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An amateur treasure hunter struck gold — literally. Kevin Duckett was hunting for treasure with his metal detector in a field near Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, England, when he unearthed a solid gold figurine that experts believe is part of a long-lost part of the crown of Henry VIII. “At first I wondered if it was a crumpled foil dish from a 1970s Mr. Kipling product, or even a gold milk bottle top,” Duckett told the Sun. “I got a very loud positive signal from my detector and started to dig down before spotting something … It was lodged in the...

...One of the most disputed stories of extreme age belongs to a 17th century man named Thomas Parr, who claimed to be 152 years old at the time of his death... Most of what historians know about the life of Tom Parr comes from John Taylor’s pamphlet, published the year of Parr’s death, “The old, old, very old man or the age and very long life of Thomas Parr.” Parr lived most of his life as a farm laborer in the county of Shropshire, and married his first wife when he was 80 years old... Parr, at some point, started...

The Framers of our Constitution were well versed in the lessons of the mid-17th century English Civil War. It was in revolution that Parliamentary forces denied certain powers to Charles I. Obama, the pretend President of a formerly Free Republic, has claimed powers denied to an English king 370 years ago. During negotiations between royalist and parliamentary forces in 1643, Charles I itemized his demands and authority: 1. Charles I proclaimed to be limited by law and parliament. From his past actions, parliament knew this was a specious, dishonest assertion. Obama often recites his fealty to the law. Not even...

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Tuesday, 4 October 2004:The decisive duty of the Christian is in seeking the will of God in everything, in knowing it and carrying it out. This daily challenge was addressed by the man of state and Christian Charles, of the House of Austria. He was a friend of peace. In his eyes, war was “something horrible”. Ascending the throne in the midst of the storm of the First World War, he tried to take up the peace initiative of my predecessor Benedict XV. From the beginning, Emperor Charles understood his task of sovereign as...

Pope John Paul II on Sunday put the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Charles I, on the road to sainthood in a solemn beatification ceremony in St. Peter's Square, prompting angry reactions in Austria and splitting the Roman Catholic community there.

VATICAN CITY : Pope John Paul II on Sunday beatified the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Charles I, and a German mystic whose visions inspired Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ". The move brings the Habsburg emperor, who is remembered in Austria for authorising the use of mustard gas during World War I, and mystic Anna Katharina Emmerick one step from sainthood. "I hope Emperor Charles will serve as an example, especially for those with political responsibilities in Europe today," the pope said during an open-air ceremony in Saint Peter's Square that was attended by 30,000 worshippers, including around...

Code: ZE04092005 Date: 2004-09-21 Beatification Nears for Charles I and Anna Emmerick Oct. 3 Event Scheduled VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 20, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II will soon beatify five people, including Emperor Charles I of Austria and German mystic Anna Katharina Emmerick, whose writings influenced Mel Gibson in the production of "The Passion of the Christ." The Holy See today published the list of the Servants of God to be beatified Oct. 3, when it announced the Pope's upcoming key liturgical celebrations. Charles I of Habsburg (1887-1922) was proclaimed emperor of Austria in 1916. In March 1919 he was...

Vatican set to beatify emperor The Pope recognised Charles I's "heroic virtues" last year Pope John Paul II is to beatify the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Charles I, after recognising a miracle attributed to him. The Vatican gave no details, but the miracle was said to be related to the case of a Brazilian nun who was cured of a deadly disease. Beatification is the penultimate step before sainthood. For actual sainthood, proof of another miracle is required. Charles I sat on the throne of the now defunct empire between 1916 and 1918. No date has been set...