John David Jenkins

John David Jenkins (30 January 1828 – 9 November 1876) was a Welsh clergyman and historian. He spent six years ministering in Pietermaritzburg; after his return to England, he became known as the "Rail men's Apostle" for his work with railway workers in Oxford. He was Vice-President, and then President, of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. He also wrote a book on the history of the church.
Life.
Jenkins was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan on 30 January 1828. His father, William David Jenkins, could allegedly trace his ancestry back to Iestyn ap Gwrgant, the last Prince of Morgannwg. After attending Taliesin Williams's school in Merthyr Tydfil and Cowbridge Grammar School, Jenkins studied at Oxford University, matriculating at Jesus College in 1846 with the benefit of the Sir Leoline Jenkins scholarship. He studied Literae Humaniores, obtaining a third-class BA degree in 1850. He subsequently obtained further degrees: M.A. in 1852, BD in 1859 and DD in 1871. He became a good classical and oriental scholar whilst at Oxford, developing a fluency in modern languages in later life. Whilst an undergraduate, he tried and failed on several occasions for the Pusey and Ellerton Hebrew Scholarship; after his final failure, Dr Pusey presented him with some books to acknowledge his abilities in Hebrew.
Jenkin's rich personal library was presented to Llandaff Cathedral, where it remained in the Prebendal House for over a century until the recent dispersal of the cathedral library to provide funds for a refurbished organ.
He was appointed as a Fellow of Jesus College in 1851/2, retaining this position until his death. The fellowship was a King James II Missionary Fellowship, under the terms of which Jenkins was required to become ordained and "proceed to such one of Her Majesty's plantations as the Bishop of London, for the time being, might appoint." He was ordained deacon in 1851 by Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, and appointed curate to the Reverend Alfred Hackman at St Paul's Church, Oxford. St Paul's was a noted Tractarian church. Whilst Jenkins was at St Paul's, Thomas Combe commissioned Holman Hunt to paint Jenkins's portrait.
In accordance with the terms of the fellowship, Jenkins went to the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in November 1852. Bishop Robert Gray, the bishop of Cape Town, sent him to Pietermaritzburg under the direction of the rector, the Reverend James Green. Jenkins remained in Pietermaritzburg for six years, working particularly with the armed forces as Chaplain to the 45th Regiment and Battery of Field Artillery. He soon became involved in controversy when Green, Jenkins and others opposed Bishop John Colenso, the first Bishop of Natal, who had questioned the literal accuracy of some biblical passages based on his own mathematical calculations, and had also condemned ritualistic practices (particularly the wearing of "gorgeous coloured vestments") favoured by the Tractarians. Bishop Gray attempted to relieve Bishop Colenso of his position at a court hearing in which he sat in judgment. Colenso, however, refused to attend at the hearing and subsequently succeeded in his application to the Privy Council for an order that the Bishop Gray's judgment had been illegal. Following the Privy Council judgment Colenso returned to Natal.
Bishop Colenso made Jenkins a canon of Pietermaritzburg in 1856. Ill-health (the early stages of liver cancer) caused Jenkins to leave South Africa in 1858 and return to Oxford. He became Dean of Jesus College in 1865, and Junior Bursar in 1866. Jenkins then wrote a book on the history of the Christian Church. "The Age of the Martyrs", the first volume of the work, was published in 1869 and was dedicated by Jenkins to Green. It was translated into Welsh in 1890. The rest of the book was not published. In March 1870, Jenkins was appointed vicar of Aberdare, Glamorgan, by the Marquess of Bute. He died of liver cancer in Aberdare on 9 November 1876.
Ministry.
Jenkins's "abiding compassion for the less fortunate", as it has been termed, was first demonstrated with his work with the army in South Africa, where one of his contemporaries said that "his influence for good was boundless". After his return to Oxford, he became involved with the Society of the Holy Cross, an Anglo-Catholic clerical organisation founded by Pusey and others. Its principles included missionary work amongst the poor. Jenkins spent considerable amounts of time in the 1860s ministering to sick and poor railway workers and their families. He was a clerical superior in the "Railway Guild of the Holy Cross", which promoted Christian faith amongst railway employees. His commitment to the task of ministering to railway families led to him becoming known as the "Rail men's Apostle".
After his appointment to Aberdare, a town where Dissenters were strong, Jenkins organised choral services with psalms being sung to Anglican chants and the canticles to Gregorian chants. He worked with Nonconformists to promote local friendly societies and was sufficiently well-regarded to be presented in 1874 with a testimonial noting "his genial and affectionate regard for the hardworking and humbler classes of society" and his involvement with the South Wales Choral Union, which had won a national competition at The Crystal Palace in 1872. He also represented the views of miners during strikes, sometimes clashing with employers as a result.
His involvement with railway matters did not cease on his appointment to Aberdare. When the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants was established in 1872, he was appointed Vice-President. He helped form an Aberdare branch, and addressed meetings at local and national level, stressing the need for unity amongst the workers and the importance of providing for sickness and old-age whilst in good health. In 1873, Jenkins was unanimously elected President and held the position until his death in 1876. The ASRS paid for a memorial window at St Elven's Church, Aberdare, in his honour. At his funeral, conducted by his college friend Griffith Arthur Jones, the union's general secretary, Fred Evans, said:
Jenkins also played a conciliatory role in the mining disputes which became increasingly prevalent in the Aberdare Valley during the 1870s. At a meeting in early 1872, addressed by miners' leaders Alexander Macdonald and Thomas Halliday, he was called to the platform by the chairman of the meeting, Henry Thomas, to great cheering.
Portrait.
The portrait of Jenkins by Holman Hunt from 1852 commissioned by Thomas Combe, entitled "New College Cloisters", now hangs in the Senior Common Room at Jesus College. The robes worn by Jenkins are those of a High Church priest, including black silk worn over the surplice (a revival of a pre-Reformation tradition). The setting, the cloisters of New College, Oxford, has been said to give "monastic undertones" to the picture, with the overall effect that "suggested a Gothic feel wholly in keeping with contemporary Tractarian philosophy" – Hunt and Jenkins both being supporters of the Oxford Movement.


Welsh Presbyterian Church (Plana, South Dakota)

The Welsh Presbyterian Church in Plana, South Dakota is a historic church about north of SD 12 and east of SD 16. The church was built in 1887 by Welsh immigrants. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
It is a one-story front gable vernacular style building, on a concrete foundation which was new in 1995.


Ehrenfeld Group

The Ehrenfeld Group (, ; sometimes called the Steinbrück Group, , ) was an anti-Nazi resistance group, active in the summer and autumn of 1944.
The group, which consisted of over one hundred people, centered on Hans Steinbrück, an escaped concentration camp prisoner. Its members included young people, including teens active in the local Edelweiss Pirates group, escaped detainees from forced labor camps, and Jews. On November 10, 1944, thirteen members of the group were publicly hanged in Cologne.
Background.
Largely destroyed by Allied bombings, the district of Ehrenfeld, Cologne was a sanctuary for enemies of the Nazi regime, including escaped prisoners, forced laborers, deserters, and Jews. Steinbrück, who escaped from a concentration subcamp in Cologne in July 1943, came to Ehrenfeld and met a woman who took him in. He began to stockpile weapons and foodstuffs in the cellar of a bombed-out house and stayed in close contact with escaped forced laborers, Communists, and criminals, with whom he did business, fencing stolen goods. His nickname was "Black Hans". The cellar also served as temporary shelter for Jews, deserters and others who had gone into hiding.
In the summer of 1944, a number of young people, including teenagers, came into contact with Steinbrück. Although being 23 and quite young himself, Steinbrück could easily function as a father figure for some due to the massive rise in the number of orphans in those years. Some of the teenagers had already been Edelweiss Pirates and they began to form a core group around Steinbrück.
The activities of the group began to gain momentum. They stole food and vehicles and sold goods on the black market. Later, they bought guns. As the group expanded, so did the number and scope of the thefts. One particular heist was the "Butterraub", the butter robbery. The first time, they stole a few quintals of butter, selling it afterward on the black market for 12,000 reichmarks, at a time when the average wage was 50 reichmarks a week. The second time, they stole 26 quintals of butter and got 123,000 marks for it. Several people, mostly Communists, but also some young people, left Steinbrück over this because the activity drew attention and they felt Steinbrück's behavior was reckless, increasing the risk of arrest.
Denouement and conclusion.
During a general identification check on September 29, 1944, an army patrol was informed about the group's cellar warehouse. The patrol searched the basement rooms and confiscated numerous weapons. Steinbrück and a Russian forced laborer were able to escape, but the next day, the criminal police searched the apartment where Steinbrück had been staying, arresting the woman whose place it was. Two Jewish women who were in hiding in the building were also arrested. In order to arrest the fugitives, the police posted a guard in front of the house.
On the run, Steinbrück met a deserter, Roland Lorent, who had just killed a local Nazi leader and was also looking to hide. The two teamed up and conceived a plan to go on a "Nazi hunt". They stole bicycles and gathered weapons. They collected a few teenaged members of the group and went to get Cilli, Steinbrück's girlfriend, but without having investigated the situation at her place. When they got there, they found a police guard. Both Steinbrück and Lorent opened fire, seriously injuring the guard. A member of the SA, riding toward them on a bicycle, was also killed, as was a man wearing boots, who they assumed was a Nazi. Later, they went to an embankment by the train tracks to wait. While there, they fired into a group of people, killing a member of the Hitler Youth.
That evening, they tried to steal some explosives, but the guard on duty foiled their efforts. On October 3, 1944, Lorent was arrested. On October 8, 1944, the Gestapo began arresting members of the group, and finally, Steinbrück as well. By October 15, they had had made 63 arrests, including 19 teenagers. Of those, thirteen German males, including several teenagers, were executed without trial in a public hanging next to the Ehrenfeld train station on November 10, 1944.
Steinbrück described the goals of his group to the Gestapo as,
He and his accomplices would have done everything possible to end the war as soon as possible to the detriment of Germany. This is the reason we had the weapons cache. The factories necessary to the war effort and train routes were to be blown up, to bring the front closer. The most recent members of our hard-scrabble club knew of these plans and supported them.
List of the executed.
Steinbrück and twelve of his followers were executed without trial on November 10, 1944, in front of hundreds of curious onlookers. Among the victims were six teenagers, members of the Edelweiss Pirates:
Legacy.
A plaque in Ehrenfeld honors the memory of those executed there on October 25, 1944, and November 10, 1944.
A street next to the Ehrenfeld railway station in Cologne, is named after Schink.


Budic II of Brittany

Budic II (; or '; ), formerly known as Budick, was a king of Cornouaille in Brittany in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. He was the father of Hoel Mawr and is probably to be identified with the Emyr Llydaw ("Emperor of Brittany") and King Nentres"' who appear in Arthurian legend. Upon his death, his kingdom was usurped by Macliau, king of the neighbouring Veneti.
Life.
Budic II was born in Cornouaille to a member of its royal family, either Erich or Cybydan. He was named after his uncle Budic I. He succeeded to the throne but was expelled by a cousin and fled to the court of King Aircol Lawhir of Dyfed, where another cousin Amon Ddu was employed. There, he wed Anowed or Arianwedd, the sister of Saint Teilo. After the death of his usurping relative, he returned to Cornouaille to claim the Breton throne, later joined by Saint Teilo whom he reputedly persuaded to rid the area of a terrible dragon that had been terrorising the countryside. Teilo was able to subdue the beast and tied it to a rock in the sea. Some sources claim he died in 545. However, this contradicts other sources which claim that Saint Teilo had fled to France in 549 to escape the Yellow Plague of Rhos and had spent time in Brittany in Budic's company.
Legend.
In Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical "History of the Kings of Britain", Budic is said at different places to have married a sister of Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther Pendragon (making him Arthur's uncle) and to have married Pendragon's daughter Anna (making him Arthur's brother-in-law). This confusion reappears in Wace and Layamon, although most later sources make his son Hoel Arthur's "cousin".
Family.
Three of Budic's sons by his Welsh wife were revered as saints by the medieval Welsh church: St. Ismael, bishop of Meneva and Rhos, St. Euddogwy, bishop of Llandaff; and St. Tyfei, a martyr. A fourth son (credited to "Emyr Llydaw" in late Welsh sources) was Hoel I Mawr, whose son Tewdwr eventually succeeded to the kingdom of Cornouaille.
One of his daughters was said to have married Jonas, king of Dumnonia, and birthed his successor Judwal. Another was Saint Gwen the Three-Breasted, who married Saint Fragan (also a member of the dynasty in Dumnonia) and bore him Saints Wethenoc, Jacut, Winwaloe, and Creirwy. She then married Eneas Ledewig ("Aeneas the Breton") and bore him Saint Cadfan.


Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden

Margrave Philibert of Baden (22 January 1536 in Baden-Baden – 3 October 1569 in Montcontour) ruled the Margraviate of Baden-Baden from 1554 to 1569. Philibert was the son of the Margrave Bernhard III, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Franziska of Luxembourg, daughter of Charles I, Count of Ligny.
Philibert spent part of his youth at the court of Duke William IV of Bavaria in Munich. William, who later became his father-in-law, was known for his strict Catholic perspective and brought the Jesuits to Bavaria. Margrave Philibert was a supporter of Protestantism and converted to it, undeterred by his father-in-law. In 1555 he took part in the negotiations that resulted in the Peace of Augsburg.
In 1565 he wanted to come to the aid of the Huguenots in France with 1,500 men. Emperor Maximilian II, however, told him not to do so and Philibert acquiesced.
In 1566, Philibert served in the Imperial army, fighting in Hungary against Sultan Suleiman I. In 1569 he even fought against the Huguenots. He fought on the side of King Charles IX of France, the son in law of Emperor Maximilian II.
Philibert was killed on 3 October 1569 in the Battle of Moncontour against the Huguenots, which the French king won. According to his friend, Heinrich von Stein, he left the battlefield alive and was then pursued by the Huguenots to a castle on the Spanish border, where they caught up with him and killed him. He left a 10-year-old son, Philip who succeeded him as Margrave Philip II. Philip II had an older sister Jakobea and two younger sisters. Philibert's uncle Albert V brought the siblings to Munich and raised them there.
Margrave Philibert was a Protestant, but he was very tolerant in matters of faith. He gave his subjects freedom of religion and he even married a Catholic, Mechthild of Bavaria.
Marriage and issue.
Philibert married on 17 January 1557 Mechthild of Bavaria (born: 14 June 1532; died: 2 November 1565), daughter of the Duke William IV of Bavaria. They had five children:


Torra di Mortella

The Tower of Mortella () is a ruined Genoese tower on Corsica, located on the coast near Punta Mortella (Myrtle Point) in the commune of Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse. It was a progenitor of the numerous Martello towers the British built in the 19th century throughout their empire.
History.
The Italian architect Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino designed the Tour de Mortella and Colonel Giorgio Doria directed the construction between 1563 and 1564. It was one of a series of coastal defences constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to repulse attacks by Barbary pirates.
On 7 February 1794, two British warships, (74 guns) and (32 guns), unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point; the tower eventually fell to land-based forces under Major-General David Dundas and Lieutenant-General John Moore after two days of heavy fighting.
Late in the previous year, the tower's French defenders had abandoned the tower after (32 guns) had fired two broadsides at it. Then the French were easily able to dislodge the garrison of Corsican patriots that had replaced them. Still, the British were impressed by the effectiveness of the tower when properly supplied and defended and copied the design. However, they misspelled the name as "Martello" rather than "Mortella". When the British withdrew from Corsica in 1796, they blew up the tower, leaving it in an unusable state.
Current status.
The ruined tower was listed as one of the official Historical Monuments of France in 1991. The database incorrectly gives the date of construction as 1553–1554. This earlier date is when Spanish and Genoese troops led by Admiral Andrea Doria besieged the French forces occupying the port of Saint-Florent after the Franco-Turkish invasion of the island.
Since 1980 the French government agency the "Conservatoire du littoral" has owned and maintained the site. The "Conservatoire" plans to purchase of the surrounding coastline and had acquired .


Peter of Aigueblanche

Peter of Aigueblanche (or Peter of Aquablanca; died 27 November 1268) was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. A nobleman from Savoy, he came to England as part of the party accompanying King Henry III's bride Eleanor of Provence. He entered the royal service, becoming bishop in 1241. He then served the king for a number of years as a diplomat, helping to arrange the marriage of Prince Edward. Peter became embroiled in King Henry's attempts to acquire the kingdom of Sicily, and Peter's efforts to raise money towards that goal brought condemnation from the clergy and barons of England. When the barons began to revolt against King Henry in the late 1250s and early 1260s, Peter was attacked and his lands and property pillaged. He was arrested briefly in 1263 by the barons, before being mostly restored to his lands after the Battle of Evesham.
Early life and appointment as bishop.
Peter was a nobleman from Savoy who arrived in England in 1236 as a clerk of William of Savoy, the Bishop of Valence. William was escorting his niece, Eleanor of Provence, who married Henry III of England. Peter, who was descended from the family that held Aigueblanche in Savoy, was possibly William's treasurer. Nothing further is known of his background or education, not even the name of his parents.
By 1239 Peter was serving King Henry, as he had received a benefice in Lancashire. He also served as warden of the wardrobe and on 2 August 1240 the king named him archdeacon of Shropshire as well. But on 24 August 1240 he was elected bishop of Hereford, and was consecrated on 23 December 1240 at St. Paul's in London. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of York, Walter de Gray. He was enthroned shortly after Christmas at Hereford. That autumn, Henry had attempted to have him translated, or moved, to the richer bishopric of Durham, but was unable to secure the translation.
Royal service.
Peter continued to receive gifts from the king, including market rights, and the ability to take timber from the royal forests. In August, Peter was present at the royal court at Shrewsbury which made peace with the Welsh. In the autumn, Henry again attempted to have him translated to another see, by having him moved to London, which was once more unsuccessful. He then served as a papal judge-delegate, judging a case for the papacy that had been referred back to England, this one involving a dispute between King Henry and Jocelin of Wells, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, over Glastonbury Abbey. In 1242 he was sent to the continent as a diplomat, helping to arrange the marriage between the king's younger brother, Richard of Cornwall, and Queen Eleanor's younger sister Sanchia of Provence.
In 1243 Peter began acting as the representative for the absent Archbishop of Canterbury-elect, Boniface of Savoy, another of Queen Eleanor's uncles. Boniface had been appointed archbishop in 1241, but had still not arrived in England or been consecrated. Boniface finally arrived in England in the spring of 1244, and Peter was at Dover to welcome Boniface and deliver Boniface's pallium, the symbol of an archbishop's authority. Shortly after this, Peter was ordered by the papacy to intervene in Henry's dispute with William of Raleigh, the Bishop of Winchester. The pope sent Peter to the king with an ultimatum threatening an interdict on the king's chapel if peace was not made between the king and Raleigh.
Peter attended the general council of the church that was convened by Pope Innocent IV at Lyons in 1245, and then went to Savoy on a diplomatic mission for the king. Then he returned to England, where he acted as Boniface's representative again, until Boniface returned to England in 1249. During this time he was also busy in his diocese, where he issued regulations for his clergy as well as taking possession of lands that had been granted away by his predecessors. He also performed some other diplomatic missions for the king.
Probably in early 1250, Peter vowed to go on crusade, and he spent the next years busy on the continent. In 1251 he helped settle a concern over whether King Henry had previously been bethrothed to Jeanne, Countess of Ponthieu, who was now married to King Ferdinand III of Castile. After this, Peter helped arrange the marriage of Prince Edward to Eleanor of Castile, which was finalized in the spring of 1254.
Diocesan affairs.
While he was overseas, Peter appointed a non-Englishman as his deputy, Bernard, who was a prior from Gascony. This led to the outbreak of dissension with the cathedral chapter of Hereford, who eventually managed to secure a favourable outcome. In 1252, though, disorders in Herefordshire threatened Peter's life, and Bernard was murdered in Hereford Cathedral. The king then promised Peter that he could take shelter in Hereford Castle at need.
Peter appointed many of his relatives to positions in his diocese. A number of his nephews were given benefices and appointed to prebends. They continued to hold those offices into the 1290s. But Peter gave lands to the cathedral chapter, but also ordered the canons to reside in the cathedral. Peter also rebuilt extensively in Hereford Cathedral, finishing the presbytery as well as the north transept.
Sicily.
Peter was once more overseas in 1253, and after the marriage negotiations, went to the papal court, which was in Naples with the new pope, Alexander IV. There Peter became embroiled in the attempt by King Henry to secure the kingdom of Sicily, which was granted to Henry by the papacy if Henry would drive Manfred of Sicily out of the kingdom and repay the money the papacy had already expended attempting to expel Manfred. This amount was estimated to be almost 135,000 marks of silver. Peter, in an attempt to raise that sum, used blank signed documents that the English clergy had given Peter to negotiate with the papacy as security for loans from Italian bankers. The intention of the clergy had not been to raise money for the king's efforts in Sicily, and this led to Peter being universally condemned in England. Peter also pledged future tax revenues that had not yet been granted. Although attempts were made to collect the tax, they came to nothing and Peter was once more on the continent in November 1255.
Unrest in England.
Peter stayed on the continent, but in 1258 his lands in Hereford were once more attacked, and in the autumn he was ordered to return to England to be audited for his attempts to collect the Sicilian tax. He did not immediately return, but by June 1259 had returned and was sent by the king to negotiate with the Welsh. When the king gained the upper hand in 1261 over the barons, Peter once more was sent out to collect the Sicilian tax. But baronial opposition to Henry's policies continued, and Peter's lands continued to be ravaged. He was even besieged in the city of Hereford for a time.
In May 1263, Gilbert de Clare, the Earl of Gloucester and the other lords on the Welsh Marches drove Peter from his see, in retaliation for King Henry's refusal to observe the Provisions of Oxford. Peter's lands in the diocese were plundered. Simon de Montfort then arrested Peter, as part of his rise to power. Peter was held, along with some of his subordinates, at Eardisley, but was released in September 1263. He then went with the king to Paris, where he was present at the judgement of King Louis IX of France condemning the baronial movement. Although he was promised the return of all his lands after the Battle of Evesham ended de Montfort's regime, not all of them were returned.
Death and legacy.
Peter died on 27 November 1268. Although his will specified that he should be buried in Savoy, and a tomb at Aiguebelle was claimed as his, he was buried in Hereford Cathedral, and it appears likely that he died in England. His tomb and effigy still survive, and his body was exhumed in 1925.
While bishop, Peter founded a church in Savoy, at Aiguebelle, where he established the liturgy of the mass that was then in use in his bishopric, the Use of Hereford. This was unusual, because most churches in Italy or Savoy used the Roman Rite instead. His will gave most of his property to this church.
The medieval writer Matthew Paris said Peter had "fox-like cunning" and that his "memory exudes a sulphurous stench".


List of historical monuments of Ajaccio

This table shows the list of all historical monuments classified or listed in the city of Ajaccio, Corse-du-Sud, Corsica.


Catherine de la Tour du Pin

Catherine de la Tour du Pin (about 1290 - 1337), was the tenth child of Humbert I of Viennois and Anne d'Albon. She married Philip I of Piedmont, with whom she had eleven children, including James of Piedmont.


East Frisian chieftains

The East Frisian chieftains (, Low German: "hovetlinge / hovedlinge") assumed positions of power in East Frisia during the course of the 14th century, after the force of the old, egalitarian constitution from the time of Frisian Freedom had markedly waned.
Early history.
East Frisia was not under any centralised rule, as was common elsewhere at the time of feudalism during the Middle Ages. By the 12th and 13th centuries the "free Frisians" as they called themselves had organised themselves into quasi-cooperative parishes ("Landesgemeinden"), in which every member had equal rights, at least in principle. This fundamental equality applied to all owners of farmsteads and their attached estates in their respective villages and church parishes. The public offices of the judges or "Redjeven" (Latin: "consules") were appointed by annual elections. In practice, several "nobiles" stood out amongst these "universitas": the public offices were frequently occupied by members of large and wealthy families. From the 13th century, the status symbols of these "nobiles" were stone houses ("stins", the precursors of the later chieftains' castles) as well as small armies of mercenaries ("Söldnerheere").


Newchurch railway station

Newchurch railway station, was an intermediate station situated on the edge of Newchurch village on the line from Newport to Sandown incorporated by the Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway in 1868, opened in 1875 and closed 81 years later. Despite its rural location a "respectable" number of families alighted at the simple station, "little more than a wooden hut". The nearest location to the site is a bungalow, Newchurch Crossing.


Friends of Estonia in the Parliament of Norway

Friends of Estonia in the Parliament of Norway () is a pro-Estonia caucus group consisting of Members of the Parliament of Norway.
The Friends of Estonia in the Parliament of Norway was founded in November 2009, largely by the initiative of Progress Party politician Jørund Rytman. At the founding meeting of the group, more than twenty Members of Parliament joined in. Although Rytman found many good things about the country, the market liberal economic policies were cited as one of the most appreciated policies. Rytman also cited the country's low taxes, highly ranked internet and computer services and coverage, an all-around ID-card used for many public and private services, and a reduction of bureaucracy, with "100 percent" of the public sector being on the internet.
The group had 22 members as of July 2010, from the Progress Party (FrP), Conservative Party (H), Christian Democratic Party (KrF) and Labour Party (AP). They were:


Alexius Frederick Christian, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg

Alexius Frederick Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg (12 June 1767 – 24 March 1834), was a German prince of the House of Ascania. From 1796 until 1807 he was Reigning prince of the principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, and from 1807 until 1834 the first Duke of the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg.
Life.
Alexius Frederick Christian was born on 12 June 1767 at Ballenstedt. He was the only son of Frederick Albert, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, by his wife Louise Albertine, daughter of Frederick Carl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön.
From early childhood, he and his sister Pauline received an excellent education. After the death of his father in 1796, Alexius Frederick Christian inherited Anhalt-Bernburg.
The territories of Anhalt-Bernburg were augmented one year later with the formal division of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1797; Alexius Frederick Christian received the towns of Coswig and Mühlingen, which represented 1/3 of the defunct principality. In 1812, with the extinction of the Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym branch of the House of Ascania, he inherited Hoym and some Prussian enclaves.
Alexius improved education with the building and enlargement of many churches and schools. He demonstrated a special interest in expanding the road network, especially in the newly acquired areas of his principality. The mining and metallurgical industry also benefited from his attention. Alexius Frederick Christian initiated several major construction projects, such as the "Saalebrücke" in Bernburg (Saale), which was later destroyed. In 1810 he founded the "Alexisbad" in Selketal and later, in the Prussian area of Gernrode, he created the "Beringer Bad".
In matters of religion, he was tolerant and enlightened; in 1820 he finally declared the Reformist and Lutheran faiths to be the official co-religions of his state. In 1826 he joined the German Zollverein and in 1829 created a civil fund for orphans, widows, and servants.
The Emperor Francis II elevated him to the rank of Duke in 1807. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Alexius Frederick Christian, with his kinsmans the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen, joined the Confederation of the Rhine. Some of his troops fought for Napoleon in Tyrol, Spain, Russia, Gdańsk, and Kulm. On 13 December 1813 he resigned from the Confederation of the Rhine and sent his troops with his allies in 1814 and 1815 to Belgium and France. On 8 June 1815 he joined the German Confederation.
Duke Alexius Frederick Christian died at Ballenstedt on 24 March 1834.
Marriages and issue.
In Kassel on 29 November 1794 Alexius Frederick Christian married Maria Fredericka (b. Hanau, 14 September 1768 – d. Hanau, 17 April 1839), daughter of William I, Elector of Hesse. They had four children:
The union was completely unhappy and the couple divorced in 1817.
In Ballenstedt on 11 January 1818, Alexius Frederick Christian married secondly and morganatically with Dorothea Fredericka of Sonnenberg (b. Bernburg, 23 January 1781 - d. Ballenstedt, 23 May 1818), who shortly after the wedding was ennobled and created Baroness of Hoym (German: "Frau von Hoym"). The union only lasted four months until Dorothea's death.
In Bernburg on 2 May 1819 Alexius Frederick Christian married thirdly and again morganatically with Ernestine Charlotte of Sonnenberg (b. Bernburg, 19 February 1789 - d. Ballenstedt, 28 September 1845), sister of his second wife. As she, Ernestine was created Baroness of Hoym shortly after the wedding. This marriage was childless.


Banat Socialist Party

The Banat Socialist Party was a political party in the Banat, Romania. The party was founded by social democratic branches in Banat on September 19, 1919, as the Banat Social Democratic Party. In December 1919, the party merged with the Social Democratic Party of Transylvania, but retained its autonomy. The name Banat Socialist Party was adopted at a party conference on May 2, 1920. The party was affiliated to the Federation of Socialist Parties in Romania.
The party sent two delegates to the founding conference of the International Working Union of Socialist Parties (the 'Two-and-half International') in Vienna in January 1921. The regional congress of the party was held on January 6-7, 1922 in Timișoara. 35 delegates participated, representing 6,093 party members. The congress ratified the membership in the Federation of Socialist Parties of Romania and unanimously approved of the membership in the 'Two-and-half International'.
In February 1922 the party organized an assembly of party members to elect candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The candidates selected were Franz Geistlinger for the Lower Chamber and Josef Gabriel for the Senate. The party failed to win any of the two seats. The party complained of terror, intimidation and vote-buying by the Liberals on the polling day.
The Hungarian-language organ of the party was "Munkáslap" and its German-language organ was "Arbeiter-Zeitung". Between 1925 and 1927 the party had a local German-language organ in Jimbolia, "Banater Arbeiter-Presse".
In 1927 the Federation of Socialist Parties and its constituent parties merged into a new Social Democratic Party.


Henry Bridgeman (bishop)

Henry Bridgeman, DD (22 October 1615 - 15 May 1682) was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of England as the Bishop of Sodor and Man from 1671 to 1682.
The third son of John Bridgeman, Bishop of Chester, and Elizabeth Helyar, he was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, graduating with Master of Arts degrees in 1639 and 1641. He was ordained in the Anglican ministry as a deacon on 9 June 1639 and a priest on 22 December 1639. He held a number of ecclesiastical appointments before and after becoming bishop. The first appointments were as Rector of Oddington, Oxfordshire (1639–1640), Rector of St Bartholomew's Church, Barrow (1639–1682) and Rector of Bangor Monachorum with Overton (1641–1682). He was appointed Archdeacon of Richmond on 20 May 1648 and resigned the post on 10 June 1664. He was installed (by proxy) a canon of York on 22 September 1660, holding the prebendary of Stillington. He received a Bachelorate of Divinity (BD) in 1661 and Doctorate of Divinity (DD) in 1664. His next appointments were as Vicar of St Peter's Church, Plemstall on 26 March 1661, Dean of Chester on 16 July 1661, and Rural Dean of Manchester on 27 August 1664.
He was nominated Bishop of Sodor and Man by Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby and consecrated on 1 October 1671.
He died in office on 15 May 1682.
References.


Friedrich Buchardt

Friedrich Buchardt (17 March 1909, in Riga – 20 December 1982, in Nußloch) was a Baltic German SS functionary who commanded "Vorkommando Moskau", one of the divisions of Einsatzgruppe B. Post-war, he worked for MI6 (until 1947) and then, presumably, for the CIA. Buchardt was never prosecuted, being one of the agents of more sinister reputation used by the West after the war.
Studies and 1930s.
Of Baltic German origin, Buchardt studied at the German Gymnasium in Riga, Latvia and law at the University of Berlin and University of Jena. His thesis was titled "The Rights of National Minorities in Latvia and Its International Importance and Administration". He joined the SA in October 1933, but left the following year, finding it to be too plebeian.
Having completed his studies, Buchardt returned to Riga, where he tried to organize a national German-Baltic movement under the leadership of Erhard Kroeger. Buchardt funded and contributed to the pro-Nazi newspaper "Rigaschen Rundschau", which was closed by the Latvian authorities in May 1934 because it had too many connections with Nazi Germany. This plunged Buchardt into financial difficulties, so he became a lawyer for a marketing company in Germany, and then the economics head of the Baltic Institute.
SS career.
While working at the University of Königsberg, he met Franz Six, the future leader of "Vorkommando Moskau". On Six's advice, Buchardt was recruited by the "Sicherheitsdienst" (SD, the SS intelligence service), working under Six's command. He studied the topography and economy of the Soviet Union, and the distribution of Jews who lived there. By the late 1930s, he held a prestigious position at the Wannsee Institut, the German center for studies of the Soviet Union.
By the time of the invasion of Poland, the 30-year-old Buchardt was an "Obersturmführer" and the head of a small group of German-Baltic SS officers deployed to the Port of Gdynia to loot its archives, museums and libraries. The following year, he was assigned to the Office for the Resettlement of Poles and Jews in Poznań, where he classified the level of "Germanicness" of various sectors of the Polish population on a scale of 1 to 5.
In 1940, Buchardt was promoted to head of the SD in Lublin, where he worked under Odilo Globocnik and began participating directly in the Holocaust. Buchardt carried out similar work in Łódź in February 1941, this time reporting directly to the Reich Security Main Office.
On the eve of Operation Barbarossa (June 1941), Buchardt was recalled and, in order to have "blood experience" rather than merely be a "desk scholar", he was assigned to "Vorkommando Moskau" of Einsatzgruppe B. He served as the liaison officer between Franz Six and the head of Einsatzgruppe B, Arthur Nebe. Following the start of the offensive against Moscow in October 1941, he was promoted to head of "Vorkommando Moskau" the following month.
When the Red Army repelled the assault against Moscow, Buchardt was posted back to Łódź in January 1942, where he continued his work as head of the local SD. From January to September 1942, he supervised the deportation of about 80,000 Jews and Romanis to Chełmno extermination camp.
In February 1943, Buchardt succeeded as commander of "Einsatzkommando" 9 of Einsatzgruppe B. He was in charge of murder actions near Vitebsk. Buchardt's unit was likely responsible for tens of thousands of victims. Buchardt was awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the War Merit Cross. In June 1944, he was promoted to Obersturmbannführer.
Posted to Berlin, Buchardt now headed Amt III B 2 of the RSHA, which specialized in racial and ethnic matters. He was under the command of Otto Ohlendorf, who headed Amt III. From December 1944, Buchardt also headed "Sonderkommando Ost", which gathered intelligence on Russian personnel living in German territory, including members of General Andrey Vlasov's collaborationist Russian Liberation Army.
After the war.
With defeat imminent by April 1945, the head, Otto Ohlendorf, had set up an SD underground movement called "Bundschuh" (Tied Shoe), named after the Bundschuh movement. The "Bundschuh" was to serve as a Europe-wide information network of "high-grade" agents that could be used by sabotage and terrorist organizations as they waged a guerrilla war against the Allies. Ohlendorf appointed Buchardt as leader of the southeastern sector of the network, and he was sent to Karlsbad. However, the events of the war moved too quickly for the "Bundschuh" plotters, and Buchardt had to retreat 200 miles to the Austrian-German border. Shortly after the war, he was captured by American troops and transferred to the British, who held him at the POW camp in Rimini.
During his detention, Buchardt produced a document entitled "The Handling of the Russian Problem during the Period of the Nazi Regime in Germany", which detailed his espionage activities in Eastern Europe and emphasized the importance of native collaborators in SS operations. The document, which laid the groundwork for MI6 operations in Eastern Europe, allowed Buchardt to escape justice and be employed by MI6.
In 1947, MI6 dropped Buchardt, who then offered his services to the United States. Presumably, according to Guy Walters (2009), the United States accepted. A March 1950 report by the U.S. Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) noted that Buchardt "may be presently employed by an American intelligence agency", presumably the CIA. The CIC report was created to warn United States European Command (EUCOM) of a possible trial being brought against Buchardt by the Bavarian Land Indemnity Office. Buchardt was never brought to trial for any of his crimes.
Friedrich Buchardt can be regarded as the most murderous Nazi employed by the Allies after the war. He lived out most of his days in Heidelberg and died quietly in Nußbach on 20 December 1982.


The Female Coterie

The Female Coterie was the title given to a group of "ladies of quality" in 18th century London. Horace Walpole described their activities as meeting every morning "either to play cards, chat or do whatever else they please". Dinner and supper were provided, followed by the card game loo. The founding members were Mrs Fitzroy, Lady Pembroke, Mrs Meynell, Lady Molyneux, Miss Pelham and Miss Lloyd.
History.
The society was founded in 1769 by William Almack, already proprietor of the clubs later to become Boodle's and Brooks's then based at his houses in Nos. 49 and 50 Pall Mall, and of the famous Assembly Rooms on King Street. The society first met on 17 December 1769 and soon attracted a great deal of attention. On 6 May 1770 Horace Walpole recorded that:
By September 1770 this very exclusive club possessed 123 members, including five dukes. It is not certain in which of Almack's two houses in Pall Mall it met; Mrs. Elizabeth Harris placed it at Boodle's (No. 50) but an undated letter of the Hon. Mrs. Boscawen says that it met 'for the present, at certain rooms of Almack's, who for another year is to provide a private house . .' By December 1771 it had moved to Albemarle Street; it remained there under the management of Robert Sutton until 1775, when it moved to Arlington Street under the management of James Cullen. The last meeting of the club was held on 4 December 1777. Cullen was left heavily in debt and the Chancery suit which he subsequently brought against certain members contains valuable information about the way in which such short-lived proprietary clubs were managed.
The New Female Coterie.
The New Female Coterie was founded by Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington, who had been blackballed by the founders of the original Female Coterie. This group of demimondaines, which included Seymour Dorothy Fleming (whose sister was the Countess of Harrington's daughter-in-law, Jane Stanhope), met in a brothel owned by Sarah Pendergast.


Benito de Soto

Benito de Soto Aboal (March 22, 1805, Pontevedra - January 25, 1830, Gibraltar) was a
Galician (some sources say Portuguese) pirate, and captain of the "Burla Negra" ("Black Joke").
Benito de Soto was the most notorious of the last generation of pirates to plunder shipping in the Atlantic, one of those arising from the ending of the Napoleonic Wars.
Turn to piracy.
De Soto served on a Brazilian slave ship, the "Defensor de Pedro". De Soto joined with the ship's mate and led a mutiny off the coast of Angola in 1827. When 18 of the crew declined to participate they were cast adrift off in an open boat.
Having changed the name of the vessel from the "Defensor de Pedro" to the "Burla Negra", de Soto crossed the Atlantic, where he sold stolen cargo of slaves in the Caribbean, and then sailed south, attacking English, American, Spanish and Portuguese ships along the South American coast. From 1830 the "Burla Negra" also ventured eastwards into the Atlantic to intercept vessels returning from India and the Far East.
Atrocities.
He proved to be one of the most bloodthirsty pirates of any age, murdering crews who fell into his hands and sinking their ships.
The most infamous episode in de Soto's career came on 19 February 1828, when the "Burla Negra" happened upon the "Morning Star" en route from Ceylon to England. After killing some of the passengers and crew with cannon fire, de Soto murdered the captain and took possession of the ship.
Many of the captured crew were killed, while women passengers were raped before de Soto's men locked them in the hold with the rest of the survivors. When de Soto heard that the survivors had been locked away and not murdered, he was furious, turned them around to try to find the sinking "Morning Star" to finish the job. He did not want any evidence of his guilt in the attack to reach the ears of the court. However, de Soto could not find the drifting "Morning Star". Meanwhile, the imprisoned survivors had managed to escape and prevent the "Morning Star" from sinking. A passing merchant vessel rescued them the following day.
According to "Burla Negra" crew member Nicholas Fernandez, "A few days after the capture and destruction of the English ship ["Morning Star"], we fell in with a richly laden American ship (the "Topaz") bound from Calcutta to Boston, to the crew of which no more mercy was shewn than to that of the Morning Star - having laden our brig with a portion of the most valuable part of her cargo, the crew (with the exception of the captain and three hands, who were taken on board the brig) were all put to death, and the ship set on fire! and in a few days after, the captain and two of the three hands shared the fate of their companions! - we had now indeed from repeated instances, become so familiarized with the shedding of human blood, that the shrieks and groans of the devoted victims were about music to our ears! and the work of human butchery was performed as deliberately and with as much unconcern as the butcher would dispatch one of the brute animals of his flock!"
By August 1828 news spread in American papers about the murder of the "Topaz" crew. "The following is a list of the officers and crew of the ship "Topaz" of Boston, which vessel was taken by pirates, and destroyed, and the whole crew murdered. Martin Brewster, born in Kingston, Mass., aged 32, master, Arnold S. Manchester, Little Compton, R.I., aged 30, first mate; Edward Smith, Ipswich, Mass., 21, second mate; John Barber (black), New York, 28, steward; Samuel Gulliver (black) New York, 36, cook; T. J. Yates, Boston, 27; William S. Burton, do. 40; Adam S. Huger, do. 18, Israel Smith, do 18; John Drew, Halifax N.S., 24; William Appley, Barnstable, 19; Edward Keyser, Philadelphia, 34; Albert Richmond, Dighton, 24; Henry Williams, New York, 23 - all seaman."
De Soto then sailed for Corunna. On the way he encountered a small brig; he attacked and sank it, killing all the crew but one. De Soto forced the remaining sailor to steer the "Burla Negra" to Corunna; when they arrived at the port, de Soto blew the man's brains out.
Capture and death.
De Soto's crimes caught up with him after the "Burla Negra" struck a reef and was wrecked off Cadiz. He and his men headed for Gibraltar, but they were recognized and taken for trial in Cadiz. De Soto was hanged with his remaining crew. When the hangman discovered that he had set the rope at the wrong height, De Soto calmly stood on his own coffin and obligingly placed his head inside the noose.
'Adeus todos' ("So long, everyone") were his last words. His head was then stuck on a pike as a warning to others.


Dreieckiger Pfahl

The Dreieckige Pfahl ("Triangular Post") is an historic boundary stone, about 1.35 metres high and made of granite, located southwest of the Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The stone, erected before 1866, marked the border between the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick. Originally this spot was a tripoint. During the division of Germany the border between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany ran past the "Dreieckiger Pfahl". Today it marks the border between the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, the post lying just within the Lower Saxon side. During the Cold War it was accessible from the west.
The historic stone stands at an elevation of about 870 metres, around 2.5 kilometres east of a car park on the B 4 federal road between Torfhaus and Oderbrück.
The first recorded mention of a boundary stone being located here dates to the year 1727. On a map of the Upper Forest of Braunlage ("Oberforst Braunlage") is the note "drey Eckjer Pfahl anno 1698". From a description of the Harzburg Forest ("Harzburger Forsten") the original stone is described thus:
...which translates roughly as...
The boundary markers were subsequently replaced on a regular basis. In 1736 a wooden post was erected and, in 1791, one made of stone. In 1844 a new post was made in oakwood.
The present triangular stone was erected before 1866. It bears the No. 1 and, on its northeastern and southwestern sides the letters "KH" for Kingdom of Hanover, and on the southeastern side the letters "HB" for the Duchy of Brunswick ("Herzogtum Braunschweig"). The original triangular shape was retained.
In 1894 a railway station was planned at the site of the Dreieckiger Pfahl. Engineer Louis Degen, who had drawn up plans for a Harz railway running on the territory of Brunswick from Walkenried via Wieda to Braunlage (later called the South Harz Railway), envisaged an extension of the line to the most northerly point of this piece of Brunswick terrain – the district of Blankenburg.
Previously, in 1892, the construction of a road requested by several parishes in the West Harz, which would have branched off at the Dreieckiger Pfahl from the road from Torfhaus/Oderbrück to Schierke and run to the Brocken Road, had been refused by the Chamber of the Principality of Stolberg-Wernigerode.
The station was to have been equipped with a run-around loop. However the railway was only built as far as Braunlage. A goods track ran to the north of Braunlage to the granite quarry on the Wurmberg mountain. But it never reached the Dreieckiger Pfahl.
Until 1945 there was a small restaurant at the Dreieckiger Pfahl, which was mainly frequented by hikers to the Brocken. The building was burnt down by American troops in April 1945, because SS and Wehrmacht soldiers as well as Hitler Youth had been hiding in huts in this area. The pub was never rebuilt.
Today, there is a rest area for hikers and mountain bikers in the vicinity of the Dreieckiger Pfahl as well as box no. 168 on the Harzer Wandernadel network of hiking checkpoints.


Piers Bohl

Piers Bohl (October 23, 1865 – December 25, 1921) was a Latvian mathematician, who worked in differential equations, topology and quasi-periodic functions.
He was born in 1865 in Walk, Livonia, in the family of a poor Baltic German merchant. In 1884, after graduating from a German school in Viljandi, he entered the faculty of physics and mathematics at the University of Tartu. In 1893 Bohl was awarded his Master's degree. This was for an investigation of quasi-periodic functions. The notion of quasi-periodic functions was generalised still further by Harald Bohr when he introduced almost-periodic functions. He has been the first to prove the three-dimensional case of the Brouwer fixed-point theorem, but his work was not noticed at the time.


Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora

The Monastery of the Holy Trinity () (also known as Agia Triada, Ayías Triádhos, Ayia Triada; all meaning "Holy Trinity") is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in central Greece, situated in the Peneas Valley northeast of the town of Kalambaka. It is situated at the top of a rocky precipice over 400 metres high and forms part of 24 monasteries which were originally built at Meteora, one of the oldest still existing of the Meteora monasteries (Meteora means "suspended in the air" in Greek). Six of the 24 monasteries are still active and open to visitors. The church was constructed between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites titled Meteora.
Geography.
The monasteries were built on rock cliffs in the deltaic plains of Meteora. The cliffs rise to a height of more than . They are situated in the Pineios Valley within the Thessalian plains close to the town of Kalambaka. The rock cliffs, dated by chemical analysis to be 60 million years old, were created during earthquakes, and are of sandstone and conglomerate formations caused by fluvial erosion. The sediments were once in an inland sea during the Pliocene epoch. They rose as a cone during the earthquakes, forming steep rock columns, known as "heavenly columns". The area is hilly and forested, with river valleys, and a protected area known as Trikala Aesthetic Forest.
The monasteries of St. Stephen's and Holy Trinity are separated from the main group, which are further to the north. Prior to the twentieth century, Holy Trinity had a very difficult approach, requiring crossing a valley and climbing through the rock outcrop to reach the building's entrance. Provisions were placed in baskets drawn up by rope-ladders (now with a winch). In present day, one can walk from Kalambaka for along a foot track to reach the monastery, or use a winch-operated lift. There is a road from the back side of the cliff. It is currently reached via tunnels and 130 steps of stone. The grounds include a garden at the summit.
History.
The history of building monasteries on top of perilous cliffs near Meteora occurred between the 14th and 15th centuries. Even prior to this, in the 11th century, religious communities had established hermitages at the foot of these cliffs. In the 14th century, the titular emperor of Serbs and Greeks, John Uroš, became a monk and moved to Meteora; he endowed, rebuilt and established monasteries here. During the political upheavals in the region during this century, monks retreated to the safe haven offered by the cliffs. Dometius was said to be the first monk at the site of Holy Trinity, arriving according to local legend, in 1438. Holy Trinity according to many sources was built in 1475–76, though some sources say the construction dates of the monastery and its adjoining chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, are unknown. Holy Trinity's decoration was added in 1741. By end of the fifteenth century, there were 24 such monasteries, such as Holy Trinity, St. Barbara Rousanou, and St. Nicholas Anapafsas. Damascene, Jonah, and Parthenios, were benefactors and those who took part in restorations; their names grace the monastery walls.
Only six of the original monasteries are still occupied, including Holy Trinity. These six – Holy Trinity, St. Stephen, Rousanou, St. Nicholas Anapafsas, Varlaam, and the Great Meteoron – make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site entitled Meteora. The UNESCO inscribing was done under criteria in 1988. I, II, IV, V and VII.
Architecture and fittings.
The church plan is in the form of a cruciform type and has a dome which is supported on two columns. The monastery's main cathedral was constructed in the 15th century and decorated with frescoes in 1741 by two monks. A pseudo-trefoil window is part of the apse. There are white columns and arches, as well as rose-coloured tiles. A small skeuophylakion adjoining the church was built in 1684. Its broad esonarthex barrel vault was built in 1689 and embellished in 1692. The small chapel of St. John the Baptist, carved into the rock, contains frescoes from the seventeenth century. It was richly decorated and had precious manuscripts; however, these treasures were looted during World War II, when it was occupied by the Germans. The building's sixteenth-century frescoes are reported to be post-Byzantine paintings. A fresco of St Sisois and the skeleton of Alexander the Great adorns the walls.
Monastic life.
At one time, fifty monks lived at Holy Trinity, but by the early twentieth century, there were only five. Visitors are allowed. Patrick Leigh Fermor is reported to have visited the monasteries here several decades ago, as a guest of the Abbot of Varlaam. Even then, Holy Trinity was one of the poorest monasteries in Meteora.
In popular culture.
The monastery was featured in the 1981 James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only". It features in the climax to the film where Bond ascends the rock cliff and intrudes upon Aristotle Kristatos and Erich Kriegler to retrieve the ATAC decoder. Aristotle Kristatos, played by Julian Glover, was using the monastery in the film as a hideout. Eventually Bond throws the ATAC decoder off the cliff top when approached by the KGB.
The Monastery also features in the 1961 film "Tintin and the Golden Fleece".
The 1957 film "Boy on a Dolphin" is partly shot in Meteora. Clifton Webb's character visits Meteora, and goes up to the Holy Trinity monastery to do some library research.


Lintgasse

Lintgasse is an alley () in the Old town of Cologne, Germany between the two squares of "Alter Markt" and "Fischmarkt". It is a pedestrian zone and only some 130 metres long, nevertheless famous for its medieval history.
The Lintgasse was first mentioned in the 12th century as »"in Lintgazzin"«, which may have derived from basketmakers described, weaving fish baskets out of Linden tree barks. These craftsmen were called »"Lindslizer"«, meaning "Linden splitter". During the Middle Ages, the area was also known as »platēa subri« or »platēa suberis«, meaning street of "Quercus suber".
Lintgasse 8 to 14 used to be homes of medieval knights as still can be seen by signs like »"Zum Huynen"«, »"Zum Ritter"« or »"Zum Gir"«. At Lintgasse 15 once stood the Parish of St. Brigiden, which became an elementary school during the 19th century. During this time, the Lintgasse was called »Stink-Linkgaß«, as the alley was unpopular for its poor air quality.
Lintgasse 9 has a passage to the nearby Great St. Martin Church. On the corner of Alter Markt and Lintgasse stands the listed Gaffel-Haus »"Zur Brezel"«. The brewhouse is a 7-storey Dutch Renaissance townhouse, built in 1213 but substantially extended in 1580. The building was a significant place in the history of Cologne and only converted into a beer house in the late 19th century.


John Lake (bishop)

John Lake (1624 – 30 August 1689) was a 17th-century Bishop of Sodor and Man, Bishop of Bristol and Bishop of Chichester in the British Isles.
Life.
He was born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he was tutored by the poet John Cleveland, whose biography he later wrote and whose works he edited and published. He graduated B.A. in 1642.
Lake was an ardent Royalist and fought valiantly for King Charles I at Basing House and Wallingford.
On leaving the army, Lake entered the Church. He was ordained in 1647, and graduated D.D. ("litterae regiae") at Cambridge in 1661. He held the following livings:
Lake was appointed Bishop of Sodor and Man on 7 January 1683. He was translated to Bristol on 12 August 1684 and to Chichester on 19 October 1685. He was one of the Seven Bishops who opposed the Declaration of Indulgence and were imprisoned by King James II. However, during the Glorious Revolution, he voted for a regency for the Kings's son. He refused to accept William and Mary and was suspended from office on 1 August 1689. Lake died on 30 August following.


Walter Gale (schoolmaster)

Walter Gale was the first schoolmaster of the Mayfield Charity School in Mayfield, East Sussex, now the Mayfield Church of England Primary School, serving from 1750 until 1771. Gale's diaries, which have been used by a number of historians to describe the nature of the English countryside, English schooling and even the social status of tobacco smoking, describe the life of an educated man spending his time drinking, smoking, attending church and reading books. It also describes odd bits of labour engaged in by Gale, including marking fabrics (quilts, and at one point a waistcoat) and agreeing to paint an illustration of the Ten Commandments at a church for two guineas.
The diaries were discovered by the mayor of Hastings in the 1850s who saved them from being set alight. After being edited by Robert Willis Blencowe (1791-1874), they were published in 1857 by the Sussex Archaeological Society. Blencowe's editorial describes a variety of events alluded to by Gale. For instance, Gale makes reference to the confiscation of a horse carrying bottles of (presumably illegally smuggled) brandy, and Blencowe describes some of the history of smuggling in Kent and Sussex. Entries after 1752 are lost, and Blencowe notes how "it was probably very voluminous, for he held his place till 1771". Blencowe's extracts are completed by noting the reasons for Gale's departure from the school:
In 1772, the parish agreed to cease paying Gale the salary he was due "till he has absolutely put the schoolhouse in such a condition as to the form of it as it was at the time of his entering upon such house". Records note that the next schoolmaster was named T. Weller.


Orsova Offensive

The Orsova Offensive was a military engagement fought between the armies of Romania and Austria-Hungary at the start of the Romanian Campaign in August–September 1916. It ended in a Romanian victory which led to the Romanian occupation of the west bank of the Cserna (Cerna) River for over two months.
Background.
Romania launched its invasion of Transylvania on 27 August 1916. However, despite not being an actual part of Transylvania, the west bank of the Cserna had logistical importance, being the location of the city of Orsova (today Orșova), which was the end of a railroad as well as a port on the Danube. The Cserna River streamed from the Transylvanian Alps, forming the border between Romania and the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary up to a point around north of Orsova, from where the border went south, overland, towards the Danube. The Romanian attack was carried out by the Romanian 1st Infantry Division, under General Ion Dragalina. The division was part of General Ioan Culcer's 1st Romanian Army. The 1st Division comprised seven infantry regiments, a force which reflected the importance of Dragalina's offensive. In reality, Orsova was rejected as a staging area by the Central Powers, due to its weak transportation links. Furthermore, the Romanians did not have to capture the town in order to deny its use to their enemy. It would have sufficed if the Romanians settled on capturing only the steep ridge east of Orsova, where their artillery could render the town uninhabitable. Opposed to the Romanian 1st Infantry Division was the Austro-Hungarian 145th Infantry Brigade, under Colonel Rudolf von Fiebich-Ripke. The brigade - part of General Arthur Arz von Straussenburg's 1st Army - had the equivalent strength of a regiment, consisting of three infantry battalions and one rear-area guard battalion, with three machine-gun sections, two batteries (31 artillery pieces) and the river monitor SMS "Álmos". Despite being heavily outnumbered, Orsova's defenders benefited from the advantage provided by the steep ridge which ran north to south, named the Alion Height. It was a formidable barrier, and Fiebich-Ripke was well aware of this, as he had his units deployed along the ridge. Also, the Romanian 1st Division was isolated from the rest of the 1st Army.
Battle.
The battle started on the morning of 28 August, with a bombardment of Turnu Severin by the "Álmos". The monitor had left Orsova at dawn, shelling harbor facilities, the rail yards, a cavalry barracks and some shipyards at Turnu Severin, where Dragalina's division had its headquarters. The Austrian warship fired almost 500 artillery rounds of 75 mm, as well as considerable machine gun fire. Returning upstream to Orsova, "Álmos" couldn't overcome the current until her crew threw 25 tons of coal overboard. In retaliation, the Romanians put Orsova under artillery fire that same day. The Romanian shelling was directed against the fortifications of Orsova, but it was indirect, as the Romanians fired across the Alion Mountain. Dragalina recognized the Alion Height, towering above the city on the east side of the Cserna's mouth, as the key to the Austro-Hungarian position. The Romanians launched a full-scale assault on 1 September, their numbers enabling them to take the Alion Height by the end of the day. A simultaneous diversionary attack to the north on that same day enabled the Romanians to capture Mehádia (today Mehadia) and Herkulesfürdő (today Băile Herculane). On 2 September, the Austro-Hungarians had to withdraw to the eastern bank of the Cserna, enabling the Romanians to occupy the entire range of hills which dominated Orsova. The Romanians entered Orsova itself on the following day. The Austro-Hungarians conducted a rear-guard action, but the Romanians forced the passage of the Cserna River and captured a few more heights. On 4 September, the Austro-Hungarians abandoned the entire west bank of the Cserna, retreating north of Mehádia. On 1 September, fighting also took place around Csernahévíz (the for Topleț).
Aftermath.
Although Orsova was taken by the Romanians on 3 September, Vienna only acknowledged this five days later, on the 8th, amidst a failed German-supported counterattack. A further attempt, in early October, was likewise to no avail.
Orsova was the primary objective of the third (northwestern) column of General Culcer's Romanian 1st Army. Thus, having reached Orsova, this force halted in accordance with the Romanian campaign plan. A convenient position had been gained at the narrow gates of the Danube for preventing all river traffic, but no advance of permanent strategic value could have been carried out by a single isolated division. On the Dobruja front, following the Romanian evacuation of Silistra on 8 September, the Romanians declared that this loss was completely offset by the capture of Orsova from the Austro-Hungarians.
Besides the 25 tons of coal abandoned by the Austrians, casualties and losses are unknown. A mixed Austro-Hungarian and German force under the Hungarian Colonel Szívó had moved along the Cserna River in mid-November, during a general Central Powers offensive against Romania which started on 11 November, and captured parts of Orsova during fighting on 11–13 November.


Newlin Mill Complex

The Newlin Mill Complex, also referred to as The Newlin Grist Mill, is a water-powered gristmill on the west branch of Chester Creek near Concordville, Pennsylvania was built in 1704 by Nathaniel and Mary Newlin and operated commercially until 1941. During its three centuries of operation, the mill has been known as the "Lower Mill", the "Markham Mill", the "Seventeen-O-Four Mill" and the "Concord Flour Mill". In 1958 the mill property was bought by E. Mortimer Newlin, restored and given to the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to use as a historical park. Water power is still used to grind corn meal which is sold on site. The park includes five historical buildings, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and of natural woodland.
History(1683-1739).
Nicholas Newlin was a member of the Religious Society of Friends and an Irishman who lived in the Quaker town of Mountmellick, in Queens County, Ireland. In May, 1683, Newlin, fleeing religious persecution, emigrated to Pennsylvania with his wife, Elizabeth, and three children: Nathaniel, Rachel, and John, on the ship "Levee" from Liverpool. In October, 1683 purchased the mill property from William Penn in Concord Township, about northwest of the town of Chester.
Newlin was a prominent citizen, serving on the province's governing body, the Provincial Council in 1686 and 1687, as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County.
Newlin's son, Nathaniel, married Mary Mendenhall in 1684. In 1685, Mary Mendenhall received additional land as part of a grant to her and her siblings.
Nathaniel and Mary Mendenhall built the present mill, the third gristmill in the township, in 1704. Nathaniel also served as a Justice of the Peace, and on the Courts of Chester County, and served in the Provincial Assembly from 1698 to 1722. Through Nathaniel's inheritance from his father, and the land Mary Mendenhall held, and by their purchase of that became Newlin Township, they became together one of the largest landowners in Chester County. When Nathaniel Newlin died intestate in 1729, shortly after Mary Mendenhall died, the land was divided under Pennsylvania law among their children with the oldest son, Nicholas, receiving a double portion, and all the daughters and other sons, including a son named Nathaniel Newlin, each a single portion.
History (1739-pres.).
In 1739, Nathaniel's grandson via his son Nathaniel, Nathaniel Newlin III, built a house for the head miller. In 1742, William and Anne Trimble, the owners of a neighboring gristmill, built a house overlooking the Newlin mill. A mile to the west in the village of Concordville, Nathaniel's son Nicholas built the Nicholas Newlin House in 1742; which is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1777, the Battle of Brandywine was fought within a few miles of the mill. General George Washington had ordered the removal of millstones from nearby mills to hinder the supply of British troops, but there are no records of the order's effect on Newlin Mill.
Southeastern Pennsylvania was the leading producer of grain in the colonial period and mills could be easily powered by the steep descent of the streams, called the Fall Line, in the area. By 1781 there were 127 gristmills in Chester County, which then included present-day Delaware County. The Newlin mill only served local and domestic needs and was known as a "country mill", rather than a "merchant mill" which would produce finer flour for urban and export markets.
The Newlin family owned the mill until 1817, selling to William Trimble, Jr. Thomas Newlin, who died in 1811, had remarried after his wife's death. Disagreements between his two sets of children resulted in a judgment of $11,326.30 against his estate, forcing the sale of the mill.
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad was built through the property in 1859; this allowed the mill to market its flour in Philadelphia and Baltimore. A railway station was built in 1868 and Samuel Hill bought the mill in 1869. In 1942 the mill stopped commercial production and the buildings were used temporarily as a bookstore and an antique store. In 1956, Nicholas's eighth-generation descendant, E. Mortimer Newlin, purchased the property and later formed the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to restore and preserve the mill. Restorations were completed in 1962, and 1992.
Buildings.
Mill.
The mill measures wide by long. A date stone on an exterior wall is marked "Nathan'l Mary Newlin 1704." The dam and the half-mile mill race, which provides the water that powers the mill, were built the same year. The original grindstone was imported from France. The mill was built of fieldstone into a hillside: the north side two stories, the south side one story high. The mill wheel was originally outside the mill and was probably breastshot. It was reconstructed in 1976, weighs and measures , with 52 buckets. The water exits underground through the tail race and travels about back to Chester Creek. The floors and mill machinery are supported by a hurst frame, an inner timber frame that is separated from the outer stone walls so that vibrations do not break the outer walls. The process of grinding the corn may be viewed at the mill.
Sometime after 1817 William Trimble expanded the mill and enclosed the mill wheel. It ground about 60,000 bushels of corn per year at that time. Sometime before 1850 the mill was refitted according to the Oliver Evans automated mill design and began to grind wheat flour. In 1850 owner Casper Sharpless purchased 20,000 bushels of wheat for $22,000 and sold flour worth $30,000.
In 1870 the following products were produced:
At that time the mill had four millstones and two wooden overshot water wheels with a fall, producing about . A wood-framed upper story was added about 1890.
Warehouse.
The warehouse is a -story stone building to the east of the lower level of the mill. It was built by Nathaniel Newlin after he built the mill to use as a dry goods store. It now serves as the Foundation's archive.
Miller's house.
Built in 1739 of stone, it is adjacent to the south side of the mill. There are two rooms on each of the two floors, with a fireplace in each room, and a beehive oven attached to the kitchen. A third story was added about 1860 and removed during a restoration in the 1960s. This house should not be confused with the Newlin Miller's House about north in West Whiteland Township which was built in the early 19th century by William Newlin and listed separately in the National Register of Historic Places.
Trimble House.
This house was built into the hill above the mill and the miller's house in 1742, also with four rooms. It was expanded by 1765 to accommodate William Trimble's growing family. It has nine fireplaces, a deep well and much of the original flooring, woodwork, doors, and hardware. The Newlin Foundation bought the house in 1998 and it is used as a private residence.
Railway station.
The -story Gothic-style station was originally built in 1868–1869 by Samuel Hill. It served as a post office and polling station for the community of mill workers in the area. It burned down in 1890 and was rebuilt the next year, serving as a railway station until the 1930s. It is used now as the park office.
Park.
The five original buildings form the core of a park, which is mostly natural woodlands. A 1710 springhouse from a local farm was moved to the park in the 1970s and a small barn was moved from northern Delaware to the area behind the miller's house. In 1965 a log cabin was constructed, which is used for meetings, receptions, and parties. A new 18th Century style blacksmith shop replica was constructed in 1975. Two ball fields are also included in the park.
Sources.
Wallace, Antony F. C., "The Mystique of Old Mills", Ch. 1 in
Sellers, Nicholas, "Short History of Newlin Grist Mill", Ch. 2 in


Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (17 August 1786 – 16 March 1861), later Princess of Leiningen and subsequently Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. As the widow of Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), from 1814 she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Carl, until her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward, son of King George III of the United Kingdom.
Early life.
Victoria was born in Coburg on 17 August 1786 in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and was named "Marie Louise Victoire". She was the fourth daughter and seventh child of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf.
One of her brothers was Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and another brother, Leopold, future king of the Belgians, married, in 1816, Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate daughter of the future King George IV, and heiress presumptive to the British throne.
Marriages.
First marriage.
On 21 December 1803 at Coburg, a young Victoria married (as his second wife) Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), whose first wife, Countess Henrietta of Reuss-Ebersdorf, had been her aunt. The couple had two children, Prince Carl, born on 12 September 1804, and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, born on 7 December 1807.
Through her first marriage, she is a direct matrilineal ancestor to various members of royalty in Europe, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece.
Regency.
After the death of her first spouse, she served as regent of the Principality of Leiningen during the minority of their son, Carl.
Second marriage.
The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the wife of Victoria's brother Leopold, in 1817, prompted a succession crisis. With Parliament offering them a financial incentive, three of Charlotte's uncles, sons of George III, were prepared to marry. One of them, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820) proposed to Victoria and she accepted. The couple were married on 29 May 1818 at Amorbach and on 11 July 1818 at Kew, a joint ceremony at which Edward's brother, the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. Shortly after their marriage, the Kents moved to Germany, where the cost of living would be cheaper. Soon after, Victoria became pregnant, and the Duke and Duchess, determined to have their child born in England, raced back. Arriving at Dover on 23 April 1819, they moved into Kensington Palace, where Victoria gave birth to a daughter on 24 May 1819, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, later Queen Victoria. An efficient organiser, Sir John Conroy, ensured the Kents' speedy return to England in time for the birth of their first child.
Widowhood.
The Duke of Kent died suddenly of pneumonia in January 1820, six days before his father, King George III. His widow the Duchess had little cause to remain in the United Kingdom, since she did not speak the language and had a palace at home in Coburg where she could live cheaply on the revenues of her first husband. However, the British succession at this time was far from assured – of the three brothers older than Edward, the new king, George IV, and the Duke of York were both estranged from their wives, who were in any case past childbearing age. The third brother, the Duke of Clarence, had yet to produce any surviving children with his wife. The Duchess of Kent decided that she would do better by gambling on her daughter's accession than by living quietly in Coburg and, having inherited her second husband's debts, sought support from the British government. After the death of Edward and his father, the young Princess Victoria was still only third in line for the throne, and Parliament was not inclined to support yet more impoverished royalty.
The provision made for the Duchess of Kent was mean: she resided in a suite of rooms in the dilapidated Kensington Palace, along with several other impoverished members of the royal family, and received little financial support from the Civil List, since Parliament had vivid memories of the late Duke's extravagance. In practice, a main source of support for her was her brother, Leopold. The latter had a huge income of fifty thousand pounds per annum for life, representing an annuity allotted to him by the British Parliament on his marriage to Princess Charlotte, which had made him seem likely to become in due course the consort of the monarch. Even after Charlotte's death, Leopold's annuity was not revoked by Parliament.
In 1831, with George IV dead and the new king William IV (formerly the Duke of Clarence) being over 60 without any surviving legitimate issue, and whose nearly 40-year-old wife was considered to be at the end of childbearing age, the young princess's status as heir presumptive and the Duchess's prospective place as regent led to major increases in British state income for the Kents. A contributing factor was Leopold's designation as King of the Belgians, upon which he surrendered his British income.
Royal feud.
Together in a hostile environment, John Conroy's relationship with the Duchess was very close, with him serving as her comptroller and private secretary for the next nineteen years, as well as holding the unofficial roles of public relations officer, counsellor, confidant and political agent. While it is not clear which of the two was more responsible for devising the Kensington System, it was created to govern young Victoria's upbringing. The intention was for the Duchess to be appointed regent upon Victoria's (assumed youthful) ascension and for Conroy to be created Victoria's private secretary and given a peerage. The Duchess and Conroy continued to be unpopular with the royal family and, in 1829, the Duke of Cumberland spread rumours that they were lovers in an attempt to discredit them. The Duke of Clarence referred to Conroy as "King John", while the Duchess of Clarence wrote to the Duchess of Kent to advise that she was increasingly isolating herself from the royal family and that she must not grant Conroy too much power.
The Duchess of Kent was extremely protective, and raised Victoria largely isolated from other children under the so-called "Kensington System". The system prevented the princess from meeting people whom her mother and Conroy deemed undesirable (including most of her father's family), and was designed to render her weak and dependent upon them. The Duchess avoided the court because she was scandalised by the presence of King William's illegitimate children, and perhaps prompted the emergence of Victorian morality by insisting that her daughter avoid any appearance of sexual impropriety. Victoria shared a bedroom with her mother every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and spent her play-hours with her dolls and her King Charles Spaniel, Dash.
Perhaps because of Conroy's influence, the relationship between the Duchess's household and King William IV soon soured, with the Duchess regarding the King as an oversexed oaf. As far as she dared, the Duchess denied the King access to his niece. She prevented her daughter from attending William's coronation out of a disagreement of precedence, a decision attributed by the Duke of Wellington to Conroy. In 1831, the year of William's coronation, Conroy and the Duchess embarked on a series of royal tours with Victoria to expose her to the people and solidify their status as potential regents. Their efforts were ultimately successful and, in November 1831, it was declared that the Duchess would be sole regent in the event of Victoria's young queenship.
The Duchess further offended the King by taking rooms in Kensington Palace that the King had reserved for himself. Both before and during William's reign, she snubbed his illegitimate children, the FitzClarences. Both the King and his wife Queen Adelaide were fond of their niece, Princess Victoria of Kent. Their attempts to forge a close relationship with the girl were frustrated by the conflict between the King and the Duchess of Kent. The King, angered at what he took to be disrespect from the Duchess to his wife, took the opportunity at what proved to be his final birthday banquet in August 1836 to settle the score. Speaking to those assembled at the banquet, who included the Duchess and Princess Victoria, William expressed his hope that he would survive until Princess Victoria was 18 so that the Duchess of Kent would never be regent. He said,
I trust to God that my life may be spared for nine months longer ... I should then have the satisfaction of leaving the exercise of the Royal authority to the personal authority of that young lady, heiress presumptive to the Crown, and not in the hands of a person now near me, who is surrounded by evil advisers and is herself incompetent to act with propriety in the situation in which she would be placed.
The breach between the Duchess and the King and Queen was never fully healed, but Victoria always viewed both of them with kindness.
Conroy had high hopes for his patroness and himself: He envisaged Victoria succeeding the throne at a young age, thus needing a regency government, which, following the Regency Act 1830, would be headed by the princess's mother (who had already served in that capacity in Germany following the death of her first husband). As the personal secretary of the Duchess, Conroy would be the veritable "power behind the throne". He had not counted on William IV surviving long enough for Victoria to succeed to the throne as an adult and consequently, while cultivating her mother, had shown little consideration for Victoria. When the latter succeeded, Conroy risked having no influence over her. He tried to force Victoria to agree to make him her personal secretary once she succeeded, but this plan, too, backfired. Victoria resented her mother's support for Conroy's schemes and being pressured by her to sign a paper declaring Conroy her personal secretary. The result was that when Victoria became queen, she relegated the Duchess to separate accommodations, away from her own.
Reconciliation.
When the Queen's first child, the Princess Royal, was born, the Duchess of Kent unexpectedly found herself welcomed back into Victoria's inner circle. It is likely that this came about as a result of the dismissal of Baroness Lehzen at the behest of Victoria's husband (and the Duchess's nephew), Prince Albert. Firstly, this removed Lehzen's influence, and Lehzen had long despised the Duchess and Conroy, suspecting them of an illicit affair. Secondly, it left the Queen wholly open to Albert's influence, and he likely prevailed upon her to reconcile with her mother. Thirdly, Conroy by now lived in exile on the Continent and so his divisive influence was removed. The Duchess's finances, which had been left in shambles by Conroy, were restored thanks to Victoria and her advisors. By all accounts, the Duchess became a doting grandmother and was closer to her daughter than she ever had been.
Rumours of affairs.
Some historians, including A. N. Wilson, suggested that Victoria's father could not have been the Duke of Kent. Those who promote this position point to the absence of porphyria in the British royal family among the descendants of Queen Victoria – it had been widespread before her; and haemophilia, unknown in either the Duke's or Duchess's family, had arisen among the best documented families in history.
In practice, this would have required the Duchess's lover to be haemophiliac – an extremely unlikely survival, given the poor state of medicine at the time, or the Duchess herself to be a carrier of haemophilia, since haemophilia is X-linked, meaning that her mother would have been a carrier, if haemophilia was not otherwise previously expressed in the Duchess's parents. Actual evidence to support this theory has not arisen, and haemophilia occurs spontaneously through mutation in at least 30% of cases.
John Röhl's book, "Purple Secret", documents evidence of porphyria in Victoria, Princess Royal's daughter Charlotte, and her granddaughter, Feodora. It goes on to say that Prince William of Gloucester was diagnosed with porphyria shortly before he died in a flying accident.
Death.
The Duchess died at 09:30 on 16 March 1861, aged 74 years, with her daughter Victoria at her side. The Queen was much affected by her mother's death. Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that her mother had loved her deeply; she was heart-broken, and blamed Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from her mother. She is buried in the Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum at Frogmore, Windsor Home Park, near to the royal residence Windsor Castle.
Queen Victoria and Albert dedicated a window in the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park to her memory.
Portrayal.
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was portrayed by Alison Leggatt in the ATV drama "Edward the Seventh", by Penelope Wilton in the 2001 television serial "Victoria and Albert", by Miranda Richardson in the 2009 film "The Young Victoria", and by Catherine Flemming in the 2016 ITV series "Victoria".


Mayerling (ballet)

Mayerling is a ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan to the music of Franz Liszt, arranged by John Lanchbery, scenario by Gillian Freeman and designed by Nicholas Georgiadis. The ballet is based on the Mayerling incident, a series of events surrounding the apparent murder–suicide of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (21 August 1858 – 30 January 1889) and his lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera (19 March 1871 – 30 January 1889). The ballet premiered on 14 February 1978, at the Royal Opera House, danced by The Royal Ballet, with David Wall as Prince Rudolf and Lynn Seymour as Vetsera.
Synopsis.
"Prologue: The cemetery at Heiligenkreuz before dawn"
Act I.
"Scene 1: The ballroom at the Hofburg Palace, Vienna"
A ball to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary and Princess Stephanie of Belgium is in full swing. Rudolf flirts shamelessly with Stephanie's sister, Princess Louise, offending both his new bride and his parents, Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth. Rudolf meets Countess Marie Larisch, a former mistress, and Baroness Vetsera. The Baroness introduces her 17-year-old daughter Mary Vetsera. Four Hungarian officers, friends of Rudolf, enter and forcefully argue the separatist cause of their country. Countess Larisch tries to rekindle her relationship with Rudolf. The pair are discovered by the Emperor, who demands that Rudolf return to his wife.
"Scene 2: The Empress’s apartments at the Hofburg"
Having retired from the ball, Empress Elisabeth is being attended by her ladies-in-waiting. Rudolf visits his mother, on his way to his new bride. He expresses his deep unhappiness at being pressured into marriage. Desperate for maternal affection he tries to embrace the Empress, only to be coldly rebuffed.
"Scene 3: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg"
Princess Stephanie is getting ready for her wedding night. Rudolf enters and threatens Stephanie with a revolver before forcing her.
Act II.
"Scene 1: A notorious tavern"
Rudolf and Stephanie enter the tavern in disguise. They are accompanied by Rudolf's driver Bratfisch, who attempts to lighten Stephanie's spirits. Prostitutes compete for the men's attention and Stephanie flees the tavern in disgust. Rudolf turns his attention to his Hungarian friends and his regular mistress, the courtesan Mizzi Kaspar. The police burst in and Rudolf, Mitzi and the Hungarian officers hide. The police arrest several people before leaving. In a despairing mood, Rudolf proposes a suicide pact to Mitzi. The Prime Minister Count Taaffe enters the tavern, looking for Rudolf. Rudolf hides again but Mitzi tells the Count where he is hidden. The Count and Mitzi leave together.
"Scene 2: Outside the tavern"
Countess Larisch, ostensibly chaperoning Mary, presents the young girl to Rudolf as he leaves the tavern.
"Scene 3: The Vetsera house"
Countess Larisch calls on her friend Baroness Vetsera. She finds Mary absorbed by a portrait of Rudolf. Countess Larisch tells Mary's fortune using a pack of cards and informs her that her romantic dreams will come true. Mary gives the Countess a letter to deliver to Rudolf on her behalf.
"Scene 4: The Hofburg"
During the Emperor's birthday celebrations Count Taaffe confronts Rudolph over an incriminating political pamphlet on the Hungarian cause. Colonel 'Bay' Middleton hands the Count a joke cigar, to Rudolf's intense amusement. The Empress presents the Emperor with a portrait of his 'friend' Katherina Schratt. A firework display distracts everyone except the Empress and 'Bay.' Rudolf notices their amorous exchange and becomes bitterly resentful. Countess Larisch produces Mary's letter and teases Rudolf with it.
"Scene 5: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg"
Mary and Rudolf meet in secret for the first time.
Act III.
"Scene 1: A royal shoot in the countryside"
During a hunting expedition, Rudolf unaccountably shoots wildly. He kills a member of the court, narrowly missing his father.
"Scene 2: Rudolf’s apartments at the Hofburg"
The Empress discovers Countess Larisch and Rudolf alone together and angrily dismisses the Countess, unaware Mary is waiting outside. Mary enters after the Empress has left. Rudolf asks her to commit suicide with him.
"Scene 3: The hunting lodge at Mayerling"
Rudolf shares a drink with Count Hoyos and Prince Philipp of Coburg, attended by his valet Loschek. He asks them to leave, saying he is unwell. Bratfisch enters with Mary. Rudolf instructs Bratfisch to entertain him and Mary. Bratfisch, soon realizing he has lost their attention, leaves. In a mounting frenzy Rudolf makes love to Mary. He injects himself with morphine to calm his nerves and embraces Mary for the last time. He shoots her. Loschek, Hoyos and Philipp rush in, having heard the shot. Rudolf reassures them and instructs them to leave. Alone, he shoots himself. His friends rush in again, and collapse in despair when they find Rudolf's dead body.
"Epilogue: The cemetery at Heiligenkreuz before dawn"
Original production.
Mayerling was first produced for the Royal Ballet in 1978, by the British choreographer Sir Kenneth Macmillan, with a scenario written by Gillian Freeman, scenery and costume designs by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting design by David Hersey. Music for the ballet was compiled from existing works by Franz Liszt, arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery who also conducted the orchestra during the ballet's first season. The ballet was dedicated to the Royal Ballet's founder choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton and premiered at the Royal Opera House, London, on 14 February 1978. The Royal Opera House collections have archive information from twelve performances of this ballet, including the premiere and subsequent revivals.
Critical reception.
The original production was, in general, well received by critics, however there were some reservations. Many reviewers found the ballet overly long and the historical background of the story difficult to follow. However, Mary Clarke in the "Guardian" defended the complexity of the work: "Easy, after one or two viewings, to say this or that scene must go. But patience and understanding bring rewards; every scene tells something about Rudolf and the Court of Vienna in his time."
Other productions.
In 2013, Stanislavsky Ballet danced "Mayerling" for the first time, with Sergei Polunin as Rudolf.
In 2017, Houston Ballet became the first North American company to perform "Mayerling". The performance came shortly after Hurricane Harvey, which led to the company switching theatre. Connor Walsh danced Rudolf on the opening night.
In 2019, Stuttgart Ballet presented a new productions, with new sets and costumes by German designer Jürgen Rose It was the first time that "Mayerling" was performed in different sets and costumes. Friedemann Vogel was cast as Rudolf.
The Paris Opera Ballet was originally scheduled to debut "Mayerling" in May 2020, but the performances had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Videography.
The Royal Ballet released three DVDs of "Mayerling". The first, released in 2008, featured Irek Mukhamedov as Crown Prince Rudolf, Viviana Durante as Baroness Mary Vetsera, Lesley Collier as Countess Marie Larisch and Darcey Bussell as Mitzi Caspar. Another DVD, recorded in 2009 and released in 2010, starred Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Mara Galeazzi as Baroness Mary Vetsera. The most recent one, released in 2019, with Steven McRae as Crown Prince Rudolf, Sarah Lamb as Baroness Mary Vetsera, Laura Morera as Countess Marie Larisch, Kristen McNally as Empress Elisabeth, Meaghan Grace Hinkis as Princess Stephanie and Mayara Magri as Mitzi Caspar. The recording with McRae was broadcast on BBC Four in 2020.
In addition, In light of the impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on the performing arts, Stuttgart Ballet released a recording of a performance online, with Friedemann Vogel as Crown Prince Rudolf, Elisa Badenes as Baroness Mary Versera, Alicia Amatriain as Countess Marie Larisch, Miriam Kacerova as Empress Elisabeth and Adonhay Soares da Silva as Bratfisch.
Trivia.
MacMillan died of a heart attack on 29 October 1992, backstage at Covent Garden at a revival of "Mayerling".


Archdeacon of Emly

The Archdeacon of Emly was a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Emly and its successor amalgamated dioceses.


Bilina, Croatia


Feudal barony of Burgh by Sands

The feudal barony of Burgh by Sands, originally known as Burgh , (also known as the Honour of Burgh by Sands) (pronounced "Bruff") was a feudal barony with its "caput" in Burgh by Sands, Cumberland, England.
The barony of Burgh was granted by Ranulf le Meschin, Earl of Chester to Robert d'Estrivers. It passed by marriage of his daughter and heiress Ibria to Ranulf Engaine. It later passed by the heiress Ada Engaine to Simon de Morville. The barony passed by successive heirs female to the families of Multon, Dacre, and Howard.
It was purchased by John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale in 1685.


Torra di Roglianu

The Tower of Roglianu or Tower of Parrochia () is a Genoese tower located in the commune of Rogliano in the Cap Corse region of the Corsica.
The tower is within the village of Rogliano at an altitude of and not on the coast. It was built in the 15th century and is now privately owned. In 1935 it was listed as one of the official historical monuments of France.


Ursula Donath

Ursula "Ulla" Donath ( Jurewitz, later Brehme, born 30 July 1931 in Saldus, Latvia) is an athlete from East Germany, who competed mainly in the 800 metres.
Donath competed for Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy in the 800 m where she won the bronze medal.