Glimpse of European history in Tweet threads – Part 3
Posted by RB Kollannur on May 27, 2022
This is a continuation of my earlier compilation of tweet threads available here.
201 – Wenzel, King of Bohemia (1278-1305), King of Poland (1300-1305) – The reunification of Poland under single rule and the resurgence of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire after its defeat at the hands of Rudolf of Habsburg. By retaining its prominent position within the Empire, later Bohemian rulers managed to influence the actions of the Empire starting with Wenzel’s grandson, Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia.
202 – Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne (1652-1675) – Turenne’s capture of Roussillon during the Franco-Spanish war from 1640 to 1659 played an important role in French annexation of Northern Catalonia officially confirmed in the Treaty of Pyrenees of 1659.
203 – Joachim Murat, Grand Duke of Berg (1806-1808), King of Naples (1808-1815) – Since the fall of the Ostrogoths in mid 6th century, the Italian peninsula had never been ruled by a single monarch. While the Lombards and the Franks exerted power across large parts of the peninsula during various times, for most part the south and north rarely met eye to eye until the arrival of Napoléon Bonaparte from France. But the idea of a united Italian nation still did not materialize nor was it a primary focus for the Italians until Murat called for Italians to unite against Habsburgs. Murat’s (and Napoléon’s) nephew, Napoléon III, would play an important role in the early days of reunification of Italy, perhaps as a legacy for his uncles, and the reunification would finally happen in the second half of the 20th century.
204 – Guy de Dampierre, Count of Flanders (1251-1305), Marquis of Namur (1268-1297) – An important milestone in the history of Flanders when it was briefly annexed by France, but eventually won its independence back. However, the Counts subsequently had to rely on French support to rein in its populace who rebelled against the heavy provisions of the treaty. This eventually led to inheritance of Flanders by the House of Valois-Burgundy, a cadet branch of the French ruling family at the time and the creation of the Burgundian state, a predecessor state for Netherlands, Belgium (Of which most of Flanders is part) and Luxembourg.
205 – Jean de Brabant, Duke of Brabant (1267-1294), Duke of Limburg (1288-1294) – The first phase of consolidation of the Burgundian state that would eventually see a unification of sorts of most part of the Low Countries under Burgundian Dukes. The City of Cologne also broke away from the ecclesiastical state of Archbishopric of Cologne to become a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire as a result of this war.
206 – Odilo, Duke of Bavaria (739-748) and his son, Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria (748-788) – The annexation of Carantania, an early Slavic state which now form the core for Slovenia, by Bavaria and the conquest of Bavaria by the Franks. Until the First World War, this region was part of the Frankish Carolingian Empire, followed by the German Holy Roman Empire and later the Empire of Austria.
207 – Eudes, Duke of Aquitaine (700-735) – The Umayyad defeat at Toulouse in 721 put a break in the Umayyad push northwards from Africa in 711 that saw Iberia collapse within a decade. Though Septimania lost more cities in the later years, the Franks were largely untouched allowing Charles Martel to stabilize his control over the realm after taking it through civil war. When the Umayyad returned in 732, Eudes and Charles Martel were able to take them down and prevent further Umayyad expansion into Europe.
208 – Simon de Montfort, Lord of Montfort-l’Amaury (1187-1218), Earl of Leicester (1206-1218), Viscount of Béziers, Albi, Carcassonne (1209-1218), Count of Toulouse (1215-1218), Duke of Narbonne (1215-1218) – The collapse of the Carolingian Frankish kingdom and its replacement with the Capet dynasty in late 10th century allowed for the peripheral regions of the Frankish kingdom like Barcelona, Toulouse, Narbonne, Aquitaine, Normandy, Brittany and Flanders gain some level of independence from France. The crusade led by Simon de Montfort saw the Languedoc region, which included Toulouse and Narbonne, firmly return to the French fold.
209 – Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester (1239-1265) – Though King Henry III had called for knights of counties in his Parliament of 1254, Simon de Montfort’s invitation to elected burgesses from boroughs made the Parliament more representative. Despite Montfort’s loss, Edward called on knights and burgesses in his model Parliament, which provided the base for present day UK House of Commons.
210 – Boleslav, Duke of Bohemia (935-967) – A crucial period in the formation of Bohemia / Czechia.
211 – Bolesław, Prince of Poland (992-1024), King of Poland (1024-1025), Duke of Bohemia (1003-1004) – Initially Poland was nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire, but Bolesław’s reign led to its confirmation as a sovereign nation with its own ecclesiastical jurisdiction free from imperial / German influence. Though Bolesław’s immediate successors struggle to retain his independence, it was a start for Poland as an independent nation.
212 – Robert, King of France (996-1031), Duke of Burgundy (1004-1016) – When his father became king of France, replacing the Carolingians, their royal power was relatively new. (Robert’s great grandfather and his elder brother had become kings of France earlier). But with Robert’s 35 year long reign played a prominent role in stabilizing dynastic control over France. All subsequent kings of France (Not Emperors) where from the Capetian dynasty.
213 – Adélaïde de Bourgogne, Queen Consort of Italy, Queen Consort of Germany, Empress Consort of the Holy Roman Empire – She played an important role in extending the influence of her husband, Otto, into Italy leading to the re-creation of the Holy Roman Empire that lasted till 1806. Her presence also ensured the continuity of the Liudolfinger / Ottonian dynasty into its third generation as Emperors. Her connections with the clergy also helped in making them more loyal to the Empire, which had fragmented after the collapse of the Carolingian dynasty.
214 – Dirk, Count of Holland (993-1039) – Origins of Holland as a region.
215 – Louis, King of France (1223-1226) – The regrowth and consolidation of royal power in France after a weak start for the House of Capet in late 10th century. It was also the time when Artois was separated from Flanders. While Artois changed hands over centuries, it ended in French hands in 1659, and Flanders is now mostly in Belgium, with parts in France and Netherlands.
216 – Vímara Peres, Count of Portus Cale / Portucale / Portugal (868-873) – The origins of Portugal.
217 – Petronila, Queen of Aragon (1137/1157-1164) – The union of the kingdom of Aragon and the county of Barcelona was an important step in the creation of Spain, in many ways similar to the union of Aragon and Castile centuries later.
218 – János Zápolya, King of (Eastern) Hungary (1526-1540), Voivode of Transylvania (1510-1526) – The division of Hungary in 1526 into three is a precursor, though not an exact one, for present day Slovakia, Hungary and Transylvania. Slovakia is roughly formed from the northern part of the Habsburg held Hungary, called Royal Hungary, after 1526. The southern part of Royal Hungary and Ottoman Hungary roughly forms present day Hungary, while the kingdom of János Zápolya, later Principality of Transylvania, is the part that got added to Romania after 1918.
219 – Charles of Lorraine – By the time Charles died in 1690, he had led most of the reconquest of Hungary for the Habsburgs. It was in essence the first major reversal of fortunes for the Ottomans since the 1526 Battle of Mohács. Though war in Europe for most of the next century prevented further advancement of the Habsburgs (or the Russians) into Ottoman territory, the Ottomans never regained Hungary and started to gradually lose their empire from the latter half of the 17th century.
220 – Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé (1646-1686), Duke of Enghien (1621-1646), Duke of Bourbon (1661-1667), Duke of Montmorency (1650-1686) – Along with the Viscount of Turenne, the Prince of Condé played a significant role in 17th century France in the acquisition of Artois, Lorraine (temporarily) and Franche-Comté. His protégé, François-Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, would also later take up the mantle of leading the French forces in the last decades of the 17th century, when France continued to excel militarily.
221 – John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1702-1722), Earl of Marlborough (1689-1702), Prince of Mindelheim (1705-1714) – Churchill was one of England’s foremost commanders in the War of Spanish Succession, which ended with the breakup of the Spanish empire. Spain and its non European colonies were inherited by French prince, Philippe, while its European colonies and crowns were acquired by the Austrian Habsburgs, for whom Churchill fought on behalf of England / Britain. The descendants of Philippe continue to rule Spain.
222 – Heinrich, Count of Brunswick (1139-1195), Duke of Saxony (1142-1180), Duke of Bavaria (1156-1180) – The period of battle between Duke Heinrich and the Emperor Friedrich and his supporters in Saxony saw many merchants and soldiers from the region migrate across the Baltic leading to the creation of the monastic orders in Prussia, Estonia and Latvia. Eventually, Lübeck and other cities in the region created a loose league based on trade and self protection called the Hanseatic League that dominated events in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea for many centuries. Italy saw a drawn out battle between the Holy Roman Emperor and Pope backed microstates in the Italian peninsula until 1392. It ended with a reduced role for the Empire in Italy, which had exerted influence in northern Italy since its reconstruction in 962. This battle between the Pope and the Emperor was called the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, where Guelphs was a reference to the House of Welf to which Heinrich belonged. Though the name has its origins in 1140 when Heinrich’s uncle Welf fought the Emperor in Germany, the later rebellion by Heinrich and its connection with the Lombard League may have given the battle a truly Italian flavour.
223 – Alberto Azzo, Margrave of Milan and Genoa (1029-1097) – Although he had little control over Milan or Genoa, he initiated his family’s move to Este, creating the House of Este which remained a prominent Italian noble family for centuries. The senior line of his son Welf dominated Saxony and Bavaria briefly, especially during the time of Welf’s grandson Heinrich der Stolze and great grandson Heinrich der Löwe (See above) and later ruled in Brunswick and Lüneburg, from where the House of Hanover that ruled Great Britain and its global colonies during its peak came. The Este rule in Italy ended in 1796 but many of its properties ended with a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg Lorraine, reaching Archduke of Austria-Este Franz Ferdinand and, after his assassination, Archduke Robert (Younger son of Austrian Emperor Karl) and his descendants.
224 – Adelaide di Susa, Marchioness of Turin and Susa (1034-1091) – The origin of the House of Savoy and its presence in Turin, which became its capital from 1562 to 1865, including when the House of Savoy reunited Italy under single rule, after the collapse of the Ostrogothic kingdom in 6th century.
225 – Jeanne de Toulouse, Countess of Toulouse (1249-1271), Marquise of Provence (1249-1271) – The will of Jeanne and her husband, Alphonse, provided for the Comtat Venaissin to be given to the Roman Church. When Frenchman Bertrand de Got was elected as Pope in 1305, he spent his initial years in France before settling near Comtat Venaissin, in Avignon, outside the realm of France at the time. Avignon Papacy lasted till 1377, but there was a brief schism in the church while Avignon and Rome fought for supremacy until 1417 Council of Constance. The shift to Avignon also made it easier for the French king to bring an end to the Knights Templar in 1312. Avignon and Comtat Venaissin, which remained under papal control until late 18th century, also encircled the Principality of Orange, also outside French control till late 17th century. The annexation of Toulouse and part of Provence by France also happened after Jeanne’s will was set aside. Though Philippa de Lomagne may have been her closest relative, part of the reason the will was set aside was that Philippa was not male. Jeanne de Toulouse had other male relative like Philippa’s uncles, Guillaume d’Anduze, Roger Bermond d’Anduze and Beraud d’Anduze and their sons, which makes her selection of an heir odd in context.
226 – Gábor Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania (1613-1629) – Unlike rest of the Habsburg domains, Hungary, Slovakia and Transylvania retain a relatively higher percentage of Protestant population even today. During the Thirty Years War when the Habsburgs imposed Catholicism on their domains (Austria, Bohemia, Croatia and Slovenia), Bethlen pushed for the safety and security of Protestants in the parts of Hungary that the Habsburgs controlled.
227 – Pépin, King of (Northern) Italy (781-810) – The disestablishment of the Avar khaganate made way for prominent Slavic, Bohemian (Czech) and a century later, Hungarian presence in the region.
228 – Godefroi de Louvain, Count of Louvain (1095-1139), Count of Brussels (1095-1139), Landgrave of Brabant (1095-1139), Duke of Lower Lorraine (1106-1128), Margrave of Antwerp (1106-1139) – The merger of Antwerp and Brabant with Louvain and Brussels to become the Duchy of Brabant couple of generations later. Antwerp soon became one of the busiest ports in Europe, superseding Bruges in nearby Flanders, and played an important role in the rising importance of Brabant.
229 – Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro (1586-1592), Governor of Habsburg Netherlands (1578-1592) – The early period of the Protestant revolt against Habsburg rule in the Low Countries was successful after all of the seventeen provinces except Limburg and Luxembourg had fallen to the rebels. But Farnese reversed it, allying with Artois and Hainaut and adding Namur, Flanders and Brabant to the Catholic cause. The revived Catholic effort allowed Habsburg Netherlands to last till the end of 18th century (Artois and parts of Flanders were conquered by France in between), which became the core regions of present day Belgium. The city of Antwerp also saw its fall from zenith during this period, partly due to its reconquest by Farnese for Spain and a slow shift of trade to more business friendly Dutch held Amsterdam.
230 – Karel van Egmond, Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen (1492-1538) – The annexation of Guelders, Zutphen and Frisia to the Habsburg ruled Burgundian state, which formed the basis for the creation of Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
231 – Heinrich von der Pfalz, Prince Bishop of Utrecht (1524-1529), Prince Bishop of Worms (1523-1552), Prince Bishop of Freising (1541-1552) – The annexation of Utrecht, Overijssel and Drenthe to the Habsburg ruled Burgundian state, which formed the basis for the creation of Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
232 – Leopold von Habsburg, Duke of Austria (1365-1379), Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola (1365-1386), Count of Tyrol (1365-1386) – Success in the Battle of Morgarten of 1315 and Battle of Sempach of 1386 played a crucial role in the evolution of Switzerland. The time period also saw Habsburg re-acquire Carinthia and Carniola which had been assigned to Meinhardiners, who also ruled Görz and Tyrol, by Habsburg’s first German king, Rudolf. These lands along with Görz would become the core Habsburg ruled territory before getting divided amongst Austria, Slovenia and Italy after 1918.
233 – Charles de Bourgogne, Count of Charolais (1433-1477), Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Limburg & Luxembourg (1467-1477), Count of Flanders, Holland, Zeeland, Hainaut & Artois (1467-1477), Count Palatine of Burgundy (1467-1477), Margrave of Namur (1467-1477), Count of Ferrette (1469-1477), Landgrave of Upper Alsace (1469-1477), Duke of Guelders (1473-1477), Count of Zutphen (1473-1477) – Though the Burgundian state effectively ended with Charles, the creation of a separate Parlement in Mechelen to administer the French Burgundian provinces facilitated the separation of all the Burgundian provinces from France and Germany (Holy Roman Empire), eventually leading to the creation of independent Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The Swiss victory at Grandson, Morat and Nancy were a key stepping stone towards independent Switzerland as well, which expanded to 13 cantons in 1513 from 8 in 1477.
234 – Rhodri ap Merfyn, King of Gwynedd (844-878), King of Powys (855-878), King of Seisyllwg (872-878) – The beginning of uniting Wales / Cymru into a single nation.
235 – John de Balliol, Lord of Galloway (1290-1296), King of Scotland (1292-1296) – The Auld alliance initiated while John was king of Scotland lasted till mid 16th century, leading to a strong connection of Scotland to mainland Europe even today.
236 – Tomislav, Duke of Croatia (910-925), King of Croatia (925-928) – The origin story for Croatia.
237 – Mihailo Vojislavljević, Knez / King of Duklja (1046-1081) – Once Serbia collapsed in the fifteenth century, Zeta, as Duklja came to be known then, became an independent state. When the Ottomans conquered Serbia, Zeta managed to stay free for most part, evolving into the Prince Bishopric of Montenegro over time. Montenegro continued as a political unit until 1918, merging again with Serbia to form Yugoslavia and continuing its tie up with Serbia even after 1992 when Yugoslavia collapsed, before going separate ways in 2006.
238 – Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland (1326-1371), King of Scotland (1371-1390) – The end to the English domination of Scotland after the end of the earlier ruling House of Dunkeld and the beginning of the royal House of Stuart, which would go on to rule Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales which became Great Britain during the reign last Stuart monarch – Anne.
239 – Brian “Bóruma” mac Cennétig, King of Tuadmumu (976-1014), King of Munster (978-1014), High King of Ireland (1002-1014) – King Brian broke the Uí Néill domination of Ireland and managed to bring a level of unity of the whole of Ireland, including the Norse controlled regions. His death led to his predecessor return as High King, but he could not retain the same level of control and the Normans found things easier to handle when they invaded later in the century. However, King Brian’s retained a strong role in Tuadmumu (Thomond) where his descendants ruled as Earls after submitting to King Henry VIII of England centuries later.
240 – Asparukh, Khan of Bulgars (668-695) – The origins of Bulgaria.
241 – Kaloyan, Tsar of Bulgaria (1197-1207) – Revival of Bulgaria, after its conquest by Byzantium in 1018. Many nations appeared in Europe after the collapse of Rome, but those that got conquered by others were rarely able to return again, like the Avar Khaganate or Moravia. Kaloyan and his brothers ensured Bulgarian fortunes could be revived.
242 – Adelais d’Anjou, Queen Consort of Aquitaine – County of Anjou begins its rise in prominence within France. The region will be later associated with four royal dynasties including the present Spanish royal family and the present Luxembourg grand ducal family.
243 – Jean de Montfort, Duke of Brittany (1365-1399), Count of Montfort-l’Amaury (1361-1399), Earl of Richmond (1372-1399) – A stage when the role of France in Brittany steadily increased, despite the intervention by the English and the independent views of Breton nobles.
244 – Danilo Šćepčev Heraković Njeguš, Prince Bishop of Montenegro (1697-1735) – Danilo led the separation of Montenegro from Ottoman controlled Orthodoxy and formed alliance with Russia, which proved crucial for the formal independence of Montenegro much later.
245 – Stefan Nemanja, Veliki Župan of Raška (1166-1196) – The first stage for independent Serbia. An earlier principality of Serbia existed, but mostly under Byzantine or briefly Bulgar suzerainty, until Nemanja set the path for an independent Serbia and an independent church (Serbian Orthodox Church).
246 – Leon, Byzantine Emperor (717-741) – The revitalization of the Eastern Roman Empire after a period of anarchy and time of domination by Bulgars and Arabs.
247 – Basileios, Byzantine Emperor (960-976-1025) – The revitalization of the Eastern Roman Empire after a period of stability and a time of invasion by Bulgars and Arabs. Byzantine empire lasted for over a millennium from 330 to 1453, but from the mid seventh to the eleventh century their main rivals in the east were the Arabs. The latter half of the eleventh century saw the Turks become their primary rivals in the region, but the empire would manage to persist four more centuries due to the base set by Basileios and his predecessors.
248 – Harald Gormsson, King of Denmark (958-986), King of Norway (970-986) –The initial stages of Christianity among the Danes. Though there were earlier Christian kings, it was Harald who first followed through on the commitment to converting Danes to Christianity. He was also the first ruler of both Denmark and Norway, which shared the same monarch for many centuries and was the source of name of Bluetooth technology in the 20th century (Harald’s nickname was Bluetooth).
249 – Magnús Óláfsson, King of Norway (1035-1047), King of Denmark (1042-1047) – Another union of Denmark and Norway, though with Norway as the conqueror. Magnus’ reign ensured a separate identity for Norway, which had seen Danish domination for close to a century. Though Denmark would return to dominate Norway with the Kalmar Union in 1397, Norway had lasted as a separate kingdom for over three centuries by then.
250 – Alexios Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor (1081-1118) – The defeat at Manizkert would have been the death knell for the seven century old empire, had it not been for the stability provided by the Komnenos dynasty. Alexios ruled for over 30 years pushing back invaders in the west and allying with the Seljuk breakaway state in the east. He also saw to that he was succeeded by his son, ensuring continuity of his dynasty. Though most of the Anatolian peninsula had fallen to the Seljuks, the empire endured in some form for almost 350 years after Alexios died.
251 – Theodoros Komnenos Doukas Angelos, Ruler of Epirus (1215-1224), Emperor at Thessalonica (1224-1230) – The state of Epirus was located partly in present day Albania and Greece. Though Greek in nature, it was one of the few occasions the region of Albania existed independently from other states.
252 – Giuseppe Garibaldi – His contributions were crucial towards the reunification of Italy after 13 centuries of division.
253 – Adrian von Bubenberg, Schultheiss of Bern (1468-1469, 1473-1474, 1477-1479), Lord of Spiez (1464-1479) – The Swiss victories over Burgundians in 1477 was a crucial step towards an independent Switzerland.
254 – Tvrtko Kotromanić, Ban of Bosnia (1353-1366), Ban of Bosnia (1367-1377), King of Bosnia (1377-1391) – Bosnia breaks the shackles of foreign rule and last close to a century as an independent nation. The time period also saw the beginning of the association of Herzegovina with Bosnia, reflected in the present day nation, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
255 – Bayan, Khagan of the Avars (562-602) – The Avar Khaganate lasted over two centuries in present day Hungary bringing with them Bulgars, Slavs and tribes from Central Asia that later made Europe their home. They filled the power vacuum in Eastern Europe that happened due to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the slow degradation of the Eastern Roman Empire.
256 – Birger Magnusson, Jarl of Sweden (1248-1266) – The Swedish conquest of Finland which led to Swedish rule in Finland for close to six centuries
257 – Iaroslav Vladimirovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (1019-1054), Prince of Rostov (996-1010), Prince of Novgorod (1010-1034) – The emergence of Rus’ state as a European nation with ties across Europe.
258 – Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Prime Minister of Italy (1861), Prime Minister of Sardinia (1852-1859, 1860-1861) – His contributions were crucial towards the reunification of Italy after 13 centuries of division.
259 – Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany (1871-1890), Minister President of Prussia (1862-1873, 1873-1890) – His contributions were crucial towards the reunification of Germany in 19th century.
260 – Rastislav, Duke of Moravia (846-869) – The origin of the Cyrillic alphabet in present day Slavic languages.
261 – Murad, Ottoman Sultan (1421-1444, 1446-1451) – A period of consolidation for Ottoman presence in Europe and the setup of its eventual conquest of Constantinople, its capital for over 450 years.
A View From My Disjointed Laptop 
Glimpse of European history in Tweet threads – Part 2 « A View From My Disjointed Laptop said
[…] This is a continuation of my earlier compilation of tweet threads available here. Threads after #200 are available here. […]