No one died from gout – the Disease of Kings. So the doctor was not particularly worried about his patient, Lorenzo de’ Medici, called Lorenzo the Magnificent, one of the richest men in the world. But because Lorenzo was suffering from a pretty bad episode, the doctor changed the treatment. To the usual ground-up pearls,…
Category: Church
The Year was 432
Six years a slave. Irish pirates stole the 16-year-old Brit, calling him Padraig, making him take care of pigs. He escaped, made it back home, and became a cleric and then Padraig did a strange thing – he returned to Ireland in 432 AD. Everything about Padraig, Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is…
The Year was 1415
Roman Emperor Claudius the Cruel needed Roman soldiers, but they were not volunteering. Why not? Claudius thought the reason was that they wanted to stay home with their wives. His solution? Ban marriage. A Catholic priest, Valentine, disobeyed him, marrying young lovers in secret. Off with his head! The priest was beaten and beheaded in…
The year was 1978
This was a Year of Three Popes. In a mere 53 days, there were three popes. But this was not the Middle Ages, it was 1978. Pope Paul VI died on August 25th. The new pope, elected on August 26th, was John Paul I, was an Italian, Albino Luciani, born in 1912. He was a…
The year was 1492
Who could beat the Gonzaga horses? No one. Gonzaga himself had bred his Italian horses with Arabians. Gonzaga’s controlling wife, the snooty Isabella d’Este, had a burning desire to be the best at everything. Always. No one dared go up against her. But she met her match in the teenage son of Pope Alexander VI….
The year was 964
As Pope, the teenager would be a disaster. He was the pampered son of Alberic, princeps (head) of Rome. Octavian would inherit his father’s title. But Alberic had wanted more for his favorite son. He wanted Octavian to be the next Pope. The nobles swore an oath to Alberic in St. Peter’s Basilica that they would…
The year was 800
Who ruled their world? Charlemagne? The Pope? The Pope was Leo III. He was certain it was him – because he represented God – even though he had needed Charlemagne to take his side against those who wanted him out of St. Peter’s chair. In typical fashion, the Romans had been accusing Leo of their…