title: The Lives of Others

text: A few days later, Dreyman's article is published, angering the East German authorities. The Stasi obtain a copy, but are unable to link it to any registered typewriter. Livid at being rejected by Sieland, Hempf orders Grubitz to arrest her. She is blackmailed into revealing Dreyman's authorship of the article, although when the Stasi search his apartment, they do not find the typewriter. Grubitz, suspicious that Wiesler has mentioned nothing unusual in his daily reports of the monitoring, has him do the follow-up interrogation of Sieland. Wiesler makes Sieland reveal the typewriter's location.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Grubitz and the Stasi return to Dreyman's apartment. Sieland realises that Dreyman will know she betrayed him and flees the apartment. When Grubitz removes the floorboard however, the typewriter is gone – Wiesler having removed it before the search team arrived. Unaware of this, Sieland runs to the street in despair and right into the path of a truck. A shocked Dreyman runs out after her and Sieland dies in his arms. Unable to prove his interference, Grubitz informs Wiesler that both the investigation and Wiesler's career are over; his remaining years with the Stasi will be in Department M, a dead-end assignment for disgraced agents. The same day, Mikhail Gorbachev is elected leader of the Soviet Union, beginning the process that will lead to the collapse of the Soviet bloc.


title: The Lives of Others

text: On 9 November 1989, Wiesler is steam-opening letters when a co-worker hears about the fall of the Berlin Wall on the radio. Realising what this means, Wiesler silently gets up and leaves the office, inspiring his co-workers to do the same.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Two years later, Hempf and Dreyman meet while attending a performance of Dreyman's play. Dreyman asks the former minister why he was never monitored. Hempf tells him that he had been under full surveillance in 1984: "We knew everything." Surprised, Dreyman searches his apartment, finds the now-abandoned listening devices and rips them off the walls.


title: The Lives of Others

text: At the Stasi Records Agency, Dreyman reviews the files kept while he was under surveillance. He reads that Sieland was released just before the second search and could not have removed the typewriter. As he goes through the files, he is confused by the large amount of contradictory information, but as he reaches the final report and sees a fingerprint in red ink, he realises that the officer in charge of his surveillanceStasi officer HGW XX/7had concealed his activities, including his authorship of the suicide article, and also removed the typewriter from his apartment. Dreyman tracks down Wiesler, who now works as a deliverer of advertisement brochures, but is unsure how to thank him and decides not to approach him.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Two years later, Wiesler passes a bookstore window display promoting Dreyman's new novel, "Sonate vom Guten Menschen". He enters the bookstore and opens a copy of the book, discovering that it is dedicated "To HGW XX/7, in gratitude". Wiesler buys the book. When asked if he would like the book giftwrapped, Wiesler replies: "No, it's for me."


title: The Lives of Others

text: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's parents were both from East Germany (originally they were from further east; the von Donnersmarcks belonged to Silesian nobility but the region was transferred to Poland from Germany after World War II). He has said that, on visits there as a child before the Berlin Wall fell, he could sense the fear they had as subjects of the state.


title: The Lives of Others

text: He said the idea for the film came to him when he was trying to come up with a scenario for a film class. He was listening to music and recalled Maxim Gorky's saying that Lenin's favorite piece of music was Beethoven's "Appassionata". Gorky recounted a discussion with Lenin:


title: The Lives of Others

text: Donnersmarck told a "New York Times" reporter: "I suddenly had this image in my mind of a person sitting in a depressing room with earphones on his head and listening in to what he supposes is the enemy of the state and the enemy of his ideas, and what he is really hearing is beautiful music that touches him. I sat down and in a couple of hours had written the treatment." The screenplay was written during an extended visit to his uncle's monastery, Heiligenkreuz Abbey.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Although the opening scene is set in Hohenschönhausen prison (which is now the site of a memorial dedicated to the victims of Stasi oppression), the film could not be shot there because Hubertus Knabe, the director of the memorial, refused to give Donnersmarck permission. Knabe objected to "making the Stasi man into a hero" and tried to persuade Donnersmarck to change the film. Donnersmarck cited "Schindler's List" as an example of such a plot development being possible. Knabe's answer: "But that is exactly the difference. There was a Schindler. There was no Wiesler."


title: The Lives of Others

text: Donnersmarck teamed up with cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski to bring the story to life. Describing his inspiration for the film's Brechtian grey color palette, cinematographer Bogdanski recalls the streets of East Berlin from the period: "They were very dark. Everything was happening inside, in private".


title: The Lives of Others

text: The film was received with widespread acclaim. Film aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 149 positive reviews out of 161, and an average rating of 8.31/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Unlike more traditional spy films, "The Lives of Others" doesn't sacrifice character for cloak and dagger chases, and the performances (notably that by the late Ulrich Muhe) stay with you." It also has a score of 89 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: The Lives of Others

text: A review in "Daily Variety" by Derek Elley noted the "slightly stylized look" of the movie created by "playing up grays and dour greens, even when using actual locations like the Stasi's onetime HQ in Normannenstrasse." "Time" magazine's Richard Corliss named the film one of the Top 10 Movies of 2007, ranking it at #2. Corliss praised the film as a "poignant, unsettling thriller."


title: The Lives of Others

text: Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, describing it as "a powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires." A. O. Scott, reviewing the film in "The New York Times", wrote that "Lives" is well-plotted, and added, "The suspense comes not only from the structure and pacing of the scenes, but also, more deeply, from the sense that even in an oppressive society, individuals are burdened with free will. You never know, from one moment to the next, what course any of the characters will choose." "Los Angeles Times" movie critic Kenneth Turan agreed that the dramatic tension of the film comes from being "meticulously plotted", and that "it places its key characters in high-stakes predicaments where what they are forced to wager is their talent, their very lives, even their souls." The movie "convincingly demonstrates that when done right, moral and political quandaries can be the most intensely dramatic dilemmas of all."


title: The Lives of Others

text: American commentator John Podhoretz called the film "one of the greatest movies ever made, and certainly the best film of this decade." William F. Buckley, Jr. wrote in his syndicated column that after the film was over, "I turned to my companion and said, 'I think that is the best movie I ever saw.'" John J. Miller of "National Review Online" named it No. 1 in his list of "The Best Conservative Movies" of the last 25 years.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Several critics pointed to the film's subtle building up of details as one of its prime strengths. The film is built "on layers of emotional texture", wrote Stephanie Zacharek in "Salon" online magazine. Josh Rosenblatt, writing in the "Austin Chronicle" called the film "a triumph of muted grandeur." Lisa Schwarzbaum, writing in "Entertainment Weekly", pointed out that some of the subtlety in the film is due to the fact that "one of the movie's tensest moments take place with the most minimal of action" but that the director still "conveys everything he wants us to know about choice, fear, doubt, cowardice, and heroism." An article in "First Things" makes a philosophical argument in defense of Wiesler's transformation. The East German dissident songwriter Wolf Biermann was guardedly enthusiastic about the film, writing in a March 2006 article in "Die Welt": "The political tone is authentic, I was moved by the plot. But why? Perhaps I was just won over sentimentally, because of the seductive mass of details which look like they were lifted from my own past between the total ban of my work in 1965 and denaturalisation in 1976."


title: The Lives of Others

text: Anna Funder, the author of the book "Stasiland", in a review for "The Guardian" called "The Lives of Others" a "superb film" despite not being true to reality. She claims that it was not possible for a Stasi operative to have hidden information from superiors because Stasi employees themselves were watched and almost always operated in teams.


title: The Lives of Others

text: According to German author Christoph Hein, the movie is loosely based on his life story. In a 2019 article, he recalls that Donnersmarck interviewed him in 2002, and that his name was mentioned in the opening credits at the premiere screening. However, in Hein's opinion the highly dramatized events of the movie bear little resemblance to his life experience, which is why he asked Donnersmarck to delete his name from the credits. In Hein's words, "the movie does not depict the 1980s in the GDR", but is a "scary tale taking place in a fantasy land, comparable to Tolkien's Middle-earth."


title: The Lives of Others

text: The Europe List, the largest survey on European culture established that the top three films in European culture are:


title: The Lives of Others

text: In February 2007, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella announced a deal with The Weinstein Company to produce and direct an English-language remake of "The Lives of Others". Minghella died in March 2008 and Pollack died less than three months later.


title: The Lives of Others

text: In September 2014, 43 members of the Israeli elite clandestine Unit 8200 wrote a letter to Israel's prime minister and army chief, refusing further service and claiming Israel made "no distinction between Palestinians who are and are not involved in violence" and that information collected "harms innocent people." One of these people named a viewing of "The Lives of Others" as "the transformational moment".


title: The Lives of Others

text: "The Lives of Others" has been referred to in political protests following the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures. Daniel Ellsberg in an interview with Brad Friedman on KPFK/Pacifica Radio republished on salon.com stressed the importance of "The Lives of Others" in light of Edward Snowden's revelations:


title: The Lives of Others

text: Film critic and historian Carrie Rickey believes that "The Lives of Others" was one of two movies that influenced Snowden's actions, the other being the 1974 Francis Ford Coppola film "The Conversation", both being about wiretappers troubled by guilt.


title: The Lives of Others

text: On 25 June 2013, after revelations of collaboration between the NSA and GCHQ, British journalist and documentary maker Sarfraz Manzoor tweeted that "Now would be a good time to pitch a British remake of "The Lives of Others"." On 16 July 2013, American novelist and frequent cable news commentator Brad Thor stated: "At what point did the Obama administration acquire the rights to reenact "The Lives of Others"?"


title: The Lives of Others

text: French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave an interview in "Le Figaro" expressing his outrage over being the target of surveillance himself. He drew a direct comparison to the film: "This is not a scene from that marvellous film "The Lives of Others", about East Germany and the activities of the Stasi. It is not the case of some dictator acting against his political opponents. This is France." Because of this interview, sales of "Le Figaro" more than doubled.


title: The Lives of Others

text: Henckel von Donnersmarck and Ulrich Mühe were successfully sued for libel for an interview in which Mühe asserted that his second wife, Jenny Gröllmann, informed the Stasi about his activities while they were East German citizens through the six years of their marriage. Mühe's former wife denied the claims, although 254 pages of government records detailed her activities. However, Gröllmann's real-life controller later claimed he had made up many of the details in the file and that the actress had been unaware that she was speaking to a Stasi agent.


title: Russian irredentism

text: Russian irredentism refers to [[Irredentism|irredentist]] claims to parts of the former [[Russian Empire]] or the former [[Soviet Union]] made for [[Russia]]. It seeks to incorporate Russians outside of Russian borders into the current Russian state.


title: Russian irredentism

text: The 2014 [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]] and the 2022 [[annexation of Southern and Eastern Ukraine]] are described as an example of irredentist policy.


title: Russian irredentism

text: Russian irredentists seek to annex parts of the "[[near abroad]]", such as the [[Baltic states]], with the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] described as a continuation of irredentist claims.


title: Russian irredentism

text: Specifically looking at the viewpoints of post-Soviet Russian leader [[Vladimir Putin]], Erdi Ozturk, a professor at [[London Metropolitan University]], has commented that irredentist [[ideology]] relies upon a "distinction between civilisations by synthesising nationalism with nostalgic visions of history, memory, and religion."


title: Russian irredentism

text: From roughly the 16th century to the 20th century, the [[Russian Empire]] followed an [[expansionism|expansionist]] policy. Few of these actions had irredentist justifications, though the conquest of parts of the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus in 1877 to bring [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Christians]] under the protection of the Tsar may represent one example.


title: Russian irredentism

text: After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, it was thought that the [[Russia|Russian Federation]] had given up on plans of territorial expansion or kin-state nationalism, despite some 25 million ethnic Russians living in neighboring countries outside Russia. [[Stephen M. Saideman]] and [[R. William Ayres]] assert that Russia followed a non-irredentist policy in the 1990s despite some justifications for irredentist policies—one factor disfavoring irredentism was a focus by the ruling interest in consolidating power and the economy within the territory of Russia. Furthermore, a stable policy of irredentism popular with the electorate was not found, and politicians proposing such ideas did not fare well electorally. Russian nationalist politicians tended to focus on internal threats (i.e. "outsiders") rather than on the interests of Russians outside the federation.


title: Russian irredentism

text: It has been proposed that the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]] in 2014 proves Russia's adherence to irredentism today. After the event in Crimea, the [[Transnistria]]n authorities requested Russia [[Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria|to annex Transnistria]].


title: Russian irredentism

text: The annexation of Crimea led to a new wave of [[Russian nationalism]], with large parts of the Russian [[far right]] movement aspiring to annex even more land from [[Ukraine]], including the unrecognized [[Novorossiya (confederation)|Novorossiya]]. Analyst [[Vladimir Socor]] proposed that Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]]'s speech after the annexation of [[Crimea]] was a "de facto" "manifesto of Greater-Russia Irredentism". After [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|international sanctions were imposed against Russia]] in early 2014, within a year the "Novorossiya" project was suspended: on 1 January 2015, the founding leadership announced the project has been put on hold, and on 20 May the constituent members announced the freezing of the political project.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 12 July 2021, the official website for the Office of the President of Russia published an essay [[On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians]] written by Vladimir Putin in which he describes historically that "Russians and Ukrainians were one people".


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 21 February 2022, Putin [[International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic|recognised the independence of pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk]], as well as their irredentist claims to the [[Donbas]] region of Ukraine, and sent Russian troops into Ukraine.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 24 February, Russia [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|formally invaded Ukraine]], which is seen as a continuation of Russia's irredentism at the expense of Ukraine. Parallels were made between Putin's irredentism during the Ukrainian War and [[Slobodan Milošević|Slobodan Milosevic]]'s [[Greater Serbia|irredentism]] during the [[Bosnian War]].


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 1 March 2022, images emerged in the press showing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in front of a map which appeared to show invasion plans for Moldova where Russia already has soldiers in the breakaway region of Transnistria.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 27 March 2022, [[Leonid Pasechnik]] leader of the LPR said that the [[Luhansk People's Republic]] may hold a referendum to join Russia in the near future. On 29 March, [[Denis Pushilin]] leader of the self-proclaimed [[Donetsk People's Republic]] talked about a similar possibility.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 30 March 2022, South Ossetian President [[Anatoly Bibilov]] announced his intention to begin legal proceedings in the near future [[Proposed Russian annexation of South Ossetia|for annexation by the Russian Federation]].


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 8 June 2022, a draft bill was submitted to the [[State Duma]] by a member of the ruling [[United Russia]] party proposing to repeal the Decree of the [[State Council of the Soviet Union]] "On the Recognition of the Independence of the Republic of Lithuania"


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 6 July 2022, amid the ongoing [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] and Western sanctions, [[Vyacheslav Volodin]] the speaker of Russia's State Duma threatened to "claim back" [[Russian America|Alaska]] if the US froze or seized Russian assets.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 19 September 2022, the public chambers of the [[Donetsk People's Republic]] and [[Luhansk People's Republic]] appealed to their heads of state with a request to "immediately" hold a referendum on joining Russia.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 20 September 2022, the [[People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic|People's Council]] of the [[Luhansk People's Republic]] scheduled [[2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine|a referendum]] on the republic's entry into Russia as a [[Federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] for 23–27 September. Soon after, the [[People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic|People's Council]] of the [[Donetsk People's Republic]] announced that the referendum on the entry of the DPR into the Russian Federation would be held on the same date.


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 27 September 2022, during the [[2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine]], according to the results released by Russian occupation authorities in [[Ukraine]], the [[Donetsk People's Republic]], the [[Luhansk People's Republic]], as well as occupied parts of [[Zaporizhzhia Oblast|Zaporizhzhia]] and [[Kherson Oblast]]s overwhelmingly voted in favor of [[annexation]], with 99.23%, 98.42%, 93.11% and 87.05% of support, respectively. Turnout exceeded 75% in each region and exceeded 97% in Donetsk Oblast. However, the voting has been widely dismissed as a [[sham election|sham referendum]].


title: Russian irredentism

text: On 30 September 2022, Putin announced in a speech that Russia had annexed the four regions occupied during the conflict.


title: Russian irredentism

text: Some Russian nationalists seek to annex parts of the "[[near abroad]]", such as the [[Baltic states]], while some fear potential escalation due to Russian irredentist aspirations in [[North Kazakhstan Region|Northern Kazakhstan]] also.


title: Russian irredentism

text: Looking at the Russian efforts as a whole, the news network "[[Al Jazeera]]" has quoted [[University of San Francisco]] scholar Stephen Zunes as remarking, "The level of physical devastation and casualties thus far over a relatively short period is perhaps the [worst] in recent decades which, combined with the irredentist aims of the conquest, makes Russia’s war on Ukraine particularly reprehensible in the eyes of the international community."


title: Russian irredentism

text: U.S. news publication "[[The Washington Post]]" has stated that the Russian government could start a chain reaction of irredentist mass violence, which then "could break the international order".


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Bharat Ane Nenu () is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language political drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mahesh Babu and Kiara Advani (in her Telugu debut), alongside a supporting cast including Prakash Raj, R. Sarathkumar, Aamani, Devaraj, Posani Krishna Murali, P. Ravi Shankar, Yashpal Sharma, Rao Ramesh, and Brahmaji. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, while A. Sreekar Prasad edited the film.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: The plot follows Bharat, an Oxford university student who returns to India following the demise of his father, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh (United Andhra Pradesh). Disillusioned by the corruption he encounters, Bharat decides to bring about a change in the system after becoming the new chief minister, eventually facing controversies and making enemies.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: The film was released theatrically on 20 April 2018. "Bharat Ane Nenu" grossed between 187.6–225 crore at the box office.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Bharath Ram (Mahesh Babu), a brilliant and curious student, graduates with his 5th degree from Oxford. After celebrating, his uncle tells him that his father Raghava Rao (R. Sarathkumar), Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh died from a stroke. Bharath flies home and reminisces.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: As a child, Bharath spent most of his time with his mother and best friend Subhash next door as his father was busy setting up a political party with his best friend Varadarajulu (Prakash Raj), the party president who's also Bharath's uncle. After breaking a small promise, his mother scolds him and tells him about the importance of commitments. She dies in her sleep afterwards, impacting Bharath immensely. Raghava Rao then takes care of him at home, but Varadarajulu tells him that he must prepare for the upcoming elections and suggests he remarry to give Bharath a new mother. He agrees, having another child, Siddharth, with his new wife. Bharath's attempts to bond with his stepmother fail, so he spends more time at Subhash's house. Soon, Subhash's parents get jobs in London, and Bharat wants to go with them. After some time Raghava Rao agrees.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: After the flashback, Bharath arrives in India and attends his father's mourning amid heavy media attention. Varadarajulu tells Bharath that his father had to be hospitalized due to the cold and that the final rites were completed by Siddharth because of Raghava Rao's death caused public disarray and they couldn't wait for him. Raghava Rao's death caused speculation over who the next Chief Minister will be. Bharath then drives around the city and gets frustrated by the chaotic atmosphere. Varadarajulu introduces him to many politicians, including opposition party leader Sripathi Rao and his son Manohar. As Bharath prepares to return to London, Varadarajulu cancels his ticket, explaining that he should be the next CM. Bharath objects and asks Varadarajulu to accede instead, but he opposes based on his position and intra-party conflict. Bharat reluctantly agrees and becomes CM despite his inexperience. However, his strict policies and novel ideas restore law and order and become popular with the public, earning the opposition's ire. One day, he sees a girl named Vasumathi (Kiara Advani) and instantly falls in love with her. Bharath surprises Vasumathi by calling her and asks her out about, kindling romance. Later, he finds out that many politicians are laundering money and tries to expose Manohar. However, Varadarajulu stops the investigation and invites Bharath to the politicians' small party, where their collaboration and scheming surprise him. He decides to remove all this corruption from politics.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: One day, Ramana and other youths come from Kakinada to meet Bharath. They cry out that their MLA, Rajendran from Bharat's party, was unhelpful and corrupt. Now a by-election has been scheduled, his son Raghu is contesting in it. Since Rajendran was brother of MP Damodaran, a senior leader in Bharath's party, the party has given seat to Raghu. the villagers are terribly upset as the ruling party's candidate is sure to win and hence have come to Bharath. Bharath tells Ramana to run against him as an independent candidate, and puts all state machinery to neutral position. Damu's henchmen kill many villagers in return, so Bharath sends undercover police officers to protect Ramana. Damu's police officers attempt to murder Ramana at his cinema hall, but Bharath arrives in time. Damu proclaims that Bharath is only powerful due to his bodyguards. After Bharath alone defeats his henchmen, Damu retreats. Bharath soon decides local governance must be instated, which succeeds despite the assembly's disapproval. However, Varadarajulu exposes Bharath's relationship with Vasumathi, causing a scandal and accusations of nepotism since she now works with him. Bharath resigns, Varadarajulu becomes Chief Minister, and Vasumathi and her father move to their native village.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Bharath arranges a press meet, where he attacks their sensationalism. The common people start to visit their MLAs and ask for Bharath to be reinstated as their Chief Minister again. Afterwards, his friend, ACP Krishna IPS, tells him that they have found a journalist named Mitra hiding in Brahmapur in the neighbouring state of Odisha. Bharath, along with his personal secretary Bhaskar and Security Officer Mukhtar, go there and learn that the journalist met with Raghava Rao before his death and proved Varadarajulu's corruption to him. At the same time, the ruling party's executive committee asks Varadarajulu to resign and bring back Bharath as CM. This irritates Varadarajulu and he plans to kill Bharat. As Bharath leaves the journalist's house, Mukthar gets shot in an ambush. Bharat takes him to a hospital and spots Varadarajulu's henchmen, so they escape again. Bharath eventually fights them in an abandoned area. As an army of goons shows up, the villagers arrive to protect him. They follow Bharath to Varadarajulu's office, where they face off.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Varadarajulu reveals that he tampered with Raghava Rao's medicines to slowly paralyze and kill him because Raghava started doubting on him since found out about Varadarajulu's corruption. Bharath gives 24 hours window for Varadarajulu to admit his crimes to the public and surrender. After he leaves, Varadarajulu commits suicide. The Legislature is dissolved, and Bharath's side wins in the election by Land-slide. All corrupt politicians from both sides are arrested, and Bharath takes office back as Chief Minister. The film ends with Bharath going with his family to Vasumathi's village residence, to propose marriage to her.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: DVV Danayya announced that they would produce a film with Mahesh Babu directed by Koratala Siva in mid-2016. Devi Sri Prasad (DSP) was chosen to do the music for this film.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Kiara Advani played the role of the Chief Minister's girlfriend. Sarath Kumar was roped in to play the role of Mahesh Babu's father, and Prakash Raj signed in to play the antagonist.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Actor Devaraj, who played prominent antagonistic roles in Telugu cinemas in the first decade of the 21st century, was noted to appear in a Telugu film after a gap of 11 years through "Bharat Ane Nenu", where he played the role of leader of the opposition party.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Stunt duo Ram-Laxman performed the stunt choreography for this film. The dance choreography was performed by Raju Sundaram, Dinesh Kumar, and Raghu.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: "I Don't Know", the first South Indian song sung by Farhan Akhtar, was shot in Spain with Mahesh Babu and was choreographed by Raju Sundaram.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: The soundtrack of the film was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The album features five songs, out of which three of them were released as singles. The first single "Bharat Ane Nenu" was released on 25 March 2018, at the occasion of Ram Navmi. The second single "I Don't Know" was launched on 1 April 2018.Farhan Akhtar lent his voice for the song "I Don't Know", which is first time for a South Indian movie. The third track "Vachaadayyo Swami", was released on 6 April 2018. The soundtrack was launched at the pre-release event which took place in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium on 7 April 2018, with N. T. Rama Rao Jr. being the chief guest.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Bharat Ane Nenu was released theatrically on 20 April 2018, while the dubbed Tamil version titled "Bharat Ennum Naan" was released theatrically on 25 May 2018. It was later dubbed and released in Hindi as "Dashing CM Bharath" on 2 November 2018.


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Hemanth Kumar of "Firstpost" wrote "Mahesh Babu, Koratala Siva deliver an intense political drama". Kumar also said, "He (Siva) has shown yet again that there's plenty of drama when a normal guy takes an uncommon path. Bharat might have become the messiah of the state in the story, but it's Mahesh Babu who leaves a long lasting impression in the end. Two big thumbs up for the film. It delivers more than what it promises" giving 4 stars out of 5. Priyanka Sundar of "Hindustan Times" gave the film 3 stars out of 5, saying "Mahesh Babu as CM ushers in a new era. Mahesh Babu has the best of what commercial cinema has to offer – a strong subject, a tight film and a role he can chew on."


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: Suhas Yellapantula of "The Times of India" rated the 3.5 stars out of 5, mentioning "Bharat Ane Nenu gives you a lot to root for and provides a bang for your buck but lacks the finesse that makes for a good political thriller.". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of "The Hindu" wrote, "This promise ticks the right boxes. Bharat Ane Nenu deserves a thumbs up for its well thought out plot and nuanced characters. Keeping us hooked to the narrative are Mahesh Babu, accompanied by Prakash Raj in another winsome and complex role, Rahul Ramakrishna, Rao Ramesh, Brahmaji and Kiara Advani among others. Kiara is impressive.".


title: Bharat Ane Nenu

text: "Bharat Ane Nenu" grossed between 187.6–225 crore in its full theatrical run including other versions like Tamil.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The Wolf's Lair (; ) served as Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the small village of Görlitz in Ostpreußen (now Gierłoż), about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of the small East Prussian town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn), in present-day Poland. Being one of the most heavily guarded places in the world, the central complex and the "Führer"'s bunker was surrounded by three security zones guarded by two SS units: the "SS-Begleitkommando des Führers", and the "Reichssicherheitsdienst". The "Wehrmacht"s armoured "Führerbegleitbrigade" was held in readiness nearby but, as a part of the "Heer"'s elite "Großdeutschland" Division, was used to counter-attack Red Army break-throughs in Army Group Centre's front and rescue cut-off "Heer", "Luftwaffe" "Fallschirmjager" and SS panzer troops.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The most notable event that occurred at the "Wolf's Lair" was the assassination attempt against Hitler on 20 July 1944.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The name "Wolfsschanze" is derived from "Wolf", a self-adopted nickname of Hitler. He began using the nickname in the 1920s and it was often how he was addressed by those in his intimate circle. "Wolf" was used in several titles of Hitler's headquarters throughout occupied Europe, such as "Wolfsschlucht" I and II in Belgium and France and "Werwolf" in Ukraine.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Although the standard translation in English is "Wolf's Lair," a "Schanze" in German denotes a sconce, redoubt or temporary fieldwork. The German cognate for "lair" would be "Lager" (camp, storage place).


title: Wolf's Lair

text: As part of the preparations for the coming Operation Barbarossa, the decision was made in late 1940 to build a military headquarters for the "Führer" in Eastern Europe, similar in concept to the "Felsennest" in Western Europe. Like the "Felsennest", the new headquarters had to be as close to the front as possible, but far enough to be safe from enemy forces.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Eventually, a top-secret site was chosen in the middle of the Masurian woods, in what was then East Prussia, far from roads and urban areas, and accessible only by a single railway and small airstrip. To maintain secrecy, locals were told that the construction works were for a new cement factory. The Organisation Todt completed construction of the entire complex by 21 June 1941.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler first arrived at the headquarters on 24 June 1941, 2 days after "Barbarossa" commenced. At its peak, over 2000 people lived and worked at the "Wolf's Lair", including food-tasters to guard Hitler against poison. Additional construction work began in mid-1944 to enlarge and reinforce many of the original buildings on the site on Hitler's orders, although the work was never completed because of the Red Army's rapid advance during the Baltic Offensive.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler left the "Wolf's Lair" for the final time in November 1944 after having spent over 800 days there, the longest he had stayed at any place over the course of the war, during a -year period.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The buildings within the complex were camouflaged with bushes, grass, and artificial trees on the flat roofs; netting was also erected between buildings and the surrounding forest so that the installation looked like unbroken dense woodland from the air. The site consisted of three concentric security zones.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: A facility for Army headquarters was also located near the complex. The FBK and RSD had responsibility for Hitler's personal security within the site, while external protection of the complex was provided by the FBB, which had become a regiment by July 1944. The FBB was equipped with tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and other heavy weapons. Any approaching aircraft could be detected up to from the site. Additional troops were also stationed about away.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, recalled that Hitler repeatedly spoke in late 1943 or early 1944 of a possible bomber attack on the "Wolfsschanze" by the Western Allies. She quoted Hitler as saying, "They know "exactly" where we are, and sometime they’re going to destroy everything here with carefully aimed bombs. I expect them to attack any day."


title: Wolf's Lair

text: According to Speer, between 28 July 1941 and 20 March 1942, Hitler left Rastenburg only four times for a total of 57 days. Afterwards, Hitler spent the next three months in Obersalzberg before returning to Rastenburg for the next nine months.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler's entourage returned to the "Wolfsschanze" from an extended summer stay at the Berghof in July 1944. The previous small bunkers had been replaced by the Organisation Todt with "heavy, colossal structures" of reinforced concrete as defense against the feared air attack. According to Armaments Minister Albert Speer, "some 36,000,000 marks were spent for bunkers in Rastenburg [Wolf's Lair]."


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler's bunker had become the largest, "a positive fortress" containing "a maze of passages, rooms and halls." Junge wrote, "We had air-raid warnings every day" in the period between the 20 July assassination attempt and Hitler's final departure from the "Wolfsschanze" in November 1944, "but there was never more than a single aircraft circling over the forest, and no bombs were dropped. All the same, Hitler took the danger very seriously, and thought all these reconnaissance flights were in preparation for the big raid he was expecting."


title: Wolf's Lair

text: No air attack ever came. It has never been revealed whether the Western Allies knew of the "Wolfsschanze"s location and importance. The Soviet Union was unaware of both the location and the scale of the complex until the site was uncovered by its forces during their advance towards Berlin in early 1945.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Hitler would begin his day by taking a walk alone with his dog around 10 a.m. or so, after waking up, and at 10:30 a.m. he looked at the mail that had been delivered by air or courier train. A noon situation briefing would be convened, either in Keitel's or Jodl's bunker, and frequently ran for two hours. This was followed by lunch at 2 p.m. in the dining hall. Hitler invariably sat in the same seat between Jodl and Otto Dietrich, while Keitel, Martin Bormann, and Göring's adjutant General Karl Bodenschatz sat opposite him.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: After lunch, Hitler dealt with non-military matters for the remainder of the afternoon. Coffee was served around 5 p.m., followed by a second military briefing by Jodl at 6 p.m. Dinner could also last as long as two hours, beginning at 7:30 p.m., after which films were shown in the cinema. Hitler then retired to his private quarters where he gave monologues to his entourage till late, usually going to sleep around 3 or 4 a.m. Occasionally, Hitler and his entourage listened to gramophone records of Beethoven symphonies, selections from Wagner or other operas, or German lieder.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: On Thursday, July 20, 1944, an attempt was made to kill Hitler at the "Wolf's Lair". It was organized by a group of acting and retired army officers, as well as some civilians, who wanted to remove Hitler and establish a new democratic government in Germany that would negotiate a peaceful end to the war with the Allies before Germany's inevitable defeat, which had become apparent to both sides by then. However, the main challenge facing the conspirators was that Hitler's habit of last-minute changes to his schedule had led to the failure of attempts by others to kill him.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Eventually, the conspirators chose the "Wolf's Lair" as a viable location to target Hitler because it was the only place where they were sure they could get close enough to kill him. Staff officer Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg volunteered to carry a bomb hidden in a briefcase into one of the daily military briefings usually held in the bunkers, in the hope that the heavy reinforcements of the bunkers could be turned against the "Führer" through the shockwave of the blast reverberating off the heavily reinforced walls of the room and certainly killing him.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: However, on the day of the planned assassination, the location of the meeting was unexpectedly changed to a light brick hut due to Hitler's complaints about the immense heat within the bunkers that day. This change in venue, along with other factors, such as Hitler unexpectedly calling the meeting earlier than anticipated, would contribute to the eventual failure of the plot. Despite this change in plans, Stauffenberg went ahead with carrying out the plot. He carried the briefcase containing the bomb into the conference hut, making a request to be placed close to Hitler on grounds that he had trouble hearing due to his injuries sustained while fighting in North Africa, which would ensure that the bomb would be close enough to Hitler to be effective.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The bomb exploded at precisely 12:42 p.m., with Stauffenberg having excused himself from the meeting a few minutes before. The interior of the building was devastated, four officers were injured and would later die of their wounds but Hitler was only slightly injured. This was due to the fact that one of the other officers present at the meeting had, for his own comfort, moved the briefcase from where it had been put by Stauffenberg close to Hitler and placed it against one of the legs of the solid oak table being used for the meeting. The result of this innocent action was that the thick, heavy table absorbed most of the blast and this, along with the collapse of some of the hut's thin walls thus dissipating the shockwave, saved the "Führer"'s life.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Even before the bomb detonated, Stauffenberg and his adjutant, Lieutenant Werner von Haeften, had already began their departure for Berlin where they planned to take control of the country alongside their fellow conspirators. Their escape involved passing through various security zones that controlled all access around the site. After a short delay at the RSD guard post just outside "Sperrkreis" 1, they were allowed to leave by vehicle. The two officers were then driven down the southern exit road towards the military airstrip near Rastenburg.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The alarm had been raised by the time they reached the guardhouse at the perimeter of "Sperrkreis" 2. According to the official RSHA report, "at first, the guard refused passage until Stauffenberg persuaded him to contact the adjutant to the compound commander who then finally authorized clearance". It was between here and the final checkpoint of "Sperrkreis" 3 that Haeften tossed another briefcase from the car containing an unused second bomb. The two men reached the outer limit of the security zones and were allowed to catch their plane back to army general headquarters in Berlin.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The attempted assassination was derived from Operation Valkyrie, a covert plan officially sanctioned by Hitler for the Reserve Army to take control and suppress any revolt in the country in the event of his untimely death, which the conspirators adapted to suit their purpose. Unfortunately for the conspirators, news soon arrived from the "Wolf's Lair" that Hitler was still alive. Upon hearing from Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels that Hitler was indeed alive, as well as speaking to the "Führer" himself, Major Otto Ernst Remer, in command of the Reserve Army's troops in Berlin still loyal to the regime, was fully convinced of Hitler's survival and he quickly re-established control of key government buildings and arrested the conspirators.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: That same evening, Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators were summarily executed by gunshot outside the "Bendlerblock" in Berlin.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: On 20 August 1944, Hitler personally presented survivors of the bomb blast with a "20 July 1944 Wound Badge". Next-of-kin of those killed in the blast were also given this award.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The Red Army reached the borders of East Prussia during the Baltic offensive in October 1944. Hitler departed from the Wolf's Lair for the final time on Monday, 20 November 1944, when the Soviet advance reached Angerburg (now Węgorzewo), away. Two days later, the order was given to destroy the complex.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The demolition took place on the night of 24–25 January 1945, ten days after the start of the Red Army's Vistula–Oder offensive. Tons of explosives were used; one bunker required an estimated of TNT. Most of the buildings were only partially destroyed due to their immense size and reinforced structures.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The Red Army captured the abandoned remains of the "Wolfsschanze" on 27 January without firing a shot, the same day that Auschwitz was liberated farther south.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: The area was cleared of abandoned ordnance, such as the more than 54,000 land mines surrounding the site, following the war and the entire site was left to decay by Poland's Communist government. Since the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, the Wolf's Lair has been developed as a tourist attraction. Visitors can make day trips from Warsaw or Gdańsk. Hotels and restaurants have grown up near the site. Plans have periodically been proposed to restore the area, including the installation of historical exhibits.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: As of 2019, the site was drawing almost 300,000 visitors a year. The Srokowo Forest District, which manages the site, announced plans to upgrade the area. These include a new entrance building, a new car park, and new information panels. The District is also considering building a hotel and restaurant, and staging re-enactments with static figures in Nazi uniforms.


title: Wolf's Lair

text: Critics worried that the planned changes could turn the site into a place for neo-Nazi pilgrimages, although the District's spokesperson said that they would "make every effort" to maintain "due seriousness and respect for historical truth". Pawel Machcewicz, a Polish historian who specializes in World War II, said, "[T]he scars left by the war should be preserved and presented as a lesson, a warning... Exhibitions should explain the history, contextualise the place, but not completely overshadow it."


title: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

text: , also known as for short, is a Japanese light novel series written by Satoru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Nami Hidaka. It began serialization online in July 2014 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was acquired by Ichijinsha, who published the first light novel volume in August 2015 under their Ichijinsha Bunko Iris imprint. Eleven volumes have been released as of August 2021. The light novel has been licensed in North America by J-Novel Club.


text: A manga adaptation with art by Hidaka has been serialized in Ichijinsha's "josei" manga magazine "Monthly Comic Zero Sum" since August 2017. It has been collected in seven "tankōbon" volumes and licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. A spin-off manga was serialized from November 2019 to July 2021. An anime television series adaptation by Silver Link aired from April to June 2020, and a second season aired from July to September 2021. An anime film is set to premiere in 2023.


text: Catarina Claes, the young daughter of a noble family, one day bumps her head and regains memories of her past life as a 17-year old otaku girl. It is then that she realizes she has been reborn into the world of the otome game "Fortune Lover" as the game's villainess who, regardless of what route the player took in the original game, is doomed to be either exiled or killed. In order to avoid these routes that lead to doom, Catarina begins taking countermeasures. This, however, ends up having unexpected consequences on her relations with the other characters of the game's world.


text: The first light novel volume was published by Ichijinsha under their Ichijinsha Bunko Iris imprint on August 20, 2015. As of October 2022, twelve volumes have been published. The light novel is licensed in North America by J-Novel Club.


text: There have been two manga series associated with the light novel. The first, "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!", has been serialized in Ichijinsha's "Monthly Comic Zero Sum" since August 28, 2017 and adapts the light novel series into manga format. The second, , was also serialized in "Monthly Comic Zero Sum" from November 1, 2019 to July 2, 2021. This manga focuses on the question of what would happen if Catarina were to recover her memories when she was fifteen as opposed to during her childhood, leaving her without the friends and relationships that she garnered as a result of early planning against her bad ends. Both manga series are licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment.


text: Ichijinsha published a "yuri" anthology of the series, titled , on June 26, 2020. The anthology is also licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment.


text: An anime adaptation of the light novel series was announced by Ichijinsha on October 19, 2018. The anime was later announced to be a television series on July 18, 2019. The series was animated by Silver Link and directed by Keisuke Inoue, with Megumi Shimizu handling series composition, and Miwa Oshima designing the characters. Natsumi Tabuchi, Hanae Nakamura, Tatsuhiko Saiki, Miki Sakurai, and Shu Kanematsu composed the music.


text: The series aired on Tokyo MX, BS11, MBS, AT-X, J Tele, and other channels from April 5 to June 21, 2020. Angela performed the series' opening theme song , while Shouta Aoi performed the series' ending theme song "Bad End". Crunchyroll streamed the series with subtitles. On May 15, 2020, Crunchyroll announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day. Muse Communication has licensed the series in Southeast Asian territories and released via Animax Asia.


text: A second season aired from July 3 to September 18, 2021 on the Super Animeism programming block on MBS, TBS, and BS-TBS, as well as BS Asahi. Angela performed the second season's opening theme song , while Shouta Aoi performed the second season's ending theme song "give me ♡ me." An OVA was bundled with the special edition of manga's seventh volume, which was released on September 30, 2021. After the conclusion of the second season, it was announced that the series will be receiving an anime film. The film's title was revealed in April 2022, with its premiere set in 2023.


text: On May 18, 2021, it was announced that Sentai Filmworks had acquired the home video distribution rights.


text: Bonus DVDs containing demo versions of "Fortune Lover", the in-universe otome game, were included in the limited editions of the anime's first season Blu-ray releases. A free-to-play mobile game titled was released on July 31, 2020, with an online trial version being made available from June 19 to August 31, 2020. A game for the Nintendo Switch titled "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! The Pirate Known as "Trouble"" was released on December 23, 2021. The game has an original story that takes place beyond "Fortune Lover"'s final graduation event, showing Catarina having evaded all the doom flags only to face a new doom flag related to a new meeting and encounter with a pirate.


text: On September 27, 2020, Premium Bandai began selling book cushions which "feature art of Catarina and her four (main) suitors" from the series, which each cushion folding up like a book, "featuring the character's name on the outside."


text: The light novel and manga have over 600,000 copies in print. The manga adaptation was ranked 4th in the 2019 Next Manga Awards in the print category.


text: Some reviewers have described the series as focusing around Catarina Claes, who amasses a polyamorous, bisexual harem pining for her as she tries to avoid being a villain and becomes very thoughtful. Reviewers pointed out three queer female characters: Mary Hunt, Sophia Ascart, and Maria Campbell, all of whom have crushes on Catarina, as reviewer James Beckett of Anime News Network pointed out.


text: In May 2020, seven of the 10 spots of a "weekly favourite couple poll" by Anime Trending featured Catarina paired with most of the characters. After the first season ended, with a "friendship ending," one reviewer calling it a "very definitive ending for Catarina and Her Polyamorous Bisexual Harem of Doom," and the series was later praised by Rebecca Silverman and Theron Martin of the Anime News Network for being well-done, and offers "a rewarding bisexual power fantasy" which Catarina is unaware of due to her dense nature.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every release of the band, although Sandin departed briefly in 1985, only to rejoin the following year. El Hefe joined the band in 1991 to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX's mainstream success coincided with increased interest in punk rock during the 1990s, though, unlike many of their contemporaries (including Bad Religion, Green Day, and The Offspring), they have never been signed to a major label. NOFX has released fifteenth studio albums, sixteen extended plays and a number of seven-inch singles. The band rose to popularity with their fifth studio album "Punk in Drublic" (1994), which is their only release to receive gold certification by the RIAA. Their latest studio album, "Double Album", was released on December 2, 2022. The group has sold over eight million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent bands of all time. In 2008, NOFX broadcast their own show on Fuse TV entitled "NOFX: Backstage Passport".


title: NOFX

text: In 1983, guitarist Eric Melvin met bassist/vocalist Mike Burkett (Fat Mike) and started the band under the name NO-FX, after a Boston hardcore punk band called Negative FX. At this time, they were joined by drummer Erik "Smelly" Sandin. NOFX's first recording was a demo from 1984, entitled "Thalidomide Child", produced by Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell many copies, and Fat Mike once claimed that no copies existed. The demo would be re-released in 2012. The group released its self-titled debut extended play "NOFX" on Mystic Records in 1985; it was later re-released in 1992 as part of the "Maximum Rocknroll" CD.


title: NOFX

text: The band's early line-up underwent numerous changes, however, the current lineup has been together since 1991. For a year, Erik "Smelly" Sandin left the band and was replaced by Scott Sellers, and later by Scott Aldahl. Dave Allen was in the band for about four months, until he died in a car accident. In 1986, the band released the extended play "So What If We're on Mystic!". Dave Casillas joined the band on second guitar in 1987 and was featured on the extended play "The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This", attacking the PMRC's campaign for music censorship. The original cover was an edited S&M photo; the cover for the re-released version was changed to a photo of Eric Melvin. Prior to the release of "Liberal Animation", a compilation of 14 early NOFX songs was released on Mystic Records. The album was self-titled, and featured the songs from the "NOFX" and "So What If We're on Mystic!" extended plays, and only around 1,000 copies were pressed. The album's cover was a redesigned version of the cover from the "NOFX" extended play.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX recorded their debut studio album "Liberal Animation" in 1988 with Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. Although the title and some of the album's lyrics mocked vegetarianism and animal rights, Fat Mike says that he became a vegetarian after writing the "Liberal Animation" album. The album was re-released in 1991 on Gurewitz's label Epitaph Records. Casillas left the band shortly after the recording of "Liberal Animation" and was replaced by Steve Kidwiler. The band released its second studio album, "S&M Airlines", through Epitaph in 1989.


title: NOFX

text: In 1991, NOFX released its third studio album, "Ribbed". Shortly after the album was released, Steve Kidwiler left the band, and Aaron Abeyta (a.k.a. "El Hefe") joined the group. With Abeyta, the band recorded the extended play "The Longest Line", followed by the studio album "White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean", released in May and November 1992 respectively. Also in 1992, NOFX's former label Mystic Records released "Maximum Rocknroll", which compiles early singles and demo songs and is a reissue of their 1989 long-out-of-print compilation tape "E Is for Everything". Despite being referred to as an "official" release, Fat Mike has been quoted as saying that he did not know that the album existed until he saw a copy of it "in a store."


title: NOFX

text: In the wake of the 1990s punk rock revival revolution (dominated by Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion and Rancid), NOFX released their fifth studio album "Punk in Drublic" in July 1994. It is one of the band's most successful albums, peaking at number 12 on "Billboard"'s Heatseekers chart, and obtaining gold status six years after its release. Although one of the album's singles "Leave It Alone" got airplay on active rock radio stations, the most notable being KROQ, its music video never received airplay on MTV. Fat Mike has been quoted saying, "We made the 'Leave It Alone' video, and we decided not to send it to MTV. We just didn't want to be a part of that machine, of that 'punk wave.'"


title: NOFX

text: Due to the success of "Punk in Drublic", NOFX received many offers to sign with major record labels, but the band declined the offers. In 1995, the band released its first live album, "I Heard They Suck Live!!". In the liner notes the band explicitly rejected the advances of major record labels and radio airplay, stating "We've been doing fine all these years without you so leave us alone!" "Punk in Drublic" is now considered a classic punk album by fans and critics alike.


title: NOFX

text: "Punk in Drublic" was followed by 1996's "Heavy Petting Zoo", whose LP companion featured different cover art and the name "Eating Lamb". The artwork for the CD featured a man holding a sheep, while the LP depicted the same man in a 69 position with the sheep. The "Eating Lamb" version was banned from sale in Germany due to its obscene cover art. The LP version did not achieve the success of its predecessor, although it was the first NOFX record to achieve a position on the "Billboard" charts, reaching number 63. Fat Mike stated: "Weird record. I thought it was the coolest record when we finished it, but a few months later I wasn't so sure. Some of those songs are kinda weird. I like the cover a lot though. I think it sold well in Belgium."


title: NOFX

text: In 1997, the band released "So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes", a return to faster punk, as exemplified by the frenetic opening track, "It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite."


title: NOFX

text: NOFX released "The Decline", an 18-minute single-track extended play, which served as a fiery and cynical social commentary, in 1999. "The Decline", clocking in at 18:23, is the second-longest punk song ever recorded (behind Crass' 20-minute song "Taking Sides").


title: NOFX

text: NOFX released its eighth studio album, "Pump Up the Valuum", in 2000. It was the band's final album released through Epitaph, as the band decided to sign to Fat Mike's own label, Fat Wreck Chords.


title: NOFX

text: In 2002, the band recorded "BYO Split Series Volume III", a split album with Rancid, in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX released its ninth studio album, "The War on Errorism", in 2003, an album of political songs. It became the start of its anti-George W. Bush campaign. Fat Mike organized the website punkvoter.com, compiled two chart-topping "Rock Against Bush" albums, and started a Rock Against Bush U.S. tour. The song "Separation of Church and Skate" from the album was featured in the game "Tony Hawk's Underground". In 2004, a previously unreleased demo version of their song "Concerns of a GOP Neo-Phyte" was contributed to the compilation album "Take Action! Vol. 4".


title: NOFX

text: In February 2005, the band launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription-based service, which saw the release of one new extended play almost monthly, from February 2005 to March 2006 (a total of 12 releases). The cover art for these extended plays was chosen from fan-submitted entries. The first 3,000 subscribers to the club received all of their records on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck Chords later released full sets of the extended plays.


title: NOFX

text: On March 14, 2006, the extended play "Never Trust a Hippy" was released. The EP was followed on April 18 by the studio album "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing". On September 12, 2006, the video game "EA Sports" "NHL 07" was released, featuring "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing" on its soundtrack, produced by Bill Stevenson and Fat Mike. NOFX's song "Kill All the White Man" was played briefly in the action movie "Crank" in 2006, and was credited as such in the film's soundtrack.


title: NOFX

text: In January 2007, the band recorded three nights of performances in San Francisco, California, for their second live album, "They've Actually Gotten Worse Live!", released November 20, 2007. The live album is described on the press release as "their sloppiest, drunkest, funniest, best sounding recording ever ... and they even made sure not to play any songs off their 1995 live album "I Heard They Suck Live"."


title: NOFX

text: NOFX launched a world tour in September 2007, which included concerts in Israel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa). During its final performances in Israel (September 7 in Haifa), vocalist Fat Mike inadvertently struck guitarist Eric Melvin with his bass guitar during the performance of "Bottles to the Ground", breaking the guitar's neck, and leaving a bloody gash on Melvin's forehead. The broken bass guitar was replaced with one from Useless ID for the rest of the concert. The band completed its scheduled set amidst the audience's cheers for Melvin's good humor and perseverance. This tour was the basis of the band's television show, "NOFX: Backstage Passport". The show was originally to be titled "NOFX: Punk Rock Passport", but the band had issues with the company that held the rights to air the show, Fuse TV. Along with the show's title being changed, the band had numerous other issues with Fuse, including the company attempting to fabricate storylines that were untrue. Fat Mike, in an interview with Studio Q on the CBC, stated that the three months of editing the show were the worst three months of his life.


title: NOFX

text: During the same tour, NOFX played four concerts in South Africa, the band's first performances on the African continent. The tour of South Africa followed successful tours by the bands Lagwagon, Frenzal Rhomb, and Mad Caddies, all of which are signed to Fat Wreck Chords.


title: NOFX

text: In February 2009, NOFX reunited with former members Steve Kidwiler and Dave Casillas for its 25th-anniversary special performances. They played three sold out shows, one in San Diego, one in Hollywood, and one in S.F. NOFX released a new album, "Coaster", on April 28, 2009. The band worked with the same co-producer, Bill Stevenson, who produced its previous album, "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing". NOFX was also added to the lineup for the Warped Tour 2009. They also toured Australia and New Zealand in late 2009 with Bad Religion.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX released a new extended play on November 24, 2009, titled "Cokie the Clown". It was released on one CD or two seven-inch vinyl records, which are called "Cokie the Clown" and "My Orphan Year". The extended play consists of outtakes from the "Coaster" sessions. NOFX started its spring 2010 "Fermented and Flailing" tour on April 21. This was the official tour for its album "Coaster".


title: NOFX

text: During this time period, Fat Mike would occasionally adopt the Cokie the Clown persona (as seen on the extended play's cover and the "Cokie the Clown" music video) during live performances. Fat Mike performed a solo acoustic performance on March 20, 2010, at the SXSW Festival as Cokie, which was described as "strange, emotional, and intimate." At the end of the concert, after debuting a new song called "Drinking Pee", a video that was played for the audience suggested that a number of festival participants unknowingly drank Fat Mike's urine. The stunt resulted in Fat Mike getting banned from the Austin, Texas, venue, Emo's. In May 2010, NOFX posted a video online that showed Fat Mike urinating into a bottle of Patrón as was previously announced, but then switching the bottle before going on stage to a bottle not containing any urine. Months later in an interview, Mike stated that he had "always wanted to be banned from somewhere."


title: NOFX

text: On June 21, 2010, NOFX announced that they were going to release a compilation album titled "The Longest EP," a compilation of selected songs from its extended plays from 1987 to 2009. It was released on August 17, 2010.


title: NOFX

text: On November 23, 2010, Fat Wreck Chords released "NOFX / The Spits", a split EP with the Seattle, Washington, band The Spits. It contained two new songs from each band.


title: NOFX

text: In a January 2011 interview with The Daily Times, Fat Mike revealed that a new NOFX album was in production, saying "There are some really good songs on "Coaster", but after having written 300 songs, I feel lucky I came up with them. That's why there are songs on there about Iron Maiden and Tegan and Sara. I'm reaching, man. Sometimes I grab stuff just to grab stuff, and I'm going in a lot of different directions." In December 2011, Fat Mike revealed to Phoenix New Times that he has begun work on a new NOFX album and a soundtrack to a "fetish film" called "Rubber Bordello".


title: NOFX

text: In June 2011, NOFX began their Great White North Tour, which would have them traveling across Canada. The tour kicked off in St. John's, Newfoundland, on June 14. It was the first time the band had been to Newfoundland.


title: NOFX

text: Along with a self-titled 10" of 80s hardcore punk cover songs, the band also planned to re-release their first recordings in the summer of 2011. The 10" features covers from the Necros and D.O.A. and songs such as "Police Brutality" and "Race Riot." The album was released on a vinyl record and has been distributed to independent record companies around the U.S., Great Britain, and elsewhere.


title: NOFX

text: On February 14, 2012, in an article on "Rolling Stone"'s website, Fat Mike said that a new album was on the way. "We're recording in April, and it should be out in the fall. I've got 12 songs, but I don't have a name for it, and only a few of the songs are finished," he says. "We're demo-ing it right now."


title: NOFX

text: A 7" single, "My Stepdad's a Cop and My Stepmom's a Domme", featuring new songs recorded prior to the sessions for "Self Entitled", was released in June 2012.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX released their twelfth studio album, "Self Entitled", on September 11, 2012. NOFX also released "X'mas Has Been X'd" on January 15, 2013, and their 30th anniversary LP box set on February 19, 2013.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX toured in Australia starting November 5, 2014. They performed in Sydney, Newcastle, New South Wales, Wollongong, Brisbane, Darwin, Northern Territory, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Geelong, and Gold Coast, Queensland.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX toured the United States in the summer of 2015 celebrating the 25th anniversary of Fat Wreck Chords. Supporting acts for this tour were Lagwagon, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Strung Out, Propagandhi, Swingin' Utters, Bracket, ToyGuitar, The Flatliners, Masked Intruder and Bad Cop/Bad Cop. Guitarist El Hefe said that NOFX was going to work on new music after the Fat Wreck Chords 25th anniversary tour. On their tour to Europe, NOFX stated their new album would be out in September 2016. On July 19, 2016, the band's thirteenth studio album, "First Ditch Effort", was announced, to be released on October 7; the lead single "Six Years on Dope" was released the same day. On April 17, 2016, they released their autobiography, called "NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories." During the tour, named the Hepatitis Bathtub Tour, they did book signings on some dates. On December 16 a special hard-covered edition with a seven-inch four-song vinyl (titled "Hepatitis Bathtub") and a bath towel was also released.


title: NOFX

text: In March 2018, NOFX released a new single "There's No 'Too Soon' if Time Is Relative", in tribute to physicist Stephen Hawking, who had died days earlier. The track had been recorded a month prior to its release. Several days later, they announced the first annual "Camp Punk in Drublic Festival" in Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. The three-day event was to feature NOFX alongside Rancid, Pennywise, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. In a May 2018 interview, Fat Mike hinted that NOFX was working on new material.


title: NOFX

text: In February 2019, Fat Mike announced the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a new subscription-based service scheduled for the release of 12 new extended plays almost monthly. As with the previous 2005 installment, the cover art for these extended plays was chosen from fan-submitted entries.


title: NOFX

text: On August 16, 2019, NOFX released a new single, "Fish in a Gun Barrel". The song was written in response to mass shootings in America, with proceeds from the single going to anti-gun-violence charity Moms Demand Action.


title: NOFX

text: On March 23, 2020, NOFX released a video for another new song, "PRBOD". A few days later, the band released a video for "another new song that didn't make it on the new album" called "The Oddition".


title: NOFX

text: On January 12, 2021, NOFX announced that they would release their first studio album in nearly five years, "Single Album", on February 26.


title: NOFX

text: On September 1, 2022, Fat Mike confirmed in a reply to a comment in an Instagram post that NOFX would be disbanding in 2023, the year of the band's 40th anniversary, and suggested that their final show may take place in their hometown of Los Angeles, California.


title: NOFX

text: On September 27, 2022 NOFX announced their next album, "Double Album", would come out on December 2, 2022. They released the single "Darby Crashing," a reworked version of a song from their 2019-2020 "7 inch of the Month Club," on the same day.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX are also planning on releasing three in-progress albums entitled "Half Album", "Everybody Else Is Insane", and "NOFX: A–Z".


title: NOFX

text: The band's sound is diverse, utilizing elements of punk rock, skate punk, melodic hardcore, ska punk, and other music genres. Some of their songs focus on, or reference, topics such as left-wing politics and anarchy, society, racism, xenophobia, sexism, sexuality, misogyny, homophobia and homosexuality, class inequalities, the use of drugs and alcohol, the media and popular culture, religion and schadenfreude, often represented in a humorous manner. The band has released songs that range in length from under a minute, with songs such as "I Gotta Pee" (0:32) and "Murder the Government" (0:45), to its longest song, "The Decline", which is 18 minutes 22 seconds long.


title: NOFX

text: NOFX also frequently poke fun (in a lighthearted manner) at other bands and figures in the punk rock community. Such examples include "Whoa on the Whoas", parodying The Offspring's frequent use of the word "whoa" in their songs, and mocking Blink-182 in their song "Fun Things to Fuck (If You're a Winner)". The band is also known for referencing or paying tribute to Bad Religion in both their songs and their albums, with examples including "I Am a Huge Fan of Bad Religion"; mentioning their records on "We Got Two Jealous Agains" and its sequel "I've Got One Jealous Again, Again"; and the cover of "Surfer" parodying that of Bad Religion's 1988 album "Suffer". A split album between NOFX and fellow punk band Rancid featured each group covering 6 songs from the other band's catalog.


title: NOFX

text: The band cites its influences as Bad Religion, Rich Kids on LSD, D.I., SNFU, Operation Ivy, The Dickies, Descendents, Circle Jerks, Dead Milkmen, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Adrenalin O.D., Minor Threat, Germs, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, The Adolescents, Misfits, and Subhumans.


title: NOFX

text: For years the band consented to very few interviews and have only made a few music videos, citing the fact that it does not need any more exposure and that people were exploiting the group. In recent years, Fat Mike has consented to more interviews, including six different interviews with Nardwuar between 2002 and 2011. The band has also refused permission for its music videos to be broadcast on MTV, VH1, and similar music channels, although its music has been played on Canada's Much Music. NOFX made a live appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2004. The band briefly pursued an "anti-Conan" riff, although the intent was likely jocular.


title: NOFX

text: The credits on the album "Heavy Petting Zoo" call out MTV, along with commercial radio stations and major labels, saying "we've been doin' just fine all these years without you so leave us the fuck alone" and calling them "assholes."


title: NOFX

text: Fat Mike has also repeatedly conducted interviews with the Australian alternative radio station Triple J on its breakfast show with Jay (Jason Whalley) and the Doctor (Lindsay McDougall). Jay and the Doctor are both members of Frenzal Rhomb, an Australian punk rock band that has played many tours and festivals with NOFX, and that has its music distribution outside Australia handled by Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label.


title: NOFX

text: In 2008, NOFX aired a documentary series on Fuse TV about its worldwide tour. The show was entitled "NOFX: Backstage Passport".


title: NOFX

text: In 2018, the band attracted significant controversy after statements by Fat Mike and rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin during a concert in Las Vegas on May 30, 2018. Referencing the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Melvin stated "I guess you only get shot in Vegas if you're in a country band," and Mike replied with “You know, that [massacre] sucked, but least they were country fans and not punk rock fans." The lead sponsor of the Punk in Drublic festival, Stone Brewing Co., pulled support from the festival as well as from NOFX's line of craft beer. NOFX and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were subsequently removed from the festival's lineup.


title: NOFX

text: The band later apologized, stating, "What we said in Vegas was shitty and insensitive and we are all embarrassed by our remarks." In June 2018 the band stated that all of their U.S. concerts had been canceled and they had been "effectively banned" from playing in the United States due to the comments. However, Fat Mike later clarified otherwise, stating that "Our promoter canceled — my partner [not the venues]."


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renaissance).


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Around 1300, centuries of prosperity and growth in Europe came to a halt. A series of famines and plagues, including the Great Famine of 1315–1317 and the Black Death, reduced the population to around half of what it had been before the calamities. Along with depopulation came social unrest and endemic warfare. France and England experienced serious peasant uprisings, such as the Jacquerie and the Peasants' Revolt, as well as over a century of intermittent conflict, the Hundred Years' War. To add to the many problems of the period, the unity of the Catholic Church was temporarily shattered by the Western Schism. Collectively, those events are sometimes called the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Despite the crises, the 14th century was also a time of great progress in the arts and sciences. Following a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman texts that took root in the High Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance began. The absorption of Latin texts had started before the Renaissance of the 12th century through contact with Arabs during the Crusades, but the availability of important Greek texts accelerated with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, when many Byzantine scholars had to seek refuge in the West, particularly Italy.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Combined with this influx of classical ideas was the invention of printing, which facilitated dissemination of the printed word and democratized learning. Those two things would later lead to the Reformation. Toward the end of the period, the Age of Discovery began. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire cut off trading possibilities with the East. Europeans were forced to seek new trading routes, leading to the Spanish expedition under Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492 and Vasco da Gama’s voyage to Africa and India in 1498. Their discoveries strengthened the economy and power of European nations.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The changes brought about by these developments have led many scholars to view this period as the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern history and of early modern Europe. However, the division is somewhat artificial, since ancient learning was never entirely absent from European society. As a result, there was developmental continuity between the ancient age (via classical antiquity) and the modern age. Some historians, particularly in Italy, prefer not to speak of the Late Middle Ages at all but rather see the high period of the Middle Ages transitioning to the Renaissance and the modern era.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The term "Late Middle Ages" refers to one of the three periods of the Middle Ages, along with the Early Middle Ages and the High Middle Ages. Leonardo Bruni was the first historian to use tripartite periodization in his "History of the Florentine People" (1442). Flavio Biondo used a similar framework in "Decades of History from the Deterioration of the Roman Empire" (1439–1453). Tripartite periodization became standard after the German historian Christoph Cellarius published "Universal History Divided into an Ancient, Medieval, and New Period" (1683).


title: Late Middle Ages

text: For 18th-century historians studying the 14th and 15th centuries, the central theme was the Renaissance, with its rediscovery of ancient learning and the emergence of an individual spirit. The heart of this rediscovery lies in Italy, where, in the words of Jacob Burckhardt: "Man became a spiritual individual and recognized himself as such". This proposition was later challenged, and it was argued that the 12th century was a period of greater cultural achievement.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: As economic and demographic methods were applied to the study of history, the trend was increasingly to see the late Middle Ages as a period of recession and crisis. Belgian historian Henri Pirenne continued the subdivision of Early, High, and Late Middle Ages in the years around World War I. Yet it was his Dutch colleague, Johan Huizinga, who was primarily responsible for popularising the pessimistic view of the Late Middle Ages, with his book "The Autumn of the Middle Ages" (1919). To Huizinga, whose research focused on France and the Low Countries rather than Italy, despair and decline were the main themes, not rebirth.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Modern historiography on the period has reached a consensus between the two extremes of innovation and crisis. It is now generally acknowledged that conditions were vastly different north and south of the Alps, and the term "Late Middle Ages" is often avoided entirely within Italian historiography. The term "Renaissance" is still considered useful for describing certain intellectual, cultural, or artistic developments, but not as the defining feature of an entire European historical epoch. The period from the early 14th century up until – and sometimes including – the 16th century, is rather seen as characterized by other trends: demographic and economic decline followed by recovery, the end of western religious unity and the subsequent emergence of the nation state, and the expansion of European influence onto the rest of the world.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The limits of Christian Europe were still being defined in the 14th and 15th centuries. While the Grand Duchy of Moscow was beginning to repel the Mongols, and the Iberian kingdoms completed the Reconquista of the peninsula and turned their attention outwards, the Balkans fell under the dominance of the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile, the remaining nations of the continent were locked in almost constant international or internal conflict.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The situation gradually led to the consolidation of central authority and the emergence of the nation state. The financial demands of war necessitated higher levels of taxation, resulting in the emergence of representative bodies – most notably the English Parliament. The growth of secular authority was further aided by the decline of the papacy with the Western Schism and the coming of the Protestant Reformation.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: After the failed union of Sweden and Norway of 1319–1365, the pan-Scandinavian Kalmar Union was instituted in 1397. The Swedes were reluctant members of the Danish-dominated union from the start. In an attempt to subdue the Swedes, King Christian II of Denmark had large numbers of the Swedish aristocracy killed in the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520. Yet this measure only led to further hostilities, and Sweden broke away for good in 1523. Norway, on the other hand, became an inferior party of the union and remained united with Denmark until 1814.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Iceland benefited from its relative isolation and was the last Scandinavian country to be struck by the Black Death. Meanwhile, the Norse colony in Greenland died out, probably under extreme weather conditions in the 15th century. These conditions might have been the effect of the Little Ice Age.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 threw the country into a succession crisis, and the English king, Edward I, was brought in to arbitrate. Edward claimed overlordship over Scotland, leading to the Wars of Scottish Independence. The English were eventually defeated, and the Scots were able to develop a stronger state under the Stewarts.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: From 1337, England's attention was largely directed towards France in the Hundred Years' War. Henry V's victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 briefly paved the way for a unification of the two kingdoms, but his son Henry VI soon squandered all previous gains. The loss of France led to discontent at home. Soon after the end of the war in 1453, the dynastic struggles of the Wars of the Roses (c. 1455–1485) began, involving the rival dynasties of the House of Lancaster and House of York.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The war ended in the accession of Henry VII of the House of Tudor, who continued the work started by the Yorkist kings of building a strong, centralized monarchy. While England's attention was thus directed elsewhere, the Hiberno-Norman lords in Ireland were becoming gradually more assimilated into Irish society, and the island was allowed to develop virtual independence under English overlordship.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The French House of Valois, which followed the House of Capet in 1328, was at its outset marginalized in its own country, first by the English invading forces of the Hundred Years' War, and later by the powerful Duchy of Burgundy. The emergence of Joan of Arc as a military leader changed the course of war in favour of the French, and the initiative was carried further by King Louis XI.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Meanwhile, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, met resistance in his attempts to consolidate his possessions, particularly from the Swiss Confederation formed in 1291. When Charles was killed in the Burgundian Wars at the Battle of Nancy in 1477, the Duchy of Burgundy was reclaimed by France. At the same time, the County of Burgundy and the wealthy Burgundian Netherlands came into the Holy Roman Empire under Habsburg control, setting up conflict for centuries to come.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Bohemia prospered in the 14th century, and the Golden Bull of 1356 made the king of Bohemia first among the imperial electors, but the Hussite revolution threw the country into crisis. The Holy Roman Empire passed to the House of Habsburg in 1438, where it remained until its dissolution in 1806. Yet in spite of the extensive territories held by the Habsburgs, the Empire itself remained fragmented, and much real power and influence lay with the individual principalities. In addition, financial institutions, such as the Hanseatic League and the Fugger family, held great power, on both economic and political levels.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The Kingdom of Hungary experienced a golden age during the 14th century. In particular the reigns of the Angevin kings Charles Robert (1308–42) and his son Louis the Great (1342–82) were marked by success. The country grew wealthy as the main European supplier of gold and silver. Louis the Great led successful campaigns from Lithuania to Southern Italy, and from Poland to Northern Greece.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: He had the greatest military potential of the 14th century with his enormous armies (often over 100,000 men). Meanwhile, Poland's attention was turned eastwards, as the Commonwealth with Lithuania created an enormous entity in the region. The union, and the conversion of Lithuania, also marked the end of paganism in Europe.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Louis did not leave a son as heir after his death in 1382. Instead, he named as his heir the young prince Sigismund of Luxemburg. The Hungarian nobility did not accept his claim, and the result was an internal war. Sigismund eventually achieved total control of Hungary and established his court in Buda and Visegrád. Both palaces were rebuilt and improved, and were considered the richest of the time in Europe. Inheriting the throne of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire, Sigismund continued conducting his politics from Hungary, but he was kept busy fighting the Hussites and the Ottoman Empire, which was becoming a menace to Europe in the beginning of the 15th century.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary led the largest army of mercenaries of the time, the Black Army of Hungary, which he used to conquer Bohemia and Austria and to fight the Ottoman Empire. After Italy, Hungary was the first European country where the Renaissance appeared. However, the glory of the Kingdom ended in the early 16th century, when the King Louis II of Hungary was killed in the Battle of Mohács in 1526 against the Ottoman Empire. Hungary then fell into a serious crisis and was invaded, ending its significance in central Europe during the medieval era.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The state of Kievan Rus' fell during the 13th century in the Mongol invasion. The Grand Duchy of Moscow rose in power thereafter, winning a great victory against the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. The victory did not end Tartar rule in the region, however, and its immediate beneficiary was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which extended its influence eastwards.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Under the reign of Ivan the Great (1462–1505), Moscow became a major regional power, and the annexation of the vast Republic of Novgorod in 1478 laid the foundations for a Russian national state. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 the Russian princes started to see themselves as the heirs of the Byzantine Empire. They eventually took on the imperial title of Tsar, and Moscow was described as the Third Rome.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The Byzantine Empire had for a long time dominated the eastern Mediterranean in politics and culture. By the 14th century, however, it had almost entirely collapsed into a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, centered on the city of Constantinople and a few enclaves in Greece. With the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was permanently extinguished.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The Bulgarian Empire was in decline by the 14th century, and the ascendancy of Serbia was marked by the Serbian victory over the Bulgarians in the Battle of Velbazhd in 1330. By 1346, the Serbian king Stefan Dušan had been proclaimed emperor. Yet Serbian dominance was short-lived; the Serbian army led by the Lazar Hrebeljanovic was defeated by the Ottoman Army at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, where most of the Serbian nobility was killed and the south of the country came under Ottoman occupation, as much of southern Bulgaria had become Ottoman territory in the Battle of Maritsa 1371. Northern remnants of Bulgaria were finally conquered by 1396, Serbia fell in 1459, Bosnia in 1463, and Albania was finally subordinated in 1479 only a few years after the death of Skanderbeg. Belgrade, a Hungarian domain at the time, was the last large Balkan city to fall under Ottoman rule, in the siege of Belgrade of 1521. By the end of the medieval period, the entire Balkan peninsula was annexed by, or became vassal to, the Ottomans.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Avignon was the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1376. With the return of the Pope to Rome in 1378, the Papal State developed into a major secular power, culminating in the morally corrupt papacy of Alexander VI. Florence grew to prominence amongst the Italian city-states through financial business, and the dominant Medici family became important promoters of the Renaissance through their patronage of the arts. Other city states in northern Italy also expanded their territories and consolidated their power, primarily Milan, Venice and Genoa. The War of the Sicilian Vespers had by the early 14th century divided southern Italy into an Aragon Kingdom of Sicily and an Anjou Kingdom of Naples. In 1442, the two kingdoms were effectively united under Aragonese control.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The 1469 marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon and the 1479 death of John II of Aragon led to the creation of modern-day Spain. In 1492, Granada was captured from the Moors, thereby completing the Reconquista. Portugal had during the 15th century – particularly under Henry the Navigator – gradually explored the coast of Africa, and in 1498, Vasco da Gama found the sea route to India. The Spanish monarchs met the Portuguese challenge by financing the expedition of Christopher Columbus to find a western sea route to India, leading to the discovery of the Americas in 1492.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Around 1300–1350 the Medieval Warm Period gave way to the Little Ice Age. The colder climate resulted in agricultural crises, the first of which is known as the Great Famine of 1315–1317. The demographic consequences of this famine, however, were not as severe as the plagues that occurred later in the century, particularly the Black Death. Estimates of the death rate caused by this epidemic range from one third to as much as sixty percent. By around 1420, the accumulated effect of recurring plagues and famines had reduced the population of Europe to perhaps no more than a third of what it was a century earlier. The effects of natural disasters were exacerbated by armed conflicts; this was particularly the case in France during the Hundred Years' War. It took 150 years for the European population to regain similar levels of 1300.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: As the European population was severely reduced, land became more plentiful for the survivors, and labour consequently more expensive. Attempts by landowners to forcibly reduce wages, such as the English 1351 Statute of Laborers, were doomed to fail. These efforts resulted in nothing more than fostering resentment among the peasantry, leading to rebellions such as the French Jacquerie in 1358 and the English Peasants' Revolt in 1381. The long-term effect was the virtual end of serfdom in Western Europe. In Eastern Europe, on the other hand, landowners were able to exploit the situation to force the peasantry into even more repressive bondage.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The upheavals caused by the Black Death left certain minority groups particularly vulnerable, especially the Jews, who were often blamed for the calamities. Anti-Jewish pogroms were carried out all over Europe; in February 1349, 2,000 Jews were murdered in Strasbourg. States were also guilty of discrimination against the Jews. Monarchs gave in to the demands of the people, and the Jews were expelled from England in 1290, from France in 1306, from Spain in 1492, and from Portugal in 1497.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: While the Jews were suffering persecution, one group that probably experienced increased empowerment in the Late Middle Ages was women. The great social changes of the period opened up new possibilities for women in the fields of commerce, learning and religion. Yet at the same time, women were also vulnerable to incrimination and persecution, as belief in witchcraft increased.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The accumulation of social, environmental and health-related problems also led an increase of interpersonal violence in most parts of Europe. Population increase, religious intolerance, famine and disease led to an increase in violent acts in vast parts of the medieval society. One exception to this was North-Eastern Europe, whose population managed to maintain low levels of violence due to a more organized society resulting from extensive and successful trade.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Up until the mid-14th century, Europe had experienced steadily increasing urbanisation. Cities were also decimated by the Black Death, but the role of urban areas as centres of learning, commerce and government ensured continued growth. By 1500, Venice, Milan, Naples, Paris and Constantinople each probably had more than 100,000 inhabitants. Twenty-two other cities were larger than 40,000; most of these were in Italy and the Iberian peninsula, but there were also some in France, the Empire, the Low Countries, plus London in England.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Through battles such as Courtrai (1302), Bannockburn (1314), and Morgarten (1315), it became clear to the great territorial princes of Europe that the military advantage of the feudal cavalry was lost, and that a well equipped infantry was preferable. Through the Welsh Wars the English became acquainted with, and adopted, the highly efficient longbow. Once properly managed, this weapon gave them a great advantage over the French in the Hundred Years' War.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The introduction of gunpowder affected the conduct of war significantly. Though employed by the English as early as the Battle of Crécy in 1346, firearms initially had little effect in the field of battle. It was through the use of cannons as siege weapons that major change was brought about; the new methods would eventually change the architectural structure of fortifications.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Changes also took place within the recruitment and composition of armies. The use of the national or feudal levy was gradually replaced by paid troops of domestic retinues or foreign mercenaries. The practice was associated with Edward III of England and the condottieri of the Italian city-states. All over Europe, Swiss soldiers were in particularly high demand. At the same time, the period also saw the emergence of the first permanent armies. It was in Valois France, under the heavy demands of the Hundred Years' War, that the armed forces gradually assumed a permanent nature.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: Parallel to the military developments emerged also a constantly more elaborate chivalric code of conduct for the warrior class. This new-found ethos can be seen as a response to the diminishing military role of the aristocracy, and gradually it became almost entirely detached from its military origin. The spirit of chivalry was given expression through the new (secular) type of chivalric orders; the first of these was the Order of St. George, founded by Charles I of Hungary in 1325, while the best known was probably the English Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III in 1348.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: The French crown's increasing dominance over the Papacy culminated in the transference of the Holy See to Avignon in 1309. When the Pope returned to Rome in 1377, this led to the election of different popes in Avignon and Rome, resulting in the Papal Schism (1378–1417). The Schism divided Europe along political lines; while France, her ally Scotland and the Spanish kingdoms supported the Avignon Papacy, France's enemy England stood behind the Pope in Rome, together with Portugal, Scandinavia and most of the German princes.


title: Late Middle Ages

text: At the Council of Constance (1414–1418), the Papacy was once more united in Rome. Even though the unity of the Western Church was to last for another hundred years, and though the Papacy was to experience greater material prosperity than ever before, the Great Schism had done irreparable damage. The internal struggles within the Church had impaired her claim to universal rule, and promoted anti-clericalism among the people and their rulers, paving the way for reform movements.