http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/charlesI.htm Charles I Execution
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/londonfire.htm Great Fire in London
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/sunking.htm Inside Louis Court
http://www.answers.com/topic/oliver-cromwell Cromwell - Pick One Reading.
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART29281.html Gunpowder Plot
http://www.show.me.uk/gunpowderplot/children_torture.htm Gunpowder
http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/prides-purge.htm Pride's Purge
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7221/antisemitism.htm Anti-Semitism
http://lightning.prohosting.com/~zhenka/054.html Stenka Razin
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/history/peter1st.asp Quick Hit on Peter The Great
http://hem.passagen.se/uscygnus/CharlesXII.html Charles XII
http://www.bonfirenight.net/ 4th of July Britain Style http://www.geocities.com/traditions_uk/bonfire.html Bonfire Night
http://www.bonfirenight.net/ Bonfire Night
http://militaryhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/wilhelm_i_and_the_potsdam_giants Potsdam Giants. http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/W.Europe/W.Europe9.htmlhttp://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/history/events/dates/ch5.shtm Battle of the Boyne
http://www.geographia.com/russia/moscow02.htm Kremlin
http://polish-baltic-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_false_dmitris_of_russia Dmitri Stabbed. (Age?)
11 comments:
I read about the gunpowder incedent and the torture chamber of Guy Fawks. I thought it was an interesting tale and what would have happened if the plan succeded, history would be totaly different. Although a plan to blow up part of [parliment and the king with it was a little extreme it seems it was about to go off without a hitch. I wasn't really surprised by the torture methods within the tower of london, there were other stories like that and when I went to the tower in England there were rooms were prisoners scratched messages on the wall and the torture chamber already looked really cruesome without such stories. I also read about Peter the Great of Russia which jogged my memory of the times back in Global. He was a young King with good old Ivan, then Ivan died and Peter turned into a great czar. What I didn't know was the 21 year long war it took to get their ocean front property.
I liked the links about the Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes because it shows that history can be tremendously changed if one little thing had happened. The link about the Gunpowder plot mentions how if he had succeeded in blowing up parliament that England may have been restored to Catholicism and things could have gone back to the way they were. Although history can not be revolved around "what could've been" it is important to understand the stability of the government. On another note, the torture I think is plain obvious based on the signatures in the "Gunpowder" link. A conspirator is never all that willing to give up the name of his fellow comrades unless he has something against them or is being severely tortured. This intense change between his two handwritings also shows a severe change is physical condition in the course of one day. I just find that whole incident really fascinating and I've always loved moments in history that could have possibly altered the future of a country or the world.
I liked how the eyewitness website described Charles I as "Self-righteous, arrogant, and unscrupulous". That was one of the most horrible descriptions of a King I have heard. The parliament turning against him and going into a civil war is horrible when it is directly related to what the king has done. Of all things the Parliament, lead by Oliver Cromwell, had turned against him.
The description of the Gunpowder plot was surprising. I very would have thought that the Catholics were tried of the Protestant rule. In the last chapter it was the other way around. I had heard about the November 5th Plot and that song on the torture website. The picture of the torturing and the writing is a little creepy. Fawkes, one of the people plotting the Gunpowder Plot, was tortured by the King to get other plotters.
I read about the gunpowder plot and about the torturing of Guido "Guy" Fawkes, and both articles were pretty interesting. The gunpowder plot deals with the whole "what if?" scenario "what if the king had been in parliament? nobody really know and that is what keeps Englands history alive and interesting. I think it is clear as day that Guy Fawkes was tortured because the two sample signatures were extremely different. The second one showed a very weak (and most likely tortured) hand. The torture tactics were not necessarily new to me but just to hear about them gives chills knowing that someone had to go through that just to get a few names and a confession. I liked both articles because each made you think about the situtaions for a moment.
I had never heard of the gunpowder plot so it interested me. I did not know that V for Vendetta was based on the gunpowder plot. Now that I know this the movie makes more sense. It was also interesting to learn that Guy Fawkes first name could be the origin of the English word guy. It is amazing how one conspiracy can make a movie and even a word.
Prides Purge page was also very interesting. It went into more detail then what the Barr article went into. I did not know Cromwell stationed a cavalry regiment at Hyde Park and this made many Presbyterians leave parliament. I also did not know that General Fairfax tried to stop the purge. I also found that history never mentions the second in demand and the two people who were second in demand was Sir Hardress Waller and Lord Grey of Groby who were very important because they identified the MPs. The article even listed some of the people who were captured who were William Prynne, Sir William Waller and Edward Massey. The article was very explanatory of Pride’s Purge.
"Remember, remember, the 5th of November." This makes me want to read V for Vendeta. But anyway... I think it is very interesting that the plot to blowup the parliment buildings failed. Imagine what the world would look like now if that one man hadn't warned the king of the plot. It's wierd how things spark random festivals, though. Guy Fawks day id big in England now, and people do remember the 5th of November (Which is tomorrow, by the way)
As for the Kremlin, I never knew that it stood for the city of Moscow! I thought it was what the solviet leardership was called... So, it was a helpful article in that sence.
The website on Ivan the Terrible is interesting. It is interesting that Fredor almost got the throne though he was considered to be mentally retarted. Boris, the brother-in-law, sounds like a very bad person for banishing the helpless toddler, Dmitri,to get the throne. It is sad that the kid later went in to an epileptic seizure while play a game of darts with knives and stabed himself.
The first one that I read about and found interesting was The Great Fire of London. I was able to really understand this one the most because I had actually walked the areas of the city where the fire engulfed. Although it was a devastating time for the people, it lead to wider streets, buildings made of fire-resistant stone and the re-building of St. Paul's Cathedral. What most people don't know is that the monument is 202 feet tall which is the exact distance between the monument and where the fire broke out on Pudding Lane.
The next one that caught my eye was the website regarding the Potsdam Giants. The main idea behind his "giants" are that all of the men Wilhelm recruited had to be above 5' 11" and he went to many measures to get them in his army. It is not said how well his army did because he never really had them fight, but flaunted them to whoever would pay attention. After his death his son, Frederick the Great took over the army and relieved the "giants" of their duty and sent many back to their homes. Sotry tells that some actually didn't have homes and just wandered around the rest of their lives.
I thought the website on Ivan the terrible was interesting. He really wasn't so terrible, just an able administrator. I also thought the historical implications of the gun powder plot was fascinating.
I enjoyed reading further into the Guy Fawkes scandal as it was depicted in the Gunpowder Plot article. I found the parallel between the incident in 1605 and the terrorist attacks in 2001 an interesting concept. The "climate of fear" had an impact on people then the same way it does now.
I also read about Peter the Great and his quest to build a dominating "paradise" and to gain port for Russia. His taxation policies allowed him to gain ample funds to spend on his high aspirations. The situation the nation was at the time allowed for such taxation and domination to be somewhat productive for the large nation. The peak of Peter was definitely the dominating time in Russian history.
I read the execution of Charles I in 1649. I found the anonymous observers writing of the execution to be helpful. Its shows that the bishop and the executioners opinion of the king. How the people who may not of followed him still respected the fact that he was king. I also read the reading on Peter the Great. I found from the reading that Peter was an emperor who earned his right to labeled with such a name. Especially since he was a ruler who didn't fear physical labor by being an experienced army officer, navy admiral, and ship builder. His military skills probably help him in his war with Sweden. With his victory he made Russia an empire. Still focusing on the economy of Russia he was able to reorganize the gov't and introduce taxes to fund his active foreign policy. To boost national manufacturing and trade for Russia. His rule is filled with many accomplishments and I found it amazing that he was the first to open Russia to western influence to try to educate his people.
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