In 1024, Italy tired of German rule and wondered if French nobility would like to be the King of Italy. Would this have been good for France, or would it have been a bad idea?
There is a Roman Catholic church in Prague which has Egyptian imagery on its walls. Since Catholicism tried to get rid of many pagan rituals, why would they represent Mary and Joseph as Egyptian gods?
Before World War II, Czechoslovak occultists tried to use black magic to kill Hitler. It sounds like the plot to a Hollywood B-movie, and in some ways it is. But it also is 100% true.
I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there used to be one anyway.
Many countries have memorials to fallen heros, and stories of bravery from wartime. Czechia is unusual in that it has heros from both sides of World War II.
The word Celtic drums up images of Ireland and other parts of the British Isles. Some of us may even know of the Celtic connectionRead More
You may think ‘fake news’ is a modern invention, but you’d be wrong. One of Czechoslovakia’s most famous disinformation campaigns was Operation NEPTUNE.
This article explains why Czechoslovak spies carried out such a nefarious plot.
One thing which fascinates me is the amount of human history we’ve lost. The barbican is one of those historical architectural features we’ve almost lost. In fact in Coimbra, Portugal, one of the remaining few is often confused with something else.
I’ve have a keen interest in iconography and imagery. Regular readers will know I often write about these things. Sometimes I spot something I haven’t before and, curiosity piqued, I look into it. Which is how I got to know about St Margaret and the dragon.
The Holy Roman Empire has a lot to answer for. Before it defined modern international relations, the Empire was going through the Reformation. This led to the tongue-twisting Schmalkaldic war.
