1621
Sending a hero off to ‘certain death’ never seems to work out...
The goddess Hera hated Heracles, so the ancient Greek myths tell, because he was one of the many love-children fathered by her consort Zeus, king of the gods of Olympus. But time after times, her efforts to destroy him were frustrated.
Picture: © Heinz Schmitz, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015
1622
A quick overview of the Kings of England from William I in 1066 to John in 1199.
Below is a brief overview of the Kings of England from William the Conqueror, who seized the crown in 1066, to John, whose disgruntled barons forced him to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.
Picture: Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015
1623
A quick overview of the Kings of England from John in 1199 to Henry IV in 1399.
Below is a brief overview of the Kings of England from John, whose disgruntled barons forced him to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, to Henry IV, who pushed his cousin Richard II off the throne.
Picture: © Harland Quarrington, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Open Government Licence 1.0.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015
1624
An inquisitive monk spied on a guest’s night-time walks.
Coldingham (today just across the Scottish border) was at one time home to a monastery for men and women. The Abbess was Ebbe, who as it happens was also a princess – a real historical fact. She invited Cuthbert to stay there for a few days.
Picture: © Tony Hisgett, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015
1625
The young monk taught some hard-hearted pagans a lesson they’d never forget.
The historian Bede (c.672-735) was a monk at Jarrow, a short distance up the River Tyne from Tynemouth in North East England. It was at Jarrow that Bede heard this story, as told by one of those who had seen it a few years earlier.
Picture: Photo by Sarah Gardiner, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015
1626
An everyday act of charity triggered off a series of extraordinary events.
Alfred the Great ruled Wessex (roughly, southern and western England) from 871 to 899, but he had to reclaim it from Danish invaders first. The King had only a handful of loyal men to rely on, and was hiding out on a hill amid the Somerset levels, at that time a marshy lake.
Picture: © Penny Mayes, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted March 13 2015