[Steppes] Period Week in Review 07-23- through 07-29-2006

[Mike]

Heilsa,


Hope the reader will enjoy this look at History
within Period - both from the past and the present
as it affects the history that is known today.

Week in Review 07-23 through 07-29:

July 23rd -

China  1201 - 1300
On July 23rd, 1227   Qiu Chuji, Chinese Taoist died. Qiu Chuji
(alternately rendered Kiu Chang Chun, Taoist name Perpetual
Spring); was a Quanzhen Taoist, the most famous of Wang
Chongyang's seven disciples, or Seven Immortals. He was
also the founder of the Dragon Gate Taoism. In 1219 Genghis
Khan, founder of the Mongol empire and the greatest of
Asiatic conquerors, invited Chang Chun to visit him. Genghis'
letter of invitation, dated 15 May 1219 (by present reckoning),
has been preserved, one of the great curiosities of history.
Here the formidable Mongol warrior appears as a meek
disciple of wisdom, modest and simple, almost Socratic in
his self-examination, alive to many of the deepest truths of
life and government. Returning home he largely followed his
outward route, with certain deviations, such as a visit to
Kuku-khoto. He was back in Peking by the end of January
1224. From the narrative of his expedition (the Hsi Yu Ki,
written by his pupil and companion Li Chi Chang) we derive
some of the most faithful and vivid pictures ever drawn of
nature and man between the Great Wall of China and Kabul,
between the Aral and Yellow Sea. Of particular interest are
 the sketches of the Mongols, and of the people of
Samarkand and its vicinity; the account of the fertility and
products of the latter region, as of the Ili valley, at or near
Almalig-Kulja; and the description of various great
mountain ranges, peaks and defiles, such as the Chinese
Altay, the Tian Shan, Mt Bogdo-ola (?), and the Iron
Gates of Termit. There is, moreover, a noteworthy
reference to a land apparently identical with the uppermost
valley of the Yenisei. After his return Chang Chun lived
at Peking until his death on 23 July 1227. By order of
Genghis Khan some of the former imperial garden
grounds were made over to him, for the foundation
of a Taoist monastery.

July 24th -

Scotland  1301 - 1400
On July 24th, 1394  Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan,
Scottish prince died. Alexander Stewart, called the Wolf of
Badenoch, was a Scottish prince and the first Earl of Buchan
of the second creation of the title, from 1382 to his death.
He was also Justiciar of the North, but not an effective one.
Alexander was the son of King Robert II of Scotland by his
first wife, Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. His nickname was
earned due to his notorious cruelty and rapacity. Alexander
was known to set the forest of Rothiemurchus on fire to drive
out deer and boars so that they might be hunted more easily.
He tried to divorce his childless wife, Euphemia Leslie,
Countess of Ross, and when the Bishop of Moray reprimanded
him for this, Alexander began a feud with the Bishop.
On 17 June 1390 he took revenge on the Bishop by burning
two monasteries, the cathedral and Royal Burgh of Elgin,
along with the Maison Dieu Hospital and the parish church.
His brother King Robert III of Scotland was outraged and
ordered him to pay reparations for this crime. He died in
1394, and was buried at the Cathedral of Dunkeld. He left
only an illegitimate son, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar.

July 25th -

France  0801 - 0900
On July 25th, 0864 - Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders
defensive measures against the Vikings. The Edict of Pistres is
often held up as one of the few examples, if not the sole example,
of good government from Charles the Bald, the man who can be
called first king of France. At a time when Vikings more than
annually ravaged not only the European coast, but much of the
interior (especially in France) as well, a king was most valued
who could defeat them in the field and prevent their attacks in
the future. The primary, and most long-lasting, effect of the Edict
was therefore to protect the cities and countryside from
Viking raids. Charles did this by creating a large force of cavalry
upon which he could call as needed. He ordered all men who
had horses or could afford horses to serve in the army as
cavalrymen. This was one of the beginnings of the French
chivalry so famous for the next seven centuries. The intention
of Charles was to have a mobile force with which to descend
upon the raiders before they could up and leave with their
booty. To prevent the Vikings from even attaining a great booty,
Charles also declared that fortified bridges should be built at
all towns on rivers. This was to prevent the dreaded longships
from sailing into the interior. The first bridge built was at Pistres
itself, across the Seine. At Paris, bridges were built on both
sides of the Île de la Cité. Those bridges would save the city
in the siege of 885-886. Charles also prohibited all trade in
weapons with the Vikings, in order to prevent them from
establishing bases in Gaul. Asides from its auspicious military
reforms, the Edict had political and economic consequences.
King Pepin II of Aquitaine, against whom Charles had been
fighting for decades, had been captured in 864 and was
formally deposed at Pistres. Economically, besides the
prohibitions on commerce with the enemy, Charles tightened
his control of the mints and limited them in number to ten.
Charles also made an attempt to control the building of
private castles, but this failed and even minor lords
constructed fortresses of their own on local hilltops to
defend themselves and their underlings from the constant
threat of Scandinavian invasion.

Modern Day
Reported on July 25th,   Latin for Beginners...The British Archives
has posted a tutorial for those who want to learn Latin. Latin
1086 - 1733: a practical online tutorial for beginners uses early
documents to demonstrate how Latin was used and to teach
the basics. The website includes the tutorial, for which no
previous knowledge of the language is required, and includes
explanations of grammar, word lists and practice sentences.

The web site:   http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/beginners/

July 26th -

Italy 1201 - 1300
On July 26th, 1267   The Inquisition formed in Rome under Pope
Clement IV. The term Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae
Pravitatis Sanctum Officium) refers broadly to a number of
historical movements orchestrated by the Roman Catholic
Church aimed at securing religious and doctrinal unity through
the conversion, and sometimes persecution, of alleged heretics.

July 27th -

Japan  1501 - 1600
On July 27th, 1549  Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reached
Japan. Due to displeasure at what he considered unchristian life
and manners on the part of the Portuguese which impeded
proselyting work, he travelled from the South into East Asia.
He left Goa on April 15, 1549, stopped at Malacca and
visited Canton. He was accompanied by Anjiro, two other
Japanese men, the father Cosme de Torrès and Brother
Juan Fernandez. He had taken with him presents for the
"King of Japan" since he was intending to introduce himself
as the Apostolic Nuncio. Xavier reached Japan on July 27,
1549, but it was not until August 15 that he went ashore at
Kagoshima, the principal port of the province of Satsuma on
the island of Kyushu. He was received in a friendly manner
and was hosted by Anjiro's family until October 1550. From
October to December 1550, he resided in Yamaguchi.
Shortly before Christmas, he left for Kyoto but failed to meet
with the Emperor. He returned to Yamaguchi in March 1551
where he was permitted to preach by the daimyo of the
province. However, lacking fluency in the Japanese language,
he had to limit himself to reading aloud the translation of a
catechism.  Saint Francis Xavier (Spanish: San Francisco
Javier; Portuguese: São Francisco Xavier;
(April 7, 1506 - December 2, 1552) was a pioneering
Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of
Jesus (Jesuit Order). The Roman Catholic Church
considers him to have converted more people to
Christianity than anyone else since St. Paul.


July 28th -

Modern Day
Mongolia  
On July 28th,   Ghenis Khan, Renaissance Guy. Genghis Khan --
notorious as the ruthless, bloodthirsty creator of an empire
that spanned Asia and Europe - also laid the foundations for
the Renaissance, according to a news story recently
published by China's Xinhua news agency. "Genghis Khan
introduced papermaking and printing technologies to Europe
and pioneered cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe,"
said a specialist on Mongolian history at Beijing Union
University. A professor at Ningxia University noted that
Genghis Khan's expeditions to Europe reopened the Silk
Road, which "revived the ancient trade link and made
economic and cultural exchanges possible again between
the isolated civilizations." History is divided on when the
Renaissance started and some historians believe there
were a number of Renaissance periods in Europe starting
from the 12th century. The Italian Renaissance in the 15th
century is perhaps the most famous, during which the arts
and sciences, particularly mathematics and astronomy,
flourished. China has also in the past made numerous other
unusual historical claims, including the contention the Chinese
invented football and golf. This year marks the 800th
anniversary of Genghis Khan uniting the Mongol tribes.

July 29th -

Modern Day
England  Time Period 1301 - 1400
One of only three known Edward III double florins went for
UK£460,000 at Spink auction house. The Edward III double
florin, known as a double leopard and with a face value of
six shillings, was circulated from December 1343 until July
1344. It is only the third known surviving coin, with two others
found in the River Tyne in 1857. The coin - the first large gold
one in England after centuries of silver ones - was found in
February by a metal-detecting enthusiast in the south of
England. The location of the find is being kept secret in order
to prevent the site being overrun by treasure hunters.


YIS
Lord Michael Kettering
Combat Archer for the Condottieri