727
Lord Macaulay believed that the disastrous reign of King John brought the country together.
Lord Macaulay argued that ‘bad’ King John’s reign did England a lot of good. It pulled the country away from Continental Europe, forcing the supercilious Normans in government to feel less European and more English, and to connect with their everyday countrymen after generations of neglect.
Picture: From the British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted July 20 2019
728
Sir Walter Scott tells of the tale of how a little spider inspired Robert the Bruce to win his country’s sovereignty.
Robert I of Scotland forced England to recognise Scottish independence in 1328. But back in 1307, King Edward I had responded to news of Robert’s coronation by seizing his estates, kidnapping his Queen and murdering his brother. Robert fled to the remote isles, and according to a popular folktale his fate hung almost literally by a spider’s thread.
Picture: © Victuallers, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.. Source.
Posted July 19 2019
729
Rome’s greedy tax policy in Britain and Gaul left farmers with little to show for their labours but the stripes on their backs.
Admission to the Roman Empire brought an unfamiliar prosperity and ease to the former kingdoms of Britain, but American historian David Montgomery emphasised that much of it was a sham. Behind the facade lay a culture of corruption and exploitation fed by government greed, which was not limited to the miserable slaves labouring in mines or brickworks.
Picture: © Ahala, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic.. Source.
Posted June 27 2019
730
After the kingdoms of Great Britain were absorbed into the Roman Empire, the promises of prosperity and civilisation came only to a favoured few.
When the kingdoms of Britain joined the Roman Empire – some willingly, some not – their peoples found that it brought great benefits. Unfortunately, most never got to experience them. City-dwellers fared well and lived comfortably, if they were good Romans, but everyone else existed for their convenience.
Picture: © Carole Raddato, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic.. Source.
Posted June 27 2019
731
During the Battle of Inkerman in 1854, one of Lord Raglan’s hospital sergeants had a close encounter with a Russian cannonball.
Lord Calthorpe was aide-de-camp to Lord Raglan during the Crimean War of 1853-6 against Russia. The war was a bloody and costly mistake, but the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava on October 24th, 1854, was not the only moment of heroism. A few days after the Battle of Inkerman on November 5th, Calthorpe had this story to share.
Picture: By Jean-Charles Langlois (fl. 1860s) and Léon-Eugène Méhédin (1828-1905), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted June 22 2019
732
Jonah grudgingly fulfils his calling to preach repentance in Nineveh, and God tries to make him as comfortable as possible.
After the famous incident of the whale, a much chastened Jonah agreed to fulfil his commission and go to Nineveh in Assyria. His task was to upbraid the people for their wickedness and prophesy certain destruction, but he suspected that God would not actually do it, and harboured regrets for the effect this would have on his reputation.
Picture: From the Menologion of Basil (11th century), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted June 14 2019