26 Aug 2022 Coveted Imperial Titulature, Emperors and Empresses: Don’t Blame Queen Victoria By Dr Michael Arnheim History & Tradition 0 The title of “emperor” is commonly seen as superior to that of “king”. But that has not always been the case. Ironically, what is now translated as “emperor” started out not as a title at all but as an attempt to avoid a monarchical... Read More
08 Nov 2017 The Wicked Queen and Her Scandalous Daughter: How Murder & Mayhem Took a Saxon Princess from Palace to Poverty By Charles Christian History & Tradition 0 While we might be gripped by the intrigues, the machinations, and the violence of the Lannisters and the Starks in the Game of Thrones television series and the Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, at the end of each episode or chapter, we can... Read More
14 Aug 2017 What Really Happened to Valerian? Was the Roman Emperor Humiliated and Skinned at the Hands of the Enemy? By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 The death of Valerian is traditionally known as one of the most dramatic and unfortunate of all the deaths of the Roman emperors. The widely accepted story is that Valerian wanted to end the war with the Sassanians by offering them money. The... Read More
02 Jan 2017 Little Emperors and Their Regents: Child Rulers & the Supportive and Destructive People Behind Them By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 Some babies shake rattles and others shake up kingdoms. We hear many stories of the unhappy lives and ends of child rulers. Most recently, in 1908, Puyi became the last emperor of China at only two years old. As the crowning ceremony began, the... Read More
21 Nov 2016 Seers, Women of Action: The Sibyls of the Ancient World By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 Virgil, in his Aeneid, describes Deiphobe, better known as the Sibyl of Cumae, as coming from “a hundred perforations in the rock, a hundred mouths from which the many utterances rush” (43-5, 163). He further describes “her terrifying... Read More
23 Aug 2016 Monks, Hermits and Ascetics: The Little-Known History of Women in Desert Asceticism By MartiniF History & Tradition 1 Theodoret of Cyrrhus (423–457) tells us that when little girls played games in forth-century Syria, they played monks and demons. One of the girls, dressed in rags, would reduce her little friends into giggles by exorcising them. This glimpse... Read More
30 Jun 2016 The Unusual Life and Death of Julia: A Woman Trapped in the Empirical Intrigues of Ancient Rome By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 Although they could not officially hold public offices, there were many women who were able to influence the course of Roman history from a position behind the scenes. Julia, the only daughter of Emperor Augustus, was not one of them. In fact,... Read More
20 Jun 2016 Germanicus and Agrippina: The Golden Couple, Parents of the “Mad” Emperor Caligula By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 Roman Emperor Caligula fell severely ill six months into his rule. When he recovered, he abandoned the toga for silk gowns and often dressed as a woman. He also declared himself as a living god. Caligula’s illness was widely credited by... Read More
07 May 2016 Stilicho, Alaric, Attila, and the Changing World of the Ancient Roman Empire By Cam Rea History & Tradition, Politics & Social Structure 2 In the late fourth century, a man born of a Roman noblewoman and an East-Germanic Vandal father served as a Roman cavalry officer. Stilicho served Rome with distinction by embracing the Empire and all it stood for, and would go on to become the... Read More
26 Mar 2016 Ng Mui - The Nun Who Invented the Martial Arts Wing Chun By MartiniF History & Tradition 0 Although they are rarely mentioned, accounts of female warriors in history are increasingly researched and studied. Among the most well-known historical figures are Hua Mulan of 6th century China, Itagaki of 13th century Japan, the Celtic queen... Read More