For all its noble goals the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons i.e. the NPT has always had a glaring hole. It fixed the recognized nuclear weapon states as those that conveniently had tested a nuclear device prior to the ratification of the treaty. Then while it envisaged nuclear disarmament, there was no way to …
Marta Skowrońska was a Lithuanian peasant of possibly Polish origins. Details about her roots and early life are sketchy. Possibly born in 1684 she was married off in 1702 to a Swedish dragoon in Latvia. Swedish forces were in the region following their decisive victory at the Battle of Narva in 1700. But 8 days after …
This day in History – May 17, 1727 – death of Yekaterina I Alekseyevna Empress of Russia Read More »
Caligula, Nero and now Commodus (thanks to two Hollywood blockbusters in 30 years) have been imprinted in popular imagination as the epitome of depraved Roman Emperors. Their third century counterpart has not received the Hollywood treatment so far. The third century was a violent period with most Emperors dying with their boots on. The …
A revolt in Bohemia in 1618 ignited the religious tensions suppressed in Germany by the Peace of Augsburg. Augsburg allowed German princes to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism but made no provision for Calvinism. Adding to the tensions was the power of the Hapsburgs who ruled Austria, Bohemia and Hungary with their Spanish branch controlling …
This day in History – May 15, 1648 – The Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War Read More »
The period from 897 to 1047 is possibly the nadir of the Papacy – even counting the Borgias. Lowlights included: The Cadaver Synod where Pope Stephen VI (VII) exhumed the body of his predecessor Pope Formosus, put it on trial for perjury and tossed it into the Tiber. This inspired the disgusted Roman mob to …
It was the first campaign Hitler was forced to fight due to his Italian ally’s incompetence. The thrashing of the Italians in North Africa forced Hitler to send in one of his best tank commanders Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps in February 1941. Outnumbered and out-equipped Rommel won a series of stunning victories before his …
Today in History – May 13, 1943 – The Afrika Korps surrenders Read More »
The Republic of Venice had once been the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. Almost impregnable because of the mashes that surrounded the city, Venice used its naval power to project military power abroad. In 1204 the Venetians diverted the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople fatally weakening the Byzantine Empire. As the Empire crumbled in coming years before …
This day in History – May 12, 1797 – Collapse of the Republic of Venice Read More »
Petrus Sabbatius was born to a Latin speaking peasant family in Macedonia with no hint of his glorious future. When he was a boy we was sent to Constantinople where his uncle Justin served in the imperial guard. The rough soldier adopted his nephew. After the adoption the young Petrus took the cognomen by which he is …
This day in History – May 11, 482 – Birth of Petrus Sabbatius Read More »
Decades of simmering economic, cultural, social and religious resentments to the rule of the East India Company finally ignited in the military cantonment of Meerut in North India. By 1857 the East India Company reigned supreme in the subcontinent. After the debacle of the Afghan War in 1839, the independent Sikh State of the Punjab …
Today in History – May 10, 1857 – The Great Uprising commences in India Read More »
It was a decision that came three years too late. With a referendum on the monarchy looming and tainted by his previous support of fascism King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy finally abdicated his throne n favor of his son Umberto II and left the country the following day. Victor Emmanuel had allowed Mussolini to rise to …