Monthly Archives: April 2018

Vasco da Gama kills the Silk Road and some pilgrims, 1498-1503

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Ruth

The biggest source of financial power the Muslim Empire had always came from controlling large parts, if not all, of the Silk Road. This was literally a road in some places, with oases and cities along the way to support … Continue reading →

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Later Spanish Inquisition, 1494-1517

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Ruth

The Inquisition in Spain ran through the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s, ending only in the time of Napoleon, whose brother was appointed King of Spain. But its nature changed after the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. Its rate of … Continue reading →

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Movable type crosses from West to East, 1493

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Ruth

Around the time Orban’s huge bombard was breaking down the walls of Constantinople, Gutenberg printed the first Bible with movable type. As with all past inventions, we take it for granted without stopping to understand just how many things had … Continue reading →

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The Fall of Granada, 1492

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Ruth

Granada’s fall was as inevitable as Constantinople’s. In both cases, there was a sorting process in which boundary territories that had wavered between Islam and Christendom had final settlements. By the time each last enclave fell, it was well surrounded … Continue reading →

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The Spanish Inquisition, 1478-1492

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Ruth

Inquisitions were normally a program run by priests who answered to the local bishop, who answered to the Pope. They were the answer to a very active concern: what about false teachers who might lead the illiterate astray? Inquisitions had … Continue reading →

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Vlad the Impaler, or DRACULA: 1448-76

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Ruth

When the King of Hungary created the Order of the Dragon in 1408, one of the knights to receive this honor was the illegitimate son of the Voivode of Wallachia (modern Romania). When the legitimate son died, Sir Vlad of … Continue reading →

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Skanderbeg and Albania’s short time in the sun: 1443-68

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Ruth

The national hero of Albania has the improbable (to our eyes) name of Skanderbeg. He was born George Kastriotis to a family that owned/ruled somewhere between 3 and 20 villages with a castle (“Kastrioti” implies “owner of a kastro, Greek … Continue reading →

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