First Opium War

First Opium War

Being British I am perhaps drawn to historical events in which we take pride, Waterloo, Trafalgar, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, etc. So for a change here’s one we can be thoroughly ashamed of. Wikipedia tells me that on the 23rd of August, 1839, Britain seized...

read more
Fettmilch Uprising

Fettmilch Uprising

The Fettmilch Uprising took place in Frankfurt on the 22nd of August, 1614, a plundering of Frankfurt’s Jewish quarter, the Judengasse. It was the inspiration for Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. The Fettmilch Uprising, also...

read more
Peninsular War

Peninsular War

On the 21st of August, 1808, British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeated French forces commanded by Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro in Portugal. It was the second victory of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance in the...

read more
Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky

On the 20th of August, 1940, Leon Trotsky was fatally wounded in Mexico City when Ramón Mercader attacked him with an ice axe. Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on the 7th of November, 1879, in Yanovka, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), was a...

read more
War of 1812

War of 1812

On the 19th of August, 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution defeated HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia. The War of 1812, often referred to as America's "second war of independence," was a military conflict fought between the United States and Great...

read more
The Pendle Witch Trial

The Pendle Witch Trial

On the 18th of August, 1612, the trial of the Pendle witches began at Lancaster Assizes. The Pendle witches are among the most notorious figures in English history, emblematic of the fear, superstition, and judicial practices of the early 17th century. Their story...

read more
The Prayer Book Rebellion

The Prayer Book Rebellion

On the 17th of August, 1549, the Battle of Sampford Courtenay was fought, and the Prayer Book Rebellion was quashed. The Prayer Book Rebellion features in A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Griggs, who I met at the Dartmouth Book Festival last year. I heartily recommend...

read more
Gonzaga

Gonzaga

On the 16th of August, 1328, the House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantua. Claire and I agreed that Mantua was our favourite city on our recent Interrail tour of fourteen European cities. Neither of us had heard of Mantua until I began my research for The...

read more
Amazon Advertising

Amazon Advertising

I posted recently about the leap in traffic that my website has enjoyed. It appears that the book marketing advice that Brian Feinblum gave me some years ago, about posting every day to boost SEO (search engine optimisation), has indeed finally translated into book...

read more
First Opium War

First Opium War

Being British I am perhaps drawn to historical events in which we take pride, Waterloo, Trafalgar, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, etc. So for a change here’s one we can be thoroughly ashamed of. Wikipedia tells me that on the 23rd of August, 1839, Britain seized...

read more
Fettmilch Uprising

Fettmilch Uprising

The Fettmilch Uprising took place in Frankfurt on the 22nd of August, 1614, a plundering of Frankfurt’s Jewish quarter, the Judengasse. It was the inspiration for Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. The Fettmilch Uprising, also...

read more
Peninsular War

Peninsular War

On the 21st of August, 1808, British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeated French forces commanded by Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro in Portugal. It was the second victory of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance in the...

read more
Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky

On the 20th of August, 1940, Leon Trotsky was fatally wounded in Mexico City when Ramón Mercader attacked him with an ice axe. Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein on the 7th of November, 1879, in Yanovka, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), was a...

read more
War of 1812

War of 1812

On the 19th of August, 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution defeated HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia. The War of 1812, often referred to as America's "second war of independence," was a military conflict fought between the United States and Great...

read more
The Pendle Witch Trial

The Pendle Witch Trial

On the 18th of August, 1612, the trial of the Pendle witches began at Lancaster Assizes. The Pendle witches are among the most notorious figures in English history, emblematic of the fear, superstition, and judicial practices of the early 17th century. Their story...

read more
The Prayer Book Rebellion

The Prayer Book Rebellion

On the 17th of August, 1549, the Battle of Sampford Courtenay was fought, and the Prayer Book Rebellion was quashed. The Prayer Book Rebellion features in A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Griggs, who I met at the Dartmouth Book Festival last year. I heartily recommend...

read more
Gonzaga

Gonzaga

On the 16th of August, 1328, the House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantua. Claire and I agreed that Mantua was our favourite city on our recent Interrail tour of fourteen European cities. Neither of us had heard of Mantua until I began my research for The...

read more
Amazon Advertising

Amazon Advertising

I posted recently about the leap in traffic that my website has enjoyed. It appears that the book marketing advice that Brian Feinblum gave me some years ago, about posting every day to boost SEO (search engine optimisation), has indeed finally translated into book...

read more