Kearney Renaissance Faire

George Herbert, (born April 3, 1593, Montgomery Castle, Walesdied March 1, 1633, Bemerton, Wiltshire, Eng.), English religious poet, a major metaphysical poet, notable for the purity and effectiveness of his choice of words. A younger brother of Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, a notable secular metaphysical poet, George in 1610 sent his mother for New Year’s two sonnets on the theme that the love of God is a fitter subject for verse than the love of woman, a f...oreshadowing of his poetic and vocational bent. Educated at home, at Westminster School, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was in 1620 elected orator of the university, a position that he described as the finest place in the university. His two immediate predecessors in the office had risen to high positions in the state, and Herbert was much involved with the court. During Herbert’s academic career, his only published verse was that written for special occasions in Greek and Latin. By 1625 Herbert’s sponsors at court were dead or out of favour, and he turned to the church, being ordained deacon. He resigned as orator in 1627 and in 1630 was ordained priest and became rector at Bemerton. He became friends with Nicholas Ferrar, who had founded a religious community at nearby Little Gidding, and devoted himself to his rural parish and the reconstruction of his church. Throughout his life he wrote poems, and from his deathbed he sent a manuscript volume to Ferrar, asking him to decide whether to publish or destroy them. Ferrar published them with the title The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations in 1633.

Katherine Parr.

Thomas Cranmer, (born July 2, 1489, Aslacton, Nottinghamshire, Englanddied March 21, 1556, Oxford), the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury (153356), adviser to the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI. As archbishop, he put the English Bible in parish churches, drew up the Book of Common Prayer, and composed a litany that remains in use today. Denounced by the Catholic queen Mary I for promoting Protestantism, he was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake.

Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese Fernão de Magalhães, Spanish Fernando de Magallanes or Hernando de Magallanes, (born 1480, Sabrosa or Porto?, Portugaldied April 27, 1521, Mactan, Philippines), Portuguese navigator and explorer who sailed under the flags of both Portugal (150513) and Spain (151921). From Spain he sailed around South America, discovering the Strait of Magellan, and across the Pacific. Though he was killed in the Philippines, one of his ships continued westward to Spain, accomplishing the first circumnavigation of Earth. The voyage was successfully terminated by the Basque navigator Juan Sebastián del Cano.

brahim Paa, (born c. 1493, Párga [Greece]died March 15, 1536, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Tur.]), Ottoman grand vizier (152336) who played a decisive role in diplomatic and military events during the reign of Sultan Süleyman I (152066). brahim’s first military expedition was to Egypt (1524), where he reestablished order and introduced administrative and fiscal measures that solidified Ottoman authority there. After his Egyptian success, he was appointe...d commander in chief of the Danubian campaigns of 1526, 1529 (a siege of Vienna), and 1532. In 1533, vested with full powers, he represented the sultan in negotiations with the Holy Roman emperor Charles V over the Hungarian question; these negotiations established most of Hungary as tributary to the Ottomans and confirmed the extraordinary powers of the grand vizier. In the eastern provinces, brahim, as early as 1526, had put down a revolt of the Turkmen tribes in Anatolia (Asia Minor). At the outbreak of war with the afavids of Iran, as commander of the Ottoman army, he occupied Tabriz, Iran, in August 1534. Five months later Baghdad was taken. In Constantinople (January 1536) he conducted preliminary negotiations with the representative of the French king for a commercial treaty. Alarmed by his usurpation of the titles of sovereignty and fearing for his own throne, Süleyman had him executed.

Jules, Cardinal Mazarin, original Italian in full Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino, orMazarini, (born July 14, 1602, Pescina, Abruzzi, Kingdom of Naples [now in Italy]died March 9, 1661, Vincennes, France), first minister of France after Cardinal de Richelieu’s death in 1642. During the early years of King Louis XIV, he completed Richelieu’s work of establishing France’s supremacy among the European powers and crippling the opposition to the power of the monarchy at home.

Cuauhtémoc, also called Guatimozin, (born c. 1495died February 26, 1522), 11th and last Aztec emperor, nephew and son-in-law of Montezuma II. Cuauhtémoc became emperor in 1520 on the death of Montezuma’s successor, Cuitláhuac. Hernán Cortés, with powerful Indian allies, was then marching on Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. Cuauhtémoc’s frontier forces were forced to retreat in 1521, and he defended his capital in a four-month siege that left most of the city destroyed and fe...w Indians surviving. Captured by the Spanish, he was at first treated with deference. Later, Cuauhtémoc was tortured to reveal the location of hidden Aztec wealth. His stoicism and refusal to speak became legendary. Fearing trouble if he left Cuauhtémoc behind, Cortés took the emperor with him to Honduras. En route, hearing of a plot against the Spaniards, he ordered Cuauhtémoc hanged. In 1949 bones purported to be Cuauhtémoc’s were discovered at Ixcateopan, Mex.

Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex, (born Nov. 10, 1567, Netherwood, Herefordshire, Eng.died Feb. 25, 1601, London), English soldier and courtier famous for his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 15581603). While still a young man, Essex succeeded his stepfather, Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester (died 1588), as the aging queen’s favourite; for years she put up with his rashness and impudence, but their relationship finally ended in tragedy.

Mary I, also called Mary Tudor, byname Bloody Mary, (born February 18, 1516, Greenwich, near London, Englanddied November 17, 1558, London), the first queen to rule England (155358) in her own right. She was known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England

Galileo, in full Galileo Galilei, (born February 15, 1564, Pisa [Italy]died January 8, 1642, Arcetri, near Florence), Italian natural philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician who made fundamental contributions to the sciences of motion, astronomy, and strength of materials and to the development of the scientific method. His formulation of (circular) inertia, the law of falling bodies, and parabolic trajectories marked the beginning of a fundamental change in the study of ...motion. His insistence that the book of nature was written in the language of mathematics changed natural philosophy from a verbal, qualitative account to a mathematical one in which experimentation became a recognized method for discovering the facts of nature. Finally, his discoveries with the telescope revolutionized astronomy and paved the way for the acceptance of the Copernican heliocentric system, but his advocacy of that system eventually resulted in an Inquisition process against him. See more

Happy Valentine's Day!

Henry VI, (born December 6, 1421, Windsor, Berkshire, Englanddied May 21/22, 1471, London), king of England from 1422 to 1461 and from 1470 to 1471, a pious and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of the Wars of the Roses.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, (born December 7, 1598, Naples, Kingdom of Naples [Italy]died November 28, 1680, Rome, Papal States), Italian artist who was perhaps the greatest sculptor of the 17th century and an outstanding architect as well. Bernini created the Baroque style of sculpture and developed it to such an extent that other artists are of only minor importance in a discussion of that style.

Witchcraft condemned by Pope Innocent VIII Innocent VIII condemned witchcraft this day in 1484 via papal bull, and subsequently he dispatched inquisitors to Germany to try witches and persecuted a chief exponent of Renaissance Platonism, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. Zentralbibliothek, Zürich

On this day in 1533, the three-year-old who became Ivan the Terrible was proclaimed grand prince of Moscow upon the death of his father, Grand Prince Vasily III, with his mother ruling in Ivan's name until her death in 1538.

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, (born November 2, 1699, Paris, Francedied December 6, 1779, Paris), French painter of still lifes and domestic scenes remarkable for their intimate realism and tranquil atmosphere and the luminous quality of their paint. For his still lifes he chose humble objects (The Buffet, 1728) and for his genre paintings modest events (Woman Sealing a Letter, 1733). He also executed some fine portraits, especially the pastels of his last years.

According to tradition, Martin Luther this day in 1517 posted on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, his Ninety-five Theses, a manifesto that turned a protest about an indulgence scandal into the Protestant Reformation.

Henry Tudor, who was crowned Henry VII on this day in 1485, founded the Tudor dynasty, ended the Wars of the Roses, used his children's marriages to build alliances, and signed treaties that increased England's power.

Happy Thankgiving.

On this day in 1415, the English army, led by Henry V, scored a decisive victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War, paving the way for further English conquests and successes.

Battle of Sekigahara, (October 21, 1600), in Japanese history, a major conflict fought in central Honshu between vassals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku (Warring States) period. Led by daimy Ishida Mitsunari, Toyotomi loyalists based mostly in western Japan clashed with largely eastern daimy fighting for Tokugawa Ieyasu. The loyalists sought to preserve the Toyotomi legacy and halt Ieyasu’s rise to power. Ieyasu’s victory on the field laid the groundwork for the Tokugawa shogunate, which presided over Japan until 1868.

Antoine Watteau, in full Jean-Antoine Watteau, (born Oct. 10, 1684, Valenciennes, Francedied July 18, 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne), French painter who typified the lyrically charming and graceful style of the Rococo. Much of his work reflects the influence of the commedia dell’arte and the opéra ballet (e.g., The French Comedy, 1716).

Happy Natal Day William Laud, (born Oct. 7, 1573, Reading, Berkshire, Eng.died Jan. 10, 1645, London), archbishop of Canterbury (163345) and religious adviser to King Charles I of Great Britain. His persecution of Puritans and other religious dissidents resulted in his trial and execution by the House of Commons.

This is really Fun and helps keep them straight!

The eldest son of King Henry IV and Marie de Médicis, Louis succeeded to the throne upon the assassination of his father in May 1610. The queen mother was regent until Louis came of age in 1614, but she continued to govern for three years thereafter. As part of her policy of allying France with Spain, she arranged the marriage (November 1615) between Louis and Anne of Austria, daughter of the Spanish king Philip III. By 1617 the king, resentful at being excluded from power, h...Continue reading

Today: Henry III, also called Henry of Valois, or (until 1574) duc d’Anjou, (born Sept. 19, 1551, Fontainebleau, Francedied Aug. 2, 1589, Saint-Cloud), king of France from 1574, under whose reign the prolonged crisis of the Wars of Religion was made worse by dynastic rivalries arising because the male line of the Valois dynasty was going to die out with him. The third son of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis, Henry was at first entitled duc d’Anjou. Given command of the roya...Continue reading

Tomás de Torquemada, (born 1420, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]died September 16, 1498, Ávila, Castile), first grand inquisitor in Spain, whose name has become synonymous with the Christian Inquisition’s horror, religious bigotry, and cruel fanaticism. The nephew of a noted Dominican cardinal and theologian, Juan de Torquemada, the young Torquemada joined the Dominicans and in 1452 became prior of the monastery of Santa Cruz at Segovia, an office that he held for 22 years. He w...as closely associated with the religious policy of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, to whom he was both confessor and adviser (to Isabella, from her childhood). He was convinced that the existence of the Marranos (Jewish converts), Moriscos (Islamic converts), Jews, and Moors was a threat to the religious and social life of Spain, and his influence with the Catholic monarchs enabled him to affect their policies. In August 1483 he was appointed grand inquisitor for Castile and León, and on October 17 his powers were extended to Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and Majorca. In his capacity as grand inquisitor, Torquemada reorganized the Spanish Inquisition, which had been set up in Castile in 1478, establishing tribunals at Sevilla (Seville), Jaén, Córdoba, Ciudad Real, and, later, Zaragoza. In 1484 he promulgated 28 articles for the guidance of inquisitors, whose competence was extended to include not only crimes of heresy and apostasy but also sorcery, sodomy, polygamy, blasphemy, usury, and other offenses; torture was authorized in order to obtain evidence. These articles were supplemented by others promulgated between 1484 and 1498. The number of burnings at the stake during Torquemada’s tenure has been estimated at about 2,000. Torquemada’s implacable hostility to the Jews probably exercised an influence on the decision of Ferdinand and Isabella to expel from their dominions all Jews who had not embraced Christianity. Under the edict of March 31, 1492, more than 40,000 Jews left Spain.

Mayflower's departure for America On this date in 1620, English colonists aboard the Mayflower set sail for America, where they founded Plymouth, Massachusetts, after 41 men, including William Bradford and Myles Standish, signed the Mayflower Compact.

Philip III crowned king of Spain and Portugal King Philip III of Spain (Philip II of Portugal), crowned on this day in 1598, was virtuous in his private affairs but indifferent as a ruler and extravagant in his spending, exacerbating Spain's growing economic problems.

On this day in 1429, French heroine Joan of Arc, a peasant girl who believed she was acting under divine guidance, attempted to oust the duke of Burgundy and take Paris for newly crowned King Charles VII.