Having declared his allegiance for the King, Hopton was instrumental in organising support for the Royalists in the south west of the country. Waller was not idle either. First forming a regiment of horse, then capturing Portsmouth in July 1642. Initially, Hopton drove the Parliamentarians out of Cornwall in 1642, and then defeated Ruthin at the Battle of […]
The two pre-eminent commanders, in the south-west, during the English Civil War were Ralph Hopton and William Waller. Hopton was local to the Wessex region, being born in Witham (Somerset). Waller was born in Kent, although later becoming a resident of Hampshire. During the Thirty Years’ War, Hopton and Waller had become close friends, both […]
Captain Calthrop is probably best known for the rather poor translation of Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ in 1905, and subsequently revised in 1908. Whilst the Giles translation has become the standard text, Calthrop’s was the first. For that, we should be grateful. Having become a little annoyed with all the criticisms of Calthrop, I […]
Wessex is perhaps the most famous kingdom that constituted part of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The Kingdom was initially established during the 6th Century ; at it’s height extending from Cornwall to Kent, and up to Gloucestershire. The name Wessex is derived from the shortening of West Saxony. Although the Saxons were the dominant ethnic grouping […]
It is reasonable to assume that, in general terms, the country with greatest resources will invariably win a protracted war. The American Civil War instantly springs to mind whereby Federal resources, in conjunction with an ability to deprive the Confederacy of theirs, ensured an eventual win. In cases whereby the sides were pretty much even, although resources may […]
Yesterday, I mentioned King Weiwang and his relationship with one of my favourite philosophers; Zhuang Zi. I thought I might mention King Weiwang again, whilst the subject was still fresh in my mind, and because he is of interest to me for several reasons. King Weiwang was part of the Zhou dynasty, and reputedly ruled […]
As the government continues in its attempt to push through their plans for Regional Assemblies, within England, they attempt to suggest that this is a return to some previous system of political representation. This is of course absurd, and demonstrates a distinct lack of historical nowledge. By the time of the Roman invasion, Celtic Britain […]
Zhuang Zi is one of my favourite Chinese philosophers. Reputedly coming from a noble family that had seen better days in the State of Song, Zhuang Zi came to prominence under the patronage of King Weiwang of Chu. One of his sayings struck a particular resonance with me, as I sat here yesterday. “A man […]
I usually try to mix the serious up with the less important. However, after the shock of the Aussies with their ‘screw tops’, Gwynnie Paltrow did make me laugh today. She is a decent actress, but diplomat she is not! To be fair, Gwynnie has shown herself to be a lady of discernment. Now I […]
One of my interests in life is being able to ‘knock back’ a glass of ‘plonk’ every now and again. Probably, more often than is good for me. It has been noticeable that more and more wines are coming with screw tops, rather than the traditional cork. One of my favourites, and one of the […]
Taxing Times 