History: Leaders, heroes, traitors...

[Traveller]

The best, the worst, the most interesting or the most insignificant... This is another historical-based thread, where you could write about any of your country's leaders, be they from the past or the present, kings or presidents. Every country has someone called "The Great" (Charlemagne (Karl the Great), Simeon the Great, Justinian I The Great etc.) and I'm sure that every country also has someone, who's far from greatness. You could write (or copy :wink: ) about them here and share them with us: great battles, victories and defeats, political and economical rises and declines, clever tricks... Of course, due to the feudalism and democracy, "leaders" could be not only the high officials, but also feudals, normal heroes, politicians and such. In short: everybody, who has a place in your country's history and has awakened your interest in him...



P.S. I'll start later with some of my favourite "characters"...

[Traveller]

Ok, either some people are too lazy to share some of their history with us or they're already sick of all the history threads in the forum! But I'll give it a try:

Khan Telerig

He isn't the greatest of the Bulgarian rulers. He isn't also the wisest or the worst. His story is short and that's why I choose to write about him. Telerig succeeded Khan Pagan in 768 and ruled "only" 9 years until 777. I say "only" because compared to the previous khans he did rule relatively longer. From the beginning of the second half of the VIII century the land was in full political chaos. Khans were coming and going within a couple of years: the khans Kormisosh (753–756) - 3 years, Vinekh (756–762) - 6 years, Telets (762–765) - 3 years, Sabin (765–766) - 1 year, Umor (766) - 40 days, Toktu (766–767) - 1 year, and Pagan (767–768) - 1 year. Many historians believe that this was in a pretty large scale due to interventions from the Byzantine side - the Emperor Konstantin V Kopronim (743-775), who has launched campaigns against Bulgaria for around two decades (the Byzantines have always been famous with their "underground" skills and diplomacy). These wars were with a changing luck - sometimes the Romeans won, sometimes - the Bulgars. But Khan Telerig was the last one from the "troubled times". Soon after he came to power, he sent a message to Konstantin, in which he was asking for assistance to run away. In the past twenty five years not one khan had fled to Constantinople, seeking a refuge, especially the khans, which accepted Christianity. And in Byzantium they usually received good positions, lands and riches. That's why Konstantine was probably not surprised by the khan's request. In the letter Telerig asked him for a list with loyal to the emperor subjects in the Court of Bulgaria, in which he could trust and which could help him escape. Konstantin sent him a list right away, but... he was left with an open mouth and empty hand. Soon after Telerig received Konstantin's response and the list with the traitors, all of the Byzantine agents in Bulgaria's Royal Court were "gone", executed. Thus Khan Telerig ensured the political stability in Bulgaria, as we can see by the longevity of his successor's reign - Khan Kardam, who ruled for 25 years (777-802). After him, Bulgaria emerged once again as a leading military and political power in the European South-East (and some more time later even among the greatest in whole of Europe).


Now it's your turn!

[Xuca]

Ah, is it my turn? Let us start with the founder of the modern Serbian medieval state:

Grand Zupan Stefan Nemanja (http://www.rcp-brcko.com/biografije/loza%20nemanjica/stefan-nemanja.jpg)

Stefan Nemanja was born in Podgorica, sometime after 1113. Although his early years are somewhaat obscure - even his year of birth and the actual identity of his father Zavida are both widely disputed - Nemanja nonetheless appears to have been at least indirectly related to the Raskan ruling family. Yet, the state institutions and subsequent spiritual legacy established by him and his sons marked such a break with earlier practices, that these (probably more so than uncertainties of his lineage) marked him as a founder of a brand new dynasty - indeed, one that was to become virtually synonymous with the glory of medieval Serbia.

Nemanja's rise to power comes sometime during 1166-8, first from the appanage of Dubocica (city of Leskovac), in the shadow of his elder brother Tihomir - a Byzantine appointee - and together with the two other brethren, Stracimir and Miroslav. Rising fraternal disputes effectively dissolved this tetrarchy, leading to the decisive battle of Pantino in Kosovo, where Tihomir perished, and Nemanja - aided, tradition has it, by St. George - prevailed. He was thenceforth to reign supreme as Grand Zupan, having secured pledges of allegiance from his two surviving brothers. This assertion of unity - perhaps as much as an opportunistic attempt to ride a short-lived tide of Hungarian-Venetian aggressiveness towards Byzantium - led him on a collision course with his nominal overlord, emperor Manuel. Abandoned by Western allies and facing a superior Byzantine force, Nemanja nevertheless did show political prowess and farsightedness. His spectacular surrender to Manuel in 1172, followed by seemingly humiliating ceremonies of submission at Constantinople - all ultimately led to his return and consolidation of power and stability in an autonomous Raska for the next eight years.

Not surprisingly, however, Nemanja's loyalty to the emperor did not survive the latter's death in 1180. During the 10-year aftermath, he took advantage of Byzantine internal disorders and a more favorable international situation (which included Hungarian, Crusader and Norman regional interests) to expanded considerably in all directions at the Empire's expense. Eastward, acquisitions included, among other areas, the plains of Kosovo, territory between Western and Great Morava (with the city of Nis, which then served as a capital), Timok and northern Macedonia. On the other side, most Adriatic coastal and littoral regions from Zahumlje, through Travunija and Zeta, to the Lake Skadar region were added. Despite initial hostilities, relations between Raska and the important merchant city-state of Dubrovnik were settled by the 1186 treaty that provided for a symbiotic relationship between the two throughout most of the Nemanjic dynasty. Further Serbian advances were checked by Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelos, in 1190; however, the ensuing peace treaty left most acquisitions intact for the Serbian (Raskan) state, along with full recognition and an amicable disposition from the ailing Constantinopolitan court.

Having achieved considerable political successes on all fronts, the Nemanjic dynasty founder ensured smooth succession at the Sabor (council) of Ras, in 1196. There he abdicated in favor of his middle son, Stefan, and having bequeathed all his earthly possessions, proceeded to a life of spirituality as monk Simeon. He soon joined his youngest son (the future St. Sava), at the monastic community of the Holy Mountain (Mt. Athos) in Greece, where the two were shorlty to build the key center of Serbian spiritual life, the famed Hilandar (Chilandari) monastery. Nemanja's deeds as a practical earthly sovereign were matched by his religious fervor and faith, as evidenced, above all, by his numerous church foundations and other generous ecclesiastic donations. Apart from Hilandar, his key endowement - the majestic Studenica monastery - as well as Djurdjevi Stupovi and several others, remain as lasting monuments to this effect. Nemanja-Simeon was canonized shortly after his death in 1200, his feast being on Feb. 26 (13). As word of the wonderworking quality of his relics spread throughout the realm along with the awareness of his deeds, so did the general veneraton of Simeon the Myrrh-flowing - as he came to be known as a result. While technically not the first Serbian saint, it was the establishment of his cult that laid the foundation for a firm national identity - backed at first by a strong state establishment, but ultimately surviving on its Christian ethics alone - for many centuries to come.

[Mircoslavux]

I have written something about it in National Hero's treat so please look there;

:go:

[Richard]

Well he wasn't so"Great", but he fought for the independence of Cuba against Spain during the late 1800's and was an important figure of literature during that time. So here he is.

José Martí was both an important literary figure and is Cuba's National Hero. He was born to Spanish parents on January, 28, 1853.

In 1871, at the age of just 16, he was sent into exile by Spanish colonialists because of his political views. He remained in this first exile, during which he visited Mexico, Spain, Guatemala and France. By that time, other countries in Latin America had all gained their independence, but Cuba was still held by Spain.

His second exile, beginning in 1879 and lasting longer than the first, took him for many years to the United States. There he wrote "Versos Libres" (Free Verses) in 1885 and "Versos Sencillos" (Simple Verses) in 1891. These writings began the movement known as Modernism.

His time in New York made Martí fear that the United States would interfere with the establishment of democratic governments in Latin America. In 1892, he founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party, intended to free Cuba from Spanish rule.

Martí returned to Oriente Province during the Cuban War of Independence in 1895. He had tried to unite all Cubans against Spain, and now he had come to fight too. Only a month after the revolution began, Martí was martyred at the battle of Dos Ríos.

The Cuban revolutionaries fought on in his memory for three years. When The U.S. launched a war on Spain after accusing the Spanish of destroying the Battleship Maine, U.S. troops joined in as well. The Americans fought against Spain, but were generally unsincere allies of the rebels'. Spain was no match for the U.S.' new fleet and army, and lost many of her colonies to America, including Cuba.