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On this date in 1666, the pastor Andreas Koch suffered the pains of standing up against witch hunts in his town of Lemgo: Koch himself was beheaded as a wizard. Lemgo recorded a busy witch-hunt record with an estimated 250 cases in the 16th and 17th centuries. But the bulk of those cases came surprisingly late — from 1653 to 1681, the period after the Thirty Years’ War witch-smelling acme. As we’ve seen before in these grim annals, elites were not safe from the Hexenverfolgung; this, perhaps, is the reason that even we latter-day seculars still have such a visceral...

Boris Johnson dramatically pulled out of a press conference in Luxembourg today after protests and an extraordinary spat with counterpart Xavier Bettel. Protesters carrying messages including 'Bog Off Boris' first jeered the PM after showdown talks with EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker over lunch at a restaurant. And Mr Johnson then faced cat-calls from a crowd including British ex-pats as he arrived for a meeting with Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel. The stormy atmosphere led to Mr Johnson requesting the press call be held outside following their private discussions. It was originally planned to be held just yards from the demonstrations....

Spanish Tercios were considered by many to be the most dominant infantry fighting force throughout Early Modern Europe. Developed as a unit in the first part of the 16th century, they dominated European battlefields for nearly 150 years. Learn what made them so effective and what separated them from other powers that tried to emulate their success on the field of battle. Music: The Spanish Guitar in the Renaissance and Baroque. Spanish Tercios: One Of The Greatest Infantry Forces In European History | History Uncovered | Published on July 24, 2018

Pope Francis’ visit to Lund, Sweden, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation will comprise “two parts” and will begin with a “common prayer” service in Lund's Lutheran cathedral and continue with a public event at Malmö Arena that will be open to wider participation, Vatican and Lutheran leaders have announced. In a joint statement issued today by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, they reiterated that the Oct. 31 event will be centered on the themes of “thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness". It also said the overall aim of...

"The Last Valley" stars Michael Caine and Omar Sharif, it's set in Germany in the 1640s during the Thirty Years War.I stumbled upon this forgotten masterpiece from 1971 a few days ago when I obtained some old VHS tapes from a friend. Just update the story line 400 years, change it to Christians vs Muslims, give everybody an AK-47, and this may be what the future is going to bring. The movie flopped at the box office for a number of reasons unrelated to its quality. The John Barry soundtrack alone is stunning. "The Last Valley" is now on Youtube...

The fascinating story behind many people's favorite word.

Archaeologists have started unearthing human remains from a mass grave near the German town of Lützen, a find that dates back to the Thirty Years' War. "We estimate that there are at least 75 dead, who were buried very close together in several layers," archaeologist Susanne Friederich said on Friday. The Battle of Lützen, which took place in 1632, pitted Swedish soldiers against those under the command of German Roman Catholic general Albrecht von Wallenstein. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Thirty Years' War, with an estimated 6,500 to 10,000 casualties. The Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus was...

World history, as most Westerners interprets it, very much revolves around nations like France, Russia/Soviet, Britain, Italy and USA. These corners of the Earth, undeniably, have played major roles in the development of mankind. BUT, there seems to be a gap in the historical knowledge of several, otherwise well educated, Westerners concerning what took place during the period of approximately 1620-1720 on European soil. A lot of people seem aware that Britain at that time was not really, yet, the world's leading power and that France, Spain, Austria and Holland excersised much of influence over world affairs. However, during this...

Mass Grave Sheds Light on Europe's Bloody History By David Crossland in Berlin Europe's soil is blood-soaked from centuries of fighting but rarely yields mass graves from battles that took place before the two world wars. One such grave has now been found near Berlin with over 100 soldiers who died in the 1636 Battle of Wittstock. Archaeologists say they can learn much from the skeletons which show terrible wounds. An archaeologist gently uncovering a row of skeletons in the mass grave found in Wittstock near Berlin. Archaeologists in Germany are examining a mass grave containing the skeletons of more...

On the 6th of November, Sweden – and Gothenburg in particular – remembers perhaps its most famous and successful King: Gustav II Adolf, who reigned from 1611 until his death in 1632. Monday will be the 374th anniversary of his death (aged just 37) on the battlefield in Lützen in Germany during the Thirty Years War. He is the only Swedish King to have been honoured with the title “The Great” (“Den Stora”) and the anniversary of his death is an official Swedish flag day. Related Articles 'Swede's body found' in Ireland 3rd November 2006 Viking treasure found on Gotland...

This important event is in Washington DC on 22 January. If you will or can be there then, help support protection of innocent life. The March for Life welcomes supporters from all creeds and information about it is at various places across the Internet. The above link is a Lutheran one.

MR. JUSTICE BLACKMUN delivered the opinion of the Court. MR. JUSTICE REHNQUIST, dissenting. MR. JUSTICE STEWART, concurring. A pregnant single woman (Roe) brought a class action challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which proscribe procuring or attempting an abortion except on medical advice for the purpose of saving the mother's life. A licensed physician (Hallford), who had two state abortion prosecutions pending against him, was permitted to intervene. A childless married couple (the Does), the wife not being pregnant, separately attacked the laws, basing alleged injury on the future possibilities of contraceptive failure, pregnancy, unpreparedness for parenthood,...

Abortion case erodes over time After 30 years, attorney in Roe vs. Wade still defending the decision 01/17/2003 By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - In 1973, Sarah Weddington's hair was light brown, her legal career was in early bloom and she was certain that her Roe vs. Wade case had forever and irreversibly legalized abortion. "I thought it had been written in concrete," she said recently, her gray hair pulled tight into a bun. The idea that she'd still be defending the 7-2 U.S. Supreme Court decision 30 years later would have struck her as...