In the time of the crusades, Europeans were looking for any allies in their battles against the Muslims for the Holy Land. Medieval writings often feature a fabulously wealthy Christian king in the East. This was Prester John. He was believed to be a member of the Nestorian Church, which was an independent Eastern […]
Category: Italy
Enrico Dandolo’s Revenge or The Fourth Crusade
Written on May 5, 2017 by ER at 4:03 PM | 0
Byzantium, ER, Italy, Rest of the World, Southern Europe
Byzantium, ER, Italy, Rest of the World, Southern Europe
Enrico Dandolo had an ax to grind. At first, it seemed like he had a pretty good life. He was born in the early 12th century to an influential Venetian noble family. His father was Vitale Dandolo, who was a famous jurist and diplomat. His uncle, another Enrico Dandolo, was the patriarch of Grado, the […]
Bona Sforza
One would generally think the Queen of Poland would be….well….Polish. In this case, she was not. Bona Sforza, as her name would indicate, was Italian. However, as the wife of King Sigismund I she exercised great power over the country. A member of the powerful Sforza family of Milan, Bona was born on February 2, […]
The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great
Written on November 22, 2016 by ER at 4:18 PM | 1
Egypt, ER, Greece, Italy, Rest of the World, Southern Europe
Egypt, ER, Greece, Italy, Rest of the World, Southern Europe
Alexander the Great conquered the known world, but died unexpectedly in Babylon in 323 BCE at 32 years old. His death left his empire in disarray, and his generals scrambled to save pieces of it even as Alexander’s funeral preparations drug on for two years. At one point, one of these generals, Ptolemy, took control […]
Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the greatest female artists of the baroque age. A brilliant follower of the Caravaggio, she utilized his technique of chiaroscuro in her works. Modern critics have called her paintings the “real successors to Caravaggio with a muscular personality all their own.” However, as with most female artists she faced blatant […]