History 2024, November

There are two periods in the history of Russia, which in the works of researchers receive diametrically opposite assessments and cause the most fierce disputes. The first of them is the early centuries of Russian history and the famous "Norman question", which, in general, is quite understandable: there are few sources, and they all have

So, in the summer of 1219, the Mongol army set out on a campaign against Khorezm. Warriors of the Mongols According to the treaty of 1218, Genghis Khan demanded from the Tangut kingdom of Xi Xia warriors and 1000 armourers. The gunsmiths were provided to him, as part of his troops they went on the Western campaign, but to give their

In July 1762, the Russian emperor Peter III was killed by conspirators in Ropsha. Much to the surprise of his subjects, the place of his burial was not the imperial tomb of the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In addition, his widow, Catherine, who proclaimed

In the history of our country there have been many impostors, including those clearly parodic - literary ones: let us recall Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov from the play "The Inspector General" by N.V. Gogol. V.G. Korolenko even issued a once biting phrase, calling Russia "a country of impostors." The most likely portrait of "Elizabeth

On May 22, 1803, England declared war on France, and its ships began to seize the merchant ships of this country (as well as Holland). Napoleon responded by ordering the arrest of all British subjects who were in France, occupied Hanover, which belonged to the English kings, and began

In the previous article, entitled "Two" Gasconades "of Joachim Murat", we talked a little about this Napoleonic marshal and his exploits during the military campaign of 1805. The fearless warrior, "the genius of cavalry attacks", was the youngest and eleventh child in a poor provincial family (mother

In the last article (The High Tragedy of "Princess Tarakanova"), we left our heroes in Italy. Rokotov, portrait of Alexei Orlov (between 1762-1765), Tretyakov Gallery

This article will talk about the last "hero" of the great era of filibusters - John Roberts, better known as Bartholomew Roberts or Black Bart. He was a cruel man, but at the same time, God-fearing and rather educated, a teetotaler and an opponent of gambling, he loved good music (and even

This small island is known to both adults and children all over the world. It owes its popularity to the novels of R. Sabatini, but mainly, of course, to the multi-part Hollywood film saga Pirates of the Caribbean. Its French name is Tortu, Spanish is Tortuga. And the French buccaneers called

For a long time, in many countries, one can hear stories about monsters that literally terrorized entire regions and inspired terror not only for children, but also for adults. The most famous of these monsters are the Chimera and the Lernaean Hydra. Ghouls and vampires have long been "regional" monsters, but

Warships under the Russian flag first appeared on the Baltic Sea in 1570, long before the birth of Peter I, whose name is usually associated with the birth of the Russian fleet. The first Russian squadron was commanded by a former Danish pirate, but the crews of his ships were Russian Pomor sailors

Some historians are sure that not only men occupied the throne of St. Peter in the Vatican. The only exception to this rule was a certain woman who, allegedly, in the middle of the 9th century, hiding her gender, acted as Pope for 2 years, 5 months and 4 days. To the post

On June 6, 1665, a new governor arrived on the island of Tortuga - Bertrand d'Ogeron de La Bouëre, a native of the city of Rochefort-sur-Loire (province of Anjou). Bertrand d'Ogeron In his youth, he took part in the Catalan War (1646-1649), receiving a noble title and rank for military services

The Caribbean Sea ranks first in the number of countries located on its shores. When looking at the map, it seems that this sea, like the Aegean, “you can cross on foot, jumping from island to island.” (Gabriel García Márquez) When we pronounce the names of these islands aloud, it seems that we hear reggae

In English there is an expression self-made man - "a man who made himself." Rootless Welshman Henry Morgan is one such person. In other circumstances, he would probably have become a great hero that Britain would have been proud of. But the path that he chose for himself (or was forced to choose)

The Baltic Sea, on the shores of which many rich cities and countries lie, knew many pirates. At first, it was the fiefdom of the Vikings, whom, however, other seekers of money and various useful things, from furs, honey and wax to grain, salt and fish, tried to compete as much as they could. Famous

January 1, 1959 came the end of the power of the next "son of a bitch" of the United States. This time the revolution happened in Cuba. The dictator who turned out to be unnecessary was called Fulgencio Batista. Fulgencio Batista "Banana" president and dictator Fulgencio Batista In 1933, Batista himself played a significant role in the overthrow

Mr. Veliky Novgorod, from which to the nearest sea (the Gulf of Finland) in a straight line as much as 162 km (quite a few by medieval standards) through a system of rivers and portages had access not only to the Baltic, but also to the Black, White and Caspian seas. And not only merchants went to these seas, but also dashing people

The twentieth century was harsh and merciless towards many countries and peoples. But even against this sad and bleak background, Vietnam can certainly be recognized as one of the states most affected by foreign aggression. From "Vietnam" to "Viet Cong" As soon as World War II ended, as suddenly

The family life of epic heroes is usually overshadowed by the main narrative. Stories about battles with all kinds of snakes and monsters, feats of arms seem more interesting to both the storytellers and their listeners. The exception is, perhaps, the epic "Stavr Gordyatinovich", in which it was Stavr's wife

As we have already found out in the previous article ("Heroes of epics and their possible prototypes"), the image of the epic prince Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko is synthetic. The most likely prototypes of this prince are Vladimir Svyatoslavich and Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. And his middle name, according to many

Mr. Veliky Novgorod has always stood apart from other Russian cities. Veche traditions were especially strong in him, and the role of the prince for a long time was reduced to arbitration and organizing the protection of external borders. Wealthy families played a large role in politics and public life, but

The catastrophic earthquake of 1692 practically destroyed Port Royal, and in 1694 the island of Tortuga was deserted. But the great era of filibusters was far from over. Their ships also sailed in the Caribbean, ferocious corsairs terrified merchant ships and coastal cities. Bahamian

The fate of a person born into an ordinary, unremarkable, unremarkable family in medieval Europe was known in advance. The so-called social elevators practically did not work in those days, and many generations of sons continued the work of their fathers, becoming peasants, artisans, merchants

In the history of all countries and peoples, there are some kind of fatal or bifurcation points that largely determine the course of history. Sometimes these points are visible with the naked eye, for example, the notorious "choice of faith" by the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Some, however, remain unnoticed by many. For example

As we have already found out in the previous article ("Heroes of epics and their possible prototypes"), Russian heroic epics, unfortunately, cannot be recognized as historical sources. Fine folk history does not know the exact dates and ignores the course of events known to us from the chronicles. The storytellers consider

Nikolai Mikhailovich Kamensky came from a not very noble, but very well-deserved family. His father, Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky (1738-1809), holder of many military orders, was a famous military leader who served under the command of Rumyantsev and Potemkin. MF Kamensky, portrait by an unknown

In 1943, many in Italy began to realize that the unnecessary war into which Benito Mussolini had drawn the country was practically lost, and the continuation of hostilities would only lead to an increase in the already considerable casualties. On May 13, the Italian army, led by General Messe, surrendered in Tunisia. On the night of 9

"It was difficult (was) to defeat England - there are a lot of people and an army called tingamann in it. Those are people of such courage that each of them alone surpasses two of the best people of Harald", - this is how the famous Icelander Snorri Sturlson says about the heroes of our article in The Harald Saga

In 1284, 72 years after the unfortunate children's crusades, the story of the mass exodus of children suddenly repeated itself in the German city of Hameln (Hameln). Then 130 local children left the house and disappeared. It was this incident that became the basis of the famous legend of the Pied Piper

On May 27, 1942, on the outskirts of Prague, Reinhard Heydrich, Police General, SS Obergruppenführer, Head of the Main Directorate of Imperial Security, was mortally wounded, who at that time was the Imperial Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. Heydrich was then considered "the third person in the Reich", and

In 72 BC. the days of underestimating Spartak and his army are over. “Spartacus was now great and formidable … it was not only the unworthy shame of the slave uprising that disturbed the Roman Senate. He was afraid of Spartacus,”says Plutarch. “The state felt no less fear than when Hannibal stood menacingly at

On April 9, 1940, German airborne units landed in Norway. After 63 days, a small German army completely occupied this country. This usually does not cause much surprise: well, Hitler captured another European country, what else can you expect from the demoniac Fuhrer? He just

Numerous stories about heroes who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Motherland or the triumph of justice can be found in the history of many countries and peoples. The greatest in history and unheard of in terms of bloodshed and number of sacrifices, World War II was no exception to the rule. Moreover

Ever since the appearance of "Kirsha Danilov's Collection" (the first recordings of Russian epics), there have been fierce debates about the possibility or impossibility of correlating these texts with some real historical events. Russian folk epics, publication of the Sytin partnership

The name of the hero of the essay has long become a household name. In our country, it is synonymous with a double-dealing careerist, an unscrupulous person who, in order to achieve his goals, is ready to convey even to people close to him. Everyone has heard the lines of the caustic epigram of A.S. Pushkin: It's not that bad, Avdey Flyugarin, that you are not

Mark Licinius Crassus was born around 115 BC into a very famous and rather wealthy plebeian family. To be descended from a plebeian family in Rome in those years did not at all mean being a poor man or, moreover, a "proletarian". Even at the beginning of the III century. BC. a new class arose - nobility, in

After an unsuccessful military campaign for Napoleon in 1813, the troops of the opposing coalition crossed the Rhine and in January 1814 invaded France. The country's forces were already exhausted, the army, which it could send to meet the enemy armies, was five times inferior in number to them. But on

In 401 BC. an event occurred that, without any exaggeration, shook Europe and Asia and had significant consequences on the course of further history, showing everyone the military weakness of Persia. Finding themselves on the banks of the Euphrates, in the very heart of the Persian Empire, and having lost their commanders, the Greek

The country, which will be described in the article, was called Lacedaemon, and its warriors could always be recognized by the Greek letter λ (lambda) on the shields. But after the Romans, we all now call this state Sparta. According to Homer, the history of Sparta goes back to ancient times, and even the Trojan War