Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i History Extra

“ From the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements to ongoing debates surrounding equal pay, we are living in a time when discussions about women’s place in society have come to the fore as perhaps never before. And this has all coincided with the centenary of some women in Britain gaining the vote for the first time. We therefore decided that our annual reader poll would this year offer you the chance to vote for the women who you felt had made the greatest impact on history, in fields ranging from politics to literature, economics to sport. The votes have now been counted and, from page 59, we reveal who you have chosen and dissect the results with a panel of historians. I am sure you’ll have plenty of thoughts about…

Summer 1860 found radical lawyer Edwin James in Italy, awaiting one of the greatest spectacles of the age. After conquering Sicily, Italian nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi had landed on the mainland on 19 August and was marching his troops north towards Naples. As the redshirts came closer, the city’s Bourbon ruler, Francis II, began to panic and on the night of 6 September he fled. Garibaldi’s entry into the city was a triumph of public relations. The self-styled liberator arrived by train from Salerno, a sign of his modernity. “The joy and enthusiasm of the people,” wrote James, who had a seat on board, “exceed the powers of description.” And as Garibaldi made his way through the city by carriage, the crowds became ever more enthusiastic. James wrote the next…

“In many ways, victory at Stirling Bridge was more important in the battle for Scottish independence than Bannockburn. Though the latter is more celebrated, Robert Bruce’s victory there in 1314 was attained from a position of Scottish strength. At Stirling, however, Wallace and Murray rescued Scotland from a situation of despair, and gave Scots the heart to carry on. A year earlier, on 27 April 1296, the forces of John Balliol, King of Scots, had been routed in short order at Dunbar and then melted away. What Scottish resistance remained in early 1297 was disparate and dispersed across the country. The English administration at Berwick was unsure of where the main threat was coming from and how serious it was. Instead they were more focused on extracting money and men…

The 1980s archive of the BBC’s Computer Literacy Project, which introduced viewers to the principles of computing, has been made public. Visit https://computer-literacy-project.pilots. bbcconnectedstudio.co.uk/ MEDIEVALISTS A DNA sample taken from a direct descendant of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, maternal grandmother to the princes in the Tower could, at some point in the future, prove once and for all if bones found in the Tower of London in the 19th century are indeed those of the two princes.…

The key to assessing patients’ health lay in the contents of their bladders. So wrote the physician Archimatthaeus when issuing advice to his fellow doctors back in the 12th century. “If the change in pulse indicates that the individual is sick, the kind of disease is still better indicated by the urine,” Archimatthaeus counselled. “While you look at the urine for a long time you [should] pay attention to its colour, substance and quantity, and to its contents.” Conjure an image in your mind’s eye of a medieval doctor at work, and there’s every chance that leeches, quack potions and holes being drilled into hapless patients’ skulls will feature prominently. Considered, evidence-based and potentially effective advice like that offered by Archimatthaeus almost certainly will not. But then, medieval medicine rarely…

What started out as a place to help people reflect, celebrate lives lived and commemorate lives lost in service has grown to become so much more. It’s a place that’s uplifting, truly beautiful and completely full of life. And this summer, there’s a packed programme of events to help you really appreciate and enjoy everything the National Memorial Arboretum stands for. Come to this glorious site on the edge of the National Forest in Staffordshire and you’ll see there’s so much to do and explore. Wander through the maturing woodland among more than 30,000 trees, uncover the stories of more than 350 memorials, or just come for an interesting and relaxed day out. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE EXCITING EVENTS HAPPENING Whether you’re five or 95, there’s something…

Welcome to this year’s BBC History Magazine poll, which features 100 inspirational women from history. We asked experts in 10 different ›ields of human endeavour to nominate 10 women they believe had the biggest impact on world history. We then gave you, our readers the opportunity to vote for your favourite ›igures from that list. The results – presented here, along with expert comments – may well provoke debate… Charlotte Hodgman Deputy editor 100 Amrita Pritam 1919–2005 Indian writer and poet 99 Annette Kellerman 1887–1975 Professional swimmer 98 Buchi Emecheta 1944–2017 Pioneering novelist 97 Emilie du Châtelet 1706–49 French natural philosopher 96 Fanny Mendelssohn 1805–47 Pianist and composer 95 Katia Krafft 1942–91 French volcanologist 94 Sophie Blanchard 1778–1819 Professional aeronaut 93 Susan Sontag 1933–2004 Writer and filmmaker 92 Yeshe Tsogyal…

Burk is in no doubt: of course the United States was, and still is, an imperial power The Lion and the Eagle: The Interaction of the British and American Empires 1783-1972 by Kathleen Burk Bloomsbury, 576 pages, £26.99 As Kathleen Burk points out, in Britain people debate whether the British empire was a good or a bad thing, but in America they debate whether there has ever been an American empire at all. Americans may have initially described their new independent nation as an “empire of liberty” but an “anti-imperial” mindset has long been hardwired in American political culture. On the first question, Burk is studiously disinterested: she is not engaged in evaluating the moral worth of the imperial project as a whole (though she makes drily withering comments about…

Persian Gulf Command: A History of the Second World War in Iran and Iraq by Ashley Jackson Yale University Press, 432 pages, £25 With perhaps the exception of the Japanese invasion of Malaya in December, 1941 continues to be a ‘lost’ year in the study of Britain’s Second World War. But thanks to the advent of Ashley Jackson’s superb new account of British (and later Allied) operations in Iraq and Iran 1941–44, this should no longer be the case. Jackson’s subject is the story of how, by virtue of two military successes that year, first in Iraq, then by the invasion and occupation of Iran, Britain secured her sources of oil and also secured her eastern Mediterranean flank. These forgotten victories of 1941 were a crucial turning point in Britain’s…

“This ancient limestone city juts with almost indecent beauty into the Ionian sea” I arrived in Syracuse feeling besieged. There is nothing remarkable in this. This ancient limestone city, jutting with almost indecent beauty into the Ionian Sea, has been the downfall of many. The flower of the Athenian army was crushed here in the fifth century BC. The great Greek scientist Archimedes met his end here, at the point of a Roman sword, in the third. So too did the Byzantines in the ninth century… the list goes on. Admittedly, my struggle was not so dramatic. I was not contending with the might of the Roman army but merely with hordes of people. I was in Syracuse as a teacher on a school classics trip and, as we marched…

1. Which English writer fought in the Duke of Monmouth’s army at the battle of Sedgemoor? 2. Why did King James VI & I (left) encourage the plantation of thousands of mulberry trees in England? 3. Who was the first British performer to top the US charts? 4. What was the famously well-to-do 601 Squadron of Britain’s Auxiliary Air Force popularly known as during the Battle of Britain? 5. How did William Davison incur the wrath of Queen Elizabeth in 1587? 6. What is the name of the dog (below) and what is it doing? QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Daniel Defoe. 2. He was hoping to promote an English silk industry. 3. Vera Lynn (with ‘Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart’ in 1952). 4. The Millionaires’ Squadron. 5. He expedited the execution of Mary,…

Priya Satia The industrial revolution is often credited to Britain’s unique genius for invention and enterprise. But the story of an 18th-century Quaker gunmaker forces us to reckon with the way war drove that transformation. • Priya reveals how British belligerence powered the industrial revolution on page 35 James Gregory Vegetarianism and its vegan offshoot aren’t novelties of the 20th and early 21st centuries, and studying Victorian food reformers is a fascinating way to understand 19th-century ideals and anxieties. • James chronicles the Victorian interest in vegetarianism on page 42 Elma Brenner I am fascinated by people’s experiences of illness in the Middle Ages, and am especially interested in responses to leprosy, a disease that provoked strong reactions, from public health measures to compassionate charity. • Elma discusses the power…

Nigerian officials have indicated that they may be willing to accept the return of the Benin Bronzes on long-term loan rather than on a permanent basis. The plaques, one of which is pictured here, were plundered from the ancient kingdom of Benin (in what is now southern Nigeria) during a punitive expedition in 1897 which saw the ancient city burned and looted. Two hundred of the objects are currently at the British Museum. Have a story? Please email Charlotte Hodgman at charlotte.hodgman@immediate.co.uk…

How the Easter Island statues got their hats Archaeologists believe they have discovered how hats weighing several tonnes (known as pukao) were transported and placed on the heads of huge statues (Moai) on Easter Island. The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, suggests the pukao – the largest of which has a diameter of 2 metres and weighs nearly 11 tonnes – were rolled up earthen ramps built in front of the forward-leaning Moai, which were then tilted upright. Arsenic-covered books found in library Three books from the 16th and 17th centuries have been found by scientists to be covered in arsenic. The books, which are held by the University of Southern Denmark, were being studied for the medieval manuscript fragments that make up their covers. X-ray analysis…

Thank you to Michael Wood for his thought-provoking, even stirring piece about the Holocaust (Comment, August). My children’s schools are teaching them to read, listen and watch critically by dissecting adverts and internet posts, stories and news articles. This is vital to help them navigate the constant stream of information and misinformation they are immersed in today. Teaching the Holocaust should be part of this. Looking at the books, films, songs, stories and newspapers that helped to create a climate where Hitler could be elected to power, and divide nations into Us and Them, would allow our children to compare ideas and language then, with the language of politicians, the media and the streets today. To study, and to begin to understand, how an educated nation can be trained to…

Literature Andrew Dickson journalist, broadcaster and author of Worlds Elsewhere (Vintage, 2016) Science & Technology Patricia Fara president of the British Society for the History of Science Religion & Philosophy Tom Holland historian, author and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Making History Leaders & Royalty Suzannah Lipscomb historian, author and broadcaster Media & Culture Jenni Murray journalist, author and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Exploration & Adventure Kate Pankhurst author and illustrator Sport Martin Polley director of the International Centre for Sports History and Culture, De Montfort University Politics, Revolutionaries & Activists June Purvis emeritus professor of women’s and gender history at Portsmouth University Military Elisabeth Shipton historian and author of Female Tommies (History Press, 2014) Business & Economics Linda Yueh author of The Great Economists (Viking, 2018)…

A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle by Julian Jackson Allen Lane, 928 pages, £35 Charles de Gaulle has been described as “the last great Frenchman”, and is credited with saving his country not once but twice. In 1940–44, when France was defeated, occupied and divided by the Third Reich, he masterminded liberation. Then, in 1958–62, when the Algerian war threatened the French empire and the destruction of the parliamentary republic, he returned to power to end the war and found the strong, presidential Fifth Republic that exists today. To write about de Gaulle is a challenge because he not only made history for much of the 20th century, but also because he manufactured the myth of his own greatness as he went along. In this…

Sibling tensions A Tale of Two Sisters TV Yesterday Wednesday 15 August The series focusing on the differing relationships between sisters returns. The first of four shows charts the sometimes strained dealings between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, lately dramatised in the first two series of The Crown on Netflix. The next two documentaries deal with Tudor history, represented by Anne and Mary Boleyn, respectively wife and lover of Henry VIII; and sisters separated by a religious divide, Henry’s daughters Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I. The series concludes with the story of the Pankhursts – radicals whose ideological differences led to disagreement and rivalry. Tending the land On Your Farm RADIO Radio 4 Scheduled for August Laxton in Nottinghamshire is the only village in England that still…

1 Smallhythe Place KENT Where a creative ménage à trois resided This 16th-century farmhouse was home to Edy Craig – daughter of Victorian actor Ellen Terry – and her female partner Chris St John. From 1916, the relationship expanded to include artist Tony (Clare) Atwood, and at Smallhythe the three of them created a lively and pioneering place for women and the arts. On her mother’s death, Edy converted the barn into a theatre, which still exists. nationaltrust.org.uk/smallhythe-place 2 Shibden Hall HALIFAX Home of ‘the first modern lesbian’ In the 19th century, Shibden Hall was home to entrepreneur and landowner Anne Lister – a woman often described as the first modern lesbian. Lister wrote about her many sexual affairs in a coded diary, redesigning the house and its surroundings to…

BEST TIME TO GO Late spring, when Syracuse’s ancient Greek theatre hosts the annual festival of Greek theatre. Avoid high summer when the city’s stone streets warm up like an oven and its archaeological sites are too hot for anyone except the tortoises that trundle about the ruins. GETTING THERE The closest airport is Catania around 45 miles away – an hour’s drive – along coastal motorways. And if you fly into Catania you get a splendid view of Mount Etna, which looms over the airport. WHAT TO TAKE As boring and un-Italian as it sounds, sensible shoes. Those flagstone piazzas and marble church steps may be breathtakingly beautiful but they are also very slippery. Also take with you a good translation of Plutarch’s Lives . The biographer’s style lies…

“Three Hundred Dollars Reward,” began the advertisement in the Cambridge Democrat, published in a small town in rural Maryland. “Ran away from the subscriber on Monday the 17th, three negroes, named as follows: Harry, aged about 19 years …; Ben, aged about 25 years …; Minty, aged about 27 years, is of a chestnut color, fine looking and about 5 feet high.” The woman who placed that advert was Eliza Ann Brodess, and today she is completely forgotten. But almost every American schoolchild has heard of her former slave Minty, better known as Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery, made more than a dozen missions to rescue other slaves, worked with the radical abolitionist John Brown and even spied for the North during the American Civil War. Born into slavery…

Why would a cockatoo have been pictured in this document? As king of Sicily, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was heavily influenced by the island’s Islamic heritage, especially falconry. During their 21-year diplomatic relationship, Frederick and Sultan al-Kamil of Egypt discussed falconry and exchanged exotic animals. In 1233, al-Kamil sent a rare gyrfalcon to Frederick, who reciprocated with a polar bear and a white peacock. In return, al-Kamil sent the cockatoo. Frederick not only hunted with birds, he wanted to know everything about them, recording his obsession in De Arte Venandi cum Avibus (On the Art of Hunting with Birds), a book written in Latin by, or for, Frederick between 1241 and 1244. The Yellow-crested or perhaps even Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is pictured four times in the 900 marginal images that…

“ Landscapes are not only the setting for history; they are also a major source of our sense of history and identity. Read them right, and historical landscapes can be more informative than any other kind of source. They can also offer a profound experience if we respond with curiosity and sensitivity to the contours and landmarks left by previous generations who have lived and worked in them. This is even more the case with sacred landscapes, which were a reflection of our ancestors’ beliefs about their relation to the cosmos and can still today seem to hold a numinous residue. Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to have spent time in many resonant historical landscapes, hoping to conjure up something of the spirits of the people who…

Following our August issue cover feature on the Civil War, who do you think was responsible for starting the conflict between king and parliament in the 1640s? @jessicambarton1 Charles’s policies undoubtedly exacerbated tensions. Yet, there were structural problems in England, and parliament became more critical of the king post-1637. Following the Scottish and Irish rebellions, Charles had alienated his support and instigated civil war. @marmonsette It’s never who, it’s what. And always a plural answer. @JenHistoryCW11 War broke out due to the tenacity of Pym & the junto mixed with the king’s stubbornness. Charles made a lot of mistakes but the extreme actions of some MPs after 1640 made it impossible for Charles to consider working with them as they offered no way for him to maintain power. @RogueRoyalle Given…

When it came out that Levy was a butcher, skilled in the slaughter of animals, his fate as a suspect was sealed 1 Outcast Rippers The Whitechapel killings awoke fears of the predatory immigrant Between August and November 1888, five women were murdered and mutilated in the warren of streets that made up Whitechapel in London’s East End, some with their throats cut, faces slashed and organs removed. Even from a distance of 130 years, the bare facts of the Jack the Ripper killings make for unsettling reading. But for the residents of the Victorian capital, the case was far more visceral. In their midst was a criminal, or group of criminals, capable of committing the most gruesome of crimes. The question at the front, centre and back of Londoners’…

The moment he took the reins of power, James brought an ambitious, abrasive style of rule to the kingdom of Scotland When writing his history of Scotland in the 1440s, the chronicler Walter Bower stated mournfully that he was “forced to unfold a gloomy account although it is much against my inclinations”. Bower was referring to the events of 20 February 1437, when a group of assassins broke into Blackfriars friary in Perth and hunted down King James I of Scotland. James initially eluded his attackers and, when cornered, put up a desperate fight. But eventually the king was overpowered and killed before help could be summoned. He succumbed – in the words of the chronicler Enguerrand de Monstrelet – “to upwards of 30 wounds, some of which went through…

Joanne Paul “If one is looking for a list of inspirational and significant women, this is a good place to start” Seeing that history polls can often be male-dominated, giving women a list of their own highlights those who usually get left off or forgotten. In some ways, the category is an odd one – changing the world does not require intention, benevolence or even existence (as some of the more legendary additions to this list demonstrate). What does it mean to ‘change the world’ and how do we measure it? The majority of the women in the top 20 made their marks in the last 300 years. It is more difficult to recover the influence of women the further back in history one goes, as it was often necessarily…

Humans have been using opium to cure pain and induce pleasure for thousands of years. A narcotic extracted from the seedpods of poppies, opium was found in ancient societies such as Mesopotamia and Greece, and was one of the first products traded between east and west. The global opium trade went on to generate immense profits and even triggered war in the 19th century. Over time, increasingly powerful opiates have been created from opium, including laudanum, morphine and heroin. More recently, potent synthetic opioids have been blamed for a rise in opiate addiction in the US.…

The Known World Edward P Jones (2003) Henry Townsend is a freed slave who now owns slaves himself. After his death, the world he has created on his small plantation begins to disintegrate, as does the wider society of the deep South beyond its boundaries. This impressive novel tackles the history of American slavery with great insight and intelligence. Edward P Jones’s multilayered narrative moves back and forth in time to create a richer understanding of the complex realities of the brutal system. The Book of Night Women Marlon James (2009) Jamaican writer Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize with A Brief History of Seven Killings. This earlier novel is set on a sugar plantation at the end of the 18th century, where a slave woman called Lilith…

Sylvia Plath’s only novel, the semi-autobiographical The Bell Jar (1963), is a study of mental illness and depression that’s also a key feminist text. Tragically, Plath took her own life a few weeks after it was published in the UK. Life Inside the Bell Jar (BBC Two, August) is one of several BBC arts documentaries scheduled to be shown this summer that also has much to say about social history. The documentary features the first-ever interview on camera with Frieda Hughes about her mother. Forthcoming episodes of Open Country (Radio 4) include one in which Helen Mark visits Purton Hulks ships’ graveyard (Thursday 9 August), a remarkable collection of craft stranded on the foreshore. Also listen out for the continuing Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (Radio 4, Monday…

EXHIBITION / FREE ENTRY Renewal: Life After the First World War in Photographs IWM London 21 September–31 March 2019 - 020 7416 5000 • iwm.org.uk The years that followed the end of the First World War saw regeneration and rebuilding on an unprecedented scale. This month, IWM London will chart how a new world emerged from devastation and loss, highlighting the ways in which lives, landscapes and national identities recovered, evolved and even prospered in the aftermath of the conflict. The exhibition explores the initial feeling of optimism that flourished in the wake of the conflict, and the harsh realities of living in the postwar Europe that emerged over time, with displacement, demobilisation and social change. More than 130 black and white photographs will be on show, along with documents…

Bienenstich (bee sting) The origin of this German cake’s name is debated: some say bees stung its creator; others claim it recalls a group of 15th-century bakers who threw beehives at invaders. INGREDIENTS 250g plain flour 1½ tsp dried yeast Pinch of salt 2 large eggs 100ml whole milk 50ml honey ½ tsp vanilla-bean paste 65g unsalted butter, slightly soft For the crème pâtissière: 3 egg yolks 35ml honey 10g plain flour 10g cornflour 200ml whole milk 50ml single cream ½ tsp vanilla-bean paste Icing sugar for dusting For the topping: 100g butter 100g caster sugar 50g honey 75g single cream 100g flaked almonds METHOD Add cake ingredients to a bowl, mix thoroughly, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for an hour. For the crème, whisk egg yolks and…

Miles Davis was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer. He adopted a variety of musical styles that kept him at the forefront of the jazz world through his career, but is best known for Kind of Blue (1959), which remains the biggest-selling jazz album of all time. He was buried in New York with one of his trumpets. When did you first hear about Miles Davis? In the late 1970s, when I was in my teens. I had no real idea what jazz music was – I was more into reggae at the time – but I just liked the idea of it. It didn’t seem to matter what instrument you played, your background or what kind of school you went to, you were able to speak with this…