Interview preparation/notes

Duke Ellington - Black and Tan Fantasy - Jeffrey Magee

'Black and Tan Fantasy' - another pre-Cotton Club piece that summons elements of the jungle style but likewise reaches beyond it to evoke a complex affective alloy - first recorded in the spring of 1927 and revisited many times after that The title itself conjures contrast - the racial contrast unique to the "black and tan" nightclubs that catered to a mixed-race clientele The piece has attracted commentary on the marked musical contrasts between the two strains - 'one, an earthly but subtle blues chiefly featuring Miley's growl style, and the other, a sweet and lyrical song featuring Otto Hardwick's alto saxophone and the final cadence based on Chopin's "funeral march" from Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor has been heard variously as a 'dark and dour conclusion and as an unexpectedly witty musical wink' Scott DeVeaux and Gary Giddins have argued that Ellington intends the contrasts to be satisfactorily resolved 'because the racial coexistence encouraged by a black-and-tan nightclub can only be a fantasy whose brief existence leads inevitably to the death kneel tolled by the Chopin funeral march'.

History of the use of the word Crusade

Article: On the last Tuesday of November 1095, Pope Urban II delivered one of the most electrifying speeches in History, at the Southern French city of Clermont. As the crowds gathered, Urban alleged that "a race absolutely alien to God has invaded the land of Christians, has reduced the people with sword, rapine and flame." He called upon Catholic Europe to "take the cross" and set out on a Holy War to retake Jerusalem from the hands of the Muslims. Then he offered something with no precedent, which set the idea of the Crusade apart: "whoever for devotion alone, not to gain honour or money, goes to Jerusalem to liberate the Church of God can substitute this journey for all penance." The promise of salvation was an opportunity that could not be missed and consequently around 100,000 men and women took up the call with one overarching aim: to kill the Muslims. On Tuesday the 11th of September 2001, President Bush awoke expecting a normal day; he went to Emma E. Booker Elementary School where his visit was intended to highlight education reform. On the short walk from the motorcade to the classroom, Bush was told that a lost plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre. He asked to be kept informed and entered the classroom full of second-graders. After a few minutes of watching the class, Bush's Chief of Staff Andy Card entered the classroom. He leant forward and famously whispered eleven words into the President's ear (pictured): "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." Five days later, Bush walked on to the south lawn of the White House, and before a crowd of Journalists stated his most famous words on what America's reaction would be to 9/11: "This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while." This statement was to send a shiver down the spine of the Muslim World. Moreover, the word 'Crusade' acted as a propaganda gift to Osama Bin Laden. In February 1998, Al Qaeda (literally, 'the base') had declared its intention to wage "Holy War against Jews and Crusaders." Bush's statement simply fulfilled the claims Bin Laden had been making for years: "So Bush has declared in his own words: "crusader attack". The odd thing about this is that he has taken the words right out of our mouth." Bin Laden was essentially a master of propaganda, using the internet and satellite television technology to reach more audiences than any antagonist of the West could ever have done before him. The former head of the CIA unit hunting him described him as a "modern-day Saladin", the triumphant Muslim hero who wiped out almost all of the Crusader states in the 1100s. The reason Bush's use of the word had such a profound affect was due to the extreme brutality in the history of the Crusades. In his depiction of the Muslims at Clermont, Urban in affect opened Pandora's Box to racism and intolerance; the Crusaders could be barbaric in their acts as the Muslims were "alien" and thus their acts did not have to be carried out in moderation. For example, upon crossing into Asia Minor, the Crusaders' first target was the ancient city of Nicaea. During its siege the Franks catapulted the heads of slain Muslims into the city to intimidate the garrison (pictured). However, this savagery was certainly not one sided. The Muslims also committed similar acts, such as hanging the Greek Christian Patriarch of Antioch over the walls and beating him with an iron rod whilst the Crusaders sieged the city. For the last two centuries, the Crusades have been depicted as pivotal in the relationship between Islam and the West. However, in reality, despite the barbaric acts displayed they left no permanent damage on relations and were almost completely forgotten by the Middle Ages. In fact, the reformation in 1517 and the birth of enlightenment thinking actually saw the Crusades become thought of as a dark and undesirable past. In Islam, there was not even an Arabic word for 'Crusades' until the mid-nineteenth century. They were simply referred to as 'jihads' (holy war) or 'The Wars of the Franks.' Today however, the word is strewn about the media and popular culture in the West with seeming careless disregard. After conquering Jerusalem in 1917, General Allenby entered the city on foot in order to show his respect and that the city was open to all religions. However, the English periodical 'Punch' published a cartoon entitled 'The Last Crusade' (pictured) which depicts Richard the Lionheart - who failed to take Jerusalem on the Third Crusade - looking down on Jerusalem captioned: "My dream comes true!" The actual meaning of the word 'Crusade' has also developed in recent years. In his speech to the Allied Expeditionary Force before D-Day in 1944, President Eissenhower told his men to "embark upon a Great Crusade." This statement revived the idea of a Crusade as a force for good and allowed it to be used in more of a metaphorical sense. Given Eissenhower's statement, many have argued that Bush simply meant his statement after 9/11 in a purely military sense as Commander-in-Chief. However, due to Bush's deeply religious personal beliefs carried throughout his Presidency, it is hard to know what type of Crusade he was really referring to. To conclude, the Crusades are a dangerous example of the potential for history to be appropriated, misrepresented and manipulated. Although the First Crusade was launched over 900 years ago, they have a profound presence in the modern world, even if predominantly through allusion. Their significance is undisputed, however both the West and the East must be careful not to fall into the trap of "Crusade parallelism." Whilst it will always be important to listen to the lessons of History, the true meaning of the Crusades must be analysed in the context of the times they really occurred. Email to Asbridge: Upon reading your book 'The First Crusade: A New History', in particular I became intrigued by Pope Urban II's launch of the First Crusade, and the reasons behind it. I was absorbed by your seeming overarching argument that 'the crusade was designed, first and foremost, to meet the needs of the papacy'. I understand your argument in the context of the period such as with the Investiture Controversy, however, my research has led me to the conclusion that Urban's motivations were can only be seen as religious as opposing your argument that he wanted people to take up the cross in order to go and retake Jerusalem thus showing his power and unifying the Church, my belief has developed to become that he will have wanted as many people to go to heaven as possible or else he would not have offered salvation for those who went on the Crusade. Following this line of argument Urban's motivations cannot be seen as personal as he was striving to affect others - his motivation was solely religious. Moreover, if the number and type of people taking the cross did actually spread out of control from what Urban wanted in a collection of knights, why would he have offered salvation as reward for going on Crusade, as there is no way he could not have known how popular this ideal would be in Medieval Society given the central important of religion and the ubiquitous nature of violence. Reply: My main advice to you would be to consider that Urban may have been driven by a complex range / multiplicity of motives (some of which might appear to be incompatible to our modern eyes), rather than a single monolithic objective. 'One man's war on terror is another man's religious campaign' - what do you mean by this? Can be seen both ways - also other reasons too - e.g. personal. What are some of the common themes that emerged. Use of violence as a means of achieving a goal.

Douglas Haig

Black Adder Goes Forth - sweeps the toy soldiers off the table map into a dustpan and brush Haig's diaries (cw): There are two versions of Haig's diaries: the manuscript version (quoted) which Haig wrote during the war, and the typescript version which was typed after the war, expanding on much of the detail and including a number of supplementary papers. Consequently, there is a conspiracy that Haig deliberately altered his diaries to make himself look better. Haig's purpose for writing his diaries could be seen as for Publication. However, he died in 1928 and they were not first published until 1952 as the typescript version and 2005 as the manuscript version, thus it is hard to say whether he actually intended for them to be published. As Commander-in-Chief, Haig was in a lonely position having to constantly show the 'mask of command'. Consequently, his diaries show the issues Commanders faced and is more likely to be negative and extreme, acting as a pressure valve for Haig's private thoughts. However, Haig was also a relatively continuous diary writer meaning we are likely to gain more of a myriad of the extremes and the positives thus providing a more reliable middle ground. Furthermore, Haig's diaries were originally written to his wife meaning that they provide a fair insight into what Haig believed to be the case at the time, even if it wasn't necessarily accurate. Haig's diaries therefore show the limited information which he had to base his decisions on. Ultimately, Haig's diaries have some limitations as a source but they are useful in grasping Haig's attitude towards and understanding of technology. Sheffield: Sheffield has a long term academic and professional history which has shaped his view of Haig. At the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from 1985 he developed an essential understanding of operational history, and as a Lecturer at Joint Services Command Staff College from 1999 he could not be overly radical in his views, contributing to his equitable judgement of Haig. Publishing 'Forgotten Victory' in 2001 allowed him to focus on the holistic view of the war on the Western Front, and publishing 'The Somme' in 2003 meant he combined narrative with analysis, fitting the infamous battle into the wider context of the war. Furthermore, editing the new version of Haig's diaries with John Bourne in 2005 allowed him to develop an in depth understanding of Haig's perspective. This work meant that by the time he published 'The Chief' in 2011, Sheffield was well-versed in decades of research on Douglas Haig, leading him to form a sustainable conclusion Laffin: Laffin's view of Haig is shaped by his connection with the war. His father was part of the Australian Army Medical Corps and later commissioned into the infantry, and his mother served in the Australian Army Nursing Service. He notes how growing up in Australia his mother would refuse to watch the annual Anzac Day March because she had 'too many painful memories of men she had nursed but who had not survived'. This formulated Laffin's negative view of Haig, reflected in the brutal title of his book itself. The Chief: 'As early as 16 September Haig was alarmed by reports of superiority of German artillery, and he rapidly grasped the advantages to be gained from marrying the aircraft to the gun battery.' - learnt from Sir John French failing to recognise the German strongholds after maps were issued by the RFC of pictures from behind the lines 'The year 1915 marks the beginning of the period by which Haig's modern reputation stands or falls.' an obvious explanation for his unflattering success in 1915 is that he was simply stupid (as some historians have argued). But, 'and examination of First Army's battles in 1915 reveals that the path Haig chose, although unsuccessful, was not the product of irrationality or stupidity.' The major problem was not 'breaking-in' to an enemy position but exploiting the advantage - WW1 armies lacked a good 'instrument of exploitation.' Haig was a much more remote figure than Monty - different circumstances: lacked the radios, aircraft and jeeps Monty could use to get to the front. But also different personalities. Haig would have seen Monty's style as vulgar and the men of 1914-1918 would have also been bemused by it. If he was at fault in his use of technology 'it lay not ignoring innovations but expecting too much from them.' Somme - Why didn't he call off the battle? - 'Great battles cannot simply be turned on and off like a light switch.' it appeared that British troops were cut off behind German lines, and they could not be abandoned.' plan B had been a long drawn out battle anyway, and the Germans had also clearly suffered. Statue of Haig in Whitehall - unveiled in 1937, pro-Haig veterans criticised the stylised horse and the fact that Haig is bare-headed. His reputation had declined so much that by 1937 the Express called for it to be torn down. John Terraine, 'Haig's doughtiest defender, argued that if Haig had taken command of the BEF in 1918 there could be no doubt about his status as a 'great captain.' he made many mistakes in 1915-17 with blood consequences, 'but in August 1918 he got it right.' 'For all his reputation as a 'butcher', Haig was not as ruthless as some of his Second World War counterparts.' Funeral - live TV, three of the King's sons followed the coffin and the crowds that gathered were larger than at Princess Diana's funeral (over 100,000) He transformed the BEF 'from a small Regular army to 1918's mass war-winning force.' It's hard to separate Haig's learning process from the learning process of the entire BEF The core of the case against Haig = casualties. However, 'it just wasn't that sort of war.' Haig recognised that Germany was the main enemy and the Western Front was the main theatre. His influence on command in WW2 powerful, pervasive - and negative.' There was an aim of 'no more Passchendaeles.' However, although awful, should Haig be credited for this lesson he taught WW2? Exploring how when Monty took command of the 8th Army in August 1942, he introduced a modified and up to date version of the attritional methods of 1918. Haig (nor any WW1 commander) has received any kind of credit for this. Monty instead presented himself as a sort of anti-Haig, a general who delivered victory at an acceptable cost. He showed himself as the people's general (hat, name, clothing etc.) and was always with his men - not like a chateau general. We have to judge Haig by the standards of his time!! Bond and Cave 6th of November 1998 - 'The Express' under the headline 'he led a million men to their deaths; launched a campaign for Haig's statue on Whitehall to be removed because of the 'shadow' it cast over the cenotaph Brian Bond's hope that one day WW1 will be studied 'simply as history without polemic intent or apologies' still seems very far away - should you have to apologise for history? Was the claim to take down the statue reasonable? The gulf between popular understanding of the war and academic scholarship has affected view on Haig especially - he is central to the popular view of the war None of the WW2 (or others) commanders have received such an assessment as Haig - more practical to write about him - more documents etc. 'Haig's origins as a cavalry officer are frequently cited against him.' - but horses were essentially machines? Laffin - Butchers and Bunglers One day, 20,000 dead, 60,000 casualties Rawlinson knew the bombardment wasn't as successful as thought but didn't tell Haig - but it should've been obvious to Haig that shrapnel would not cut the German wire as well as high explosive shells!! - p67 Walking in the Somme - again symbolic?? Was he stupid, was he mad? Haig didn't even entertain the idea of calling off the offensive - by continuing he could 'prove' that he never intended to breakthrough but his strategy was one of attrition - is warfare about personality? It is certainly a myth that attrition was the only way to win the war - it was ONE of the ways There could be no more appropriate location for the statue of Haig - he was the cause of their death and thus should be with them, paying his respects - should Haig's status actually be there and with them? Was it misunderstood by the express and is actually showing respect?

Freedland Podcast

A comparison of the current wave of fake news stories, particularly those targeted at Muslims and Immigrants in the UK, with the anti-Semitic story of an eight-year-old Christian boy, William of Norwich, who was murdered in woodland outside his native city in 1144. His death was later reported as a Jewish conspiracy and ritual, becoming the founding myth of the so-called 'blood libel.' Miri Rubin: "absolutely no reason to believe that this happened" Jews first came to England from Normandy. In a Spanish supermarket an individual waved around a gunned shot a few things - claimed to be a Muslim terrorist attack and shouting Allah aqba - in reality it was a Spanish individual speaking Basque Entirely different!! This narrative has been created that Muslims are "the other" - everything that fits in builds up that story - everything is linked to this overall narrative and this is happening more and more Thomas of Monmouth therefore talks of William as a lamb that was taken to the slaughter - powerful frame for the invention of the fake news Thomas of Monmath (1150s) said that several miracles were occurring after his death such as a rose that bloomed throughout the winter But the story really took off when Thomas decided to dedicate the rest of his life to convincing people this was what happened - the boy deserved martyr status and something should be done to the Jews who did it to him James Ball - author of post-truth: how bull shit conquered the world The fertile ground for modern myth ground is social media - focus on the things that are completely fabricated When there's a focus on hate it is often a colonel of truth that is widely distorted 'Britain First' has 1.6 million members on Facebook - share a lot of nostalgic politics, and take real reports of hate action by extreme Islam and post 30-40 copies of the same incidents on the same day in order to make people think there are 30 or 40 incidents - relentless barrage of not outright false material, but the frequency gives anyone who follows it a very misleading picture Like the miracles with William - might have one relatively minor incident but then if 30 different outlets have written it you become bombarded Atmosphere in the 12th century Although there wasn't twitter or Facebook, the trails are the same - social and economic networks still existed - and the church was this centre of authority so they would be believed Lists that came into circulation of the lists of these miracles both large and small No evidence that the Jews were expelled in any kind of way BUT lots of evidence in the story actually circulating in many other monastic communities such as Gloucester, the nearby Bury St Edmunds There has to be some caution just saying establishment news good, anti-establishment bad - in the world today fake news can come from the president of the united states Fact checking can actually fuel rumour making and hatred - Trump's press secretary said that the media had underreported 78 terror attacks thus every Media rushed to check the claim and proudly showed image after image of islamist extremists This reminded the public of this old images as if new - did exactly what Trump wanted We have to think about the strength of narratives - think about where these toxic narratives can go There is no technological way you can reach everyone if you share something and then realise its fake Our societies are built to challenge this kind of thing - we just need to think about how to do that more effectively One of our realities is that bad news sells If something is said enough times does it become true? - 1984, the Purges in Russia - if the party says so, " 2 + 2 = 5." (1984) - After Lenin's death 500,000 copies of a photograph of the Lenin and Stalin apparently chatting as friends on a bench appeared throughout the Soviet Union. Is fake news ever spread for a reason other than personal gain? Did Thomas spread it for his own profile or did he really believe it would help others?

Can History teach us lessons? (comp)

Focus on conflicts. TRC formed after apartheid in SA - not after the troubles in NI. When looking at American history it is clear to see an inability to understand indigenous populations of other countries. The USA thought the Cubans would support the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Iraqis would welcome them in 2003; in both cases they didn't, suggesting a failure at the time of the Iraq war to learn from past experience. Conclusion: (agree w/ John Arnold's argument): Another argument against the idea that History should be used to teach us lessons in the present is that surely if these lessons were to exist, we would be able to predict the future. However, the future remains as unknown as it has always done. As a result, I find the argument that History presents us with the opportunity to draw lessons for consideration the most sustainable. Thinking about the past allows us to contemplate our future actions opposed to directly 'learning' from them. Head Soc - Laid out a series of examples, questions, quotations etc. then discussed! - e.g. to what extent do you think that the lack of a precedent is why we are struggling to leave the European Union so much?

Music - Figaro

From Nicholas Till's 'Mozart and the Enlightenment' 'Chorus of peasants who trip in and out of the noble chateau of Aguasfrescas with such curious insouciance, even penetrating the domestic apartments adjoining the Countess's bedroom. Who are these peasants? They reflect 'no obvious reality of late eighteenth-century society.' three ways to play them: Purely comic - but then it is hard to persuade the audience of their emotional credibility or the social reality of their confrontations We could strip the opera of all social references making it a dream of illusion and nostalgia Or they are a menacing, threatening riff-raff who offer a warning of the revolution The history of Emperor Joseph II's reforms in Austria in the mid 1780s allows to understand the troubling role of the peasants... Habsburg Reforms: The 18th C is often portrayed as a tranquil period flanked by turbulent centuries This vision of culture and progress stretched from late 17th C England to late 18th C Germany, and was known as the Enlightenment. It collapsed so brutally into the french revolution - is it a myth that the 18th C was stable? Really had weak foundations? The unrest of the 17th C caused a reappraisal of social order - the immediate solution was the Hobbesian one of absolutism During the reign of Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II, between 1740-1790 the Habsburg Empire was dragged breathlessly and traumatically into the modern age - they attacked the power of the feudal nobility and the church - Joseph became the 'Philosophe on the throne.' The economy began to flourish bringing in a liberal, capitalist bourgeoisie with its own expectations and demands - confrontation was inevitable - as the pace of change accelerated traditional institutions of social cohesion were destroyed leading to an economic and social individualism - this threatened to undermine the authority and security of the state itself thus Joseph had to rescind some of his reforms Germany In the 18th C national boundaries and identities were often fluid and uncertain - nowhere more than Germany fragmented into hundreds of tiny states, free cities and ecclesiastical domains, further separated by the split between the Protestant North and Catholic South - held together by only a common language and the allegiance to the HRE in Vienna This made it hard for the german artist to identify a coherent culture, and audience The 30 years war had devastated the economic and cultural life and therefore the slowness of economic growth - it did not have the economically and culturally progressive bourgeois like in France Mozart arrived in Vienna in 1781 after trying to find somewhere to remedy this - it changed everything... Under Joseph, for a few years Vienna became the freest, most open, liberal and tolerant city in Europe, guided by the purposeful vision and forthright hand of the emperor himself. Vienna promised to be the seat of a new German culture in which opera and theatre would play a central role - at the core of Joseph's vision there was also an enlightened society with a strong devotion to the reformed catholic faith Mozart looked to Vienna at the accession of Joseph II as the centre for a major regeneration of German culture in which he could play a part as a German musician - however this was founded on misunderstanding of Joseph's cultural aims. The holding together of his kingdoms was much more important than forging a German cultural identity - although himself a musician and obsessed with theatre, he had little understanding of cultural life beyond the strictly utilitarian Figaro Represents Mozart's most balanced vision of society - a world where individualism need no longer be constrained by the imperatives of the all-powerful state and whose citizens are free, autonomous individuals learning to interact harmoniously with each other. What the eighteenth century masters were frightened of was the new independence of servants - Figaro represents the 'new breed' of servant - the individualist, touchy about his honour and dignity who enters into a waged agreement with his master rather than the serf born upon the state and therefore subject to lifelong servitude One of the Austrian aristocracy's most vehement complaints against Joseph II's abolition of feudal ties in the Habsburg territories was that masters in affect had no control over their servants The earlier Enlightenment's more typical response to the troubling status of servants had been to present a vision of paternalistic masters and sickening loyal servants - le nozze di figaro deliberately subverts the comforts of this - although the countess and susanna have an affectionate relationship it exists due to a common threat opposed to a genuine sisterly sentiment The relationship between Figaro and the count shows that in a modern society those who engage in contractual agreements are legal if not social equals - both partners have a responsibility (none over the other) F and S will gain legal independence in the opera but servants don't aspire to social or political equality with their master so it remains a conflict simply between masters and servants rather than aristocracy and bourgeoisie - servants don't represent an independent social class; they are too symbiotically wedded to their masters - disagrees with Napoleon quote I learnt that under the reforms of Joseph II in the 1780s, Vienna had became one of the most liberalised City's in Europe. Till concludes that Figaro is therefore a symbol of the new type of Servant that 18th Century Master's feared. Whilst Napoleon argued that the Opera was "the [French] Revolution already in action", my speculation led me to find this argument unsustainable; the servants want independence from their masters, not equal social standing, thus it is a conflict between master and servant opposed to between aristocracy and bourgeoisie.

Building Bridges beyond violence and hate video

Jo Berry has worked for over 14 years to resolve conflict around the world. Sixteen years after her father was killed by an IRA bomb (Brighton bombings), Jo first met with the man responsible, Pat Magee. met in a friends kitchen - very relaxed, shook hands Her aim was to listen - wanted to hear his story - why he joined the IRA - wanted to see him as a member of humanity If I'd been Patrick would I have made the same decisions? When we were targeting Brighton we were targeting the tories - weren't looking beyond that I was as guilty as having a reduced view of the animate as they were - didn't see beyond the uniform, flags etc. Discourage others from this path or at least think more about ALL the options you have Young people - lack of choices around leads to violence now as with Patrick - not just about changing the culture of war and violence about creating infrastructures so people can learn about peace building at every level Wouldn't seek forgiveness - did his actions in full consciousness p73 (of Geraghty's 'the irish war') - Tim Pat Doogan told Dillon: 'the one power that neither Dublin government nor the IRA nor anybody in Ireland had was the power of initiative. That power lay in London. So obviously, that is where the blame lies."

Medieval Women Article

Living in a time of fourth-wave feminism, it seems more important than ever to examine the role of women in history, and whether the role they appear to play is in fact what it might seem. My Great Great Grandma, Isabella Jolley (pictured on her wedding day in 1908 with her husband William) lived from 1890-1985, and on the face of it was simply a wife of a miner in County Durham and a mother to two children. However, in fact, she was also a Suffragist; she did not agree with the 'direct action' tactics of the Pankhursts, but she did believe strongly in the idea of female Suffrage and thus she lived her life accordingly. An article from the Stanley News (c.1963) quite rightly described her as "a fighter for many causes." For the purposes of this article, I want to look back at the thoughts, actions and circumstances of Medieval Women, trying to understand if their presentation in history is an accurate reflection of their reality. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 is probably the most well taught historical period in Primary Education, with its events recorded in the famed Bayeux Tapestry. The Tapestry teems with countless Knights, and over one-hundred and seventy horses, but apart from Queen Edith, only two women (one of them pictured) are depicted in the seventy metre long record of the Conquest. Despite this, it was women who made the tapestry. Moreover, only three hundred and fifty women appear as landowners in the Domesday book at the time of Edward the Confessor, and about half of that was in the hands of only three women. These women were not what we would now call 'liberated' women, but simply landholders in order to support the economic ambitions of the men of their clan. It is hard to distinguish how women would have felt about their status at this time in history as the idea of women as the inferior sex was something in the foundation of Christian society. Christian teaching - especially as emphasised by St Paul - was wary of allowing women any place in public speaking. Women in church were to 'keep silence and take their place with all submissiveness as learners' (I Timothy, 2:11). Women's words were essentially dangerous, as ultimately it was through the words of a woman - Eve - that sin entered the world. This idea can be further extended with the development of the cult of the virgin in Anglo-Saxon England. In Patristic theology, it is Mary's acceptance of God's plan which undoes Eve's assent to the devil; Eve rebels but Mary complies. Mary was viewed as the perfect model of silence upon which the idea of the ideal woman as passive and submissive was built. Furthermore, as Henrietta Leyser has argued, "Medieval women were classified according to their sexual status." Whilst men were thought of collectively as knights, merchants, or crusaders, women were classified as virgins, wives or widows. Despite these arguments, this is not to say that a woman's sexual status was not considered as important. In a society so centered around Religion, it could not be denied that everyone - including Christ himself - had come into the World through a woman for example. As a general rule we assume that Medieval children learned to imitate their parents' skills: for girls of whatever class, spinning was the most common accomplishment. However in London c.1286, we find Katherine 'la surgiene' working alongside her surgeon father and brother for example, showing her seeming rejection of passively following her Mother's profession. Although the nature of Medieval Society would seem to suggest that women were inconsequential, Robert Fossier has argued the contrary, seeing the central Middle Ages as a time when peasant women actually came into their own. The emergence of settled villages populated by nuclear families and the building of long houses with a central hearth (pictured) brought women, quite literally, into the middle of Society. More recently, the feminist theory of écriture féminine as laid out by Cixous and Irigaray in the 1970s embraces this idea. For them, when the stereotypical 'feminine' qualities of being a woman are turned from lesser to being embraced and celebrated, the woman gains superiority. Turning to Medieval Literature, firstly it would be wrong not to mention Heldris Cornwall's monumental work 'Silence' of the early Thirteenth-Century in such an Article. The story is about a heroine named Silence who is raised as a boy due to inheritance laws. At the end of the story, the truth about her gender is revealed, however Silence is allowed to inherit the land anyway. This story serves to show that women were not always disempowered by Medieval records. Secondly, it is important to note that it is often standard practise to contrast the Epics of early Medieval Literature with the Romance of the later period and conclude that the change from one genre to another signalled a significant positive change in the position of women. However, more recent criticism has shown this to be an exceptionally naive view: the Romance heroine on her idealised pedestal is, if anything, worse off that her Epic predecessor who at least has some part to play in the thick of the fighting. These contrasting ideas show the many levels of interpretation when trying to determine the thoughts and positions of women in Medieval Society. To finish, it was never going to be possible to understand fully the actions, circumstances and thoughts of Medieval Women in this short Article. However, these examples have clearly established that Medieval Women were definitely not the simply passive, subservient figures history may have recorded them to be. Like my Great Great Grandma, and many Women today, they were prepared to fight their cause, and may not have therefore always been quite what they may have seemed.

Our Anniversary obsession (podcast)

Look at On this day trivia Go to a museum Battle of Britain memorial service this year Always on the Radio! The Database Book - every anniversary in 2019! What impact does our obsession have on the study of history? Who decides which we look at and which we don't A good way of making people think about history, but do they oversimplify How does memory work? Spanish flu - why do people care when its 100 years in the past, not 78 - the same number of people died When you have a large collection in a museum you're always looking for a way to make it look relevant Anniversaries are also problematic in Museums - when things don't all inside an anniversary it's hard to get them into an exhibit When we celebrate an anniversary the risk is that it's like the closing credits of a film Events that don't fit into an anniversary so well - the everyday history. e.g. The Big Pit in Wales. Can anniversaries be damaging to our understanding of history? Global conflict - celebrate the beginning and the end and many big battles in between. But e.g. WW1 there were other spheres of conflict - Pacific and North Africa. Feels like you've ticked a box and can move on. Oversimplification. The way we relate to time itself. Homorhythmicus - humans love of time. Linear time is what we see in the modern world. Circular view is recurrence - e.g. celebrated on the same day. Anniversaries is based on a desire to cyclicalise time Jewish holiday of Hanukkah - particular blessing made when lights the candles - 'on those days of this time' - captures the overlap between circular and linear time Anniversaries gives the idea that something becomes more and more and more - e.g. wedding anniversaries Zeros mean something - according to nine year olds turning 10! You will never be two digits again and probably die with two digits. Nice round number A society that operates that way. A culture that counts on the basis of ten Centenary - 11/11/19 - 100 years since we first commemorated WW2. The cenotaph - focal point for the anniversaries of WW1. Was a temporary structure in 1919 - don't plan these anniversaries. An element of it is what will help the country after - develops. Starts with 2 minutes silence, then marches and veterans, then royal family etc. State commemoration on anniversaries makes the national personal - allows individuals to recognise their own contribution within a framework that is so much lighter Armistice balls - evening. Meant to party that it's the last on earth. Celebrate that you're alive and what they gave to you after being sad in the morning. Commemoration black hole - celebratory aspect dies out. State needs to use the anniversary to mould what happened. The commemoration serves to solidify what is respectful Marking an anniversary can also mark the process of time - compare yourself with how you were e.g. a year ago (Colin) Quite difficult for some people who have personal connections to events to see it in the media - e.g. Nicky 9/11 Individual and collective experiences - this can cause tensions. Media is doing it to sell papers etc.? If the anniversaries aren't held every year will that mean that they will just be forgotten Anniversaries can be useful tools for campaigns - e.g. international Windrush day. Recognised the contribution migrants made to Britain. If we hadn't had the Windrush scandal then It wouldn't have happened Commemorative stamps (Royal Mail) - only do it for 50th and 100th anniversary Danger of having a specific day of the anniversary - it's somehow ok to forget about it for the rest of the year. Difference between celebration and commemoration - remember RAF100 Anniversaries are shaped and shape political context - how do political forces dictate anniversaries. Regimes often celebrate the day they were liberated by the red army. Rally around anniversaries as it reminds us of a time we were together (war) - are anniversaries powerful in forming our nationalism. But whether they achieve it or not is not known? 1994 Parisians celebrated 50 years since the liberation of German occupation - maybe we take freedom for granted? 1991 Jeremy Paxman reported from st petersburg as the 71st anniversary of the bolshevik revolution. Not celebrated as they were trying to start an era of a new communist regime. Trying to reconstruct a new vision of the soviet union - at least critical. Unite the country around a different vision of where Russia should be going. Anniversaries don't just serve to celebrate the past - important rallying point for a defensive position. Remember that in the past the soviets meant invasion etc. they have a right to defend themselves as history has given them that. Holocaust memorial day - the date the allies liberated Auschwitz. Pinned in time to a particular day, space to a particular place, and as something victorious. Ignores the other camps, the process that led to Auschwitz, forgets other Jews that were killed in other ways, focused on later period. Is this bad? Different events raise different questions. When anniversaries come round the inevitable question is have we learnt from the past? A lot of discussion about the need to do so, often stands in place of anything actually happening. Kindertransport. Ashamed that it had happened in our generation By remembering what has happened we will perhaps stop it happening again - I doubt it but we need to try People say that in remembering anniversaries we learn from the past - do we actually learn? For Germany the Armistice remained a difficult anniversary - Hitler used it for his purpose Why do anniversaries have such power? Comes from a joint power between the state and people. We do things because we want to. It's also because we have always done so. Opportunity for people to reflect on what they have done in the past. We buy into it as much as we are being sold it. We do it because we want to. Why is there not an anniversary for everything? Because there is no use for it now. And it makes us feel uncomfortable. No better way of forgetting something than remembering it - the History Boys. forget it for the rest of the year Anniversaries do get people interested in history. Time passes, fashions change but anniversaries always remain - Dominic Sandbrook History itself becomes fraught with the fear of oversimplification - area in between and myths Danger with anniversaries that it becomes overwhelmingly nostalgic? More backwards looking that forwards looking. Balancing respect for the past - we are always building on what has come before. Using an anniversary as a platform to look forward Maybe we should all be using them to ask what do we want the next group of years to look like? When do you think we should stop doing this? Hope that at some point there will be a natural moment to stop. Depressing saying that we want to continue anniversaries - would seem that nothing has changed? 2009 programme by Dominic Sandbrook - programme actually made as the tenth anniversary of this programme!

Can Practice actually make perfect?

Looking at this room in front of me, I'm pretty sure I can say that all of you will have heard the phrase, 'practise makes perfect' at some point in your life. As a musician, this has always been something that has been said to me, and up until now I have simply nodded and agreed to it rather half-heartedly. However, I recently came across the theory known as the 'ten thousand hour effect.' In broad terms, the theory states that perfection can be achieved in anything - not just music which I will be using as my example - with ten thousand hours of practise. In the early 1990s for example, a psychologist divided the violinists at Berlin's Elite Academy of Music into three groups: the 'stars,' with the potential to become world class violinists, those merely classed as 'good' and those who were unlikely to ever play professionally. He then asked them all the same question: over your entire practise career how many hours have your practised? Initially, the results were similar with all the players starting around five years old, and practicing for 2-3 hours a week. However, by the age of 20 the stars had totaled over ten thousand hours in contrast to the merely good students who had totaled 8,000 hours and the rest totaling just over 4,000. Now you might be thinking this sounds a little bit depressing - I am sitting my grade 8 piano next week and I have definitely not yet reached my 10,000 hours of practise! However, perhaps the most remarkable thing about the study is that whilst it didn't find any 'naturals' - no one had got to the top whilst practising a fraction of the time of their peers - the study also didn't find any, what they called 'grinds' - people who had worked harder than everyone else yet just didn't have what it took to break the top ranks. Despite this, 10,000 hours of practise in whatever it is you do is still a very long time so I thought I would discuss some alternative theories. The world renowned pianist Claire Tueller has gained her ten thousand hours of practise, but she lives by a different philosophy, stating: "Practise does not make perfect. Perfect practise makes perfect." This perfection she says, can be gained in anything in three steps: Firstly, you must become consistent in your practise and develop a willingness to actually sit down and work at something. Secondly, you must evaluate yourself and become a crazed perfectionist. Each time you play a section of music for example you must ask yourself honestly, was that right? If no, this leads to the last step and most important step: Repetition. You must perform whatever activity it is over and over until it is not only correct but also easy and natural so it is in your muscle memory so you can perform just as successfully when under pressure. Drawing on my own experiences one of the most important things I've learnt is that of course you must practise physically but you must also practise mentally. Visualising a performance as successful (in anything from e.g. GCSEs to playing a Sports match) allows you to believe that you have the ability to perform with excellence which simply greatly increases your chances of that happening. One 2008 study for example found that medical students who combined mental practice with hands-on experience did better when performing real surgery than those who had only relied on physical practice and textbook reading. To conclude, please don't walk away from this talk thinking that I'm saying everyone should strive to be perfect because (put simply) we are not robots and nobody can always be perfect. However, in order to become better at something I encourage you to approach it with patience and not expecting instant gratification as we so often do in the 21st century - hard work will always pay off in the end. Finally, I thought I would finish with a quote by Leonard Bernstein. Someone once stopped him in the street in New York City and asked him if he knew how to get to Carnegie Hall. His response, 'practise, practise, PRACTISE!'

American Slavery

Mount Vernon Slave Cemetery Washington avoided speaking of the issue of slavery publically as he feared it would tear the fragile nation apart. He made his most public antislavery statement after his death. In his will, Washington ordered that his slaves be freed at his wife's death. Unfortunately, this applied to fewer than half of the people in bondage at Mount Vernon. Those owned by the Custis estate were inherited by Martha Washington's grandchildren after her death. Many Washington and Custis slaves had married and formed families together. For them, separation from loved ones tainted celebrations of newfound freedom. I know very little about George Washington but I was lucky enough to visit his home - Mount Vernon - in Easter 2019. I was struck most by the Slave Cemetery. The whole visit and house was about the exceptional achievements of George Washington and how he fought to give American independence in (4th July) 1776. Americans like to think that the United States was "conceived in liberty." How can this be true if it was a world built by slaves? If something was ok or considered normal at the time does that make it ok now? Peter Kolchin - American Slavery (Book) Thomas Jefferson proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" - he had slaves! 8 of the first 12 US presidents (49 of the first 61 years) were slaveholders Washington (and some others e.g. John randolph and Robert Carter III) provided the freedom of slaves in their wills - 'thereby securing emotional benefit without suffering financial loss.'

Richard the Lionheart

Positive views of Richard Jotischky 'If Richard inherited a winnable situation when he arrived at Acre at the beginning of June, his victory at Arsuf was of his own making' 'Richard's success at Arsuf was due to his ability to control the disparate army, made up of native barons of the kingdom, Flemish, French, Angevins, Poitevins and the Military Orders'. When the Hospitallers gave way to Saladin and charged, 'he (Richard) timed to perfection the moment to commit the rest of his forces to the charge, and the Turks were driven from the plain' End of July 1192 Richard had to recover from Jaffa after a surprise attack by Saladin - Ambroise the Anglo Norman chronicler noted how the Muslims surprised by the ferocity of Richard's charge from the beach fled in confusion Gillingham 'No earlier or later king took on a challenge remotely comparable with the task of taking a fleet and an army to the eastern end of the Mediterranean and there facing, even facing down, an adversary as formidable as the great Saladin'. 'What matters here is, above all, Richard's commitment to the crusades' Argues that Philip 'made little impact on the state of the siege [of Acre]' - but Richard had been ill through almost the whole period of between his arrival and the fall of the city - Philip played a much more active role in those events. The Muslim writer Baha wrote about Richard during the 3C 'A very powerful man of great courage ... a king of wisdom, courage and energy ... brave and clever' Other Some have criticised Richard for only spending 6 months of his reign in England and siphoning the kingdom's resources to support his Crusade - however whilst England was a major part of his territories it had none of the major internal or external threats of his other territories and so didn't require his constant presence there Like most of the Plantagenet kings before the 14th century he had no need to learn the English language - leaving the country in the hands of various officials he designated - Richard was far more concerned with his more extensive French lands Philips Saladin failed to pay the first ransom instalment after Acre - 'unable to tolerate any delay Richard had the 3,000 Muslim prisoners marched out and massacred by his men' Has often been contrasted with Saladin but it should be remembered that he 'enthusiastically executed the knights of the military order after Hattin' In reality Richard had little choice in his actions - the prisoners needed to be fed and guarded and he could not release them as they would fight again and if Saladin was delaying him to tie him down at Acre the results could have been disastrous 'Pitiless as it was, Richard had to sustain the momentum of the crusaders' victory at Acre and he set out for Jaffa on 22 August 1191' Negative views of Richard M. Markowski 'Richard's failure to take Jerusalem leads to the conclusion that his self-centered, puerile interests in personal adventures destroyed the chance for success of the Third Crusade, and thus prolonged warfare' 'Richard subverted the goal of peace by turning away from a siege of Jerusalem and toward various other adventures' 'As a Crusader he was a dismal failure, he was no hero, but a man who merely wanted to fight hand to hand forever' Runciman 'Richard was a gallant and splendid soldier but a bad son, a bad husband and a bad king' William Stubbs 'His ambitions was that of a mere warrior' 'He was a bad king: his great exploits, his military skill, his splendour and extravagance, his poetical tastes, his adventurous spirit, do not serve to cloak his entire want of sympathy, or even consideration, for his people' Other The sources are always waited towards Richard as having the most important influence - perhaps Philip did? 'Philip's arrival marked the transition to expectation of Christian success' Set about preparing for attack - rode around Acre to see where the wall might be easily broken and prepared throwing engines - the new engine included 'The Evil Neighbour' and 'The cat'. 'God's own sling' (probably a trebuchet) was also built The french filled in the moat in preparation for an attempt at storming the stronghold Phlip was ready for attacking but sticking with his agreement waited for Richard Philip had offered three gold pieces a month for men to serve him in the holy land - Richard immediately offered 4 (poaching them) If philip was unwilling to continue the crusade it is no surprise Motivation for Richard definitely comes from that idea of legacy. From how he launches the Crusade it does show that he does care about the Crusade. Exploits his kingdom at the expense of his Crusade. Ultimately, the third crusade is unsuccessful - do not recapture Jerusalem (primary objective). If you judge him by medieval standards, he was an outstanding King - what Medieval people wanted. Contemporary is less favourable. Asbridge: 'The best evidence suggests that the battle of Arsuf was actually a relatively insignificant, opportunistic encounter, and it could also be argued that the Lionheart's strategy in relation to Jerusalem was reflective of an elemental failure to grasp the nuances and unique demands of crusade leadership' success - issue is that Ambroise wrote some time after the end of the 3C in knowledge that Jerusalem had not been recovered - set out to make Richard look a hero of the war, and an overall victory would have occurred if his original plan had been realised Other eyewitness accounts challenge this - most notably a letter written by Richard himself (a dispatch from the front lines to Europe) - written just three weeks after the battle. Suggests the front ranks were already 'setting up camp' in Arsuf before the unexpected attack came 'Crucially, his generaliship was reactive, not proactive' Philips thinks Asbridge takes this nuance view just to get published!

The Great Cat Massacre

Story: The worker Nicolas Contat has told the story of 'The Great Cat Massacre' as an apprentice in the printers shop, rue Saint-Severin in Paris during the early 1700s. His narrative describes two workers - Jerome (who represents him) and Leveille - who live in awful conditions under their master, who can be considered as the Bourgeois. The master's household had a lot of cats, but the cats howled all night meaning the workers couldn't sleep. Consequently, Leveille mimicked these noises over the master's bedroom for a few nights until he and Jerome were ordered to get rid of the cats. They staged a mock trial for each cat before brutally killing them with a plethora of domestic tools. This massacre was reenacted by Leveille along with 'copies' (satirized incidents of events in the shop) providing vast entertainment for the workers. Gaining an understanding of an event so distant from our society today can help us understand the culture of workers in preindustrial Europe. We need to understand the joke as understanding something so 'alien' can help us understand their culture 'Like all storytelling, it sets the actions in a frame of reference; it assumes a certain repertory of associations and responses on the part of its audience.' The cat massacre was an attack on the master and his wife - ownership of the cats set in the context of the divide between the workers and the bourgeois. The cats were given the position in the household that the boys wanted Contat would have also feared the increasing rate of hiring alloues who were under qualified printers who had not undergone the apprenticeship - cheap labour 'The torture of animals, especially cats, was a popular amusement throughout early modern Europe.' Cat killing was a common theme in Literature - such as seen in Don Quixote Not just fantasy - a myriad of reports have shown that children used to attach cats to poles and roast them over bonfires for example Cats represented witchcraft - witches turned into cats to carry out their evils The way to save this was to maim the cat Cats were also seen to have supernatural power in their own right - e.g. to cure yourself from pneumonia, you drank blood from a cat's ear in red wine 'To kill a cat was misfortune upon its owner of its house.' Linked to the most intimate parts of domestic life - sex ('pussy') - 'cats connoted fertility and female sexuality everywhere' It is impossible to say which of these many symbols the men of the print shop saw in the cat - but it is clear to say that cats had an enormous symbolic weight in France In hanging 'la grise' first they were attacking the house itself in accordance with cat lore By using such elaborate ceremony in their murder they condemned the bourgeois themself as guilty - guilty of underworking and underfeeding his apprentices, guilty of living in luxury whilst his journeymen did all the work. Popular rebellion (although restricted to the earlier level of symbolism) Link to sex - in killing the cat the men destroyed the most intimate part of the household but got away with it due to the symbolism - if an act is symbolic is it just as bad? Why did they find it so funny? - by using fake cat calls, they provoked him to allow the massacre of the cats which they used to symbolically put the master on trial for treating them unjustly in the shop A dress rehearsal for the September massacres of the French Revolution? Or is it restricted to the level of symbolism? 'The symbolism disguised the insult well enough for them to get away with it.'

The Pope's Rhinoceros

Tells the story of the 16th-century attempt to procure a rhinoceros for the amusement of Pope Leo X - Lawrence Norfolk. i) what can we ascertain about the past from the stories? ii) what makes the stories credible / incredible? iii) why is it interesting? Or is it of no interest? One of the first things it is clear to see when reading this extract is a picture of the hierarchies and systems in place in medieval Europe. In the first story for example, the animal can be seen to represent the idea of the importance of trade in defining society. The Rhinoceros is a possession here, which is passed on from people of high status to others of high status also showing that values were felt to lie in material wealth. This idea can also be seen in the way the Rhinoceros is 'decorated' at times, such as when King Manuel decides to give it to Pope Leo X in a "collar of green velvet decorated with flowers." This first story shows that novelty was introduced by those at the top of society; the wonder the Rhinoceros caused as a near mythical beast associated a sense of wealth and power with those who possessed/presented it to those below them in society. Conversely, in the second story the Rhinoceros becomes something that is inherited - Philip II inherits it after Henry I's death in 1580. However, the Rhinoceros still remains something to be paraded by those in an authoritative position as something for those of a lower class to look upon in awe. In the final story however, a real contrast is shown: Clara is no longer shown to the world by the elite; she is paraded to those at the top by those who previously looked upon the creature, suggesting a change in the nature of society by the 1700s. Another lesson that can be taken from this story is the potential detachment of medieval European society from the wider world. The second Rhinoceros is personally named Abada even though that is the general term for a Rhinoceros deriving from the Malay word Badak. The creatures in the first and second stories spark such an uproar upon arrival in their various locations because there is virtually no precedent for them in Europe, thus as the text describes they "created a sensation." This again takes us back to the idea of novelty in medieval europe; the Rhinoceros' inspired art such as seen through Albrecht Durer selling between 4000-5000 copies of the Rhino print he produced in his lifetime alone. Moreover, Clara's five months spent in France inspired "letters, poems, and songs were written about her, and wigs were created a la Rhinoceros." On the other hand however, this sensation also raises the question of credibility - was the beauty and power of this creature exaggerated simply because it was something new and people saw it as representative of their society? A clear example of this can be seen in Pliny's hyperbolic anecdote of the first Rhinoceros' fight with a young elephant. In the final story of this extract, this wonder is no longer seen to be presented in art again suggesting a shift in the nature of society by 1700. Clara becomes something of monetary value as seen through the exhibit in London with an entry price of sixpence and one shilling. The Rhinoceros once symbolized the economy through its image in trade, but by this point its importance can be viewed as being considered extremely differently. To conclude, a lot can be discovered about the past from these stories even if some of the content may be incredible. However, this may actually play to our advantage, allowing us to see the nature of the impact of something new upon different societies. These stories are essentially important to aiding our understanding of how societal hierarchies, functions and actions have developed over time.

The End of History - Francis Fukuyama

Thatcher's summary of it in a letter to Powell: Fukuyama's thesis is that history has been the struggle of rival ideologies, a struggle which western, liberal democratic ideas have now convincingly won. Fascism and Communism have been seen off: although nationalism and religion might seem competitors, they are not so in practice: and it is unlikely that new ideologies are going to emerge. He draws the conclusion that history is at an end, in the sense that the great ideological conflicts are over and that the whole world is now moving more or less rapidly to adopt liberal democratic ideas. He adds rather facetiously that the consequence will be centuries of boredom ahead. But this is not essential to the argument. Margaret Thatcher, 1989 and the Fall of the Berlin Wall - John Antcliffe Lecture by Dr. Robert Saunders Fall not just of an empire but of an entire world order

Why Oxford/History/Hertford?

The Course: Extraordinary range and enormous amount of choice of what I want to study Celebrated for its broad chronological sweep of its courses Enjoy looking at a chronological narrow focus but also looking beyond that, confronting other (related) periods and concepts Look at things not just in the immediate context but in the perspective of long-term developments Broad Geographical range - experts in many fields Interdisciplinary approaches - encouraged to adopt a variety of approaches in their work. One of the popular options in first year is approaches to History which explores the cross-fertilisation between history and other disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economics, archaeology, art history, and gender studies. For those who are interested in the development of historical thought a first-year option looks at the work of historical writers from Tacitus, the chronicler of the corruption of early imperial Rome, to Max Weber, the founder of modern sociology and second only to Marx in his influence on historians. Disciplines of History will allow me to develop my skill of historical comparison - https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/disciplines-history See Oxford History course info (doc made when prepping PS) for more information Tutorial System: Students have at least one tutorial a week, expected to write an essay which is then discussed with a specialist Complemented by seminars and lectures - discuss each others' work by the presentation of papers in turn to the group History at Oxford is therefore a subject of energetic debate: debate between your tutor and yourself, debate between you and your fellow students; and debate between your tutors themselves. Resources available: The Bodleian - actually being with tutors who not only have read the books, they have written them! History Faculty Library - located in the Radcliffe Camera Location The city itself is steeped in History Hertford - located close to the Radcliffe Camera (History faculty Library) Hertford (Music) Has chapel and music room, orchestra and music society (one of Oxford's largest student run), music society puts on a free public recital in the chapel every Wednesday lunchtime. Non audition choir with a great reputation, directed by student Organ Scholars, regular chapel services (Sunday and Thursday), rehearse twice a week also perform other exciting concerts and venture on a European tour every Summer! 8 choral awards at once (auditions held in freshers week). One evensong per week plus a weekly rehearsal. There is also an optional Eucharist on Wednesday. History Historical comparison and drawing from History.

Early Modern Europe - Alison Rowlands: the masses in the 16th century

The masses is too broad a term - they were not homogeneous but individuals - the image is too static, failing to recognise an era of significant change About 90% of people lived in the countryside - peasant is the overarching term but there were many forms of this - types of tenure, farming methods, size of land holdings

The Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich - Thomas of Monmouth

The rose bloomed in the winter of 1144-145 After his body was moved into the Cathedral, miracles began to occur every week - after being moved the Norwich gentry began to pay homage and thus everyone else followed Whole sections on what will happen to those who mock william or do not believe the Jews killed him - why? Although the fame of the first purported victim (william) lessened, 'the structural framework of his passion endured and proved easily adaptable to other situations.' - it linked the medieval landscape directly with the awesome holiness of biblical story - increasing popularity with the Virgin Mary, accepted by the king of england and endorsed by the king of france, and a practical tool to extort funds form the Jews (E.M. Rose book!)

English - Paradise Lost, historiography

These are only three possible interpretations of their role, but it shows the importance of considering anything that provides a trace of the past - including music, which is effectively in a different language - as a Source. However, Sources are not always simple to analyse. For example, as part of my A Level English course I have studied Books IX and X of Milton's 'Paradise Lost', a poem which tells the story of Genesis in verse. Should this be considered as a Historical Source? Yes, but it is more complex than that. In my opinion, Paradise Lost as a piece of Literature serves as a Source about the context of Milton's own time (the 1600s) opposed to a Source of what happened at the creation. It shows his understanding of religion, relationships and politics, opposed to the understanding of those who wrote the original accounts in the Bible. When looked at as a Source in this light it opens up numerous paths to follow such as the ideas of power at the time, written by a man who essentially wrote propaganda against the King during the English Revolution; it shows Milton's 'mentalité', not that of those who wrote the Bible.

The Press in the Falklands War

United Kingdom[edit] jwf - It wasn't. How much falklands footage have you seen? You can argue that thatcher used the tv spectacle of the task force leaving and sailing south to effect, but ultimately it was a print and radio war. If you define tv war in the Vietnam or even gulf war models this was not one. The Sun's infamous "Gotcha" headline Seventeen newspaper reporters, two photographers, two radio reporters and three television reporters with five technicians sailed with the Task Force to the war. The Newspaper Publishers' Association selected them from among 160 applicants, excluding foreign media. The hasty selection resulted in the inclusion of two journalists among the war reporters who were interested only in Queen Elizabeth II's son Prince Andrew, who was serving in the conflict.[151] The Prince flew a helicopter on multiple missions, including Anti-Surface Warfare, Exocet missile decoy and casualty evacuation. Merchant vessels had the civilian Inmarsat uplink, which enabled written telex and voice report transmissions via satellite. SS Canberra had a facsimile machine that was used to upload 202 pictures from the South Atlantic over the course of the war. The Royal Navy leased bandwidth on the U.S. Defense Satellite Communications System for worldwide communications. Television demands a thousand times the data rate of telephone, but the Ministry of Defence was unsuccessful in convincing the U.S. to allocate more bandwidth.[152] TV producers suspected that the enquiry was half-hearted; since the Vietnam War television pictures of casualties and traumatised soldiers were recognised as having negative propaganda value. However, the technology only allowed uploading a single frame per 20 minutes—and only if the military satellites were allocated 100% to television transmissions. Videotapes were shipped to Ascension Island, where a broadband satellite uplink was available, resulting in TV coverage being delayed by three weeks.[152] The press was very dependent on the Royal Navy, and was censored on site. Many reporters in the UK knew more about the war than those with the Task Force.[152] Ministry of Defence press briefings in London were characterised by the restrained dictation-speed delivery of its spokesman, Ian McDonald.[153] The Royal Navy expected Fleet Street to conduct a Second World War-style positive news campaign[154] but the majority of the British media, especially the BBC, reported the war in a neutral fashion.[155] These reporters referred to "the British troops" and "the Argentinian troops" instead of "our lads" and the "Argies".[156] The two main tabloid papers presented opposing viewpoints: The Daily Mirror was decidedly anti-war, whilst The Sun became well known for headlines such as "Stick It Up Your Junta!," which, along with the reporting in other tabloids,[157] led to accusations of xenophobia[148][157][158] and jingoism.[148] [158][159][160] The Sun was condemned for its "Gotcha" headline following the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano.[161][162][163]

Sixties and Seventies Pocket Sized Books

When looking at examples of where History has been misused, the idea of time itself must be analysed. When referring to different periods of History with overarching terms such as 'the 16th century', one must not lose sight of the fact that the names of such periods have simply been created to aid the Historian when referring to different periods in History; ideas and mindsets believed to be associated with such a period do not simply turn off the day that it comes to an end. For example, in my study of Modern Britain at A-Level, I have looked at the set of cultural ideas and values in 'the sixties' such as flower power, free love etc. However, social Historians have recently concluded that 'the sixties' actually refers to 1964-1974 in terms of the presence of these values. However, my textbook's analysis of these particular characteristics runs, as you would expect, from 1960 up until the end of 1969. This is an example of the misuse of History, failing to recognise the human effect on it.

Freedland Lecture - Looking back to look forward

Why do I like doing the Long View? Reassuring that we have been through something like this before and come out the other side The only way to be able to look forward is looking back - worries we won't be able to Trump wants you to except the facts he gives even though you know it's not true - 1984! - it's about power 'you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts' Technology - reducing the pile of evidence and building the pile of facts At his dad's house after he died - could access old newspapers from the war but couldn't unlock his computer (pics). - the newer something was the less accessible it could be Ability to create fake evidence - JFK speech he was supposed to give the day he was assassinated - audio technology This person does not exist . com False stories diffuse much faster 'if we want to be able to look back to look forward, we must look around now' Historians are fighting the war on truth