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#The Battle of Agincourt 1415 AD
oldschoolfrp · 1 year
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The Battle of Agincourt 1415 AD, Marc Miller’s board wargame based on the battle at Azincourt, October 25, 1415  (Game Designers’ Workshop, 1980 boxed version of game, originally released in a Ziploc bag in 1978, a “Series 120 Game” intended for 2 players to complete within 2 hours)  This is of course the same Marc Miller and GDW that published Traveller in 1977 -- The supposed divisions between historical and sci-fi and fantasy players, or between wargamers and RPGers, make no sense to those of us who’ll play anything.
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sgiandubh · 8 months
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'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'
It is one thing to disprove and even despise The Shire and its netizens. It is a whole other affair to violently bash S's skills, based on absolutely nothing else than spiteful disappointment.
We are being told by Mordor's basement polymaths the man cannot act. It is probably by an unelucidated strike of luck or by charity that he was cast by *** to embody book boyfriend JAMMF, when he has only 5 (five) known facial expressions in his quiver. He was the weakest link of Season 1 cast: I suppose the BJ/Frank Randall 2-in-1 does have a fan club, after all. His acting is wooden. He has chemistry only with C and by Her grace only, because you know, gay as a bag of popcorn. He is a semi-literate hunk, with documented spelling problems. Even more so, when we conveniently toss aside the mounting hysteria during Quarantein Ha-wa-wee disgrace (hey Pooks and all the sock account Dobermans: I hope you remember your Twitter blaze of glory moment every single morning while brushing your teeth). And (also a favorite) he doesn't read, he doesn't prepare, he is sloppy, like that.
God forbid you'd try to set this colossal unfairness straight. You are automatically signed up to the Mommies for Sam Committee and labeled accordingly. Brainless victim (of what, since he is basically useless, but let's not embarrass ourselves with logic), unapologetic limerent inamorata, romantic whale, delusional rural shipper, conspiracy theory troll. Anything goes, really and we know the tune by heart, at this point in time.
Not so long ago, I was re-watching the oath sequence of (5.01) The Fiery Cross, for which I suppose all background/context is superfluous. The only clip I could find has appalling sound, but should still immediately take you back to the Return of the Kilt (starts at 0:56):
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It immediately reminded me of this:
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This is the extraordinary Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech. Pure Shakespeare and unmatchable Olivier. It is also a well-documented kamikaze moment of the Battle of Agincourt (1415), when a heavily outnumbered English army defeated in an almost miraculous turn of events the French. Granted, the real speech must have been way more concise, but nevertheless a potent affair, with Henry's cunning use of rumors having it that the French would cut two fingers off each captured archer's right hand, to virtually neutralize them. And his army was, essentially, an army of longbows.
Whatever it was, it worked. It worked so well, that it even gave Winston Churchill the idea of asking Laurence Olivier to broadcast this speech for the BBC some time around 1942 and then make a movie of the whole play, in 1944. Again, context is important -it always is, by the way - and it sheds the right light on Olivier's performance. More than acting, it is damn effective war propaganda, a wonderful patriotic act and completely representative for the "we shall fight them on the beaches and we shall never surrender" spirit. It is also all about acting as summoning of energy: Olivier manages to channel Henry V, he is Henry V and this immediately gives an irresistible depth and truth to his performance.
For contrast, one could compare his version with Branagh's 1989 interpretation (https://youtu.be/y1BhnepZnoo), which I am not adding here for the sake of levity. The main difference is, for me at least, palpable: Olivier completely suppressed his ego, which I am afraid is something impossible to achieve for Branagh. His take on the speech aims to be more modern and natural, and yet it is still all about Branagh promoting his art. And we know it immediately. A fairly honest tableau vivant, but no depth and nowhere near as majestic as the other.
I am not saying here that S is on par with Laurence Olivier. That would really mean being a romantic whale and I am the one you start to get, I hope, acquainted with. What I am saying is that this guy you just love to humiliate and endlessly cackle about every single day God makes, really, deliberately knows what he is doing in there. I would bet handsome money on S carefully watching and re-watching Olivier's Saint Crispin's Day monologue, in order to prepare for that particular scene. The similarities are, to me, evident, as is the consistent hard work and - dare I say it?- massive talent. It's all about owning the scene and being in the moment. And it is arresting, at times.
All of this is not exactly some shipper far-fetched speculation. S wrote, after all, in Waypoints (and the reference is way too spot on to believe in a kind gesture of the ghostwriter) that he "devoured"
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I see great things. I see a very gifted guy who has no ego (C was spot on and for an actor, that is a blessing) and also probably no idea of his (considerable) acting range. I also see a guy who, spare for OL, has been grossly, unfairly miscast and overlooked. And who was determined to take whatever was available or easy on the schedule, in order to remain relevant. I may not be a good client for his booze, but I would pay handsomely to see him in something along the lines of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Or even (if you want a more exotic but oh, so rewarding alternative) a still inexplicably missing Western adaptation of Bulgakov's Master and Margarita (probably not the best times for that one, but still: Bulgakov was, after all, born in Kyiv and not really a fan, to say the least, of tyrants). That's exactly how damn good he is.
How was it, Kidneystone BIF? Oh. "No boundaries. No respect. No class." Exactly, madam. You said it yourself.
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9 things you didn't know about Saint George
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Think of St. George and you're probably picturing a heroic knight slaying a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon.
As the country's patron saint, St. George's story is as iconic as his white and red flag.
But like many early saints, the exact details of his life remain a mystery.
Here, we separate fact from fiction to try to get closer to the truth behind the legend of St. George.
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1. St. George wasn't English ...
St. George might be hailed as a national hero, but he was actually born – in the 3rd century AD – more than 2,000 miles away in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey).
He is thought to have died in Lydda (modern day Israel), in the Roman province of Palestine in AD 303.
It is believed that his tomb was in Lod and was a centre of Christian pilgrimage.
2. ... and he wasn't a knight either.
Although St. George is often depicted in popular culture as a knight in shining armour, the truth is less fanciful.
Whilst St. George was depicted from the 11th century as a chilvaric knight or a warrior on horseback, it is more likely that he was an officer in the Roman army.
3. St. George was a martyr ...
Like many saints, St. George was described as a martyr after he died for his Christian faith.
It is believed that, during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century, St. George was executed for refusing to make a sacrifice in honour of the pagan gods.
4. ... but he never visited England
Although St. George never visited England, his reputation for virtue and holiness spread across Europe and his feast day – the 23rd April – was celebrated in England from the 9th century onwards.
He became popular with English kings.
Edward I (1272-1307) had banners bearing the emblem of St. George (a red cross on a white background) and Edward III (1327-77) had a strong interest in the saint and owned a relic of his blood.
The St. George cross was not used to represent England until the reign of Henry VIII.
5. The dragon was added later.
The story goes that St. George rode into Silene (modern day Libya) to free the city from a dragon who had a taste for humans, but it’s a story that post-dates the real George by several centuries.
Images of George and the dragon survive from the 9th century – 500 years after his death.
Originally, these may simply have been representations of the battle between Good and Evil.
However, the story was developed and popularised in the Middle Ages in a compendium of stories about saints’ lives, The Golden Legend.
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6. St. George was a saint for 1,000 years before the 'holiday'
St. George was canonised in AD 494 by Pope Gelasius, who claimed he was one of those 'whose names are justly revered among men but whose acts are known only to God.'
A feast day of St. George has been celebrated in England for hundreds of years on April 23, which was possibly the date of his martyrdom.
Following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, St. George's Day became one of the most important feast days in the English calendar.
7. England isn't the only country to celebrate St. George
St. George is truly an international saint and England is not the only country or region to claim him as its patron.
England shares St. George with Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Ethiopia, and Catalonia among others as their patron saint.
Many of these places have their own celebrations and ceremonies in his honour.
8. People turned to St. George for protection
During the Middle Ages, people believed that St.George was one of the 'Fourteen Holy Helpers' – a group of saints who could help during epidemic diseases.
St. George's protection was invoked against several nasty diseases, many fatal and with infectious causes, including the plague and leprosy.
From around 1100, St. George’s help was also sought to protect the English army.
In William Shakespeare’s Henry V, the monarch calls on the saint during his battle cry at the Battle of Harfleur in the famous “Once more unto the breach, dear friends” speech, crying “God for Harry! England, and St. George!”
Five hundred years later – during the First World War – a ghostly apparition of St. George was said to have aided British troops during their retreat from Mons, and the naval commander of the Zeebrugge Raid cited the saint as inspiration.
9. St. George represents those we honour
The Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry in the country and Queen Elizabeth II is at the helm as Sovereign of the Garter.
To this day, St. George’s cross still appears on the Garter badge and his image is the pendant of the Garter chain.
In 1940, King George VI created a new award for acts of the greatest heroism or courage in circumstances of extreme danger.
The George Cross, named after the king, bears the image of St. George vanquishing the dragon.
The image of St. George also adorns many of the memorials built to honour those killed during World War One.
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sixminutestoriesblog · 8 months
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ruby
The glowing ruby shall adorn, Those who in July are born; Then they’ll be exempt and free From love’s doubts and anxiety. — Gregorian birthstone poem
In the middle and right at the forefront of the Crown of England is a giant polished red stone. It is called the Black Prince's Ruby - and some people say its cursed.
The stone's story starts in Iberian Peninsula, where legends says that it was owned by Abū Sa'īd, the last Sultan of Granada. Abū Sa'īd was at war with Don Pedro of Castile and finally agreed to surrender. When the two sides met to finalize the agreement however, Pedro lived up to his moniker of 'the Cruel' and murdered the off-guard sultan and his entire entourage. The blood red stone over two inches long was found on the dead ruler's body and Pedro took it as a a trophy. Bad luck came along for the ride. Shortly after the deed, in 1366 Pedro's rule was challenged by one of his brothers and he enlisted the help of the English Edward of Woodstock, a man otherwise known as the Black Prince. After the revolt was put down, Edward demanded Pedro's two daughters - and the stone, in exchange for his help. Within three years, Pedro was dead. Edward, heir to the English throne, didn't live long enough to even rule. After that, the blood stone disappeared until 1415 when Henry V wore it on his helmet in his war with France. He almost lost it, and his head along with it, to an axe blow during the battle of Agincourt. Richard III wasn't so lucky when he wore the same stone during the Battle of Bosworth, where he was killed. Despite that, the stone stayed in royal hands until Oliver Cromwell's rebellion where it disappeared for a time from the records. It showed back up again with Charles II in 1660 though and in 1838 it became the crowning jewel in Queen Victoria's coronation crown.
By then however, it wasn't considered a ruby anymore. In 1783, chemistry had advanced enough to differentiate between rubies and their look-alike, magnesium bearing spinels.
Since July's birthstone is the ruby, let's take a closer look at it before the month is over.
Rubies are considered the second most valuable jewel in the world, one of the Big Four, with the others being diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. They are second in hardness only to diamonds. Ancient sanskrit gave them the name ratnaraj, which means 'the king of jewels'. They have been mined in Myanmar since 2500 BC (or only 600 AD according to another site, though there are records of rubies traveling the North Silk Road from China as far back as 200 BC and they are mentioned in the Old Testament and the Torah so this is one of those wobbly 'facts'). Still, rubies that come from that part of the world are still considered the high standard today. In color, they can range from a red-purple to 'pigeon blood' red to orange or pink. Rubies are used in lasers, with the first one being built in 1960. Rubies from Greenland are said to be the oldest in the world, clocking in at 3 billion years old.
Impressive, isn't it? And anything with this much history, has to have stories that go with it. Let's talk superstition.
With such a rich, red color, of course rubies would be associated with blood. In Burma, India and China, rubies were placed in helmets, breastplates and weapon scabbards, with the belief that they would both protect their wearer and encourage bravery, strength and stamina. In Persia, the ruby granted mental clarity as well as divine power. The Chinese gave rubies to each other as good luck and protective charms. It was said that when evil approached a dark blot would appear on the surface of the red gem and when the darkness cleared away the evil had passed by. In India, wearing a ruby on the heart side of your body will allow you to live in peace. In many cultures, the rich, red color of rubies makes them symbolic of love and passion. Even today, tradition holds that rubies are the ideal gift to give for 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries. Folklore says that rubies help with bleeding, inflammation and body heat.
And, of course, Dorthy's shoes in the 1939 technicolor movie The Wizard of Oz were ruby slippers, which showed up against the yellow brick road much better than the simple silver shoes of the book by the same name would have.
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scotianostra · 2 years
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On August  17th 1424 French and Scots troops suffered defeat at the Battle of Verneuil.
I thought I would let you know a wee bit more of the Auld Alliance and the circumstances that ended up with up to 6,000 Scots losing their lives on French soil.
First agreed in 1295/6 the Auld Alliance was built on Scotland and France’s shared need to curtail English expansion. Primarily it was a military and diplomatic alliance but for most of the population it brought tangible benefits through pay as mercenaries in France’s armies and the pick of finest French wines.
In the poet William Dunbar’s, poem “Dirige to the King” he extols too James IV the selections of those wines….
‘To drink withe ws the new fresche wyne That grew apone the revar Ryne, Fresche fragrant claretis out of France, Off Angeo and of Orliance,’
Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ rightly portrays the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 as one of England’s greatest military victories. For the French it was a disaster that led to the near collapse of their kingdom. In their darkest hour the Dauphin turned to the Scots, England’s enemy, for salvation. Between 1419 and 1424, 15,000 Scots left from the River Clyde to fight in France. In 1421 at the Battle of Bauge the Scots dealt a crushing defeat to the English and slew the Duke of Clarence. Honours and rewards were heaped upon the Scots army by the French. The Earl of Douglas was given the royal Dukedom of Touraine and the Scots army lived well off the land, much to the chagrin of the French peasantry. Their victory was short lived however; at Vernuil in 1424 a Scots army of 4,000 men was annihilated. As mercenaries they could have expected no mercy and those who were captured were dispatched on the spot. Despite their defeat, the Scots had brought France valuable breathing space and effectively saved the country from English domination.
Many Scots continued to serve in France. They aided Joan of Arc in her famous relief of Orleans and many went on to form the Garde Écossais, the fiercely loyal bodyguard of the French Kings, where they were at the very heart of French politics. And of course our Monarchs daughters married into the Royal Family of France, most notably, Margaret Stewart, from yesterday’s post and the most famous of all Mary Queen of Scots.
Many Scots mercenaries settled in France although they continued to think of themselves as Scots. One such man was Beraud Stuart of Aubigny: a third-generation Scot immigrant, Captain of the Garde Écossais from 1493-1508, and hero of France’s Italian wars. To this day both he and other Scots heroes of the Auld Alliance are celebrated in Beraud’s home town of Aubigny-sur-Neve in an annual pageant.
Of the battle itself it was later described as a ‘second Agincourt’ and Scotland’s future military prospects were damaged by the deaths in battle of two leaders - the Earl of Douglas and the Earl of Buchan. The defeat saw an end to Scotland’s participation as a nation in the Hundred Years’ War, although individual mercenaries stayed on to fight alongside the French.
This was a particularly brutal battle, Scots were slaughtered rather than being taken prisoner after the English had won the battle. The French had not adhered to the rules of the battle, chivalry was a big thing in those days, added to that Scotland was meant to be at peace with England at this time and this annoyed the English,  a truce between England and Scotland had come into effect on the 1st May (I believe) which meant that the Scots would no longer fight with the French- but there was a loophole allowing Scottish forces already in France to stay. The English were offended at the Scottish presence. It seems that the English side and the Scottish forces, arrayed before the battle, hurled challenges, presumably with insults, at each other: this was to be a fight to the death, and the Scottish- oath breakers- did not deserve proper chivalric protocol. No quarter was given those Scots attempting to surrender were cut down and virtually the entire Scots force falling on the battlefield. The Scots stood their ground and died where they fought. A contemporary account said this of the aftermath…..
“… there a horrible spectacle to see on the battlefield, the corpses in high, tightly packed heaps, especially where the Scots had fought. No prisoners were taken among them, and the heaps held the bodies of the dead English soldiers all mixed up with theirs.” (Thomas Basin, Bishop of Lisieux)
More details about Verneuil on the link http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-battle-of-verneuil-a-second-agincourt/
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fuzzysparrow · 2 years
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An image of which root vegetable is worn on the cap badge of the Welsh Guards?
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In February 1915, King George V authorised “the formation of a Regiment of Foot Guards, to be designated the Welsh Guards”. Their badge, which is worn on their caps is in the shape of a leek, one of the symbols of Wales.
The leek was first worn by soldiers during battles with the Saxons in the 5th century AD to differentiate the Welsh soldiers from the enemy. The symbol was worn again during the Battle of Agincourt (1415). Since then, the leek became symbolic of war, bravery and victory.
The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was formed from 400 soldiers, mainly Welsh, who voluntarily transfer from other regiments. Later that year, they travelled to Flanders to join the 3rd Guards Brigade in several battles of World War I. Despite the land being strewn with dead bodies, the Welsh Guards marched on with their cap badges gleaming on their caps. The bravery and expert discipline became something of legend during the war.
Despite being easy targets while marching to the battle lines, the Welsh Guards kept their composure, even though they lost five of their leading officers to machine-gun fire. Due to their tenacity, the British were able to secure their position at Loos, where they defeated the Germans in battle.
Writing about the Battle of Loos, the 'Military Mail' wrote: “While gallant little Wales lives, one of the most dazzling pages in its annals will be that describing how the Welsh Guards won their spurs as great fighters at Loos.”
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corkcitylibraries · 2 years
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Cork History | With Love from Cork
by Michael Lenihan
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It is widely accepted that the Christian church decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianise” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. The Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. John Sprat was an Irish Carmelite Friar and well-known preacher.  He visited Rome, where he received a relic of Saint Valentine from Pope Gregory XVI, and Sprat brought the Reliquary containing the relics to his Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin where it remains to this day.
In France and England February 14 was assumed to be the beginning of the birds mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, “For this was Seynt on Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.” Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, although written Valentines didn’t begin to appear until around 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence  was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
In America the exchanging of hand-made valentines became very popular in the early 1700s and some wonderful early English examples exist in the Victoria & Albert Museum. By the middle of the 1800s, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace handwritten letters due to advances in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. An explosion of  affection in the form of Valentine cards made its way through the postal system thanks to the introduction of the penny post by Rowland Hill on 10 January1840.
Corkonians were quick to respond to cupid’s arrow and some Victorian advertisements by W. Wheeler Junior give us examples of his high-class stock of Valentine’s Day gifts. Valentines in boxes, from 3d. to £1 15s 03d containing solid silver jewellery, perfume, bottles, cards, cigar, and cigarette cases could be had from his premises at 4 & 5 Patrick Street. Another advertiser proclaimed that there was no charge for love notes to purchasers of Valentines at sixpence and upwards. Valentine novelties such as hummingbird Valentines were very popular shop window displays. W.J. Murray of George’s Street (now Oliver Plunkett Street) was doing a brisk trade in Valentine cards including those of the sentimental, poetic, refined and comic variety which could be posted nationwide post free.
The bard himself William Shakespeare mentions Saint Valentine's Day in A Midsummer Night's Dream (4.1.145) and in Hamlet, where he alludes to the superstition that if two single people meet on the morning of Saint Valentine's Day they will likely get married:
Tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day
All in the morning betime
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Today, St. Valentine’s Day has become a much more commercial proposition. Bouquets of red roses, magnums of champagne, handmade chocolate, cuddly toys, organic candles, jewellery and of course the romantic candlelit meal are now standard fare. Well after all love is in the air so why not spice up your life with a little bit of romance.
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vythodias · 3 years
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Battle of Agincourt, 1415 AD (Part 2 / 2) ⚔️ Victory against the odds
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oldschoolfrp · 2 years
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Foreshadowing the root-infested grimdark of Turnip 28, a hapless knight limps away from The Battle of Agincourt, 1415 AD, in an article about the 1978 board game by Game Designer’s Workshop.  (Didier Guiserix, Casus Belli magazine no 10, September 1982.)
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my-name-is-dahlia · 3 years
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Vocabulary (pt.cmlx)
Words taken from The Captive by Grace Burrowes:
Morpheus Roman mythology. the son of Somnus (god of sleep), god of dreams, and, in later writings, also god of sleep.
extraneous (adj.) of external origin or added from without.
astuteness (n.) the quality of being able to quickly understand a situation and see how to get an advantage from it. [x]
beset (v.) attack or harass persistently.
disquiet (v.) worry; trouble; deprive of peace.
colicky (adj.) experiencing or denoting severe pain in the abdomen (colic) due to gas or intestinal obstruction.
lung fever (n.) an obsolete, nonspecific term for pyrexia arising in a background of pulmonary inflammation. [x]
Battle of Agincourt a battle in northern France in 1415 during the Hundred Years War, in which the longbow helped the English army under Henry V defeat a larger French force, allowing Henry to occupy Normandy and consolidate his claim to the French throne.
consumptive (adj.) of or tending to consumption.
Riot Act (n.) an act passed by the British legislature in 1715 (repealed in 1967) making it a felony for an assembly of twelve or more people to refuse to disperse after having been ordered to do so and having been read a specified portion of the Act by lawful authority.
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ana-yanka · 4 years
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On silk banners
I have five partially finished silk banners in my office. I applied gutta to two of them (our devices), I sketched out two more (our badges), and one is half painted. Saturday is the remote Ealdormere Vexillology guild moot. I want to get excited about this project again, but I’m intimidated by the fluidity of the silk paint. My little guidon got all blotchy because it dried touching a plastic surface. I keep imagining that on a large scale with these banners--also the worst case scenarios of splotches and bleed out and knocking over my paint bottle--and I chicken out of continuing. It’s a wonder I get anything accomplished with this critical pessimist in my head.
Mostly, what I’m looking for today is a more efficient method of suspending the silk than thumb tacks in the back of a 3′x4′ canvas frame. Of course, I found myself drawn every which way looking at banners and reading how-tos. It was good to get a refresher on the technique before attempting it again.
I was introduced to the idea of a wooden or PVC tube framework with binder clips, Chinese suspension hooks, safety pins, or alligator clips tied on to stretch out the banner. (ex. https://www.silkpainters.org/wiki.php?WID=7). As an alternative to ties either rubber bands or elastic could be used (https://textiletimetravels.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/bannerhandout.pdf). 
I obtained my silk, gutta, and dye-na-flow by mail from Dharma Trading Co. (http://www.dharmatrading.com). I was ready for a fee for these items to ship across the border to Ontario, but it was considerably higher than I expected. 
This method of banner making uses the Serti or “Closing the fence” technique to create a barrier of resist to keep the dye from running into the surrounding areas (http://gutenbergscribes.chivalrysports.com/Heraldic-silkpainting.pdf). The resist can be water-based, acrylic, latex, or wax (batik). While batik was practised on silk in China and Japan as early as the first century, and in Egypt during the 5th century, I didn’t find evidence that Europeans used it on heraldic banners in period (https://www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/history-of-batik). This site also mentions cassava and rice-paste resists being used in Africa. According to a different site (http://www.housewolfstan.net/Projects/AlynasSilkBannerPaintingClass.htm) resist can be traced to use on silk in India during the 2nd century, but could have been made from sap, thickened honey, or wax.
The edges could be hemmed all around first or a line of gutta can act as a fray stop at the edges. It was easy enough to print our heraldry to the appropriate size and trace it with a pencil since the silk is translucent. I bought my gutta in two ways, by the tube and by the jar. I found the jar and my liner brush gave me a cleaner, if thicker, line because my pressure on the tubes wasn’t consistent enough. 
From Rylyn and Percy’s banner classes (available on the Royal Ealdormere Guild of Vexillology Facebook page), I got the warning to ensure the gutta goes down in an unbroken line and to perform a visual inspection of the backside because a gap could cause bleeding between colours. I got nervous and heat sealed my gutta with an iron, which, I was assured, was completely unnecessary. I used a bit of baking parchment paper, so the gutta did not stick to the iron. I also read about using a maul-stick when working with large banners, so as not to smudge the gutta (http://gutenbergscribes.chivalrysports.com/Heraldic-silkpainting.pdf).
They also suggested wetting the silk with a spritzer of water when working with a large area to help minimize colour overlap strokes. It sounds like, if the dye-na-flow silk paint does not dry dark enough additional layers may be needed. The colour will not run so freely on the second pass. This makes shading with hatching strokes possible. Also, the same scroll work technique of working from light colours to darker ones should be applied here. A dark colour can mask a splotch of a light colour, but a light colour cannot mask a darker one. 
There is also a possibility that dye will remain in the brush even after you wash it out. Have dedicated brushes for yellow and black to prevent disappointing muddiness on future projects.
“If the dye leaks through a resist line, use a Q-tip to absorb the dye and add water to the spot to dilute the dye as much as possible.  If the dye is dark, be aware that it will rarely come out but you can minimize its appearance if you catch it quickly enough.  Once you correct a mistake, you have to wait until that spot is completely dry before you paint over it.  Correct gaps in resist if necessary before painting” (http://www.housewolfstan.net/Projects/AlynasSilkBannerPaintingClass.htm). 
On my guidon, I touched up the bleed out with a small bit of acrylic paint. I don’t recommend it though because it appears as a dark shadow when the banner is hung in the sunshine.
After it is allowed to dry 24 hours, the banner should be heat-set with an iron, washed, and hung to dry. Lastly, sew on some ties or a sleeve to feed a pole through.
Banners were used in a variety of scenarios including military, municipal, funerary, ecclesiastical, or in tourneys. As for period examples, few survive compared to the numbers of banners we see in illuminated manuscripts, and those that have survived tend to be made from silk appliqué with embroidery. In late period, it sounds like there were sumptuary laws that limited use of appliqué banners to the upper nobility. 
We do have Cennino Cennini’s record (http://narcissistart.blogspot.com/2016/09/painted-silk-banners-of-late-middle-ages.html) of how to paint and gild cloth for church banners specifically. Bless his wordy heart for detailing all things paints can be used for. It essentially comes down to 1) tack the silk or linen down evenly, 2) apply a light coat of size, 3) apply a light coat of gesso and starch, 4) scrape it smooth when dry, 5) draw on the design with charcoal, 6) trace over the design with ink, 7) do the gilding, 8) varnish the gilding, 9) paint it like a fresco, 10) make sure to apply multiple coats or the colour will look blotchy, 11) temper the colour with egg yolk to make it last, and 12) varnish it with an oil mordant.
In late period, there is also the possibility that oil tempered paints were being used on banners instead of egg tempera paints. Silk fringe and tassels were also adhered to some banner edges in period. The linen or silk that comprised the base of the banners was pre-dyed in some cases.
This site goes over banner shapes and has a nice history on the first recorded use of banners (http://www.housewolfstan.net/Projects/AlynasSilkBannerPaintingClass.htm). “Although the use of heraldry (and heraldic flags) did not come into common use until the late 12th Century, there is some documentation of the use of flags as early as the 9th Century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the supposed capture of a Raven Flag of the Danish Vikings during battle in AD 878. The flag was thought to have been used to be a sign of the outcome of battle. The raven was fluttering before victory and drooping before defeat. The Oriflamme, is one of the earliest mentioned flags in medieval times. It was the battle standard of the King of France and was first used in 1124 by Luis VI. It was last flown in the battle at Agincourt in 1415. When the Oriflamme was displayed on the battlefield it indicated that no quarter (mercy) was to be given, and hence it was called the oriflamme of death. It was described in 1225 as a red silk gonfannon with green fringe or tassels, flown from a lance.”
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scotianostra · 3 years
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On August  17th 1424 French and Scots troops suffered defeat at the Battle of Verneuil.
I thought I would let you know a wee bit more of the Auld Alliance and the circumstances that ended up with up to 6,000 Scots losing their lives on French soil.
First agreed in 1295/6 the Auld Alliance was built on Scotland and France’s shared need to curtail English expansion. Primarily it was a military and diplomatic alliance but for most of the population it brought tangible benefits through pay as mercenaries in France’s armies and the pick of finest French wines.
In the poet William Dunbar’s, poem “Dirige to the King” he extols too James IV the selections of those wines….
‘To drink withe ws the new fresche wyne That grew apone the revar Ryne, Fresche fragrant claretis out of France, Off Angeo and of Orliance,’
Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ rightly portrays the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 as one of England’s greatest military victories. For the French it was a disaster that led to the near collapse of their kingdom. In their darkest hour the Dauphin turned to the Scots, England’s enemy, for salvation. Between 1419 and 1424, 15,000 Scots left from the River Clyde to fight in France. In 1421 at the Battle of Bauge the Scots dealt a crushing defeat to the English and slew the Duke of Clarence. Honours and rewards were heaped upon the Scots army by the French. The Earl of Douglas was given the royal Dukedom of Touraine and the Scots army lived well off the land, much to the chagrin of the French peasantry. Their victory was short lived however; at Vernuil in 1424 a Scots army of 4,000 men was annihilated. As mercenaries they could have expected no mercy and those who were captured were dispatched on the spot. Despite their defeat, the Scots had brought France valuable breathing space and effectively saved the country from English domination.
Many Scots continued to serve in France. They aided Joan of Arc in her famous relief of Orleans and many went on to form the Garde Écossais, the fiercely loyal bodyguard of the French Kings, where they were at the very heart of French politics. And of course our Monarchs daughters married into the Royal Family of France, most notably, Margaret Stewart, from yesterday’s post and the most famous of all Mary Queen of Scots.
Many Scots mercenaries settled in France although they continued to think of themselves as Scots. One such man was Beraud Stuart of Aubigny: a third-generation Scot immigrant, Captain of the Garde Écossais from 1493-1508, and hero of France’s Italian wars. To this day both he and other Scots heroes of the Auld Alliance are celebrated in Beraud’s home town of Aubigny-sur-Neve in an annual pageant.
Of the battle itself it was later described as a ‘second Agincourt’ and Scotland’s future military prospects were damaged by the deaths in battle of two leaders - the Earl of Douglas and the Earl of Buchan. The defeat saw an end to Scotland’s participation as a nation in the Hundred Years’ War, although individual mercenaries stayed on to fight alongside the French.
This was a particularly brutal battle, Scots were slaughtered rather than being taken prisoner after the English had won the battle. The French had not adhered to the rules of the battle, chivalry was a big thing in those days, added to that Scotland was meant to be at peace with England at this time and this annoyed the English,  a truce between England and Scotland had come into effect on the 1st May (I believe) which meant that the Scots would no longer fight with the French- but there was a loophole allowing Scottish forces already in France to stay. The English were offended at the Scottish presence. It seems that the English side and the Scottish forces, arrayed before the battle, hurled challenges, presumably with insults, at each other: this was to be a fight to the death, and the Scottish- oath breakers- did not deserve proper chivalric protocol. No quarter was given those Scots attempting to surrender were cut down and virtually the entire Scots force falling on the battlefield. The Scots stood their ground and died where they fought. A contemporary account said this of the aftermath…..
“… there a horrible spectacle to see on the battlefield, the corpses in high, tightly packed heaps, especially where the Scots had fought. No prisoners were taken among them, and the heaps held the bodies of the dead English soldiers all mixed up with theirs.” (Thomas Basin, Bishop of Lisieux)
More details about Verneuil on the link http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-battle-of-verneuil-a-second-agincourt/
The first pic is an imagination of the battle from the 1884  Vigiles de Charles VII
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biblioattic · 7 years
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Valentine’s Day has arrived on this 14th day in February. According to the Greeting Card Association 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year! One of the first Valentine Day greetings was sent in 1415. The Duke of Orleans (France) sent a written Valentine’s greeting to his wife while he was being held prisoner in the Tower of London. The Duke of Orleans fought in the battle of Agincourt.
The greeting was written in French: “Je suis desja d’amour tanne, Ma tres doulce Valentinee.” The translation for this is “I am already sick of love, my very gentle Valentine.”
Another letter was written by a woman named Margery Brews in 1477. She sent this letter to her fiancé John Paston. In her letter she wrote “right well-beloved Valentine.” This is the oldest Valentine’s letter written in the English language.
  Both of these letters are in the manuscript collections at the British Library. Through the years the tradition of sending letters and cards has continued. Below is a postcard that was sent approximately between the 1940’s and 195O’s.
The first Valentine’s Day cards were sent in the 1700’s. The cards were traditionally handmade because pre-made cards were not readily available like they are today. The cards were made with decorated paper and included romantic symbols with flowers and love knots. Some people added puzzles and short poems to the cards.
Pre-printed cards were created around 1797 in Great Britain. In the early 1800’s Valentine’s Cards were extremely popular in London and it was much easier to mass produce cards because of the innovations made with printing equipment. Approximately 200,000 Valentine Cards were mailed in London by 1820.
Did you know that the Local History & Genealogy Department at the Central Library has a collection of vintage Valentine’s Day Cards?  The Valentine Card tradition was popular in the United States by 1850.
The majority of the cards were donated by Emma Swift. Emma was the department head of the Local History & Genealogy Department from 1936 to 1965.  This collection consists of early cards created by Hallmark Cards and Whitney Made Cards.
Whitney-Made Cards was a company started by George C. Whitney in Worcester, Massachusetts.  George Whitney and his family created and produced Valentine Day Cards for 77 years. The cards were made with embossed lace borders and backgrounds or a thick card stock. The cards are decorative and colorful.
The Whitney-Made Cards are stamped Whitney-Made on the backs of the cards. The card below on the left is a Whitney-Made Card. The company that created the card on the right is not identified by a stamp. It resembles a Whitney-Made Card.
Whitney-Made Card
The Hallmark Card business was created by the Hall brothers Rollie and Joyce Clyde in 1910. It was originally known as the Hall Brothers. They started their business by selling postcards. People were not buying postcards too much so the Hall Brothers decided to produce and sell high quality made Valentine Day Cards. Hallmark Cards created and produced their first Valentine’s Day card in 1913.
Hallmark Card
Hallmark Card
Hallmark Cards
The Hall Brothers decided to change their business name to Hallmark in 1928. The name hallmark was used by the goldsmiths, which meant “mark of quality”. Since the name hallmark included hall and meant quality, Joyce Clyde fancied the name.
Hallmark Card
Hallmark Card
Hallmark Card
Hallmark Card
Here are more cards for you to enjoy viewing that are located in the Valentine Day Card collection.
Renee Kendrot
      Valentines, Valentines Oh My! Valentine’s Day has arrived on this 14th day in February. According to the Greeting Card Association 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year!
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sickgurl13 · 7 years
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A history lesson, because I'm bored ❤️💋
The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day. While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
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