 |
| Sack of Rome of 1527 Johannes Lingelbach (PD) |
The Reformation, Henry VIII of England, the Pope, the Medicis - I am learning that the early to mid-16th Century in Europe was busy indeed.
Italy was fragmented, the Pope and the Church controlling much of central Italy in the form of the Papal States. There was the Holy Roman Empire led by the Emperor, who was also the King of Spain. (Whose aunt was none other than Katherine of Aragon, the wife Henry VIII wished to be shed of.)
The French made an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, which led to the Sultan invading Europe and besieging Vienna in 1529 - which would happen again in 1683!
The Pope (it's worth noting that he was a Medici) made an alliance with the French, English, and some of the Italian states to fight against the Imperial Army (which was composed of Spanish troops and many Germans, after all the Holy Roman Empire held most of the minor German States within its "borders"). So on one side mostly Catholics (which England was at the time) and the Empire on the other having a lot of Catholics and a lot of Protestants as well!
All this research keeps leading me down new paths and seeing things which left me saying, "I had no idea!" Fascinating times, but I'm really glad I didn't live back then.
The story is developing in my head for this new vignette, which will have characters on both sides, but there is so much to this period that it's going to take a while longer. The History Guy has a nice summary of the event which will be central to the new story, the Sack of Rome -
I highly recommend his channel, he has a lot of good stuff there.
Now, I'm back to the Interwebs, working hard to bring you all a new story for your education, enlightenment, and entertainment!
Ciao!
Oh yeah, Sabaton made a song about it ...
My daily read with this morning a fresh pot of coffee.
ReplyDeleteSack of Rome, wonder how close will history repeat itself in the near future. "Barbarians" against the "Civilized World".
Eager to see your take on the Bolshevik Revolution.
Hhmm, Bolshevik Revolution, I hadn't thought of that. But those Russian names can be tongue twisters.
DeleteRemember, the Bolshevik revolution was not an exclusively internal Russian affair pitting the Reds against the Whites (and like the American Revolution a lot of struggling folks who just wanted to be left along to try to survive their fight against nature for subsistence.
DeleteAfter WW1 was over, the U.S. and England, with minor supporting casts from France and Czechoslovakia were engaged in active fighting on both ends of Russia, part of the American Expeditionary Force. Operating out of Murmansk and Archangel, the AEF Northern Russia sought to control a few hundred miles of rail lines southward towards Moscow and were supposed to protect the massive supply dumps at the ports. However, the Bolos had already hauled away most of the supplies, so it became a war of slow attrition advancing and retreating over the same territory, by rail and sled in the winter, or by rail or small steamer in the few months when the rivers were navigable. Our "Polar Bears" fought well but time, the vast wilderness, persistence of the Reds, and the fickleness of the White ostensibly allied Russians eventually wore out and we left in 1920. Pretty much the old "stick your fist in a bucket of water, and after a while pull it out and see what a difference you made doing that.
On the Eastern end of Russia, (not the Eastern front from the European perspective) the AEF Siberia (related to, but totally independent from the AEF Northern Russia) had several thousand troops in Vladivostok, along with some Brits, and a massive contingent of Japanese, who were mostly their for their own reasons, but occasionally allies of convenience against out mutual enemies, the Bolsheviks. Throw in the remnants of the Czech legion whom were escaping from the old Eastern front along the trans Siberian Railroad (a several thousand mile journey), ostensibly a force to be shipped half way around the world to resume fighting against the evil Huns once they got to the Western front. So, Americans in Vladivostok patrolled the railroad for many hundreds of miles into the Russian interior, fighting Bolsehviks and pretty much an equal number of really nasty Russian warlords and opportunistic thugs. We finally pulled out of there in 1920, taking with us most of the Czech Legion.
While our lengthy time fighting native Russians on Russian soil is mostly forgotten or unknown by Americans today, the Russians undoubtedly have not forgotten, nor forgiven.
I'll have to drag out some of my souvenirs from those expeditions and tell their stories. Also, some souvenirs from the pre-WW2 period when we had U.S. Navy ships patrolling the Yangtze River several hundred miles into the interior of China. The inscrutable Chinese have not forgotten that, and undoubtedly see that as some sort of justification for their own interests in expanding military control thousands of miles from their own shoreline, via their economic "belt and road" or military island dredging operations.
John Blackshoe
I am very familiar with the time period.
DeleteThe AEF in Siberia was issued Mosin-Nagants rather than M1903 Springfields or M1917 Enfields.
DeleteWhy?
DeleteBeans is half correct- AEF Northern Russia got the Mosins- issued when they passed thru England from undelivered Czarist orders, the thought being to simplify logistics with the White Russians having them too. Even the landing party from USS Olympia got Mosins.
DeleteThe AEF Siberia retained their M1903 Springfields,
and did NOT get Mosins.
JB
That would simplify logistics.
DeleteAh, thanks.
DeleteKlar.
DeleteMe, sitting back snd smiling because I knew Sarge would find this era so exciting...
ReplyDeleteIt's a massive smorgasbord of interesting stuff!
DeleteSarge, on my way out the door I saw the beginning of a Rick Steve's Europe show where he said the holy Roman empire was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. I was intrigued but didn't have time to watch. Do you know what he meant?
DeleteIt was something Voltaire said in 1762. By that time the Holy Roman Empire was a shadow of its former self.
DeleteI knew you'd know!
DeleteAnd now I have another time sink ...
DeleteRick Steves looks like he has a very interesting YouTube channel.
Once you open up the 16th Century Can of Worms you need a half dozen octopuses (or a full watch of squids ;-) ) to deal with all the "on other hands."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and concentrate on one tentacle at a time.
DeleteSpeaking of Vienna & the Muslim invaders in 1529 & 1683, how's it looking today with the new invasions? Have they come back?
ReplyDeleteThe History Guy is a good one, he lost his job as an insurance salesman and started doing youtube. Youtube and all the other media places that offer the means to make a living are a change! I guess they are actually just "another" way my/our world is changing in front of us. Speaking of changes I read this guys blog yesterday & it's about changes... https://www.vagabondjourney.com/my-flight-to-italy-showed-me-the-future-of-travel/
Oh, they're back, just look at the UK.
DeleteThat blog was interesting reading. The Terminator isn't coming in the form of a killing machine, but in the form of AI. That AI must be stopped and it must be stopped now. The idea of a faceless bureaucrat putting you on some list isn't nearly as frightening as a soulless machine putting you on a list because of a software error.
I'm a computer guy and I despise AI.
I was thinking about Vienna, I guess I could have just looked it up..
DeleteHere is what the google AI had to say:
>>Here are some other facts about Muslims in Vienna:
In 2018, an estimated 200,000 people, or 10.4% of the population, identified as Muslim in Vienna.
The majority of Muslims in Austria are Austrian citizens, but many are also from Turkey, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The number of Muslims in Austria has been growing steadily since the 1970s.
The Austrian Academy of Science projects that Muslims will make up 12–21% of the population by 2046.<<
Europe is being overrun.
DeleteThese changes look deliberate and it's not just Europe. Someone has an idea to remake the west and they seems to be doing it.
DeleteConcur.
DeleteSarge, from my limited experience, AI with "I' standing for intelligence is a misnomer. Otherwise, it is much like a bureaucratic organization - no heart to appeal to and no butt to kick.
DeleteThe "intelligence" is definitely a misnomer!
DeleteToo few people have seen the Star Trek episode, The Ultimate Computer, it seems.
DeleteToo few people bother to actually think things through to their logical conclusion.
DeleteAh! New story! Looking forward to this Sarge.
ReplyDeleteAs am I.
DeleteMaybe will post something from that era soon. 1500-1700 was a wild ride for Europe, and Polish -Lirhuanian Commonwealth was major player.
ReplyDeleteI for one would love to learn more about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth!
Delete