History
The rape of the Sabine women
While the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic are well remembered today, less well known is the Kingdom of Rome. Legend claims that the city of Rome was founded in 753BCE. Romulus killed Remus in an act of fratricide and went on to found the city of Rome, naming it after himself. Romulus then invited …
The Ptolemys – a soap opera
Almost everyone has heard of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. They fought against Octavian for control of what would soon be the Roman Empire after the death of Julius Caesar. They lost to Octavian. Shakespeare wrote a play about it. But there is so much more to the story. Cleopatra was a descendent of Ptolemy I, …
The Tale of Thomas and Mary Reibey
Thomas was an officer on His Majesty’s ship Britannia. Mary was a horse thief. Thomas was a 19 year old junior officer when in 1794 he proposed to 17 year old Mary. Thomas was serving in the employ of the British East India Company at the time and Mary was under a seven year sentence …
Suffrage – a short history
We love it when young university educated women sign petitions to end female suffrage. The results of a good solid feminist education.
Mary, Jane, Mary, Elizabeth, Joan and Catherine
The 16th century was a time of powerful female rulers in Western Europe. Queen Elizabeth ruled for what amounts to the second half of the 16th century. She was no figurehead either. She was the absolute ruler of England and Ireland (Britain would not arise as a state until generations later). Legally she was a …
Propertius & Prudentius show gender allocation of credit and blame
To demonstrate romantic sensibility and gain warm acclaim, a successful man often proclaims that he owes all his success to his wife. Under the common law of coverture, a husband is responsible for all the crimes his wife commits. Such examples aren’t unusual. Crediting women while blaming men underpins the modern idea of gender equality. …
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Littlemore
Imagine. It’s the 15th or 16th century in merry old England. You’re a monk looking for some action on a Saturday night. Where do you go? Littlemore Priory of course! In 1445 the priory was investigated because the prioress, Alice Wakeley, regularly hosted drinking sessions. At least one local monk often dropped by to party …
Goodnight Irene
No one knows the exact year that Irene was born. It could have been 750 or 756 or somewhere in between. What we do know is that she was Greek and born in Athens. By the time of her birth Athens was a provincial backwater in the Eastern Roman Empire. Many of the buildings from …
