Henri Grace a Dieu

Henry Grace à Dieu by Anonymous
Source: wikimedia commons

13th June 1514, Woolwich Dockyards, London. King Henry VIII flagship, Henri Grace a Dieu, was launched and became the most advanced, biggest (50m long) and heavily armed (43 cannons) warship carrack in the world at that time. "Great Harry" (as nicknamed) was first ship build in Woolwich Dockyard. First Royal dockyards were built at Portsmouth during Henry VII reign with the main purpose to build trade ships. Henry VIII had different priorities - threats from France and Spain make it essential to building warships. Woolwich and Deptford are located close to London, at Thames river.

"(...) there was a threat of war from England's Catholic neighbours, France and Spain. Portsmouth was a long way from the Armouries in the Tower of London, where all ships were equipped with cannon and artillery. To make the building of warships more convenient, Henry decided to build two dockyards on the Thames in 1513. These would be close to London where it was easier to get arms, supplies for building the ships and a ready labour force. Henry chose Woolwich and Deptford as his sites as they were also conveniently near his Palace at Greenwich, which meant that he could watch the shipbuilding in progress." Source: The Royal Dockyards of Deptford and Woolwich 

Wheellock pistol and new era of assasination

Assassination by pistol (not related to Robert Packington)
Source: publicdomainreview.org

It was a misty morning on November 13th, 1536. Robert Packington passing streets in Tudor era London to attend  Mass in Mercers Chapel. Robert was a prominent merchant, member of parliament, Thomas Cromwell associate who carried messages between him and evangelical activist in Europe.

"Packington's route took him past the Great Conduit, a square building in the middle of Cheapside containing the fountain that provided the nearby houses with their water supply. As he crossed the thoroughfare, only a few metres from his destination, a single shot rang out and he fell dead upon the instant." Source: The hunt for the Tudor hitman by Derek Wilson, BBC History Magazine 6/2013

The Sicilian Vespers

Peter III (second from left in upper boat) invading Sicily
Source: wikimedia commons

King Peter III of Aragon coronation as Peter I was result of Sicilian uprise against French despot Charles of Anjou. French rules in Sicily were very unpopular so when during vespers of Easter Monday, March 30th, 1282 at the Church of the Holy Spirit group of French soldiers join Italian crowd during local wedding. His misbehave cause anger eruption in local people. Angry crowd kill him and other soldiers. This bloody event start uprising that end with numerous killed French soldiers and Sicilian inhabitants.
This event gave Peter opportunity to invade Sicily to claim his rights to throne, which happened on February 2nd, 1283
Peter's wife Constance, heir of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. That's make additional threads for papacy already frightened by powers of German emperors. To counterweight it pope Martin IV support French king and therefore also Charles as Sicily ruler. However Martin don't know that Peter had built his fleet with strong financial support from East Roman Emperor Michael Paleologos. Martin dream was to unite west and east church but wasn't aware about plans of his ally Charles who plan to used fleet build using pope money to conquer Constantinople although officially build for next Crusade against Islam.

Mysterious Voynich manuscript decoded?

Page from Voynich Manuscript
Source: wikimedia commons

Last week I spot in Amazon webshop  BBC Focus Magazine available for subscription and start trial period. Inside first issue I've found interesting article about latest attempt to decode mysterious Voynich manuscript.
The name of this manuscript comes from name of a Polish revolutionary, later British antiquarian and bibliophile Wilfrid M. Voynich. He found and bought this book on 1912 at the Villa Mondragone in Italy.

"Its 240 parchment pages are filled with an intricate script and page after page of colored illustrations showing plants, patterns of stars and groupings of squat, naked nymphs. Since its purchase in Italy in 1912 by Polish-American book collector Wilfred Voynich, the book has been an enigma." Source: The mystery of the Voynich Manuscript, BBC Focus Magazine 5/2014

Wilfrid Voynich claim that book must be Roger Bacon work which than have series of notable owner through ages:

Shi Huangdi search for immortality

Mount Penglai - Mount of Immortals
Source: wikimedia commons

Immortality obsessed many powerful rulers - China first emperor Shi Huangdi wasn't here exception. When he succeed in uniting Chine for first time in history, he started to be obsessed with immortality. Surviving numerous assassination attempts he was now perfectly guarded but still aware that he is mortal. According to legend on Mount Peglai located on:

"(...) a mountainous archipelago in the Yellow Sea where immortality, or a means of obtaining it, was reputed commonplace." Source: Keay, J. China: A History, Kindle edition, p. 103

Shi Huangdi visit the Zhifu Island on Bohai Sea three times in order to find Elixir of Life. When failed he send Taoist Xu Fu with several hundreds boys and girls in search of paradise but they never returned - see below description from John Keay book:

Saint Brendan and Garden of Edens

Saint Brendan and the whale
from a 15th-century manuscript
Source: wikimedia commons

Quest for Gardens of Eden had been always temptation  for adventurers. One of the earliest was Saint Brendan whose feast day was celebrated last Friday (May 16th). Saint Brendan nick name is "the Navigator" as per his legendary travels described in "Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis" ("Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot"). Saint Brendan was born in Tralee in south-west corner of Ireland around 484 AD. He was baptised by Saint Erc and later ordained as priest in 512 AD. Since then he sailed around Islands surrounding Ireland and founding monasteries. The best known was Clonfert in Galeway. This voyages temptate him to risk more far away travel - to search for Garden of Eden:

"Saint Brendan travel to an Island, that he described as being Garden of Eden. He claimed that Garden Of Eden was an mountain that was hidden behind some clouds." Source: Decoding The Past Mysteries Of The Garden Of Eden, Youtube 

Golden cows

Golden cows statues erected outside an office block
in Beijing in preparation for
the Chinese Spring Festival 2009Source: DailyMail

I would like to start this week post with short explanation why I switch so unexpectedly from Crusades/European topic to Ancient China. Explanation is that I decided to go for this year holiday to China so I want to be also better prepared. For this I start reading John Keay "China: A History".
Last week my attention was dragged about story of great-great-great-grandfather of famous first China Emperor Shi Huangdi - king Huiwen of Qin. His attention was dragged by reach, fertile land of silk and money