A Brief Look at The Mystery of Atlantis

The Mystery of Atlantis

Atlantis has evoked mystery within humanity throughout the centuries and though many would deny its existence, the different interpretations of it are worth exploring.Plato mentioned Atlantis in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias wrote around 360 BC. Plato says it was a land and naval power which had conquered most of Western Europe and Africa in the 10^th millennium BC and that it was an island in front of the Pillars of Heracles. However, Plato suggests after the Atlanteans invasion of Athens failed the city sank into the ocean, leading to its demise. 

                                         A Map of the Atlantean Empire according to Ignatius L. Donnelly

Ignatius L. Donnelly increased interest in Atlantis with the publication of his book Atlantis: The Antediluvian World. He attempted to establish that all known ancient civilisations descended from Atlantis. He also made other connections suggesting the Great Flood mentioned in the Bible was the flood that destroyed Atlantis.  Many of the books theories have lead to the modern day concepts of Atlantis. Donelly himself thought that Plato's account of Atlantis was largely factual. Donelly also suggests other things about Atlantis, such as that the gods and goddesses of the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Hindus and Scandinavians were simply the kings, queens and heroes of Atlantis. Donelly also suggests the acts attributed to them in mythology  are actually a confused recollection of actual historical events.

Of course all this only applies if Atlantis actually existed. After the theory of continental drift became more accepted the popularity of most 'lost continent' theories began to decline. However, a key argument could be the simplistic idea that the concept of Atlantis proves that the myth comes from some fact. Others, may argue that Plato simply came up with it as a metaphor to show the results of greed, corruption and a decline in virtue. However, this may not be necessarily true. But, what is almost certainly true is that Atlantis remains a mystery.

                                                                                                     

Image Credit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atlantis_map_1882_crop.jpg

Sources:

http://www.atlantisrevealed.com/main.asp

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/atlantida_mu/esp_atlantida_5a.htm

Societas Draconistrarum: A Brief Look at the Chivalric Order

Societas Draconistrarum

The Order of the Dragon was founded in 1408 by Sigismund I of Hungary (who would later become Holy Roman Emperor) and it was similar to other chivalric orders of the time. Its main purpose was to fight the enemies of Christianity, mainly the Turks. However, its enemies also included heretics. Initially, 21 men were inducted into the order ( there was about 24 in 1418). Sigismund later decided to expand the order and between 1431-1437 a second group of inductees were initiated. As the order became larger it began to have two degrees: a superior one and a larger inferior one. The superior degree had the dragon and the cross as its emblem, whereas the inferior one only had the dragon as its symbol. The order became less prominent after Sigismund's death, but its emblem remained on the coats of arms of several Hungarian noble families. The order had quite a number of important members, such as Henry V of England and Vlad II Dracula.

                                                     A Reconstruction of the Order Patch
Henry V of England , famous for his campaigning in France, was inducted into the Order of the Dragon, in exchange for Sigismund being inducted into the Order of the Garter. These inductions came about when Sigismund visited England in hope of making peace between. England and France. Sigismund's plan was to persuade Henry to change his demands against the French. Throughout, Sigismund's visit Henry lavishly entertained him.

 Henry had even intended to crusade for the Order of the Dragon after he had united the English and French thrones, but he died before his plans were fulfilled. The Treaty of Canterbury (1416) sealed an offensive and defensive alliance against France, between Henry V and Sigismund. This was likely due to Sigismund shift away from France and towards England after Henry V's victory  the Battle of Agincourt (1415).

                                                      Sigismund, who founded the Order


Vlad II Dracul (the father of Vlad III Dracula) received this surname in 1431, after being inducted into the Order of the Dragon. He took on the sobriquet in reference to his induction. 'Dracul' derives from the Latin 'Draco' which means 'The Dragon'. His son Vlad III signed some documents using 'Dracula' which literally means 'Son of Dracul' or 'Son of he who was member of the Order of the Dragon'.

The Order of the Dragon seems rather mysterious in a sense, but it could have just been a simple chivalric order. After all, it there were and are other chivalric orders with similarities. The Order of the Dragon itself was modelled after the Order of St.George to some extent. However, the Order's almost disappearance from history, after a point, makes the Order even more intriguing.

Image Credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dragon_order_insignia.jpg
www.museum.hu 
Sources:
http://www.rodoslovlje.com/medieval_serbia/eng/history-dragon.htm
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/dragon.html

A Brief Summary of The Khmelnytsky Uprising

The Khmelnytsky Uprising

The Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648-57) was a Cossack rebellion in Ukraine, which turned into a war for freedom against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The uprising saw the end of Polish influence over the Ukrainians, but soon saw them under the influence of the Russians. The Uprising was also part of the Deluge, a period which saw the golden age of the Commonwealth come to an end. Bohdan Khmelnytsky , who lead the uprising, was born to a noble family and was generally well respected among the Cossacks. But, when Aleksander Koniecpolski, heir to the Hetman’s magnate estate attempted to seize his land and the Polish authorities did not help him, he had to turn to his fellow Cossacks for help.  When he tried to gather support throughout Ukraine he raised the suspicions of the Polish authorities and eventually he was arrested. However, Polkovnyk (Colonel) Mykhalio Krychevsky helped him in his escape. The Cossacks were already close to uprising, as plans to fight the Ottomans had been been cancelled by Sejm (The lower house of the Polish parliament). The Cossacks had been unable to carry out lucrative raids on the Ottomans, due to treaties between the Commonwealth and Ottoman Empire.The plans to fight the Ottomans would have allowed the Cossacks to raid once again, but learning that they could still not due to the Polish Sejm must have angered them a lot.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky

 For the uprising Khmelnytsky , allied with the Khan of Crimea to help him overcome the powerful Polish. On the 25th January 1648 Khmelnytsky arrived at Zaporizhian Sich. He quickly took out the guards and repelled the Commonwealth attempt to retake it, as the Commonwealth tried to retake it more recruits joined him in his cause. The Cossack Rada ( a general Cossack meeting, often military in nature) elected Khmelnytsky Hetman by the end of the month. From this point onward he gained great victories at the Battle of Zhovti Vody, where much of the enemy defected to his cause, and at the Battle of Korsun, at which the Commonwealth's armies were routed. What made matters worse was that the Polish had lost King Władysław IV Vasa, when he died in 1648. Khmelnytsky made demands to the Polish due to his success. However, peasant uprisings turned his uprising into a fight for a autonomous state. However, John II Casimir, was elected King of Poland and he sent a letter to Khmelnytsky granting privileges to the Cossacks and all those of the Orthodox faith. In return, Khmelnytsky was to stop his campaign. However, the hostilities soon resumed and the Cossacks suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Berestechko in 1651 (it was also the largest land battle of the century). However, they won a battle, at the Battle of Batoh, a year later. However, the loss of so many casualties at Berestechko was so devastating Khmelnytsky was forced to stay under the Commonwealth's influence or make an alliance with the Russians. In 1654 the Treaty of Pereyslav was signed , which allied the Cossacks with the Russians. The Polish influence had ended, but as time went the Cossacks became more and more intergrated into Russia.

Image Credit:

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com

Sources:

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404900593.html