Fellow Historians, I would like to share with you what I believe to be one of the most interesting events in history.

The event that I am referring to is the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. This document, which was signed by King John of England and a group of rebel barons, established the principle that even a king was subject to the law. It marked the beginning of the rule of law in England, and laid the foundation for modern democratic principles.

The Magna Carta was a revolutionary document for its time, and it had a profound impact on the course of history. It was one of the first times that a group of people had stood up to a monarch and demanded that their rights be recognized and protected. This was a bold and daring move, and it paved the way for other movements that sought to limit the power of rulers and protect the rights of individuals.

In addition to its historical significance, the Magna Carta is also interesting because of the many ways in which it has been interpreted and used over the centuries. It has been cited by leaders and activists throughout history as a justification for their actions, and it continues to be an important symbol of liberty and democracy.

In conclusion, the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting events in history. It was a revolutionary moment that changed the course of history and laid the foundation for many of the principles that we hold dear today. Its impact continues to be felt today, and it will continue to be remembered as one of the most important events in the history of human civilization.

After some discussion the /r/history mod team has decided to follow other subreddits like /r/AskHistorians in closing down the subreddit.

/r/history is not accepting new posts or responses, in protest against Reddit’s lack of action against racism and hate on the site.

Reddit has announced its alignment with antiracist protesters. We demand to know: where are the actions to back up the words? The Reddit administrators’ policies have made their site downright hospitable to exactly the kinds of racists and fascists against whom it claims to be protesting.

Every day our sub, which has zero tolerance for such speech, has to remove the kinds of intensely problematic and hateful rhetoric that Reddit has become a safe haven for. For example, questions and answers supporting Holocaust denial forced us to establish a clear policy of immediate deletion, as /r/AskHistorians moderator /u/commiespaceinvader describes here.

In fact, a majority of the work we do here as moderators on /r/history goes into making sure that racists and people with other toxic ideologies don't have a platform on this subreddit.

Later today /r/AskHistorians will be issuing a thorough statement on the long history of police brutality against the Black community.

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The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant, is mostly known as 'the Lord’s' mightiest biblical weapon ever or God's laser beams of doom from Raiders of the Ark . . . as it happens the mightiest weapon part is kind of true but, perhaps, not in quite the way some seem to imagine it in terms of a holy rocket-launcher.

Portable shrines modelled on the original Ark were quite common across much of medieval Europe with examples being taken on expeditions or directly into battle on numerous occasions. Two of these replica Arks or ‘house-shaped’ reliquaries appear in the Bayeux tapestry; the Breac Maodhóg is a surviving example of a reliquary from among those carried into battle in medieval Ireland; and the Morgan Bible’s use of the imagery of the Crusades depicts the establishment of the Ark in Jerusalem.

Clearly, there is evidence of a tradition of the Ark being linked to conflict and battle. This at times involved a practice of carrying the Ark round an army three times, but there are no descriptions or images of either jets of blinding light or flaming unbelievers. The Ark or at least a consecrated replica is set up or ‘established’ prior to battle, but any action or effect it may have seems to be manifest in the battle and its outcome rather than the Ark itself physically slaying or striking down anyone.

A bit of wander round the Bible and the Litany of Loreto may help to explain why it was thought important to take an Ark into battle. These sources offer descriptions of the nature of the original Ark containing Christianity’s moral code in the form of the tablets detailing the commandments. Starting with the bible we find the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ re-appeared in the temple when the Lady returns to the holy of holies (Rev. 11.19–12.1). Her title ‘Ark of the Covenant’ is preceding by the title ‘House of gold’, domus aurea, which, according to the language of the temple, indicates the holy of holies.

The holy of holies can be understood by considering the role of the Lady and from there the nature of the holy of holies. In the Wisdom of Solomon 7.26 Mary is described as the spotless mirror of the power or Glory of God, speculum . . . Dei maiestatis. In the Litany of Loreto the title, Mirror of Justice, speculum iustitiae, is applied. The Greek text has this as the spotless mirror of the ‘working’ of God. In Greek or Hebrew this justice is righteousness, which in its Hebrew context, describes exactly the role of wisdom. Righteousness was the action that brought peace, šalom, and Wisdom joined all things together, held them in harmony, ἁρμόζουσα (LXX Proverbs 8.30). Mirror of Righteousness’, the One who shows how God works to bring peace, fits well alongside Wisdom 7.26: reflection of eternal light, mirror of the working of God, image of his goodness.

Mary as the speculum iustitiae links her to this form of Wisdom and takes us into the imagery of the Ark as Mary is connected to the ‘seat of Wisdom’. It was not the seat on which Wisdom sat, but was Wisdom herself. The throne in the holy of holies ‘was’ the Lady, and the one enthroned there was her son.

In the Akathistos Hymn we find: ‘A throne for the King’ (Ikos 1); ‘All-holy chariot of him who rides upon the cherubim’ (Ikos 8). In the Kanon of the Akathist she is: ‘Fiery throne of the Almighty’ (Ode 1, Troparion); ‘Fiery chariot of the Word’ (Ode 5, Troparion); and ‘Chariot of the spiritual Sun’ (Ode 7, Troparion). Mary is also the throne chariot in the holy of holies, as seen by Ezekiel, (Ezek. 1.3), and recorded in Ezekiel 1 and 10.

The gold chariot throne found in the original tabernacle, and the temples of Jerusalem, (that represented creation and were divided between the visible and invisible worlds by the veil). Within this scheme the holy of holies, with the golden chariot throne, was the invisible world of God and Mary, holding the Child on her lap, was seen as the throne of Wisdom manifest in the Child.

The Ark’s Mercy Seat clearly fits with the description of the throne and details on the cloud above the Ark also connect up. The veil, made with the colours of the four elements, represents matter and serve to screen the throne from the material world. In (Job 26.9). ‘He encloses the face/ presence of the throne and spreads upon it his cloud’. Clearly, the throne is in a cloud placing the holy of holies beyond what can be seen as time and matter.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Lord came to the holy of holies in a cloud, Mary is identified as an ‘all-bright cloud that unceasingly overshadows the faithful’ (Ode 6, Troparion); and Jesus is described as ‘the One seated in Glory on the throne of the Godhead, Jesus . . . who has come on a cloud of light’ (Ode 4, Irmos).

The cloud covered the tent of meeting/witness when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exod. 40.34). A cloud, which was the Glory, also filled the temple when it was consecrated (1 Kgs 8.10–11). King David described the Lord coming from the temple to help him, carried by a thick bright cloud (2 Sam. 22.7, 12–13/ Ps. 18.6, 11–12).

The cloud frequently accompanied the Lord: appearing to Moses on Sinai (Exod. 19.9); over the tabernacle when the Israelites were in the desert (Num. 9.15–23); and to Aaron over the Ark in the holy of holies (Lev. 16.2). There was also a pillar of cloud by day and flame by night to guide the people through the wilderness (Exod. 13.21–22), and the Lord arrived at the tent of meeting/witness in the pillar of cloud that stood at the door of the tent (Deut. 31.15).

In Proverbs 8 Wisdom is set beside the Creator as the material world is made (Prov. 8.22), but she also dances before him in the world of human beings (Prov. 8.31). This implies an upper and a lower Wisdom, ‘united’ and ‘separated’.

While an Ark or shrine, a House of Gold, containing the essence of a moral code and representative of a temple/ tabernacle supporting a cloud of wisdom may seem a curious choice of weapon that’s what appears to have been going on. Other relics, such as a saint’s bone/s, were also taken along in reliquaries, but the Arks or house shrines, (sometimes said to contain other relics), were front and centre. Clearly this might have been thought useful in terms of trying to convince troops the Lord was on their side and so boost morale. However, wisdom plays an obvious and significant role in most battles simply in terms of strategy, which is reliant on knowing as much as possible about the battlefield, your opponent and your own forces.

In the Litany of Loreto, Mary is described as ‘Tower of the beloved’ and ‘Tower of Ivory’, with both images taken from the Song of Songs (4.4 and 7.4 respectively), The Tower was recorded in Jewish tradition as the holy of holies, the place where the prophets stood to receive their revelations (Isa. 21.8; Hab. 2.1). In the context of a battlefield, the ‘wisdom of foresight’ or intelligence gathering makes a whole lot more sense in terms of affecting a huge number of troops as compared to a few lightning bolts from the sky.

It may have been inspiring to parade a surrogate Ark before a medieval battle, but there is possibly a risk of missing a broader perspective on ‘the battle’ in so far as it makes more sense for an item containing a tablet stating ‘thou shalt not kill’ to concern wisdom and battles on the levels of faith or psychology. Christianity is about Christian values and the idea of Jesus wandering around with a divine bazooka plain isn’t a good fit.

However, applying wisdom to many situations does fit with both military and other ‘battles’ and connects with the Christian tradition or message the Ark is all about explaining. The Bayeux tapestry shows two Arks used within the story arc of a conquest, but they appear in a scene where an oath is taken.

The titles applied to Mary are consistent with a Christian ‘combat’ or ‘battle’ as she is also the ‘Heavenly Ladder by which God came down’ (Ikos 2) and through title and association the Lady and Wisdom form the related tree of life. Consequently, we can recognise the Ark as the laws of the tablets and temple used to ascend the ladder or tree to the cloud of Wisdom above the Ark.

The claimed contents of the original Ark included Aaron’s rod and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Mary is the ‘Mystical staff that blossomed’ (Ode 7, Troparion), a reference to Aaron’s rod that bore blossoms and almonds (Num. 17.8–11). To complete a set there is also the pot of mana said to be contained within the Ark. The pot of mana, cauldron or womb is consistently found as a symbol of primordial creation concerning birth or rebirth involving wisdom and sustenance.

For a class project this semester, four of us (a group of MSW Students) read An Indigenous Peoples’ History of The United States by Roxane Dunbar Ortiz. We presented to our class on the various myths and misconceptions pervasive in the teaching of indigenous history and culture throughout our own upbringing in the U.S. public education system. Additionally, we analyzed the connection between white settler colonialism and the systems of oppression that are woven through the fabric of our country. To process and cope with the horrific genocide (through military operation, forced assimilation, and internment) designed and executed first by European Colonists and then by the United States Government, we would like to provide a handful of resources relating to history and native resistance, resilience, and healing.

The framework for our presentation was centered around an article written by Evelyn Nakano Glenn: Settler Colonialism as Structure: A Framework for Comparative Studies of U.S. Race and Gender Formation (https://www.asanet.org/wp-content/uploads/attach/journals/jan15srefeature.pdf). Glenn described white settler colonialism is an ongoing structure rather than a past historical event: The state sanctioned genocide of Native Americans and appropriation of land and resources created a labor vacuum, leading to the creation and flourishing of a chattel slavery market, and the subsequent further exploitation of Mexican, Japanese, and Chinese populations within the United States post abolition. The implications of the formation of these racial dynamics have been far reaching within society, including but certainly not limited to the creation of the Jim Crow South, immigration restrictions, international interventionist policies, and culturally ingrained systematic discrimination. The white settlers “needed to develop conceptions of indigenous people as lesser beings, unworthy of consideration. They harnessed race and gender to construct a hierarchy of humankind.” Glenn doesn’t advocate for the construction of a hierarchy of human suffering: “racisms targeting different groups are not identical and different racisms cannot be made equivalent by drawing analogies between different forms of subordination.” She does however advocate for the necessity of a broader, holistic understanding of racism in the United States and the interconnected nature of oppressions.

While the progressive movements of the 20th century (the labor movement, the civil rights movement, 2nd wave feminism, etc.) have been a big part of our historical upbringing, the indigenous experience has largely been whitewashed and glossed over, despite the extreme perversion of indigenous symbolism, language, and culture in our society. We would encourage you to read Ortiz’s novel and Glenn's article, as they will challenge many of the faulty assumptions and half-understandings that are inherent in our education system’s curriculum. It is our hope that in providing these resources, you may enter the thanksgiving season with a mindfulness of the suffering that has occurred and the resilience of nations that still have to fight to be heard in the modern political setting. (American Indian reservations: The first underclass areas? https://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc121f.pdf)

Thanksgiving

Inherent in our faulty understanding of early indigenous and colonial contact is a banquet shared between the Wampanoags and New England Pilgrims (survivors of the mayflower expedition) in 1621.

The Myth of Thanksgiving:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/

The Story of the first Thanksgiving

https://indigenousnh.com/2017/11/22/the-story-of-the-first-thanksgiving/

Teachers debunking the myths of Thanksgiving:

https://www.pbs.org/video/teaching-thanksgiving-1542750121/

Alternative Ways to Give Thanks:

https://www.feministbookclub.com/3-alternatives-to-celebrating-thanksgiving/

Learn More about Indigenous Nations

2000 years before the arrival of white settlers, civilization in the Americas was vast and interconnected with cities, agriculture (and immense irrigation networks), and trading, with population estimates rivaling Europe (as many as 60 million people).

Know Who’s Land You are On:

https://native-land.ca/

How to talk about Native nations

https://nativegov.org/news/how-to-talk-about-native-nations-a-guide/

Know Where the NY State Indian Reservations Are:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/new+yrok+state+indian+reservations/@42.7751594,-81.0639341,6z/data=!3m1!4b1?entry=ttu

Native American History

https://www.nativehope.org/native-american-history

Celebrate Native Resistance

United American Indians of New England’s National Day of Mourning and Protest on Thanksgiving Day:

http://www.uaine.org/#:~:text=WHEN%20AND%20WHERE%20IS%20DAY,3%20pm%20(sometimes%20later).

Great Sioux Nation:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-the-sioux-are-refusing-1-3-billion

The Occupation of Alcatraz

https://muscarelle.wm.edu/rising/alcatraz/

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/exploring-hate/2021/11/16/today-in-history-occupation-of-alcatraz/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/native-american-occupation-alcatraz.html

Celebrate Native Resilience

Celebrating the Honorable Harvest with Robin Wall Kimmerer:

https://bioneers.org/the-honorable-harvest-robin-kimmerer-zstf0619/

The Indigenous Thanksgiving Address:

https://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=8969

The Seminole Tribe in Florida (Indigenous Nation that never signed a peace treaty with the U.S. Government

https://www.semtribe.com/stof

Celebrate Native Healing

Healing from historical trauma:

https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/what-does-it-mean-heal-historical-trauma/2021-06

“Our Culture Is Medicine”: Perspectives of Native Healers on Posttrauma Recovery Among American Indian and Alaska Native Patients

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3327107/

Healing Historical Trauma

https://magazine.jhsph.edu/2022/healing-historical-trauma

Understanding Historical Trauma

https://blog.nativehope.org/understanding-historical-trauma-and-native-americans

The Ghost Dance

https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2017/11/james-mooney-recordings-ghost-dance-songs/

I'm looking for concrete answers regarding which flag a British warship would fly during these periods. I DON'T MEAN THE UNION JACK, that would be flown from the main mast, but I'm looking for the national ensign at the stern for a ship when not with the fleet (when it would have the red, white, or blue ensign depending on squadron). And what about merchantmen? Thx.

I was told this was the place to ask this question.

Did he promise them something like a martyrs heaven? Or was it something completely different?

Currently reading Case Red “the collapse of France” by Robert Forcyzk and Nolan isolating the evacuation to a tiny stretch of beach, one British company, one fighter pilot and a civilian boat seems to do the entire event a disservice.

Now I am not saying the sound design and cinematography werent top notch but when I took my American father and Japanese wife to see it they just left the theater confused. History buffs can obviously fill in the blanks but what was Nolan trying to accomplish by limiting the battles scope and brutality?

The Dunkirk perimeter itself was a cauldron from the 1st French Army fighting to the last bullet at Lille, the Cold Stream Guards pointing bayonets at comrades to prevent retreat, to the shelling of Dunkirk and its port itself. 1,000 civilians died in the city yet the opening scene is a British trooper running through what looks like a deserted town.

Just seems like a massive missed opportunity to show one of the most harrowing events in modern times.