‘It may be the Day of Judgment or it may not. If it is not, there is no reason for a postponement; if it is, I choose to be found fulfilling my duty. Therefore, I want candles to be brought’. This is the famous phrase uttered by Abraham Davenport, a member of the Governor’s Council […]
Jorge Álvarez
Degree in History and Diploma in Archival and Library Science. Founder and director of Apuntes magazine (2002-2005). Creator of the blog El Viajero Incidental. Travel and tourism blogger since 2009 in Viajeros. Editor of LBV Magazine.
Posted inArt
Singerie, the pictorial genre originated in Middle Ages depicting monkeys imitating human behavior
Reading the title of this article, more than one may wonder what madness this is, but seeing the accompanying images will understand it better… unless you run off in search of a psychiatrist. Jokes aside, since the Modern Age, it became fashionable among painters to create paintings with scenes of everyday life (playing cards, going […]
Posted inAge of Exploration
A Sailor’s Mistake: Martin Frobisher and the Pyrite Pirates Who Duped England
Francis Drake was a magnificent sailor elevated to the status of a legend in England for circumnavigating the globe (fifty-nine years after Spanish Juan Sebastian Elcano did it) and for his encounters with the Spaniards, some successful and others not so much. But he was not the only one. That 16th-century England opened up to […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Lady of Arintero, the young woman who posed as a man to fight for Isabella I of Castile
We wrote on other occasions about women who had a more or less prominent role in warfare. We’ve seen Vikings, Welsh, Bretons, and, in short, individuals from various nationalities, including several Spanish women. Today, we’ll focus on the national women, recalling the story of the Lady of Arintero, the daughter of a Leonese noble who, […]
Posted inCulture
An Antarctic Mystery: How Jules Verne wrote the Sequel to an Edgar Allan Poe Novel
Along with Journey to the Center of the Earth, Five Weeks in a Balloon, and some others, An Antarctic Mystery has always been one of my favorite novels by Jules Verne; partly because of the work itself and partly due to the magnificent comic book adaptation by artist José Duarte Minarro in 1973 for that […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Who were the Patricians?, the aristocratic class that Romulus created to lead ancient Rome
“Said of a person: belonging to the upper class” or “Individual who, due to birth, wealth, and virtues, stands out among his fellow citizens.” According to dictionary, these are the usual meanings today for the word “patrician” … unless we are talking about ancient Rome, in which case the term refers to a person “who […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Antiquity
From Principate to Dominate: When Roman Emperors Became Boastful Autocrats
The history of Rome is often divided into three basic phases: Monarchy, Republic, and Empire. However, historiographical terms have been introduced to detail more specific stages. For example, the Empire can be subdivided into Principate and Dominate. The Principate corresponds to the period from the rise to power of Augustus (27 BCE) to Diocletian (284 […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Quirina, the Roman Tribe to Which Vespasian Assigned All People from Hispania When Granting Citizenship
In 74 AD, Emperor Vespasian enacted the Latin Edict, providing Latin citizenship to Hispania’s provinces, serving as a bridge to full Roman citizenship. This move significantly contributed to Hispania’s Romanization.
Posted inAncient Greece
The Battle of Cnidus: When Athenians and Persians Allied to Destroy the Spartan Fleet and Halt Their Dominance at Sea
The Peloponnesian War ended with Spartan victory but Persian influence. Athens, devastated, eventually challenged Sparta again, leading to a tactical win at the Battle of Cnidus. This complex struggle involving alliances and strategies ultimately benefited the Persian Empire.
Posted inMiddle Ages, Modern Era
The Last Descendants of the Byzantine Emperors Settled on the Caribbean Island of Barbados
The French adventurer Victor Hughes, featured in Alejo Carpentier’s novel The Century of Lights, recounts in a passage some of the wonders he has seen in his travels, including “in Barbados, the tomb of a nephew of Constantine XI, the last emperor of Byzantium, whose ghost appears on stormy nights to solitary wanderers…“. He refers […]