Thomas Becket's assassination created a legacy for him. As a result of his assassination, he became a mater and a saint. Becket's feast day is on the 29th of December. A day which marks the day he was assassinated. Thomas Becket was killed on the 29th of December 1170. By King Henry II. Why was Thomas Becket assassinated by King Henry II men? Becket and Henry were good friends. However, towards the end of Becket's life, both men clashed over clerical role in society. Henry viewed the church as something which was subject to the law. Whereas Becket viewed the church as being above the law. Their disagreement became very bitter by October 1164. When at Northampton Castle the two men were involved in a heated and nasty exchange. This resulted in Becket fleeing to France – it was that bitter. Becket remained in exile in France for six years. He returned home to Canterbury in 1170. A fatal mistake by him. During his return, the king is reported to have said, 'Will no one rid me of this priest'. Henry's guards took that to mean that the king wanted him murdered. On the 29th of December 1170, four of the kings guards made their way to Canterbury. Reaching Canterbury Cathedral on the 29th of December 1170. It was there that the four men attacked Becket and murdered him. They first horribly butchered him, then cracked open his skull. A fatal wound which killed Thomas Becket.
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This is a list of 10 interesting things which happened at Christmastime, during history. History has had many fascinating and important events surrounding the Yuletide season. Let us start with number one - William the Conqueror. 1. William the Conqueror On Christmas Day in 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. William the Conqueror was crowned at Wesminster Abbey. He became king after he invaded England, and defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. On the 14th of October, 1066. William is not only known for 1066, but also for his architecture. It was William the Conqueror who gave us many castles and famous landmarks - such as the Tower of London. 2. Christmas is cancelled Oliver Cromwell brought a period of uncertainty to the British Isles when he was military leader. That uncertainty also existed during the festive season. Christmas time during Cromwell's leadership wasn't a very pleasant one. He is associated with banning Christmas . Markets and shops were forced to stay open on Christmas Day. People were prevented from going to Christmas Day mass. And, those who were found with Christmas food, were forced to had it over to authorities. Oliver Cromwell to this day remains a controversial figure. 3. World War I Christmas truce On Christmas Day in 1914, it is believed that a truce came into force between the two opposing sides. It was reported that peace existed for that day, during one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Soldiers left their trenches and went into no man's land. Accounts of them; exchanging gifts, playing football and carol singing have all been reported. By the start of World War I, it was assumed that the war would be over before Christmas. This wasn't to be. Those on the battlefield became aware of this. And therefore, looked for truces. 4. George Washington George Washington and his troops set sail across the Delaware River, on Christmas Day, 1776. The river was icy, so it was a risk. But, a risk which paid off for Washington. It paid off due to his opponents guard being down. Since it was the Christmas season, the attack was surprising. A risk it may have been, but clever. He attacked German soilders known as Hessains. This happened at the end of the Revolutionary War. But, it was a pivotal moment in US history, and world history. For it paved the way towards what we know today as - the United States of America. 5. Soviet Union invades Afghanistan The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on the 24th of December, 1979. A total of 30,000 troops were sent into Afghanistan. The conflict lasted for nine years. From December 1979 until February 1989. And was known as the Soviet-Afghan war. The war was one of the bloodiest in modern history. It is estimated that as many as 2 million people were killed. It was also a failure for the USSR forces. The Soviet-Afghan war was one of the most important turning points in modern history. It was responsible for weaking the USSR. Which eventually collapsed in 1991, just two years after the war ended. And arguably influential in today's wars in the Middle East.
Boxing Day's history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages on Boxing Day, poor people would recieve gifts. These gifts were given to them by rich people, these gifts would be in boxes. Hence the name 'Boxing Day' was given. The poor would receive piggy banks in these boxes, with money inside. However, Boxing Day would become more prominent by the Victorians. The Victorians, like those from the Middle Ages, gave boxes of gifts on Boxing Day. These boxes were given from the rich, to their poor servants. It became a time when we saw Christmas whittled down to a two day celebration, much like we see today. A celebration which lasts over Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Beforehand, the Victorians, like generations before them, celebrated Christmas over a twelve day period. However, with industrialisation, that tradition became lost - through people moving from the countryside to the cities - which had an effect on how the Victorians celebrated Christmas. Boxing Day is mostly a Christmas holiday in the commonwealth nations. Such as; Australia, Canada and New Zealand. And of course, within the United Kingdom. Through the height of the British Empire, the custom and traditions of Boxing Day and Christmas were adopted in many of the commonwealth nations. Today, Boxing Day is largely about; taking time off work, shopping and sports events.
As 2016 winds down, I want to say thank you for everyone who enjoys and reads my site. I hope you enjoy reading my blog posts, and following the real time tweets as much as I have enjoyed creating, writing and researching them.
It has only just occurred to me that Real Time History is now one years old. I love every minute of working on this site – and I could not do it without you, the people who follow my blog – so thank you! But, now looking toward the future. 2017. I have three main ideas and aims for next year. Two of those ideas and aims and ideas are more real time tweets. So, let's look at some of the things coming in 2017, for Real Time History. Titanic Real Time Tweets The first main event of 2017, is going to be Titanic Real Time Tweets. We will follow the events of the Titanic as it happened it real time. Step-by-step. Day-by-day. And, on the night of the sinking minute-by-minute. The Titanic real time tweets will also be accompanied by blog tweets, historical sources and more. There hasn't been an offical date set for Titanic real time tweets. But, they will start early on in the year. Hope to see you then! In the Autumn (Fall), we are going back to Whitechapel in 1888. Since the ripper events happened in the early hours of the morning, you're either going to need a lot of coffee to stay up. Or, you can catch up on the tweets the following morning! Either way, the ripper events are fascinating. Mainly due to the mystery which surrounds them. It sometimes seem that the more questions that are answered with Jack the Ripper, the more tht new questions pop up. We will keep the ripper tweets PG, or as near to that as possible - considering that reading about the events of 1888 can be quite graphic. But, blogs and theories will be put forward. Your opinion on the subject will be intresting! The next thing we will be looking at throughout the year is, historical food and recipes. Ever wanted to know what the Victorians ate? Ever wanted to know what the Tudors ate? What those in the Middle Ages ate? Well, if you do, great! Because we are going to be focusing on that throughout the year! Sometimes what those ate in historical times, is largely different from what we eat today. You may roll your eyes or feel sick and some of the things humanity ate in the past. But, you will also want to try to fabulous things that the Victorians, Tudors and those in the Middle Ages ate - it wasn't all bad!
There will also be other things happening. Blog posts about historical things, births, and deaths. If you have any more suggestions, I would love to hear it below. And consider your suggestions.
Other than that, thank you for supporting my blog over the past year. I couldn't create this without you. My followers. A Happy Historical Christmas to you. And a prosperous New Year! :) Jennifer xox Adolf Hitler was released from Landsberg Prison, on the 20th of December, 1924. Hitler was arrested on the 11th of November, 1923. The arrest came from a failed attempted coup by Hitler. The coup was known as 'The Beer Hall Putsch.' The Beer Hall Putsch happened between the 8th of November and the 9th of November 1923, in Munich. It may have been a failed attempted coup by Hitler and the Nazis, however, it became a pivotal moment in the history for them. For one thing, it brought Hitler to the attention of the German people. It also brought the Nazi ideology to light. Mainly through press attention - newspaper headlines. Two days after the failed coup, Adolf Hitler was arrested by the German authorities on the 11th of November, 1923. He was arrested on charges of high treason. And was put on trial for 24 days.
The trial drew much attention to Hitler and his nationalist ideology. But, it was to be his time spent during prison that he would make an historical impact. Through the writing of his book; Mein Kampf.
Mein Kampf outlined Hitler's vision for the future of Germany. It also laid out his ideology and his anti-Semitism. Despite this, the book was popular at the time. In monetary terms today, it made Adolf Hitler the equivalent of over £1 million pounds. When Hitler rose to power, Mein Kampf became even more popular. By 1939, Mein Kampf had sold over 5 million copies, in 11 languages. But, as Hitler grew more popular, he distanced himself from the book. Claiming that it was, ''fantasies behind bars.'' He became that embarrassed by the book that he said, ''If I knew I was going to become Chancellor, I would never have written the book.'' But he did, and it was for Mein Kampf that Hitler would become most notorious for during his time in prison. Although Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He only served a few months.
On the 20th of December, in 1192, Richard I was captured on his way home from the Third Crusade.
The Third Crusade was a war in which European monarchs, such as King Richard I of England, attempted to capture the Holy Land. At the end of the Third Crusade, Richard and the Saladin (the first Sultan of Egypt), drew up a treaty to settle the matter. The war ended in 1192. And Richard I made his way home to England on the 2nd of October, when he departed the Holy Land. As he was travelling home, bad weather near Venice drove Richard I onshore. It was here that Richard was captured and imprisoned by Leopold, Duke of Austria. The Duke of Austria then handed Richard over to German emperor, Henry VI, on the 28th of March, 1193. Richard was then imprisoned again, this time by Henry VI. He was imprisoned in Trifels Castle, in South West Germany. Richards imprisonment did not last long. He was pardoned by Henry VI, with a price tg costing 150,000 marks. Richard I was a free man again, he was released by Henry VI on the 4th of February, 1194. After his release, Richard returned to England. However, his stay was not long. And in May, 1194, Richard once again set sail over seas. This time to Normanday, in France. Unknown to Richard, he would never see England again. His last years as King of England were fought fighting in France. After four years of fighting in France, Richard was wounded in battle. On the 26th of March, 1199, Richard was wounded by an arrow shot by a crossbow. The wound became infected. And it finally killed Richard on the 6th of April, 1199. Richard I was succeeded by his brother, John. Who becameJohn of England.
The Tudors were a lively bunch; Christmas was no exception for them. There are some parts of the Tudors Chirstmas that we would recognise to this day. The most obvious thing that we would recognise about the Tudor Christmas is the religious aspect of it. The Tudors treated Christmas as a religious celebration, we still do today to some exctent. It was about celebrating the birth of Jesus. The time of celebrating the nativety. Going to church for the Tudors was a very important part of the Christmas celebrations. People during the Tudor era also had a long holiday, in todays terms. Today we have few days of work, a few days at Christmas, a few days at New Year - if we are lucky. However, for the Tudors, their time off was longer. They had a total of twelve days of from work. This was known as the Twelve Days. The Twelve Days of Christmas largely focused around giving a break to those who worked on the land. During Tudor times, this would have been the majority of people. Although serious feasting was largely reserved for the well-off. Such as royalty and the upper-classes. Those of the lower classes also feasted. We would recognise some of the things which Tudors ate at Christmas. Such as mince pies. However, those who could afford it, dined by eating goose. Even though it was the Victorians who popularized the eating of Turkey at Christmas, it can traced way back to Henry VIII. Henry VIII is the first king we know of who ate turkey on Christmas day. Besides the feasting, carol singing was also a popular part of Christmas celebrtions for the Tudors. Carol singing during the Tudor era, is thought to have been done to spread the story of the nativity. Yule log burning was also popular during the era. On Christmas Eve, Yule logs were wrapped in ribbons. They were then placed on the hearth. And were left to burn for the tweleve days of Christmas. Some of the Tudor celebrations which surrounded Christmas are unfamiliar to us. And some are very familiar to us. We've already looked at 5 things whih happened in Whitechapel in December, 1888, now we are going to look at 5 more things in this article. By December, 1888, the ripper terror still gripped the heart of the Whitechapel. The people of the Whitechapel area in London, still lived in fear of Jack the Ripper. At the time, the people of Whitechapel did not know at this point that they had seen the last of Jack the Ripper's murders. For all they new, Jack the Ripper was still at large. And he could strike again at any moment. As contemporaries, it is easy to forget this. It's easy for forget that December, 1888, was still the height of the ripper fear. We too often think that that fear stopped with the last murder of Mary Jane Kelly, which occured on November 9th, 1888. Therefore, Whitechapel in December 1888, was still very eventful. Let us now see five more things which happened in December, 1888 in Whitechapel.
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1. Rose Mylett Murdered
Rose Mylett was murdered on the 20th of December, 1888. Even though Rose Mylett is not considered to by a Canonical Five victim, her death raised suspicion and fear that Jack the Ripper had struck again. Was Rose Mylett a victim of Jack the Ripper? Rose was found in the same area that the other victims were found - in the Whitechapel district. Her body was found near Commercial Road. Commercial Road is near to the location that Elizabeth Stride was found. The location of Rose Mylett's found body is not the only thing which makes her a potential victim of Jack the Ripper. She also was a prostitue. And was discribed as being 'very drunk'. on the night of her murder. The timing of her death also leads her to be a potential victim of the ripper. Mylett was last seen alive with two men, at 2.30am in the morning of the 20th of December, 1888. However, her body was found murdered at 4.15am that same morning. Her body was still warm - meaning that she wasn't long dead. The timing of her death fits with all of the other ripper victims, but police did rule out her being a victim of Jack the Ripper. Mainly because there was evidence that she was strangled to death. The rippers second victim, Annie Chapman, also showed signs of being strangled.
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2. David Cohen transfer David Cohen was transfered to an asylum called, The Colney Hatch Asylum, on the 21st of December, 1888. He was previously arrested on the 7th of December, 1888. Cohen was arrested by police, after he was walking around the streets of Whitechapel - seemingly insane. At first Cohen was transfered to the Whitechapel Workhouse Infirmary - after he was arrested by police. But he wasn't deemed mentally well enough to be in a workhouse. Which led to him being moved to an assylum. 3. David Cohen classed dangerous This was not the first time that David ohen would be moved. He was moved again by authority figures on the 28th of December, 1888. This time he wasn't moved to a different location, or asylum, he was moved to be seperated from fellow patients at the asylum. Because he was dangerous and physically ill. This has led to David Cohen as being viewed as a ripper suspect. 4. Sir Macnaughten's father dies Sir Melville Macnaughten's father dies on Christmas Eve, 1888. Macnaughten was not part of the Whitechapel police unit at this point. However, he would later on. And he would become an influential figure in the ripper case. He joined the Whitechapel police force in 1889, to study the ripper murders. It is not this that he is most remembered for, though. Manaughten is most remembered for his Macnaughten Memoranda. In his memoranda, he names three men who he believes to have been Jack the Ripper. The problem with the Macnaughten Memoranda though, is that it is full of weak evidence. Or, non-existent evidence. 5. Walter Andrews In December 1888, Inspector Walter Andrews was sent to New York, to investigate a possible ripper suspect. Inspector Walter Andrews should not be confussed with PC Walter Andrews, who was another man. We do not know that much about Inspector Walter Andrews. However, we do know that he was sent to New York to investigate ripper suspect Francis Tumblety. Francis Tumblety was a primary suspect by police. He is still regarded as a ripper suspect to this day.
We are going to look at ten things which happened in Whitechapel, during December,1888. It is often assumed that after Mary Jane Kelly's murder, that the ripper events stopped. Which is not true. Mary Jane Kelly was the last of the Canonical Five women to have been murdered by Jack the Ripper. However, it is debated to this day whether she was the last woman to have been murdered by Jack the Ripper. You just have to look at forums on Casebook, to see how people still debate this. There are some ripperologists who argue that Mary Jane Kelly was not the last victim of Jack the Ripper. It is up for debate how many women were murdered by the hand of Jack the Ripper. However, during December, 1888 in Whitechapel, the terror still existed. It existed for a number of reasons. But one main one; Jack the Ripper was still at large. Or at least, people assumed that Jack the Ripper was still at large - since he was never caught by police. Which brings us to our first event which was happening during December 1888.
By December 1888, Jack the Ripper was probably still at large. Obviously since we do not know who Jack the Ripper was, we can't be certain of this. However, it seems likely that he was still alive. It seems likely because Jack took breaks between his murders. For example, during October 1888, there were no murders, that we know of, that were committed by Jack the Ripper. This is an indication that he still could have been alive during December, 1888. But, we will probably never know for certain. Most ripperologists think that Jack had probably been incarcerated, or jailed for another reason. However, there is possibly another reason. He could have died of natural causes. He could have been murdered himself. Committed suicide. Or even just stopped. Some have argued that serial killers don't just stop killing, and therefore Jack the Ripper couldn't have just stopped killing. However, this is generally thought to be a myth. The FBI says that serial killers have just stopped in the past before – therefore, it's possible that Jack just stopped – and was never caught. Why the murders stopped will probably always remain a mystery to us.
2. The Fairy Fay Story
Two authors at the time of the murders, claimed that a woman named Fairy Fay had been murdered by Jack the Ripper. The murder was said to have took place on Boxing Day, or Boxing Day night - which is the 26th of December, 1888. The murder though is largely thought to have been a hoax by the two authors. The Fairy Fay murder is largely thought to have been a hoax because there are no police records of her, or press reports of the murder. Therefore, it seems unlikely that this murder actually did happen. 3. Montague Druitt commits suicide One of the Jack the Ripper suspects, Montague Druitt, committed suicide in December, 1888. It was probably on the 1st of December, 1888. The timing of his suicide has led many to believe tht he was Jack the Ripper. Some see it as suspicious. And considering the murders stopped just a short while after Druitt's suicide, it draws many people to claim he was Jack the Ripper. The death is coincidental. And is not enough to prove that he was Jack the Ripper. In fact, apart from his timely suicide, and being named by police officer as being Jack the Ripper, there is no evidence to say that Druitt was Jack the Ripper. 4. Joseph Issacs arrested On the 6th of December, 1888,Joseph Issaacs was arrested on suspicion of being Jack the Ripper. Today, there is not really much information that we have about Joseph Issacs. We do know that he was seen as a potential Jack the Ripper by police, because of his arrest in December, 1888. The police viewed Issacs as a strong suspect. He matched the image that many eye witnesses discribed what is thought to be Jack the Ripper. His apperance was; a man with black moustache, Astrakhan trimmed coat, and was short. He was also polish and a Jew - something that several witnessess had claimed Jack the Ripper was. 5. David Cohen arrested Another suspect was arrested in December 1888, just a day after Joseph Issacs was arrested. The man who was arrested was named as 'David Cohen.' This was not his real name, it was a name given to him by police. We do not know what his real name was, as he was found by police while insane. Perhaps David Cohen is a strong suspect for being Jack the Ripper. The reason for this being that this man was walking about the streets insane - however it is debatable whether or not Jack the Ripper was insane. There are two other good reasons that we should regard Cohen as a Jack the Ripper suspect. The first being that, David Cohen had to be sent to a workhouse, due to the fact that he was insane. It is said that Cohen was violent in the workhouse, and would attack other people there. This violence would fit the discription of Jack the Ripper. However, there is one good reason to refute this - Jack the Ripper had a type that he murdered. All of his victims were female prostitues. Most were middle-aged. Like all serial killers, Jack choose his victims dilibratley - rather than just lashing out. Therefore, on the surface it seems like Cohen is a potential Jack, but when we analyze him more, he doesn't seem to fit. One more thing that makes Cohen a suspects, the murders stopped around the time he was sent to the workhouse. This alone isn't enough to say he was Jack the Ripper though. The Victorians invented the Christmas that we see today. That doesn't mean that the Victorians invented Christmas. It means that most of our customs and traditions surround Christmas, actually come from the Victorians. In other words, modern Christmas celebrations have Victorian origins. It is thought that Christmas wasn't as big a deal before the Victorian era. For example, Christmas wasn't considered to be a national holiday for business before the Victorians. Before the Victorian era, homes in Britain did not have the decorations that we have today. Especially when it comes to Christmas trees. The Christmas tree is thought to have started in Great Britain by Prince Albert, Queen Victorias husband. The Christmas tree is not the only thing which was started by the Victorians. Another thing which was started by the Victorians was, Christmas cards. The custom of sending Christmas cards was started in 1843, by Sir Henry Cole. Cole, along with his artist friend, John Horsley, designed and sold the first Christmas card in Britain. The purpose was to help ordinary Brits spread goodwill at Christmas. However, at the time, only rich people could affort to buy and sell Christmas cards. It wasn't until 1860 and 1870 that buying and sending Christmas cards became more popular. Largely because it became cheaper to buy and post Christmas cards, and therefore, more people could buy them. It is not only the Christmas card which was invented by the Victorians, the Victorians also invented the Christmas cracker. The Christmas cracker was invented by a sweet shop owner named, Tom Smith, in 1847. Tom Smith Christmas crackers is still a shop today, selling Christmas crackers. The idea behind Tom Smith's Christmas crackers was to sell sweets in a unique, and unsual way. In the later Victorian era, the sweets placed in the Christmas crackers were replaced with; small gifts and paper hats. The kind of things that we would find in Christmas crackers today. Christmas crackers were not the only thing that the Victorians made a focal point of Christmas, they also did the same with Christmas decorations. That's not to say before the Victorians decorations weren't a feature of Christmas celebrations, they were. Beforehand, simple evergreens were used. Synthetic Christmas decorations were started with the Victorians. And it became popular to decorate the home. We can also thank, or curse the Victorians for the comercilization of Christmas. Beforehand, traditional Christmas gifts were actually given at New Year, on New Years day. However, the Victorians moved that to Christmas Day. And the focus became of larger and bigger gifts. One of the last things that the Victorians invented was the Christmas dinner we have today. Before the Victorians, people used to eat things such as beef or goose on Christmas Day. But, the Victorians made turkey the main feast at Christmas Day. To start with, turkey was only available to those who were wealthy. However, as time went on, more and more people could afford turkey at Christmas - it became more accessible. The Christmas that we see today is very much a Victorian invention. The idea that Christmas should be centered around; feasting, the family, gift giving and entertainment all have their Victorian roots.
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