No, my favourite dates differ from those of Mohammed or Hassan. I like 732, as in Charles Martel in Tours; 1683, as in Jan Sobieski in Vienna; and the best of them all (because it took place in my back yard) 1571, as in Don John and the Battle of Lepanto. Of all the battles, this was the one that saved the Christian West. It was a naval encounter even more important than Salamis, when we Greeks wiped the floor with those Persian interlopers. The West was lucky in having one of the greatest Popes of all time, Pius V, who named Don John of Austria as commander,an inspired and brilliant choice. Pius, in his six short years as Pope, published the works of Thomas Aquinas, excommunicated Queen Elizabeth and promulgated the Council of Trent. Not bad for a simple and aged Dominican priest by the name of Michael Ghislieri. Everyone who was anyone joined the Holy League—even the effete and treacherous Venetians—and with the extremely good looking and gallant Don John at the head the Christians met the Turkish hordes in the Gulf of Patras. Share
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Taki on Lepanto
No, my favourite dates differ from those of Mohammed or Hassan. I like 732, as in Charles Martel in Tours; 1683, as in Jan Sobieski in Vienna; and the best of them all (because it took place in my back yard) 1571, as in Don John and the Battle of Lepanto. Of all the battles, this was the one that saved the Christian West. It was a naval encounter even more important than Salamis, when we Greeks wiped the floor with those Persian interlopers. The West was lucky in having one of the greatest Popes of all time, Pius V, who named Don John of Austria as commander,an inspired and brilliant choice. Pius, in his six short years as Pope, published the works of Thomas Aquinas, excommunicated Queen Elizabeth and promulgated the Council of Trent. Not bad for a simple and aged Dominican priest by the name of Michael Ghislieri. Everyone who was anyone joined the Holy League—even the effete and treacherous Venetians—and with the extremely good looking and gallant Don John at the head the Christians met the Turkish hordes in the Gulf of Patras. Share
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4 comments:
"Pius...excommunicated Queen Elizabeth". From what I've read about Elizabeth, her conversion to Catholicism was for political self preservation. During her time of professing to be Catholic, her attendance for Mass wasn't consistent and she didn't always observe Catholic practices. Thus her behavior raised her half-sister Mary's distrust and suspicions about her. Elizabeth didn't have a firm adherence to religion although she was brought up in what would be the Church of England.
Yes, Elisa, it was all political. And it must be remembered that Henry VIII still considered himself to be a Catholic when Elizabeth was baptized, and so she was more or less Catholic even then. Even Anne Boleyn believed in believed in Confession and transubstantiation. Elizabeth's tutors and her beloved stepmother Katherine Parr are the ones who influenced her towards more Protestant thinking. But even as queen, Elizabeth wanted her chaplains to be celibate and wanted a crucifix on her altar. She had strong Catholic leanings and she was a Protestant mainly for political reasons (just as under Mary I she was Catholic as could be, for political reasons.) So being a baptized Catholic, she could be (and was) excommunicated by the Pope.
+JMJ+
For an endless, panicked minute, I thought that Tom Cruise had been cast to play Don John of Austria! :O
Thank goodness that Hollywood isn't (yet) as tasteless as I had feared!
Oh, wouldn't that be horrid....
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