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Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (22 April [O.S. 10 April] 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist who was the founder and first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924, and of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death. As the founder and leader of the Bolsheviks, Lenin led the October Revolution which established the world's first socialist state. His government won the Russian Civil War and created a one-party state under the Communist Party. Ideologically a Marxist, his developments to the ideology are called Leninism.
Born into a middle-class family in Simbirsk, Lenin embraced revolutionary socialist politics following his brother's execution in 1887. He was expelled from Kazan Imperial University for participating in protests against the Tsarist government, and devoted the following years to a law degree before relocating to Saint Petersburg in 1893 and becoming a leading Marxist activist. In 1897, Lenin was arrested for sedition and exiled to Siberia for three years, after which he moved to Western Europe and became a key figure in the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. In the party's 1903 schism, he led his Bolshevik faction against the Mensheviks. Lenin briefly returned to Russia during the failed Revolution of 1905, and during the First World War campaigned for its transformation into a Europe-wide proletarian revolution, which, as a Marxist, he believed would cause the collapse of capitalism and the rise of socialism. After the February Revolution of 1917 ousted Tsar Nicholas II and established a Provisional Government, Lenin returned to Russia and played a leading role in the October Revolution, in which the Bolsheviks overthrew the regime.
Lenin's government abolished private ownership of land, nationalised major industry and banks, withdrew from the war by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and promoted world revolution through the Communist International. The Bolsheviks initially shared power with the Left Socialist Revolutionaries and allowed a multi-party Constituent Assembly, but during the Russian Civil War centralised power in their Communist Party and suppressed opposition in the Red Terror, in which tens of thousands were killed or imprisoned. Responding to devastation, famine, and popular uprisings, Lenin reversed his policy of war communism in 1921 and stabilised the economy by introducing the New Economic Policy. The Soviet Red Army defeated several right- and left-wing anti-Bolshevik and separatist armies in the civil war, after which some of the non-Russian nations which had broken away from the empire were re-united in the Soviet Union in 1922; others, notably Poland, gained independence. Lenin suffered three debilitating strokes in 1922 and 1923 before his death in 1924, beginning a power struggle which ended in the rise to power of Joseph Stalin.
Lenin is widely considered one of the most significant and influential figures of the 20th century, and was the posthumous subject of a pervasive personality cult within the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Under Stalin, he became an ideological figurehead of Marxism–Leninism and a prominent influence over the international communist movement. A controversial and highly divisive figure, Lenin is praised by his supporters for establishing a revolutionary government which took steps towards socialism, while his critics accuse him of establishing a dictatorship which oversaw mass killings and political repression.
by Scott Bowering.
[Toronto], privately published, [late 198os?]. probably not more than about 2o copies orso.
12 x 18, silkscreen broadsheet in 3 colours printed from photostencils.
what can possibly only be called visual prose, the reproduction of holograph text phasing deliberately in & out of readability, the title printed under the text & wrapping around onto the rear. an unpleasant story but appropriately deployed.
some creasing & small tears along slightly sunned bottom edge, minor top corner creases & a scar resembling that made by removing a piece of tape from the construction paper. it's beautiful anyway...
125.oo
Print depicting the execution of Anne Boleyn, consort to Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. Print made by Jan Luyken, c.1664-1712.
Inscription: ‘ANNA BULLEYN Gemalinne van HENDRIK DE VIII/Koning van Engeland, binnen London onthalst’.
The print is part of a series of plates depicting the deaths of various notable persons. They are held at the British Museum.
Height: 190mm (trimmed)
Width: 146mm
My second work dedicated to Saint Sebastian. If in the first picture the martyr is depicted before being shot by the Roman arrows, in this work we see the future saint in the death agony – Sebastian is pale, his body is turning into a wound. Trees are now glowing with browns and yellows as if having absorbed all the blood of the martyr. With the colors of the first and second works, I tried to convey a transition from fear and piety dulling all senses (in "SAINT SEBASTIAN BEFORE FIRST EXECUTION") to suffering and liberation (in "FIRST EXECUTION OF SAINT SEBASTIAN"), a transition from life to death.
In "FIRST EXECUTION OF SAINT SEBASTIAN" the victim's body is stretching out into cones to meet five deadly arrows and its destiny as soon as possible: Sebastian is not running from death and is not abandoning his convictions, he is not trying to escape from the arrows, but is moving his flesh to welcome them. The Saint stops arrows in the air and does not allow them to touch his ‘center’, i.e. his faith and beliefs. Darkness is already devouring him, but his spirit will leave the body through the wounds left by the enemies before they hear his repentance, before this darkness gets to his thoughts.
Note to all enemies: wounds you inflict only pave the way for fresh forces that have been hiding in your victim (of course, if the victim is strong), even though at first it might appear to you that you are only causing damage.
They held him down. Then, as pictured, one came up behind him and sheared his head off. They carried the head around the brick wall they had claimed as their own. They seemed quite pleased.
Following the modest success of the post-WWII Ralston Tigre MkII, the Ralston company looked to a more ambitious and glamorous execution with the Tigre MkIII, released in 1961.
The basis for the new car, again came from the General Motors' premium division - Cadillac - for the architectural hardware.
The Frame & Underbody was developed from the 1959/60 GM 'C' Bodies - a short-lived production run for GM, hence the availability to the Ralston Company. Wheelbase was set at 130 in (3,302 mm) for the standard sedan, and all the specialty 2-door cars. The long-wheelbase Limousine, Town Car and Specialty models sharing the GM 'D' Body 150 in (3,805 mm) with the Cadillac Series 75 / Fleetwood.
Powertrain was also Cadillac derived, incluing the 390 CID (6.4 Litre) V8 engine. Power was rated the same 345 bhp (257 kW). Cadillac was to retire this engine, with the development of a new engine of the same capacity for 1961.
One notable characteristic of all Ralston Tigre MkIII models are the reverse-opening doors. On all two-door cars, the doors operated on special hinges to move backwards along the body, offering easier ingress and egress for all passengers. For the four-door models, the front doors were conventionally hinged, per the originating GM 'C' and 'D' body vehicles, whilst the rear doors adopted the special hinged mechanism to allow rear passengers easier access. The adoption of GM's body-on-frame chassis permitted the omission of a conventional B-pillar on the four-door cars. A rarity at the time, but shared with the contemporary Lincoln saloons.
The real party trick appeared in 1964, with the introduction of the MkIII B. This model, though visually little changed from the MkIII of 1961, incorporated the first (and only) reintroduction of the V12 engine to the US-based motor industry.
Once more, the engine was based on that of a Cadillac.
www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/04/the-ohc-v12-that-cadill...
The prototype engines were produced in 7.4 and 8.2 litre forms, originally to support the fitment of the V12 to the upcoming Cadillac Eldorado - Cadillac's first front-wheel-drive vehicle. Ultimately the V12 installation in the Eldorado was cancelled, as the engineering team considered the engine to be transversely installed, until late in the development, where the V12 length would have been a significant disadvantage in terms of installing a matching transmission. Cadillac instead, continued with V8 development at the same swept capacities, even when the Eldorado was ultimately launched with the longitudinal engine installation with the gearbox alongside. As the Eldorado was to be the most premium of premium Cadillacs, the large capacity V8s filtered across to the RWD BOF models, but the V12 was not fitted to any of the division's cars.
This opened the possibility of offering the V12 to another luxury vehicle manufacturer who did not have the funding to develop such an engine on their own.
Ralston, wishing to also continue the production of the V8 models launched in 1961, renamed the V8 as the , and offered the V12 engined as a premium model above this. In truth, the engine was the only key difference, as there were very few restriction on the use of either engine in combination with the low-volume bodystyles on offer.
Ralston remained (relatively) conservative on the engine specification, choosing not to lift the power from the original Cadillac specification, nonetheless choosing the larger 8.2 litre capacity engine at a rated 394 hp (296 kW) and 506 lb.ft (686 Nm).
Externally there was noting to differentiate between the fitment of the V8 and V12 engines to the cars, other than the subtle text spelling out or on the side engine vent ahead of the doors. The 1964 introduction coincided with a minor external facelift, key change being the fitment of a third 'X' feature in the front grille, replacing the '5th' headlamp feature fitted on 1961-early 1964 vehicles. Additionally, the modest tailfins were trimmed smaller again, and a more conservative rear licence plate treatment used in place of the 3rd rocket pod in the rear facia.
The model shown here is the common Four-Door Hardtop model. The rear doors, open with pantograph hinges, providing a much larger and clearer exit path from the rear seat. Four-door hardtops had been popular in the late 1950s, and were still an optional body configuration on many large US automobiles.
This Lego miniland-scale Ralston Tigre MkIII B Four-Door Hardtop (1964) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 120th Build Challenge - "Happy 10th Anniversary, LUGNuts", where all the previous challenges are available for build themes. In this case, the 95th Build Challenge, - "Designing the Ralston Legacy", - for the design of vehicles under the fictional 'Ralston' company. The models must include a 'X' design feature on the car or bike. A number of Ralston challenge vehicle concepts are possible in this challenge.
[Cadillac V12 engine information taken from 'thetruthaboutcars.com']
www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/04/the-ohc-v12-that-cadill...
1. "True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." William Penn, 2. As B&W, 3. " A really great talent finds its happiness in execution." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 4. Gold forest., 5. Tell her you love her, not for today but everyday..., 6. Hide., 7. Absentminded..., 8. Blue is color not emotional.,
9. Whisper., 10. Bite me!, 11. Do I mystery?, 12. In youth we're happy for no reason at all--in age we pretend to be happy for millions of reasons., 13. Heart waves, could they attract your heart?, 14. Mr Heineken and me in someday... would you like to join? :), 15. The last light of the day make me feel alone, do you?, 16. Girls parade.,
17. Blieve me, I am not a burry-your-head-in-the-sand-and-pretend-that-everything-is-perfect kind of person...:), 18. The loaf., 19. Ambitious..., 20. Do not be ashamed of doing that which is right; decide on what you think is good and stick to it..., 21. A traveler without observation is a bird without wings..., 22. Making the decision to begin something could be the beginning of something great..., 23. Fuel your inner and outer will growth..., 24. Good night my lovely Fan Club:) See you tomorrow.,
25. Travel only for traveling's sake..., 26. Path of the path is made up of the mistakes of our lives, this route leads to destiny..., 27. Someone fall in love.. but its the steel net... Drama theme., 28. Be comforted in the knowledge that you have a friend who won't let you down..., 29. Improving yourself is a lifetime commitment; are you worth it?..., 30. Happiness lies in learning to be more assertive in your life..., 31. Nobody is comfortable about doing something courageous. We have to be very frightened before you can show courage..., 32. Embrace happiness...,
33. Don't base your happiness for the future on some happiness in the distant past. Learn to love the present..., 34. Even those we consider successful have their up and downs..., 35. When we are happy with someone, we doubt nothing; but when we are unhappy together, we tend to doubt everything..., 36. I'm fall but not fall in love..., 37. Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace..."Buddha", 38. You have earned this shining moment., 39. Happiness comes with no guarantees..., 40. Would you marry me honey?...,
41. No true friend can, or would want, to have power over you..., 42. Is it dead that we fear or not knowing "what" or "where" is after death? ..., 43. Happiness is like honesty; beware of those who tell you they are honesty...:)., 44. One man's metaphysics is another man's primrose..., 45. It was especially nice to hear from you this year because I turned to 60, and I finally had to kill my teddy bear. "Stephen Kingus" said. And I like this:), 46. Love is the cement that binds..., 47. Imagine the happiness of knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness..., 48. All there is of ourselves is ourself, and it is up to each of us to make the most of ourself...,
49. Some prefer the comfort of knowing the cow and the chicken provided breakfast, not some scientist. "Unknown said", 50. If you are ready to reject aggression, revenge, and retaliation, you're ready to be happy..., 51. Allow your mind to settle--like the muddy water churned up by a boat, it will soon become clear when undisturbed..., 52. Do not grieve over the inevitable..., 53. Regular life..., 54. It's not you guys business! meoww...:)), 55. Rekindling old friendships is rejuvenating..., 56. flickr.com/photos/11569107@N06/3814342465/,
57. How can we ever begin to live while we remain afraid?..., 58. Never be afraid to look people in the eye..., 59. Everything is just as it is..., 60. It is little differences between us that make us interesting..., 61. flickr.com/photos/11569107@N06/3806565434/, 62. An uncertain guide makes everyone following her/him uncomfortable..., 63. Friday party and hangs out... would you?, 64. Comfortable people feel the wind and fly their kites...,
65. We cannot reach for the stars with others holding us down..., 66. The Queen of Queens..., 67. Painting by Nikon D90..., 68. Comfort is feeling safe in someone's presence..., 69. Which one will bother your teeth? :)) Pick it..., 70. While you are waiting, life is passing you by..., 71. Friendship is tested to breaking point where there is a reward at stake..., 72. Young lady and the old man theme.
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Kilmainham Gaol was built in 1796 as a replacement for an older prison. It has a sorrowful past with deplorable conditions. It is the place of imprisonment and subsequent execution of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. This yard is where these executions were carried out.
THE EXECUTION
According to some witnesses, Agnes was unconscious when she was executed. It is said that the reverend, who accompanied her, held her hair away from her neck while she was decapitated. Agnes was the last person to be executed in Iceland.
AFTAKAN
Að sögn vitna féli Agnes í ómegin áður en hun var tekin af lifi. Sagt er að presturinn sem fylgdi henni hafi haldið hárinu frá hálsinum á meðan hún var höggvin. Agnes var síðasta manneskjan sem tekin var af lífi á Islandi.
One of the most famous exhibits at the Tower of London is the executioners block and axe. This was used to take off the heads of those who had been condemed to die either inside the Tower grounds or on Tower Hill.
Photo of the execution site on Tower Hill:
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Locandina:
pad.mymovies.it/filmclub/2016/04/067/coverlg_home.jpg
variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/fiore_06.jpg?w=100...
www.nonsolocinema.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/MG_76...
amnc.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/perdialogocarcere_post...
www.italyformovies.com/film-serie-tv-games/detail/56/fiore
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www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The municipality of Mongiuffi Melia (ME), not far from Taormina, is made up of two villages, Mongiuffi and Melia, separated by a valley, a bridge joins them, they climb up the opposite ridge of two mountains, looking at each other; in this municipality (defined as a "scattered municipality" for not having a single inhabited center), there are two patron saints, San Sebastian for Melia (his float was built with the money collected by Sicilian soldiers sent to the front, to fight in Greece during the Second World War, hoping in this way to receive His intercession to save their lives), and San Leonard di Noblac (or Abbot) for Mongiuffi; but in this municipality there is also the cult of the "Virgin Mary of the Chain", whose sanctuary attracts pilgrims from everywhere. I have made this description to introduce a singular coincidence that not everyone is aware of, and to do this it is necessary to describe the figure of Saint Leonard (a kind of Saint Francis), and that of the Virgin Mary of the Chain, trying to be concise. Saint Leonard was born in Orléans around 496 (and died in Noblac, on November 6 – the feast day – of 545 or 559), and for most of his life (very interesting) he lived as a hermit; one episode of his life in particular I would like to recall, he received from Clovis, king of the Franks, the privilege of being able to free those prisoners, who he believed had been unjustly imprisoned, so from that moment on, he incessantly committed himself to giving freedom to all those prisoners who were reduced to visibly critical conditions. Let us leave this Saint for a moment, the cult of the “Virgin Mary of the Chain”, this name given to the Blessed Virgin, derives from a prodigious event that occurred in Palermo in 1392, known as the “miracle of the chains”. In short, in August 1392 in Palermo, three men for a glaring miscarriage of justice, were sentenced to death by hanging, shortly before going up to the gallows a violent storm broke out, which forced the three unfortunates and the gendarmes to take refuge in the nearby church of Saint Mary of the Port, close to the sea, also called "Churc of the Chain" due to the presence of a chain that, when positioned, prevented the Saracen pirate ships from accessing the inside of the port; in this holy place, the three condemned, were tied with double chains, in the meantime the door of the church was barred, in fact the storm did not seem to stop and in addition night had come, clearly the execution was now postponed to the next day. The three desperate men, in chains, under the gaze of the gendarmes, approached the painting of the Madonna in tears, imploring her to intercede for them, a voice was heard coming from the painting, which reassured them of their new freedom, this while the chains broke, and the door of the little church was thrown open. From then on, the cult of the Virgin Mary of the Chain spread from Palermo throughout Sicily, and even beyond. Now let's get to the coincidences I mentioned before, both Saint Leonard and the Virgin Mary of the Chain (and also Her Child that She holds in Her arms) carry a long chain in their hands, in fact both the Saint and the Blessed Virgin have given freedom to prisoners, furthermore to access Mongiuffi Melia, coming from Letojanni, you have to pass through a tunnel, called "Gallery of Postoleone" dug in the rock in 1916, with bare hands or with pickaxe blows, as explosives could not be used, by 300 Austrian prisoners, during the First World War (and also on this occasion, in Mongiuffi Melia, there are prisoners forced to do forced labor). Finally, a curiosity, very often from the cult of the Virgin Mary of the Chain, comes a singular name, very common in these parts, both in the masculine with the name of "Cateno" and in the feminine "Catena" (to quote a well-known character, the writer Catena Fiorello). Furthermore, if it rains, whatever the religious procession-feast, with the float carried on the shoulders, the float with the saint does not come out, but if the rain arrives during the event, then the event becomes a source of strong psycho-physical stress for the devotee-bearers (not for the devotee-pullers or devotee-pushers...), as the ground made slippery by the rain (or perhaps, worse, by the presence of mud mixed with water) makes the route risky due to the possibility that one, or more, bearers, could slip, with the possible overturning of the float, and easily imaginable consequences.
The photographic story that I present here was created by assembling photographs taken on November 6, 2022, November 6 and 10 of this year 2024; the heart of the celebration-procession is when the priest hangs a large “cuddurra” (donut) on the hand of Sint Leonard, on that occasion small “cuddure” (donuts) are offered to the population (prepared by hand in the days preceding the procession); there are girls wearing a typical monk's habit-like dress, adorning their head with a veil, they belong to the congregation of the "daughters of Mary" (third order Carmelite); at the end of the procession, with the float that has returned to the church, we witness a rite that has the "affective" purpose of keeping it alive, it is done so as not to lose its memory, even if it has not lost its original meaning, what remains is now only a symbolic fact, it is the ritual of "weighing" (in some centers of Sicily, it has maintained its original meaning) a wooden board is placed "in balance" on one of the two beams that are used to carry the float with the Saint on the shoulders, at the two ends a child is placed on one side, and on the other side a sack with grain, filled until the weight of the grain reaches the weight of the child, and that grain will be given as a gift to the Saint, in reality the symbolic aspect of the procedure remains, and the donation is still made to the Saint, but in paper money.
Postscript: Our Lady of the Chain and Saint Leonard freed from chains, these as such, are not only physical, there are also psychic ones, and perhaps they are the worst….
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Il comune di Mongiuffi Melia (ME), non molto distante da Taormina, è formato da due borghi, Mongiuffi e Melia, separati da una vallata, un ponte li congiunge, essi si inerpicano sul crinale opposto di due monti, guardandosi l’un l’altro; in questo comune (definito “comune sparso” per non avere un centro abitato unico), si hanno due santi patroni, San Sebastiano per Melia (la sua vara fu costruita con i soldi racimolati dai soldati Siciliani mandati al fronte, a combattere in Grecia durante la seconda guerra mondiale, sperando così facendo di ricevere la Sua intercessione per avere salva la vita), e San Leonardo di Noblac (o Abate) per Mongiuffi; ma in questo comune vi è anche il culto per la “Madonna della Catena”, il cui santuario attira pellegrini da ogni dove. Ho fatto questa descrizione, per introdurre una singolare coincidenza della quale non tutti sono a conoscenza, e per far questo è necessario descrivere la figura di San Leonardo (una specie di San Francesco), e quella della Madonna della Catena, cercando di essere sintetico. San Leonardo nasce ad Orléans nel 496 circa (e morto a Noblac, il 6 novembre – giorno della festa – del 545 o 559), per gran parte della sua vita (interessantissima) visse da eremita; un episodio della sua vita in particolare desidero ricordare, egli riceve da Clodoveo, re dei Franchi, il privilegio di poter rendere liberi quei prigionieri, che egli riteneva fossero stati incarcerati ingiustamente, egli così, da quel momento, si impegna incessantemente a dare la libertà a tutti quei prigionieri che erano ridotti in condizioni visibilmente critiche. Lasciamo per un attimo questo Santo, il culto della “Madonna della Catena”, questo nome dato alla Beata Vergine, deriva da un evento prodigioso avvenuto a Palermo nel 1392, conosciuto come “miracolo delle catene”. In breve, nell’agosto del 1392 a Palermo, tre uomini per un eclatante errore giudiziario, furono condannati a morte per impiccagione, poco prima di salire sul patibolo si scatenò un violento temporale, che costrinse i tre malcapitati ed i gendarmi a riparare nella vicina chiesa di S. Maria del Porto, a ridosso del mare, detta anche “Chiesa della Catena” per la presenza di una catena che, quando posizionata, impediva alle navi pirata Saracene di accedere all’interno del porto; in questo luogo santo, i tre condannati, furono legati con doppie catene, nel mentre la porta della chiesa veniva sbarrata, infatti il temporale non accennava a smettere ed in più era subentrata la notte, chiaramente l’esecuzione era oramai rimandata al giorno dopo. I tre disperati, in catene, sotto lo sguardo dei gendarmi, si avvicinarono in lacrime al quadro della Madonna implorandola di intercedere per loro, dal quadro si udì provenire una voce, che li rassicurava sulla sopraggiunta libertà, questo mentre le catene si spezzavano, e la porta della chiesetta si spalancava. Da allora il culto per la Madonna della Catena si diffuse da Palermo in tutta la Sicilia, ed anche oltre. Veniamo adesso alle coincidenze di cui accennavo prima, sia San Leonardo che la Madonna della Catena (ed anche il suo Bimbo che regge in braccio) recano in mano una lunga catena, infatti sia San Leonardo che la Beata Vergine hanno dato la liberà a dei prigionieri, inoltre per accedere a Mongiuffi Melia, provenendo da Letojanni, si deve passare necessariamente da una galleria, chiamata “Galleria di Postoleone” scavata nel 1916 nella roccia, a mani nude o con colpi di piccone, in quanto non si poteva usare l’esplosivo, da parte di 300 prigionieri austriaci, durante la prima guerra mondiale (ed anche in questa occasione, a Mongiuffi Melia, si ha la presenza di prigionieri costretti ai lavori forzati). Infine una curiosità, molto spesso dal culto della Madonna della Catena, proviene un singolare nome, molto comune da queste parti, sia al maschile col nome di “Cateno” che al femminile, “Catena” (per citare un personaggio noto, la scrittrice Catena Fiorello). Inoltre, se piove, qualsiasi sia la processione-festa religiosa, con la vara portata in spalla, la vara col santo non esce, se invece la pioggia arriva durante la manifestazione, allora l’evento acquista per i devoti-portatori (non per i devoti-tiratori o devoti-spingitori…) un motivo di forte stress psico-fisico, in quanto il terreno reso scivoloso dalla pioggia (o magari, peggio, dalla presenza di fango misto ad acqua) rende rischioso il percorso per la possibilità che uno, o più portatori, possano scivolare, con il possibile ribaltamento della vara, e conseguenze facilmente immaginabili.
Il racconto fotografico che qui presento, è stato realizzato assemblando fotografie fatte il 6 novembre del 2022, il 6 ed il 10 novembre di quest’anno 2024; il fulcro della festa-processione è quando il sacerdote appende una grande cuddurra (ciambella) sulla mano di San Leonardo, in quella occasione piccole cuddure vengono offerte alla popolazione (preparate ed intrecciate a mano nei giorni precedenti la processione); sono presenti delle ragazze che indossano un tipico vestito “tipo saio di monaco”, adornando il capo con un velo, appartengono alla congregazione delle “figlie di Maria” (terz’ordine carmelitano); alla fine della processione, con la vara che ha fatto rientro in chiesa, si assiste ad un rito che ha lo scopo “affettivo” di tenerlo in vita, viene fatto per non disperderne la memoria, pur non avendo perso il suo significato originario, quel che resta è oramai solamente un fatto simbolico, è il rito della “pesatura” (in alcuni centri della Sicilia, esso ha mantenuto il suo significato originario) un asse di legno viene messo “in equilibrio” su di una delle due travi che servono a portare in spalla la vara col Santo, alle due estremità si pongono da un lato un bimbo/a, e dall’altro lato un sacco con del grano, riempito fino a quando il peso del grano raggiungerà il peso del bimbo/a, e quel grano verrà dato in dono al Santo, in realtà resta l’aspetto simbolico della procedura, la donazione viene ugualmente fatta al Santo, ma in cartamoneta.
P.S. La Madonna della Catena e San Leonardo liberavano dalle catene, queste in quanto tali, non sono solo fisiche, ci sono anche quelle psichiche, e forse sono le peggiori….
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Paul Delaroche, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, 1833, oil on canvas, 246 x 297 cm (The National Gallery, London)
Collection: Willard Dickerman Straight and Early U.S.-Korea Diplomatic Relations, Cornell University Library
Title: Execution of 3 Korean spies
Date: 1905
Type: Photographs
Description: Three resistance fighters facing a Japanese firing squad. They are accused of spying and executed. According to the source cited below, they were charged with destroying the Seoul-Pusan railroad two days after its completion, on January 1, 1905. This is a rather well-known image which was also reproduced in Western newspapers. Source: Sajin uiro ponun tongnip undong, 1996. V. 1, p. 81.
Inscription/Marks: Inscription in ink, presumably in WDS hand: 'Execution of 3 Korean spies'
Identifier: 1260.60.09.31.04
Persistent URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1813.001/5xm7
There are no known U.S. copyright restrictions on this image. The digital file is owned by the Cornell University Library which is making it freely available with the request that, when possible, the Library be credited as its source.
We had some help with the geocoding from Web Services by Yahoo!
These photos of the aftermath of Mussolini's execution at the end of WWII were in the final pages of my Uncle Louis' WWII photo album. I know he was in North Africa and Italy, not sure where he was at the end of the war. These are actual photographs he had, not just something he ripped out of a magazine. I read somewhere that large numbers of these photos were sold to American GI's.
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard that was published by the New York Public Library of 476, Fifth Avenue, New York City. The card has a divided back.
Sir Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn RA RSA FRSE, who was born on the 4th. March 1756, was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland.
Raeburn was a prolific artist who painted more than a thousand paintings spanning 50 years.
Henry Raeburn - The Early Years
Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a former village now within the city of Edinburgh. His ancestors were believed to have been soldiers, and may have taken the name "Raeburn" from a hill farm in Annandale, held by Sir Walter Scott's family.
Orphaned, he was supported by his brother William and placed in Heriot's Hospital, where he received an education.
At the age of fifteen Henry was apprenticed to the goldsmith James Gilliland of Edinburgh, and various pieces of jewellery, mourning rings and the like, adorned with minute drawings on ivory by his hand, still exist.
When the medical student Charles Darwin (uncle of the famous naturalist Charles Robert Darwin) died at the age of 19 in 1778, his friend and professor Andrew Duncan took a lock of his student's hair to the jeweller whose apprentice, Raeburn, made a memorial locket.
Soon Henry took to the production of carefully finished portrait miniatures; meeting with success and patronage, he extended his practice to oil painting, at which he was self-taught.
Sir Henry Raeburn's Painting Career
Gilliland watched the progress of his pupil with interest, and introduced him to David Martin, who was at the time the leading portrait painter in Edinburgh.
Raeburn was especially aided by the loan of portraits to copy. Soon Henry had gained sufficient skill to devote himself exclusively to painting. George Chalmers (1776; Dunfermline Town Hall) is his earliest known portrait.
In his early twenties, Raeburn was asked to paint the portrait of a young lady he had noticed when he was sketching from nature in the fields. Ann was the daughter of Peter Edgar of Bridgelands, and widow of Count James Leslie of Deanhaugh.
Fascinated by the handsome and intellectual young artist, she became his wife within a month, bringing him an ample fortune. The acquisition of wealth did not affect Henry's enthusiasm or his industry, but spurred him on to acquire a thorough knowledge of his craft.
It was usual for artists to visit Italy, and in London he was received by Sir Joshua Reynolds, the president of the Royal Academy, who advised him on what to study in Rome, especially recommending the works of Michelangelo. He gave Raeburn letters of introduction for Italy.
Henry set off with his wife, and in Rome he met fellow Scot Gavin Hamilton, as well as Pompeo Girolamo Batoni and Byers, an antique dealer whose advice proved particularly useful, especially the recommendation that:
"You should never copy an object from
memory, but, from the principal figure
to the minutest accessory, have it placed
before you."
After two years of study in Italy Henry returned to Edinburgh in 1787, and began a successful career as a portrait painter. In that year he executed a seated portrait of the second Lord Dundas.
Examples of his earlier portraiture include a bust of Mrs. Johnstone of Baldovie and a three-quarter-length of Dr. James Hutton: works which, if somewhat timid and tentative in handling and not as confident as his later work, nevertheless have delicacy and character.
The portraits of John Clerk, Lord Eldin, and of Principal Hill of St. Andrews belong to a later period.
Raeburn was fortunate in the time in which he practised portraiture. Sir Walter Scott, Hugh Blair, Henry Mackenzie, Lord Woodhouselee, William Robertson, John Home, Robert Fergusson, and Dugald Stewart were resident in Edinburgh, and were all painted by Raeburn.
Mature works include his own portrait, and that of the Rev. Sir Henry Moncrieff Wellwood, a bust of Dr Wardrop of Torbane Hill, two full-lengths of Adam Rolland of Gask, the remarkable paintings of Lord Newton and Dr. Alexander Adam in the National Gallery of Scotland, and that of William Macdonald of St Martin's.
Apart from himself, Raeburn painted only two artists, one of whom was Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey, the most important and famous British sculptor of the first half of the 19th. century. It has recently been revealed that Raeburn and Chantrey were close friends, and that Raeburn took exceptional care over the execution of his portrait of the sculptor, one of the painter's mature bust-length masterpieces.
It was commonly believed that Raeburn was less successful in painting female portraits, but the exquisite full-length of his wife, the smaller likeness of Mrs R. Scott Moncrieff in the National Gallery of Scotland, and that of Mrs Robert Bell argue against this.
Raeburn spent his life in Edinburgh, rarely visiting London, and then only for brief periods, thus preserving his individuality. Although he, personally, may have lost advantages resulting from closer association with the leaders of English art, and from contact with a wider public, Scottish art gained much from his disinclination to leave his native land.
He became the acknowledged chief of the school which was growing up in Scotland during the early 19th. century, and his example and influence at a critical period were of major importance. So varied were his other interests that sitters used to say of him:
"You would never take him for
a painter till he seizes the brush
and palette."
In 1812 Henry was elected president of the Society of Artists in Edinburgh; and in 1814 associate, and in the following year full member, of the Royal Scottish Academy.
On the 29th. August 1822 he received a knighthood during the visit of King George IV to Scotland, and appointed His Majesty's limner for Scotland.
The Death of Sir Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn died in St. Bernard's House, Stockbridge, Edinburgh not long after on the 8th. July 1823 at the age of 67.
He was laid to rest in St. Cuthbert's churchyard against the east wall (the monument erected by Raeburn in advance), but there is also a secondary memorial in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Edinburgh.
Henry's studio on York Place was taken over by the artist Colvin Smith.
Critical Appraisal of Sir Henry Raeburn
Raeburn had all the essential qualities of a popular and successful portrait painter. He was able to produce a telling and forcible likeness; his work is distinguished by powerful characterisation, stark realism, dramatic and unusual lighting effects, and swift and broad handling of the most resolute sort.
David Wilkie recorded that, while travelling in Spain and studying the works of Diego Velázquez, the brushwork reminded him constantly of the "square touch" of Raeburn.
Scottish physician and writer John Brown wrote that:
"Raeburn never fails in giving a
likeness at once vivid, unmistakable
and pleasing. He paints the truth,
and he paints it with love".
Raeburn has been described as a "famously intuitive" portrait painter. He was unusual amongst many of his contemporaries, such as Reynolds, in the extent of his philosophy of painting directly from life; he made no preliminary sketches.
This attitude partly explains the often coarse modelling and clashing colour combinations he employed, in contrast to the more refined style of Thomas Gainsborough and Reynolds. However these qualities and those above anticipate many of the later developments in painting of the 19th. century from romanticism to Impressionism.
I'll be honest, I'm not sure about the legality of posting these pictures.
These were all photographs and posters from the Natzweiler Concentration camp in France. There were no signs disallowing photography, but the fact is, I didn't take these original pictures. I don't know who the credit goes to but I feel compelled to share them.
The Natweiler concentration camp was a grim experience, yet powerful and worthwhile. We visited on a gray, rainy day which added to the mood.
I share these with the intent of spreading information and helping to show things to people who might not ever be able to make a trip to Europe or be able to tour a camp museum.
When political powers try to deny that these horrid events occurred it is one more reminder that we can't forget these events. We can't forget what many of our grandfathers fought for. We can't deny the grave human injustice that was perpetrated.
Iranian Majid Kavousifar bids farewell to his relatives before being hanged in public in central Tehran 02 August 2007. Two men convicted of murdering a top Iranian judge in 2005 were hanged in public in central Tehran, the first such public executions in the Iranian capital in five years. The men were executed for the murder of Hassan Moghaddas, a hardline deputy prosecutor and head of the "guidance" court in Tehran, who was shot dead by two men as he getting into his car in August 2005. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI
Protest against Trump, London, June 2019
According to the International Bar Association's Human Right Institute, as reported in the Law Society Gazette in July 2019, the Saudi authorities have carried out at least 134 executions so far in 2019. 55 were of non-violent drug offenders. Another 37 were political activists killed in a mass execution on 23 April 2019 following lengthy periods of detention, torture, and 'grossly unfair' trials. The report notes that, among numerous ways in which the Saudi penal code contravenes international law, at least six of the 37 executed in April were under 18 at the time of their alleged offences.
I waited with my boys on the extreme western side of the rather large crowd waiting for CP's Holiday Train to arrive in Hartland, WI. I've always been an outsider anyway....
Having done this before, I knew where the locomotive would be stopping and was able to get a shot or two before the mass of people descended on the locomotive for poses with the power.
Andrea Mantegna, Ovetari Chapel cycle frescoes, 1448-57, Church of the Eremitani, Padua, Italy. Reconstructed with photographs, in-painting, and original fragments after Americans bombed the church on March 11, 1944
Execution Scene, Shanghai, 1870s.
Photographer: attributed to W. Saunders
Source: Imperial China, p.63
This MOC is a mild representation of the execution of Ki Adi Mundi, killed by Commander Bacara and Galactic Marines on Mygeeto. Please note that these mocs are not entirely accurate but made to te best of my ability. Please Vote on which Order 66 moc you like the best.
Order 66 was one of a series of contingency orders that the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic were trained to prepare for during their growth. The order branded the Jedi as traitors of the Republic and called for their immediate execution without question. Its issuing by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine marked the formal beginning of the Great Jedi Purge, starting the rise of the Galactic Empire, and it was chief among the atrocities that led to the Galactic Civil War.
Actual Code:Order 66: In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established. -Wookiepedia
Paul
The first time that we meet Paul is at the execution of Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. Paul looked after the coats of the men who stoned Stephen. He hated Stephen as well as the rest of the Christians. He intended to do God a service by persecuting them. He had, therefore, discovered in which houses the Christians met and his henchmen would unexpectedly force their way in and drag the Christians off to prison.
Paul was filled with hate against anything that had to do with Christ – until he met Christ for himself and had a radical conversion. Would the Christians from the house-churches – when they prayed for their leaders in prison – have also prayed for the persecutor, Paul? Perhaps Paul met Jesus as an answer to their prayers. We do not know – not yet.
God intervened and changed the persecutor into a preacher.
Someone once said, "If such a gifted man is converted, it is amazing what such a man can do for God."
But an even GREATER thing is this - it is not what such a man can do for God is important but what God can do for him. Forgiveness of sins and a new life with and for the Lord. That is what God did for Paul.
There is hope for the persecutors of God’s Church. Will you pray for them? Is anything impossible for God?
Open Doors International.
During the National Socialist dictatorship from 1938 to 1945 was in this building the place of execution, in which women and men from Austria as well as from many other European countries were beheaded for their political beliefs, national origin or because of their faith. Honor to all of the Victims! The city of Graz in 1988. Austrian League for Human Rights
Während der Nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft von 1938 bis 1945 befand sich in diesem Gebäude jene Hinrichtungsstätte, in der Frauen und Männer aus Österreich wie aus vielen anderen Europäischen Ländern wegen ihrer politischen Überzeugung, nationalen Herkunft oder wegen ihres Glaubens enthauptet wurden. Ehre Allen Opfern! Die Stadt Graz 1988. Österreichische Liga für Menschenrechte
(further information you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
History and judicial organization
The Revolution of 1848 marked also the Austria jurisdiction of that time in a substantial manner with manifestations that act to the present day. The with this associated judicial organization brought then - here particularly interesting - most of all four court levels or court types: District Courts, Higher Civil Courts (Landesgerichte), Higher Regional Courts (Oberlandesgerichte) and a Supreme Court. To those four kinds of courts, the procedures of first instance - differentiated by sum in dispute or seriousness of the offense - and the review of judicial decisions on appeal were distributed in a manageable manner. That in the course of this the (only) Supreme Court already at the time of the monarchy could be found in Vienna is understandable, that it remained there from 1918 until today (apart from the period of National Socialism) is known.
The next level below the Supreme Court was and is formed by the High Regional Courts. In 1855 there were in the whole Empire nineteen, today there are four in Austria, namely in Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck and Graz. They act primarily as appellate courts. Next come the so-called courts of first instance. This generic term was necessary because there were, besides the regional courts also district courts - partly later - special courts for commercial, youth, labor and social welfare cases or should be. Of all these existed at the time of the monarchy, of course, already a significant number, in the area of present-day Austria were originally seventeen, today there are twenty after the Juvenile Court in Vienna had been dissolved in 2003 (Federal Law Gazette 30/2003). The district of the Higher Regional Court of Graz accounts for the Regional Court for Civil Matters and the National Criminal Court in Graz, the Klagenfurt Regional Court and the Regional Court of Leoben. The lowest level eventually was formed by the district courts. "Lowest" in this context is of course no rating but merely an expression of the position in the structure of jurisdiction. In Styria there were initially 45 district courts, including the district of the Provincial Court of Leoben 22 (Reich Law Gazette 339/1849). Those were merged over time. District courts are now still in Schladming, Liezen, Murau, Judenburg, Mürzzuschlag, Bruck/Mur and Leoben. Aside from court consolidations, modifications of the district sizes, responsibility shifts caused by changes in the value limits and also renamings there were naturally in the past 160 years repeatedly also suggestions or ideas for actual substantive changes of this Court System. For example, there was talk of dissolving the Courts of First Instance and to distribute their agendas to the district courts. Or these courts should be strengthened and therefore waived of the Higher Regional Court. Nothing of it gained majority, the from the mid-19th Century stemming basic system remained established and is valid until today .
THE REGIONAL COURT LEOBEN
After creating the legal basis for the new judicial organization, it was now about to implement them. It arose the familiar question of "where" and "with whom". The decision for Leoben was already on 25th July in 1849 published (Reich Law Gazette 339/1849) and also the top management for Upper Styria was very soon decided. As of 28/12/1849 the previous "Council of the Styrian state law" Dr. Heinrich Perissutti was appointed President of the Provincial Court of Leoben. He took on 18 February 1850 in Graz his oath of office and actually was taking up activities on 4 April 1850. He moved - then granted - to Leoben, there is evidence that he had lived at Unteren Platz, house number 121 (today Timmerdorfer lane 2). The accommodation question for the court in Leoben also could be settled successfully in a short time. This should move into the former Dominican monastery (now Land Registry 60327, Leoben register number 103), a building that was owned by the city of Leoben and the judiciary has been left to everlasting time for its own purposes (Treaty of 11 August 1853). This had to be adapted but only for the new task and it did take some time but, that is to say early summer 1856.
The aforementioned modifications of the judicial organization were in the first years in Leoben area relatively noticeable. Firstly, the High Regional Courts of Graz and Klagenfurt were merged with headquarters in Graz (1852 enacted and 1854 implemented) and on the other hand it came to a "downgrating" as to the label of the Provincial Court Leoben to a "district court" (19 January 1853).
The First World War, the downfall of the monarchy, the First Republic and the Corporate State brought in Upper Styria as to judicial organization only one significant, lasting change. The district courts Aflenz, Mautern and Obdach were merged with neighboring courts (Federal Law Gazette 187/1923, 276/1923). With the seizure of power by the Nazis in 1938 but went down the country's independent judiciary. Justice solely "In the name of the German people" should be distributed and probably to some extend it had a different status than before. Pure terminologically, the county court became a Higher District Court, the district courts have mutated into local courts (Journal of Laws for the country Austria 350/1938). What changed further was the area of the district. The Ausseerland was separated from Styria and the Gau (administrative district) of "Upper Danube" and thus to the district of the Higher District Court in Wels assigned.
After the end of the Second World War it came to the restoration of the on 13 March 1938 existing judicial organization, Bad Aussee, therefore, returned to the district of the Court of Leoben (State Gazette 47/1945). There were other changes. The most significant over time was probably that the1946 set up labor courts, which had replaced the earlier commercial courts, together with the arbitration courts of the Social Insurance and the mediation courts on 1 January 1987 merged in the ordinary jurisdiction (Federal Law Gazette 104/1985).
As already indicated, the terminology of the Leoben Court of Justice was subject to alterations. Beginning of 1849 had been created among other things the "Higher District Court" Leoben. With Order of 19 January 1853 (Reich Law Gazette 10/1853) to "District Court" downgraded, the Nazis transformed the term from 13 August 1938 (Journal of Laws for the country of Austria 350/1938 ) into "Higher District Court". The Court Organization Act of 3 July 1945 (State Gazette 47/1945) re-established the "District Court", until on the first of March 1993 the time came that the most original denomination "Higher District Court" was again brought back to life (Federal Law Gazette 91/1993). Without that during the whole period of the responsibilities and tasks anything really notheworthy would have changed, the Court in Leoben got three different names in five time periods.
justiz.gv.at/web2013/html/default/2c94848540b9d489014174b...
Spanish dime novel depicting the execution method known as "blowing from a gun." Los Cinco Invencibles (The Five Invincibles) No. 6, circa 1931 from El Gato Negro (Barcelona), La Victima de un Traidor (The Traitor's Victim), anonymous but credited to Antonio Oller Bertran. The cover is by Masgoumiery Daniel Pena (signed Niel), who before going mainstream drew cartoons for Spanish anarchist publications.
A few years ago, early on Saturday morning, I tried to enter St Dunstan's, with no luck. It was locked fast.
Which was a shame, as it looked a very interesting church from the outside, and with its location, just outside the city gate on the crossing of two main roads.
Anyway, I logged this away in my meory banks, detirmed to go back one day. And for a change this Heritage Weekend, we returned to Canterbury not once, but twice. And on the second day was rewarded with entry to three of the city churches.
St Dunstan is most famous for being the final resting place of Sir Thomas More's head, in the family tomb of his wife. There is fine glass commemorating this.
Some minor work is being carried out at the rear of the church, so a return will be needed to see the full restored church.
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Dedicated to a former Archbishop of Canterbury, St Dunstan's stands outside the city walls. There is structural evidence of the Norman period, but most of the church is fourteenth century. The west tower dates from this time and is very oddly proportioned - about twice the height that its width can really cope with. The south chapel is constructed of brick and was completed in the early sixteenth century. It contains monuments to the More family and is the burial place of St. Thomas More's head, - brought here by his daughter after his execution. The family home stood opposite the church where its brick gateway may still be seen. There are two twentieth-century windows of note in the chapel, by Lawrence Lee and John Hayward.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Canterbury+2
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St. Dunstan's is an Anglican church in Canterbury, Kent, at the junction of London Road and Whitstable Road. It is dedicated to St. Dunstan (909-988) and gives its name to the part of the city on the left bank of the River Stour. The parish has been held in plurality with others nearby at different times, in a way that is confusing and difficult to document. In 2010 the parish was joined with the parishes of the City Centre Parish in a new pastoral grouping, City Centre with St. Dunstan.
The church dates from the 11th century and is a grade I listed building. It was restored in 1878-80 by church architect Ewan Christian. Its association with the deaths of Thomas Becket and Thomas More make it a place of pilgrimage.
Dunstan was Archbishop of Canterbury from 960 to 978 and was canonised soon after his death, becoming the favourite saint of the English until he was supplanted by Thomas Becket.[2] He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral but his tomb was destroyed during the Reformation.
In 1174, when Henry II began his penitential pilgrimage in reparation for the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, he changed his clothing into sackcloth at St. Dunstan’s Church and began his pilgrimage from here to Thomas Becket's tomb at Canterbury Cathedral on foot.
His daughter Margaret secured the release of Thomas More's head from its spike on London Bridge and brought it back to the family tomb of her husband William Roper.[4] The Roper family lived nearby off what is now St Dunstan's Street. What remains of their home is called Roper Gate, marked with a commemorative plaque, it is all that survives of Place House. The Roper family vault is located underneath the Nicholas Chapel, to the right of the church's main altar. It was sealed in recent years, according to Anglican tradition. A large stone slab marks its location to the immediate left of the chapel's altar. Three impressive stained glass windows line the chapel, the one behind the altar depicts in brilliant detail the major events and symbols in the life of the Saint. Another of the windows commemorates the visit of Pope John Paul II to Canterbury to pray with the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury at the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. The window displays the arms of the Archbishop's diocese and the Pope. Plaques mounted on the walls explain the veracity of the relic of the Saint's head, the sealing of the vault which contains it, and the life of the Saint, including a prayer he wrote.
St Dunstan’s has six bells, hung for change ringing in the English style, the heaviest weighing 13cwt (approx. 675 kg). Due to the unusual narrowness of the belfry, the bells are hung in a two-tier frame.
The fifth bell of the ring is one of the oldest Christian church bells in the world, believed to have been cast in 1325 by William le Belyetere, making it nearly 690 years old as of 2014 [5]
The bells were removed from the tower in 1935 so that a concrete structural beam could be fitted to the tower. At this time the bells were retuned by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, and rehung in the present frame in 1936.
The bells are rung on Friday evenings for practice, and Sunday mornings for the service, by the St Dunstan’s Society of Change Ringers.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Dunstan%27s,_Canterbury
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ir Thomas More (/ˈmɔːr/; 7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated by Roman Catholics as Saint Thomas More,[1][2] was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a councillor to Henry VIII, and Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to 16 May 1532.[3]
More opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale. He also wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an imaginary ideal island nation. More opposed the King's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and beheaded. Ahead of his execution, he was reported saying his famous words: "I die the King's good servant, but God's first."
Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the "heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians."[4] Since 1980, the Church of England has remembered More liturgically as a Reformation martyr.[5] The Soviet Union honoured him for the 'Communistic' attitude toward property rights expressed in Utopia.
Born in Milk Street in London, on February 7, 1478, Thomas More was the son of Sir John More,[9] a successful lawyer and later judge, and his wife Agnes (née Graunger). More was educated at St Anthony's School, then considered one of London's finest schools.[10] From 1490 to 1492, More served John Morton, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England, as a household page.[11]:xvi Morton enthusiastically supported the "New Learning" (now called the Renaissance), and thought highly of the young More. Believing that More had great potential, Morton nominated him for a place at the University of Oxford (either in St. Mary's Hall or Canterbury College, both now gone).[12]:38
More began his studies at Oxford in 1492, and received a classical education. Studying under Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn, he became proficient in both Latin and Greek. More left Oxford after only two years—at his father's insistence—to begin legal training in London at New Inn, one of the Inns of Chancery.[11]:xvii[13] In 1496, More became a student at Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court, where he remained until 1502, when he was called to the Bar.
According to his friend, theologian Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, More once seriously contemplated abandoning his legal career to become a monk.[14][15] Between 1503 and 1504 More lived near the Carthusian monastery outside the walls of London and joined in the monks' spiritual exercises. Although he deeply admired their piety, More ultimately decided to remain a layman, standing for election to Parliament in 1504 and marrying the following year.[11]:xxi
In spite of his choice to pursue a secular career, More continued ascetical practices for the rest of his life, such as wearing a hair shirt next to his skin and occasionally engaging in flagellation.[11]:xxi A tradition of the Third Order of Saint Francis honours More as a member of that Order on their calendar of saints.
More married Jane Colt in 1505.[12]:118 She was 5 years younger than her husband, quiet and good-natured.[12]:119 Erasmus reported that More wanted to give his young wife a better education than she had previously received at home, and tutored her in music and literature.[12]:119 The couple had four children before Jane died in 1511: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cicely, and John.[12]:132
Going "against friends' advice and common custom," within thirty days More had married one of the many eligible women among his wide circle of friends.[17] He certainly expected a mother to take care of his little children and, as the view of his time considered marriage as an "economic union",[18] he chose a rich widow, Alice Harpur Middleton.[19] More is regarded not getting remarried for sexual pleasure, since Alice is much older than himself, and their marriage possibly had not been consummated.[18] The speed of the marriage was so unusual that More had to get a dispensation of the banns, which, due to his good public reputation, he easily obtained.[17] Alice More lacked Jane's docility; More's friend Andrew Ammonius derided Alice as a "hook-nosed harpy."[20] Erasmus, however, called their marriage happy.[12]:144
More had no children from his second marriage, although he raised Alice's daughter from her previous marriage as his own. More also became the guardian of two young girls: Anne Cresacre would eventually marry his son, John More;[12]:146 and Margaret Giggs (later Clement) would be the only member of his family to witness his execution (she died on the 35th anniversary of that execution, and her daughter married More's nephew William Rastell). An affectionate father, More wrote letters to his children whenever he was away on legal or government business, and encouraged them to write to him often.[12]:150[21]:xiv
More insisted upon giving his daughters the same classical education as his son, a highly unusual attitude at the time.[12]:146–47 His eldest daughter, Margaret, attracted much admiration for her erudition, especially her fluency in Greek and Latin.[12]:147 More told his daughter of his pride in her academic accomplishment in September 1522, after he showed the bishop a letter she had written:
When he saw from the signature that it was the letter of a lady, his surprise led him to read it more eagerly … he said he would never have believed it to be your work unless I had assured him of the fact, and he began to praise it in the highest terms … for its pure Latinity, its correctness, its erudition, and its expressions of tender affection. He took out at once from his pocket a portague [A Portuguese gold coin] … to send to you as a pledge and token of his good will towards you.[21]:152
More's decision to educate his daughters set an example for other noble families. Even Erasmus became much more favourable once he witnessed their accomplishments.[12]:149
A portrait of More and his family was painted by Holbein, but it was lost in a fire in the 18th century. More's grandson commissioned a copy, two versions of which survive.
In 1504 More was elected to Parliament to represent Great Yarmouth, and in 1510 began representing London.[22]
From 1510, More served as one of the two undersheriffs of the City of London, a position of considerable responsibility in which he earned a reputation as an honest and effective public servant. More became Master of Requests in 1514,[23] the same year in which he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor.[24] After undertaking a diplomatic mission to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, accompanying Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York, to Calais and Bruges, More was knighted and made under-treasurer of the Exchequer in 1521.[24]
As secretary and personal adviser to King Henry VIII, More became increasingly influential: welcoming foreign diplomats, drafting official documents, and serving as a liaison between the King and Lord Chancellor Wolsey. More later served as High Steward for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
In 1523 More was elected as knight of the shire (MP) for Middlesex and, on Wolsey's recommendation, the House of Commons elected More its Speaker.[24] In 1525 More became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with executive and judicial responsibilities over much of northern England.
More supported the Catholic Church and saw the Protestant Reformation as heresy, a threat to the unity of both church and society. More believed in the theology, polemics, and ecclesiastical laws of the church, and "heard Luther's call to destroy the Catholic Church as a call to war."[25]
His early actions against the Reformation included aiding Wolsey in preventing Lutheran books from being imported into England, spying on and investigating suspected Protestants, especially publishers, and arresting anyone holding in his possession, transporting, or selling the books of the Protestant Reformation. More vigorously suppressed the travelling country ministers who used Tyndale's English translation of the New Testament.[citation needed] It contained controversial translations of certain words; for example, Tyndale used "senior" and "elder" rather than "priest" for the Greek "presbyteros", and some of the marginal glosses challenged Catholic doctrine.[26] It was during this time that most of his literary polemics appeared.
Rumours circulated during and after More's lifetime regarding ill-treatment of heretics during his time as Lord Chancellor. The popular anti-Catholic polemicist John Foxe, who "placed Protestant sufferings against the background of... the Antichrist",[27] was instrumental in publicising accusations of torture in his famous Book of Martyrs, claiming that More had often personally used violence or torture while interrogating heretics. Later authors such as Brian Moynahan and Michael Farris cite Foxe when repeating these allegations.[28] More himself denied these allegations:
Stories of a similar nature were current even in More's lifetime and he denied them forcefully. He admitted that he did imprison heretics in his house – 'theyr sure kepynge' – he called it – but he utterly rejected claims of torture and whipping... 'so helpe me God.'[12]:298
However, More writes in his "Apology" (1533) that he only applied corporal punishment to two heretics: a child who was caned in front of his family for heresy regarding the Eucharist, and a "feeble-minded" man who was whipped for disrupting prayers.[29]:404 During More's chancellorship, six people were burned at the stake for heresy; they were Thomas Hitton, Thomas Bilney, Richard Bayfield, John Tewkesbery, Thomas Dusgate, and James Bainham.[12]:299–306 Moynahan has argued that More was influential in the burning of Tyndale, as More's agents had long pursued him, even though this took place over a year after his own death.[30] Burning at the stake had long been a standard punishment for heresy; about thirty burnings had taken place in the century before More's elevation to Chancellor, and burning continued to be used by both Catholics and Protestants during the religious upheaval of the following decades.[31] His biographer Peter Ackroyd notes that More explicitly "approved of Burning".[12]:298
John Tewkesbury was a London leather seller found guilty by Bishop of London John Stokesley[32] of harbouring banned books; he was sentenced to burning for refusing to recant. More declared: he "burned as there was neuer wretche I wene better worthy."[33]
Modern commentators are divided over More's religious actions as Chancellor. Some biographers, including Ackroyd, have taken a relatively tolerant view of More's campaign against Protestantism by placing his actions within the turbulent religious climate of the time. Others have been more critical, such as Richard Marius, an American scholar of the Reformation, believing that persecutions were a betrayal of More's earlier humanist convictions, including More's zealous and well-documented advocacy of extermination for Protestants.[29]:386–406
Some Protestants take a different view. In 1980, More was added to the Church of England's calendar of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church, despite being a fierce opponent of the English Reformation that created the Church of England. He was added jointly with John Fisher, to be commemorated every 6 July (the date of More's execution) as "Thomas More, Scholar, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, Reformation Martyrs, 1535".[5] Pope John Paul II honoured him by making him patron saint of statesmen and politicians in October 2000, stating: "It can be said that he demonstrated in a singular way the value of a moral conscience... even if, in his actions against heretics, he reflected the limits of the culture of his time".
As the conflict over supremacy between the Papacy and the King reached its apogee, More continued to remain steadfast in supporting the supremacy of the Pope as Successor of Peter over that of the King of England. In 1530, More refused to sign a letter by the leading English churchmen and aristocrats asking Pope Clement VII to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and also quarrelled with Henry VIII over the heresy laws. In 1531, Henry had isolated More by purging most clergy who supported the papal stance from senior positions in the church. Parliament's reinstatement of the charge of praemunire in 1529 had made it a crime to support in public or office the claim of any authority outside the realm (such as the Papacy) to have a legal jurisdiction superior to the King's. In 1531, a royal decree required the clergy to take an oath acknowledging the King as "Supreme Head" of the Church in England. As a layperson, More did not need to take the oath and the clergy, after some initial resistance, took the oath with the addition of the clause "as far as the law of Christ allows." However, More saw he could not render the support Henry expected from his Lord Chancellor for the policy the King was developing to support the annulment of his marriage with Catherine. In 1532 he petitioned the King to relieve him of his office, alleging failing health. Henry granted his request.
In 1533, More refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn as the Queen of England. Technically, this was not an act of treason, as More had written to Henry acknowledging Anne's queenship and expressing his desire for the King's happiness and the new Queen's health.[34] Despite this, his refusal to attend was widely interpreted as a snub against Anne, and Henry took action against him.
Shortly thereafter, More was charged with accepting bribes, but the charges had to be dismissed for lack of any evidence. In early 1534, More was accused of conspiring with the "Holy Maid of Kent," Elizabeth Barton, a nun who had prophesied against the king's annulment, but More was able to produce a letter in which he had instructed Barton not to interfere with state matters.[citation needed]
On 13 April 1534, More was asked to appear before a commission and swear his allegiance to the parliamentary Act of Succession. More accepted Parliament's right to declare Anne Boleyn the legitimate Queen of England, but, holding fast to the teaching of papal supremacy, he steadfastly refused to take the oath of supremacy of the Crown in the relationship between the kingdom and the church in England. More furthermore publicly refused to uphold Henry's annulment from Catherine. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, refused the oath along with More. The oath reads:[35]
...By reason whereof the Bishop of Rome and See Apostolic, contrary to the great and inviolable grants of jurisdictions given by God immediately to emperors, kings and princes in succession to their heirs, hath presumed in times past to invest who should please them to inherit in other men's kingdoms and dominions, which thing we your most humble subjects, both spiritual and temporal, do most abhor and detest...
With his refusal to support the King's annulment, More's enemies had enough evidence to have the King arrest him on treason. Four days later, Henry had More imprisoned in the Tower of London. There More prepared a devotional Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation. While More was imprisoned in the Tower, Thomas Cromwell made several visits, urging More to take the oath, which he continued to refuse.
On 1 July 1535, More was tried before a panel of judges that included the new Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, as well as Anne Boleyn's father, brother, and uncle. He was charged with high treason for denying the validity of the Act of Supremacy and was tried under the following section of the Treasons Act 1534:
If any person or persons, after the first day of February next coming, do maliciously wish, will or desire, by words or writing, or by craft imagine, invent, practise, or attempt any bodily harm to be done or committed to the king's most royal person, the queen's, or their heirs apparent, or to deprive them or any of them of their dignity, title, or name of their royal estates …
That then every such person and persons so offending … shall have and suffer such pains of death and other penalties, as is limited and accustomed in cases of high treason.[36]
More, relying on legal precedent and the maxim "qui tacet consentire videtur" (literally, who (is) silent is seen to consent), understood that he could not be convicted as long as he did not explicitly deny that the King was Supreme Head of the Church, and he therefore refused to answer all questions regarding his opinions on the subject.
Thomas Cromwell, at the time the most powerful of the King's advisors, brought forth the Solicitor General, Richard Rich, to testify that More had, in his presence, denied that the King was the legitimate head of the church. This testimony was characterised by More as being extremely dubious. Witnesses Richard Southwell and Mr. Palmer both denied having heard the details of the reported conversation, and as More himself pointed out:
Can it therefore seem likely to your Lordships, that I should in so weighty an Affair as this, act so unadvisedly, as to trust Mr. Rich, a Man I had always so mean an Opinion of, in reference to his Truth and Honesty, … that I should only impart to Mr. Rich the Secrets of my Conscience in respect to the King's Supremacy, the particular Secrets, and only Point about which I have been so long pressed to explain my self? which I never did, nor never would reveal; when the Act was once made, either to the King himself, or any of his Privy Councillors, as is well known to your Honours, who have been sent upon no other account at several times by his Majesty to me in the Tower. I refer it to your Judgments, my Lords, whether this can seem credible to any of your Lordships.
The jury took only fifteen minutes, however, to find More guilty.
After the jury's verdict was delivered and before his sentencing, More spoke freely of his belief that "no temporal man may be the head of the spirituality". He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered (the usual punishment for traitors who were not the nobility), but the King commuted this to execution by decapitation. The execution took place on 6 July 1535. When he came to mount the steps to the scaffold, he is widely quoted as saying (to the officials): "I pray you, I pray you, Mr Lieutenant, see me safe up and for my coming down, I can shift for myself"; while on the scaffold he declared that he died "the king's good servant, but God's first."
Another comment he is believed to have made to the executioner is that his beard was completely innocent of any crime, and did not deserve the axe; he then positioned his beard so that it would not be harmed.[39] More asked that his foster/adopted daughter Margaret Clement (née Giggs) be given his headless corpse to bury.[40] She was the only member of his family to witness his execution. He was buried at the Tower of London, in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in an unmarked grave. His head was fixed upon a pike over London Bridge for a month, according to the normal custom for traitors. His daughter Margaret (Meg) Roper rescued it, possibly by bribery, before it could be thrown in the River Thames.[citation needed]
The skull is believed to rest in the Roper Vault of St Dunstan's Church, Canterbury, though some researchers[who?] have claimed it might be within the tomb he erected for More in Chelsea Old Church (see below). The evidence,[clarification needed] however, seems to be in favour of its placement in St Dunstan's, with the remains of his daughter, Margaret Roper, and her husband's family, whose vault it was.[citation needed]
Among other surviving relics is his hair shirt, presented for safe keeping by Margaret Clement.[41] This was long in the custody of the community of Augustinian canonesses who until 1983 lived at the convent at Abbotskerswell Priory, Devon. It is now preserved at Syon Abbey, near South Brent.
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HOUND: I have no intentions of dying, today, Onslaught. Do I, Skylynx?
ONSLAUGHT: Do you think me such a fool, to fall for that? I would have believed you smarter than that.
SKYLYNX: While my friend is nowhere near as smart as I, I do believe he is right on two things. He will not die, today. And I am the Autobot who will be sure of that.