British Culture - User contributions [en]

Highwaymen

2010-01-25T20:51:08Z

Nikos M. Feldweg: Started page.

Mounted robbers who frequented the country roads around [[London]] and many other places in England from around the 16th to the end of the 18th century. They either worked alone or in small groups, stopping coaches at pistol point and demanding money and articles of value. Their catch phrase was "Stand and deliver." Despite the presence of weapons, the use of violence in these acts was uncommon. Instead, the robbers were famous for their gentlemanly behaviour.

==Legal status==

Although the reclusion of the country roads provided relative savety for the highwaymen, the task wasn't without risk, as the penalty for armed robbery was hanging, and many of the more prominent members of this professional group were actually executed.

==Public opinion==

While the state persecuted the highwaymen with the full rigor of the law, the public opinion often considered them heroes in the tradition of robbers like Robin Hood. "Stage names" like Sixteen String Jack were widely known, and the subject in question was famous for his extravagant clothing, his lavish lifestyle and his quick-witted, disrespectful attitude in the face of authorities. In these aspects, the highwaymen - who were furthermore mostly younger than 30 and often perceived as charming and good looking - resemble modern pop stars.

==The Beggar's Opera==

[[John Gay|John Gay's]] [[The Beggar's Opera|opera]] bears witness to this popularity, as the highwayman Jack Sheppard (born 1702, executed in 1724) became Gay's model for the character of Captain Macheath.

==Decline==

Highwaymen became an uncommon encounter at the end of the 18th century due to the expansion of the British road system, as the rising number of guarded toll gates provided better protection against criminals.

==Sources==

Smith, Captain Alexander: ''Von der Wiege bis zum Galgen. Leben und Taten der berühmtesten Straßenräuber, Mörder und Spitzbuben'' [''Complete history of the lives and robberies of the most notorious highwaymen, footpads, shoplifts and cheats of both sexes'']. Trans. anonymous. Tübingen: Erdmann, 1974.

Harper, Charles George: ''Half-hours with the highwaymen: picturesque biographies and traditions of the „knights of the road“''. London: Chapman & Hall, 1908.

Benjamin Franklin

2009-12-14T22:04:57Z

Nikos M. Feldweg: Started page.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was a publisher, inventor and important figure of the [[Enlightenment]] as well as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

==Publisher and Author==

Born as one of 17 siblings, his parents did not have the money to pay for his education. He instead became an autodidact and dedicated reader of everything he could find. Fittingly, his half brother James was a printer and publisher of a newspaper in Boston and took Benjamin as an apprentice when he was twelve years old. At age 17, Frankin left his half brother's business and hold several jobs over the following years, first in Philadelphia, then in [[London]]. In his twenties, he founded the Library Company, the first library on american soil, and became a prolific author of periodicals (the most famous of these being the annual ''Poor Richard's Almanack''), as well as a newspaper publisher, the latter mainly to have a platform for his political commentary.

==Inventions==

Besides his career in printing, Franklin was also an inventor who is credited for, among countless other devices, the lightning rod and bifocal glasses. However, he did not get rich from these scientific efforts, as he never patented his inventions due to his altruistic opinion that his ideas belonged to the community.

==Politics==

Politics were an aspect of Franklin's life that can not be separated from his ventures in the press and science, as he used these fields in an effort to improve life for everyone. He had become interested in public affairs at least since he joined a [[Freemason]] lodge in 1731 and founded several important institutions, from the aforementioned library to a firefighting company as well as what would later become the University of Pennsylvania. In his later years, Franklin also hold several offices in the state of Philadelphia and became an influential man, culminating in his role in the [[Declaration of Independence]].

==Sources==

Anderson, Douglas: ''The radical enlightenments of Benjamin Franklin''. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1997.

Franklin, Benjamin: ''Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography''. Ed. J. A. Leo Lemay. New York: Norton, 1986

Battle of Blenheim

2009-11-08T13:38:59Z

Nikos M. Feldweg: Started page.

The Battle of Blenheim took place on the 13th of August in 1704, close to the city of [[Höchstädt]] in Bavaria, Germany, as well as close to the village of Blindheim from which the battle's English name derives. It was part of the War of the Spanish Succession and is one of the most important battles of this conflict. The belligerents were France and Bavaria on the one side and an alliance of England, Austria, Prussia and the Netherlands on the other, the latter being victorious in the battle.

==Background==
When Charles II. of Spain died in 1700 without a direct successor, there were several potential heirs. Depending on who was to inherit the throne, power and influence in Europe would shift. The diplomatic situation was deadlocked, so that after Charles' unexpected death a war seemed to be unavoidable. Armed conflicts in this war began in 1701 and lasted till 1714. It took place in wide parts of western Europe.

==The Battle==
More than 100.000 people took part in the battle. Compared to the allied troops, the French/Bavarian army had a slight superiority by force of numbers and, as they had occupied Blindheim (which was surrounded by swamps and waters, not least the Danube) they actually had the better starting point. The allied troops were victorious nevertheless, due to the superior battle tactics of [[John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough]], commander of the English forces, as well as due to several fatal misjudgements of the French commanders. Fights went on for about ten hours, until the remaining French troops surrendered in the centre of Blindheim. During the battle, around half of the French soldiers were either killed or wounded or taken prisoner, while the losses on the side of the allied troops were considerably smaller.

==Aftermath and relevance==
The Battle of Blenheim was a turning point in the War of the Spanish Succession for two reasons: First, Bavaria was occupied afterwards, which meant that France lost its influence over the whole area and its only ally was severely weakened.
Second, beforehand many considered the French troops to be invincible. The news of their defeat was an important motivator for the allied troops in following battles.

==Sources==
*Churchill, Winston: ''A History of the English-Speaking Peoples''. 4 vols. London: Cassell, 1956.
*Churchill, Winston: ''Marlborough'' (translated edition). 2 vols. Munich: Callwey, 1968.