Scandal at Castle Edinburgh
While Nikole and I were touring the birthing room of King James VI, adjacent to it was a room that housed four portraits that were sectioned off. The first two was of Maria Clementina Sobieska and James Francis Edwards Stuart both of which are the parents of Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charles). The other two was of Prince Charles and his wife Louis Maxilienne Caroline Emannuele which is the main reason for this post. So as Nikole and I were poking our heads in to look at the pictures, one of the attendants let us in to see the pictures up close and personal. The attendant told us about Charles life after his failed attempt to regain Scotland from British control. In a snapshot, he was exiled and on the run for many years. He spent most of his time drinking and entertaining himself in whatever he deemed important. He later married Louis only to eventually uncover her affair with a poet named Count Alfieri. In 1780 a violent event between Louis and Charles occured that pushed her to divorce him. After the divorce, Charles continued down his destructive path until he became sick and was cared for by his daughter until his death in 1788. This may look like a typical story of loss however, I was highly intrigued by the fact that Louis divorced her husband. I have never heard of women (especially during that time period) divorcing their husbands. Scandals are nothing new in history however, given the history I have been taught; a woman in a patriarchal world divorcing her husband that is new.
photocredit http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/jacobitesenlightenmentclearances/charlesedwardstuart/
National Galleries Scotland. www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/3925/
princess-louisa-stolberg-1753-1824-wife-prince-charles-edward-stuart-about-1772.
Astronomical Feat
In ancient times astrologers used the stars to map out their course and to gain an understanding of the cosmos and the world around them. There are numerous examples of the latter such as the Pyramids of Giza aligned with the Kings stars or the Serpent Pyramid for the Equinox. However, how many examples of astrology do we have in the shape of clocks? Nestled in Old Town in Prague rests the oldest and only Astronomical clock in the world The Orloj. The Oloj is a 600 year old clock that tracks the times from day to night and event the position of the sun, stars, and moon (Santora 2018). When looking at the clock is apparent that the previous is evident however, there are a lot of 15th century symbolism that exist on the face and sides of the clock. The four figures on the side of the clock represent Vanity with a mirror, Greed with money, Death the Skeleton, the Pagan Invasion represented by a Turk. Below the deadly sins are the Angel, Chronicler, Philosopher and Astronomer. When the hour strikes Death rings its bell and rotates the hourglass and in the top two windows the 12 apostles greets the viewers (Lonely Planet 2018). When looking at the face there are different digits on it that tell time differently, the first is the medieval style of telling time with its Gothic numerals, the one below it is the modern day time telling with Roman Numerals.
Historically, Mikuláš of Kadaň the imperial clock maker was commissioned to build said clock in 1410 which accommodated the different cultures of the city by telling different forms of time as stated above. In 1490 Master Hanuš added Death and a calendar plate to the clock. This is interesting because in my research I found there to be different stories on the origin of the clock; most notably the one that tells how Master Hanuš constructed the clock in 1410 impressing people all around. The clock was so impressive that when the city council heard rumors of him building another clock in a different area, they had him blinded (Czech 2018). By doing so, it left Prague as the only city in Europe to house such a masterful clock.
Szechenyi Baths
This is the first bathouse on the Pest side of Budapest which turned 100 years old in 2013. The history of Budapest bath houses extend beyond 100 years going all the way back to the 19th century when hot spring wells were dug under Hero Square in Budapest. This particular bath house was built between 1909-1913 in Neo-Baroque and Renaissance styles by Gyozo Czigler. The daily usage of the well is approximately 6,000 cubic meters of water at 77 celsius (170 F), which is about 3500 liters per minute. By 1970s it became a co ed bath allowing for men and women to enjoy it together. While at the baths you are able to experience multiple pools both warm and cold, a sauna, and messages on the second floor. This bath house is truly majestic from the sculpture of a naked woman being covered by a swan to the colorful paintings that glide across the ceilings and walls. Originally the creators wanted to turn it into a hotel resort and while looking around you can see hints of such grandeur.
www.szechenyispabaths.com/szechenyi-bath-history/
photo: http://www.szechenyibath.hu/static/baths/8/vip_images/6-b.jpg?Széchenyi%20gyógyfürdő
1….2…3…FIGHT!!!
The construction of the Roman Colosseum (or Flavian Amphitheatre) started in the 1st century AD under the Flavian dynasty and continued through the Vespasian (69-79 AD), Titus (79-81 AD), and finished during the Domitian (81-96 AD) Dynasty. This ellipsoid arena was used to hold public events such as gladiator fights,public executions, and animal hunts from 80AD-404 AD. Being the biggest colosseum of its time, it has four stories high, measuring 189 x 156 meters across and 45 meters high. The structure was primarily built of local limestone, concrete, brick, and volcanic stone with the vaults made up of pumice. According to Britannica, the Amphitheatre contained a retractable awning used to cover the 50,000 spectators from the elements. Towards 395 AD, the colosseum began to decline in its use; this is due in part to the decline of the Roman empire and the rise of Christendom. Over the centuries (approx 1,000 years), the Colosseum was damaged by earthquakes, lightning, vandalism, and quarrying. It wasn’t until the19th century that the protection of the Colosseum took its current form.
Britannica 2016
Cartwright, Mark
published on 06 November 2012http://www. ancient.eu/Colosseum/
Pompeii a City Preserved by Ash
Before its destruction on August 24th 79 BC Pompeii was a thriving City full of merchants, commerce, aristocrats, and families. It is located 40 miles Southeast of Naples at the Southeastern base of Mount Vesuvius. This massive City during its peak supported anywhere between 10,000 20,000 inhabitants which compares to the 25620 individuals who currently live in the surrounding area. Its true beginnings lie in the 8th century BC with the settlement of the Greeks. Overtime it grew to be a necropolis designed not just as a vacation spot for the wealthy but it served as a permanent residence for all types of people. Surrounding settlements would import and export goods such as olives(oil), wool, wine, salt, fish sauce, cherries, apricots, etc to and from Pompeii. Pompeii had many buildings within its walls such as an arena for entertainment, temples to their gods, baths, public bathrooms, brothels, basilica, theaters, and hundreds of villas and farms within and around the settlement. Even Though Pompeii is sited as a Roman city it has Greek origins. One way researchers know this is by the materials left behind in the city such as murals within large villas, and tangible artifacts. Researchers are also aware that the Greeks established their colonies in the 8th century BC. After the battle of Cumae in 474 BC, the Samnite people came to dominate the region until their split during the Samnite Wars (343-290 BC). The day of the eruption Pompeii experienced multiple tremors ranging from mild to catastrophic. Once Vesuvius erupted, a mushroom cloud rose 27 miles high and according to ancient.edu the explosion was calculated to be 100,000 times greater than the nuclear bomb used in Japan. Due to the density of the ash particles, it was not very difficult for the entire town to be covered in centimeters of ash. The previous occurred earlier in the day, in the afternoon, another explosion occurred sending another ash cloud six miles higher (33 miles high) in the sky and this time it was heavy stones coming down not ash alone. Then towards midnight, the cloud hanging above the volcano gave in to its own weight and released six waves of heated ash and air which suffocated and cooked the bodies of the entire city population. By morning, Pompeii was covered meters deep in ash and rock causing it to disappear from history until the 18th century. Below you can click the link to a website that will give you more detail and a virtual simulation about the eruption.
Link:http://www.ancient.eu/pompeii/
Cartwright, Mark Pompeii ancient.edu 2012
History.com
Notre Dame: Quasimodo are you there?
The beginning of this structure occurred in 1163 when Maurice de Sully laid the first stone. It wouldn’t be for another 200 years before Notre Dame de Paris would be completed. At the time it was the biggest building in Western Europe with its towers being 69 meters high stretching 400 steps to the top. The interior of the Gothic style building is 427x157ft in plan with the two bell towers on the western side separated into three stories(Britannica 2016). What makes this building special resides in its overall design. Gothic architecture is defined by a style prominent in the high and let middle Ages that consisted of ribbed vaults, flying gnome buttresses, pointed arches, stained glass windows, and in some cases gargoyles. It is very artistic and contains a lot of symbolism which can be seen from and within Notre Dame. Notre-Dame de Paris has undergone multiple restorations over the centuries by Napoleon, priest, and various other architects. As of 1991, Notre Dame was added to the UNESCO World heritage list and continues to stand as an monumental masterpiece of human history.