History Trivia

On July 23

 365 a great earthquake struck the eastern Mediterranean and destroyed the Roman city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus.

685 John V became Roman Catholic pope. He was the first pope of the Byzantine Papacy allowed to be consecrated by the Byzantine Emperor without prior consent, and the first in a line of ten consecutive popes of Eastern origin. His papacy was marked by reconciliation between the city of Rome and the Empire.

1148 Crusaders attacked Damascus.

1313 Bridget the patron saint of Sweden who founded the Brigittine Order died. Bridget was a Swedish princess renowned for her piety from her childhood; she was given in marriage to Ulf, Prince of Mercia, by whom she had a large family. After Ulf's death in 1344 and with the help of King Magnus, she established on her own estate at Vadstena the first monastery for men and women, of which Katherine, her daughter, became the first Abbess soon after her death in 1375. At this time double monasteries were not unusual: the monks and nuns used the same chapel, but lived in separate wings of the monastery, the confessor alone having access to the nuns.

1540 Thomas Cromwell one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation during the reign of Henry VIII was condemned to death without trial and beheaded on Tower Hill.

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An Interview with author RaShelle Workman

Welcome to Meet The Author.  Today we are fortunate to have with us RaShelle Workman, author of Aligned: an Immortal Essence Short Story, Exiled, Sleeping Roses, and the Blood and Snow series.  RaShelle is also a lover of books, baking, and toffee-making, and considers herself to be an Honorary nerd with attitude.

RaShelle has graciously agreed to give us a little insight into her life and her books, but before we get started, I would like to wish RaShelle a very Happy Birthday.  After you blow out your candles, we would like to know:

When did you start writing?

I began seriously writing in the fall of 2003. I finished the first draft of my first novel in early 2004.

What projects have been published?

I have six books published. Sleeping Roses, a romantic suspense. Aligned: An Immortal Essence Short Story, and Exiled. Both of those are young adult sci-fi romance. And then recently my Blood and Snow series – Blood and Snow #1, Revenant in Training #2, & The Vampire Christopher #3 - a young adult fractured fairytale based on Snow White.

Tell us about Sleeping Roses.

The summary is: Her marriage may be dangerous, but leaving could be deadly.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m reading several different books. The one that keeps popping back into my mind is a young adult series called Peachville High Demons by Sarra Cannon.

To find out more about RaShelle and where to purchase her books, go to:

RaShelle’s website

http://www.rashelleworkman.com.

To purchase RaShelle’s books, visit her Amazon author page

 http://www.amazon.com/RaShelle-Workman/e/B006HUU6SS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1342894099&sr=8-2-ent .

History Trivia

On July 22

259  Dionysius  was elected as bishop of Rome, succeeding Sixtus II. 

 838 Battle of Anzen: the Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffered a heavy defeat by the Abbasid Caliphate.

1099 First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Jerusalem.

1298 Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Falkirk – King Edward I of England and his longbowmen defeated William Wallace and his Scottish schiltrons outside the town of Falkirk. 

1484 Battle of Lochmaben Fair A 500-man raiding party led by Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas were defeated by Scots forces loyal to Albany's brother James III of Scotland; Douglas was captured.

Little Known Facts

The Norsemen

The Vikings had ear spoons that were used to clean out ear wax, practiced personal grooming and did bathe once a week.

The Vikings enjoyed sporting events such as wrestling, foot races, swimming and skiing to name but a few.  They also played board games such as tabula (backgammon) to keep themselves occupied during the long winter months.

The ravaging seafarers that attacked the civilized world did not represent the majority of the Scandinavian people, who were peaceful farmers and traders.

The Anglo-Saxons

When the Anglo-Saxons ousted the Britons, they shied away from Roman towns, preferring to live in small villages.

The Anglo-Saxons did not believe in bathing, and monks only bathed five times a year.

The Anglo-Saxons put sheepskins around their beds to get rid of fleas.

History Trivia

 On July 21

356 BC The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was destroyed by arson.

230 Pope Pontian succeeded Urban I as the eighteenth pope.

285 Diocletian appointed Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.

365 A tsunami devastated the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The tsunami was caused by an earthquake estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter Scale. 5,000 people perished in Alexandria, and 45,000 more died outside the city.

1403 Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeated rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.

 1545 The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.

1588 The Armada - an invasion fleet sent by Philip II of Spain - was sighted off the coast of Cornwall.

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