Author Archives: Brad P. Severance

The Battle of Magenta

The particularly bloody Battle of Magenta was fought on June 4th 1859, during the Second Italian War of Independence, between France, or more exactly, a coalition of French and Piedmontese armies (overwhelmingly French-58,000 French soldiers to 1,100 Piedmontese) and Austria in the town of Magenta in Northern Italy. Many men died that day. So many, …

February 8, 2013 – 9:57 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in European History, History | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The Concert of Europe

The Concert of Europe was an agreement between Europe’s major powers, particularly the dynastic monarchies such as the Hohenzollerns and the Habsburgs, made at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.  Its ostensible focus was to create a balance of power that would prevent the future outbreak of …

January 8, 2013 – 4:25 am | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in European History | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Mithraism

Currently, I’m listening to lecture series from the Great Teaching Company titled Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation taught by Professor Thomas F. X. Noble Mithraism was a popular cult that flourished between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, and was a competitor of Christianity in the ancient Roman world. Although Mithra was a Persian deity, …

April 29, 2012 – 4:24 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Ancient Rome, History of Christianity | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Hundred Days

Napoleon’s empire ended with the Battle of Leipzig in October 16-19, 1813. He retreated to France where he was finally defeated by the Coalition and abdicated soon after on April 6, 1814. He was exiled to the Island of Elbe where he was to remain for the rest of his life. However, he escaped his …

August 9, 2011 – 7:24 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in French History, History | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I recently read the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It is a veritable tome of quotable quotes, so I thought I’d share the passages that spoke most to me: Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the …

June 21, 2011 – 8:10 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Literature | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Phoenix

Most people have heard of the Phoenix. It’s a fiery bird that rises from it’s own ashes. Dante alludes to the phoenix in his Inferno in Canto XXIV, and I wanted to learn a bit more about it. As with most myths, there are many variations to the kernel of the story. For this, I …

May 2, 2011 – 2:59 am | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Classical Literature, Dante's The Divine Comedy, Medieval Literature, Mythology | Comments (0)

Tiresias

Currently, I’m reading Dante’s The Divine Comedy. I’m about two-thirds way through the first book, Inferno. Many people only read the first book. I wonder about that. The second book, Purgatorio, and the third book, Paradiso, seem much more inviting. I wonder if the first book is the most popular because it is the first …

April 22, 2011 – 6:00 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Dante's The Divine Comedy, Medieval Literature, Mythology | Comments (0)

Committee for Public Safety

During the French Revolution, The committee for Public Safety was established on June 10th, 1793.  It’s leader was the infamous Maximilien Robespierre (quite possibly the first terrorist). The committee became the dictatorial body of France and it was ruthless in destroying all opponents to its power (which resulted in many beheadings of, most notably, the …

April 20, 2011 – 9:11 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in French History, French Revolution, History | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The Nereids

The Nereids are sea nymphs mostly associated with Aegean Sea.  They may often help or hinder sailors, depending on their mood.  Also, they are often seen accompanying Poseidon if he happens to be traveling somewhere.  You can learn more about the Nereids here.

March 23, 2011 – 4:27 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Ancient Rome, Classical Literature, Mythology | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

The Battle of Manzikert

The Battle of Manzikert is often seen as the beginning of the end of Byzantine Empire.  Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes raised an army and entered Anatolia with the idea of shoring up his eastern border.  But in the town of Manzikert (modern day Malazgirt in Turkey) he met the army of Alp Arslan of the …

March 22, 2011 – 4:42 pm | By Brad P. Severance | Posted in Byzantium, History | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)