The irreverent blog examines history without trying to curry favor with power. Too much of what has been written, has been communicated with the assumption that the people who held power in the past had the right to do so. In this blog, the idea that kingship and nobility were the earthly manifestation of god’s grace, and that the royals and nobles were god’s lieutenants on Earth will be mocked for the nonsense it is.

Since the fall of Roman Empire and today, much of the basis of government in Europe has been based on tenure of property, and the ‘right’ to that tenure was at least nominally based in religion. While there were exceptions to the rule, most of the people who held actual power were born into powerful families. Then as now, the public justification for all sorts of things was sometimes at considerable variance from the actual motivation.

Historical figures, like living people, changed during the course of their lives. No one characterization of an individual has much validity if stretched to the entire lifespan. Likewise, the admiration or contempt for an individual must also be seen as a function of the individuals they helped and others they hindered. In this context, some of the history presented here may take a contrary view of cherished understanding.