Kings Pirate: Henry Morgan’s Attack on Panama part 1

Recommended as Further Reading in Sir Henry Morgan by Don Nardo. 

Come on lets face it. We’re all suckers for a good Swashbuckler, corny or not, accurate or completely bonkers there is a huge soft spot for the daring do of the past. Give us a couple of big ships with allot of cannons, give us a jolly roger and a yo ho ho, give us cutlasses, rapiers and baggy shirts and you’re set for a good time.

I’m no different, as I have found that the real life adventures of these people were no less exciting or colourful. Indeed though in some parts those old fashioned pirate movies that people laugh at all the time, are sometimes closer to the truth than they are given credit for, I have never seen the reality to be a let down. So mateys, sign aboard my good ship and lets set sail with the greatest Buccaneer ever to lift a bottle of rum (a thing he did so frequently there’s even a brand named after him), a man who would have sent all the varying Hollywood pirates scurrying for their mamma’s – the notorious Welsh admiral of the brethren of the coast, Sir Henry Morgan. Following him to the fabled city of Panama in what was to prove the last of the Great Buccaneer raids, and what would prove one of the inspirations for the Golden Age of Piracy, Arrrrrr (Or whatever). Continue reading “Kings Pirate: Henry Morgan’s Attack on Panama part 1”

Wellingtons Decanters.

Now that I have this site I have the perfect excuse to bug all you nice people about the things that bug me. The Daily Mail recently ran a short article on a historical discovery made on the Antiques Roadshow. See link for article. I’m sorry I couldn’t think of a more ingenious name but let’s face it, there’s not much to work with.

Continue reading “Wellingtons Decanters.”

Masters of Battle: Elizabeth Butler Part 1.

Two of my great interests are history and art so to me it is very natural that history painting should form the basis of a section in this blog. They both complement each other nicely I think, so I have decided to put together a series about the great masters of battle. Not generals or admirals, though from time to time they do play a part but artists, whose sword is a paintbrush and whose order of battle is a palette, there armies are colours and there genius was their imagination. Stirring isn’t it, well I thought so. Ever since I started hearing about these great painters I wanted to see their works, thanks to the internet I have been able to do so, but seeing their pictures fuelled a desire to know more about the people who created them, so here they are, “TA DAH!” Or as much as I could find out about them anyway, the masters of battle and we begin with perhaps the most unusual because she was almost one of a kind. Overlooking grammer and spelling is always appretiated and with a bit of luck I’ll see you on the other side. Continue reading “Masters of Battle: Elizabeth Butler Part 1.”

Wellington in India.

The rise of the Duke of Wellington is a fascinating story. Despite his dogged reputation as a disciplinarian and a defensive fighter, his early campaigns can stand easily beside those of his great adversary Napoleon. Many admire the rise of the future Emperor for its daring and audacious accomplishments such as the crossing the Alps, Marengo and Egypt. There in Napoleon’s customary melodramatic flair appears to be the all the dash and action of a heroic novel, but then that is how he wanted it to look, and the French People soaked it in. Not as many people realise just how different Wellington was as a general and a man when he was in India. It is a glimpse into the general he might have been if he had not been so tightly curtailed by the government, what he might have been like if he had Napoleon’s freedom. So here it is, the first part of my series of Wellington in India, no doubt it will grip you, no doubt it will shock you, no doubt it will change your whole outlook on history, no doubt it will cure your insomnia and leave you sleeping like a kitten. Hope you enjoy it, please forgive spelling errors and grammer, and I’ll see you at the end. Continue reading “Wellington in India.”