Bloodlines is the first book in the spin-off series of the Vampire Academy series by American author Richelle Mead. It follows the story of narrator Sydney Sage, the alchemist who helped Rose in Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice.

The book was released on August 23, 2011.

Plot
After helping rogue Dhampir Rose Hathaway evade justice, Sydney Sage's situation with the Alchemists is shaky at best. Her career is jeopardized to the point where she may have to undergo re-education. Woken in the middle of the night, Sydney is given a last chance: to pose as the older sister of Jill Dragomir ( illegitimate sister of Vasilisa Dragomir ) at a boarding school in Palm Springs California and assists Keith the alchemist whom she hates and also studied with Sydney's father to conceal her identity to those who oppose Vasilisa. This is because of the family quorum law which means that if Jill were to die Vasilisa would have no family left and would have to abdicate the throne. This is all set in motion due to an attack on Jill which was violent and brutal. Sydney, Jill, Eddie Castile, and Adrian head off to Palm Springs. Sydney and Jill room together while Eddie rooms with Micah which is later said to remind Eddie of his dead best friend Mason from St. Vladimir's Academy.

On the first day of school, Jill is sent back to her dorm room accused of having a hangover in the morning. While Sydney visits Adrian in the afternoon, he reveals that he and Jill are bonded from the attack which actually killed Jill, but Adrian, being a spirit user, brought her back from the dead - she is now shadow kissed. This is why she always knows what Adrian is thinking and why she feels hungover every morning. As time goes on, Sydney is excelling in school while Jill is seen to have few friends and is continuously picked on by Laurel due to her crush on Micah, as he shows an interest in Jill.

When meeting with an older Moroi - Clarence, who is housing Adrian, Jill starts to fall for the Moroi's 19-year-old son Lee. Lee takes the whole squad mini-golfing and Jill uses her water magic much to Sydney's disdain, as it freaks her out reminding her of her alchemist training that Moroi are unnatural creatures made from evil.

While at school, Sydney starts to get friendly with a boy who helps out in her history class. Trey asks Sydney about the lily tattoo on her cheek, which is the sign of an alchemist. Many in the school have similar tattoos that give them drug-like effects similar to steroids or marijuana. Sydney tells Keith about the alchemist-like tattoos, but Keith brushes it off. After talking to her friends, Sydney discovers that the tattoos are given by a place called Nevermore and she finds vials of Moroi blood and saliva along with copper and silver. When visiting Adrian, Sydney sees a needle sized hole in Clarence's neck and deduces that Keith has been supplying Nevermore. Thus, she has him removed by the Alchemists.

Jill is in a fashion show at a local boutique and after the show Adrian and Sydney get into an argument because Sydney has been paying for Adrian to go to college classes without him knowing. Sydney was worried he would drop out before next semester, but seeing as damaging it is to Jill she decides to go to Keith's house and let Lee drop Jill back at school.

While clearing out Keith's things, Lee turns up and Sydney discovers that Lee was a strigoi, but he was turned back by a spirit user. This means that he ages slower and may be unable to access his magic. Lee also wishes to be turned back into a strigoi, but is unable to and he's the reason for all of the unknown deaths in Palm Springs including that of his cousin. Adrian show up at Keith's house, but both he and Sydney are restrained and Lee called his strigoi friends using Sydney and Adrian as a bargain for being re-awakened. Once the strigoi turn up and try to change Lee into one of them he instead dies then Sydney, Adrian, and the two strigoi get into a fight. One strigoi goes to drink Sydney's blood, but cannot as it is too vile and tastes horrible, but as they feed on Adrian. Sydney uses a fire charm that she created on a whim of her history teacher Mrs.Terwilliger to distract the strigoi. Just then, Eddie and Jill show up and with the help of Jill's water magic Eddie kills both strigoi.

After the encounter, the alchemist offer Sydney Keith's apartment, but knowing Adrian's wishes, she instead asks that Adrian be given the apartment in exchange for his assistance in the research into spirit users and Strigoi and why they cannot be reawakened. Sydney instead requests her own dorm room on campus, allowing her to continue to watch Jill. Back at school, Sydney confronts her teacher about the amulet, and the teacher confesses she had known about vampires all along as well as Alchemists. She believes that Sydney has an innate magical ability, and it was that ability that gave the amulet its power.

Abe Mazur, Rose's father, arrives with Jill's new roommate – a Dhampir named Angeline who Sydney met while on the run with Rose the previous year. Adrian realizes that Abe has been keeping a close eye on Palm Springs because of Nevermore – and that Abe himself is likely trafficking vampire blood as well. Abe, in turn, reveals to Adrian that the reason Sydney had been forced to obey his commands was that Sydney had contracted him for an attack on Keith that left him with a glass eye – retribution for Keith's rape of her sister.

Characters
 Sydney Sage – an Alchemist and the main protagonist of the Bloodlines series
 Adrian Ivashkov – a royal Moroi Spirit user who was once Rose Hathaway's boyfriend
 Jill Mastrano – Vasilisa Dragomir's half-sister and a water user, bonded to Adrian
 Eddie Castile – Jill's Guardian
 Lee Donahue – Clarence Donahue's son
 Keith Darnell – the Palm Springs Alchemist, in charge of supervising Sydney
 Micah Vallence – Jill's classmate at Amberwood
 Abe Mazur – Rose Hathaway's father
 Laurel – Jill's rival
 Clarence Donahue – a Moroi in Palm Springs

Reception
Critical reception for Bloodlines has been positive, with UT San Diego writing that it "stands out from the crowded vampire genre because it's not centered on a human-vampire romance".

See also
 Vampire Academy, the series preceding Bloodlines

References

External links

 Vampire Academy Series
 Razorbill Books' official Bloodlines site

2011 American novels
2011 fantasy novels
American young adult novels
American fantasy novels
American vampire novels
Novels set in Palm Springs, California
Vampire Academy series
Novels by Richelle Mead
Razorbill books

Bloodlines (Mead novel)


Plano is a city in the state of Texas in the United States. It is the ninth largest city in the state. Over 280,000 people live there. It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Koeppen climate classification).

Plano has the headquarters of many large businesses, including:
Frito-Lay
Dell Services, a division of Dell
HP Enterprise Services, a division of Hewlett-Packard
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Siemens PLM Software, a division of the Siemens group
Ericsson
J. C. Penney
Capital One Financial Services
Pizza Hut

References

Plano, Texas


The small white (Pieris rapae) is a small to mid-sized butterfly of the 'yellows' & 'whites' Pieridae family. It is also commonly known as the small cabbage white or just the cabbage white.

Distribution
It is common across Europe, North Africa and Asia and has also been accidentally introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand where they have become pests on cultivated cabbages and other mustard family crops.

Description

It looks like a smaller version of the Large White. The upperside is creamy white with black tips to the forewings. Females also have two black spots in the center of the forewings. Its underwings are yellowish with black .

Habits
Like its close relative the large white this is a strong flyer and the British population is increased by continental immigrants in most years. Like other 'white' butterflies it hibernates as a pupa. Like the large white, it is sometimes known as the cabbage white' or cabbage butterfly.

Lifecycle
It has two flight periods, April–May and July–August.

Eggs
Its caterpillars can be a pest on cultivated cabbages. . It also lays eggs on wild members of the cabbage family such as the charlock Sinapis arvensis and hedge mustard Sisybrium officinale. The eggs are laid singly on foodplant leaves.

Caterpillars
Known in the United States as "imported cabbage worms", the caterpillars are green and well camouflaged. Unlike the large white they do not store the mustard oils from their foodplants and so are not distastful to predators like birds.

References
 Asher J. et al. The millennium atlas of Britain and Ireland Oxford University Press
 Evans W.H. 1932. The identification of Indian butterflies. 2nd ed, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.

Pieridae

Small white


Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers. The word comes from a Turkish word meaning "pepper". In many non-English speaking European countries, the word paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to cooked foods.

Spices
Medicinal plants

Paprika


Meningitis is an infection of certain membranes and tissues of the nervous system. Those are called meninges (singular: meninx). Their function is to protect the central nervous system. Most often, this infection is caused by microorganisms, like viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. The most common cause of meningitis are viruses, followed by bacteria. Meningitis is a life-threatening condition. It affects all age groups.

Some kinds of meningitis are very easy to spread. For this reason, in certain countries, like Germany, doctors have to tell the authorities that someone might have meningitis.

Signs of meningitis
Some signs  of meningitis can be: high fever, sometimes with chills; very strong headache; nauseas and vomiting; drowsiness or confusion; twitching; sleepiness; sore throat; delirium (especially in children); seizures; and stiff neck (in less than 50% of the cases, but may be a telltale sign).

Types
The two main forms of meningitis are bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis. In bacterial meningitis, most patients die without treatment, whereas in viral meningitis most patients get better on their own. Herpes virus meningitis may respond to an antiviral drug.

Related pages
 Encephalitis, the inflammation (swelling) of the brain

References

Other websites

 WHO: Meningococcal meningitis
 Merck Manual: Central nervous system infections
 Vaccination information from the NHS, UK
 CDC: Meningococcal disease
 CNN Health Library, Meningitis
 Information on Meningitis UK and the charity's search for a vaccine
 Information from the Meningitis Trust
 Information from the Meningitis Trust in New Zealand

Infectious diseases

Meningitis


Warhammer Fantasy is a fictional fantasy universe created by Games Workshop and used in many of its games, including the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) pen-and-paper role-playing game, and a number of video games: the MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the strategy games Total War: Warhammer, Total War: Warhammer II and Total War: Warhammer III and the two first-person shooter games in the Warhammer Vermintide series, Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide and Warhammer: Vermintide 2, among many others.

Warhammer is notable for its "dark and gritty" background world, which reference a range of historical cultures, along with other fantasy settings, in particular Tolkien's Middle-earth. From Michael Moorcock, its creators took the theme of "Chaos" as a force unceasingly attempting to tear the mortal world asunder. The world itself was populated with a variety of races such as humans, high elves, dark elves, wood elves, dwarfs, undead, orcs, lizardmen, and other creatures familiar to many fantasy/role-playing settings.

The development of the setting began with the release of a game simply called 'Warhammer' in 1983.

Background
The Warhammer world drew inspiration from Tolkien's Middle-earth, but also from Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian) and Michael Moorcock, as well as real-world history, particularly European history. What is recognizable as the Warhammer World began with the expansion material to the first edition of the game Warhammer, but was formulated as a distinct setting with a world map in the second edition.

The Warhammer World borrowed considerably from historical events and other fantasy fiction settings. The Old World is recognisably Europe approximating to various historical periods including the Renaissance - the Empire being set over what was the Holy Roman Empire - medieval France, Roman Italy and Celtic Britain. Many events are lifted and modified directly from history, including the Black Plague and the Moorish invasion of Spain, and others from original fantasy sources. Like Middle-earth, Warhammer's Dwarfs are declining in population, the Elves have mostly departed for homelands in the West, and a Great Necromancer is reborn after the defeats in his Southern stronghold.

Races and nations

There are numerous nations, races and ethnicities in the Warhammer World. Mankind, the most prominent, often proves to be the most susceptible to the corrupting influence of Chaos. Most of the featured human nations are based in the Old World (analogous to real world Europe): The Empire (Holy Roman Empire), Bretonnia (France and Arthurian Britain), and Kislev (Russia). Further east of them is another powerful human civilisation known as Grand Cathay (corresponding to China).

Many factions, such as the Elves, the Lizardmen, the Ogres and the Halflings, have been created by the Old Ones: star-travelling gods responsible for the creation of most of the setting's sentient races. These Old Ones were brought low by the daemonic forces inadvertently unleashed by the collapse of their Warp Gates (one on the North Pole and one on the South Pole), leaving their creations to fend for themselves. This backstory also provides an easy explanation for the presence of a variety of familiar fantasy races. Ogres and Halflings, for example, are closely related. Both are resistant to the mutating effects of Chaos energies (fuelled by hearty appetites and efficient metabolisms), but have opposite physical templates.

The Elves were the first civilized race to walk the Warhammer world. Brought into creation by the Old Ones, the Elves showed a natural talent for magic and superlative martial skill. The once thriving civilization of the Elves was torn asunder many thousands of years ago by a bitter civil war, resulting in the sundering of the race into three distinct kindreds: the evil, twisted Dark Elves, the proud, noble and magical High Elves who continue the ancient traditions from before the sundering, and a third group as the rustic, sylvan and mysterious Wood Elves. The High Elves inhabit the magical island of Ulthuan (analogous to Atlantis), while the Dark Elves inhabit the continent of Naggaroth (correspondent to North America in the real world), a desolate icy wilderness and the Wood Elves live in the forests of Athel Loren in the Old World.

Many races have fallen to, or been corrupted by Chaos. The barbaric Warriors of Chaos (formerly called "Hordes of Chaos") invade the civilized nations from the far northern Chaos Wastes. Beastmen, the human-animal hybrid products of Chaos are found in the dark forests of the entire Warhammer world.

The Chaos forces are the personified flaws of sapient beings; the inner daemons of living things come back through a magic medium as literal daemons to torment and kill. The ultimate victory of these forces is often hinted at, highlighting a strong assumption that sentient beings are fundamentally flawed and will eventually bring about their own destruction via the forces of Chaos. The possibility of the victory of Chaos is a major theme in the End Times campaign.

Dwarfs are an ancient, gritty, and determined race integral in the founding of the Empire. Dwarfs are the greatest craftsmen in the Warhammer World, a skill largely matched by the Chaos Dwarfs who split from their brothers after being corrupted by Chaos.

In the jungles of the Lustria continent (Central and South America) are the Lizardmen who were created by the Old Ones to aid in their great works. The Slann, who act as leaders and priests, now lead the Lizardmen blindly, via ancient prophecies containing almost incomprehensible instructions left by the Old Ones. The culture and aesthetic of the Lizardmen are heavily inspired by those of the Aztec and Mayan cultures.

Orcs and Goblins, and their kin (also known as Greenskins), are relatively primitive and disorganized, but their instinctive belligerence threatens the various nations. Their violent nature commonly causes wars against not only the neighboring peoples, but also their own kind. They are found predominantly in the forests and mountains of the Old World, as well in the jungles to the south and stretched across the steppes to the East, but their kin can be found all over the world, inhabiting almost all continents and adapting to their environments. Thus there are many sub-species of Orcs and Goblins such as Black Orcs and Night Goblins. They are described in the supplemental book Orcs and Goblins,  first published in 1993. The phrase "orcs & goblins" also refers collectively to all of the races that are described in this book, which includes other "greenskins" as well. The book includes background information, illustrations, and game rules for these races. The Orcs and Goblins represent a generic Dark Ages warband army with little internal cohesion and discipline, and relying on the ferocious charge and individual fighting skills rather than organized generalship. In issue 203 of Dragon #203 (March 1994), Bob Bigelow liked the fact that the details were told through stories that "details animosity levels between orc and goblin and the importance of shamans." He also noted that "The armies list is split between the different types of orcs and goblins, as well as monsters' allies." Bigelow concluded that the book has "excellent line drawings and action illustrations as well as [its] practical game value [...] well worth the price to anyone who wishes to campaign."

Living underneath much of the known world are the Skaven, diabolical ratmen living in a subterranean dog-eat-dog machiavellian society, called the "Under-empire". They are divided into clans such as Clan Eshin, master assassins, or Clan Skryre, master engineers. It is believed that they are so numerous that if  they worked together they would be able to destroy the world, however their innate predilection for cowardice and betrayal makes long term cooperation unlikely.

Besides these, there are the Undead, who are a result of the black sorceries of the first necromancer, Nagash, in the long distant past. His legacy has left the Tomb Kings, who are the resurrected armies of the first human civilisation, in the hot desert lands of Nehekhara to the south of the Old World (based on Ancient Egypt), the Vampire Counts in the Old World (based upon Dracula which is set in Transylvania), the zombie pirates of Luthor Harkon's Vampire Coast found on the eastern coast of Lustria (based on stereotypical pirates of the 18th century), and Nagash in his own city of undead. Prior to Games Workshop retconning the backstory, there was previously a unified Undead Army.

Fiction

Outside of games, there have been novels, novellas and short stories by various authors set in the Warhammer world, the most famous of which are the novels featuring Gotrek and Felix by William King. The Gotrek and Felix series was taken over by Nathan Long, starting with Orcslayer in 2006.

Warhammer Fantasy author Stephen Baxter has stated that according to Marc Gascoigne the idea of Chaos in Warhammer was inspired by The Eternal Champion and its sequels, written by Michael Moorcock, who made use of ideas from Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. The Warhammer elves were inspired by The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson as well the Middle-earth canon of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Early in his career, Kim Newman wrote Warhammer novels under the pen name Jack Yeovil. Some elements from these books (in particular his heroine Genevieve Dieudonné) later reappeared in the award-winning Anno Dracula series.

Early novels were published as "GW Books" by Boxtree Ltd, but more recently novels have been under Games Workshop's publishing arm, the Black Library. Warhammer Monthly was a comic book, published by Black Library, which ran for over 5 years and included strips set in the other areas of the Warhammer Universe. Generally running concurrently with Warhammer Monthly was Inferno! - also published by Black Library - a magazine which compiled short stories and occasional unconnected illustrations set in the fictional backgrounds of Games Workshop.

Games Workshop licensed out the rights for comic books. Boom! Studios have been working on a series of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 comics, written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton. The first was the Warhammer 40k strip Damnation Crusade, but this was followed by one in the fantasy universe Forge of War. When this was finished, they started a new series located in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, called Warhammer - Condemned by Fire. This series features a witch-hunter fighting the Chaos minions in the remote regions of the Empire.

Locations

Realm of Chaos
The Realm of Chaos (also called the Warp, the Aethyr, the Empyrean, the Realm of Souls or the Immaterium) is an alternate dimension which is found in several of Games Workshop's fictional universes, including Warhammer Fantasy. It is separate to the physical world of Warhammer, and draws inspiration from depictions of hell, the underworld and cosmic horror. The normal laws of physics and linear time/causality do not apply in the Realm of Chaos, and it is said that mortals who enter or even glimpse it tend to go insane.

The Realm itself is composed of raw magical energy generated by the emotions and thoughts of sapient creatures such as humans. Thus, the Realm of Chaos is the source of magic in the Warhammer World, and this is why magic is such an unwieldy, dangerous and often mutating force. The Realm is inhabited by malevolent daemonic creatures made of magic, the souls of mortal creatures, and most notably the four evil Chaos Gods. These four "Ruinous Powers" exert a corrupting influence upon mortals in the physical world. Their ultimate goal is to expand the Realm of Chaos, engulfing and destroying the physical world entirely.

Chaos Wastes
In contrast to the Realm of Chaos, the Chaos Wastes (also known as the Umbra Chaotica) are a part of the physical world. They are a vast, warped, cold and barren wasteland surrounding the northern polar region (and probably also the southern polar region) of the world. The Wastes border Grand Cathay, the Eastern Steppes, the Ogre Kingdoms, Norsca and Naggaroth. Norsca and the Eastern Steppes are sometimes considered to be part of the Wastes. At the north pole, there is a great collapsed Chaos Portal which allows travel between the physical world and the Realm of Chaos. This Portal spews dangerous, raw magical energy into the physical world, causing mutations to any person or creature in the north, and even to the land, climate and flow of time.

The Chaos Wastes are inhabited by various mutated flora and fauna, Daemons, Chaos monsters (including Beastmen), Greenskins and the barbaric human tribes of the Norse, Kurgan, Hung and Tong. These Warriors of Chaos worship the evil Chaos Gods whose influence is strong in the Wastes. In order to guard against incursions from the north, Grand Cathay has constructed a Great Bastion (similar to the real-world Great Wall of China), while the Dark Elves of Naggaroth have constructed a series of Watchtower fortresses.

The Old World
The Old World is a northerly region, roughly an analogue to Europe. It is a broadly temperate area dominated by several large human countries as well as smaller states controlled by Dwarfs and Wood Elves. There are also some areas controlled by Undead lords, or marauding Beastmen, Orcs, or Goblins.

The Empire
The Empire of Man, known to most as the Empire, is the largest and oldest human civilization in the Old World. It is culturally, technologically, and geographically based on early modern Germany, with its name being an allusion to the historical Holy Roman Empire. To the east lie the World's Edge Mountains, to the west Bretonnia, to the south the Border Princes/Badlands and to the north is Kislev and the sea. The main cities (which mostly lie in the south) are Altdorf (the current capital), Middenheim, Nuln, Talabheim and Averheim.

The Empire was originally founded thousands of years ago, when the Warrior-King Sigmar Heldenhammer (a Conan the Barbarian and Charlemagne-type figure) united several bronze-age tribes, and allied with the Dwarfs, to face the greater threats of Orcs and Goblins, Undead and Chaos. Sigmar has since become the primary god worshipped in the Empire, representing justice and strength, although there are also other important ones such as Ulric (god of wolves, winter and battle), Shallya (goddess of mercy and healing), Rhya (goddess of harvest and family) and Morr (god of death and the afterlife).

The Empire is a large, diverse country based around several large rivers: the Reik, Talabec, Stir and Aver. The various Provinces are each ruled by an Elector Count or equivalent, who elect an Emperor to rule for life. Despite this, the provinces have a great deal of autonomy to govern and defend themselves, and there has been centuries-long periods of civil war and contending-Emperors/Empresses. The centre and north of the country is dominated by huge forests, which often house bandits, Chaos cultists, Orcs/Goblins or Beastmen who prey on isolated settlements. The south of the country has a warmer climate and is dominated by grassland and extensive fields. Despite the great differences between the provinces, the people of the Empire are kept united by their "steel, gunpowder and faith in Sigmar" as well as a common language: Reikspiel.

 Marienburg: in the west of the Empire, at the mouth of the River Reik, lies the free city-state of Marienburg, the largest and wealthiest city in the Old World. It is dominated by merchants and based on early modern Amsterdam. Marienburg is culturally linked to the Empire but politically entirely independent, having bribed a past Emperor in order to secede.
 Sylvania is a region of the Empire developed in the setting as a home to vampires, ghouls and other undead creatures, inspired by real-world Transylvania, as well as Hungary. It is a cursed land plagued by the restless dead and suffers from warpstone meteorite falls. Sylvania was once ruled openly by the Vampire Counts, the Von Carsteins, who raised undead armies to invade the rest of the country in a series of devastating wars. Today it is nominally ruled by human nobles but secretly ruled by vampire aristocrats. Treaties between the vampires and human nobles have created an uneasy peace. It is considered a backwater and generally shunned by the rest of the Empire.
 The Moot is a semi-autonomous area in the Empire, granted to the Halflings. It bears similarities to The Shire from Tolkien's Middle-Earth.

Bretonnia
Bretonnia lies west of the Empire, across the Grey Mountains, and north of Estalia. Bretonnia is a temperate land with a mild climate and fertile soils, inspired by Medieval France and legends of King Arthur. In the centre of the country lie the Forest of Arden and Massif Orcal, two wild regions inhabited by Beastmen and Orcs/Goblins, respectively. Dominated by feudal dukedoms and ruled by a King, Bretonnia has a stark class divide between the wealthy knightly nobility, and the peasants who live in poverty and squalor, with very low class mobility. The nobility are supposed to follow a code of chivalry, and a small number eventually complete religious pilgrimage, becoming virtuous Grail Knights. However the majority of the upper classes are fiercely oppressive towards the peasants.

The main god of the nobility is the Lady of the Lake, although the peasant classes worship the polytheistic gods of the rest of the Old World, particularly Rhya. Bretonnia nominally includes the forest of Loren, although in reality most Bretonnians fear and avoid the Woodland Realm, and have many superstitions about it.

 Athel Loren is an enchanted forest in the southeast of Bretonnia. In a similar manner to the Chaos Wastes, the flow of time may distort and warp in the forest. Different sections may experience different times of day, or different seasons. A person may spend a day in the forest and emerge to find that only minutes have passed, or conversely that 100 years have gone by. Though nominally part of Bretonnia, the forest is actually ruled by the reclusive Wood Elves (descendants of breakaway High Elf colonists), who are in an uneasy alliance with ancient, xenophobic Forest Spirits such as Dryads and Treemen (similar to the Ents of Tolkien). At the forest's centre lies the enormous Oak of Ages, drawing influence from various world tree myths.

Kislev
Kislev is a cold land, north of the Empire but south of Norsca. It is primarily based on Russia, with some references to other Eastern European countries, such as the unit called winged lancer - a reference to the Polish winged hussar. Much of Kislev is cold steppe, although there is an extensive taiga forest in the east. To the northwest, there is an ill-defined border between Kislev and Troll Country, a marshy, frigid wilderness infested with monsters. Historically, Kislev has been inhabited by a succession of human ethnic groups: first the Roppsmenn, then the Ungols and most recently the Gospodars who have united the region.

The state is ruled by Tzars (female title: Tzarina) and the current ruler is Tzarina Katarin, the "Ice Queen." Tzars rule over Boyars (the middle nobility) and the Druzhina (the lowest nobility, mostly composed of ethnic Gospodars). There's also the Chekist, the secret police and the analogue of the Empire's Inquisition that's used by the Tzars against heritics and political enemies alike. Kislev's military is primarily composed of rotas of the Streltsi (firearm-welding infantry, hence the name) and the Winged Lancers - also known as "the Riders of the Dead," for "they are mourned as if already deceased".

The country's recently established official religion is the Great Orthodoxy. The country's most important god is Ursun, the bear-god of winter and strength, and the Kislevites seem to have a special affinity with bears. Other important gods include Dazh (god of fire, the sun, summer, family and hospitality) and Tor (god of storms). The main cities of Kislev are the eponymous Kislev, Erengrad and Praag The Cursed, which rule over the vast Oblasts surrounding them.

The country's northern frontier position means that it often bears the brunt of devastating Chaos invasions, as Kislevite warriors spill their blood to keep the southern lands safe. Combined with poor soil and notoriously freezing winters, this has made the Kislevites a hardy, no-nonsense people. Out of necessity, Kislev has retained good relations with The Empire and Dwarfs: close allies against Chaos.

Other
 Estalia is the Warhammer equivalent of the Iberian peninsula, located on a peninsula to the south-west of Bretonnia bordered by the Irrana and Abasko Mountains to the east, the Great Western Ocean to the north and west and the Southern Sea to the south. Far from hostile factions, Estalia is politically fractured, rival kingdoms (notably Bilbali and Magritta) vie against each other and neighboring Tilea. Estalia bore the brunt of Sultan Jaffar's invasion from Araby, which was eventually driven out by a combined force of Bretonnian Knights and Tilean Legionnaires. Estalians take great offense at being referred to as Tileans, or at being addressed in the Tilean language by accident. The peninsula is renowned for its Diestros, skilled duelists who ply their skills across the Old World. Like the Tileans, the Estalians' revere Myrmidia as their highest goddess.
 Tilea is on a peninsula on the southern coast of the Old World, equivalent to Renaissance Italy with some Roman influences. To the north and east lies the high mountains of The Vaults, and to the south and west lies the sea. Due to this geographic protection, Tilea has never had to unite, and has become dominated by rival city-states with a great wealth in trade. The most important gods in Tilea are Myrmidia, goddess of soldiers, justice, and wisdom and Mannann, god of the sea. Tilean mercenaries and traders can be found across the old world, and are famed for their skills in battle and haggling. Tilean explorers have also been at the forefront of contact with the New World and the Far East.
 Albion is an island in the great ocean northwest of the Empire, southwest of Norsca. Based on Britain and Ireland, inhabited by people similar to pre-Roman Gaelic and Celtic Briton tribes. Not much information has been published about it, although it was the setting for Dark Shadows, an early-2000s event held by Games Workshop.
 The Border Prince Confederacy is a collection of petty Human kingdoms, bandits, mercenaries, pirates and other fugitives. It is analogous to the Balkans.

Dark Lands

The Dark Lands lie east of the Old World and west of the Far East, between the World's Edge Mountains and Mountains of Mourn. It lacks any real-world equivalent, but is similar to Mordor of Tolkien's Middle-earth, with a dry climate and many volcanoes.

In the northern Dark Lands is the empire of the Chaos Dwarfs. They are the most powerful faction in the region, and mesh industrialisation and mesopotamian influences. Outside of this area, the Dark Lands are mostly dominated by barbaric Orcs and Goblin tribes. The River Ruin is the only major River in the Dark Lands, and it is heavily polluted by Chaos Dwarf industry.

To the southwest is the Plain of Bones where the remains of many dead dragons can be found. This area draws practitioners of necromancy and the Undead. To the southeast are the Dragon Isles which are often cited as a desirable, if dangerous, location for voyages in search of riches to aim for. On its southern coastline in the river delta region lies the frontier human settlement Pigbarter.

Ogre Kingdoms
East of the Dark Lands lie the Mountains of Mourn and Ancient Giant Lands, extremely high mountains with a cold climate, which resemble the Himalayas of the real world. This region is inhabited by fierce monsters resembling pleistocene megafauna. The brutish, semi-nomadic
Ogre Kingdoms dominate here. They are primarily based on the nomadic Mongol Empire, as well as some of the cavemen and Neanderthal tropes. The Ogres also have a race of slave Gnoblars (relatives of Goblins), and are said to be always hungry, valuing food as much as gold.

Far East
This area of the Warhammer World is equivalent to East/Southeast Asia. It is not greatly developed in the published games or fiction, but there are human civilizations there, specifically Ind, Grand Cathay, and Nippon (which are equivalents of India, China and Japan respectively). To the south lies the Hinterlands of Khuresh (which is inhabited by Nāgas) and Lost Isles of Ethlis, equivalent to Southeast Asia.

Grand Cathay is the largest human empire in Warhammer Fantasy, ruled by the Celestial Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress, who are immortal dragons able to shapeshift into human form. They delegate most governing of Cathay to 5 of their children, who are also immortal shapeshifting dragons and each rule a different region of the empire. Grand Cathay have long ago constructed an enormous fortification called the Great Bastion on their northern border, to guard against incursions from Hobgoblins and the forces of Chaos who dwell on the Eastern Steppes. There is some trade with the human nations of the Old World (via the "Ivory Road") and the High Elves (via the sea), as well as coastal raids by the Dark Elves. But overall, contact between the east and west is quite limited, and Grand Cathay is fairly isolationist.

For the videogame Total War: Warhammer III, Games Workshop has worked together with British developer Creative Assembly to create background information for Grand Cathay, so that the faction may be included in the game.

The Underground
Various tunnels, caverns and entire cities, lie beneath the Old World, World's Edge Mountains and the rest of the world. Most cities of the Dwarfs are underground, and many Orc/Goblin settlements are as well (the Night Goblins are especially known for being cave-dwellers and rarely come to the surface during daylight).

In ages past, the Dwarfs built the Underway, a great system of highways, mines and settlements which stretched huge distances between their great underground fortress-cities. Today, much of the underway is in ruins and highly dangerous. Many former Dwarf cities and Underway sections are now occupied by Night Goblins and Skaven (a race of evil, intelligent anthropomorphic rats, about the size of a human). The Dwarfs, Skaven and Orcs/Goblins are locked in a constant three-way war for control of the underground.

 The Skaven Under-Empire is a huge subterranean realm, comprising many repurposed Dwarf areas, as well as many Skaven-dug tunnels and settlements called "Under-Cities" beneath most human and Dwarf cities. Their capital and greatest city is Skavenblight, which lies in remote marshland between Estalia and Tilea. It is here that the secretive "Council of Thirteen" collectively rule the Under-Empire. The Skaven are perhaps the most numerous race in the Warhammer world, and often use mass numbers to overwhelm enemies, rising suddenly and unexpectedly from underground. They care little for casualties, and lack empathy for others even of their own kind, so their arcane war machines and mutant monsters often kill as many Skaven soldiers as enemies. Skaven worship only one god, the Great Horned Rat, with the Grey Seers (pale-furred, horned Skaven) serving as a caste of priests and spellcasters. Clan Pestilens are a breakaway sect who worship the Horned Rat in his aspect as a bringer of plagues and diseases.

Ulthuan
Ulthuan is a ring-shaped island continent, controlled by the High Elves. It lies in the ocean (equivalent to the Atlantic) to the west of the Old World, and east of the New World. It draws inspiration from Atlantis, Melniboné and Numenor. The Annuli Mountains run through the centre of the island. The capital and largest city of the High Elves is Lothern, located at a strait connecting the outer Ocean and Ulthuan's Inner Sea. Politically, the island is divided up into 10 Kingdoms, although they all owe loyalty to the Phoenix King (High King) in Lothern and the Everqueen in Avelorn. Prior to the High Elves, Ulthuan was inhabited by many Dragons, and many still slumber here under the mountains.

Outside of infrequent invasions, the only threats on Ulthuan are monsters in the Annuli Mountains. As Ulthuan is a magical floating island, the Underway and Under-Empire do not extend to it.

At the centre of the Inner Sea lies the Great Vortex, a magical storm that drains excess magical energy from the world, fed by a global network of waystones maintained by the High Elves. If the Vortex were to fail, magical energy would build up and allow large scale invasions of Daemons from the Realm of Chaos.

The New World

Naggaroth
Naggaroth is the cold, bleak land analogous to North America. It is dominated by the cruel Dark Elves, who broke away from the High Elves following a destructive civil war called the Sundering. In general Naggaroth is quite wild and sparsely inhabited. In the north it has a tundra climate, while in the centre pine forests grow, inhabited by Beastmen. In the south lie steaming subtropical swamps and a land bridge to Lustria. The Dark Elves dwell primarily in large cities in the northeast: Naggarond (the capital), Ghrond, Clar Karond, Karond Kar and Har Ganeth. In the west lie the Black Spine Mountains, home to outcast Dark Elves called Shades, and the dry west coast. To the north, Naggaroth borders the Chaos Wastes and the Dark Elves have constructed a system of Watchtowers to defend against Chaos incursions.

Lustria
Lustria is a tropical southern continent equivalent to South America. Most of the continent is covered in extremely dangerous tropical rainforest full of poisonous and venomous creatures. The Lizardmen are the dominant power on the continent, and their ancient Temple-Cities (the greatest of which are Itza and Hexoatl) can be seen deep in the Jungle. Despite their bestial appearance, the Lizardmen are actually staunch opponents of Chaos and protectors of Order, although they are often apathetic towards the other races and hostile to those who trespass on Lustria. The wildlife of Lustria is dominated by large reptiles resembling dinosaurs and pterosaurs, and large insects which form the main food source of the Lizardmen. There is also various human, elven colonies along the coast, and undead (resulting from shipwrecked vampires) dominate The Vampire Coast in the east. In Lustria's west there is the volcanic Spine of Sotek mountains, and to the west of that is the more arid west coast. To the east of Lustria, across the Great Ocean, lies the Southlands. To the north, across an isthmus, lies Naggaroth.

Nehekhara
Nehekhara, also called "The Land of the Dead" lies to the South of the Badlands and Old World, west of the Dark Lands. To the west lies Araby and to the south, the Southlands.

Nehekhara is inhabited by the Tomb Kings, an undead faction based heavily on Ancient Egypt and pop culture undead mummies. Nehekhara has a dry climate, with much of it being desert. The western half of the country contains the Great Mortis (formerly Great Vitae) River and the largest city, Khemri as well as other cities. The east of the country, across the Charnel Pass and World's Edge Mountains, contains the infamous city of Lahmia.

The Tomb Kings/Nehekharans were formerly a living civilization of humans. Their first King and uniter was Settra the Imperishable, who began the tradition of attempting to prolong life and avoid death. Thousands of years and many dynasties later, a new leader called Nagash came to power. Nagash became the first necromancer and indirectly created the first vampires in Lahmia, leading to civil war. Later, Nagash enacted a great ritual to kill everyone in Nehekhara and raise them again as undead slaves. During the ritual, Nagash was killed by the last King of Nehekhara, Alcadizzar. With the ritual gone awry, the mummified Nehekharan Kings and their skeletal soldiers awoke not to the promised afterlife, but to a nightmare of living death, and were very angry about this.

Norsca
Norsca is isomorphic in position within the "Old World" to Scandinavia, and similar in shape and climate. Its human occupants, the "Norse", were originally based upon historical Vikings, though as the setting developed the Norse departed from the historical template increasingly and are now one of the main tribes of the Warriors of Chaos.

Norsca abuts the Realm of Chaos (also called Shadowlands by Norse, Kurgans and Hung and known as Chaos Wastes) to its north. To its south beyond the Sea of Claws lies the Empire and to the east and Southeast the Eastern Steppes and Kurgan nation and the Kingdom of Kislev, respectively. Between Norsca and Kislev is a wilderness area called Troll Country.

Norsca was originally populated by both High Elves and Dwarfs. Humans came to this land long after them. Norse Dwarves still remain and often come into conflict with the Norse tribes, but Elves have left the land. There are many ancient elven ruins. One of these mysterious places is the Forest of Knives, in the middle of Norsca, where an ancient Elven temple is located.

Some novels involving mostly Norse characters and places are C.L. Werner's Palace of the Plague Lord, Forged by Chaos and the Wulfrik, Valkia and Sigvald novels for Warhammer Heroes. The Legend of Sigmar novels also displays the Norse as the main antagonists of the first two books. Slaves to Darkness, by Gav Thorpe, also shows the Norse tribes as important supporting characters to the Imperial born Chaos Champion protagonist.

Norse Dwarfs
The Norse Dwarfs are the most northerly of the Dwarfs of the Old World. While related to the Dwarfs in their strongholds to the South, the separation over the years has led to some changes and the Norse Dwarfs have taken on some more wild characteristics compared to the mainstream of Dwarf society.

Norse Dwarfs are featured in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP1) supplement Dwarfs: Stone & Steel and also in the (WFRP2) supplement Tome of Corruption.

 The main stronghold (capital) of Norse Dwarfs in Norsca is Kraka Drak. Other major holds included Sjoktraken port, Kraka Dorden, Kraka Onsmotek, Kraka Ravnvake.
 In the 2008 Warhammer Fantasy Battle (7th edition) book: Warriors of Chaos, features story about the destruction of Kraka Drak. This is done by High King Valmir Aesling. Valmir was a great general of the mighty Chaos Champion and Everchosen Asavar Kul, so this story probably happens during the time of "World War III" (IC circa 2300), but it is implied to have happened shortly after the defeat of Asavar Kul. Even though the story gives the idea that Kraka Drak is totally destroyed, it is still featured in many sources that are dated after the war. One possibility is that hold was retaken by the Norse Dwarfs sometime after the war (or not totally taken by the invading Chaos Horde). Or it could be a simple oversight on the part of the writers.

The Norse
The Norse are, like the historical Norsemen, great seaborne explorers, traders, reavers, and slavers who have built and maintain colonies in Lustria (the Warhammer world's version of South and Mesoamerica).

Through the 1980s, the Norse troops and characters in Warhammer Fantasy were closely based on the historical Vikings. Later, the Norse were largely merged into the Chaos faction as the Warriors of Chaos (main human footsoldiers of Chaos).

The Southlands
The Southlands correspond to real world sub-Saharan Africa. The Southlands lie south of the Land of the Dead and are dominated by dense swamplands and rain forest. These are inhabited by Lizardmen, savage orcs and forest goblins, and small tribes of what adventurers call the "Dark Men", who are content to live at peace with nature and seem to have the protection of the Lizardmen.

Lizardmen are the primary power in the Southlands and have five temple-cities, though one is ruined. Due to centuries of separation from their Lustrian brothers, the spawnings of saurus have become slightly rare and so skinks dominate in both civil life and warfare. Although similar in climate and culture to Lustria, the Southlands remain much less explored by human or High Elves and thus the Slann of the Southlands are said to have a much more complete set of Old One prophecies as they have not been pillaged by treasure hunters. However, the Slann practice of embalming their dead under pyramids is said to have had a major influence on the early Khemrian civilisation in the Land of the Dead, which suggests they were not always so isolated. They are reported to have come in conflict with the fabled "Lost Hold" of the Dwarfs, Karak Zorn, which is said to be located somewhere in the mountains of the Southlands.

The Southlands are believed to be the original homeland of the Dwarfs, where they began as simple cave dwellers using crude stone tools, before following the chain of mined riches up the mountain chain towards the north.

When the Skaven Clan Pestilens ravaged Lustria, they were driven out by Sotek and they migrated to the Southlands. Sotek also took action against them here by sending jungle swarms to destroy the clan.

Worlds Edge Mountains
The Worlds Edge Mountains are a significant geographic location in the fictional setting of the game of Warhammer Fantasy.

To the east of the Old World lies the ancient and impossibly high Worlds Edge Mountains. This snow-capped mountain range officially extends from the Nehekhara in the far south, up into the far north past Kislev, before branching west into Norsca. They separate the desolate Dark Lands in the east from the civilised lands of The Empire and Kislev in the west.

Though the unbroken chain of mountains reaches into the Southlands from the Worlds Edge Mountains, the peaks south of the Nehekharan deserts are technically part of the Great Mountains chain.

They are a prominent scene for many main events in the histories of the Dwarf, Orc and Goblin races.

Notable features

The High Pass is the northernmost route traversing the range, and descends into the lands of the Troll Country before its road leads eventually into the city of Praag in Kislev. A very popular invasion route for the marauder tribes of the west and the Orcish Warlord Grimgor Ironhide's greenskins hordes.

Peak Pass is the next most northerly passage across the mountains. It is overlooked at its eastern starting point by the greenskin fortress of Gnashrak's Lair, and at its western end by the Dwarf Stronghold of Karak Kadrin. In olden times it enabled Dwarfs to travel between the western and eastern fronts of the range. Though its importance has much declined since then and after the Dwarfs had forsaken the mines and watchposts on the eastern frontier. In the present times it must be guarded vigilantly for invading Orcs and Goblins moving from their eastern lairs use it as one of their main attack routes. The Karak Kadrin Dwarfs guard it fiercely against these intruders

The Silver Road is a central route that comes in from the easterly Wolf Lands. Its western opening bypasses The Dwarfen capital city Karaz-a-Karak, while its east is haunted by the Orc-infested ruins of the old Dwarf mine, Mount Silverspear, which is now known more commonly as Mount Grimfang, after the Orcish warlord who captured it. In olden times the pass was the scene of the bloody battles of the Silver Road Wars.

Black Fire Pass is originally named Haz-Drazh-Kadrin by the Dwarfs, which literally translates into human tongue as Passage of Black Flame. It forms a divider between the Black mountains and the World's Edge Mountains and is the main route between the lands of the Border Princes, Karaz-a-Karak and the southern regions of The Empire, travelling along the historical Old Dwarf Road. It is essentially a deep chasm, created when volcanic eruptions tore the peaks in ages past. Orc and goblin tribes in the south use this as their principal route of invasion through the mountains. More importantly, The Battle of Black Fire Pass was played out here, which an alliance of tribes of men of the time before the Empire, and the Dwarfs, engaged a massive invading greenskin army in the pass. The ensuing victory was the beginning of the founding of the nation of men under Sigmar.

Mad Dog Pass, alternately known as Varag Kadrin, was in the days of the Dwarf's greatest power, the chief thoroughfare to the isolated mines of the Dark Lands and the eastern front of the ranges. It is now only occasionally used, and studded with Night Goblin fortresses and their tunnels riddle its steep sides.

Black Water is an immense mountain lake high in the western highlands, and its Black Falls empty down into the Skull River. The lake is actually a vast crater, and was filled up with melted ice water from the surrounding snowy mountains. In ancient times a meteor fell from the heavens and punched this massive crater into the rock. Valuable metals and ores can be found all around the lake. Many Dwarf strongholds were founded around Black Water to mine and refine these meteoric ores, and to take advantage of the raging torrents gushing down the mountainside from the Black Falls, powering waterwheels and machinery. Its black depths are home to ancient and dark monsters. The Battle of Black Falls also took place here, when Dwarf and Goblin armies met on the shores of Black Water. The High King Alrik and the Goblin Warlord Gorkil Eyegouger were both slain while fighting along the edge of the Black Falls.

Volcanoes

The South World's Edge Mountains are more volcanically active than the northern regions. The largest volcanoes are named Fire Mountain, Red Cloud Mountain and Thunder Mountain. They continually bring up new minerals from the planet's interior, and thus attract many miners, although their settlements are frequently destroyed by eruptions and earthquakes.

Major locations
The Worlds Edge Mountains are a barren wilderness. The Dwarf Strongholds are the only enclaves of civilisation in the region. The Greenskins also have many crude settlements in the mountains, as do the Skaven. The fallen Holds are also home to these two races.

Karaz-a-Karak means Pinnacle of the Mountains and is also known to men as The Everpeak. This Dwarfen Hold is the largest and most powerful, and is also their capital city. Its lord is the High King of all the Dwarfs. Currently ruled over by High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer. The temples of the venerable Ancestor Gods are here, and is also home to the Great Book of Grudges, a vast account of all wrongdoings and breaches of faith against the Dwarfen race.

Karak Ungor, now known as Red Eye Mountain. It is now overrun by the Red Eye Tribe of the Night Goblins, and was the first Dwarfen Hold to fall. It sits in the north, overlooking western Kislev.

Karak Kadrin, has a reputation as being home to fierce Dwarf clans. Known commonly as Slayer Keep. Home to the Shrine of Grimnir, and where the Dwarf Slayer Cult makes pilgrimages to. Its King is bound by two incompatible Oaths. That of A King to his People, and that of his family's hereditary Slayer Oath, neither of which he can successfully fulfill without failing in the other.

Cripple Peak is the mountain spire in the south overlooking the Sour Sea. It is riddled with the tainted rock known as Warpstone, which is highly prized by the Skaven and Necromancers. It is the home of the Supreme Lord of the Undead, Nagash. A massive army of skeletal warriors patrols the ramparts of the fortified mountain while their master regains his power after the last time he was defeated. Nagash ordered the mountain to be mined for all of its Warpstone for his use in Necromancy, by his legions of undead and local human tribes which pledged allegiance to him out of terror. The lower regions are known as the Cursed Pit.

Dragons
The Worlds Edge Mountains are also home to many great Dragons. Throughout history there have been many dragon nests discovered by miners, and their hoards are of great proportions. Most of the time these dragons are in a deep slumber. Notable dragons include Skaladrak Incarnadine, Mordrak, Fyrskar and Graug the Terrible.

See also
 Total War: Warhammer
 Warhammer 40,000
 Warhammer Age of Sigmar
 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
 Warhammer: Invasion

References

Citations

General sources

 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Rick Priestley et al. Games Workshop 1989

External links

 Games Workshop
 Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Official Game Site
 The Black Library
 The Bad Dice Podcast - The UK's 1st Warhammer Podcast, a podcast from the UK dedicated to Warhammer Fantasy
 BoLS: Warhammer Fantasy Daily Updates

Fantasy worlds
Fantasy campaign settings

Warhammer Fantasy (setting)


Áras an Uachtaráin (), is the official home of the President of Ireland. The name means "House of the President" in Irish. It is in the Phoenix Park on the northside of Dublin. It used to be known as the Viceregal Lodge.

Origins
The original house was designed by park ranger and amateur architect, Nathaniel Clements in the mid eighteenth century. It was bought by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. His official residence was in the Viceregal Apartments in Dublin Castle. The house in the park then became the Viceregal Lodge, the "out of season" residence of the Lord Lieutenant (also known as the Viceroy), where he lived for most of the year from the 1820s onwards. During the Social Season (January to St. Patrick's Day in March) he lived in Dublin Castle.

Phoenix Park Murders
In 1882, the grounds around the house became the location for a famous murder. Two men were stabbed to death with surgical knives while walking back to the residence from Dublin Castle. They were the Lord Frederick Cavendish, the British Cabinet minister with responsibility for Irish affairs, and Thomas Henry Burke, chief civil servant. A small insurgent group called the Invincibles was responsible for the deed. The Lord Lieutenant, the 5th Earl Spencer, heard the victims screams from a ground floor window in the drawing room.

Residence of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State
In 1911, the house got a large extension for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary. After the Irish Free State was established in 1922, it became the home of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State until 1932. After that the new Governor-General, Domhnall Ua Buachalla, personally leased a private mansion in the southside of Dublin.

Residence of the President of Ireland

The house was left empty for some years, until the office of President of Ireland was created in 1937. In 1938, the first President, Douglas Hyde lived there temporarily while plans were made to build a new presidential palace on the grounds. The outbreak of World War II saved the building, which had been renamed Áras an Uachtaráin as plans were put on hold. By 1945 it had become too closely identified with the presidency of Ireland to be demolished. But because it had not been lived in, a lot of work was needed to rebuild and improve it, especially to the kitchens, servants' quarters and chapel.

The first President, Douglas Hyde lived in the residential quarters on the first floor of the main building. Later presidents moved to the new wing attached to the main house that had been built on for the visit of King George V in 1911. However, in 1990 Mary Robinson moved back to the older main building.  Mary McAleese lived in the 1911 wing. The current occupant is Michael D.Higgins

Beside it being the home of the president, it has a few state rooms for official occasions. Áras an Uachtaráin also houses the headquarters of the Garda Mounted Unit.

Visitors
Various visiting British kings and queens stayed at the Viceregal Lodge, notably Queen Victoria and George V. American presidents that visited include Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, who are all of Irish descent. Other famous visitors to the Áras an Uachtaráin have been Princess Grace of Monaco and her husband, Prince Rainier III; King Baudouin of the Belgians; King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia; Pope John Paul II; Prince Charles, and Prince Philip.

Guests do not normally stay at Áras an Uachtaráin. Although it has ninety-two rooms, many of these are used for storage of presidential files, for household staff and official staff, including military aides-de-camp, a Secretary to the President and a press office. In 2001, the Irish state opened a guest residence nearby in Farmleigh, a former Guinness mansion.

On 1 May 2004, during Ireland's six-month presidency of the European Union, Áras an Uachtarain was the Venue for the European Day of Welcomes (Accession Day) in which ten new members joined the EU. All 25 heads of government attended the flag raising ceremony in the gardens of the palace.

Áras an Uachtaráin is now open for free tours every Saturday.

Footnotes

Other websites
 Áras an Uachtaráin website
 Virtual tour of the state rooms
 Visiting information at Heritage Ireland

Buildings and structures in Dublin

Áras an Uachtaráin


Gunnysacking is a metaphor, used in conflict resolution, which involves the act of "storing up" grievances acquired in the course of a relationship, rather than resolve them when they first occurred. The word is based on the idea of using a gunny sack (burlap bag) storing a number of items.

A typical example might occur in a marriage facing occasional difficulty. Partners may have small grievances or annoyances, which by themselves are not critical. However, over time one partner gets less happy and more annoyed. Then some incident occurs, and a full-blown argument follows. By analogy, this is the gunny sack bursting, with an 'overblown reaction'.

The term may also refer to bringing up past grievances when trying to resolve some present problem in a relationship. In which case, gunnysacking (as a tactic) has the dual effect of raising additional problems (in what is typically already a volatile, difficult situation) and presents a side-track obstacle to dealing with the current issues. Additionally, once the practice becomes a familiar pattern used by one person in a relationship, other persons may avoid reporting new issues or problems for the sake of avoiding a repeat of the gunnysacking behavior.

References

Dispute resolution
Metaphors

Gunnysacking


Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, also known as Christian of Anhalt, (11 May 1568 – 17 April 1630) was a German prince of the House of Ascania. He was ruling prince of Anhalt and, from 1603, ruling prince of the revived principality of Anhalt-Bernburg. From 1595 he was governor of Upper Palatinate, and soon became the advisor-in-chief of Frederick IV, Elector Palatine.

Life
Christian was the second son of Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Wolfgang I, Count of Barby-Mühlingen. Born in Bernburg, Christian was trained from 1570 in Dessau by Caspar Gottschalk in Latin, Italian, and French. Still a child, he participated in diplomatic missions, among other places, to Constantinople; thus prepared, he developed into an ambitious, urbane diplomat.

In the early months of 1586 he went to Dresden and remained there several years as the closest friend of his namesake, Christian I, Elector of Saxony, whose Calvinist sympathies he shared. It is known that he suffered from alcoholic excesses during his stay at the electoral court.

Taking possession of his family lands in December of the same year (1586), Christian remained a devoted Calvinist and later served as advisor to Frederick IV, Elector Palatine. In 1591 he led the Palatine army in aid of the French king Henry IV. When a dispute for the possession of the bishopric of Strasbourg—the so-called Bishops' War—erupted in 1592, he supported Brandenburg against Lorraine. In 1595 he was appointed Governor of the Upper Palatinate by Frederick IV and settled in the Bavarian town of Amberg.

In 1603 the principality of Anhalt was formally divided between Christian and his surviving brothers. He received Bernburg, and with this settlement revived the old principality of the same name that had been extinct since 1468.

As a diplomat, Christian played an important role in the formation of the Protestant Union in 1608. With the death of the Elector Frederick IV, Christian served his son, Frederick V, and was appointed to command the Protestant forces to defend Bohemia against Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and his allies when the Bohemian nobles elected Frederick as their king in 1619. The same year, Christian was accepted in the Fruitbearing Society. When Bohemian forces were defeated at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, Christian advised Frederick against making a stand in Prague. In 1621, in response to his affiliation with the Palatines, Christian was put under an imperial ban that effectively made him an outlaw within the Holy Roman Empire and stripped him of his lands.

Christian fled first to Sweden, and then became a guest of King Christian IV at his court in Denmark-Norway. He appealed to Emperor Ferdinand for mercy in 1624 and was allowed to return to his principality, where he died six years later.

Marriage and issue
In Lohrbach on 2 July 1595 Christian married Anna of Bentheim-Tecklenburg (b. Bentheim, 4 January 1579 – d. Bernburg, 9 December 1624), daughter of Arnold III, Count of Bentheim-Steinfurt-Tecklenburg-Limburg. They had sixteen children:
Frederick Christian (b. and d. Amberg, 2 May 1596).
Amalie Juliane (b. Amberg, 10 September 1597 – d. Neinburg, Hannover, 11 August 1605).
Christian II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (b. Amberg, 11 August 1599 – d. Bernburg, 22 September 1656).
Eleonore Marie (b. Amberg, 7 August 1600 – d. Strelitz, 17 July 1657), married on 7 May 1626 to John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.
A daughter (b. and d. Amberg, May? 1601).
Sibylle Elisabeth (b. Amberg, 10 February 1602 – d. Strelitz, 15 August 1648).
Anna Magdalene (b. Amberg, 8 March 1603 – d. 30 October 1611).
Anna Sophie (b. Amberg, 10 June 1604 – d. Bernburg, 1 September 1640).
Louise Amalie (b. Amberg, 14 January 1606 – d. Bernburg, 17 October 1635).
Ernest (b. Amberg, 19 May 1608 – d. Naumburg, 3 December 1632), colonel of a cavalry regiment in Saxon service, fatally wounded at the Battle of Lützen (1632).
Amöena Juliane (b. Amberg, 13 November 1609 – d. Bernburg, 31 July 1628).
Agnes Magdalene (b. Amberg, 8 October 1612 – d. Wildungen, 17 July 1629).
Frederick, Prince of Anhalt(-Bernburg)-Harzgerode (b. Ensdorf, 16 November 1613 – d. Plötzkau, 30 June 1670).
Sophie Margarete (b. Amberg, 16 September 1615 – d. Dessau, 27 December 1673), married on 14 July 1651 to John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau.
Dorothea Matilde (b. Amberg, 11 August 1617 – d. Bernburg, 7 May 1656).
Frederick Louis (b. Amberg, 17 August 1619 – d. Harzgerode, 29 January 1621).

Footnotes

References
Parker, Geoffrey (ed.) (1997): The Thirty Years' War: Second Edition. Routledge.
Pursell, Brennan C. The Winter King. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003.
Yates, Frances. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. London; New York: Routledge, 1972.

1568 births
1630 deaths
Princes of Anhalt
Princes of Anhalt-Bernburg
German Calvinist and Reformed Christians
German military personnel of the Thirty Years' War
People from the Electoral Palatinate
Burials at Schlosskirche St. Aegidien (Bernburg)
Palatinate nobility

Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg


Events

Europe

War and politics
 April 22 – The first of the Statutes of Westminster are passed by the English parliament, establishing a series of laws in its 51 clauses, including equal treatment of rich and poor, free and fair elections, and definition of bailable and non-bailable offenses.
 Eleanor de Montfort is captured by pirates in the employ of Edward I of England to prevent her marriage to Llywelyn the Last, prince of Wales; she is used as a bargaining chip over the coming years in Edward's attempts to subjugate Llywelyn and Wales.
 Scottish forces defeat the Manx of the Isle of Man in a decisive battle, firmly establishing Scottish rule of the island.
 Third Mongol Golden Horde raid against Lithuania.

Culture, religion, and science
 Jean de Meun completes the French allegorical work of fiction, Roman de la Rose, with a second section; the first section was written by Guillaume de Lorris in 1230.
 The verge escapement, a simple type of escapement used in clocks, is invented (exact year unknown).
 Ramon Llull establishes a school in Majorca to teach Arabic to preachers in an attempt to aid proselytizing to Moors. He also discovers diethyl ether.
 The first main survey of the Hundred Rolls, an English census seen as a follow up to the Domesday Book completed in 1086, is finished; it began in 1274.

Asia
 March – the 200,000 multiethnic troops of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty, headed by the Turkish commander Bayan, face a Chinese Song Dynasty army of 130,000 led by the Song Chancellor Jia Sidao. The result is a decisive victory for the Yuan Dynasty, and soon after the much-vilified Jia Sidao is stripped of rank and title, and killed by one of his own guards as he is sent to exile in Fujian by the Song court.
 Invading Mongol forces capture the Chinese city of Suzhou.
 Marco Polo purportedly visits Xanadu, Kublai Khan's summer capital of the Mongol Empire.
 The city of Kunming is made capital of the Yunnan province of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.
 Nestorian monk Rabban Bar Sauma begin his pilgrimage from China towards Jerusalem
 Chinese astronomers observe a total eclipse of the Sun in China on March 4.

Eras and population estimates
 The era of the tosafot, Medieval commentators on the Talmud, ends (began 1100).
 The population of Bushmen in Basutoland (modern-day Lesotho) is estimated at 125,000.
 The Japanese era Bun'ei ends, and the Kenji era begins.

Births
 September 27 – John II, Duke of Brabant (died 1312)
 William of Alnwick, Franciscan theologian (approximate date; died 1333)
 Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere (died 1322)
 Walter V of Brienne, Duke of Athens (approximate date; died 1311)
 Edward Bruce, Scottish nobleman (approximate date; died 1318)
 Dnyaneshwar, Hindu saint and poet (died 1296)
 Gediminas, Duke of Lithuania (approximate date; died 1341)
 Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor (approximate date; died 1313)
 Mondino de Liuzzi, Italian physician and anatomist (died 1326)
 John Menteith, Scottish nobleman (approximate date; died 1323)
 Giovanni Villani, Florentine writer (approximate date; died 1348)
 Giovanni d'Andrea, Italian jurist

Deaths
 April 13 – Eleanor of England (born 1215)
 September 24 – Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, Constable of England (born 1208)
 Bohemund VI of Antioch (born 1237)
 Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile, Crown Prince of Castile

1275


James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), styled as JG Thirwell and also known as Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other pseudonyms, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer known for his use of a variety of different musical styles.

Life and career

Thirlwell was born in Melbourne, Australia. He briefly studied Fine Art at Melbourne State College (now part of the University of Melbourne) before moving in 1978 to London, England, where he played with the post-punk band prag VEC and formed the first of his numerous musical projects, Foetus. In the 1980s, under the pseudonyms Clint Ruin and Frank Want, he contributed to various releases by Nurse With Wound, Marc Almond, The The and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He co-wrote "Wings Off Flies" on From Her to Eternity, the first Bad Seeds album. Longtime Nick Cave associate Mick Harvey would later report that Thirlwell's time in the band was cut short, in part, by a clash between Thirlwell's highly structured studio routine as contrasted with Cave's at-the-time habit of "shambling through it" while recording.

Thirlwell released his first 7-inch single, OKFM/Spite Your Face, in 1981, on his own Self-Immolation record label in his first incarnation as Foetus. Over the next few years he would release two more singles, a 12" EP, and four full-length albums, Deaf, Ache, Hole and Nail (Some Bizzare Records). After visiting the United States during a live stint with the Immaculate Consumptive (Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and Marc Almond) Thirlwell settled in New York City, where he is still based. Since his move he has released several singles, fourteen EPs (including Stinkfist, with fellow New York artist Lydia Lunch), and seventeen full-length albums.

In addition to being a prolific artist in his own right, Thirlwell has remixed and produced numerous pieces for artists including Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The The, Zola Jesus, Front 242, and Swans. He has also done voice-over work for MTV and other entities.

Since 2000, Thirlwell has become more active as a composer, having written commissions for Bang on a Can, League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, and the Kronos Quartet, and scoring cartoons The Venture Bros. for Adult Swim and Archer for FX. His most recent project was scoring the John Hodgman and David Rees cartoon detective show Dicktown.

Thirwell also revived his primary instrumental project, Steroid Maximus, and initiated a more experimental instrumental project in Manorexia. He continues to write and perform regularly as a solo artist and with various ensembles. He is also a member of the freq_out sound art collective, and has created solo sound installations in Kaliningrad, Santarcangelo and Vienna.

Music

Thirlwell's music—released under his various project names of Foetus, Wiseblood, Steroid Maximus, Baby Zizanie, Manorexia and others—includes elements of 20th-century classical music, noise, big band, Americana, jazz, punk rock, African and Cuban percussion, and epic/horror film soundtracks. Much of Thirlwell's aural output is built on a percussive, rock music-type structure, though to call it rock music would be inaccurate. His music employs elements of many genres: with an often frenzied aesthetic, Thirlwell's music combines percussion, strings, distortion, brass, electric guitars, electronic sounds and voice. Recurring lyrical themes include destruction, persecution, anxiety, abuse, incest, masochism, angst, self-destruction, self-abuse, lust, prejudice, murder, failure and machismo, often expressed using American colloquialism and black humour.

Musical projects

Foetus: Thirlwell's main project. From 1981's single "OKFM" until 2013's "Soak", most Foetus songs featured lead vocals. Though popularly known as simply "Foetus", Thirlwell released albums under diverse variations of the name, including: Foetus Art Terrorism; Foetus Über Frisco; Foetus Corruptus; Foetus In Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe; Foetus Inc.; Foetus Interruptus; Foetus Over Frisco; Foetus Under Glass; Philip and His Foetus Vibrations; Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel; The Foetus All-Nude Revue; The Foetus of Excellence; The Foetus Symphony Orchestra; and You've Got Foetus On Your Breath.
Steroid Maximus: Primary instrumental project. Collaboration with Raymond Watts.
Manorexia: Experimental instrumental project.
Wiseblood: Collaboration with Roli Mosimann.
Flesh Volcano: Collaboration with Marc Almond.
Baby Zizanie: Collaboration with Jim Coleman.
Hydroze Plus: Collaboration with Electronicat.
Garage Monsters: Collaboration with skater artist the P!zz. (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
The Immaculate Consumptive: Touring ensemble with Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave, and Marc Almond
The Venture Bros.: Musical score by Thirlwell.
Archer: Musical score by Thirlwell from Season 7 onwards.
Xordox: Thirlwell's new instrumental project.
Dicktown: Musical score by Thirlwell. 2020 animated show with David Rees and John Hodgman

Aliases
Throughout the span of his career, Thirlwell has toyed with his own identity by releasing music in the guise of numerous alter egos. During the earliest phases of his recording, Thirlwell's "groups" were composed of a plethora of fictional characters: Foetus Under Glass supposedly consisted of Frank Want, Phillip Toss and two Brazilian statistics collectors; Scraping Foetus off the Wheel was claimed to be the work of Want and Clint Ruin. Furthering the confusion, Thirlwell adopted these personas outside of his own recordings; for example, Frank Want can be found on The The's Soul Mining and on releases by Orange Juice, with whom he appeared on Top of the Pops.

The persona of Clint Ruin was particularly notable in this context; during the mid-1980s and early 1990s Thirlwell exclusively went by this pseudonym, even conducting interviews as Ruin. As Ruin, Thirlwell was a member of Wiseblood with Roli Mosimann and Flesh Volcano with Marc Almond. He also recorded two collaborative EPs with Lydia Lunch, and starred in and scored films by Richard Kern under the Ruin alias. Ruin is also credited on numerous releases for a variety of roles with Boss Hog, Coil, Fur Bible, Annie Hogan, Nurse With Wound, Pigface, Sonic Youth, Workdogs and others.

This practice seems to have been discontinued since 1995, and "JG Thirlwell" is credited on all subsequent musical recordings.

Discography

References
Notes

Further reading
Kassaveti, Ursula-Helen (2015). Foetus-Art-Terrorism: Deciphering Genre, Intertextuality and Noise in JG Thirlwell's early Musical Corpus (1981-1988). Punk & Post-Punk 3 (2): 147–158. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/17340315/Kassaveti_U.-H._2015_._Foetus-Art-Terrorism_Deciphering_Genre_Intertextuality_and_Noise_in_JG_Thirlwell_s_early_Musical_Corpus_1981-1988_._Punk_and_Post-Punk_3_2_147-158 (Last Access: 28.6.2019)

Interviews
  (2001)
 JG Thirlwell Biography/Discography at Trouser Press (2001)
 JG Thirlwell interview at The Corporate Mofo (2002)
 JG Thirlwell interview at Popshifter (2008)
 JG Thirlwell interview at Allaboutjazz (2010)
 JG Thirlwell interview at Brainwashed (2010)
 JG Thirlwell interview at The Quietus (2011)
 JG Thirlwell album analysis article at Dangerous Minds (2013)

External links

1960 births
Living people
Australian male composers
Australian composers
Australian electronic musicians
Australian industrial musicians
Industrial musicians
Musicians from Melbourne
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds members
Pigface members
Coil (band) members
Ipecac Recordings artists
Marc and the Mambas members
The Immaculate Consumptive members
Tzadik Records artists
Thirsty Ear Recordings artists
Rough Trade Records artists

JG Thirlwell


The Netherlands Antilles was a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country was originally a group of six islands in the Caribbean Sea. Some were discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, and some were discovered in 1499 by Alonso de Ojeda.

Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao are part of the Leeward Islands. They are near Venezuela. Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are part of the Windward Islands. They are near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Of these, the island Sint Maarten is in fact part of two countries: the northern part belongs to France (as Saint Martin), but the southern part is Dutch (as Sint Maarten).

Aruba left the Netherlands Antilles in 1986. When Curaçao and Sint Maarten did the same thing on 10 October 2010, the country no longer existed. The remaining BES Islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba now belong to the Netherlands and are called the Dutch Caribbean islands.

Because the Netherlands Antilles was a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands proper was also the Queen of the Netherlands Antilles, but the islands' residents had a government of their own. Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are now separate countries within the Kingdom. All of these places still have King Willem-Alexander as their monarch today.

The last Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles was Emily de Jongh-Elhage. The last Governor was Frits Goedgedrag, who is since the 10 October 2010 the first Governor of Curaçao.

Other websites

Method of Securing the Ports and Populations of All the Coasts of the Indies is an old document from 1694 that talks about the Netherlands Antilles

Dutch-speaking countries

Netherlands Antilles


Saddleback Mountain is a mountain near Kiama in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The mountain rises to about  above sea level on the Illawarra escarpment and has views of Noorinan Mountain,  above sea level, and Barren Grounds Plateau to the west and south to Coolangatta Mountain and Pigeon House Mountain to Ulladulla, and north over Lake Illawarra, the Illawarra escarpment and to the Cronulla Sandhills and Kurnell Oil Refinery on a clear day.

Location and features
When viewed from Kiama and Shellharbour it has a distinctive saddle-shaped peak and is connected to the southernmost tip of the Illawarra Escarpment (though the escarpment itself continues into Kangaroo Valley), Noorinan Mountain by a high ridge, on which is Hoddles Track, built by early surveyor Hoddle and which once stretched from Bowral to Kiama before a more suitable route was found quickly over the escarpment. This section goes to the edge of Barren Grounds Plateau (Noorinan Mountain) but does not allow access into the Barren Grounds reserve. An offshoot track goes to Foxground to the south of Noorinan Mountain promontory.

Its summit is reached by Saddleback Mountain Road, which goes from Kiama to the summit via a steep turn-off from the main road. This section is often used by walkers and cars but buses are not allowed due to the risk. Saddleback lookout, near the electric towers on the summit and the western and southern lookouts, has fine views and is popular with tourists and motorists who drive up the winding picturesque road to the summit which passed dairy country common in the area. The lookout is on a wooden projected deck, with fine views of Noorinan Mountain, Knights Hill, Lake Illiawarra, Stockyard Mountain and other features of the plain. The chimneys of Port Kembla stand out near the horizon. The west lookout looks to Noorinan Mountain promontory and at the Barren Grounds Plateau, and, to the south, Fox Mountain, Mount Coolangatta and the Shoalhaven River.

The foothills go down to Kiama and Gerringong and the sea and down to Jamberoo Valley and the Minnamurra River. The entire area was once covered by a subtropical rainforest known as the Illawarra Scrub but is now restricted to a small area around the summit lookout. The foothills include much dairy farming, and many historic dry walls remain. On the eastern ridge of the mountain is Saddleback House and in the northern foothills is Jerrara Dam, the region's first water supply, built in the 19th century. Just north of the summit is a second peak, lesser known, called Mount Brandon. Approximately  south is Fox Mountain, an extension of Saddleback with its own peak.

It is a collapsed volcanic vent.

See also

 List of mountains of New South Wales
 No. 18 Radar Station RAAF, sited during World War II
 Hoddles Track

References

Illawarra escarpment
Wollongong
Mountains of New South Wales
Tourist attractions in New South Wales
Municipality of Kiama

Saddleback Mountain (New South Wales)


The Pink Lady was a painting on a rock face near Malibu, California in 1966. The painting was created by Lynne Seemayer (1936-2017), an artist and paralegal from Northridge, California. It was a 60-foot (18m) tall depiction of a frolicking nude woman.

History
The painting was located on the rock face above the southern entrance of the tunnel on Malibu Canyon Road near Malibu.  For some time, the rock face above the tunnel had been covered with graffiti, which Seemayer felt was "an eyesore". Working at night, she began removing the graffiti in January 1966, using ropes to suspend herself in front of the rock. When the rock was clean, she created the painting on the night of Friday, October 28, 1966.

By November 1, the painting had begun to attract local news coverage. It was dubbed the "Pink Lady" by the media, due to the pink paint used for the skin. Los Angeles County road officials, concerned about traffic problems the painting might cause, attempted to remove it with high-pressure spray from fire hoses, and then with paint stripper. However, Seemayer had used heavy-duty house paint for her creation, and both methods failed to remove it.

When she realized that her work was in danger, Seemayer publicly admitted to creating the Pink Lady, and sought a court injunction. This failed, however, and on November 3 a road crew covered the painting with brown paint. The Pink Lady was visible through the fading brown paint for years before it was finally removed from the rock face.

Seemayer sued the county for $1,000,000 for the destruction of her work, and the county counter-sued for $28,000 in removal costs. Since the painting was on private property, both cases were dismissed by the court.
For some time after the painting was removed, Seemayer received hate mail and phone calls from people who felt the work was obscene, including threats of violence against her and her children. She also received a few offers from art galleries to show her work.

See also
Land art
Geoglyph
Hillside letters

References

External links

"context LA", Covering terrain, May 22, 2011

"Final Report, Conclusion and Outcomes Assessment", California State University, Dominguez Hills
Location
wikimapia
"placemark", bbs.keyhole.com

Public art in the United States
Graffiti in the United States
1966 paintings

Pink Lady (art)


The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the very outset, a special dedication to the mystery of the Holy Trinity has been a constitutive element of the order's life.

Papal documents refer to the founder only as Brother John, but tradition identifies him as John de Matha, whose feast day is celebrated on 17 December. The founding-intention for the order was the ransom of Christians held captive by Muslims, a consequence of crusading and of piracy along the Mediterranean coast of Europe.

Background

Between the eighth and the fifteenth centuries medieval Europe was in a state of intermittent warfare between the Christian kingdoms of southern Europe and the Muslim polities of North Africa, Southern France, Sicily and portions of Spain. According to James W. Brodman, the threat of capture, whether by pirates or coastal raiders, or during one of the region's intermittent wars, was a continuous threat to residents of Catalonia, Languedoc, and the other coastal provinces of medieval Christian Europe.<ref name=brodman>{{cite web | last=Brodman | first=James William | title=Ransoming Captives in Crusader Spain:The Order of Merced on the Christian-Islamic Frontier | website=The Library of Iberian Resources Online | url=http://libro.uca.edu/rc/captives.htm | access-date=2021-10-05}}</ref> Raids by militias, bands, and armies from both sides was an almost annual occurrence.

The redemption of captives is listed among the corporal works of mercy. The period of the Crusades, when so many Christians were in danger of falling into the hands of Muslims, witnessed the rise of religious orders vowed exclusively to this pious work.

History

The Order of the Trinitarians (Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives) was founded by St. John de Matha after his vision of Christ with two captives around 1193.The Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives: Andrew Witko 2008 Pope Innocent III granted the order and its rule approval with his letter Operante divine dispositionis clementia, issued on 17 December 1198. Soon after papal approbation, the Trinitarian ministry to Christian captives was incorporated into the Order's title: Order of the Holy Trinity and of Captives. In addition to the Order's purpose of ransoming Christian captives, each local community of Trinitarians served the people of its area. And so, their ministry included hospitality, care of the sick and poor, churches, education, etc. Eventually, the Trinitarians also assumed the work of evangelization.

Brother John's founding intention expanded quickly beyond the three initial foundations (Cerfroid, Planels, Bourg-la-Reine) into a considerable network of houses committed to the ransom of Christian captives and the works of mercy conducted in their locales. Trinitarian tradition considers St. Felix of Valois co-founder of the Order and companion of John of Matha at Cerfroid, near Paris. In Cerfroid the first Trinitarian community was established and it is considered the mother house of the whole Order. Among the earliest recruits were some Englishmen, and the first to go on the special mission of the order were two English friars, who in 1200 went to Morocco and returned to France with 186 liberated Christian captives.

The first generation of Trinitarians could count some fifty foundations. In northern France, the Trinitarians were known as "Mathurins" because they were based in the church of Saint-Mathurin in Paris from 1228 onwards. Ransoming captives required economic resources. Fundraising and economic expertise constituted important aspects of the Order's life. The Rule's requirement of "the tertia pars", or setting aside  one-third of all income for the ransom of Christian captives, became a noted characteristic of the Order.

Louis IX installed a house of their order in his château of Fontainebleau. He chose Trinitarians as his chaplains, and was accompanied by them on his crusades. The Master of the Trinity was taken captive together with Louis IX after the Battle of Al Mansurah.

The rule initially was the Augustinian, supplemented by regulations of an austere character. The habit was white, with the red and blue cross depicted above on the breast. Through the centuries, the Trinitarian Rule underwent several revisions, notably in 1267 and in 1631. It has been complemented by statutes and constitutions. The thirteenth century was a time of vitality, whereas the following centuries brought periods of difficulty and even decline in some areas. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) was a major turning-point in the life of the Catholic Church. Its twenty-fifth session dealt with regulars and nuns and the reform of religious orders. Reforming interests and energies manifested themselves among Trinitarians in France with the foundation at Pontoise, north of Paris, during the last quarter of the sixteenth century. Reform-minded Trinitarians in Spain first established the movement known as the Recollection and then, under the leadership of St. John Baptist of the Conception, a movement at Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real) known as the Spanish Discalced Trinitarians at the very end of the sixteenth century. Far-reaching periods of growth and development followed this rebirth, and at the beginning of the 18th century there were still 250 houses.

In succeeding centuries, European events such as revolution, government suppression and civil war had very serious consequences for the Trinitarian Order and it declined significantly. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, the Trinitarians began to grow slowly in Italy and Spain. Its members dedicated themselves to fostering and promoting devotion to the Holy Trinity, evangelising non-Christians, assisting immigrants, educating the young, and to parish work.

The Trinitarian Family

Today the Trinitarian family is composed of priests, brothers, women (cloistered nuns and active sisters) as well as committed laity. Members of the Trinitarian family include the Trinitarian religious; the Trinitarian contemplative nuns; the Trinitarian Sisters of Valence; the Trinitarian Sisters of Rome, Valencia, Madrid, Mallorca, and Seville; the Oblates of the Most Holy Trinity; the Third Order Secular (tertiaries) and other Trinitarian laity. All are distinguished by the cross of red and blue which dates from the origins of the Order. Trinitarians are found throughout Europe and in the Americas as well as in Africa, India, Korea and the Philippines.

 Third Order Secular of the Most Holy Trinity
In 2000 the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life approved "The Trinitarian Way" rule of life which would guide all the lay groups associated with the Trinitarians: the Third Order Secular, the Trinitarian Movement, Confraternities, etc.

There have been tertiaries of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives since the beginnings of the Order though they were not known by that name.  Lay confreres were admitted already in 1198 by the permission of Pope Innocent III. Statutes attributed to William the Scotsman, the third Minister General of the Order (1217–1222), give some idea of the primitive organization of the Trinitarian Fraternity. In the 1203 contract between the Bishop of Arles and St. John de Matha, reference is made to affiliates of the convent.  There were Trinitarian Confraternities, of the Redemption, and of Our Lady of Remedy aggregated to the Order.

The first known Statutes of the Trinitarian Third Order were published in 1584, and were approved by the General of the Order, Father Bernard Dominici. The first Rule of Life for the Third Order attached to the Discalced Trinitarians was approved by Pope Leo XII on 6 June 1828.

Charism
The Glory of the Most Holy Trinity and the ransom of Christian Captives. Along with the Order's mission of ransoming Christian captives, each Trinitarian Community served the people of its area by performing works of mercy; redemption and mercy are at the center of the Trinitarian charism.

Our Lady of Good Remedy
Our Lady of Good Remedy is the patroness of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely known in Europe and Latin America. Her feast day is celebrated on 8 October.

Scapular of the Most Blessed Trinity

The Scapular of the Holy Trinity is a devotional scapular associated with the Confraternity of The Holy Trinity and the Third Order Secular of the Most Holy Trinity. It is a white scapular with a cross of which the transverse shaft is blue and the longitudinal shaft red. It is worn by Tertiaries as well as members of the Confraternity of the Blessed Trinity (or other Trinitarian associations that make use of the scapular) after investment with this scapular. It is a sign of consecration to the Holy Trinity and of fraternity.

 See also
 Angelo Buccarello
 DeMatha Catholic High School, the only college preparatory and secondary educational school in the Americas run by the Trinitarian Order.
 Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy
 San Tommaso in Formis, the Trinitarian church in Rome
 San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome
 List of Ministers General of the Trinitarian Order

 References

Sources

 Witko, Andrew. The Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives'', 2008

External links

 Letter Of Pope John Paul II To The Minister General Of The Order Of The Most Holy Trinity
 Trintarian Official site
 Trinitarian Order
 Adare Trinitarian church

Mendicant orders
Christian religious orders established in the 12th century
Catholic devotions
Scapulars

Trinitarians


Shamima Ali, Fiji ke ek political activist hae jon ki Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) aur Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) ke coordinator hae.

Ali, Bainimarama ke 5 December 2006  ke coup ke virood karis aur has taken a strong stand against human rights abuses alleged to have been committed by the Military-backed interim government.  She has also criticized Shaista Shameem, the Director of the FHRC and a coup-sympathizer, for allegedly ignoring such violations.   When six pro-democracy activists were arrested and allegedly assaulted by the Military in the early hours of 25 December 2006, Shameem told her there was nothing the FHRC could do, according to Ali.

Ali, Shamima

Shamima Ali


A military tribune  (Latin tribunus militum, "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone to the Senate. The tribunus militum should not be confused with the elected political office of tribune of the people (tribunus plebis) nor with that of tribunus militum consulari potestate.

Early Rome
The word tribunus derives from tribus, "tribe". In Rome's earliest history, each of the three tribes (Ramnes, Luceres, and Tities) sent one commander when an army was mustered, since there was no standing army. The tribunes were commanders of the original legion of 3,000. By the time of the Greek historian Polybius (d. 118 BC), the tribunes numbered six, and they were appointed by the consuls. However, the process by which tribunes were chosen and assigned is complex and varies at different times.

Republican period
In the Republican period, there were six appointed to each legion. Authority was given to two at a time, and command rotated among the six.  Tribunes were men of senatorial status appointed by the Roman Senate. To attain the position of tribune, one only needed to be a member of the ruling class. By 311 BC the plebeians acquired the right to elect sixteen tribunes of the soldiers, that is, four out of the six tribunes assigned to each of the four legions that formed the Roman army. Previously these places had been for the most part in the gift of consuls or dictators.

Additionally, in the early Republic, another type of military tribune was sometimes chosen in place of the annually elected consuls to be the heads of the Roman State.  These are known in Latin as tribuni militum consulari potestate ("military tribunes with consular authority"). At the time only patricians could be chosen as consuls, but both patricians and plebeians could be elected as tribunes with consular authority.  Instead of the usual two consuls, between four and six military tribunes were elected for the year. The reasons for this choice are obscure, though Livy often cast the decision according to the class struggles he saw as endemic during this period, with patricians generally favoring consuls and plebs the military tribunes. The office of "consular tribune" eventually fell out of use after 366 BC.

After the Social Wars
After changes to Roman army driven by the Social War (91–87 BC) and subsequent civil wars (further formalised by the emperor Claudius) created a professionalized military system, legions were commanded by a legionary legate (legatus). Six tribunes were still posted to a legion, but their duties and responsibilities had changed, becoming more a political position than a military rank. The second-in-command to the legate was the tribunus laticlavius or 'broad-stripe' tribune (named after the width of the stripe used to demarcate him on his tunic and toga), usually a young man of senatorial rank.  He was given this position to learn and watch the actions of the legate. They often found themselves leading their unit in the absence of a legate, and some legions were permanently commanded by a broad-stripe tribune, such as those stationed in Egypt, as an Augustan law required that no member of the Senatorial Order ever enter Egypt.

In contrast to the broad-stripe tribune, the other five 'thin stripe' tribunes were lower in rank, and were called the tribuni angusticlavii.  These 'officer cadets' were men of equestrian rank who had military experience, and yet had no authority: they were allowed to sit on a court martial but they held no power in battle. Most thin-stripe tribunes served the legionary legate, yet a lucky few (such as Agricola) were selected to serve on the staff of the provincial governor. According to Tacitus, they did not always take their appointment as seriously as they might, contrasting Agricola's tribuneship to his peers by saying "[Agricola did not], like many young men who convert military service into wanton pastime, avail himself licentiously or slothfully of his tribunitial title, or use his inexperience to spend his time in pleasures and absences from duty".

Principate

Under Augustus, the five equestrian tribunes were sometimes promoted from the rank of centurion, and might advance to a command in the auxiliary cavalry or Praetorian Guard.

See also
List of Roman tribunes

References

Military ranks of ancient Rome
Cursus honorum
Tribunes

Military tribune


Ninawa (, , Assyrian: ܢܝܢܘܐ Nîněwâ) is a province in north of Iraq It has an area of 37,323 km². The capital is Mosul which lies near the Tigris river. 2,600,000 people live in the province. The ancient Biblical city of Nineveh is also in this province.  The name Ninawa is the Arabic name for Nineveh.

Nineveh Governorate

Nineveh Governorate