Trouble in Persia – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 46 Part 1
The Persians and the Romans had been longtime rivals. In fact from Julius Caesar’s time when Pompey had established hegemony over Armenia and Colchis the Persians had been either resisting further Roman expansion, attempting to subvert Rome’s clients in the region or when the wind was up their tails trying to push back into Egypt […]
Saint Gregory – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 45 Part 2
Saint Gregory is the superstar of early medieval Catholicism.
My Battle With My Twitter Addiction Continues
Is there a way of keeping on Twitter without it taking too big a chunck of my life and my attention? I have tried going cold turkey a couple of times, but always came back to it. The basic problem with it is that it is too easy to engage with. You open the screen […]
Heraclius Saves The Day – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 46 Part 2
Maurice was on the way to putting the empire back on its feet, but was overthrown by a usurper. Heraclius deposed him and got things back on course.
Return the Marbles
I’m not a fan of the British Conservative Party on the whole. But most long established organisations have both good and bad in their history, and the Tories have had their moments that command respect. And certainly as a body of people they aren’t uniformly bad. It is unfortunate that right at the moment they […]
Pedant’s Revolt – I am banned from Twitter
My psycho drama with Twitter continues as I have now been banned from the platform. I think it is a temporary thing, but it is a bit hard to say as the appeal button doesn’t work.
Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 45 Part 1 – Rosamund
Chapter 45 which has the title state of Italy under the Lombards. In fact it covers several other important topics which will require our attention and the action opens in Constantinople where the death of Justinian was announced to a city where nobody much under 50 would have had any memory of regime change.
My Troubled Relationship With Twitter
I’ll tell you one thing that bores me rigid. It’s the Royal Family. I have a reasonably high level of respect for the Queen, who somehow seems to have managed to keep a level of sense in an insane position. But basically the whole notion of a monarch in the modern age is bonkers. You […]
A Fluke Becomes History – Brexiters Earn an Undeserved Win
A news story today shows just how arbitrary much of history is. At the height of the Covid pandemic the UK government, suffering the worst death rate in Europe, gambled big on developing a vaccine quickly. This was very much something that suited the personality of the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson is notorious for a […]
Are My Political Opinions Stupid?
It’s easy to see the faults in other people’s political ideas. There has been a big uptick in simplistic philosophies lately. Trumpers believe in putting their state first, regardless of the international implications. Libertarians discount the benefits of the state’s activities. Brexiters think that getting rid of the influence of Brussels will make us freer. […]