Firstly I just want to say that I personally thought the lecture on Countess Markievicz was amazing and I think the rest of the class will agree. The lecturer gave straight to the point facts and was made everything really interesting.
Dr. Maryann Valiulis pointed out that women are hidden from history, and although Countess Markievicz (CM) played a big role in 1916 rising not many people no about her.
CM was born in Sligo and was from a fairly well off family her father was a land lord and was caring and sympathetic man during her early years CM wanted to be an artist so she decided to flee to Paris to fulfil her dreams, it is here that she met her husband Cashmere Markievicz. They married in Paris but returned to Dublin shortly after.
CM was always an out spoken woman who rebelled against the conditions for women so it was no surprise when she joined the suffragettes.
At the time of the first meeting CM was attending a ball in Dublin Castle, so she arrived at the meeting all done up in a ball gown! This made people weary of her. But soon after she spoke out on her views about women and Ireland people warmed up to her.
She was among those who protested the visit of Queen Elizabeth. When CM spoke about England and its people she referred to them as slugs.
In 1913 she was involved in a lock out, and it was during this time that she showed her kind heart. She ran the kitchens which were giving the starving people food, and not only did she run them she put a lot of her own money into these kitchens to help out. Although a lot of people grew to love her because of this she earned a few enemies. Sean o Casey hated her! He was continuously writing really mean and hurtful things about her in the paper, he said that she only helped out and gave money to the kitchens for attention! Which I think was a horrible thing to say. There where much easier and cheaper ways to get public attention if that’s all she was after! But even he acknowledged her bravery. She was one of the disciples of James Connelly.
In 1917 she founded Fianna. This was a scouts group for young boys. CM set this up so she could teach young boys how to scout, fight and use a gun, everything necessary for a revolutionary war. Sinn Fein told her not to set up the scouts and told her they did not approve, but she went ahead and did it anyway. It was here that she established reputation as someone who would be very useful in a revolutionary war.
CM was one of the head leaders in 1916 along side James Connolly, Thomas Clark Patrick Pearse, Joseph Plunkett, Eamonn Ceantt, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, and Eamonn De Valera. All these people were arrested and imprisoned in Wales. All except CM and De Valera were executed. Eamonn De Valera was excused because of his American status and Countess Markievicz’ death sentence was taken back because they refused to kill a woman. She did not want this so she argued with them to execute her too but they refused and just kept her in prison for awhile instead.
When she came out she became the first woman to be elected to British parliament, although she refused. When Sinn Fein set up the Dail Eireann she was selected to be a Minster for labour and it was 50 years until another women was elected! In 1926 Finna Fail is set up and she decides to go anti-treaty with DeValera.
During the Irish Anglo war she is arrested a number of times of times and her health seriously suffers from this. Even during her sickness she continues to give speeches on women. During her time in hospital even people who did not know her came to visit her and sent her flowers. These were poor times and bread and flowers were expensive so it showed how grateful people were for the work she had done for the country.
On 15 July 1927 she dies. The reasons for her death are unclear some say it was cancer, some say it was her appendix and others say she wore herself out.
She was not aloud to lie in state. She was given a huge funeral at which DeValera spoke out about her.
Even though CM spent her whole life driving and working for a better country she did not succeed because even now what she stood for is still not run in this state. Her whole career was based around labour, nationalism and feminism and although she did not achieve what she wanted to, I think she made such a difference in Ireland.
Nobody can disagree that she is an amazing woman with bags of courage.
Women have played a big role in history and I really agree with Dr. Maryann Valiulis that women are hidden from history and there should be more about them!
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Maximilien Robespierre
I’m sure you’re all going to agree that This lecture was very much to the style of Maximilien Robespierre (MR) style of speaking. MR was a man who was known for his rambling speeches in which he was not taken seriously!
In the first 31 years of MR’s life not a lot was known about him. He was born in May 1758 in the French town Arras. He was the son of a lawyer and received a scholarship to study law. MR became a lawyer and went to establish a reputation as a lawyer who would represent the probono cases that he felt the system was unfairly treating these people of lower class.
MR was a man of roughly 5ft 2; he held his body upright, often clenched his fists, neck and shoulders. His clothes were also very neat, traditional and fashionable. His eyes were dull and melancholy; he also wore green tined glasses. He was not a good public speaker. He had the appearance of and insignificant man and one of which people did not trust. MR had shown and voiced how he thought the estates general should a representation of the people of France. MR was successful in his election. At his first huge appearance in the states general in 1789 he was ignored or laughed at. This was because of his meandering speeches and it made him notoriously ineffective.
Soon RM got involved in the Jacobin club; this was a club of like minded deputies from parliament which was the first modern political party, this became a sensation and was the first political venue that MR was effective in his speeches.
So really how does a young liberal lawyer in 1789 become a killer?
In the summer of 1789 the people of Paris rose up and stormed the Bastille to retrieve guns and weapons. MR was willing to excuse violence and he sided with the majority public. In 1791 MR opposes the war because to many political people were in favour of it and he figured it was a conspiracy. He felt that France should deal with the enemies within before dealing with foreign enemies; which they were beginning to form across Europe. The events of the revolution had finally led to the over throw of the monarch. In 1794 MR signs the death warrant of his old school friend “Des Moulins”. Des Moulins was the best man at MR’s wedding yet MR signs his death warrant. Des Moulins is beheaded twenty four hours later. This is a key event it marks the change from the liberator to an extremist. At this stage there were public killings of officials for being involved in the resistance against the people. There was also resistance from the aristocrats and the clergy men as they were loosing privileges with every step MR took. This all builds up enemies inside and outside France and war becomes eminent.
France declared war in 1794 with Austria this went extremely badly for France by 1792 Austria had gained control of nearly the whole of France. This evolves to the biggest war Europe had ever seen. This was a war between France and the whole of Europe. This then lead to World War one was a new type of war one in which the world had never seen before. MR believed in going to war Full heartedly and the Million strong Army came about. During this time MR becomes involved in his own religion “the cult of supreme being” and begins setting himself as a political messiah and begins excluding large groups of society there was a quote from an onlooker who said “look at that bugger he thinks he’s the pope” this was the beginning of his downfall. People started to believe he wanted a dictatorship. In the midst of all of this mayhem MR has a breakdown MR experienced periodical depression and went into hiding through out his life time. This arguably may have been for strategic reasons or simply to deal with this depression; or possibly both. When he returns he begins to speak of alleged conspiracies but will not reveal who the perpetrator is so the people loose faith in him. MR resorts to an attempted suicide but he is not successful and just blows his jaw off however the next day he is executed.
In the first 31 years of MR’s life not a lot was known about him. He was born in May 1758 in the French town Arras. He was the son of a lawyer and received a scholarship to study law. MR became a lawyer and went to establish a reputation as a lawyer who would represent the probono cases that he felt the system was unfairly treating these people of lower class.
MR was a man of roughly 5ft 2; he held his body upright, often clenched his fists, neck and shoulders. His clothes were also very neat, traditional and fashionable. His eyes were dull and melancholy; he also wore green tined glasses. He was not a good public speaker. He had the appearance of and insignificant man and one of which people did not trust. MR had shown and voiced how he thought the estates general should a representation of the people of France. MR was successful in his election. At his first huge appearance in the states general in 1789 he was ignored or laughed at. This was because of his meandering speeches and it made him notoriously ineffective.
Soon RM got involved in the Jacobin club; this was a club of like minded deputies from parliament which was the first modern political party, this became a sensation and was the first political venue that MR was effective in his speeches.
So really how does a young liberal lawyer in 1789 become a killer?
In the summer of 1789 the people of Paris rose up and stormed the Bastille to retrieve guns and weapons. MR was willing to excuse violence and he sided with the majority public. In 1791 MR opposes the war because to many political people were in favour of it and he figured it was a conspiracy. He felt that France should deal with the enemies within before dealing with foreign enemies; which they were beginning to form across Europe. The events of the revolution had finally led to the over throw of the monarch. In 1794 MR signs the death warrant of his old school friend “Des Moulins”. Des Moulins was the best man at MR’s wedding yet MR signs his death warrant. Des Moulins is beheaded twenty four hours later. This is a key event it marks the change from the liberator to an extremist. At this stage there were public killings of officials for being involved in the resistance against the people. There was also resistance from the aristocrats and the clergy men as they were loosing privileges with every step MR took. This all builds up enemies inside and outside France and war becomes eminent.
France declared war in 1794 with Austria this went extremely badly for France by 1792 Austria had gained control of nearly the whole of France. This evolves to the biggest war Europe had ever seen. This was a war between France and the whole of Europe. This then lead to World War one was a new type of war one in which the world had never seen before. MR believed in going to war Full heartedly and the Million strong Army came about. During this time MR becomes involved in his own religion “the cult of supreme being” and begins setting himself as a political messiah and begins excluding large groups of society there was a quote from an onlooker who said “look at that bugger he thinks he’s the pope” this was the beginning of his downfall. People started to believe he wanted a dictatorship. In the midst of all of this mayhem MR has a breakdown MR experienced periodical depression and went into hiding through out his life time. This arguably may have been for strategic reasons or simply to deal with this depression; or possibly both. When he returns he begins to speak of alleged conspiracies but will not reveal who the perpetrator is so the people loose faith in him. MR resorts to an attempted suicide but he is not successful and just blows his jaw off however the next day he is executed.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Johnathan Swift
The lecture on Jonathan Swift by Dr. Robert Armstrong was Different from the two previous lectures, instead of too little information, there was way too much. So here is the highlights (it's still a lot though)
Jonathan swift was born in 1667. He could be described as the most creative Genius ever born in Ireland. A very complicated character, he raises questions on what it is to be Irish and how the churches are run. A very peculiar character, who could not really be described as typical. Active in so many things, he really only came into his own very late in life and accomplished so much in a short time.
Swift was born in Dublin, his father died shortly before he was born. He was educated in Kilkenny and Trinity College, which he graduated from in 1659. After this and until 1699 he spends most of his time living in England and traveling back and forth between there and Dublin. While he was in England, he became a secretary for the politician William Temple. During his time in England he was able to make a lot of contacts, and also during this time, he published his first set of poems.
In 1695 at the age of 28 he makes the decision to become a clergyman. Swift is given a parish in Belfast, which he hates, and after a few months he ends up going back to Temple, he is into his 30’s by this point. In 1699 Temple dies and Swift is given a new better parish in Meath.
In 1704 his first book: A Tale of a Tub. This was, and still is considered an odd book, for three reasons:
1. The book is written in a way that its like three different books in one
2. When the book was first published, the author was anonymous
3. Nobody knows what the tub means (not even Swift)
The book does have a main story, but it gets interrupted throughout, rambling around the little pathways-just for fun. The main story follows three brothers, who represent three of mainstream churches:
PETER: who represents the Catholic Church (named after St. Peter)
MARTIN: who represents the church of England/Ireland (named after Martin Luther)
JACK: who represents dissenting Protestant churches (named after John Calvin)
The three brothers are each given a coat and each try to change theirs, Peter tries to make his coat too fancy, Jack (who gets most of swift’s anger and is described as a madman) tries to make his coat too minimal and ends up destroying it, and Martin (who represents Swift’s religion) is described as the best of all three, because he stays in the middle, he’s not too fancy or too modest. This book is a great way of looking at how the churches were run at this time.
1699 was a time of political upheaval in the United Kingdom. James III who was king for only three years. His crowning immediately causes problems since he was a catholic and most of Britain was officially protestant, and a common religion makes society work.
King James was deposed in 1689 and replaced by William III. This was a great landmark in the way England rules itself, as it let people know that they could get rid of the king if they wanted to. When James gets deposed, he comes to Ireland and this eventually leads to the Battle of the Boyne, James is again defeated when William comes over to deal with him. The fallout of this is that Protestantism becomes the official religion of Ireland, but nobody is signing up for it. This political and religious upheaval going on while he was in England was inspiration for many of Swift's writings.
Next Swift gets involved in politics. From 1708-14 he lives in London. He gets to know the top political people and starts to write political pamphlets, one such pamphlet sold 11,000 in two months, an amazing amount for the time. He also runs The Examiner, a newspaper magazine, and just as A Tale of a Tub, which was critical of religion, these new works would be critical of politics. The Examiner was also an example of making politics more accessible.
During this time a new type of government was in play called the ray of party, in which the monarch would choose the political party in charge, although it was not full democracy it was a start. There were two main parties: the Tories and the Whigs, Both parties wanted Swift on their side, and eventually he sided with the Tories.
In 1714 when Queen Anne dies the new king, George kicks the Tories out of office, and since Swift is so tied up with the Tories, he is out too. After this he becomes the dean of St. Patrick’s and then returns to Dublin where he lives the rest of his life. When he returns he does not write anything for four years, but when he starts again he in a sense reinvents himself, he becomes a kind of patriot writer, and starts to write attacks on how Ireland is being ruled from England. His writings can not really be considered nationalist, more patriotic; he supports the king, but did not like how Ireland is being told what to do by the parliament of England. After writing “The Drapier's Letters” he instantly becomes a folk hero, and helps bring about changes.
Possibly his most famous book “Gulliver's Travels” was published in 1726. this book could be described as a book about all the things Swift had ever been interested in. the book also talks about his view in life and the world he lives in. So it is not really a story for children.
Swift died in 1745 and despite dieing over 250 years ago, hes still remembered fondly today (just look at the ship that’s named after him)
Jonathan swift was born in 1667. He could be described as the most creative Genius ever born in Ireland. A very complicated character, he raises questions on what it is to be Irish and how the churches are run. A very peculiar character, who could not really be described as typical. Active in so many things, he really only came into his own very late in life and accomplished so much in a short time.
Swift was born in Dublin, his father died shortly before he was born. He was educated in Kilkenny and Trinity College, which he graduated from in 1659. After this and until 1699 he spends most of his time living in England and traveling back and forth between there and Dublin. While he was in England, he became a secretary for the politician William Temple. During his time in England he was able to make a lot of contacts, and also during this time, he published his first set of poems.
In 1695 at the age of 28 he makes the decision to become a clergyman. Swift is given a parish in Belfast, which he hates, and after a few months he ends up going back to Temple, he is into his 30’s by this point. In 1699 Temple dies and Swift is given a new better parish in Meath.
In 1704 his first book: A Tale of a Tub. This was, and still is considered an odd book, for three reasons:
1. The book is written in a way that its like three different books in one
2. When the book was first published, the author was anonymous
3. Nobody knows what the tub means (not even Swift)
The book does have a main story, but it gets interrupted throughout, rambling around the little pathways-just for fun. The main story follows three brothers, who represent three of mainstream churches:
PETER: who represents the Catholic Church (named after St. Peter)
MARTIN: who represents the church of England/Ireland (named after Martin Luther)
JACK: who represents dissenting Protestant churches (named after John Calvin)
The three brothers are each given a coat and each try to change theirs, Peter tries to make his coat too fancy, Jack (who gets most of swift’s anger and is described as a madman) tries to make his coat too minimal and ends up destroying it, and Martin (who represents Swift’s religion) is described as the best of all three, because he stays in the middle, he’s not too fancy or too modest. This book is a great way of looking at how the churches were run at this time.
1699 was a time of political upheaval in the United Kingdom. James III who was king for only three years. His crowning immediately causes problems since he was a catholic and most of Britain was officially protestant, and a common religion makes society work.
King James was deposed in 1689 and replaced by William III. This was a great landmark in the way England rules itself, as it let people know that they could get rid of the king if they wanted to. When James gets deposed, he comes to Ireland and this eventually leads to the Battle of the Boyne, James is again defeated when William comes over to deal with him. The fallout of this is that Protestantism becomes the official religion of Ireland, but nobody is signing up for it. This political and religious upheaval going on while he was in England was inspiration for many of Swift's writings.
Next Swift gets involved in politics. From 1708-14 he lives in London. He gets to know the top political people and starts to write political pamphlets, one such pamphlet sold 11,000 in two months, an amazing amount for the time. He also runs The Examiner, a newspaper magazine, and just as A Tale of a Tub, which was critical of religion, these new works would be critical of politics. The Examiner was also an example of making politics more accessible.
During this time a new type of government was in play called the ray of party, in which the monarch would choose the political party in charge, although it was not full democracy it was a start. There were two main parties: the Tories and the Whigs, Both parties wanted Swift on their side, and eventually he sided with the Tories.
In 1714 when Queen Anne dies the new king, George kicks the Tories out of office, and since Swift is so tied up with the Tories, he is out too. After this he becomes the dean of St. Patrick’s and then returns to Dublin where he lives the rest of his life. When he returns he does not write anything for four years, but when he starts again he in a sense reinvents himself, he becomes a kind of patriot writer, and starts to write attacks on how Ireland is being ruled from England. His writings can not really be considered nationalist, more patriotic; he supports the king, but did not like how Ireland is being told what to do by the parliament of England. After writing “The Drapier's Letters” he instantly becomes a folk hero, and helps bring about changes.
Possibly his most famous book “Gulliver's Travels” was published in 1726. this book could be described as a book about all the things Swift had ever been interested in. the book also talks about his view in life and the world he lives in. So it is not really a story for children.
Swift died in 1745 and despite dieing over 250 years ago, hes still remembered fondly today (just look at the ship that’s named after him)
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Brian Boru
This lecture by Dr. Sean Duffy was very similar to the lecture on William Wallace because there's not much facts on Brian Boru nobody even knows his real date of birth.The lecture wasn't just based on Brian Boru in general but it was about how he gained power over the Ui Neill clang. The rule back then was you couldn't be a high king unless you were a descendant of Niall of the 9 hostages.
Nobody knows the exact date of the birth of Brian Boru, it was said that he was born in 925 he was the youngest of two sons of Cennedig, head of Dal Cais, one of the royal free tribes of Munster. Brian’s brother, Mahon, being the eldest, succeeded Cennedig as chief of the Dalcassians. Being hemmed into Clare by the Norse Leader, Ivar of Limerick, Mahon brian brother was willing to accept terms but Brian, seeing almost all of the Dal Cais tribe including his mother brutally murdered by a danish raid when he was only a child, refused to be any part of such a truce. He deserted Mahon with a group of soldiers. Brian and his group of solider attacked danish settlements. They used a mild form of gorilla warfare.
How Brian came to power.
In the year 795 When Vikings started to attack Ireland from Scotland and other places Scandinavia and Normandy.Ui Neill defeated them in all the main areas they controlled. In the towns that the viking occupied they built them up and these towns became very rich .Brain family taught if they got their hands on limerick they would gain power . Nearly overnight they gained controlled over limerick,then Cork and eventually Dublin.
Brian then battled against Ui Neill and he defeated him.It wasn't hard for him to defeat them because Ui Neill had no money, no fleet and Brian used his big Viking boats and other supplies to overthrow the Monopoly.Brian became the king of Scotland.This was a significant achievement because Brian was the first king of Scotland in over 400 years who wasn't a direct descendant of Niall of the 9 hostages.
One of the most famous battle's in history is the "Battle of Clontarf" Dr. Sean Duffy said this battle wasn't to important because Brian Boru didn't truly banish the Vikings because there was still Vikings in Ireland.Brian was murdered during this battle. The reason people called it a victory was because what Brian stopped happening in 1013 the Danes conquered England.
Dr. Sean Duffy's theory was after king Cnut conquered England he taught it would be easy to take Ireland.When Brian overthrown the Ui Neill clang he showed others that it was not impossible to become king if you hadn't got royal blood . 1014 battle of Clantarff preventing the Scandinavians conquering Ireland.
This is one of the main reasons Brian Boru is remembered. he was a great leader and tactician who changed history.
Nobody knows the exact date of the birth of Brian Boru, it was said that he was born in 925 he was the youngest of two sons of Cennedig, head of Dal Cais, one of the royal free tribes of Munster. Brian’s brother, Mahon, being the eldest, succeeded Cennedig as chief of the Dalcassians. Being hemmed into Clare by the Norse Leader, Ivar of Limerick, Mahon brian brother was willing to accept terms but Brian, seeing almost all of the Dal Cais tribe including his mother brutally murdered by a danish raid when he was only a child, refused to be any part of such a truce. He deserted Mahon with a group of soldiers. Brian and his group of solider attacked danish settlements. They used a mild form of gorilla warfare.
How Brian came to power.
In the year 795 When Vikings started to attack Ireland from Scotland and other places Scandinavia and Normandy.Ui Neill defeated them in all the main areas they controlled. In the towns that the viking occupied they built them up and these towns became very rich .Brain family taught if they got their hands on limerick they would gain power . Nearly overnight they gained controlled over limerick,then Cork and eventually Dublin.
Brian then battled against Ui Neill and he defeated him.It wasn't hard for him to defeat them because Ui Neill had no money, no fleet and Brian used his big Viking boats and other supplies to overthrow the Monopoly.Brian became the king of Scotland.This was a significant achievement because Brian was the first king of Scotland in over 400 years who wasn't a direct descendant of Niall of the 9 hostages.
One of the most famous battle's in history is the "Battle of Clontarf" Dr. Sean Duffy said this battle wasn't to important because Brian Boru didn't truly banish the Vikings because there was still Vikings in Ireland.Brian was murdered during this battle. The reason people called it a victory was because what Brian stopped happening in 1013 the Danes conquered England.
Dr. Sean Duffy's theory was after king Cnut conquered England he taught it would be easy to take Ireland.When Brian overthrown the Ui Neill clang he showed others that it was not impossible to become king if you hadn't got royal blood . 1014 battle of Clantarff preventing the Scandinavians conquering Ireland.
This is one of the main reasons Brian Boru is remembered. he was a great leader and tactician who changed history.
Monday, 29 October 2007
William Braveheart Wallace
The lecture by Dr. David Ditchburn wasn’t really like the other two previous lectures because enough isn’t really known about William Wallace it’s more myth that fact. So that’s why he was constrained in what he had to talk about. He therefore decided to focus on the film “Braveheart” and on the politics of the time and the other main character’s involved in the battle to become King of Scotland.
So the film was released in 1995 and at the following year’s academy awards it won 5 Oscars including best film and best director. When it was released it captures the political movement of the time as the Scottish National Party was campaigning for independence. The Scottish establishment latches onto the whole ethos of the film. The films main message is one of good versus evil. Also the film doesn’t know how to appeal to its audience apart from in the 20th century style which is comprised of sex and patriotism. The renound historian denounced other academics and said that the film was better than the Scottish historical review which didn’t even mention Wallace at any stage and brought him to the general public’s attention for the first time. Overall the main point that he made about the film was that it got it right but it also got it wrong in the same way.
So now about Wallace and the going’s on of the time between 1286 and 1307.In 1286 King Alexander III of Scotland died and his only surviving heir at the time was his granddaughter Margaret also the daughter of the King of Norway. In 1290 negotiations concluded on the arrangement to marry Margaret to son of King Edward I of England in the treaty of Birgham-Northampton. But as Margaret prepared to officially become Queen of Scotland she died in Orkney on her way to Scotland. With her death there was now no apparent heir to the throne of Scotland. Which lead to main claimants to the throne coming forward. During this period Edward I secures acknowledgement of his overlordship from of Scotland from all the claimants to the throne of Scotland. There was 13 possible successors to Margaret with the two main ones being John Balliol and Robert Bruce. Now the problem for King Edward is can he afford not to get involved in Scotland and the deciding of who becomes king?. The answer was no. The two main contenders John Balliol and Robert Bruce are both originally from France. They both have extensive lands in England and Scotland and are also connected through marriage to powerful aristocrats in England. Balliol is married to the earl of Surrey and Bruce’s sister is married to the earl of Gloucester. The King is also lord of Ireland and the earl of Gloucester has lands in Ireland and ambition to extend those lands with the help of Bruce.
In 1292 Edward declares that John Balliol is the rightful King of Scotland and he becomes King John but Edward stays as Overlord. In 1296 war breaks out between England and Scotland as king john continually doesn’t do what Edward wants him to do. John eventually heads to exile in France. King Edward is the first real impearliest and lord of the Celtic countries as he already has control of Wales and Ireland and now appeared to conquer Scotland.
This is where Wallace now comes to the fore. He leads a rebellion in the name of the deposed King John and leads the army to victory in the battle of Stirling Bridge. He is then appointed as guardian of the kingdom in the name of King John.even though he is portrayed as being poor in the film is he actually a middle class man .Wallace himself took a very conservative stance when it came to politics. In 1298 Wallace gathers an army together to fight the english. He has a simple form of conscription to get this army. He has a list of every 16 to 60 year old in every town in scotland.A question then arises as to wether wallace is a bully? because after finding out that the people of aberdeen are refusing to join the army he has them hanged.This shows a much darker side to wallace that isn't shown in the film.Wallace had no children or a wife so had a lot less to lose then other men as thay had kids wives lands to harvest etc.Wallace's army is then defeated at the battle of falkirk and he is removed as the guardian of scotland and he then leaves the country.
Between 1299-1303 resistance to edwards rule continues but not on the same scale as earlier rebellions.The general surrender happens in 1304 but Bruce seemed to do this in early 1303 whereas wallace continued to fight on.In 1305 wallace is captured and executed in london.In 1306 Robert bruce rebels again and is crowned king of scotland and king edward dies in 1307.
So the film was released in 1995 and at the following year’s academy awards it won 5 Oscars including best film and best director. When it was released it captures the political movement of the time as the Scottish National Party was campaigning for independence. The Scottish establishment latches onto the whole ethos of the film. The films main message is one of good versus evil. Also the film doesn’t know how to appeal to its audience apart from in the 20th century style which is comprised of sex and patriotism. The renound historian denounced other academics and said that the film was better than the Scottish historical review which didn’t even mention Wallace at any stage and brought him to the general public’s attention for the first time. Overall the main point that he made about the film was that it got it right but it also got it wrong in the same way.
So now about Wallace and the going’s on of the time between 1286 and 1307.In 1286 King Alexander III of Scotland died and his only surviving heir at the time was his granddaughter Margaret also the daughter of the King of Norway. In 1290 negotiations concluded on the arrangement to marry Margaret to son of King Edward I of England in the treaty of Birgham-Northampton. But as Margaret prepared to officially become Queen of Scotland she died in Orkney on her way to Scotland. With her death there was now no apparent heir to the throne of Scotland. Which lead to main claimants to the throne coming forward. During this period Edward I secures acknowledgement of his overlordship from of Scotland from all the claimants to the throne of Scotland. There was 13 possible successors to Margaret with the two main ones being John Balliol and Robert Bruce. Now the problem for King Edward is can he afford not to get involved in Scotland and the deciding of who becomes king?. The answer was no. The two main contenders John Balliol and Robert Bruce are both originally from France. They both have extensive lands in England and Scotland and are also connected through marriage to powerful aristocrats in England. Balliol is married to the earl of Surrey and Bruce’s sister is married to the earl of Gloucester. The King is also lord of Ireland and the earl of Gloucester has lands in Ireland and ambition to extend those lands with the help of Bruce.
In 1292 Edward declares that John Balliol is the rightful King of Scotland and he becomes King John but Edward stays as Overlord. In 1296 war breaks out between England and Scotland as king john continually doesn’t do what Edward wants him to do. John eventually heads to exile in France. King Edward is the first real impearliest and lord of the Celtic countries as he already has control of Wales and Ireland and now appeared to conquer Scotland.
This is where Wallace now comes to the fore. He leads a rebellion in the name of the deposed King John and leads the army to victory in the battle of Stirling Bridge. He is then appointed as guardian of the kingdom in the name of King John.even though he is portrayed as being poor in the film is he actually a middle class man .Wallace himself took a very conservative stance when it came to politics. In 1298 Wallace gathers an army together to fight the english. He has a simple form of conscription to get this army. He has a list of every 16 to 60 year old in every town in scotland.A question then arises as to wether wallace is a bully? because after finding out that the people of aberdeen are refusing to join the army he has them hanged.This shows a much darker side to wallace that isn't shown in the film.Wallace had no children or a wife so had a lot less to lose then other men as thay had kids wives lands to harvest etc.Wallace's army is then defeated at the battle of falkirk and he is removed as the guardian of scotland and he then leaves the country.
Between 1299-1303 resistance to edwards rule continues but not on the same scale as earlier rebellions.The general surrender happens in 1304 but Bruce seemed to do this in early 1303 whereas wallace continued to fight on.In 1305 wallace is captured and executed in london.In 1306 Robert bruce rebels again and is crowned king of scotland and king edward dies in 1307.
The main questions that are raised are What is wallaces true motive for rebelling?.What side is Robert Bruce really on? and why does he surrender earlier than everyone else?
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
OLiver Cromwell 1599 - 1658 (3rd October)
Who was Oliver Cromwell :
Form the lecturer by Dr. Mecheal Ó Sugrú we learn about Oliver Cromwell , we learn that infact although he became ruler of a great country he was not born into nobility, no infact Oliver Cromwell was not even wealthy, he was a simply a land owner indeed he was if anything a glorified farmer, so why is it that a farmer can plot to over through the king (Charles I), succeed and gain the support of parliament and the military and become ruler of an entire empire. Why could just an ordinary man be remembered for a legacy which has lasted for over 350 years a legacy which is divided into to opinions hatred and admiration. Why is it that the whole of Ireland north and south remembers Cromwell for being an evil villain yet most of England portrays him as a hero.
Well this is what I`m going to try and explain. Oliver Cromwell grew up on a small farm in the midlands of England, he was not a successful farmer in fact he was in debt. He was married and had children. However he` suffered from great depression, infact he suffered from depression so much so that he contemplated emigrating to America, he even purchased a ticket and had every intention of going right up until a few days before the voyage. Why did he back out?. Well the night before he and his family were due to sail he got an awaking from god or so he clamed, he now had a propose in life he was driven, it was his responsibility according to god to strengthen the protestant religion and to change England for the better by getting rid of hierarchy.
After this Oliver became interested in politics, then in 1640 he joins parliament , whilst in parliament “king Charles I” marries a French catholic woman this issue divides parliament greatly and in 1642 civil war breaks out, Cromwell sees this as an opportunity to get rid of the king as he does not believe in hierarchy, and he is also “puroton”(extreme protestant), from the civil war Cromwell is remembered as a great general who is willing to fight side by side to his soldiers, an alien concept which previous generals had not dared to do, from this act of bravery he won the respect of the military.
In 1646 the civil war ends with the king and parliament agreeing to come up with a compromise, however this is not satisfactory to Cromwell and he then decides to lead a revolution agenst the king to execute him, not only does Cromwell have the support of the parliament but he also has the vital support from the military. In 1649 he beheads the king. Oliver Cromwell was then nominated successor to the throne, however he declines the offer to become king of England as he does not believe in hierarchy , but instead accepts the title of “lord ruler and protector of England“ (king in all but name). This is when we see what kind of ruler Oliver Cromwell is really like it is from this point on that Oliver Cromwell is remembered for two completely different reasons. In August 1649 oliver Cromwell visits Ireland, however all does not go well. The first port of call for Cromwell is “Rings End” “Dublin“, It is from this point on that we see sheer brutality and slaughter at the mercy of oliver Cromwell. When he landed in Dublin his second port of call was the “Drogheda garrison” . when the garrison refused to be captured by Cromwell he bombarded the gates with his cavalry and slaughtered every man woman and child within the walls, he then marched down to the “Wexford garrison”, where he repeated the same act of brutality. Cromwell justified these actions by two explainations, 1 that it was gods will and 2 that the Irish catholic people deserved this as they had done the very same to plantation protestants who had immigrated into Ireland.
Cromwell taught that by doing this to the Irish it would make them realise that they had no chance of getting there land back and that they would simply subside and allow England to take over Ireland, however this had an adverse affect on the Irish as they came to the conclusion that if they were going to die they mite as well die fighting for their country.
Although Cromwell was only in Ireland for a total of six months he killed more people in his time here than the great potato famine, Irelands population dropped down to a third. It is this legacy that oliver Cromwell is remembered for by the Irish people.
Over in England Cromwell is remembered as the man who got rid of the king and made England a republic he gave the English (majority) a voice, it is this that Cromwell is remembered for over in great Britain.
In conclusion whether you love or hate Cromwell you have to admit he was a great man, he was a man who had the vision to change battle tactics, gain the support of an entire military, get backing from the parliment of the biggest and most powerful country in the world. And all this from a man who was born into a simple family who had but a simple farm. Oliver Cromwell died on the 3rd of October 1658 the day he said he would die. October the 3rd is also the Anerversy he won his major battles on, is this faith or a coincidence. Il leave that for you to decide.
Form the lecturer by Dr. Mecheal Ó Sugrú we learn about Oliver Cromwell , we learn that infact although he became ruler of a great country he was not born into nobility, no infact Oliver Cromwell was not even wealthy, he was a simply a land owner indeed he was if anything a glorified farmer, so why is it that a farmer can plot to over through the king (Charles I), succeed and gain the support of parliament and the military and become ruler of an entire empire. Why could just an ordinary man be remembered for a legacy which has lasted for over 350 years a legacy which is divided into to opinions hatred and admiration. Why is it that the whole of Ireland north and south remembers Cromwell for being an evil villain yet most of England portrays him as a hero.
Well this is what I`m going to try and explain. Oliver Cromwell grew up on a small farm in the midlands of England, he was not a successful farmer in fact he was in debt. He was married and had children. However he` suffered from great depression, infact he suffered from depression so much so that he contemplated emigrating to America, he even purchased a ticket and had every intention of going right up until a few days before the voyage. Why did he back out?. Well the night before he and his family were due to sail he got an awaking from god or so he clamed, he now had a propose in life he was driven, it was his responsibility according to god to strengthen the protestant religion and to change England for the better by getting rid of hierarchy.
After this Oliver became interested in politics, then in 1640 he joins parliament , whilst in parliament “king Charles I” marries a French catholic woman this issue divides parliament greatly and in 1642 civil war breaks out, Cromwell sees this as an opportunity to get rid of the king as he does not believe in hierarchy, and he is also “puroton”(extreme protestant), from the civil war Cromwell is remembered as a great general who is willing to fight side by side to his soldiers, an alien concept which previous generals had not dared to do, from this act of bravery he won the respect of the military.
In 1646 the civil war ends with the king and parliament agreeing to come up with a compromise, however this is not satisfactory to Cromwell and he then decides to lead a revolution agenst the king to execute him, not only does Cromwell have the support of the parliament but he also has the vital support from the military. In 1649 he beheads the king. Oliver Cromwell was then nominated successor to the throne, however he declines the offer to become king of England as he does not believe in hierarchy , but instead accepts the title of “lord ruler and protector of England“ (king in all but name). This is when we see what kind of ruler Oliver Cromwell is really like it is from this point on that Oliver Cromwell is remembered for two completely different reasons. In August 1649 oliver Cromwell visits Ireland, however all does not go well. The first port of call for Cromwell is “Rings End” “Dublin“, It is from this point on that we see sheer brutality and slaughter at the mercy of oliver Cromwell. When he landed in Dublin his second port of call was the “Drogheda garrison” . when the garrison refused to be captured by Cromwell he bombarded the gates with his cavalry and slaughtered every man woman and child within the walls, he then marched down to the “Wexford garrison”, where he repeated the same act of brutality. Cromwell justified these actions by two explainations, 1 that it was gods will and 2 that the Irish catholic people deserved this as they had done the very same to plantation protestants who had immigrated into Ireland.
Cromwell taught that by doing this to the Irish it would make them realise that they had no chance of getting there land back and that they would simply subside and allow England to take over Ireland, however this had an adverse affect on the Irish as they came to the conclusion that if they were going to die they mite as well die fighting for their country.
Although Cromwell was only in Ireland for a total of six months he killed more people in his time here than the great potato famine, Irelands population dropped down to a third. It is this legacy that oliver Cromwell is remembered for by the Irish people.
Over in England Cromwell is remembered as the man who got rid of the king and made England a republic he gave the English (majority) a voice, it is this that Cromwell is remembered for over in great Britain.
In conclusion whether you love or hate Cromwell you have to admit he was a great man, he was a man who had the vision to change battle tactics, gain the support of an entire military, get backing from the parliment of the biggest and most powerful country in the world. And all this from a man who was born into a simple family who had but a simple farm. Oliver Cromwell died on the 3rd of October 1658 the day he said he would die. October the 3rd is also the Anerversy he won his major battles on, is this faith or a coincidence. Il leave that for you to decide.
Monday, 15 October 2007
Queen Elizabeth I
The lecturer claimed at the start that this was a lecture for men. But really it was a lecture about women, and how difficult it was to be a female monarch in the male-dominated world of the seventeenth century. Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, became queen of England in 1558. It was a time when the Reformation was under pressure and when many people had problems with a woman being queen. Throughout her reign Elizabeth refused to marry. Why? There were many reasons. If she married a powerful Protestant aristocrat (like the 3rd duke of Norfolk) she risked alienating the Catholics in the country. Elizabeth later executed Norfolk for joining in a conspiracy with Mary Queen of Scots against her. If she married a powerful Catholic, like King Philip II of Spain, she alienated the Protestant interests in the country and risked civil war. In addition she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, the so-called ‘Protestant whore’ who had helped bring about the split with Rome in the first place. Therefore her legitimacy was inextricably tied-up with the Reformation. However even if she married a weak Protestant she risked being dragged into wars in Europe. Elizabeth would not divide the nation at home, or risk war abroad. So instead she remained single, proclaimed as the ‘Virgin Queen’, and refusing to name her successor until she was on her deathbed.
Therefore the second main question of the lecture was how did Elizabeth maintain power given that she was an unmarried woman in a patriarchal world? The answer, it seems, was through court politics. The court provided Elizabeth with an informal system to supplement everyday politics, and through hunting, dining and frivolity, she was able to keep an eye on what was going on and gather intelligence necessary for keeping control in the kingdom. She also had a selection of ‘favourites’, men who she advanced and who, in return, provided an invaluable source of information and security. The most famous of these was Lord Robert Dudley (later earl of Leicester), who later became involved in Norfolk’s plot, but who was surprisingly pardoned. Her final favourite, Robert Devereux, earl of Essex, even tried to kidnap her in the 1590s!
Money proved necessary, both to reward the favourites and maintain the state. The best source was piracy. Spain was plundering vast amounts of gold from Central America, so Elizabeth authorised captains to steal this in turn from them. Many people invested in this privateering and the profits on these investments was enormous, sometimes as high as 1,000%. Spain, not surprisingly, was furious and responded by going to war with England in 1585. However the famous Spanish Armada of 1588 was defeated by ‘the breath of God and a Protestant wind’. The war continued afterwards, especially in Ireland, at a cost of almost £6 million to the crown. Elizabeth I died in 1603 naming King James VI of Scotland as her heir.
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Guest Lectures
Guidelines
Assigned Student: You must write a 500 word report on the guest lecture, giving all the main points and themes. They must then reply to the queries and comments of the rest of the class.
Rest of Class: You must post at least once per week on the guest lecture, either making a comment or asking a question. You should follow-up on any responses to your comment or question.
Assigned Student: You must write a 500 word report on the guest lecture, giving all the main points and themes. They must then reply to the queries and comments of the rest of the class.
Rest of Class: You must post at least once per week on the guest lecture, either making a comment or asking a question. You should follow-up on any responses to your comment or question.
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