweden.

-------------------- ~ -------------------- ~ --------------------

ANNA and her husband SIGISMUND had five children...

Princess Anna Maria (Vasa) of Poland - died aged six;

Princess Katarzyna (Vasa) of Poland - died aged twenty eight days;

Władysław IV Vasa, Monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - husband first of Archduchess Cäcilia Renata of Austria and second of Princess Maria Luisa (Gonzaga-Nevers) of Mantua;

Princess Katarzyna (Vasa) of Poland - died aged eight months; and

Prince Krzysztof (Vasa) of Poland - born and died on the same day;

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.12

910 – Battle of Augsburg: The Hungarians defeat the East Frankish army under King Louis the Child, using the famous feigned retreat tactic of the nomadic warriors. 1240 – At the instigation of Louis IX of France, an inter-faith debate, known as the Disputation of Paris, starts between a Christian monk and four rabbis. 1381 – Peasants' Revolt: In England, rebels assemble at Blackheath, just outside London. 1418 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Parisians slaughter sympathizers of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac, along with all prisoners, foreign bankers, and students and faculty of the College of Navarre. 1429 – Hundred Years' War: On the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk. 1550 – The city of Helsinki, Finland (belonging to Sweden at the time) is founded by King Gustav I of Sweden. 1643 – The Westminster Assembly is convened by the Parliament of England, without the assent of Charles I, in order to restructure the Church of England. 1653 – First Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of the Gabbard begins, lasting until the following day. 1665 – Thomas Willett is appointed the first mayor of New York City. 1758 – French and Indian War: Siege of Louisbourg: James Wolfe's attack at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, commences. 1772 – French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne and 25 of his men killed by Māori in New Zealand. 1775 – American War of Independence: British general Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachusetts. The British offer a pardon to all colonists who lay down their arms. There would be only two exceptions to the amnesty: Samuel Adams and John Hancock, if captured, were to be hanged. 1776 – The Virginia Declaration of Rights is adopted. 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battle of Ballynahinch. 1817 – The earliest form of bicycle, the dandy horse, is driven by Karl von Drais. 1821 – Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Isma'il Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom. 1830 – Beginning of the Invasion of Algiers: Thirty-four thousand French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch. 1864 – American Civil War, Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: Ulysses S. Grant gives the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee a victory when he pulls his Union troops from their position at Cold Harbor, Virginia and moves south. 1898 – Philippine Declaration of Independence: General Emilio Aguinaldo declares the Philippines' independence from Spain. 1899 – New Richmond tornado: The eighth deadliest tornado in U.S. history kills 117 people and injures around 200. 1900 – The Reichstag approves new legislation continuing Germany's naval expansion program, providing for construction of 38 battleships over a 20-year period. Germany's fleet would be the largest in the world. 1914 – Massacre of Phocaea: Turkish irregulars slaughter 50 to 100 Greeks and expel thousands of others in an ethnic cleansing operation in the Ottoman Empire. 1921 – Mikhail Tukhachevsky orders the use of chemical weapons against the Tambov Rebellion, bringing an end to the peasant uprising. 1935 – A ceasefire is negotiated between Bolivia and Paraguay, ending the Chaco War. 1939 – Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor. 1939 – The Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York. 1940 – World War II: Thirteen thousand British and French troops surrender to Major General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. 1942 – Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday. 1943 – The Holocaust: Germany liquidates the Jewish Ghetto in Brzeżany, Poland (now Berezhany, Ukraine). Around 1,180 Jews are led to the city's old Jewish graveyard and shot. 1944 – World War II: Operation Overlord: American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division secure the town of Carentan, Normandy, France. 1950 – An Air France Douglas DC-4 crashes near Bahrain International Airport, killing 46 people. 1954 – Pope Pius XII canonises Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old at the time of his death, as a saint, making him at the time the youngest unmartyred saint in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2017, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged ten and nine at the time of their deaths, are declared as saints. 1963 – NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers is murdered in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi by Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith during the civil rights movement. 1963 – The film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, is released in US theaters. It was the most expensive film made at the time. 1964 – Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa. 1967 – The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. 1975 – India, Judge Jagmohanlal Sinha of the city of Allahabad ruled that India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had used corrupt practices to win her seat in the Indian Parliament, and that she should be banned from holding any public office. Mrs. Gandhi sent word that she refused to resign. 1979 – Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man-powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross. 1981 – The first of the Indiana Jones film franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is released in theaters. 1982 – A nuclear disarmament rally and concert is held in New York City. 1987 – The Central African Republic's former emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa is sentenced to death for crimes he had committed during his 13-year rule. 1987 – Cold War: At the Brandenburg Gate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. 1988 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 046, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, crashes short of the runway at Libertador General José de San Martín Airport, killing all 22 people on board. 1990 – Russia Day: The parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty. 1991 – Russians first democratically elected Boris Yeltsin as the President of Russia. 1991 – Kokkadichcholai massacre: The Sri Lankan Army massacres 152 minority Tamil civilians in the village of Kokkadichcholai near the Eastern Province town of Batticaloa. 1993 – An election takes place in Nigeria and is won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. Its results are later annulled by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida. 1997 – Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London. 1999 – Kosovo War: Operation Joint Guardian begins when a NATO-led United Nations peacekeeping force (KFor) enters the province of Kosovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 2009 – A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to wide-ranging local and international protests. 2014 – Between 1,095 and 1,700 Shia Iraqi people are killed in an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. It's the second deadliest act of terrorism in history, only behind 9/11. 2016 – Forty-nine civilians are killed and 58 others injured in an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida; the gunman, Omar Mateen, is killed in a gunfight with police. 2017 – American student Otto Warmbier returns home in a coma after spending 17 months in a North Korean prison and dies a week later. 2018 – United States President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea held the first meeting between leaders of their two countries in Singapore.

[greenbardasoiaf]

This episode is part 2.2 of my blog series "The Direwolves of Winterfell." It covers the warg bond of Grey Wind and Robb in A Song of Ice and Fire book 1, A Game of Thrones, from when Robb leaves Winterfell until the end of a Clash of Kings. Part 2.1 covered their story before that point. 1 more video in the series is coming, to cover their bond in A Storm of Swords. 

"The Direwolves of Winterfell" discusses how the Starks possess the magic to warg their direwolves or skinchange other beasts. The series does a deep dive into how their bond is formed and expressed, as well as how each is tied to their pack. Parts 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are also available on this channel, covering Sansa and Lady's bond, and the effects that her death had on Sansa and the rest of the pack. Later parts of the series will cover Arya and Nymeria, Bran and Summer, Rickon and Shaggydog, and Jon and Ghost as the series moves forward. 

When "The Winds of Winter" blow, magic will ramp up in the world. Expect to see more from the Direwolves of Winterfell. FYI, the text of the entire series is available at alivealive0.home.blog/direwolves 

__________ 

This channel discusses George R R Martin's World of Ice and Fire, where his series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," and HBO's series, "Game of Thrones" and the upcoming "Blood of the Dragon," based upon GRRM's "Fire & Blood" are set. The channel will mainly focus on magic and the magical lineages within this world, especially as relates to House Stark and House Targaryen. 

 I am the Green Bard. I blog, sing, and record about medieval fantasy / sci-fi. I like A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, Shannara, and more. You might see me at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, an Irish Pub, open mic night, a con or some other weird place. Say Hello! Peace! 

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/the_green_bard

Green Bard Gear Available Here: https://teespring.com/the_green_bard/ 

Our blog can be found here: https://alivealive0.home.blog 

Audio-only versions of my videos are available on "The Bard's Truth" Podcast on: Spotify and anchor.fm/bards-truth 

Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegreenbard/ 

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_green_bard 

We can also interact on reddit, thelasthearth, and westeros.org, where I am known as ‘Alivealive0’ or The Green Bard

___________ 

Thanks to all the terrific artists who shared their work with us here! *Images used w/ permission: 

-SaxyBassLass (my daughter) - Lady as Ned Arrives - see CC license on my blog website. 

@sanrixian of sanrixian.com - Grey Wind, Shaggydog, The North Remembers 

@Hed-Ush on deviantart.com/hed-ush - Game of Thrones - Catelyn IX

@vkcoleart on deviantart.com/vkcole -Stark Direwolves, You Will Fly, The Wild Wolf, and The King Who Lost the North 

@sir-heartsalot-blog on deviantart.com/sir-heartsalot and tumblr - Arya, Crow's Nest, A Dance with Dragon's Spoilers, Greatjon, House Stark, Jaime Lannister, Arya and the Cats 

@MaximilienRobb on deviantart.com/MaximilienRobb - Bran Stark -NMaTM on deviantart.com/nmatm - Robb and Grey Wind, Robb and Grey Wind II 

@AireensColor on deviantart.com/aireenscolor - The Stark Children -Dejan Delic on deviantart.com/dejan-delic - Theon, Red Wedding, Robb Stark, Jon Snow

@FALLENV3GAS on deviantart.com/fallenv3gas - Hornwood, Karstark 

@MathiaArkoniel on deviantart.com/mathiaarkoniel - asoiaf: Jaime Catelyn -

-The Brushed Bombshell (my wife)  - Soldier Wets Himself While Theon Lifts Catelyn 

@minuiko on tumblr.com (and DA!) - Sansa and Arya -

@TheMico at themicos.blogspot.com - Cleos Frey 

@JohnnyClark on deviantart.com - Hall of the King in the North

*Music written by Guy LaRouche, and recorded by Salsa Norte. Copyright Hot Karl Records, all rights reserved. Used with permission. The song, entitled "Seducción," once made number 1 on the world music list on mp3.com in the late '90s and appeared on Salsa Norte's self-titled debut album.

___________ 

My handle comes from the Irish Song “Molly Malone”, which was immediately brought to mind when I read the Cat of the Canals chapter.       

The Chorus: Alive, Alive, Oh! Alive, Alive, Oh! Crying Cockles and Mussels, Alive, Alive, Oh! I play this song and other folk songs with my actual Irish Band: The Bold O’Donohughs https://www.facebook.com/BoldBassGuy/ https://www.reverbnation.com/boldodonohughs https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbq7MS5v08g3FZslPZECDQ

I’ve been a Wild Rover for many a year! — The Green Bard 

[qqueenofhades]

the shadows among the stars: chapter twelve

Summary: Sequel to the alchemical wedding. Garcia Flynn and Lucy Preston have timewalked to 1590 London, in search of answers about the mysterious manuscript Ashmole 782. But as they tangle with alchemists, assassins, witches, vampires, daemons, queens, and emperors – and the de Clermont family themselves – they quickly realize that their quest will be far more difficult than they ever imagined, and their relationship will be challenged as never before. In the present, their formidable enemy Michael Temple is more powerful than ever, the rival creature factions on the Congregation scheme and intrigue against each other, and in both centuries, the danger and the shadows are only deepening. Rating: M Status: WIP Previous: Heartsblood

Chapter 12: The Fair Triumvirate

Flynn, Lucy, Gabriel, and Christian depart for Prague five days hence. It has been a labor of Hercules trying to make the arrangements as fast as possible, and the entire circus is going with them. They have left Asher in London to hold down the home front, which Flynn still doesn’t like, but since they cannot hope to impress Rudolf without sufficient pomp and circumstance, he’s had to bring most of the household: Parry, Karl, several grooms, Meg, Jack, Agnes, and Gabriel’s very long-suffering valet, Edward. Flynn also isn’t sure about the advisability of leaving David Rittenhouse, Christopher Marlowe, and Guy Fawkes at leisure in the city, but if anyone can manage them, it’s his father, and he cannot repress a dark suspicion that Rittenhouse might try to follow them. Besides, one problem at a time. Or at least only several.

The entourage departs in several coaches, which will take them as far as Dover. From there, the itinerary grows considerably more improvisational. The de Clermonts are French, so they can hopefully land in a French port without undue attention or difficulty; Dieppe, in Normandy, is one such possibility, since Calais is out. That means they can also travel across France for the first half of the trip, so they’ll know the territory and can move faster. Flynn struggles to recall who the fuck is king right now. One of Catherine de Medici’s bumbling sons – Charles IX? Henry III? No, Henry III got murdered last year, so Henry IV? If that’s the case, just for that extra bit of je ne sais quoi, Henry IV is actually the only Protestant king of France in history and will not be inclined to aid and abet possible Catholic spies sneaking into Bohemia. He is likely to have heard of the de Clermont family, at least, and maybe their inherent Englishness will help rather than hinder. He has some of the same enemies as Elizabeth, in the diehard Catholic League factions, and they could play that up if needed.

Nonetheless, it is still a formidably daunting undertaking that requires approximately as much planning as D-Day (and Flynn should know, he was there – they had been living in exile in London after the fall of France, and it was how he, Gabriel, Maria, and Wyatt got back into the country on their desperate mission to rescue Asher). Any way you cut it, it is going to take their sweet time to get there, and he tries not to constantly run doomsday scenarios in his head. Asher has promised to contact them if something starts to go catastrophically wrong back in London and has faster means to reach them than human messengers, and perhaps after Flynn’s cover story for his past self was sending him on a long and tedious journey to Europe, it’s only fair that he has to do it himself. In Flynn’s grumpy opinion, someone should have just murdered Edward Kelley a while back and saved everyone the trouble, but alas.

The one part, the truly unbelievable part, which he keeps feeling tempted to pinch himself in case he wakes up and it’s gone, is the fact that Gabriel is – Gabriel is with him again. After their reintroduction in this century has gone about as badly as possible, this is – Flynn doesn’t know what. It’s like a limb that has been cut off for eons has suddenly returned to him and is thinking about working again, as if he has a right hand again, a heart, a soul. Feelings that he has not even thought of, not even dreamt of for hundreds of years, are shyly creeping their way back into his consciousness, and they sit next to each other and play cards on the coach without a single argument, except about whether Christian is helping Gabriel to cheat. Even that is good-natured and ends in scuffles rather than shouting, until Lucy clears her throat and reminds them that she is delighted that they are having fun, but the coach is small and the three of them are large, and inadvertently overturning them in a ditch would definitely slow them down. Even then, she smiles as she says it, and Flynn knows she’s relieved too.

[read the rest on AO3]