Bablake History Magazine 2020

EKALBAB

HISTORY MAGAZINE

Summer 2020

Issue 1

Ancient History History and the Law History of Public Health The Debate World History

ST PETERSBURG IN PICTURES Plus Book Reviews and more

OUR TEAM Ancient History Caragh Shaw Viren Thandi

Things to do Caragh Shaw Fiona Chung Mrs Skilton

This issue of the Bablake History Magazine has been compiled remotely by students from Fifth Year, Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth and staff working from home. We hope that our readers can learn something new from the articles within, perhaps find a new interest and read further into the topics we've shared.

History is not just about learning about the past, but also informing our views of the present. As a group, we feel we have a responsibility to learn about black history and we have researched parts of it which we believe have been overlooked or need more attention. Racism has no place in the world we live in, and to remove racism, we must have a widespread understanding of black history, as well as condemning history which has fuelled racial discrimination. Find out more on page 53.

The cover feature of this issue displays a poignant photo from the trip to St Petersburg (formerly Leningrad under the Soviet Union) of a memorial to the lives lost during the Siege of Leningrad. One person who lived through it was Olga Berggolts, a writer and journalist who worked during the siege. She used secret radio broadcasts to send messages of hope and courage to the isolated citizens of Leningrad.

Berggolts did survive to see Leningrad liberated and, in honour of her contributions, later received the Order of Lenin, the highest civilian award in the Soviet Union. She also had a street in St Petersburg named after her.

Edited by Fiona Chung

Viren Thandi

Changing Times Rebecca Headley Tom Perkins Historical Figures Mrs Rees History and the Law Alicia Hundal Charlotte Bull History of Public Health Abinaya Muraleetharan Georgia Gamble-Strutt Middle Ages Savikar Hayer Toby Elkins The Debate Joe Owen World History Bella Handy Fiona Chung

Special thanks to Mrs Brown and Rachel Carron

HISTORY

EKALBAB

Cover Photo: The Siege of Leningrad Memorial St Petersburg in Pictures is on Page 66 Credit: Mrs Skilton

MAGAZINE

CONTENTS ANCIENT HISTORY

THE DEBATE

536AD- possibly a worse year than 2020 (so far)

4

Alexander the Great

6

CHANGING TIMES The History of Coventry

10

The Changing Nature of Film

14

HISTORICAL FIGURES Thomas Cromwell- the A-Z of Henry's Chief Advisor

20

HISTORY AND THE LAW

Was it Right for the USA to Drop the Atomic Bombs in Japan in 1945?

42

WORLD HISTORY Las Fallas de Valencia

44

Hong Kong and the British Empire

46

THINGS TO DO Book Reviews

50

Research

53

Craft

58

Historical Recipe

60

Historical Origins of the Law

26

Quiz and Crossword

62

Top 10 Unusual Historical Laws

28

Visit

66

HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH The History of Pandemics

30

A History of Vaccination

32

Five Bizarre Historical Cures

36

MIDDLE AGES The Vikings

38

Knights Templar- Medieval Capitalists

40

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| ANCIENT HISTORY

536AD- POSSIBLY A WORSE YEAR THAN 2020 (SO FAR) CARAGH SHAW, U6TH STUDENT

The year 2020 will be remembered as a strange and sad year for many, and this article in no way means to undermine the tragedy that this year has brought to people around the world. The aim of this article is to share another year that was difficult for humanity. The year is 536 - bringing us back to, as Michael McCormick would call it, “the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year”. So why was this year deemed the worst year over years such as 1349, which saw the Black Death wreak havoc in Europe, or 1918 with the devastation of the Spanish flu?

Firstly, as documented by Procopius, a Byzantine historian, a fog had started to settle over Europe. As he described it, "during this year a most dread portent took place. For the sun gave forth its light without brightness". The world existed in this condition for 18 months, the sun only coming out for 4 hours a week. This has been attributed later to a volcanic eruption, hence the ash causing a layer in the atmosphere and reducing visibility. This obviously influenced harvest and caused famine all over the globe - firstly by the reduced sunlight, but also due to the colder weather conditions with the temperature.

There is evidence to suggest that temperatures had fallen so much that snow reportedly fell in August in the Northern and Southern dynasties of China, which caused the harvest to be delayed. Both the dust and temperature drop caused famine in the Middle East, China and in Europe. The Moche civilisation in South America, who relied heavily on agriculture, were greatly affected. Unfortunately, this affected temperatures for years and caused droughts as seen in Peru and famines for many years to come. Places that were massively hit were areas like Ireland which had their own bread failure. This could be seen though the analysis of Irish oak, which saw very little growth that year.

This was also seen throughout the world in trees in Sweden, Finland and even in California’s Sierra Nevada. This is just an example of how odd the weather conditions were in this time and how devastating the effects must have been on the growth of crops as well. The strange weather conditions did not stop with the fog though, as an account from China tells of a raining of ash that one could hold in their hands. The Chinese Chronicle

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Fog like this covered the earth most likely due to a volcanic eruption.

Icelandic volcanos might have been the cause of this fog that stretched over the world. This photo is taken from the 2010 explosion of Eyjafjallajökull.

Source: Etienne De Malglaive/Getty Images

The Moche Civilization, who produced artwork such as this, were said to be heavily affected by the events of 536.

536AD- POSSIBLY A WORSE YEAR THAN 2020 (SO FAR)

Artwork by Thomas Wyke depicting "Frost Fairs" from 1683 showing the freezing of the River Thames.

Source: Amusing Planet

Detail of a contemporary portrait mosaic of Justinian I in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna.

Source: The Yorck Project via Wikimedia Commons

A Map of the Byzantine Empire (387-536). It shows how vast the empire itself was.

Source: www.armenica.org via Wikimedia Commons

Nan Shi describes of this "yellow ash like substance falling from the sky" which they later named Hui which translates to dust. Volcanic eruptions are the most likely cause of this and the darkening of the sun. Icelandic eruptions in around 536, 540 and 547 can be found in the ice caps which presents evidence to why the climate was so badly affected. This would help start a period of cooling similar to the Little Ice Age which occurred from 1303. It was a cooler period of time that saw the complete freezing of the River Thames even during the English winter. In both these periods, temperatures dropped over the earth which effected crops tremendously.

What made the year even worse was the plague that struck the people, especially as their immune systems were already damaged by the lack of Vitamin D. All areas of society were affected - from the lower classes all the way up to royalty. The symptoms started with swelling and large spots which swelled up with puss. The swelling of the body would spread to the legs and caused paralysis. The plague hit large cities like Constantinople and caused a horrific number of deaths - so much that people were overwhelmed and were not able to bury the dead. Consequently, bodies built up and the city began to smell, especially as bodies that were thrown into the sea would later resurface. The emperor, Justinian I of the Byzantine Empire, ordered the removal of the bodies from the city but all it did was continue the spread of the plague as the healthy came in contact with the dead bodies. Unfortunately for the emperor, this plague was later known as the Plague of Justinian, which did nothing for his reputation as king.

Overall, this had a negative outcome for the Byzantine Empire as it was damaged greatly by the plague and the uprisings that came as a result. It would never recover. The plague is estimated to have killed 50 million people in total as the malnourishment and the cold weather meant that people were far more prone to these deadly diseases.

This is just an insight into another dark time of humanity that brought ruin to the world. However, then and in the future now, there will be better times as humanity carries on, developing further and progressing. So no matter what happens, it is important to remember history and the dark times, especially now. We need to remember that no matter what, things will improve and hopefully go back to ‘normality’ or at least an improved version of today's society.

Bibliography Baillie, M., 1994. Dendrochronology Raises Questions About The Nature Of The AD 536 DustVeil Event. p.315.

Fagan, B., 2008. The Great Warming: Climate Change And The Rise And Fall Of Civilisations.

New York: Bloomsbury Press Ochoa, G., Hoffman, J. and Tin, T., 2005. Climate: The Force That Shapes Our World And Our Future On Earth. London: Rodale Books International.

Procopius of Caesarea., n.d. History of the Wars by Procopius- The Vandalic Wars. [Place of publication not identified]: CONFLICT. Procopius. and Dewing, H., 2010. History Of The Wars. [United Kingdom]: Dodo Press.

Gibbons, A. 2020. Why 536 Was ‘The Worst Year To Be Alive’. [online] Available at: <https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/why-536-was-worst-year-be-alive> [Accessed 23 June 2020].

Weird History, 2020. Year 536 Was The Worst Year To Be Alive - What Happened?. [video] Available at: <https://youtu.be/s3YTfhJmh1I> [Accessed 15 June 2020].

Wikipedia. 2020. Extreme Weather Events Of 535–536. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_weather_events_of_535%E2%80%93536> [Accessed 23 June 2020].

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| ANCIENT HISTORY

ALEXANDER THE GREAT VIREN THANDI, U6TH STUDENT

Mosaic from House of Faun, Pompeii depicting the Battle of Issus.

Source: Getty Images via Wikimedia Commons

A brief introduction Alexander the Great is one of the most contested figures in ancient history, noted as a ruthless yet successful conqueror, responsible for the death of thousands yet the creator of one of the largest empires in the ancient world, driven by an insatiable desire to expand the Macedonian empire.

The early life of Alexander the Great Accounts contemporary to Alexander’s youth depict him as being quite talented from a young age. Aged 12, Alexander

6

tamed the large stallion Bucephalus, who would accompany him on nearly all of the conquests of his life. As noted by Aristotle, the tutor of Alexander between ages 12 and 16, Alexander also took an interest in philosophy, literature and medicine.

Despite his skills as a scholar, Alexander chose to accompany his father, Philip II* on conquests until the age of 20, as Philip II was assassinated by his bodyguard, Pausanias.

During this time, Alexander had proved his military worth, especially at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C.

Following Philip II’s assassination, Alexander crushed rebellions for independence in northern Greece. Having secured his throne, he left Macedonia which was under the control of Antipater. Following Antipater's death and a brief power struggle, the son of Antipater, Cassander would rule for a further nineteen years. Antipater was eighty years old, and therefore not taking the threat of a potential power struggle seriously was a mistake of Alexander. *Philip II of Macedonia should not be confused with Philip II of Spain

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Alexander the Great and King Darius III of the Persian Empire Alexander first set his sights on modern-day southern Turkey; though he captured the city of Sardes with relative ease, he encountered difficulty at Halicarnassus against the subordinates of King Darius IIIwhom Alexander would meet in the Battle of Issus - as he had been given enough time to build a substantial army. Despite this, Halicarnassus was eventually overcome - though the Persian military set the city ablaze, destroying much of the city.

However, most importantly, Alexander had gained control over the region of Caria.

Moving from Halicarnassus, Alexander traveled to Gordium, where the Gordian Knot was located; supposedly, whoever unravelled the knot would conquer all of Asia. Failing to unravel it, Alexander cut through the knot. Considering Alexander’s personal ambition, the concept of the knot must have been of great personal importance.

A year after Halicarnassus, in 333 B.C., Alexander would meet the Persian King Darius III near the southern Turkish town of Issus. Alexander’s army was outnumbered, but more experienced and determined to reclaim Greek gold stolen by the

Statue of Alexander the Great in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece.

Source: Nikolai Karaneschev via Wikimedia Commons

Persian empire.

The battle ended in a decisive victory for Alexander, paving the way for him to claim the Persian empire for his own.

However, Alexander would meet Darius again after the former’s conquest of Egypt.

The Campaign in the Middle East Following the battle at Issus, Alexander moved to take

control in the Middle East, starting in Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), and Syria. The most famous and tragic battle in this period is the Battle of Tyre in 332 B.C. After a seven-month defence, the city of Tyre fell after Alexander organised a strong navy, and subsequently treated the Tyrians incredibly harshly.

The siege on Tyre displayed the brutality of Alexander in achieving his aims.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| ANCIENT HISTORY

The Path to Egypt

A Roman copy of an original 3rd century BC Greek bust depicting Alexander the Great, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.

Source: Richard Mortel via Wikimedia Commons

Following the Battle of Tyre, Alexander encountered resistance at Gaza, which resulted in a two-month siege.

Following his victory, he visited Jerusalem, which was tradition.

After taking control of Gaza and visiting Jerusalem, Alexander continued to move towards Egypt. Once he arrived, he was greeted peacefully, and established the city of Alexandria west of the Nile.

The main obstacle in his way for dominion over the Persian empire was now, as always, Darius III who, since his defeat at Issus, had organised a large army. Both sides suffered crushing losses, and eventually Darius was assassinated by his own soldiers.

In a remarkable display of respect for Darius, Alexander supposedly buried him as a king, not a commoner. This shows Alexander could be quite unpredictable; he either despised or admired his opposition, and there was very rarely any in between.

The Invasion of India

Alexander Sarcophagus- illustration showing Alexander in the battle of Issus (333 BC).

Source: Ronald Slabke via Wikimedia Commons

8

When he ventured to India in 326 B.C., most tribes in India peacefully welcomed Alexander, though an equally legendary, yet less well known, King Porus of Paurava chose to go to battle against Alexander. Strangely, despite a less experienced army,

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Alexander and Porus during the Battle of the Hydaspes. Painting by Charles Le Brun (1673).

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Porus, with the assistance of elephants, brought Alexander remarkably close to defeat.

Porus was eventually defeated, outmatched by Alexander’s archers and mounted cavalry in the Battle of Hydaspes, fought on the banks of the Hydaspes River in Punjab. Despite victory, Alexander had been the closest he had ever been to defeat in his military career. He came to view Porus a capable warrior and worthy of governing a part of his

empire, and hence made him a satrap (governor) in the southeast of his empire, displaying how much respect Alexander had for him.

During the conquest on the Hydaspes, however, Alexander faced a significant personal loss of his most loyal companion, Bucephalus, who either died from battle wounds or old age. In memory of Bucephalus, Alexander named the city north of the Hydaspes

after his horse.

Three years later, in 323 B.C., Alexander would also pass away, and with no named successor, his empire would split, as a result of a fierce power struggle, into 4 kingdoms.

However, many lands retained Greek influence, ushering in the Hellenistic period lasting from his death to 31 B.C. Alexander did not conquer the world, yet he had certainly achieved the glory he desired.

Bibliography Onion A; Sullivan M; Mullan M. (2009). Alexander the Great. Available: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great Last accessed 16th May 2020.

Walbank, F. (c1998). Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. Available: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great. Last accessed 14th May 2020.

[Authors of article unlisted]. (c2012). Alexander the Great: The Story of the Greatest Conqueror in Antiquity. Available: https://alexanderthe-great.org/. Last accessed 17th May 2020.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| CHANGING TIMES

THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY TOM PERKINS, L6TH STUDENT

Broadgate, 1937.

Source: Coventry History Centre via BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Very little is known of Coventry’s early history, but it is known that Coventry’s earliest recorded settlement was in the north-eastern reaches of the Forest of Arden.

The first documented event that happened in Coventry took place in 1016 CE when King Cnut and his army of Danes battled for control of England - they laid waste to the Saxon nunnery and the settlement around it as well as settlements across Warwickshire.

It is assumed that the first settlement in Coventry grew around a Saxon nunnery which was founded by St Osburga in 700 CE. Due to the unsuitability of the land for farming, much of the land around Coventry was used for raising cattle and sheep.

In 1043 CE, Leofric Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva rebuilt the remains of the nunnery to form a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Mary.

According to legend, Lady Godiva rode through the streets of Coventry naked on horseback to protest her husband’s aggressive taxes on the people of Coventry. However, the historical evidence does not support the legend.

The Lady Godiva statue in 1950s Coventry.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

10

THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY

Towards the end of the 11th century, Coventry’s first castle was built by Ranulph le Meschin, 1st Earl of Chester, but was destroyed in the 12th century.

In 1173 CE, the castle was besieged again by Henry II who sent a large force to Coventry, severely damaging the castle. Over the coming years the castle fell into disuse and eventually disappeared. The last mention of Coventry Castle was in the Catholic Rising of the North in 1569 CE, where Mary Queen of Scots was held after being rushed from Tutbury castle. However, the castle was in too much disrepair to defend so Mary was moved to the Bull Inn and in 1570 CE she was rushed north again to Chatsworth.

In 1345 CE, Coventry was granted ‘City Charter’

by King Edward III, giving Coventry the rights to self-government and a mayor.

In 1400 CE, the construction of the city walls was completed, measuring nearly 2.2 miles (3.5 km) around, 12 feet (3.7 m) high, with 32 towers including 12 gatehouses. With its walls, Coventry was described as “the best-defended city in England outside London”.

In 1095 CE, St Mary’s Monastery was expanded into a Cathedral and became the first Cathedral in Coventry - it was actively used until 1539 CE when it fell victim to Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

The castle was rebuilt in 1137 CE by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester, who successfully held it against King Stephen during the civil war known as The Anarchy ("Barons Wars" or "The Nineteen-Year Winter").

In 1334 CE, the people of Coventry were granted traders freedom from taxes and other tolls.

Bablake school was also founded by Isabella of France.

In 1355 CE, construction of the city walls began.

Photo of Swanswell Gate, c. 1395, one of two surviving city gates.

Source: Paul and Chloe Gardner via Medieval Coventry

In 1465 CE, the Coventry mint was built but it was knocked down a few years later. The Golden Cross now sits in its place, which was built in 1583 CE, and is one of the oldest alcohol serving establishments in England.

On several occasions Coventry became the capital of England. Firstly in 1404 CE when Henry IV called Parliament to Coventry in order to fight a rebellion and Coventry became the capital again during the Wars of the Roses when the Royal Court was moved to Coventry by Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| CHANGING TIMES

1610 The Ground Plott of Coventre by John Speed.

Source: Historic Coventry

In 1635 CE, when the English Civil war broke out, Coventry became a Parliamentarian stronghold.

During the war it was attacked many times by the royalists and the King, all of which were unsuccessful.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became much more industrialised. Many industries such as cloth and silk began to grow in the early part of this period and towards the late 1880s the bicycle and watch making industries also began to grow within the city.

In 1874 CE, Coventry Rugby Football Club was founded.

In 1897 CE, the first British motor car was made in Coventry by the Daimler Motor Company Limited.

In the 16th century the booming cloth trade in Coventry declined and the city fell upon many hardships. Also during the 16th century, King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries during the Reformation, resulting in the destruction of Coventryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monastery and other religious houses. After the Reformation, Coventry favoured the Protestant religion.

In 1662 CE, the city walls were pulled down by Charles II in an act of vengeance against the people of Coventry for their loyalty to the Parliamentarians.

In 1843 CE, the Coventry College of Design was founded. The college formed the roots of what is now Coventry University.

In 1883 CE, Coventry City Football Club was founded.

The team from the 1885-86 season.

Source: CCFPA

In 1916 CE, Coventry began to manufacture aircraft and aircraft related equipment - an industry that continued to steadily increase in size until the outbreak of the WWII. This was when many motor firms switched to aircraft production to support the war effort, making Coventry a huge centre for aircraft production and a target for aerial bombing raids.

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Within the next decade the motor car industry in Coventry began to boom - Coventry became the centre of the British motor industry and many famous manufactures like Jaguar, Rover and Rootes were based in the area.

THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY

The ruins of Coventry Cathedral.

Source: BT

Throughout the war, Coventry suffered other smaller bombing raids which destroyed the city further, resulting in most of the city having to be rebuilt after the war.

In 1962 CE, the new Coventry Cathedral was opened.

The interior of the new Coventry Cathedral as it is now.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

In the 1990s economic recession hit the city hard, creating huge unemployment in the city and much social unrest.

In 1940 CE, Coventry suffered a series of German bombing raids known as the "Blitz". The most devastating of these raids happened on the 14th to 15th of November where 515 German bombers bombed Coventry relentlessly into the early hours of the 15th November. Destroying 4,300 homes, damaging 2/3 of the cities buildings and killing an estimated 568 people, many important buildings such as the hospital and the Cathedral were also destroyed.

After the war, Coventry was slowly rebuilt in the 1950s - the city centre included one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first traffic free shopping precincts.

During the 1960s many car manufacturers such as Triumph, Jaguar and Alvis began production in Coventry again. During this time the city was thought to have had one of the highest standards of living in England.

Jaguar Cars factory, Browns Lane, Coventry.

11th January 1961.

Source: Coventry Telegraph

In 2017 CE, Coventry was announced as the UK City of Culture for 2021.

Bibliography Wikipedia (2020) History of Coventry. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Coventry (Accessed: 12 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| CHANGING TIMES

THE CHANGING NATURE OF FILM REBECCA HEADLEY, U6THÂ STUDENT

Moviegoers outside Warners' Theatre before the premiere of Don Juan, 6th August 1926.

Source: US National Archives via A New Yorker State of Mind

Over this century, film has changed drastically and has created trends to be followed by many. From horror to romance, comedy to science fiction and musicals to family favourites, the film industry has impacted many different genres and it continues to grow bigger and bigger with each innovation in film.

1920s

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The roaring twenties was a time where film was a favourite for leisure, which was fun for all the family and constantly advertised to entice more people to visit the cinema. Silent films were extremely popular.

Black and white short skits of comedy meant actors including Douglas Fairbanks and Gloria Swanson showed the emotion through their facial features and body movements to convey the story. These actors created chic styles which transcended towards the style of the '20s, with women in frilly dresses, short hair and provocative makeup and the men wearing smart three-piece suits and lapels. Charlie Chaplin was an icon for the '20s silent films such as The Kid, creating a comedic character with an extremely memorable walk. By the end of the '20s, sound and speech had made its way into films with The Jazz Singer being the first film including speech in 1927, showing the first step into innovation in film.

THE CHANGING NATURE OF FILM

1930s

1940s

Moving on to the '30s, which is also known as the Golden Age of Hollywood, more feature length films were shown to the public and continued to be a favourite pastime for families. Many popular films that are still celebrated today came from this era including Hell’s Angels starring the Blonde Bombshell, Jean Harlow. These films also created the classic Hollywood style, which included elegant long dresses for the women which were easy to dance in and simple suits for the men.

Dancing also became a huge part of film with Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire as the dancing duo who took the world by storm. They sang and danced through many films including Top Hat, Shall We Dance and Roberta. They paved the way for many musicals to be created for a fun filled film, packed full of catchy songs which enthralled the world in an international time of uncertainty during the Great Depression. Colour had also come in a ground-breaking innovation to film with The Wizard of Oz transitioning from black and white to full technicolour before the audience’s eyes. The introduction of colour that brightened up the cinematic world was also shown in the first ever feature length Disney animation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. This started the ever-wonderful legacy of Disney’s feature films.

The 1940s were a hard time for many with the first half in a world war and the second half trying to recover from the devastation endured.

Film was an outlet to create a positive outlook on life for people and to give them hope. It was also a place which showed the war through the film camera lens with romance added to it in hopes to lighten the mood in films such as Casablanca and A Matter of Life and Death. Due to rationing and workers dedicating more time towards the war effort, it was difficult to maintain the glamorous Hollywood style but film makers tried to keep as much as they could in films from this era such as Little Women and Citizen Kane. Animated films became more apparent including Pinocchio and Dumbo bringing classic children’s stories to life, which entertained all families during troubling times. Comedy films also became a huge hits with films such as His Girl Friday filled with fun and jokes for everyone to enjoy.

A scene from Bambi (1942) Source: Walt Disney Productions via Time

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| CHANGING TIMES

1950s

The '50s showed more of the Hollywood Golden Age. Actresses like Marilyn Monroe epitomised this with her charming personality and style. This period combined comedy and music in films, such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which has been labelled as one of the funniest films of all time. Musicals still had extreme popularity, including the classic Singinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the Rain which featured the singing and dancing talents of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. It created memorable songs still recognisable 70 years later. The fashion and style of Hollywood glamour continued to dominate popular style during this era with women wearing bold red lips and gorgeous gowns and men sticking with the classic suits. The '50s also showed more princess fairy tales brought to life through the talents of Disney showing Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. They included catchy songs and comical sidekicks creating films to be remembered for a lifetime.

Still from the film Singin' In The Rain (1952) Source: MetroGoldwyn-Mayer via BBC

1960s

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The '60s brought more and more musicals into the cinema including Mary Poppins, West Side Story and Oliver. These films showed the events of the past including chimney sweeps, mass immigration to America and the difference between the rich and the poor in Victorian London.

They showed history in glorious technicolour. These films portrayed the reality of life in the past through the lyrics and actors while still creating a light family friendly film. As for style, the '60s brought many iconic actresses who not only had incredible talent, but fantastic style too.

Audrey Hepburn showed sleek style with her iconic Ascot look in My Fair Lady and the Little Black Dress in Breakfast at Tiffanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Elizabeth Taylor played the powerful female Pharaoh Cleopatra with stunning costumes. Finally, Julie Andrews with sensible and classy looks as Mary Poppins and Maria from The Sound of Music showed more innocent main characters in classic musicals. Horror also became a popular genre of film in the '60s with the incredible work of the late great Alfred Hitchcock, who used music and cinematography to create suspenseful classics.

THE CHANGING NATURE OF FILM

1970s

A new modern era meant that, even though musicals like the classic Grease starring John Travolta were still a very popular genre, science fiction, superheroes and crime films became the new craze in the cinematic world. Star Wars began its long-lived legacy in this decade with exciting twists and interesting characters captivating audiences worldwide. The story of an incredible hero with superpowers took to the screen in 1978's Superman. Crime films such as The Godfather showcasing gangs and mobs took a turn for cinema and showed darker themes, becoming more popular for adults to watch on their own. Horror continued to become extremely successful as these were adored by many. Style icons such as Carrie Fisher in Star Wars and Liza Minelli in Cabaret showed the two sides of cinema: the classic Hollywood style, and the more modern and popular style.

Mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chinese Theater when Star Wars opened in May 1977.

Source: Mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chinese Theatre Photo via Los Angeles Times

1980s

The '80s carried on with the legacy the '70s left with many more crime and superhero films compared with the classic Hollywood feature length films of the past. Horror became the main genre of films made in the '80s with classics such as Alien and The Shining creating chilling experiences for the audience by using music to create a frightening atmosphere. Teen movies came to be an extremely popular genre of film, with many young actors debuting their talents in films like The Breakfast Club and Back to the Future. These characters that the younger generation wanted to relate to created ideas about teen life for younger viewers. Animated films have remained a firm family favourite even with the added competition of fantasy with The Princess Bride and the science fiction phenomenon Star Wars. Films like The Little Mermaid with catchy songs and classic princess stories were still able to enthral the masses. Romantic comedies became a huge hit with cinema too, with hilarious jokes and characters sharing a cheesy romance, creating a new aspiration for the youth to look up to and desire to have.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| CHANGING TIMES

1990s

2000s

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In the '90s, there was a surge of teen and horror films which became the more popular genre for audiences. Clueless gave many style choices and popular phrases to '90s teenagers. Horror films still reigned as a popular genre with a new form of horror film created with The Blair Witch Project in 1990, which was filmed by the actors on video cameras. This innovative type of horror film created a scarier, more realistic form of horror which intrigued many viewers. However, both horror and teen films became so popular that teen horror films were created with slasher films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, combining the suspenseful atmosphere of horror with the characters from teen films which audiences idolised greatly. This new genre became extremely popular and many slasher films were created in this decade. The introduction of the producer Quentin Tarantino created exciting new films with violent humour and Tarantino cameos.

The most iconic film was Pulp Fiction, a story following the lives of two criminals which showed the brutal life of drug gang members.

However, it was the odd timeline in which Tarantino decided to film this in that gave the iconic status to this film, chopping and changing certain parts to allow the audience to work out the right order of events that created a buzz of excitement from viewers when his new films were released. Animated films also took a brave new turn in cinema with films like The Lion King with original story lines paired with the catchy songs that families have always loved. 3-D animation had become a ground-breaking innovation with films like Shrek and Toy Story with not only original story lines but also clean cut 3-D with newly developed technology.

Stepping into a new millennium, similar films to those from the '90s were still a firm favourite for cinema lovers. 3-D animations continued to develop which created big competition for the older fairy-tale animations that were extremely favoured in the past. Films like Shark Tale and Madagascar were becoming the popular choice for families.

Teen films were still well liked but they seemed to revolve more around romantic comedies that were the trend before in films such as Mean Girls. This gave an impression of American high school with loveable and funny side characters who inevitably develop a budding romance between the leads. Intertwining these two together gave the producers the ability to widen their audiences similarly to the '80s. Superhero films made a comeback in this decade with new and exciting technology to work with, allowing the weapons and fight scenes to become even more intricate and exciting to watch. With this evolution in time, this genre of film was able to take a darker direction with their films, creating a suspenseful atmosphere paired with CGI effects which were just beginning to take flight.

THE CHANGING NATURE OF FILM

2010s

With technology growing and changing so quickly, the film industry had to evolve quicker and create bolder films with more vivid special effects. Action and superhero films were packed with more explosions and fight scenes thanks to the use of green screen and CGI, which created more exciting visuals to dazzle an audience and take them far from reality. Fairy tale animations also joined the evolution by using 3-D animation for their films to make sure they were more visually appealing to an audience. Also fitting in with the ever-changing rules of society, these animations started to become more original by having more unlikely heroes and creating strong leaders from any gender or race. However, with all these new innovations in film, it seemed that some producers found that bringing back old classic film techniques was the way to gain an audience. This was certainly the case for Michel Hazanavicius, the director of The Artist, a black and white extravaganza which was refreshing for international audiences in 2011. This can also be seen with some animations where they keep the story line of an older film and add newer technology to trigger nostalgia in the older generation while exciting the younger generation with CGI tricks. This could be seen in the remake of The Jungle Book in 2016.

Film Posters from IMDB

Comparison of the technology used in the original 1994 The Lion King and the 2019 remake.

Source: Walt Disney Pictures via Bored Panda

Now we move into the future with the 2020s, who knows whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in store for the world of cinema? Maybe a wave of lockdown coming of age romance films will flood the cinemas. We can expect an exciting future for film after the unprecedented times that have started this century off.

Bibliography Miller, G. (2014) Data From a Century of Cinema Reveals How Movies Have Evolved. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/09/cinema-is-evolving/ (Accessed: 13 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORICAL FIGURES

THOMAS CROMWELL – THE A-Z OF HENRY’S CHIEF ADVISOR MRS REES, HEAD OF HISTORY

Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex after Hans Holbein the Younger.

Source: National Portait Gallery via Wikimedia Commons

A is for Anne.

Both Boleyn and Cleves. It is impossible not to mention the Annes in relation to Cromwell. He rose to power securing the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, and it was the marriage to Anne of Cleves that defeated him in the end. His insistence that Henry should marry Anne of Cleves, despite opposition, was perhaps one of Cromwell’s first lapses in judgement. His desire to prevent Henry marrying an English woman who may have promoted the Catholic cause, and his genuine desire to see England allied with a Protestant country, may possibly have blinded him to Henry’s lack of interest in the match. And so, he fell, as he had risen, with an Anne.

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B is for Books.

Cromwell loved books! He had a great many contacts abroad, from his time spent travelling, and he used them to source a wide variety of books that were not available in small provincial England. He shared this love of books with Henry VIII, and it gave them something to bond over. At the time of his initial rise to power he was not able to hunt with the king due to his social standing (see Q) and so he was able to bond with the king as Henry also loved books (although he usually preferred people to read them to him, than read them himself!).

C is for Church of England.

Perhaps one of the things Thomas Cromwell is best remembered for is his systematic dismantling of the Catholic Church’s hold over England. Without the actions of his trusted minister it seems unlikely Henry would have been able to take control of the Church in England quite as comprehensively as he did, effectively making the break with Rome, removing the marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and altering the state of the Church in England irrevocably and forever.

THOMAS CROMWELL – THE A-Z OF HENRY’S CHIEF ADVISOR

D is for Dissolution of the Monasteries.

This was the removal of first the larger and then the smaller monastic houses in England.

Having pledged to make Henry VIII the "richest king in Christendom", Cromwell was able to remove a clear symbol of the Catholic faith with the blessing of the king. Cromwell’s servants began visiting larger monasteries in 1537, and the dissolution began in 1538. Cromwell ordered his men to ruthlessly hunt down evidence of superstitious practices among the monks and nuns, especially the keeping of relics. By the time Cromwell died England had lost most of its large and smaller monastic houses.

E is for Earl of Essex and Execution.

In April 1540 Cromwell was made Earl of Essex, one of the oldest noble titles in the realm. To have reached these dizzy heights was quite a feat. This was taken by many as a sign of Henry’s continued confidence in him, despite the factions at court gathering and moving against him.

Surprisingly only 3 months after this promotion, Cromwell was executed, on the very orders of the man who had elevated him to the nobility. He was executed on Tower Hill on 28th July 1540.

Malmesbury Abbey, one of the last monasteries to be suppressed in 1539.

Source: Historic UK

F is for Faction.

This played a key role in the career of Thomas Cromwell. He witnessed the fall of his master Wolsey when the noble factions moved against him. Despite having worked to get Anne Boleyn on the throne, he acted against her when she had fallen out of favour and helped bring about her execution. Eventually he fell victim to the powerful faction manoeuvring against him headed by the Duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner. It is not surprising that he fell victim to factional actions himself.

G is for Generosity.

Cromwell was known to be a generous patron. He trained the sons of his neighbours and was always prepared to do his best for those he thought were loyal to him. One such example is Thomas Avery, a favoured servant of Cromwell; Cromwell gave him money to travel to the Netherlands and be brought up

by Stephen Vaughan, an English merchant and royal diplomat.

Although of course, Avery was then in an excellent position to report news back from abroad to Cromwell too.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORICAL FIGURES

Portrait of Henry VIII of England

by Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1537).

Source: Wikimedia Commons

I is for Italy.

Cromwell’s relationship with his father was strained, and around 1503 he left home. He also left England, managing to find enough money to take a ship to the Netherlands, where he then travelled to France. He joined the French army and went with them on campaign to Italy. The conditions in the French army were so bad, that Cromwell deserted his post and remained in Italy. Given this was at a time of Renaissance the cultural experiences he had here seem to have had a huge impact on his character and interests.

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J is for Jane Seymour.

After Anne Boleyn’s execution, Cromwell was keen to distance himself from his association with her.

He was full of praise for Henry’s new wife, Jane, emphasising her purity, perhaps as a contrast to Anne. Whilst Jane Seymour was alive Cromwell’s son, Gregory, was married to her sister, so for the briefest moment the Cromwell family was linked to the royal family.

However, Jane’s death 2 months later made this relationship a fleeting one.

H is for Henry VIII. Unlike Thomas Wolsey, Cromwell was aware that the wishes of Henry VIII were central to his ability to stay in a position of power. Cromwell fell because of faction, but also due to his own mismanagement of the Anne of Cleves marriage and ultimately it was the king who decided his fate. However, within a few months of the loss of his servant, Henry was complaining that his courtiers had deceived him, and that he had "put to death the most faithful servant he had ever had." It is interesting that following his death the followers of Cromwell were shown signs of favour by Henry, whilst his enemies were increasingly unpopular. Both Stephen Gardiner and the Duke of Norfolk were in disgrace with the king when he died in 1547, Norfolk only surviving execution because Henry died before he could sign the warrant.

K is for Katherine Howard.

She was the potential wife Cromwell had been dreading for the king. She was the niece of his enemy, the Duke of Norfolk, and it was partly fear of the influence of this type of person that had persuaded him of the need to pursue the Cleves marriage.

However, Katherine had come to the attention of the king and by April 1540 the king’s new infatuation was known to all. Henry married Katherine on 28th July 1540, the same day he executed his minister emphasising to all the king’s displeasure with Cromwell and the marriage to Anne of Cleves.

THOMAS CROMWELL – THE A-Z OF HENRY’S CHIEF ADVISOR

L is for Lutheranism.

Cromwell’s religious beliefs and his role in the Reformation were used by his enemies to denounce him as a traitor.

However, whilst Cromwell was known to be a religious reformer, and skirted the line well beyond what Henry may have approved of at times, it seems his religious beliefs would always take second place to his service to the king.

Although Cromwell had spent most of his career furthering reform, when it appeared that the king was taking a more conservative approach and it therefore no longer combined with his political ambitions, Cromwell was prepared to apply the brakes and take a slower approach.

N is for Nuremberg Chronicle.

Stephen Vaughan knew of Cromwell’s love of books and tried to send him the books he wanted. One such book was the Nuremberg Chronicle, an illustrated history of the world, which was first published in 1493. This was one of the earliest printed histories of Renaissance Europe.

Woodcut of Nuremberg from the Nuremberg Chronicle.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

M is for Sir Thomas More.

Having once famously said, before Henry VIII became king, that: "although he loves me like a brother, I fear he would have my head if it would gain him a castle in France", More was indeed executed by his once close friend the King. More’s refusal to sign the Act of Succession brought Henry’s wrath down upon him. Despite the fact More’s actions were going against the reform Cromwell was trying to promote, he worked hard to try to find a way to placate Henry, and to give More a chance to escape the death Henry was planning.

Despite Cromwell’s efforts More refused to compromise his beliefs and was executed.

O is for Order of the Garter.

On 5 August 1537 Henry elected Cromwell to the Order of the Garter. This was the oldest and most senior order of chivalry, dating back to Edward III who founded it in 1348 to honour those who had served the king with most distinction. This was a highly exclusive honour, there being only 25 knights in the order. This was a sign of huge favour from the king.

Cromwell with the collar of the Greater George after his election to Order of the Garter.

Source: National Portrait Gallery

Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527).

Source: Wikimedia Commons

P is for Pilgrimage of Grace.

A huge rebellion, consisting of 36 000 men broke out in the north of England complaining about, amongst other things, the dissolution of the monasteries and the architect of the new reforms of the Church, Cromwell.

The rebels focussed their hatred on Cromwell, calling for his death as a heretic and the reason for all their misfortunes.

The Banner of the Five Wounds of Christ- the symbol of the rebels.

Source: Tudor Times

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORICAL FIGURES

Q is for Questionable Beginnings?

Thomas Cromwell, who was destined to become, for a time, the most powerful man in England was not born into the type of family you might expect. Not a huge amount is known about his family, but his father, Walter Cromwell, was a man with several professions, including being a blacksmith and a brewer. In the Close Rolls of Henry VII’s reign he listed as a "bere-bruer" and the family owned a brewery and a hostelry, called the Anchor.

Thomas was a lot younger than his 2 sisters, and not much is recorded about his mother, although Thomas claimed she was 52 when she had him!

S is for Act of Supremacy.

With this act, Cromwell changed English history forever, and made the monarch the head of the church, reducing the power of the Pope in England to nothing. This act clarified Henry’s position as "Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of England" and stated that he and his heirs would have full power and authority over the church and any reforms they deemed necessary to it.

Act of Supremacy 1534.

Source: www.parliament.uk

T is for Thetford priory.

MacCulloch argues that Thetford Priory, Norfolk played a key role in Cromwell’s fall. This was the family burial place of the dukes of Norfolk, and Thomas Howard did not want to see this fall during the dissolution. Eventually in February 1540 it closed, and he was not allowed to refound it as a training college for priests. Cromwell had ensured the priory was closed and the Duke’s plans were thwarted. The Duke of Norfolk had to move some of his family tombs and ancestral bones 25 miles to Framlingham in Suffolk. You can imagine how he felt about this treatment of his family.

U is for Statute of Uses.

Another unpopular bill Cromwell forced through Parliament; this one protected the Crown’s feudal rights by looking at how land was settled.

This did not favour the common man and was another complaint issued against Cromwell in the Pilgrimage of Grace.

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R is for "Revolution" in Government.

This is an interesting historical debate regarding Cromwell and the reforms he put into place during his time of leadership. Whether they can be deemed a "revolution" has been hotly contested, but most historians agree he did a huge amount to increase the efficiency of the Tudor government and the role of the Privy Council.

The ruins of Thetford Priory.

Source: English Heritage

V is for Vicegerent.

In 1535 Cromwell was appointed Vicar-General, a position that allowed him the power to institute church reform. He used this position to organise the dissolution of the monasteries, starting with a survey of the monasteries and nunneries in England. The summary of these findings was known as the Valor Ecclesiasticus and compiled the wealth and value of the church.

This was the most detailed survey since the Domesday Book in 1086.

THOMAS CROMWELL – THE A-Z OF HENRY’S CHIEF ADVISOR

W is for Wolsey.

Cromwell came to the attention of the king through the household of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and no-one ever doubted that he was the Cardinal’s man through and through. He was promoted to the King’s council by the Cardinal and his friends, and he worked tirelessly in defence of Wolsey when he fell victim to the factions working against him (the Boleyns for one). Cromwell survived the fall of his master, but not because he had abandoned him.

Cromwell wrote: "I am like to lose all that I have laboured for all my life, for doing of my master true and diligent service".

X is for Xenophobia.

This is not a word associated with Thomas Cromwell. He was, by the standards of his day, a cosmopolitan man. His travels around Europe meant he had met and befriended a wide variety of people, learning to speak French, Italian and Latin. He was well known to love all things Italian, and this was unusual at the time, when most Englishmen were convinced of the superiority of all things English.

Z is for Zurich.

As he got older Cromwell organised (discreetly) contacts with the most radical European mainstream reformers, in Zurich and northern Switzerland. This was highly dangerous for him to do as the king would definitely not have approved of these actions and is a clear indicator of Cromwell’s desire to promote further religious change if he could in England.

Thomas Wolsey, painted 1589-1595, based on a work of c.1520.

Source: National Portrait Gallery

Y is for York Place.

This is where Cromwell was first found in the service of Wolsey. York Place was Wolsey’s magnificent London residence (before Hampton Court Palace was built) and Thomas Cromwell first had a job here as a steward.

Reconstruction of York Place, Whitehall in 1530.

Source: Historic Royal Palaces

Bibliography Borman, T (2015), Thomas Cromwell. Hodder and Stoughton MacCulloch, D (2018) Thomas Cromwell Penguin Random House UK MacCulloch, D (2020), The Truth about Thomas Cromwell. Available at: https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/the-truth-aboutthomas-cromwell/ Last accessed 17 June 2020.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF THE LAW

HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE LAW ALICIA HUNDAL, L6TH STUDENT

Our English legal system is a common law system that has originated from the Middle Ages.

Since then, this legal system has developed over the centuries to become what it is today. Not only was it used in England, but also in British colonies around the world such as: the United States, Australia, and Nigeria. It is crazy to think that our current legal system is based on something established nearly 1000 years ago.

The first formation of any kind of national legal system came about when William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066. Prior to this, each area in the country had its own differentiated local court. William the Conqueror was the first monarch to establish and to help evolve the English common law system into what we know today.

After invading England, William needed to organise and demonstrate his control over his new citizens. To do this he created the King’s Court. It was made up of the King and his advisors, who travelled across England to give judgement to those who required it. Although the King’s court does not exist as it was today, it was a starting point for the courts that we have now. It has led to the

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Two judges, a prisoner, a court officer and a gallows. 14th C. William the Conqueror.

Source: British Library

Source: National Portrait Gallery

development of the Magistrates Court, Crown Court and the UK Supreme Court, which are widely known in our legal system today.

In 1154, Henry II became King of England, and his development of the English common law system was a result of the widespread discontent and civil war that the country had just been involved in. He used the legal system to regain stability and to control the country. He developed the legal system to create a single system of justice that the whole country would use. There were only 18 judges across England who decided legal cases, and Henry II decided to change how they worked. He kept 5 judges within London to act on behalf of the King who would have otherwise done so. The remaining judges

were sent to different areas of the country to do the same job.

These judges were widely recognised across England as "travelling justices", who were sent to apply the laws that had been put in place by the judges in England. They replaced the local laws with new national laws and further developed the English legal system to what it is today.

Within this time King Henry set out common law. This is the law declared by judges coming from customs and precedent. It is called common because it applied equally across the land.

To this day it is still the samenational laws are carried out and judged by the courts to act on behalf of the legal system to protect the peace within the country.

HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE LAW

The creation of the Magna Carta in 1215 was another significant development in the English law. It was created to stop King John and his government from not only being above the law but also from exploiting his power with heavy taxes to fund unnecessary wars. The Magna Carta itself does not deal with legal principals but shifts its focus to the regulation of feudal customs and the restoration of peace at this time. Two of the most famous clauses are still applicable today and still remain at the foundation of the English law:

“ “

19th century recreation of King John and the signing of the Magna Carta.

Source: James William Edmund Doyle via Wikimedia Commons

To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice

No free mean shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlaws, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by lawful judgment of his peers and the law of the land

” ”

This legal document has become a symbol of liberty and human rights all across the world as it was the world’s first written constitution. These clauses have helped build up the legal system and revolves around four themes that centre of our legal system: the rule of law, the fairness of the law, due process of the law, and the respect for economic rights.

We can see that many of the early developments to the English legal system have laid the inauguration for the common law system we use today. These three key moments in the history of law have allowed our legal system to branch out into the various sectors that exist today.

Bibliography www.parliament.uk (n.d) The contents of Magna Carta. Available at: https://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/evolutionofparliament/originsofparliament/birthofparliament/overview/magnacarta/magnacartaclauses/ (Accessed:12 June 2020) Crilly, C., Ellis, E. (2020) Introduction to English Common Law. Available at: https://www.coursera.org/learn/intro-commonlaw/lecture/7PTRd/the-origins-of-common-law (Accessed:12 June 2020) The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England & Wales (2020) The English legal system. Available at: https://www.iclr.co.uk/knowledge/topics/the-english-legal-system/ (Accessed:12 June 2020) Elizabethtown Schools (2020) The Magna Carta & Issues with Monarchs in England. Available at: https://www.etownschools.org/cms/lib/PA01000774/Centricity/Domain/629/The%20Magna%20Carta2.pdf (Accessed:12 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF THE LAW

TOP 10 UNUSUAL HISTORICAL LAWS CHARLOTTE BULL, L6TH STUDENT

10. It is illegal to wear a top hat in public.

In the late 1790s, a man named John Hetherington was supposedly the first to wear a top hat in England. Nobody had seen a top hat at that time, so it was met with confusion and hostility. Hetherington was arrested and charged with disturbing the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peace. He was fined but insisted he had not broken any law. To prevent a repeat, the government passed a law banning citizens from wearing top hats. (Taylor, 2019)

9. It is illegal to enter Parliament with weapons or full armour.

In 1313, King Edward II of England passed the Statutum de Defensione Portandi Arma. The law forbids MPs from entering Parliament with weapons or in full armour.

The law is still in place today and now includes bulletproof vests. King Edward II passed the law due to interrupted and disorganised meetings in Parliament. Today, coat hangers in the cloakrooms of the British Parliament are modified to hold the swords of members of Parliament. Â (Andrews, 2019)

8. It is illegal to eat swans.

This law was put in place in order to reserve swans for the crown and nobility. European nobility began to eat swans in the 12th century, and it soon spread to England where it became a symbol of wealth and was frequently served at royal feasts. In 1482, the British crown was so concerned with protecting its swan supplies from the commoners, that a law was passed limiting ownership of swans to the nobles. Hunting or killing swans as well as stealing eggs led to punishment. The monarchy allowed nobles to have swans as long as they tagged them using rings. The crown left their swans untagged so they would be recognised. (Taylor, 2019)

7. Whales and sturgeons belong to the Queen.

Whales and sturgeons are considered to be royal fish and if any are caught in UK waters they should be immediately offered to the current reigning monarch of the nation (Elizabeth II). Ownership of all whales, sturgeons and dolphins has been part of the royal entitlement ever since the reign of King Edward II. (Andrews, 2019)

6. All non-noble Englishmen over the age of 6 have to wear a flat cap on a Sunday.

The flat cap originates from this strange English law. In 1571, Parliament passed a law forcing all non-nobles to wear a wool cap on Sundays and holidays. If they did not wear them, they faced a 3 farthing fine. Parliament passed this law to help the domestic wool industry, which was facing problems in the late 1500s. This law was bizarre even in its day, and Parliament repealed it in 1597. However, after 26 years, people had grown to like the woollen hats. Therefore, people continued to wear them, giving rise to the modern flat cap. (Flight, 2019)

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TOP 10 UNUSUAL HISTORICAL LAWS

5. People are only allowed 2 courses at mealtimes to avoid obesity.

In 1336, Edward III of England got fed up of his overweight soldiers so passed laws to make them diet.

The law stated that obesity made people ‘not able to aid themselves nor their liege Lord in time of need’. The law banned people eating more than 2 courses at mealtimes. It also defined soup as a separate course to prevent people calling it a sauce or condiment. However, 3 courses were allowed on Feast Days. (Flight, 2019)

4. It is illegal to have a long beard.

In the 16th century (during Henry VIII’s reign), the City of London passed a law against "persons with great beards". They also warned people to be suspicious of those wearing "outrageous breeches". It is likely that the City of London experienced problems with bearded criminals in strange trousers during Henry VIII’s reign. There are also claims that Henry himself passed a tax on beards during his reign.

(Flight, 2019)

3. In the early 15th century, the city of Chester banned Welshmen from being there at night "under pain of decapitation".

Between 1400 and 1415, Wales rebelled against England. Led by Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh were unsuccessful in their efforts. In 1403 the Earl of Chester (who later became King Henry V) was so worried about the Welsh intruding that he passed an anti-Welsh law. He banned all Welshmen from Chester between sundown and sunrise "on pain of decapitation". There is no evidence the city ever repealed the law. (Flight, 2019)

2. It is illegal for a commoner’s pet to fornicate with a royal animal.

King George I supposedly did not want common animals breeding with his own. The legislation stated: "The severest penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal house". The punishment could be as severe as execution! It is still illegal to let common pets breed with royal animals.

(Andrews, 2019)

1. It is legal to shoot a Scotsman in York.

As long as you are a citizen of York, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow. However, it is not permitted on Sundays so be careful! (Matador, 2016) Bibliography Andrews, S. (2019). These 10 British Laws are Almost Too Weird (and Detailed) to be True. Retrieved from The Vintage News: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/02/weird-british-laws/ (Accessed: 1 June 2020) Flight, T. (2019). 40 Unusual Laws in History. Retrieved from History Collection: https://historycollection.co/40-unusual-laws-in-history/ (Accessed: 1 June 2020) Matador Team. (2016, July). 21 bizarre laws that still exist in the UK. Retrieved from Matador Network: https://matadornetwork.com/life/21-bizarre-laws-still-exist-uk/ (Accessed: 1 June 2020) Taylor, O. (2019, March 28). 10 Weird Laws And Why They Were Passed. Retrieved from Listverse: https://listverse.com/2019/03/28/10weird-laws-and-why-they-were-passed/ (Accessed: 1 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

THE HISTORY OF PANDEMICS GEORGIA GAMBLE-STRUTT, L6TH STUDENT

1411 Miniature out of the Toggenburg Bible. 1918 Boston, USA- Flu pandemic.

Source: History Today

It is more than wars, monarchs and politics that defines our history. Infectious disease and the crisis of death and recession that follows has been recorded time and time again since records began. All the way back in 430 BC, the first recorded pandemic occurred simultaneously with the Peloponnesian War - an Ancient Greek war between the Delian League and Peloponnesian League. This particular disease, a suspected typhoid fever, originated in Eastern Africa and travelled all the way to Greece, wiping out as much as two-thirds of the Athenian population. As a result of this pandemic the Athenians were defeated by the Spartans because of their sudden weakness, and they

30

Source: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

never again regained their prewar prosperity.

Society and civilisation blossomed over the centuries as did trading and with it, the opportunity for pandemics. The Antonine Plague in 165 AD continued for 15 years with a final death toll of approximately 5 million. The Plague of Justinian, the first outbreak of the bubonic plague (see page 4), in 541- 542 AD spread from Egypt, through Palestine, the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean claiming 50 million people, over a quarter of the world’s population. In the Middle Ages, leprosy escalated into a pandemic. It was believed that this particular bacterial disease was a punishment from God that ran in families. For the second time the bubonic plague

escalated into a pandemic with the infamous Black Death in 1350. To date this has been the worst outbreak of disease in history, wiping out a third of the world’s population: 200 million people! Following this there was the Great Plague of London (1665) and the First Cholera Pandemic (1817) all the way to Spanish flu in 1918 and COVID19 which is ongoing today.

A pandemic brings out everyone’s true human nature because it has the capability to change everything: it dictates life or death. But, that does not mean each response will be the same or that the responses made over the centuries are even comparable. However, each can be studied to reflect the way of the people in that time: their

THE HISTORY OF PANDEMICS

morals, religious beliefs and scientific knowledge. In some ways, all three of these things have changed significantly since the first pandemic in 430 BC, yet in other ways, they are still remarkably similar. In terms of COVID-19, worldwide, scientists are working around the clock to try and formulate a successful vaccination that responds directly to the genetic sequence of the virus. This technology, of course, is recently revolutionary, but our primary response is almost medieval – the act of enforcing a societal quarantine.

The word quarantine is derived from the Italian word "quaranta" to mean "forty". This length of time, as described in Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present was chosen

“as both the Old and New Testaments make multiple references to the number forty… forty days and forty nights of the flood of Genesis, the forty years of the Israelites… and the forty days of Lent.” The practice of quarantine has been used since the Black Death response and we are still using it to this day.

Admittedly, the integration of it with video communication and online classes now, is different, but no doubt the idea of socially isolating the population remains the same.

But why do pandemics keep occurring? In the last half a century, our worldwide population has doubled. That is double the amount of human beings in the same space, breathing in the same air. With

that and the addition of livestock, the number of infectious diseases in the last 100 years has increased by almost four times.

For that reason, pandemics should not be viewed in shock their existence is, proven by history, to be a part of a long constant timeline.

We can learn a lot and predict a lot about the future by studying the past. If you look at the trends and the ever increasing population numbers, you could even say the current coronavirus pandemic was inevitable. But rather than dwelling on the negatives look forward and see that, soon, this time will be a part of this history, to be studied for centuries to come and used to help the future.

Bibliography Chotiner, I., 2020. How Pandemics Change History. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: <https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-anda/how-pandemics-change-history> [Accessed 17 May 2020].

Jarus, O. and All About History., 2020. 20 Of The Worst Epidemics And Pandemics In History. [online] Live Science. Available at: <https://www.livescience.com/worst-epidemics-and-pandemics-in-history.html> [Accessed 17 May 2020].

Kolbert, E., 2020. Pandemics And The Shape Of Human History. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: <https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/06/pandemics-and-the-shape-of-human-history> [Accessed 17 May 2020].

LePan, N., 2020. Visualizing The History Of Pandemics. [online] Visual Capitalist. Available at: <https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-ofpandemics-deadliest/> [Accessed 17 May 2020].

Walsh, B., 2020. Covid-19: The History Of Pandemics. [online] BBC. Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200325-covid-19the-history-of-pandemics> [Accessed 17 May 2020].

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A HISTORY OF VACCINATION

ABINAYA MURALEETHARAN, U6TH STUDENT The early Chinese practice of inoculation by scratching matter from a smallpox sore into a healthy person's arm.

Source: The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Scientists are racing to find a vaccine to help provide protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. A vaccine utilises weakened, inactive or dead microorganisms to help speed up and strengthen an immune response against a pathogen and protect from the disease it causes. Forms of immunisation have been around for hundreds of years, with roots leading back to China and India in the 11th century. In 1022, a Buddhist nun living in Sichuan inoculated people after noticing those who had suffered from smallpox did not get it again. In this case, she ground up a powder made from smallpox scabs and blew it up people’s noses but inoculation was also achieved by scratching smallpox into the skin. In the 17th century, Emperor K'ang Hsi, inoculated his children having survived a

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case of smallpox and the practice was also established in parts of Africa and Europe.

In 1706, a Boston minister noticed a scar from variolation on the arm of his Libyan-born slave, Onesimus, and upon inquiring amongst other slaves, found many of them had been variolated in Africa. Variolation is derived from the Latin word variola - literally meaning “pustule” or “pox” but referring to smallpox - and is the process of smallpox inoculation.

Furthermore, in 1717, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu described how the process was carried out in Turkey in a letter to her friend saying,

perform the operation every autumn…. The old woman comes with a nut-shell full of the matter of the best sort of smallpox, and asks what veins you please to have opened…. She immediately rips open that you offer her with a large needle … and puts into the vein as much venom as can lie upon the head of her needle…. Every year thousands undergo this operation….”

She later became the first person to bring the practice to England where she had her 2year-old daughter variolated.

This, however, was an inexact science as some variolated individuals still passed the virus on to others and up to 3% of “…The small-pox, so fatal, and so them still died. Understanding general amongst us, is here entirely the mechanism of disease was harmless by the invention of vital to finding effective ingrafting, which is the term they treatments - in 1757 a Scottish give it. There is a set of old women physician named Francis Home who make it their business to took the blood of an infected

A HISTORY OF VACCINATION

Benjamin Jesty.

Source: Wellcome Collection

Edward Jenner vaccinating a child with matter from the hand of Sarah Nelmes.

patient with measles and transmitted it through the skin of healthy patients. He transferred measles to ten of his twelve patients demonstrating the disease was caused by an infectious agent and showing its presence in the blood.

Contrary to popular belief, Dr Edward Jenner was not the first to inoculate a person with cowpox to protect against smallpox. In 1774 a dairy farmer named Benjamin Jesty was recorded to have inoculated his wife and two sons with matter from a cowpox lesion on one of his cows. Twenty-two years later, Jenner used a similar procedure to inoculate eight-year-old James Phipps with matter from a cowpox lesion on the hand of Sarah Nelmes, a milkmaid.

Phipps recovered after several days of feeling poorly and Jenner repeated the procedure with matter taken from a fresh smallpox lesion. No disease developed. He proved immunity to smallpox in a number of individuals who he also infected with cowpox and developed a vaccine (derived from the Latin word vacca meaning cow).

Variolation used the smallpox virus which was much more dangerous than vaccination which used the cowpox virus to provide immunity.

Source: BBC

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

1998 The Lancet paper with Dr. Andrew Wakefield as the lead author.

Source: Science Integrity Digest

In 1879, a French biologist named Louis Pasteur produced the first laboratory-developed vaccine whilst studying chicken cholera. He said “Chance only favours the prepared mind,” as he discovered the method of attenuation by accident. He advised his assistant to inject chicken with a fresh culture of bacteria to study the progression of the disease before he left for a holiday but his assistant, after forgetting, only injected them after he returned. The chicken did not die and Pasteur repeated this with live bacteria with the same result. He realised the initial attenuated or weakened bacteria provided the chicken with immunity. Using attenuation for a cholera vaccine, Spanish physician Jaime Ferrán became

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the first person to develop and use it to immunise humans against a bacterial disease.

Vaccine production advanced leading to vaccines for rabies, whooping cough and polio.

Large vaccination campaigns were also advocated during the 19th and 20th centuries leading to the World Health Organisation declaring the eradication of smallpox in 1979. However, with the growing support for vaccination, opposition also grew. Following the debut of the combination MMR vaccine in 1971 for measles, mumps and rubella, a paper was released in The Lancet in 1998 by a British researcher Andrew Wakefield and several co-authors. It described a study conducted on 12 children claiming evidence that those who had symptoms of

autism and chronic enterocolitis had developed these symptoms immediately after MMR vaccination which applied to 8 of these children. Wakefield went on to assert an association between the vaccination and autism. Long term studies were then conducted and there were no reputable or relevant studies that confirmed these findings.

Instead many studies have shown no link between MMR and bowel disease or MMR and autism. Furthermore, the ethics of Wakefield’s study were later questioned and it was revealed data was falsified about the children’s conditions. The paper was later retracted but as it had been covered widely by the media, MMR vaccination rates plummeted and its impact continues to this day.

A HISTORY OF VACCINATION

Today scientists around the world are working towards a vaccine for COVID-19 to enable much of the community to gain immunity. Research into this has progressed much more quickly than previous efforts with other vaccinations and currently, clinical trials in human volunteers are being undertaken. Much more extensive, larger trials must be instigated to prove the effectiveness and safety of a possible vaccine. The principle of inoculation and deepened understanding of disease mechanisms made throughout this time have allowed for the pioneering techniques that now drive vaccine research and give vaccines their valued status today in the fight against disease.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Source: Nature

Infographic showing the development process of a vaccine.

Source: vfa.de | European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration

Bibliography Anon, 2018. History of Vaccines. [Online] Available at: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/do-vaccines-cause-autism [Accessed 31 05 2020].

Anon, 2020. vaccines.gov. [Online] Available at: https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/types [Accessed 01 06 2020].

Anon, 2020. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation [Accessed 31 05 2020].

Finnegan, G., 2011. VaccinesToday. [Online] Available at: https://www.vaccinestoday.eu/stories/history-of-vaccines-part-1/ [Accessed 01 06 2020].

Najera, R. F., 2020. History of Vaccines. [Online] Available at: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/multilanguage/timeline [Accessed 31 05 2020].

Spector, D. T., 2020. Covid Symptom Study. [Online] Available at: https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-coronavirus-vaccines [Accessed 01 06 2020].

Ullman, A., 2019. Britannica. [Online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Pasteur/Vaccine development#ref281418 [Accessed 01 06 2020].

Wakefield, D. A., 1998. The Lancet. [Online] Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)110960/fulltext [Accessed 31 05 2020].

Zompi, S., 2013. YouTube. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqUFy-t4MlQ&feature=youtu.be [Accessed 31 05 2020].

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

FIVE BIZARRE HISTORICAL CURES ABINAYA MURALEETHARAN, U6TH STUDENT

The practice of medicine has developed throughout history in order to prevent and treat illness. Finding the best cures for ailments can take a lot of work and creativity: some of these methods perhaps went down the wrong path whilst others hit the nail on the head.

Contents page in the Hippocratic Corpus- a collection of early Ancient Greek medical works.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bayer Pharmaceutical Products advertisement.

Reconstruction drawing of the communal latrines at Housesteads Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall.

Source: History Collection

Source: Ancient Origins

1. Cure a cough with heroin.

C.R. Alder Wright, an English chemical researcher, initially created heroin as a non-addictive substitute for morphine in the 1870s. It was soon utilised by a pharmaceuticals company who laced their aspirin with heroin and found it to be much more effective in the children suffering from sore throats, colds and coughs they advertised it to.

When patients returned time and time again for the treatment, it was realised the drug perhaps wasn’t as non-addictive as it seemed… (Holland, 2019)

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2. Want perfect pearly whites? Urine is the solution.

Nowadays urine doesn’t have many uses but for the Romans it was so popular that it was collected from latrines, or communal toilets, and those who profited from its sale had to pay a tax. A verse by the Roman poet, Catullus, reveals that the Romans used urine that had been left out for a while to clean and whiten their teeth. It was supposed to remove stains due to the ammonia that it decomposed into, but I think I will stick to toothpaste thanks. (Kumar, 2013)

FIVE BIZARRE HISTORICAL CURES

3. The Powder of Sympathy This concoction was used in the seventeenth century and based on the notion of healing by treating the weapon that inflicted a wound instead of the wound itself. A German-Swiss alchemist Paracelsus introduced the idea with a Weapon A Neolithic Salve in 1570. The contents of the (3500 BCE) skull powder add to the peculiarity of showing evidence this treatment - mostly “the moss on Instruments for A depiction of of a trepanation trepanation. operation. the preparation the skull of a man who had died a Source: Wellcome Source: Ancient History violent death, combined with boar's of the Powder Collection Encyclopaedia and bear's fat, burnt worms, dried of Sympathy. boar's brain, red sandal-wood and Source: 5. Trepanation - the practice of drilling, IsseiCreekPhilosophy mummy”. (Schwarcz, 2018) incising or scraping a hole into the skull 4. The “chicken rump” treatment Trepanation or trephination is thought to When the Black Death, the most fatal pandemic be the oldest surgical practise in history. recorded in human history, gripped the world in the midPerformed for a variety of reasons 14th century, people were afflicted with buboes on their including skull fracture, epilepsy and armpits, neck and groin that oozed blood and pus. religious rituals, it was detailed in the Believing it would enable poison to be drawn out, it was Hippocratic corpus in Greek Medicine to advised in 1348 to pluck the feathers from the rump of a also allow for the drainage of “stagnant” chicken and hold it onto the bubo until it died. This blood. They believed the blood would spoil would be repeated with other chickens until one did not and turn into pus and thus trepanning die! (Heinrichs, 2017) could allow it to flow out. (Cross, 2019)

Drawing from 1349 showing people carrying coffins of those who died of the plague in Belgium.

A 14th century painting of Source: Getty Images trepanation Source: Science Photo Library Bibliography Cross, C. G., 2019. The MIT Press Reader. [Online] Available at: https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/hole-in-the-head-trepanation/ [Accessed 30 May 2020].

Heinrichs, E. A., 2017. The Live Chicken Treatment for Buboes: Trying a Plague Cure in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 91(2), pp. 210-232. Holland, B., 2019.

History. [Online] Available at: https://www.history.com/news/7-of-the-most-outrageous-medical-treatments-in-history [Accessed 30 May 2020].

Kumar, M., 2013. SmithsonianMag. [Online] Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-gunpowder-to-teethwhitener-the-science-behind-historic-uses-of-urine-442390/ [Accessed 30 May 2020].

Schwarcz, J., 2018. McGill. [Online] Available at: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/no-sympathy-powder-sympathy [Accessed 30 May 2020].

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| MIDDLE AGES

THE VIKINGS SAVIKAR HAYER, U6TH STUDENT Timeline of Viking Events 793 AD - Vikings raided the north-east coast of England and the coast of Northumbria, including a Lindisfarne monastery. This attack on the monastery shocked the European religious world as the new invaders had no concept of Christianity or respect for its institutions which were often unguarded.

840 AD - After the death of Louis the Pious (Emperor of modern-day France and Germany), his son Lothar sought out the support of a Viking fleet in a power struggle with his brothers. They also made the Vikings aware that they would pay to prevent further attacks on their subjects.

866 AD - The Vikings captured York and renamed it Jorvik, which it was ruled by a Viking king.

876 AD- Many Vikings from Denmark, Norway and Sweden had permanently settled in England and took land all over England to live, establishing mercantile cities and founding Ireland's first trading towns such as Dublin and Wicklow.

911 AD - In the regions of France, a Viking chief was given land by treaty in exchange for him denying passage to other raiders. This area is now Normandy.

985 AD - Greenland was settled by Vikings from Iceland led by Erik the Red. 1001 AD - Vikings came to America and established a settlement. This was the first time they found America.

1066 AD - Harold’s army was able to defeat an invasion led by the last great Viking King Harald Hardrada of Norway. However, he was defeated

by William the Duke of Normandy who was a descendant of Scandinavian settlers in France and crowned king on Christmas day 1066.

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794 AD - The Vikings attacked two more monasteries in Scotland as well as one more off the northeastern coast of Ireland a year later, which sparked more religious outrage towards the Vikings. After this for several decades the Vikings continued to carry out hit and run raids against coastal targets in the British Isles.

865 AD - The Viking armies of Denmark invaded England in long ships which allowed them to attack swiftly and leave before local armies could attack back.

874 AD - Iceland was settled by Norwegian lords and kings fleeing from Harald the Fairhaired who wanted to unify Norway under his control.

886 AD - Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings but allowed them to settle in the East of England so that he could live in peace with them rather than face any more conflict.

954 AD - English armies led by descendants of Alfred of Wessex began reconquering Viking populated areas and eventually threw out Eric Bloodaxe, the last king of Jorvik (York).

991 AD - Harald’s rebellious son Sweyn Forkbeard led Viking raids on England and conquered it in 1013 though he died a year later leaving his son Cnut to rule a Scandinavian Empire.

1042 AD - Edward the Confessor (son of the last non-Danish king) regained the English throne from the Danes and later in 1066, Harold Godwinson took power as he had no heirs.

THE VIKINGS

The Vikings were a vast number of Scandinavians who left their homelands to seek fortune elsewhere. They often raided coastal sites and undefended monasteries in the British Isles as, unlike most of Europe at the time, they were not Christian.

Most of the Vikings who are well known came from Denmark, Norway and Sweden although there were mentions of Finnish and Estonian Vikings also. These Vikings left their marks on most of Britain and Europe as well as A Viking Ship.

Source: British Library parts of Russia and Newfoundland.

Viking Facts Vikings used bones of their dead ancestors and animals in their swords hoping to transfer the spirits of the dead into their blades but in doing so they formed a rudimentary form of steel.

Viking women enjoyed more basic rights than some other European countries at the time being allowed to inherit property, request divorce, and reclaim their dowries if their marriage ended.

Vikings were known for their hygiene - Vikings bathed more than most European countries and also bathed in natural hot springs. They also had tweezers, razors and combs made from animal bones and antlers.

Scandinavians developed primitive skis around 6,000 years ago. They were used by the Vikings as a method of transport and recreation and they even had a god of skiing, Ullr.

After William the Conqueror, the Viking age was effectively at its end as all of the Scandinavian kingdoms had become Christian and previous Viking Culture was being absorbed into Christian Europe. Christianity had spread through Norse people and they were convinced of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power which led to them to make alliances and treaties with other countries until they had no one to raid.

Bibliography Cohen, J. (2018) 10 Things You May Not Know About the Vikings. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-knowabout-the-vikings (Accessed: 2 June 2020) Davis, M. (2019) Vikings unwittingly made their swords stronger by trying to imbue them with spirits. Available at: https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/norse-rituals (Accessed: 2 June 2020) History.com Editors (2019) Vikings. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/vikings-history (Accessed: 2 June 2020) Preceden (2020) Viking Important Events Timeline. Available at: https://www.preceden.com/timelines/285656-viking-important-eventstimeline (Accessed: 2 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| MIDDLE AGES

KNIGHTS TEMPLARMEDIEVAL CAPITALISTS TOBY ELKINS, 5TH YEAR STUDENT

A panel of the Knights Templars at the inner courtyard of the Commanderie at Richerenches.

Source: Provence and Beyond

Information: Name: The Poor Fellow - Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon (A.K.A. Knights Templar) Founder: French Knight - Hugues de Payens Date Created: 1118 Date Endorsed by Pope: 1129 Date Dissolved: 1312 What was the organisation's purpose?

The Knights Templar were a Catholic Military Organisation set up a while after the Catholics took control of the Holy City of Jerusalem in 1099. They were set up to protect travelling Catholics who were pilgrimaging to Jerusalem yet being attacked, robbed, and murdered by Muslims who lived in nearby areas.

The Catholics took Jerusalem from the Muslims as a result of the Crusade. The religious organisation had, at their peak, around 15,000 to 20,000 members, and have been compared to the SAS of their time due to their training regimes and ability. They were very much an elite force that were often linked to holy figures including the Pope.

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A Knights Templar depicted in tapestry.

Source: The Tapestry House

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR- MEDIEVAL CAPITALISTS

A mounted Templar charging into battle, detail of a fresco in the Templar chapel at Cressac, France.

Source: Gianni Dagli Orti/Shutterstock.com via Britannica

"The Business Side" of Things

brokers. The Templars were also made exempt from paying tax by The Knights Templar came the Pope, making them even to be a very rich organisation more of an unstoppable force. after a few years of operation.

They began to produce small They came to own many bases business like farms, wineries and and castles over Europe, in even started to transport goods places like Idanha in Portugal, and money for people of power.

Kolossi in Cyprus, and Balsall in A quote from history.co.uk states the West Midlands. One may ask "[a]s a religious institution with exactly how the group, that military might, the Templars were started with just 9 members, had seen as the perfect answer to act changed into an international as guardians of travellers and their organisation that was only valuables." bested, in terms of wealth, by the One of their most secret Church itself. operations that brought in In the beginning, the wealth, however, was their organisation started to trade "treasure hunting", or their with Christians and Muslims search for religious relics. They alike, renting out their ships, and searched intensely all across the even acting as exchange Holy Lands in search of religious

artefacts, with their main item of interest being the heavily searched for Holy Grail. They not only killed Muslims to gain possession of these relics, but Christians as well, and even dug far beneath their own headquarters in Jerusalem in order to find anything they could.

Overall, the Templars can be seen as the first true Capitalists due to their mass owning of land. They also can be viewed to have created international banking and cheques for people of wealth who wanted to store their money with the Templars - making their money safe and protected.

Bibliography History.com Editors (2019) Knights Templar. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/the-knights-templar (Accessed: 28 May 2020) Bevan, R. (2018) Holy Money: How the Knights Templar got so rich. Available at: https://www.history.co.uk/shows/knightfall/articles/holymoney-how-the-knights-templars-got-so-rich (Accessed: 28 May 2020) Wikipedia Editors (2020) List of Knights Templar sites. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Knights_Templar_sites (Accessed: 28 May 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THE DEBATE

WAS IT RIGHT FOR THE USA TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMBS IN JAPAN IN 1945?

JOE OWEN, L6THÂ STUDENT

There has been a large debate over time, whether America's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in August 1945 was the correct decision. To come to a conclusion as to whether they were in their right to drop the bomb, we need to look at the facts and likely outcomes if they had not, but we also need to understand whether it was morally correct.

Justified

Some historians believe that the bombing led to a quick end of World War II. While the war in Europe had finished in early 1945, the war in the Pacific was still occurring. The fighting in the Pacific was brutal, making Japan a tough opponent. It was argued that the war could have lasted months, potentially years longer. The bombs were used on the 6th and 9th of August, and Japan's leaders surrendered on 2nd September 1945. This shows it to be justified, as it ended any further fighting which would have led to further deaths.

It is also believed that it saved the lives of millions of soldiers. If the war continued, it was estimated that millions of US soldiers would have died. Operation Downfall was a plan for a US invasion of the Japanese mainlands. It was set to occur, and it was estimated that American casualties would have ranged between 100,000-1,000,000. Therefore, President Truman decided dropping the bomb would have been the best option.

A controversial point is that the use of the bombs actually saved the lives of millions of Japanese people. Despite the atomic bomb killing hundreds of thousands of people, it is believed that if Japan did not surrender, millions of more people would have died. For example, the battle of Iwo Jima, which took place from February to March in 1945, involved some of the deadliest and fiercest fighting in the war. The United States Armed Forces invaded the island in hopes of using it as a staging ground towards the larger invasion of the Japanese main islands. It was defended by determined and loyal Japanese forces. However, the American victory was assured due to their overwhelming control of the air and the sheer number of forces. Of the 22,060 Japanese soldiers defending the island, 18,844 died either from fighting or by ritual suicide. The Japanese bushido code of honour, coupled with effective propaganda which portrayed American soldiers as ruthless animals, prevented surrender for many Japanese soldiers. Many Japanese civilians, including whole families, also chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by the American forces. This massive death rate of Japanese soldiers and civilians during the Battle of Iwo Jima proved to American leadership that the Japanese would not surrender without a brutal fight to the death. This would obviously cost the lives of millions of American soldiers, but would also cost the lives of many Japanese people who would rather commit suicide than surrender. Based on this evidence, the United States argued that a land invasion of the main islands, which had millions of more Japanese people, may end up costing the lives of many more Japanese people than the two atomic bomb blasts would.

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WAS IT RIGHT FOR THE USA TO DROP THE ATOMIC BOMBS IN JAPAN IN 1945?

Japanese soldiers observing the damage in Nagasaki on 5th October 1945 after the plutonium bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on the city.

Source: Corbis via History.com

Unjustified

Some historians have said that the bombings were inhumane. The toxic radiation of the bombs has made the bombing on Japan immoral. The level of radiation caused death to those who were close enough to it, but it caused severe and painful burns to those further away. Some people have argued that this was beyond what is acceptable for war, therefore it is seen that the bombings were inhumane and unjustified.

The bombings have also been said to have caused too much destruction to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombing of Hiroshima on the 6th August led to 90% of the city being destroyed. A large number of the city’s buildings were made from wood, so they caught fire easily.

Many innocents were killed. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not military targets for the US and were home to many innocent civilians. Innocent children were killed due to the blast. Historians have argued the US should have carried out smaller bombing raids, which would specifically target military targets.

Another argument against the use of the atomic bombs to end World War II was that it was immoral for the United States to use two atomic bombs against Japan so quickly together. For example, while some people agree that an atomic bomb may have been necessary to end the war, many argue that two atomic bombs went too far especially considering the time period. The first atomic bomb was used against Japan on 6th August 1945 on the city of Hiroshima. The United States dropped the second atomic bomb just three days later on 9th August on the city of Nagasaki. Some historians have argued that this was not a long enough period between the two bombings for the Japanese leaders to truly consider surrender. Considering the technology of the time period, the Japanese leaders in Tokyo may not have believed that Hiroshima was truly devastated and may have needed more time to learn of the destruction. Some people have argued that the United States did not wait long enough before using the second bomb and so, it was unjustified.

Bibliography History Crunch (2020). REASONS IN FAVOR OF THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF JAPAN. Available at: https://www.historycrunch.com/reasonsin-favor-of-the-atomic-bombing-of-japan.html#/ (Accessed: 15 June 2020) History Crunch (2020). REASONS AGAINST THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF JAPAN. Available at: https://www.historycrunch.com/reasonsagainst-the-atomic-bombing-of-japan.html#/ (Accessed: 15 June 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| WORLD HISTORY

LAS FALLAS DE VALENCIA BELLA HANDY, 5TH YEAR STUDENT

The burning of a falla.

Source: David Ramos/ Getty Images via Found the World

A falla being paraded around Valencia.

Source: CaliLBohemian

A falla representing Donald Trump.

Source: Jose Jordan/AFP via International Business Times

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Every year from the 15th to the 19th March, Valencia celebrates its Festival of Fire, consisting of firework displays, music and the tradition of burning artistic monuments called fallas on the final night to celebrate the coming of Spring. Despite societal changes and opposition to the satirical nature of these monuments, this century-old tradition still lives, breathes and flourishes throughout the city of Valencia to this day. This seemingly wild and strange festival has captured media attention worldwide with towering figures of public figures, beautiful figurines and even American presidents engulfed in a ball of fire being paraded around the streets of Valencia appearing in various media forms. The progression of time and influences of new cultures have stimulated the evolution of Las Fallas from a medieval pagan tradition into one of the most popular Spanish festivals today.

According to local Valencian legends and folklore, carpenters would often burn their wood chips, shavings and devices they used to hoist candles parots in their workshop during the winter on the feast day of their patron saint, Saint Joseph, as a ritual "Spring Cleaning" event. Competition then arose amongst many carpenters who would often compete to create the biggest fire whilst crafting the parots into little shapes and characters with clothing to attract the biggest neighbourhood support.

During the 18th century, the festival began to gain more support as it was now being funded by the most wealthy and prestigious Valencian families. A committee was created called the "Fallas" who would collect membership fees, commissions artists, and hosts for verbenas (street parties). Following this advancement, the fallas themselves began to evolve into pyres of combustible material which would mock and display condemned behaviours through their ironic, critical tone.

LAS FALLAS DE VALENCIA

However, strong criticism grew against popular festivities including Las Fallas and Carnival, leading to the City of Valencia forcing people to ask permission to plan fallas and beginning to collect taxes from 1872 in order to hinder this growing event. Furthermore, the fallas themselves became repressed as censorship was introduced to prevent political and social criticism. The repression against these traditional festivities sparked the creation of the magazine La Traca in 1887 which nominated and awarded the best fallas which inspired greater artistic creations combined with their usual satirical, mocking spirit. In 1901, the Town Hall of Valencia began to give prizes to the best fallas, sparking a union between the people and the political power which lead to the increase in the sophistication, structure and organisation of the fallas with "Fallas Week" being created in 1932.

The significance of Las Fallas to this day is demonstrated through the strength of cultural pride amongst Valencians with members of the committee who are known as the falleras and the falleros still wearing traditional 18th-century handmade costumes whilst the entire city is closed off from traffic in order to celebrate this festival. On November 30th 2016, Las Fallas was added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity list, giving this historically rich festival the status it deserves and hopefully preserving its festive traditions for many years to come.

Bibliography Pasionfallera. 2020. Fallas Of Valencia History. [online] Available at: <https://www.pasionfallera.com/en/fallas-history> [Accessed 27 May 2020].

Comunitatvalenciana. 2020. FALLAS - Comunitat Valenciana. [online] Available at: <https://comunitatvalenciana.com/en/festivities/fallas> [Accessed 27 May 2020 Wikipedia. 2020. Falles. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falles> [Accessed 27 May 2020].

Perkins, M., 2019. Las Fallas De Valencia: Spain’s Annual Festival Of Fire. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: <https://www.thoughtco.com/las-fallasde-valencia-4628348> [Accessed 27 May 2020] CaliLBohemian. 2020. Las Fallas: Outside Looking In. [online] Available at: <https://calilbohemian.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/las-fallas-outsidelooking-in/> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

Stoke Travel. 2016. From Fiery Beginnings: The History Of Las Fallas | Stoke Travel. [online] Available at: <https://www.stoketravel.com/stokepedia/from-fiery-beginnings-thehistory-of-las-fallas/> [Accessed 2 June 2020].

The burning of a Falla.

Source: Jose Jordan/AFP via International Business Times

Falleras parading through the streets.

Source: Pintrest

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HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE FIONA CHUNG, U6TH STUDENT

Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong from a postcard.

Source: KaiTien Luk

From the roads with roundabouts and cars driving on the left to the street names like Hollywood Road in the city’s business district, physical reminders of Hong Kong’s colonial past are still visible in the now Chinese Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Consisting of land in the south of China and made up of over 200 islands, it may only have 1,104 sq km of land area but over one hundred years of its history is interwoven with the British Empire.

By the 19th Century, the British Empire was well established and had colonies and connections across the globe. The British were trading with China for goods such as porcelain and silk, but the main commodity was tea. In exchange for the herb, which was

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becoming increasingly popular in Britain, the Chinese only accepted silver or gold bullion but as the British treasury started to run low, they had to think of a new strategy. Their solution was to forcibly import opium from the colony of India into China in exchange for silver.

They could then use it to buy tea. The Chinese government of the Qing dynasty (1664- 1911) objected to this because, while opium had medicinal qualities as a pain killer, it was a highly addictive drug. Some British politicians opposed the unethical trade, but it allowed many individuals to make a profit. The Qing government tried to ban the import of opium but the British continued to smuggle in the drug. After the Chinese destroyed 20,000 chests of opium in 1839, Britain

retaliated by declaring war and invaded the same year to protect their trade thus starting the First Opium War. In 1841, Britain occupied Hong Kong Island, a fishing village in a rocky region with a small indigenous population. China eventually lost the war and signed the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, formally surrendering the island.

However, the dispute continued which led to the outbreak of the Second Opium War. Britain gained further territory as the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded in the First Convention of Peking. In the Second Convention of Peking, the New Territories, as well as 235 islands, were leased for 99 years from 1st July 1898.

An English diplomat considered this to mean “as good as forever”.

HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Painting of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island in the 1860s.

Source: Peabody Essex Museum via Wikimedia Commons

As the British settled in Hong Kong, they brought with them elements from the West.

Happy Valley Racecourse was opened in 1846, one cricket ground was established in 1880 and trams were introduced in the 1900s. The British also imposed a system of racial segregation. Hollywood Road served as a divider to show where the Chinese and European zones were. Some Europeans lived in areas such as Victoria Peak and Cheung Chau with luxury apartments and better services like healthcare away from the Chinese villages.

The official reason for this was to protect the health of the European and American inhabitants from disease and overcrowding, though the

partition could be considered as part of a global trend also seen through the introduction of Apartheid in South Africa in 1948. Discontent towards the colonisers was evident. This was not a bloodless occupation.

Between 14th and 19th April 1899, a Six-Day War was fought as a result of Chinese villagers resisting the colonial presence.

The British suppressed the rebellion and there were 500 or more Chinese deaths, but no British soldiers died. The event was covered up as the government did not want the military campaign to ruin the appearance of a peaceful administration of the New Territories. In 1912, there was the attempted assassination of the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir

Henry May, and the social discontent against poor pay in the 1960s resulted in anticolonial riots in 1967. However, Hong Kong has been a refuge for some. In 1937, thousands of mainland Chinese fled to the region to escape the fighting in the Sino-Japanese War. Hong Kong also suffered during the Second World War which Japan occupied in 1941 leading to food shortages and many fleeing to mainland China. In 1946, civil government returned which led to the end of racial segregation in light of the war. Hong Kong once again became a refuge to those fleeing from the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and the Communists.

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Tsim Sha Tsui Railway Station and Clock Tower, 1973 Hong Kong.

Source: Keith Mcgregor/Courtesy Blue Lotus Gallery via CNN

A plane on its way to Kai Tak Airport, 1994 Hong Kong.

Source: Keith Mcgregor/Courtesy Blue Lotus Gallery via CNN

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Today Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest ports and a key financial hub for trade. Its economy restarted after the war with light industries like textiles though this depended on cheap labour and poor working conditions. By the '70s, it had a prosperous economy based on high-technology industries. At this time, it was clear that the 99-year lease was soon coming to an end and the British and Chinese governments started discussing what would happen to Hong Kong. In 1984, Deng Xiaoping, the Leader of the Communist Party in China, and Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister, signed the SinoBritish Joint Declaration, agreeing that Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region for 50 years from the handover date of 1st July 1997.

This included all three regions: the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

The terms stipulated that residents of Hong Kong would be able to keep their way of life including the capitalist economy, freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of association. It would now be part of the “one country, two systems” model (the same was later applied to Macau). When the British flag was lowered at the handover ceremony, Hong Kong became the last significant British colony.

HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE

The British flag was lowered at the handover ceremony in 1997.

Source: AP Photo/Kimimasa Mayama via Business Insider

With Hong Kong reaching international media attention because of the protests in 2019 due to the controversial extradition bill and this year with the national security legislation, it is more important than ever to understand the history of the region to fully grasp why the political situation is far from

straight forward. The people in Hong Kong have a complicated identity. Some people remember growing up under British rule and now feel abandoned by the British government. Most of the population may have the same ethnicity as those living in mainland China but they speak Cantonese in Hong Kong rather

than Mandarin. There is a growing movement for a greater sense of autonomy, selfdetermination and independence. Only through being informed can we begin to appreciate how the future of Hong Kong is being shaped in the present.

Bibliography AFP (2017) A brief history of Hong Kong: From quiet backwater to modern-day metropolis. Available at: https://hongkongfp.com/2017/06/29/brief-history-hong-kong-quiet-backwater-modern-day-metropolis/ (Accessed: 28 May 2020) BBC (2019) Hong Kong profile – Timeline. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16526765 (Accessed: 27 May 2020) Caroll, J. (n.d.) The Six-Day War of 1899: Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism by Patrick H. Hase. Available at: https://www.britishempire.co.uk/library/sixdaywar.htm (Accessed: 25 May 2020) DeWolf, C. (2017) Hong Kong’s Other Peak – and the City’s Overlooked History of Segregation. Available at: https://zolimacitymag.com/hong-kongs-other-peak/ (Accessed: 30 May 2020) History.com Editors (2020) Hong Kong ceded to the British. Available at: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hong-kong-cededto-the-british (Accessed: 27 May 2020) Leung, C. (2020) Hong Kong. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Hong-Kong (Accessed: 29 May 2020) Little, B. (2019) How Hong Kong Came Under 'One Country, Two Systems' Rule. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/hong-kongchina-great-britain (Accessed: 28 May 2020) Matteini, M., Reit, R. et al (2008) China: A Visual Adventure. London: Carlton Publishing Group Miners, N. (1982) ‘THE ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE GOVERNOR IN 1912’ Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 22 pp. 279-285. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23889668?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents (Accessed: 30 May 2020) Moen, J. (2017) Geography Statistics Of Hong Kong. Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/hongkong/hklandst.htm (Accessed: 29 May 2020) Szczepanski, K. (2020) Why Did China Lease Hong Kong to Britain? Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/china-lease-hong-kong-tobritain-195153 (Accessed: 27 May 2020) The British Empire (n.d.) Hong Kong. Available at: https://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/hongkong.htm (Accessed: 25 May 2020) The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020) British Empire. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire (Accessed: 29 May 2020) Vox (2018) China is erasing its border with Hong Kong. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQyxG4vTyZ8 (Accessed: 28 May 2020) Vox (2018) How 156 years of British rule shaped Hong Kong. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StW7oGSR_Mg (Accessed: 18 May 2020)

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BOOK REVIEWS

Our recommendations for things to read

The Mirror and the Light

by Hilary Mantel (4th Estate)

REVIEW BY MRS SKILTON, ASSISTANT HEAD (TEACHING AND LEARNING) At 875 pages, The Mirror and the Light is certainly a lengthy read, but ultimately a highly rewarding one. Mantel creates Cromwell’s world so convincingly that you feel bereft once you reach the end. And it really is the end. The novel begins with the execution of Anne Boleyn and ends with another execution, that of Cromwell himself. Oddly, although this outcome is expected, the arrest still comes out of the blue. Cromwell walks towards a meeting of the Council; his hat blows off. It is the custom for other gentlemen to remove their hats if one of their company loses theirs, yet Audley, Fitzwilliam and Norfolk do not.

Cromwell interprets this as a snub to his recent elevation to Earl of Essex, but (uncharacteristically) he is wrong; as a small boy returns his hat, the guards arrive to take him to the Tower. Awaiting death, Cromwell reflects on his past, but his reflections are not limited to his final days. One of the strengths of the book is the way Mantel weaves together past and present. Cromwell continues to

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Source: Folyes

see and even speak to ghosts from the past, to More, to Wolsey and to his dead wife and children. One of the most poignant scenes occurs when Cromwell visits Wolsey’s illegitimate daughter. Cromwell has secretly made provision for her all her life, but when they meet she blames him for her father’s death. He is cut to the

quick; Wolsey disappears from his inner life and he is doubly bereaved.

Mantel’s prose is beautifully written and she creates some memorable vignettes. Cromwell and his circle eating strawberries, surrounded by flowers on a beautiful summer’s day. The young Cromwell, having run away from home, brought to the front

BOOK REVIEWS

Hilary Mantel, twice winner of the Man Booker Prize and author of the Wolf Hall trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell.

Source: Ellie Smith for The New York Times

of a crowd by a well-meaning stranger to see the burning of a Lollard. The metaphor of mirror and light dance and weave throughout the novel, reflecting the past and suggesting the future.

There are some weaknesses in this book that were not present in her two previous novels. The section dealing with the Pilgrimage of Grace is too long and drags at times. The cast of characters is vast, and some key characters remain enigmatic, particularly Jane Seymour, but perhaps this is intentional. One character who is brought to life is Anne of Cleves. Against Cromwell’s advice, Henry pays her a surprise

visit as she journeys towards England. Anne initially does not realise who he is. When she is corrected, "She flinched from him.

He could not miss it." With a few sentences, Mantel revises the common assumption that the marriage floundered on Anne’s looks. By 1540, Henry is not only old, but dangerously insecure, worried about his sexual prowess, plagued by ill health, haunted by his past. Cromwell keeps a "Book of Henry", in which he tries to fathom the King’s desires. In the end he destroys it; they are unfathomable.

Historians may take issue with Mantel’s portrayal of Cromwell, but, as Mantel herself makes clear, she is writing

historical fiction. Her Cromwell is complex, compelling and contradictory; at the same time both brutal and compassionate.

These qualities are reflected in the two executions. Cromwell ensures that Anne has the best executioner money can buy and "the blade went through her neck with a sigh, easier than scissors through silk". Cromwell is not so fortunate, "the pain is acute, a raw stinging, a ripping, a throb". The two executions sum up the precariousness of the age and the paradox of Cromwell himself.

Find out more about the life of Thomas Cromwell on page 20.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

The Unwomanly Face of War

by Svetlana Alexievich (Penguin Classic) REVIEW BY FIONA CHUNG, U6TH STUDENT Recommended for older pupils, parents and staff.

We remember those who fight on the front line as heroes.

People who put their lives at risk so that others can live. Despite their courage, sometimes some of these people can be left out of history. Growing up in the Soviet Union, Svetlana Alexievich noticed that the contribution of the women in the fight against Nazi Germany was not fully recognised in the Soviet narrative of the Great Patriotic War (1941- 1945). Throughout The Unwomanly Face of War, we meet women with positions in every sector of the war effort: snipers, antiaircraft gunners, doctors, nurses, pilots, soldiers and partisan fighters to name just some of the roles. Alexievich gives these women a chance to share their stories by collating their voices to reveal what day to day life was like for them. Their experiences are shocking and painful because that is the reality of war. Battling censorship to expose the truth was one of the biggest hurdles as what was written did not fit the narrative of a glorious victory. Some of their memories are embarrassing, others horrific. It was incredibly revealing seeing the extent people went for their cause whether that was their belief

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Source: Goodreads

in communism or just to make it to the end of the war. However, that does not mean that there were not moments of comradeship, love and care.

One of the most powerful things about the book was the raw emotion. There is a real sense of how difficult it was for some of these women to talk about feelings they have repressed for decades. We may not have fought in a war but the thrill of being in love, the warmth from a sense of community or the agony of losing a loved one are such universal human feelings.

Around a million women fought in the Soviet army but this is more than a book about the women in the Great Patriotic

War - it is an important account of social history too. Seeing the female perspective allows the reader to explore femininity, sexism and gender roles in positions we mainly associate with men. It is no wonder that this was a best-seller when it was published in 1985 in the USSR even though it was heavily censored. This English translation is easy to understand and features helpful footnotes to give insight into Soviet history and culture, so it is accessible to all. This brilliant book is a mustread for everyone, especially anyone interested in Soviet history or the Second World War so that we remember the place of these women in history.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

An introduction to a topic you can explore further

Black History

Understanding history is critical in order to understand the present. Racism in society today is the result of hundreds of years of oppression. We have a responsibility to research black history so that we can educate ourselves about how the scars of exploitation in the past have shaped the attitudes people have towards black people now. We have collated a range of resources highlighting aspects of black history to act as a starting point for your own research into this extremely important topic.

Important Figures

Toussaint L’Ouverture (Viren Thandi) Toussaint L’Overture is a well-known figure of the Haitian Revolution, which saw a former French colony, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), for a short period of time, transformed into a colony of legally free and paid labourers. Toussaint worked hard to remove any opposition which his colony may have faced in the South of the colony, negotiating treaties with the British in 1798 and 1799, promising to not invade Jamaica or South America in exchange for imported goods and weapons. Toussaint also defeated French rivals, such as André Rigaud from the North of the region, in the War of the Knives in 1799. In a later treaty with the French in 1803, where the French assured Toussaint of safe conduct, he was betrayed, and imprisoned, and died later that year.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Henrietta Lacks (Abinaya Muraleetharan)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Human cells are grown in labs to help understand the development of disease and test treatments. Until 1951, scientists were not able to keep human cell lines alive - this was necessary to repeat experiments and compare their results with other scientists. Henrietta Lacks was an American woman who discovered she had cervical cancer at age 30 and sadly passed away in 1951. Cells taken from her tumour without her or her family’s knowledge or consent became the source of the immortal HeLa cell line. These cells skipped the process of apoptosis and so did not die meaning they were cloned and produced on a massive scale by cell production companies. HeLa cells were used to develop the polio vaccine and are still used in labs around the world today. The companies that cloned and sold HeLa cells made fortunes off Henrietta’s cells whilst her family struggled in poverty. At the time, cells taken from black patients were marked with abbreviations of their names meaning Henrietta’s name was forgotten and she never knew of the huge impact she made to science and medicine.

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Books

Non-fiction UK Black British History: New Perspectives edited by Hakim Adi (Zed Books Ltd) Britain's Black Past edited by Gretchen Gerzina (Liverpool University Press) Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, Their Presence, Status and Origins by Onyeka Nubia (Narrative Eye) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain by Peter Fryer (Pluto Press) Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufmann (Oneworld Publications) The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile Environment by Amelia Gentleman (Guardian Books) United States The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X (Penguin Classics) The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group) Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hook (Pluto Press) African History A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (HarperCollins Publishers) Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela (Abacus) My Traitor's Heart: Blood and Bad Dreams: A South African Explores the Madness in His Country, His Tribe and Himself by Rian Malan (Vintage Classics) Fiction The Long Song by Andrea Levy (Headline Publishing Group) Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (Penguin) Roots: The Saga of an American Family

by Alex Haley (Doubleday) Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (4th Estate)

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Hector Pieterson- Soweto Uprising (Georgia Gamble-Strutt) At only 12 years old, Hector Pieterson, became an icon of the South African Apartheid after being killed in the 1976 Soweto uprising. The uprising was led peacefully by school children, protesting against the implementation of Afrikaans and English as the co-method of teaching in all secondary schools in South Africa. However, once the police arrived, the crowds grew intimidated and eventually, after 10 days of rioting, 174 blacks were pronounced dead. Hector Pieterson, due to the image captured by Sam Nzima, was believed to be the first killed. Despite the police claiming that the bullet which killed him had ricocheted "off the ground", a post-mortem, in fact, proved that it was directly aimed at the child. In memory of Pierterson and the others who died in the uprising, the Hector Pierterson Museum was opened on the 16th June 2002. Therefore now, on that same date annually, people celebrate Youth Day as a public holiday in South Africa to remember the students who fought for their rights in the Apartheid regime.

In the summer of 2019, on a visit to Bablake’s partner school in South Africa, I visited the museum dedicated to Hector Pieterson. The museum was a powerful place and from that visit, I can truly say that he remains, to this day, a symbol of black lives around the world.

Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo after he was shot by South African police. Hector's sister Antoinette Sithole is beside them.

Source: Sam Nzima via Wikimedia Commons

RESEARCH

Important Events The Bristol Bus Boycott (Fiona Chung) In 1963, Guy Bailey, a 19-year-old Jamaican, went to a job interview at the Bristol Omnibus Company. He was one of 3,000 black people living in Bristol at the time.

Most of them were from the Caribbean who had settled in Britain after World War Two but people from Africa and India also emigrated to the UK to help rebuild the country. Despite having the qualifications to do the work and knowing the company had job vacancies, he was turned away. It was clear that the company had a colour barthey were refusing to employ people of colour. As the campaign and publicity around the event grew, people in the city boycotted the bus service in support. There were sit down protests, blockades and boycotters chose to walk or cycle to get around the city instead of taking the buses.

Eventually, there was a change in policy. The Bristol Omnibus Company agreed to discontinue the unofficial colour bar. Paul Stephenson, Guy Bailey and Roy Hackett, who were all key people involved in the bus boycott, received OBEs in recognition of their efforts against racial injustice.

A newspaper cutting of an article about the protestors against the colour bar.

Source: Evening Post via BBC News

Stephen Lawrence Source: Met police/EPA via The Guardian

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (Caragh Shaw) The murder of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence in 1993 was a racially charged attack that was perpetrated by white youths. This case is so important because it highlights how racism was still an issue in the UK and how the UK police failed in bringing justice to cases which are racially charged. Stephen Lawrence died on the 22nd April 1993 in Eltham, South-East London after being attacked by a group of white youths. He initially managed to break free but collapsed and eventually died of two stab wounds. The names of the youths, which included David Norris and Gary Dobson, were anonymously submitted to the police as dozens of people had given in the names of the suspected murders. However, the murder investigation completely failed and all charges were dropped in July 1993. The case highlighted the failure of the police and the corruptness of the system as there was speculation of ties between one detective and Norris’ father who was a prolific gangster. Only two of the suspected murderers, Norris and Dobson, have been convicted after trials in 2011. Stephen Lawrence’s father, Neville, repeatedly noted that he was having to convince media and the police that his son was not involved in gangs, was a hard working A-level student and wanted to be an architect; this is further emphasised by the fact that the Metropolitan Police was convinced initially that it was drug-related rather than a racially charged attack. It is so important because it exposed the "institutionalised racism" (William Macpherson coined this term in his inquiry into the mishandling of this case) of the police, media and the people of Britain that still remained even in a period as late as the 1990s.

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

Historians to Follow Professor David Olusoga OBE (Twitter: @DavidOlusoga)

David Olusoga is a historian, broadcaster and filmmaker. He is a Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and his main area of research is looking into empire, race and slavery.

Books: The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism Black and British: A Forgotten History The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire TV: The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners Black and British: A Forgotten History The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire (not currently available on BBC iPlayer)

Source: University of Manchester

Professor Olivette Otele (Twitter: @OlivetteOtele) Olivette Otele became the UK’s first female black history professor in 2018 with her appointment at Bath Spa University and in 2020, she became Professor of the History of Slavery at the University of Bristol to explore the city’s historic links with the slave trade. She is Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society and her area of expertise focuses on the history of people of African descent and the links between memory, geopolitics and legacies of French and British colonialism.

Source: The Bristol Magazine

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Books: African Europeans: An Untold History (to be published October 2020) Articles: These anti-racism protests show it's time for Britain to grapple with its difficult history (The Guardian, June 2020) We need to talk about slavery’s impact on all of us (The Guardian, Nov 2019)

Podcasts

RESEARCH

Episodes:

History Extra Podcast Slave revolt The end of slavery and headaches in history Why black hair matters From Nelson to Churchill: challenging British heroes with Afua Hirsch African history special Francis Drake: slave trader Everything you ever wanted to know about the civil rights movement, but were afraid to ask Series: Witness History: Witness Black History Black History Buff Podcast Black History for White People 1619 BLAM UK (Black History Bites)

In Our Time: History Slavery and Empire History Hit Racial Injustice in America Slavery with Professor Christer Petley Travels Through Time 20. S2, Ep 20 Chasing Doctor David Livingstone: Petina Gappah (1871) The History Hour Black American History Special How to Listen to Podcasts: Search for the website on a web browser iPhone or iPad: Apple Podcasts app Android: download the Google Podcasts app Podcasts are also available on Spotify

Bibliography BBC (2018) Stephen Lawrence murder: A timeline of how the story unfolded. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk26465916 (Accessed: 22 June 2020) Bristol Telegraph (2018) The five men accused of killing Stephen Lawrence – where are they now? Available at: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/the-five-men-accused-of-killing-stephen-lawrence-where-are-they-now36797719.html (Accessed: 22 June 2020) Eddo-Lodge, R. (2018) Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Hertford College, Oxford; (2019); Henrietta Lacks: Unsung Heroes of Science 2019 [Online]; Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=5vCTF6rkNCU (Accessed: 21 June 2020) Hurst Publishers (2018) African Europeans An Untold History Olivette Otele. Available at: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/africaneuropeans/ (Accessed: 17 June 2020) Lusher, A. (2018) Stephen Lawrence 25 years on: What happened and was this really a murder that changed a nation? Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stephen-lawrence-murder-25-years-changed-a-nation-police-institutional-racismmacpherson-anniversary-a8307871.html (Accessed: 22 June 2020) Mohdin, A. (2019) UK's first black female history professor to research Bristol's slavery links. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/30/olivette-otele-uk-first-black-female-history-professor-to-research-bristol-slaverylinks (Accessed: 17 June 2020) Nittle, Nadra Kareem. "Biography of Toussaint Louverture, Haitian Revolution Leader." ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/toussaint-louverture-4135900.

South African History Online (2020). Hector Pieterson | South African History Online. [online] Available at: <https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/hector-pieterson> [Accessed: 25 June 2020].

Ted-Ed; (2016); The immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks - Robin Bulleri [Online]; Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=22lGbAVWhro (Accessed: 21 June 2020) The University of Manchester (2019) David Olusoga OBE becomes Professor at The University of Manchester. Available at: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/david-olusoga-obe/ (Accessed: 17 June 2020) Virk, K. (2020) The black British history you may not know about. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-52939694 (Accessed: 17 June 2020) Wikipedia (2020). Hector Pieterson. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Pieterson> [Accessed: 25 June 2020].

Zielinski, S.; (2010); Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells [Online]; Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/henriettalacks-immortal-cells-6421299/ (Accessed: 21 June 2020)

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CRAFT

Try and develop a traditional skill

Origami Paper Crane From the Japanese words oru “to fold” and kami “paper”, origami is thought to have originated in 6th century Japan.

Paper was expensive because it came from China and so origami was exclusively used for ceremonies, mainly religious, at this time. As paper became mass-produced and therefore more affordable, it became a recreational artform by the Edo period (1603-1868). By the 20th century, paper was readily available and origami became popular and was even taught in art classes in Japanese schools.

Traditional origami was a skill that was passed down orally, but the first written instructions were Akisato Rito’s Sembazuru Orikata “thousand crane folding” (1797) which explained different ways to make linked paper cranes.

Cranes (tsuru in Japanese) are mystical creatures in Japanese culture. Referred to as the “bird of happiness”, they are believed to live for a thousand years and their wings carry souls up to paradise. Origami paper cranes are known as orizuru in Japanese and a thousand cranes are senbazuru. There is a Japanese legend that if you fold a thousand cranes, your wish can come true. Others believe that

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Ladies folding paper cranes.

'The Doll Festival' from the book 'Ehon masu kagami, vol. I (1748).

Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

happiness or good luck is granted instead. When creating senbazuru, around 25 to 40 cranes made from colourful or patterned paper are typically strung together on one string with needle and thread so that they can be hung up and given as a gift.

This legend was popularised by Sadako Sasaki.

Born 7 January 1943, Sadako was two years old when on 6th August 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima (read about whether this decision was justified on page 42). While she survived the event, she was diagnosed with leukaemia (bone marrow cancer as a result of the radiation), which was known as “A-bomb disease” at the time, in 1955 when she was 11. While in hospital, Sadako started making cranes while in great pain in hopes of making a full recovery.

She sadly passed away on 25th October 1955. Some sources

claim she only managed to make 644 paper cranes before she died whereas others say she folded over 1300.

Today, the paper crane represents peace. On 5th May 1958, a monument of Sadako, now known as the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Park, was made possible due to the fundraising efforts of her classmates as well as students all around the world.

People still make and send cranes to be placed under Sadako’s statute to honour her legacy. Some of the cranes Sadako made, which were from the paper off medicine bottles, sweet wrappers and left-over wrapping paper due to the scarcity of regular paper, are donated to places that have experienced suffering such as the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City in 2010 and Koriyama, Fukushima in 2015.

CRAFT

Why not have a go at making your own origami crane? It could be a gift to someone, used for a wish or simply just as decoration.

Source: Andrew Hudson Origami/ Wikimedia Commons Bibliography Beser, A. (2015) How Paper Cranes Became a Symbol of Healing in Japan. Available at: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2015/08/28/how-paper-cranes-became-a-symbol-of-healing-in-japan/ (Accessed: 23 May 2020) Hinders, D. (2019) 1,000 Origami Paper Cranes for Good Fortune. Available at: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/senbazuru-papercranes-2540651 (Accessed 24 May 2020) Hudson, A. (2011) Crane. Available at: https://ahudsonorigami.wordpress.com/2011/11/07/crane/ (Accessed: 23 May 2020) Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (2011) How to Make Your Own Senbazuru. Available at: https://www.jccc.on.ca/origamicranes/pdf/how_to_make_your_own_senbazuru.pdf (Accessed: 24 May 2020) Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (2011) Meaning of the Origami Crane. Available at: https://www.jccc.on.ca/origamicranes/pdf/meaning_of_the_origami_crane.pdf (Accessed: 23 May 2020) Origami Resource Center (2019) The Story of Sadako. Available at: https://www.origami-resource-center.com/sadako.html (Accessed: 24 May 2020) PBS Independent Lens: Between the Folds (2017) History of Origami. Available at: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/between-thefolds/history.html (Accessed: 23 May 2020) University of Plymouth (2014) SENBAZURU: 1000 FOLDED CRANES. Available at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/1/1323/Senbazuru_Details_and_Instructions.pdf (Accessed: 24 May 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

HISTORICAL RECIPE Learn to make a dish from the past

Maids of Honour Richmond Maids of Honour are traditional English tarts made with a curd cheese filling in a pastry case. Though the tarts may have been developed before the Tudor period and could have included potatoes, they are most famous for being associated with King Henry VIII of England because he was particularly fond of the sweet pastries. There are several different theories regarding the origin of the name and their link with Henry. It is thought that they could be named after Anne Boleyn who was maid of honour to his first wife (a member of her household), Catherine of Aragon.

According to the owner of Newens Tea House bakery in Richmond, known for making the Original Maids of Honour, the tart changed history. Some believe that it was the tarts Anne Boleyn and her maids of honour were eating from a silver dish that first caught Henry’s attention rather than Anne’s charms. He would, of course, end up breaking ties with the Catholic Church to marry her.

When he tasted one of the tarts himself, he was so impressed that he kept the recipe under lock and key in an iron box at

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Source: The Great British Bake Off

Richmond Palace. However, the recipe could have been developed at Hampton Court Palace and there is a myth that the maid who invented them was imprisoned within the grounds of Richmond Palace and ordered to make the pastries exclusively for the king and the royal household!

Sweet treats like these would have been something only the rich could enjoy in the 16th century. Sugar was very expensive as it was imported from the New World.

Centrepieces made from sugar such as spun sugar sculptures (subtleties) or shapes made from sugar icing or marzipan would feature at Tudor feasts to show wealth. Spices were also expensive and were sought after not only to flavour food but to show wealth and status. Spices

such as pepper and cinnamon were imported from Asia. During Elizabeth I’s reign, nutmeg, mace and cloves were imported from the Spice Islands, now the Maluku Islands near Indonesia.

While the Tudors consumed fruits like pears, apples and damsons which they used to make jam, preserves or pie fillings, lemons were a luxury.

Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons would have been imported from Spain and used to make preserves and marmalades. It is likely the pastry would have been baked in simple brick ovens with open fires during the 16th century.

This is a quick and easy recipe (without potato). If you want a challenge, you could try to make your own puff pastry, candied lemon peel or lemon curd.

HISTORICAL RECIPE

Recipe

Makes 18 Preparation time: around 30 minutes Baking time: 20-25 minutes Equipment: 8cm or 9cm Plain cutter Two 12- hole nonstick trays (bun, tart, patty or muffin tray all work) Mixing bowl Electric whisk Small bowl Fork Teaspoon and dessertspoon

Ingredients: 250g (½ of a 500g pack) fresh puff pastry Flour for dusting 25g curd cheese (soft cheese works too) 30g caster sugar Grated zest of 1 lemon 25g ground almonds ½ tsp grated nutmeg or ground mace 40g whole candied lemon peel, finely chopped (optional) 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk About 2 tablespoons of lemon curd Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ gas mark 6.

2. Further divide the half-block of puff pastry into two squares. Sprinkle a surface with flour and roll each piece into a square with a side of about 28 cm length or slightly thinner than a £1 coin.

3. Cut out 9 circles from each square. Give the cutter a sharp tap and lift it instead of twisting. Line in the 12-hole trays and place the trays of pastry discs in the fridge while you make the filling.

4. Combine the curd cheese, sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds, nutmeg (or ground mace) and chopped candied lemon peel in a bowl.

5. Beat the egg and egg yolk together in a separate bowl and add this to the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly blended.

6. Spoon half a teaspoon of lemon curd into the base of each pastry case and then spoon a dessertspoon of the curd cheese mixture on top of this to cover the lemon curd.

7. Bake the tarts in two batches on the centre shelf of the oven for about 20-25 minutes. The mixture will have puffed up and turned a golden-brown colour.

8. Transfer the tarts to a wire rack to cool. It's normal if they sink a little. Add a faint dusting of icing sugar when completely cooled and serve.

Recipe adapted from: BBC Food (2020) Maids of Honour tarts. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/maids_of_honour_tarts_94296 (Accessed: 25 May 2020) Delia Online (2020) RICHMOND MAIDS OF HONOUR. Available at: https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/richmond-maids-of-honour (Accessed: 25 May 2020) Bibliography Breverton, T. (2019) The Tudor Cookbook. Stroud: Amberly Publishing Glaberson, H. (2015) The tart everyone's talking about thanks to Wolf Hall. Available at: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a552404/maids-of-honour-tarts-wolf-hall/ (Accessed: 25 May 2020) Lawrence, S. (2014) Maids of Honour: the Great British Bake loved by Henry VIII. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10689953/Maids-of-Honour-the-Great-British-Bake-loved-by-Henry-VIII.html (Accessed: 25 May 2020) London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (2009) Richmond Maids of Honour. Available at: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/libraries/branch_libraries/local_studies_collection/local_history_notes/richmond_maids_of_honour (Accessed: 25 May 2020) Newens (2020) Our History. Available at: https://theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/pages/our-history (Accessed: 25 May 2020)

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

QUIZ 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9. 10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

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William II died while out hunting in the New Forest. What killed him?

Since 1748, the Trooping of the Colour ceremony has been held to mark which royal occasion?

The lyrics of which Last Nights of the Proms song include the line: "Britons never, never, never will be slaves?"

Which WWII poster campaign introduced Captain Carrot and Potato Pete?

Which German fashion house supplied uniforms for the Third Reich?

True or false: Pope John Paul II is the longest serving Pope in history.

In which year did the Vietnam War end?

Which woman won the Nobel Prize twice?

Which battle took place in 1415?

In what century was Napoleon born?

Which country saw the hundreds of thousands of people killed in a conflict between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority?

In which year did Emily Wilding Davison die as a result of a collision with King George Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horse during the Epsom Derby?

Who was the last tsar of Russia?

Which rebellious leader of the Catuvellauni tribe was caught and taken to Rome in AD 50, then pardoned by Emperor Claudius?

During 1963, in Washington DC, Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous "I have a dream" speech on the steps of which famous landmark?

Which Roman emperor used to lead his drunk guests into rooms that contained lions?

Which Egyptian president ordered the seizure of the Suez Canal in 1956?

Saloth Sar, born 19th May 1925, is better known by what name?

Which English scholar, well known for his translation of the Bible into English, was executed in Antwerp in 1536?

What nationality was Karl Marx?

QUIZ AND CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD

Across

1. Other than Henry, what was the most popular name for English monarchs in 1066?

3. What is missing from the Four Humours here? Blood, black bile, yellow bile ...

5. Which Catherine was the wife of both Henry VIII and his brother, Arthur?

6. Who was the discoverer of penicillin?

8. What was Elenor Roosevelt's maiden name?

10. Who was the world leader who died in 1953?

Down

2. What did Phillip II of Spain send to Great Britain in 1588?

4. Which Roman Emperor declared war on Neptune, God of the sea?

7. What was the historic event that occurred in the UK on 3rd June 2016?

9. Who was the famous Greek poet who resided on the Isle of Lesbos?

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

QUIZ ANSWERS HOW WELL DID YOU DO?

1. An arrow 2. The official birthday of the British sovereign 3. Rule Britannia!

4. Dig for Victory 5. Hugo Boss 6. False: He is the second longest, Pope Pius IX was the longest serving Pope 7. 1975 8. Marie Curie 9. The Battle of Agincourt 10. 18th century 11. Rwanda 12. 1913 13. Nicholas II 14. Caracatus 15. The Lincoln Memorial 16. Elagabalus 17. President Nassar 18. Pol Pot 19. William Tyndale 20. German

SCORE OUT OF 20 /20

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QUIZ AND CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

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BABLAKE HISTORY MAGAZINE| THINGS TO DO

VISIT

While we can't travel at the moment, we hope that you get the chance to explore this historic location in the future.

St Petersburg in Pictures

A selection of photos from our February half term trip.

The train that took Lenin to Finland Station in 1917.

Kirov's office in his apartment, now a museum.

Examples of the art in the metro stations of St Petersburg in the Socialist Realism style which was used for propaganda.

The Smonly Institute.

Previously the Bolshevik headquarters, now a government building.

The Smonly Cathedral.

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The Winter Palace, which the Bolsheviks stormed in the revolution of October 1917.

VISIT

The Siege of Leningrad Memorial remembering those who died in the Great Patriotic War.

St Catherine's Palace.

A statue of Karl Marx, who wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848.

The interior of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood depicting scenes from the bible in mosaics. It was built over the road where Tsar Alexander II was fatally wounded by a bomb thrown by a member of the "People's Will".

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"Bread, Peace, Land!

All Power to the Soviets!"

- Vladimir Lenin

A statue of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) in front of an office building. As the leader of the Bolsheviks, he created the world's first communist state- the USSR. Photo credits: Mrs Skilton, Caragh Shaw and Fiona Chung See more on the Bablake History Department Twitter page @MrsHSkilton