Insight into Aztec Society

On December 2nd 2013, a prize-winning expert on Mexica (or Aztec) society, Dr. Caroline Dodds Pennock, from the University of Sheffield, offered the branch a fascinating insight into life in Tenochtitlán, the present-day Mexico City.  She attempted to look at Aztec society from a more sensitive way than was usually the case.  She was at pains to say that, looking beyond the headline-grabbing stories of human sacrifice, there was a fully functioning society where men and women led family-oriented lives.  Educating the young was of prime importance.  Dr Dodds Pennock argued that, although Mexica society offered men and women different roles, these were complimentary and so a relatively benign set of gender relations was in existence.  She also argued that human sacrifice – including wearing the skin of captured warriors – took place within a framework of spiritual beliefs shared by both master and victim and so should emphatically not be seen as torture designed to belittle those who were defeated.

Charles Insley on Athelstan

Athelstan is one of the least well known kings of England, reigning from 924-39. Dr Charles Insley’s lecture introduced the audience at Bolton Historical Association to this little known monarch.  It is not clear if Athelstan’s father, Edward, expected him to inherit the throne, because it seems that his mother was never Edward’s wife.  There was a year between Edward’s death and Athelstan’s coronation so this suggests there was a lot of political intrigue.  Athelstan didn’t marry even though he was the eldest male and probably this was due to a deal which allowed him to become king as long as he didn’t found a dynasty.

Dr Insley described a split within the historical community over the chronicle of Athelstan’s life provided by William of Malmsebury.   Some historians view it as total fabrication whereas others  find some elements of truth in the chronicle if it is treated carefully.  Other evidence for Athelstan’s life can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, coins, charters and Athelstan’s surviving library.  Athelstan is the first English monarch whose portrait appears on a coin.   Celtic Sources such as the Armes Prydein (Welsh) give us some idea of the other side of Athelstan’s rule.

Dr Insley finished his lecture by considering if there was an Orbis Britanniae (a British Empire).  The idea that the British have forfeited their rule through their low standing in the eyes of God was common in the literature of the period, reflecting an idea of a ‘Britain’ which could be ruled.  The fact that the style ‘King of Britain’ could be used shows that there was a belief that Britain, not just the Mercians, could and should be ruled by one person.  Rule was contested, though, and the reality was that even though Althelstan was sometimes acknowledged as their king, he had no intensive lordship in Scotland and no taxation or judicial powers there.  He did take tribute from the Welsh and was a harsh, repressive  theocrat even though in some senses he was the founder of England.

New Light on Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I. The “Rainbow Portrait”, c. 1600, an allegorical representation of the Queen, become ageless in her old age (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Dr Glyn Redworth: ‘Elizabeth I: The Same Old Picture?’

7th October 2013

 

 

 

 

Several of the illustrations which accompanied Dr. Glyn Redworth’s lecture showed Elizabeth in majesty, the protector of the nation, the Rainbow Portrait of 1600 almost goddess-like in its authority. But he showed another of 1560 without the symbols of monarchy and with a very human air. His thought-provoking lecture challenged the popular version of the Queen and her Government as in control, dealing successfully with the crises of her reign and ensuring a peaceful succession at her death.

Dr. Redworth made the case for a new understanding of Elizabeth’s reign. As a controversial female monarch following the dynastic struggles of the previous century and at a time of great change, she was, from a young age, aware of the dangers of her position and the complexities concerning her possible marriage. She had to face various threats which surfaced during her long reign and the anxieties of her ministers about the succession.

An aspect which the lecture also addressed was the research about the relationship between government and people in this period, implying that government authority did not necessarily go unchallenged, that it could be ignored.  He explained how Patrick Collinson had described Elizabethan England as a “monarchical republic” where varying interests needed to be taken into account by government.

So, a picture of uncertainty and complexity rather than smooth progress towards a peaceful succession in 1603. Dr. Redworth gave a fascinating lecture, expertly delivered, and one in which he particularly kept in mind the Sixth Form students who attended, who would have much to think about as a result.

Open Lecture Series at Manchester University

I have received the following information about a lecture series which begins TONIGHT, 23rd October 2013, at the University of Manchester

 

Our open lecture series “The Different Faces of WW1” at the University of Manchester has got off to a great start.

This Wednesday, 23 October, 5-6pm, at the University of Manchester, Samuel Alexander Building, Arts Lecture Theatre (map & travel), Professor Peter Gatrell (Department of History and Humanitarian Conflict Response Institute) will deliver a lecture on:

Europe on the Move: the Great War and its Refugees

Content summary: The First World War is regularly depicted as stalemate on the Western front, but across much of the European continent the experience was quite different, particularly for millions of civilians who were displaced by the war. A senior Red Cross official wrote ‘there were refugees everywhere. It was as if the entire world had to move or was waiting to move’. This lecture outlines the causes and extent of this crisis and how ordinary people tried to come to terms with their experiences. It concludes by assessing the significance of the refugee crisis a century later.

These lectures are open to all and free to attend and we extend a warm invitation to members of the Historical Association – Bolton Branch . Please book a place via our website, where you will also find details about the forthcoming lectures in the series.

Local History Starts the Season

The 2013-4 season started on a high note, with the AGM provoking some discussion of how to increase membership, followed by an excellent short lecture by Mr Benjamin Wilcock.  Mr Wilcock presented some of his research on shopping habits in the north-west during the period 1750-1800, showing that northern retailers used their knowledge of London prices to sell their wares in Manchester to canny local shoppers.

Programme News

The programme for 2013-14 (and beyond) is almost ready! Just a few lecture titles to finalise and then the programme will go to the printer!

Bloody Mary – Killer Queen?

An audience of about 40 turned out to the branch’s final lecture of the season, which after two sudden changes of title was finally given by branch secretary, Jenni Hyde, on her current research into mid-Tudor ballads.  Focusing particularly on the reign of Mary I, Jenni tackled the issue of Queen Mary I‘s popular image as it was represented in contemporary ballads, concluding that Mary’s accession as England’s first queen regnant was popular with the majority of her subjects.  It was her failure to produce an heir which allowed her enemies to vilify her as ‘Bloody Mary’.

The lecture was followed by a chance for informal questions and refreshments, while the monthly bring and buy history book stall continues to help branch funds.

Related articles

• URGENT change to lecture – Mary I (boltonhistoricalassociation.wordpress.com)

URGENT change to lecture – Mary I

Queen Mary I (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In another change to the April lecture, it will now be given by branch secretary, Jenni Hyde.  ‘No Lion Wilde, a Lion Tame: Popular Depictions of Mary I‘ .   This paper has brought together the first complete collection of extant Marian ballads which refer to Queen Mary I.  Using this evidence, the illustrated lecture will examine Mary’s image as a Catholic monarch and the contrast of anti-catholic and anti-Hispanic feeling linked to her marriage to Philip of Spain.  There is no direct evidence to link these ballads to court propaganda, so the paper will contend that they are instead evidence of popular views of a female monarch. It will argue that there was a contemporary perception that ephemera such as ballads could influence the opinion of their audience, and compare the evidence provided by the songs to the received view that ‘Bloody Mary’ failed to harness the support of her subjects.
Jenni Hyde is a postgraduate research student at the University of Manchester, pursuing an interdisciplinary project on the English ballads of the mid-Tudor period as historical evidence, under the supervision of branch Vice-President, Dr Glyn Redworth. As a qualified music teacher who is training for her ABRSM Diploma as a soprano, the project combines her musical skills with her expertise in history. A Trustee of the Historical Association, Jenni is secretary of the Bolton branch and works mainly from home using digital archives including EEBO, ECCO, EBBA and Allegro.

Related articles

• English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA at UCSB) (earlymodernonlinebib.wordpress.com)

Change to April lecture

English: Miniature of Conrad III of Germany from Chronica Regia Coloniensis (Cologne Kings’ Chronicle; Cologne; ca. 1240). Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale, Ms. 467, fol. 64v Deutsch: König Konrad III. Miniatur aus der Chronica Regia Coloniensis (Kölner Königschronik; Köln; um 1240). Brüssel, Bibliothèque Royale, Ms. 467, fol. 64v (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On Monday 8 April 2013, in a change to our advertised lecture, Dr Jason Roche of Manchester Metropolitan Univeristy will speak on ‘Constantinople, the Queen of Cities: the Views of Western Travellers’.  The lecture takes place at 7.30pm in Bolton Parish Hall.  There is a charge of £3 for visitors to the branch and once again, we will be holding our monthly ‘bring and buy history’ book sale.

There were many different views of Constantinople in the middle ages, and just as many explanations offered by contemporaries and modern historians alike for the multifarious ways in which contemporaries perceived the “Queen of Cities”. The lecture will restrict itself to an analysis of a representative selection of eyewitness accounts, that can be loosely designated as “Western”, and which throw light on how the city looked and was perceived by a handful of travellers during two particular centuries. As we will be seen, the prevailing mood of admiration for Constantinople’s magnificence palpable in the texts of a long twelfth century gives way during the fifteenth century to one of sombre reflection; reflection on the late medieval decline of the Byzantine empire and her capital.

Dr Roche completed his PhD in Medieval History at the University of St Andrews in 2008, and since then has held full time lecturing posts in Ireland, Turkey, and England. He is now a permanent lecturer in Medieval history at the Manchester Metropolitan University. His research and teaching interests focus on the expansion of Latin Christendom and Byzantium’s relations with the Latin world. He has already published widely in the aforementioned fields; has co-edited a volume of articles on the Second Crusade that will be published at this end of this summer; and is currently working on a monograph entitled The Crusade of King Conrad III of Germany: Warfare and Diplomacy in the Byzantine Empire, Anatolia and Outrémer, 1145-1149.

Dr Rory Miller speaks about football

Pele at birthday party of Vanderlei Luxemburgo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Monday 4th February 2013

Dr. Rory Miller “Football and Society in South America”

Liverpool University historian, Dr Rory Miller, described how in South America, “Football is a passion of the people” which began when the British went to South America to build railways and other engineering projects using local labour. The natural recreational activity was to kick a ball and soon Social Clubs were formed and friendly games took place at first amateur and later professional level. The players and supporters were expressing their identity while displaying local pride.  The style of football was most distinctive. In 1891 the first professional league was formed in Argentin,a only 2 years after the English Football Association.

The government soon became involved, building huge stadii. Politicians basked in reflected glory.  There were, however, enormous economic pressures and many star players were exported, sending money home.  Corruption of players, referees and agents amongst the football hierarchy, together with violence and hooliganism are creating huge problems for South American football. The passion of the people appears to be out of control and the fact that, as is so often the case, football is a window of society, gives us  cause to reflect.

A fascinating lecture