Piers Gaveston, a minor noble who engaged in a homosexual relationship with Edward II, may have been overlooked during the 13th century if it were not for the lavish gifts Edward II showered upon Gaveston. Gaveston was exiled from the realm by Edward I for referring to Edward II as his brother. When Edward I died, his son Edward II brought Gaveston back into his kingdom and provided him with money, gold, title, and land. This caused the whole of England to murmur behind closed doors, against the king. It was not so much the act of homosexuality which infuriated the barons, it was the man of whom Edward II fell in love with. The nobles drafted a list of grievances against Edward II referred to as “The Ordinances”. Gaveston eventually fled and was captured by the Scots. Gaveston was sentenced as an enemy of the state and was executed despite Edward II’s attempted intervention
Category: Politics
U.S. Patent Office Requirements During the 19th Century
Between 1790 and 1880, all United States patents required a working model of the idea proposed prior to being patented. This requirement was phased out by the U.S. Congress in 1870, but the U.S. Patent Office continued to stipulate it as a requirement until 1880. The reason for the abolishment of this stipulation was that creating working prototypes was an expensive process and it was often difficult to find a tradesperson who could create the parts needed. This inconvenience slowed down the ability of inventors to acquire patents so that their product could be sold upon the open market. It was eventually agreed by the U.S. Congress as well as the U.S. Patent Office that this laborious process held up the release of inventions which could potentially make life easier for everybody and was therefore repealed
Societal Changes Within the United Kingdom Which Occurred After World War I
Post World War I in the United Kingdom, many battle hardened veterans no longer viewed themselves as servants to the wealthier classes of society and demanded social equality, suddenly realizing that work in factories and within dense city populations could provide a better standard of living than within small economically cut off villages. Suddenly, without warning, aristocratic estate owners went from paying 6% on their income tax, to a much higher rate in line with what a common person would pay. Due to this massive increase in the amount of income now required to continue the running of an estate, many were demolished during the 1950’s and 1960’s and much of the artwork within these homes which initially would have been passed down throughout subsequent generations as family heirlooms, were sold to the U.S. as the U.S. was the wealthiest nation in the world during the era and had the ability to help once wealthy families avoid complete financial ruin. Most aristocratic dynasties simply gave up with the introduction of these new income tax policies as the cost of maintenance was simply too great for what an estate could reasonably generate
Pablo Picasso’s Politically Charged Guernica Painting
On April 26, 1937, Guernica, Spain was severely bombed due to civil conflict brought on by World War II. The Basque town of Guernica was openly hostile towards General Francisco Franco’s ideologies, and because of this, Franco unleashed a 3.5 hour bombing raid upon this defenseless city, with help from German allies. In total, 1650 people were killed, 900 injured, and most of the township was destroyed, an event which sparked international outrage. Pablo Picasso created a piece of artwork as sentiment towards anti-war and anti-violence entitled “Guernica”. Picasso understood that artwork and politics rarely go together hand in hand and so he created not a piece of aircraft and bombs but rather of horses and swords, as he was determined not to create artwork which could be used as propaganda in the future. The bull depicted within the painting is designed to represent Franco and his military powers and the suffering horses and weeping woman symbolize the people of Spain. Picasso’s Guernica work became a timeless masterpiece and a copy of it is on display at the United Nations world headquarters in New York City, United States of America. The Guernica painting was covered briefly with a veil during 2003 when U.S. General Colin Powell announced the United States’ decision to invade Iraq. The Guernica image was seen as incendiary commentary and therefore intolerable during this chaotic period. The Guernica painting has become a symbol of protest to violence, war, and military regimes, not just for every country in the world, but of the 20th century and beyond
The Cuban Wet Foot Dry Foot Policy
The Cuban “Wet Foot Dry Foot policy” describes the fact that since 1995, any Cuban who reaches the United States of America will be accepted by the U.S. and therefore able to live and work in the U.S. as a landed immigrant with paperwork to bolster their legitimacy when finding work, applying for loans, and paying income tax. The goal of bringing one’s family to join them in the future is why many Cubans have taken on this monumental challenge of traveling from Cuba to the U.S. by boat, often overcrowded and handmade which has lead to many deaths by drowning. If caught by the Cuban authorities for trying to flee Cuba, migrants are repatriated and given a fine or jail time in Cuba. Barack Obama ended the Wet Foot Dry Foot policy as his last act in office as President of the United States of America in the hopes of improving diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba
Ancient Egyptian Influence Upon Europe
Prior to the development of the methods and tools used for scientific analysis, many Europeans regarded Egypt as the birthplace of civilization. This meant that Napoléon Bonaparte was free to invade Egypt because the French people viewed his campaigns as a way of leading themselves back to the source of their roots. Bonaparte did not only bring soldiers, he also brought scholars who would observe and record the knowledge gained while in Egypt. This acquisition of knowledge made information about Egypt available to the public through books filled with illustrations and writing about Egyptian culture, its people, and its landmarks. Elements of ancient Egypt started to work their way into European culture and even reach out west as far as the new colonies of the United States of America, with examples like the pyramid on the back of U.S. currency and the obelisk Washington Monument in Washington D.C.. Bonaparte’s campaign was the most significant European foray into the Islamic world since the Crusades
German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s Perverted View of the Arts
Adolf Hitler attempted to become a watercolorist painter during his early adult life and attended art school. Hitler dropped out and became a politician but he continued to have a deep fascination and appreciation of artwork and architecture, however he harbored strong disdain for modern art. While imprisoned for attempting to challenge the German socialist political party in power at the time, Hitler wrote a manuscript which served as a blueprint for a new kind of German society, and in this manifesto he characterized modern art as a toxic moral plague upon society, pestilence sent by Russian communists and sold by Jewish art dealers to infect Germany with cubism, and other forms of Bolshevist viewpoints
The Benefits of Methanol as an Energy Resource
Methanol is the simplest alcohol to make and is the most probable choice fuel for future Mars missions. Ethanol only requires water and carbon. Methanol is colloquially referred to as “wood alcohol” and/or “natural gas”. Professional racing car drivers prefer methanol as a fuel source due to the fact that it’s much less likely to catch fire after a crash. Methanol burns incredibly clean in comparison to gasoline and methanol costs 33% of what gasoline costs to manufacture and distribute
The Ancient Greek Ruler Draco and the Ancient Greek Reformer Solon
Draconian laws which are associated with being especially unfair and cruel stem from the tyrant Draco who commissioned them in 621 B.C.. Draco forced farmers who couldn’t pay their debts into slavery and simple crimes like stealing a cabbage were punishable by death. The wise reformer Solon saved Athens, Greece by freeing all indebted slaves, eliminating the death penalty for all but extreme cases, and wrestling the political power out of the hands of noble bloodlines by establishing a council of 400 citizens to run the city, a bold step during its day, to untether governance from inheritance
The Peculiarity of Spanish King Philip II
King Philip II of Spain was referred to as the “bureaucrat king” because he loved nothing more than to sit in a plain room with documents which he needed to read and sign. Philip II didn’t like human contact or interaction and made his court submit their requests to him via a written document even if they were in the next room. Philip II spoke very quietly and stared at those who spoke to him, often cited as making others feel uncomfortable. Philip II cared only of his empire and his religion of Catholicism and had no interest in building or maintaining relationships with others