tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-275360502024-03-07T23:46:28.985+00:00Cardinal Wolsey's Today in HistoryCardinal Wolsey's musings on Tudor history, medieval history, early-modern history and anything else that takes his fancycardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-22641158393929584552012-11-02T15:16:00.000+00:002012-11-02T15:18:16.907+00:00The All Saints Flood of 1570 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf8fC2CzjP803PaPQgYjE9S2-2EfNMpfGXMFtOjD7Zb5xrXhyphenhyphen8JAMYcO07WCrPHhSBeUKM2Yw0VaEb5PybEMJ56XRJZCHaG_b953PVQ2wbktbu9wE7kk2lOasoEpUpkT3S3TX/s1600/AllerheiligenMose1570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf8fC2CzjP803PaPQgYjE9S2-2EfNMpfGXMFtOjD7Zb5xrXhyphenhyphen8JAMYcO07WCrPHhSBeUKM2Yw0VaEb5PybEMJ56XRJZCHaG_b953PVQ2wbktbu9wE7kk2lOasoEpUpkT3S3TX/s320/AllerheiligenMose1570.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Drawing: Hans Moser, Scheldt Flood, 1570(wiki)</span><br />
As we look at the images of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast USA his week, here's a reminder of a devastating 16thC flood in Holland which took place this week in 1570. This was the All Saints' Flood (Allerheiligenvloed) which may have killed 20,000 in Holland and neighbouring countries, leaving many more thousands homeless.<b> </b><br />
In fact there are a series of All Saints' (Aller Heiligen) floods along the North Sea coasts of Holland, Belgium, and Germany, all taking place on or around 1st November, All Saints Day. Others took place in 1170, 1532, 1675 and most recently in 2006. <br />
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The 1570 flood took place at a critical point in the history of the Netherlands.
Tax reforms had led to increasing dissatisfaction with the rule of the Spanish king Philip II and his governor, and the flood only compounded the general feelings of unrest.<br />
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By 1581 the Dutch Republic had been formed and the foundations were being laid for the Dutch golden age of exploration and influence. Although Elizabeth I of the England sent troops under Robert Dudey to assist the Dutch against the Spanish, England and Holland would end up in conflict as Dutch naval power grew in the 17thC. <br />
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references:<br />
www.bibliotheek.nl<br />www.wikipedia.comcardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-71749324177006000812011-03-23T20:45:00.006+00:002011-03-23T22:04:49.019+00:00How Greece lost her Marbles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaAP8Hj70h6eJET5bDQ0_Ljb8OyKkhgvUpeBjiIeKrK9CBTDgHCOGl960Pj_F1hJCiM4LkLYRfs2vThyphenhyphenODGacLmRifFSpBpdMLWdGY2xm4uIjd2JVX_AXjxM_YaLH_cp9s5IH/s1600/DSC00078.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaAP8Hj70h6eJET5bDQ0_Ljb8OyKkhgvUpeBjiIeKrK9CBTDgHCOGl960Pj_F1hJCiM4LkLYRfs2vThyphenhyphenODGacLmRifFSpBpdMLWdGY2xm4uIjd2JVX_AXjxM_YaLH_cp9s5IH/s320/DSC00078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587381554062098706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: a decent view of the Parthenon without too much scaffolding (copyright the author)</span><br /><br />On a recent trip to Athens, the cultural hot potato that is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles">Elgin Marbles</a> was very much in play. Piles of leaflets at the entrance to the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/404">Acropolis</a> make the case for the return of these treasures of the Parthenon (or stolen booty depending on your stance) from the British Museum to Athens.<br /><br />A brief summary of the story:<br /><br />From 1799 the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bruce,_7th_Earl_of_Elgin">Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin</a>. At this time the Ottomans were in charge of Athens, and in 1801 Elgin obtained permission (or so he claimed) to remove around half the existing sculptures from the Parthenon and other structures on the Acropolis. This his agents duly did and in by 1812 they had been shipped back to Blighty.<br /><br />Although Elgin's motives were based on a love of antiquity (he had heard that some sculptures had previously been burnt to extract lime), a row broke out almost immediately, and has been running off and on for the 200 years since.<br /><br />Arguments for keeping the marbles in the BM:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-style: italic;">They are closer to my house (and for Londoners generally)</span>. OK, this might have held water when it took a week by sea to get to Athens, but that was before Easyjet & co.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Greeks won't look after them</span>. Pollution in Athens is less of an issue since the Olympics clean-up, and the fab new <a href="http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/?la=2">Acropolis Museum</a> makes the BM look very last year. They even have a space ready.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-style: italic;">It will set a precedent for returning stuff which will empty our museums</span>. Well, you shouldn't have nicked it in the first place. See <a href="http://www.elginism.com/">this site</a> for more hot potatoes.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">We built a </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.google.com/images?hl=&q=duveen+gallery&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_en___GB231&ie=UTF-8&biw=1024&bih=520">nice gallery</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> for them</span>. Just move with the times and use it for a permanent exhibition of our best graffiti artists. The Athens galleries are full of light and a much better setting for the marbles.<br /><br />That's my balanced opinion anyway.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-20594614126953789112010-12-01T23:04:00.005+00:002010-12-01T23:42:56.248+00:00West Wycombe Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaWYDddb7mzOniw7WDeMNqhplWCjPKkRFugcnY25RKX1HCbQhJCk1ydKOyMJFJCeZD6gKs4fBpfTpftmCR_OR9aKFp24-x5_CbHMXZOiuiAu608rZngIniYF8ziDbA17RhxhA/s1600/DSC00031.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVesggM9Fue_MYD7wW7wp7MzmtgUmwCROJgZMciaBNJJZpIZ_2MkGrDC1VXGrxCIyvzxMmfXkh0HH4fDx1ZTnppRsnHOg5MdYvQU4ZwuuPF0DprERJ1yeXUH0jOEUyMldbF_e/s1600/DSC00031.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrHdHcjQwjP7SVhJJddWgxaqifCdyL7z6XMfpuHoua95wx6Vea412q2f0TSW5xcf3Cb0bnFoa6e6Emlq8DF8T9_vTMoji60aYJ_Ti-kbXIi4Naa4qStgGIPedXbvnlTwV5eJz/s1600/DSC00026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrHdHcjQwjP7SVhJJddWgxaqifCdyL7z6XMfpuHoua95wx6Vea412q2f0TSW5xcf3Cb0bnFoa6e6Emlq8DF8T9_vTMoji60aYJ_Ti-kbXIi4Naa4qStgGIPedXbvnlTwV5eJz/s400/DSC00026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545856610457183810" border="0" /></a><br />An autumn view of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Wycombe_Park">West Wycombe Park</a>, an early 18th century English Palladian mansion in the Chiltern Hills, north-west of London. The house was built by Sir Francis Dashwood, sometime Chancellor of the Exchequer and founder of the Dilettante Society and slightly more notorious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellfire_Club">Hellfire Club</a>. The caves where the latter Club held meetings are nearby and make an interesting visit.<br /><br />The house is still in the family:the 12th Baronet Edward Dashwood currently enjoys the modest 5000-acre estate, albeit shared with visitors as the property is run by the National Trust.<br /><br />Nearly West Wycombe village dates from the 16th century and is also looked after by the National Trust. The pubs and jettied shops on the old coaching road feel in a different age to dreary High Wycombe up the road.<br /><br /><br />The peace of this area of the Chilterns is now threatened by the <a href="http://www.hs2.org.uk/">High Speed 2</a> train project.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: the author.</span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-19648128796862801882010-09-29T22:16:00.006+01:002010-09-29T22:54:27.345+01:00Lost Rivers of London: What Lies Beneath<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/4453140215/" title="Fleet River view by Mark Pilkington, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2752/4453140215_53041552e1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Fleet River view" /></a><br /><br />The prolific <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/">Diamond Geezer</a> blog is running a series on <a href="http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2010/09/stamford-brook-ii.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHcFb+%28diamond+geezer%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">The Lost Rivers of London</a>.<br />And I thought Stamford Brook was mainly a bus garage....<br /><br />The Londonist has also run interesting posts on London's <a href="http://londonist.com/tags/lostriversfromabove">lost rivers from above</a>., and explains what the Tyburn Angling Society is up to.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=34640">These guys</a> hope their torch batteries don't run out...<br /><br />Frank Jacobs' Strangemaps has ...... <a href="http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/lost_rivers.jpg">a map</a>.<br /><br />Wikipedia has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_rivers_of_London">general article</a>.<br /><br />photo: Fleet River Tour by Tom Bolton, on Strange Attractor's London leg of <a href="http://atlasobscura.com/obscura-day">Obscura Day</a>, 20 March 2010 <span style="font-size:85%;">(photo credit: Mark Pilkington)</span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-87028900167941331722010-08-04T21:22:00.007+01:002010-08-04T21:41:37.438+01:00The Lutenist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDWxeZWHVGoNYCKc-ScDBImjHiV0K8SPmeRGYVWIaFl5JqwvhXB5dktJM5-U71ZRtFmBtclyBhy_jdfw4DgEyTu4TXP4bU1Tv-VXqNiSfcjdd6oPmq6p0ZbCpihEZqRa-UFiE/s1600/Lutenist+at+Hampton+Court.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDWxeZWHVGoNYCKc-ScDBImjHiV0K8SPmeRGYVWIaFl5JqwvhXB5dktJM5-U71ZRtFmBtclyBhy_jdfw4DgEyTu4TXP4bU1Tv-VXqNiSfcjdd6oPmq6p0ZbCpihEZqRa-UFiE/s400/Lutenist+at+Hampton+Court.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501653546846955058" border="0" /></a><br />A reenactor plays the Lute in the Great Hall at Hampton Court.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">[Photo copyright the author]</span><br /><br /><style></style><a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Elsa/download/audio/Ciaccona_Piccinini.mp3"></a><span style="font-family:AGaramond, Bookman, Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">The <a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Elsa/index.html">Lute Society of America</a> has a useful selection of clips on YouTube "illustrating the use of the lute and vihuela in various styles of music". (will open in new window)<br /></span><ul><span style="font-family:AGaramond, Bookman, Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB4CehJEK8A">Asteria</a> performing fifteenth century music.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G23_pcCZkZg">Paul O’Dette</a> performing sixteenth century lute music.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNUpgptomQ">Hopkinson Smith</a> performing sixteenth century vihuela music.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXb3zih2umw">Nigel North</a> performing John Dowland (written ca. 1600).</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIANAfU2cS4">Robert Barto</a> performing eighteenth century lute music by Silvius Leopold Weiss.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV2AsQwcwZc">Robert Barto</a> – an <i>Allegro</i> movement from a Weiss Sonata.</li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8IArH4TKV8">Ronn McFarlane</a> performing two of his own contemporary compositions.</li> </span></ul>Enjoy!cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-72942301661316347072010-07-22T21:25:00.004+01:002010-07-22T22:32:42.164+01:00London Lives 1690-1800<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54pcmnqlGFWqc8UmJrUSgqbzOwse_5ECm0I4OaOMa5mVtSobyRlPiBK3yu9bAI5BYhm8hX0zQ-kGkkFoSu0hi4b9eeFMyDxug1XuvVxQhRcpARfD9VBHvCD8rNlh0jXDoIpK9/s1600/Sarah-Malcolm+Hogarth.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54pcmnqlGFWqc8UmJrUSgqbzOwse_5ECm0I4OaOMa5mVtSobyRlPiBK3yu9bAI5BYhm8hX0zQ-kGkkFoSu0hi4b9eeFMyDxug1XuvVxQhRcpARfD9VBHvCD8rNlh0jXDoIpK9/s400/Sarah-Malcolm+Hogarth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496836346075802754" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.londonlives.org/">London Lives 1690-1800</a> is a new searchable directory of over 240,000 contemporary primary sources relating to the lives of 3 million 18th century Londoners at the lower end of the social spectrum.<br /><br />The project manager is Sharon Howard, who writes <a href="http://www.earlymodernweb.org.uk/emn/">Early Modern Notes</a> and is one of the coordinators of the long-running history blog carnival <a href="http://www.earlymodernweb.org.uk/carnivalesque/">Carnivalesque</a>.<br /><br />The site is based around workhouse records, criminal registers, coroners' reports and court orders, and the London these documents describe is one where the death penalty was standard for run-of-the-mill thieving.<br /><br />In many cases individuals with reasonable education and prospects fell in with wrong'uns and ended up on the wrong side of the law, and the consequences were often fatal or involved transportation "down under".<br /><br />The Keyword search facility is itself evocative - who could resist exploring <a href="http://www.londonlives.org/static/CopesMadhouse.jsp">CopesMadhouse</a> and <a href="http://www.londonlives.org/static/HardLabourOnHulks.jsp">HardLabouronHulks</a> ?<br /><br />Documents relating to the same individual are assembled into biographies or <a href="http://www.londonlives.org/static/Lives.jsp">lives</a>, with historical background written by the project team. This is one of the most powerful features of the site, and will expand as more biographies are added.<br /><br />I decided to have a look at the fate of <a href="http://www.londonlives.org/static/LarneyMargaretexecuted1758.jsp">Margaret Larney</a>, an Irish mother of five who was sentenced to death for "degrading the coin of the realm". This involved filing down gold coins, selling the filings, then passing off the "light" coin.<br /><br />For women the death penalty even in this century was burning at the stake, but in this case there is no surviving record of how Larney perished.<br /><br />This is an excellent resource that gets under the skin of 18thC London.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jun/27/london-history-online-archive">Guardian/Observer</a> has a glowing review too.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The picture is Hogarth's portrait of <a href="http://www.londonlives.org/static/MalcolmSarah1710-1733.jsp">Sarah Malcolm</a>, hanged for her part in the murder of three women in 1733 (also featured in the Observer review above)</span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-67652619042727563922010-07-15T21:29:00.005+01:002010-07-15T21:55:02.851+01:00I'm back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXiu-AGM-p_1TMZdpcMoLtpopQ6e2jl-d_sgYe5-_pp71YN7YzCwtQqFkwh9K_WYz_OyU1Rc-4JixrJff3R_vwiMWE8ue-ZGRDhs1Rqf_3W1GEfyswW11obWFbKXg7xgZ79Mk/s1600/writers+block.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 171px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXiu-AGM-p_1TMZdpcMoLtpopQ6e2jl-d_sgYe5-_pp71YN7YzCwtQqFkwh9K_WYz_OyU1Rc-4JixrJff3R_vwiMWE8ue-ZGRDhs1Rqf_3W1GEfyswW11obWFbKXg7xgZ79Mk/s400/writers+block.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494238876476306098" /></a><br />Cardinal Wolsey is back, and must apologise to loyal followers for having neglected to blog since February.<br /><br />"Off with his head!" I hear you cry. If there are any readers still out there, I promise to resume regular posts forthwith.<br /><br />I have consulted the foremost experts in the land on the subject of Writer's Block, and have the following explanation. The blame clearly lies at the feet of the French.<br /><br />My enemies across the Channel caused mendacious vapours to float across to England on the breeze. On reaching Court, these vapours served to stifle original thought and render the palace keyboard useless. <br /><br />This state of affairs was only resolved when the prevailing winds changed and the vapours were dispersed. <br /><br />I must away now to survey the state of the early modern blogosphere....cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-76123152406276604242010-02-26T22:42:00.009+00:002010-02-28T18:49:24.030+00:00History of the world in 100 objects - early modern bits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0fqXmyhaGgaGZeOYPkyf1NvboGjkoo23zJoVj8nxl1akoknehb8JgxZf2KLdmd97VV3Y9NOttjTBY9CQXCgWx2M7vFCM75BEj5pqQfeIMhpBWrE7Q7HyOr6nyxX4ll3v37WN/s1600-h/durer-rhinoceros-engraving-1515.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0fqXmyhaGgaGZeOYPkyf1NvboGjkoo23zJoVj8nxl1akoknehb8JgxZf2KLdmd97VV3Y9NOttjTBY9CQXCgWx2M7vFCM75BEj5pqQfeIMhpBWrE7Q7HyOr6nyxX4ll3v37WN/s400/durer-rhinoceros-engraving-1515.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442701405193991746" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/explorerflash/#/object_Fh59-tI4TViuv1RSsx0qhQ">A History of the World in 100 objects</a> is a joint venture between BBC Radio and the British Museum. It is written and presented by Neil Macgregor, Director of the BM and cleverly focusses on a single object from the Museum's collection for each 15 minute radio program. The programs are aired 3 times a day (ze nation vill be educated!), Monday to Friday, and if you miss all of these are also on the BBC iPlayer....<br /><br />The official website is a confusion of whirling graphics and whoever designed it should have their head chopped off, or at the very least put in the stocks for a day. Objects submitted by the general public (this is a participative exercise) mingle with the "official" objects, and I got lost in the navigation. One minute you are looking at a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/Fh59-tI4TViuv1RSsx0qhQ">Chinese bronze bell</a> from 500BC, the next at a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/ij3LPF_TRN6Mr1RzOLCzZA">Sutton's Seeds catalogue</a> (albeit an old one). It's all rather confusing. At least the radio shows are <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/programme">available on the website</a> permanently.<br /><br />Hurray for the Radio Times, which has published a nice simple <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/a-history-of-the-world-in-100-objects-part-two/">list of the 100 objects</a>, or rather 99. The last one has yet to be revealed. According to the RT, there are 4 European objects from the 1500-1800 period in the list:<br /><br /><b>75 Dürer's Rhinoceros</b> - 1515 (pictured above)<br />"A woodcut made by the German painter, said to be based on a sketch of an Indian rhino that had arrived in Lisbon that year. Described by the British Museum as one of the great images of European art."<br /><br /><b>76 The mechanical galleon</b> - 1585 AD<br />"The Nef Galleon, an intricate mechanical "toy" that demonstrates the importance that ships had for Europeans."<br /><br /><b>80 Pieces of eight </b> - 1589–1598<br />"Made for the Spanish empire from silver mined in the Peruvian Andes, these coins became the world's first global currency."<br /><br /><b>85 Reformation centenary broadsheet</b> - 1617<br />"Produced in Leipzig to mark the centenary of the start of the Reformation. The woodblock print of Protestant propaganda is seen as a forerunner of the print media."<br /><br />An interesting selection...<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cardinwolseys-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=B000MM0GSW" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cardinwolseys-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=0714150622" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cardinwolseys-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=1579583032" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-57338802097669861902010-02-10T22:11:00.006+00:002010-02-10T22:36:57.510+00:00Trees Lounge: The Great Oak at the Gates of the Dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Q2BaJLWRz-AIyctkMCP9DMQDmYe4tysQKJT9cwrRs5IsSb8sZCIS5CBm5rrl4oLuoZJhd_5gQ8TVazl7hrzwIa1ppXzqR7_Cb5L_mhGgT3bX64byJlhpJL6vOCspRV8Y0jd-/s1600-h/crogen+tree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Q2BaJLWRz-AIyctkMCP9DMQDmYe4tysQKJT9cwrRs5IsSb8sZCIS5CBm5rrl4oLuoZJhd_5gQ8TVazl7hrzwIa1ppXzqR7_Cb5L_mhGgT3bX64byJlhpJL6vOCspRV8Y0jd-/s400/crogen+tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436746106198595506" border="0" /></a><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Great Oak at the Gates of the D</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ead</span> is a 1,200-year old oak near Wrexham on the English/Welsh border. It marks the site of the battle of Crogen, 1165, when Owain Gwynedd defeated Henry II's force.<br /><br />The BBC site has <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/8508158.stm">news that ice has caused the great oak to split down the middle</a>, with more background and links .<br /><br />More ancient trees in <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2007/10/trees-lounge.html">this previous post</a>.<br /><br />photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14919622@N02/sets/72157614732784899/">thetreehunter via flickr</a>.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-16511535090584772982010-02-07T22:21:00.005+00:002010-02-07T22:59:44.419+00:00Admiral Byng.....it's not over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPt-LW_XweI4C_Ww5suoKkiWc0Cn-7p-dSEPEf41jpoj_hT92FmreEKkpy156C3kVxw1f3CnYHmscZ4s96FHNpPGkPLeYUcyBvgkqGbNp1apOyLAhcHsVm_64m_gOMSqDFza0w/s1600-h/byng.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 106px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPt-LW_XweI4C_Ww5suoKkiWc0Cn-7p-dSEPEf41jpoj_hT92FmreEKkpy156C3kVxw1f3CnYHmscZ4s96FHNpPGkPLeYUcyBvgkqGbNp1apOyLAhcHsVm_64m_gOMSqDFza0w/s400/byng.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435639206809212258" border="0" /></a>As mentioned in a <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2010/01/empire-of-seas-with-dan-snow.html">previous post</a>, Dan Snow's recent BBC series <span style="font-style: italic;">Empire of the Seas</span> mentioned the unfortunate fate of <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2008/03/sad-demise-of-admiral-john-byng-14th.html">Admiral John Byng</a>, executed on his own ship for "failing to engage the enemy" off Minorca.<br /><br />Snow didn't question the verdict of 1757, and this has prompted Byng's family (who have been running <a href="http://www.nelsonandhisworld.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47">a campaign</a> to clear his name) to pen this letter to the Daily Telegraph:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">TV unjust to Admiral Byng</span> <strong style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"><br /><br />SIR – We are collateral descendants of Admiral Byng, and have reacted to the BBC 2 programme Empire of the Seas in a similar way. While it is excellent to capture the imagination of the public, it is wrong to repeat historical inaccuracies.<br /><br />Admiral Byng did not “retreat” from Minorca having failed to engage the enemy. After initially engaging with the French, he withdrew to Gibraltar when the enemy had disappeared, in order to mend his battered ships and to tend to his wounded sailors. It was also his duty to defend Gibraltar from the French.<br /><br />He wrote to the Admiralty asking for reinforcements and stipulated he would then waste no time in attacking the enemy again. This letter was censored by the Admiralty for political reasons. He presented his full-length letter at his court-martial, yet was imprisoned in Greenwich and shot on the Monarch.<br /><br />What he had written to the Admiralty, on May 25, 1756, was this: “I send their Lordships the resolutions of the council of war, in which there was not the least contention or doubt arose. I hope, indeed, we shall find stores to refit us at Gibraltar; and, if I have any reinforcement, will not lose a moment of time to seek the enemy again, and once more give them battle.”<br /><br />Thane Byng Nelson<br />Chris Byng-Maddick<br />Sarah Saunders-Davies<br />John Byng-Hall<br />London NW3 </strong></span><br /><br />Last year Chris Ware of the University of Greenwich published <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.gre.ac.uk/pr/articles/latest/a1763-new-book-about-admiral-held-prisoner-in-greenwich-prior-to-trial-and-execution">Admiral Byng : His Rise and Execution</a> which would be a good place to start your own appraisal.<br /><br />Although unrelated, this reminded me of an entry in the visitors' book at Appomattox: "It's not over".<br /><br />Sometimes history just won't lie down....cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-86703414792215142622010-02-01T21:12:00.006+00:002010-02-01T21:47:26.416+00:00Less is more: Cardinal Wolsey's blog stats for JanuaryIn spite of only managing one blog post in January, according to the official Court stats there were 1,015 unique visitors to <span style="font-style: italic;">Cardinal Wolsey's Today in History</span> - the fourth highest since launch in 2006. Only 17 were return visitors, which is something to work on.<br /><br />The average time anyone spent on the site was 53 seconds precisely. Visitors came from 54 countries, with about half from the good old USA, but only a quarter from the UK.....<br /><br />The most popular page last month was a post from way back in 2006 on <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2006/07/thomas-cromwell-beheaded-on-tower-hill.html">Thomas Cromwell's beheading.</a><br /><br />Incidentally, plenty of google searchers are still looking for evidence that Cardinal Wolsey either a) was executed or b) committed suicide. Sorry folks he died of natural causes on the way to <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2007/11/cardinal-wolsey-arrested-4th-november.html">trial</a>......but then again.....cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-36651611214177001912010-01-28T21:00:00.006+00:002010-02-28T10:17:32.588+00:00Empire of the Seas with Dan Snow<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00q3l9k">"Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World"</a> is the title of Dan Snow's four-part documentary series currently setting sail on Friday evenings on BBC2, and jolly bracing it is too.<br /><object height="400" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/external/player.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="FlashVars" value="playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebbc%2Eco%2Euk%2Ftv%2Ffeatures%2Fmedia%2Femp%2Fplaylists%2Fempire%2Dofthe%2Dseas%5Fpreview%2Exml&config_settings_skin=silver&config_settings_showFooter=true&"><embed src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/external/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebbc%2Eco%2Euk%2Ftv%2Ffeatures%2Fmedia%2Femp%2Fplaylists%2Fempire%2Dofthe%2Dseas%5Fpreview%2Exml&config_settings_skin=silver&config_settings_showFooter=true&" height="400" width="512"></embed></object><br />Dan is the son of Peter Snow, through-the-night BBC anchorman for many parliamentary elections, and I half expected Dan to roll out his dad's famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingometer">Swingometer</a> to illustrate the shifts in the balance of sea power between Spain, France and Blighty.<br /><br />As a former Boat Race man himself, Dan loses no opportunity to climb rigging, stand Winslet-like at the prow and man the wheel of various expensive-looking craft that the BBC has managed to borrow.<br /><br />He also helps the modern <a href="http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/rn-live/article/empire-of-the-seas/*/changeNav/6568">Royal Navy </a>to show off several of its more modern vessels, including a simulated raid by a large state-of-the-art fisheries protection vessel on a tiny defenceless fishing boat which the RN boat could easily squash by accident. Maybe there were no Somali pirates around to teach a lesson to...<br /><br />The series charts the progress of the Royal Navy from the defeat of the Armada to the First World War, and therein lies one of the criticisms that have been aimed at the BBC. Why ignore the contribution of Henry VIII (and earlier regimes) in establishing the early Navy? <a href="http://dalyhistory.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/dan-snows-empire-of-the-seas-heart-of-oak/">Daly History Blog</a> argues a similar point.<br /><br />Cardinal Wolsey suspects that with such high production values (lots of helicopter flypasts as Dan sways on the topmast) the budget would only stretch to four episodes, so the early days had to be cut. See this previous post on <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2008/02/henry-viiis-dockyards.html">Henry VIII's dockyards</a> if you are interested in this period.<br /><br />Another criticism is the sometimes slapdash treatment of the background politics (as opposed to the naval stuff proper). <a href="http://jamesrussellontheweb.blogspot.com/2010/01/dubious-history-being-human-bristol-on.html">James Russell</a> points out that the Armada was not simply a revenge mission for Drake's attack on Cadiz (as claimed in episode 1), but in fact it's key objective was to reverse the Protestant reformation and restore the Catholic church.<br /><br />But Empire of the Seas is very good on how the expansion of the Navy was masterminded by men such as <a href="http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/history/naval-leaders/samuel-pepys/">Sam Pepys</a> . I agree with <a href="http://joyfulmolly.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/tv-tip-empire-of-the-seas-bbc2-fridays-9pm-10pm/">Molly Joyful's blog</a> that the series isn't too gung-ho and highlights some of the less savoury episodes on the seas. These include the sad story of Admiral John Byng, also the subject of a <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2008/03/sad-demise-of-admiral-john-byng-14th.html">previous post</a> in this blog.<br /><br />There is also a lavishly illustrated <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Seas-Brian-Lavery/dp/1844861090">book</a> to go with the series, written by expert naval historian Brian Lavery. Amazon UK are currently offering it at half price which at £10 is incredible value. That leaves a tenner spare for a bottle of rum to go with it.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=cardinwolseys-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1844861090&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-8284909690067642082009-12-04T21:23:00.006+00:002009-12-04T22:23:40.148+00:00Medieval and Renaissance Galleries now open at V&A<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo6UnK_Ax9-cyY-9VUgZWRmqf77RcEk7q6lX4wr6QfxeT7sgqnc_VRMULeTcmpZ5jBZKznSzFBGK9rzBLWM50gPs-FvECqSXoFJnbK9hXdBZrCmjiNRGIVJpRyDe3vLIHQPlt/s1600-h/V&A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZo6UnK_Ax9-cyY-9VUgZWRmqf77RcEk7q6lX4wr6QfxeT7sgqnc_VRMULeTcmpZ5jBZKznSzFBGK9rzBLWM50gPs-FvECqSXoFJnbK9hXdBZrCmjiNRGIVJpRyDe3vLIHQPlt/s400/V&A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411509560070410482" border="0" /></a><br />The Victoria and Albert Museum in London opened the redesigned <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/periods_styles/medieval/new_med_ren_galleries/">Medieval and Renaissance Galleries</a> this week.<br /><br />Rachel Campbell-Johnston at The Times Online has posted an <a href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6937925.ece">article and video</a> introducing the exhibition, and the excellent <a href="http://londonist.com/2009/11/in_pictures_medieval_renaissance_ga.php?gallery0Pic=3#gallery">Londonist</a> has photos showing the bright and airy galleries. The Guardian site has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/video/2009/nov/30/victoria-and-albert-museum-galleries">another video</a>.<br /><br />The £31m refurb' is "triumphant" according to Jonathan Jones of The Guardian in his <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/nov/21/donatello-vanda-medieval-renaissance-galleries">review</a>: <br /><blockquote>"<span style="font-style: italic;">Renaissance art is not just a thing of beauty, but of self-expression. It is strange, it is disconcerting, it is all the things we, today, want art to be. You can see that in Donatello and throughout these wonderful new galleries</span>"</blockquote>Both Jones and Richard Dorment in his <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/6693546/The-VandAs-Medieval-and-Renaissance-Galleries-review.html">article</a> at The Telegraph agree that the V&A holds the best collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture outside Italy. Dorment is also mightily impressed by the new galleries:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"The whole project, designed by architects MUMA in collaboration with the V&A’s curators is a triumph</span>." </blockquote><br />And....it's free.<br /><br />PS. I hope they still have room for the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/furniture/galleries/57/index.html">Great Bed of Ware</a>.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-24449057196648097672009-11-17T22:54:00.003+00:002009-11-17T23:12:30.724+00:00Cooking the Books<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgspTGzhdWSG_xmdLxJsNnRowx4_ZJoHy3V-y3lE6agXJJZrxafVDeBzelDXZHJWZutHRrABCpu4Zq9xEZP5tnc7UkUvnsPcK8rG_xM-XOZ63kek4Q8_g9vdfRSnydwvdGI3Gj/s1600/tudor+supper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgspTGzhdWSG_xmdLxJsNnRowx4_ZJoHy3V-y3lE6agXJJZrxafVDeBzelDXZHJWZutHRrABCpu4Zq9xEZP5tnc7UkUvnsPcK8rG_xM-XOZ63kek4Q8_g9vdfRSnydwvdGI3Gj/s400/tudor+supper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405214068068160610" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://tudorcook.blogspot.com/">Cooking the Books</a> is the blog of the Tudor Kitchens cookery project at Hampton Court Palace.<br /><br />Learn how they interpret original recipes like this one:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Roast Beef</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Salmon Fress Boiled</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Capon Stewed</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ryse of Genoa</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Strawberye<br /><br /><br /></span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-22461220962707787102009-11-13T23:14:00.004+00:002009-11-20T22:03:38.836+00:00Hendrick Avercamp and the Little Ice Age<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRr0qvMd269wkxfXULB1yNDzRfXZ8ghUIhAtgHYKQxAQ8hknHSFa02ou4Yyl2Apf6641C3NnGRqJdriRg_-FZ8vadtTk10H837jIql4HNGdbga9RpFteJbRZxd7FR_4LtGwa8/s1600-h/Avercamp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRr0qvMd269wkxfXULB1yNDzRfXZ8ghUIhAtgHYKQxAQ8hknHSFa02ou4Yyl2Apf6641C3NnGRqJdriRg_-FZ8vadtTk10H837jIql4HNGdbga9RpFteJbRZxd7FR_4LtGwa8/s400/Avercamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403734732500885186" border="0" /></a><br />A relaxing way to spend a cold winter evening is to pour a (large) glass of sherry and get stuck into a jigsaw featuring one of Hendrick Avercamp's wonderful paintings of 17th century Dutch winter landscapes.<br /><br />The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has posted an excellent <a href="http://promotions.artinfo.com/alldutch/rijksmuseum/">video podcast</a> on Avercamp's paintings to go with its forthcoming exhibition "Hendrick Avercamp: The Little Ice Age". Curator Pieter Roelofs zooms in on details to show life on the ice.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-70358130550025701372009-11-02T21:02:00.008+00:002009-11-20T22:04:03.066+00:00Virtual Exhibitions of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWSGCqZLkJiqsilRlKvRjOSF60hjVFukmww_pQy8czr-m5xeCIJeXxmudog_lDU6TY6k82UYgEk11RnLjkFZiB9HVGc7BiTNCJQ_o8hn-ivSIkSlkisu7qU3bjqd3Uaei8mT5/s1600-h/voltaire.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWSGCqZLkJiqsilRlKvRjOSF60hjVFukmww_pQy8czr-m5xeCIJeXxmudog_lDU6TY6k82UYgEk11RnLjkFZiB9HVGc7BiTNCJQ_o8hn-ivSIkSlkisu7qU3bjqd3Uaei8mT5/s400/voltaire.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399623522506791666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I recently stumbled the <a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/usindex.htm">Virtual Exhibitions page</a> of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF to its friends), which conveniently has an English translation button.<br /><br />The site a) looks fab and b) has plenty of interesting content.<br /><br /><a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/lumieres/expo_us/salle1/index.htm">Enlightenment</a> ("Lumieres") charts <span style="font-style: italic;">"the passage from obscuranticism to free thought and free actions, illuminated by reason"</span> from the mid-C18th onwards . The presentation is grouped around the themes of religion, science, the individual, public space, the political order, universality, and heritage.<br /><br />There are plenty of pertinent quotes, and I like this one from Voltaire (picture above):<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"If England had only one religion, despotism would have to be feared; if she had two, they would cut each other's throats, but since there are thirty, the English live in peace with one another." </span>(1734)<br /><br />Also to enjoy are beautifully presented expositions on <a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/bestiaire/expo/index.htm">Medieval Bestiary</a> and <a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/gastro/enimages/anglais/index.htm">Medieval Gastronomy</a>. <br /><br />Merveilleux!cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-2820333520799913512009-09-22T22:32:00.004+01:002009-09-22T22:38:42.335+01:00Mystery Photo Challenge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioM5V8uN0EYCJPSnZUM4m1PD8BEbB5Nb3jVn0wwxIKx35x3N5BxhPQrSD9rRhE9FVK4a2zkdgjpaK-Bl0f_NMcL_Yqz1y5zRaJsRzmWZbD24EC8mMv2QqnXPzyI_Zi4e0SMcSC/s1600-h/blog+photo+comp+Sep09.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioM5V8uN0EYCJPSnZUM4m1PD8BEbB5Nb3jVn0wwxIKx35x3N5BxhPQrSD9rRhE9FVK4a2zkdgjpaK-Bl0f_NMcL_Yqz1y5zRaJsRzmWZbD24EC8mMv2QqnXPzyI_Zi4e0SMcSC/s400/blog+photo+comp+Sep09.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384408045032378386" border="0" /></a>Today we have a mystery photo: can anyone identify the location? It has a famous Tudor connection...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[Photo Copyright the author]</span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-28039243946162273382009-09-17T22:31:00.004+01:002009-09-17T22:40:14.961+01:00Desktop Siege Engines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXnqV8Cas6Qo_CnD3E3DB_WJvVG0VxgiyY9DDdk48JltRyBCbxTR48rhlhcEvVu76boUYrvPwA5A8aiEyG8ShaPIiHEArRmP2zGuK_I6hPx55Ti3ZEYFP9T-UFRVGBnCnA_zT/s1600-h/trebuchet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXnqV8Cas6Qo_CnD3E3DB_WJvVG0VxgiyY9DDdk48JltRyBCbxTR48rhlhcEvVu76boUYrvPwA5A8aiEyG8ShaPIiHEArRmP2zGuK_I6hPx55Ti3ZEYFP9T-UFRVGBnCnA_zT/s400/trebuchet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382553886817837090" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Every history fan should have one of these <a href="http://www.trebuchet.com/10421">Medieval Trebuchets</a> on their desk, or alternatively an equally effective <a href="http://www.trebuchet.com/10901">Roman Onager </a>- according the the blurb the range is up to 20 feet, so plenty of scope for office mayhem...cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-42098303979892178162009-09-09T22:28:00.004+01:002009-09-09T22:53:38.900+01:00johnson ben tesco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf97gPAM5rRyN7ZaJznXbxOtB1717HsjQ6hfOiHc8Qio0IutZzfP44cRbvWndOCs_EorUO8VmRebR_rYqEJ7eHRCDGDo2fWLlq7zMWFVo03NqUcbSNTxNFyjY6ZAseChOp4sn/s1600-h/tesco.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf97gPAM5rRyN7ZaJznXbxOtB1717HsjQ6hfOiHc8Qio0IutZzfP44cRbvWndOCs_EorUO8VmRebR_rYqEJ7eHRCDGDo2fWLlq7zMWFVo03NqUcbSNTxNFyjY6ZAseChOp4sn/s400/tesco.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379585841492941266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91QzRaaXvGZ1BJyjXsU5W59q5Jt6jiQ7Dls5A_UElCc17j3ROcah_9jrVbWhWyVQdFGzg6mOSkNzkAb_rSxed2V-_I4ekK-APKlt8Jg5JPhjWg8bLTuRO4Yt4tAEsf9kjqBY7/s1600-h/ben+johnson.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 84px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91QzRaaXvGZ1BJyjXsU5W59q5Jt6jiQ7Dls5A_UElCc17j3ROcah_9jrVbWhWyVQdFGzg6mOSkNzkAb_rSxed2V-_I4ekK-APKlt8Jg5JPhjWg8bLTuRO4Yt4tAEsf9kjqBY7/s400/ben+johnson.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379585256750996914" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />One of the fun things you can do with a website tracking tool such as <a href="http://www.statcounter.com/">Statcounter</a> is to look at the sometimes odd search strings or keywords people enter into Google (or occasionally Yahoo, or sometimes the new-fangled Bing).<br /><br />Here are a few obscure ones that have recently landed on Cardinal Wolsey's Today in History:<br /><br />"johnson ben tesco"<br />"play icy tower vi.3.1"<br />"cardinal wolsey cabinet"<br />"cardinal wolsey suicide" [<span style="font-style: italic;">The Tudors on TV to blame for this one...CW</span>]<br />"oliver cromwell stonehenge" [<span style="font-style: italic;">did he go there?</span>]<br />"stonehenge scary games"<br />"tudor food fight"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and would anyone like to own up to ...</span><br /><br />"german lady mudfight" ?????cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-43101982993619728842009-08-15T07:23:00.007+01:002009-08-15T08:16:36.075+01:00Ghosts of Kew Palace<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKVQCCFSZ5Wpjylpq1jAADyvebvyHarNq5P9vYNadC4d0yyi76P_p6qG7d6NzAreFUNAi_d6BFrswGPyPpry2sNQ9j4eRYoZN3H1xw7A9M_Y2KuTLhuk2HIfdJKwayKvFw1S6/s1600-h/kew+palace+front+086.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKVQCCFSZ5Wpjylpq1jAADyvebvyHarNq5P9vYNadC4d0yyi76P_p6qG7d6NzAreFUNAi_d6BFrswGPyPpry2sNQ9j4eRYoZN3H1xw7A9M_Y2KuTLhuk2HIfdJKwayKvFw1S6/s400/kew+palace+front+086.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370085906875774738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIIL2GVPgm-eoIVl9wLpJRGKdyAHzzSAVH5AN0GeBd1P5NFn-Qh6PNnaRSvpmnk3I1H8iwrfY6RLEifJwfYwvADz-OrKxzqu7xA7X3oxa8rVX1VZ5cxTPuANgvlcX6wK9KZus/s1600-h/chair+038.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIIL2GVPgm-eoIVl9wLpJRGKdyAHzzSAVH5AN0GeBd1P5NFn-Qh6PNnaRSvpmnk3I1H8iwrfY6RLEifJwfYwvADz-OrKxzqu7xA7X3oxa8rVX1VZ5cxTPuANgvlcX6wK9KZus/s400/chair+038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370085903258402610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghE-PM8plsOtiMVkqQsgqZhaTB-mPEm5Q8A0UumnL31NKMMp3dUzTBU-HFTYCJA8XFRyM5B-5gzfaZ__c0V6E1PdKAZdNqG01xAx0r6_T2Pq32P1bV3tSryTv3zP07xHwA5m9b/s1600-h/ghost+3+059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghE-PM8plsOtiMVkqQsgqZhaTB-mPEm5Q8A0UumnL31NKMMp3dUzTBU-HFTYCJA8XFRyM5B-5gzfaZ__c0V6E1PdKAZdNqG01xAx0r6_T2Pq32P1bV3tSryTv3zP07xHwA5m9b/s400/ghost+3+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370085898983820338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdFtPNoLdlWEFr1Hvnb-folNj3zZ1nBKBNhDiraFudrbW3EaOS7phjyw1i32rO6BVWgXnkj_6WVssdwxtBcEY4G9U6PnxvDIsQpDdP7I6BxcFKbAZ0PbjsR_iWPsxG_Pl1J27/s1600-h/ghost+2+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdFtPNoLdlWEFr1Hvnb-folNj3zZ1nBKBNhDiraFudrbW3EaOS7phjyw1i32rO6BVWgXnkj_6WVssdwxtBcEY4G9U6PnxvDIsQpDdP7I6BxcFKbAZ0PbjsR_iWPsxG_Pl1J27/s400/ghost+2+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370085892284465138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBTK6Rti3qIV37Om9ivDiDmRKWwA6gYvtk43D57g8hZQB5DY77wbAFP4HOmiUNwSOH3qj74Kb2yJtWcKNxFKiMHk4buUAZhaagFlHOe1My6FYkjnDgOWmITpLtKRHHqAzX-Td/s1600-h/ghost+1+042.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBTK6Rti3qIV37Om9ivDiDmRKWwA6gYvtk43D57g8hZQB5DY77wbAFP4HOmiUNwSOH3qj74Kb2yJtWcKNxFKiMHk4buUAZhaagFlHOe1My6FYkjnDgOWmITpLtKRHHqAzX-Td/s400/ghost+1+042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370085885931775202" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kew_Palace">Kew Palace</a> is a striking terracotta Dutch-gable style house in the grounds of <a href="http://www.kew.org/">Kew Gardens</a>, London.<br /><br />It was built in 1663 by a merchant and later leased by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_iii_king.shtml">George III</a>, who acceeded the throne in 1760.<br /><br />It is not really a palace at all, but takes the name of a larger building commissioned by George III in the same grounds, but never finished.<br />You can still view the outline of the foundations.<br /><br />Unfortunately George went mad before this palace was completed. His son the Prince Regent didn't fancy it, and Parliament opted to knock it down [the staircase ended up at Buckingham Palace].<br /><br />The "Dutch House" as it was known was used by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_of_Mecklenburg-Strelitz">Queen Charlotte</a>, and their family. An enormous dolls house is one of the exhibits - it needed to be large as they had 15 children. She died there in 1818.<br /><br />The palace is open to the public and a painstaking restoration has left areas where the decorations are peeled away to reveal layers beneath. It is very atmospheric, expecially in the "back stairs" and upper servants quarters. Here clever audio-visuals create ghostly memories of the lives of those who once served the royal family [all photographs copyright this bloglcardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-36031922208974355372009-06-23T23:00:00.003+01:002009-06-23T23:16:59.520+01:00Henry VIII is now on Twitter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbrZBJVdNp3MXvdHdZNsCJxI2NyVYbT-u4ov-v8mJEpkLk8pffQjlyi4xu9yLr0gj7oYX-6Aa3FiikU0dwDjpBFER01J10jtviniPiDQV0wag3IDUZF794rPUxrmsdZcANvAtq/s1600-h/HenryVIII+by+Holbein+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbrZBJVdNp3MXvdHdZNsCJxI2NyVYbT-u4ov-v8mJEpkLk8pffQjlyi4xu9yLr0gj7oYX-6Aa3FiikU0dwDjpBFER01J10jtviniPiDQV0wag3IDUZF794rPUxrmsdZcANvAtq/s400/HenryVIII+by+Holbein+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350650360446147938" border="0" /></a>Loyal subjects can now follow Henry VIII's coronation on <a href="http://twitter.com/IamHenryVIII">Twitter</a> (!), courtesy of the Historic Royal Palaces press office. Today is the day before Henry's coronation, and he reflects on becoming King. How long will HRP keep the site going I wonder? They have collected over 800 followers so far which isn't bad.....cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-28408350319105355192009-06-21T23:29:00.003+01:002009-06-21T23:41:47.563+01:00"Free the Stones!" 36,000 descend on StonehengeStonehenge was in danger of being toppled this weekend as 36,000 wannabee Druids converged on the site to celebrate the Solstice. BBC Wiltshire presents some <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/image_galleries/stonehenge_summer_solstice_2009_gallery.shtml?1">scary photos</a> and a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8110646.stm">video</a> interview with a friendly Druid.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-91999535954355225362009-06-18T21:24:00.005+01:002009-06-18T21:49:32.189+01:00Henry-Upon-Thames<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KDaW1a90OnEN3eKwIzadrpvSFwkuS8hX5BFSnMvaJ0ktBbxKA5JIa0qaAgbIsihS7hzAsz2QWqepZU9HAOCEp6-mTG4U1KOYOxOfZFrwWqLrX-B5oZOuZnJ_SuR4InRHcgu4/s1600-h/henry+on+thames.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KDaW1a90OnEN3eKwIzadrpvSFwkuS8hX5BFSnMvaJ0ktBbxKA5JIa0qaAgbIsihS7hzAsz2QWqepZU9HAOCEp6-mTG4U1KOYOxOfZFrwWqLrX-B5oZOuZnJ_SuR4InRHcgu4/s400/henry+on+thames.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348770376937759650" border="0" /></a>This weekend in London is a grand event which should draw a substantial crowd of nobility and groundlings alike.<br /><br />A reenactment of Henry VIII's royal progess up the River Thames from The Tower to Hampton Court is taking place, complete with attending flotilla, music, and entertainment by the King's Fools.<br /><br />This is part of the <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/WhatsOn/HenryVIIIsCoronationWeekend.aspx">celebrations</a> for the 500th annniversary of Henry's accession. He will be accompanied by Queen Katherine Parr and sundry members of Court.<br /><br />The King is being conveyed in a <a href="http://www.city-barge.org/Shallop.html">Shallop</a>, in its day the <span style="font-style: italic;">"Limousine of the Lower Thames</span>", although lacking in privacy glass and minibar.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"King Henry’s loyal subjects are invited to line the banks of the river"</span>. Better turn up then.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">image courtesy <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.easier.com/myads/images/246765-23.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.easier.com/view/Travel/Attractions_and_Events/article-246765.html&usg=__qULTpUTEFyVDhXziH2Rb22d5vVs=&h=210&w=300&sz=87&hl=en&start=28&tbnid=i69ZNHTxq5UM_M:&tbnh=81&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhenry%2BVIII%2Briver%2Bthames%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_en___GB231%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20">easier.com</a></span>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-54629231910258857532009-03-24T06:42:00.005+00:002009-03-24T06:51:20.670+00:00Had a bad day in the City? Relax at Hampton Court.Whilst browsing for Hampton Court videos, I came cross this one. A city trader finds solace by the Thames at Hampton Court after a bad Friday's trading. Seems appropriate for the credit crunch. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gGY-_pxL-5I&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gGY-_pxL-5I&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27536050.post-46861559015704596852009-03-08T08:08:00.003+00:002009-03-08T08:32:51.196+00:00Rick Wakeman at Hampton Court<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5CynWntRe5jh_zQMeZesaYitbFrxl-t9X_IVvv4abQdf3zMALkhI4kPV3EVkwQqEt8FeqpBvyPIrNOJxmBZd9ZrJvU_C71JV9WNr3-n_mIMmF6pkkyDXnbUAYCx0XLexjIa4/s1600-h/Rick+Six+Wives.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5CynWntRe5jh_zQMeZesaYitbFrxl-t9X_IVvv4abQdf3zMALkhI4kPV3EVkwQqEt8FeqpBvyPIrNOJxmBZd9ZrJvU_C71JV9WNr3-n_mIMmF6pkkyDXnbUAYCx0XLexjIa4/s400/Rick+Six+Wives.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310729961876513698" border="0" /></a>Rick Wakeman is promising a "Mock Rock Tudor Experience" when he performs his legendary concept album <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/WhatsOn/RickWakemansSixWivesofHenryVIII.aspx">The Six Wives of Henry VIII</a> at Hampton Court in May .<br /><br />This is Rick's contribution to the celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of Henry's accession in 1509 [if you have not yet visited the palace, this is the year to come].<br /><br />Rick has also been inspired to write 3 new pieces for the event - <em>Tudor Overture</em>, <em>Defender of the Faith</em> and <em>Tudor Rock. </em>Groovy.<br /><br />If the credit crunch hasn't hit you yet, it's only £150 for the VIP Platinum Package, "<span style="font-style: italic;">including pre-show canape reception and chance to meet Rick Wakeman</span>". Groundlings will still have to cough up almost £50 for the cheap seats.<br /><br />If you want to sample what to expect, I included a Youtube extract from the Six Wives in <a href="http://this-day-in-history.blogspot.com/2008/02/please-welcome-on-stage-lewis-garland.html">this post</a> last year.<br /><br />More events for the 500th around the world are listed at <a href="http://tudorhistory.org/files/henry500.html">TudorHistory</a>.cardinal_wolseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905015917103065061noreply@blogger.com4