#catalan army

[holdmybvbeer]

@ bvb i know a man who can literally play any position you're currently short on

[wileys-russo]

Alexia - family backyard BBQ - “I’m going to marry you”

ring first II a.putellas

"-how you say it?" alexia frowned, sat on the counter watching you cook as you turned around with a smile. "marry me chicken." you repeated for the third time, the catalan woman mumbling it under her breath but not looking any less confused.

"por qué? you marry the chicken?" the midfielder questioned with an adorable look on her face making you laugh. "when you eat it, you will understand." you promised her with a grin, swatting away her foot with a playful glare as it poked at your ass.

"are you going to do anything to help? or just sit there and ask me questions?" you raised an eyebrow, moving the chicken to the side so you could focus on the sauce.

"princesa you told me you did not want help to cook!" your girlfriend scoffed causing you to roll your eyes fondly.

"you could go and change the sheets on the bed over, so they are done when we get back tonight." you suggested, turning back around and feeling her hazel eyes roaming over you from behind.

"lo siento, no entiendo inglés." alexia sighed with a shake of her head as you paused, narrowing your eyes at her over your shoulder. "lo siento, no más sexo." you shrugged, grinning to yourself at the way the blonde scrambled to jump down from the counter.

"alexia!" you laughed as her arms looped around your waist, peppering kisses all over your face and mumbling apologies. "go and make the bed!" you ordered, pushing into her and nudging her away, her hand grabbing your chin and pecking your lips twice as you hummed.

"te amo." alexia stated as again you only hummed, turning back to the stove as the catalan frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "te amo!" she repeated louder this time assuming you hadn't heard.

"sorry, no spanish." you glanced at her with an apologetic pout, squealing at the way her hand connected with your ass with a huff. "i love you. go be useful!" you pushed at her shoulders, the footballer grumbling her annoyances but going to do as you'd asked.

"ah! no." you smacked your girlfriends hand as you were covering the chicken with foil, everything else packed and ready to go as the two of you were about to head off to her mami's house for a family bbq.

"que? mi amor, one taste." alexia tried again, knuckles rapped with the handle of the ladel you were using to get the last of the sauce into the container as she gasped.

"at dinner? you can have as much as you want." you promised, kissing away her protests as the taller girl melted, as always she was wrapped around your little finger.

"is alba meeting us there or did you say you would pick her up?" you questioned, alexia's head a little woozy as you pulled away, the blonde nodding wordlessly as you grinned, patting her cheek lightly with a wink.

"close your mouth putellas, you'll catch flies."

there was a collectively loud cheer as the pair of you walked out into the backyard, already having been greeted by a handful of alexia's tia's and her mami eli who were in the kitchen getting everything ready.

despite the fact you'd been broken apart to continue with the greetings you were acutely aware of your girlfriends eyes on you as you made your way around the yard, hugged and kissed by her relatives who took you in as one of their own, your own family still based in england but they adored alexia just as much as hers cared for you.

and sure enough just like a magnet the moment she was free again she was drawn to your side, an arm settling comfortably over your shoulder as you leaned into her, the pair of you taking a seat and joining in with conversation.

it was about an hour later that the food was ready and your eyes almost bugged out of your head at the sheer amount of it, easily enough for a small army despite the fact there couldn't have been more than fifteen or so people present.

"i told you to bring the eh...how you say? tupperware?" alexia mumbled in your ear, accented english making you laugh and smack her chest with a grin. "sí, but when does your mami not already send us home with a doggy bag?" you quipped, watching her eyebrows furrow together as alba handed the pair of you a plate each.

"dog? que? why would mami give us a dog?" your girlfriend questioned as you bit your lip to stop from teasing her, knowing that as much as her english was better than your spanish, there were still some idioms that flew over her head.

you settled for an amused smile, merely pecking her lips and chuckling as her younger sister made a gagging noise in front of you, alexia's hand shooting out to smack the back of her head as they started to bicker.

that all fell silent as eli popped up out of nowhere, a stern glare and they were already focused on food again, alexia dishing up for the pair of you as you swooned at the small gesture, kissing her cheek in thanks as you both took a seat at the table.

"marry me chicken." alexia pointed to the dish on her plate as you nodded, a slight blush on your cheeks as praise was tossed at you all across the table from her family who'd already started to eat, a laugh leaving your lips as you promised eli you'd show her how you made it.

"good?" you asked as alexia took a bite, pausing for a moment to chew and swallow as you traced circles against her thigh under the table, awaiting her response.

"i am going to marry you." was all the midfielder said, grabbing your face in her hands and pressing a kiss to your lips causing cheers and whistles to errupt as your neck flushed bright red, grinning as your girlfriend began to shovel food into her mouth.

"ring first my love." you teased quietly in her ear, squeezing her knee and tapping your finger with a sly smile, attention captured by her cousin across from you who asked a question, missing the way alexia stared at you adoringly.

little did you know, the ring was already sorted, and true to her word alexia was going to marry you, and nothing else made her heart soar more than the thought of soon getting to call you her wife.

[no-passaran]

Spain lied about not selling weapons to Israel.

Even after October 7th, Spain has sold more than 1 million € of weapons to Israel. Norway and Finland make it possible.

In January, Spain made headlines word-wide when the government's Minister of Exteriors, José Manuel Albares (PSOE), claimed in Congress and later again in a radio interview that Spain had stopped selling weapons to Israel ever since October 7th. Israel's intensification of violence in Gaza following October 7th meant that, on top of decades of apartheid and ethnic cleansing, between October 7th and January 23rd Israel had already killed 28,000 people and forced 2 million out of their home. In this context, many people were demanding their governments stop arming and funding the genocide of the Palestinian people, and here on Tumblr and other social media sites like Twitter I think we all saw the many posts praising the Spanish government for this.

Well, it turns out it was a lie.

According to Albares, "Since October 7th there are no more weapons exportations [from Spain] to Israel". But in November alone, Spain exported weapons to Israel for 987,000€, as was published on the Spanish Government's official website dedicated to exterior commerce (Comex). A researcher from Centre Delàs (an independent centre for peace studies) found it and published it, and it has also been verified by newspapers such as elDiario.es.

This 987,000€ worth of weapons in November was not the only ammunition that Spain has sent to Israel in 2023. In 2023, Spain exported a total of 1.48 million € in war material to Israel.

All of the weapons sent in November come from the factory of Nammo Palencia (Castilla y León), a corporation that is 50% property of the Government of Norway and 50% owned by a public Finnish business. However, even if the owners are foreigners, the ammunition was sent from Spain and thus it had to be authorized by the an organism of the Spanish Government named Junta Interministerial de Defensa y Doble Uso, whose deliberations on whether a weapons exportation is accepted or denied are kept secret. The only cases where they have denied exporting weapons to Israel have been when they thought that Israel would re-sell these weapons to the Philippines.

Spain has had a close relation with Israel for years. As published by the Spanish Government, Spain has sold 20 million € of weapons to Israel between 2012 and 2022. Spain also buys weapons and military software from Israel (for example, the Spanish Intelligence Service has been using the Israeli software Pegasus to illegally spy on Catalan activists, journalists, politicians and civil society members and their relatives to attack the Catalan independence movement), and Spain has continued buying from Israel and allocating defense contracts to Israel even after the October 7th attacks. It is very difficult to track the concessions of public contracts such as buying weapons, but some contracts have been known. For example, on November 24th 2023, Spain bought 287.5 million € of missiles from Israel. This is not unusual: between 2011 and 2021, it is publicly known that Spain bought war material from Israel for at least 268 million €, but experts say that the real number could be two or three times as much.

Spain has also continued allocating concessions to Israel. For example, on December 15th 2023 Spain allocated a contract worth over 576 million € to Israel for a rocket launcher programme. On November 22nd, Spain allocated another another Israeli company to provide missiles for 237 million € at the same time as the Spanish army bought Israeli inhibitors for 1.4 million €. The very next day, November 23rd, Spain signed another military allocation to Israel for 82,600€. The following week, Spain signed yet another allocation with a different Israeli military corporation for 3.7 million €.

Spain also allows Israeli weapon manufacturing companies to produce weapons through their branches located in Spain. This way, Israeli weapons make their way to markets with which Israel doesn't have diplomatic ties but Spain does, like Saudi Arabia. And since Spain is a member of NATO, Israeli weapons produced in Spain are approved according to NATO standards and access it easily. In the same way, these Israeli weapons manufacturers also access European Union defense funds through their branches in Spain. (source).

As I said, I saw a lot of positive posts around when Albares said Spain was going to embargo, but I haven't seen any post about how they didn't do it. I also (personally) haven't seen anything on international media, and barely anything on Spanish media, which is already busy with the PSOE covid material corruption scandal. So I share this in the hope of helping put pressure on Spain to cut all ties with Israel immediately.

SHAME ON EVERYONE WHO GIVES ISRAEL THE MATERIAL AND MONEY THAT WILL BE USED TO MASSACRE THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. SHAME ON SPAIN, NORWAY, AND FINLAND.

[useless-catalanfacts]

hi!

i don't know if you've gotten this question before, but are there any catalan movies or series you'd particularly recommend? could be any genre, i just haven't really found any, so i figured i'd ask the expert :)

gràcies!

Hello! Sorry I took long to answer, I started writing the answer, saved it in drafts and then forgot about it for some days.

Yes, there are many I like. I'll divide this answer into movies, fiction TV series, and other TV shows. I'll include where you can stream them, but they don't always have English subtitles available.

Movies:

Casa en flames [House on Fire]: drama and comedy about a family learning each other's secrets. It's on Netflix and in some countries on Prime Video.

El 47 [The 47]: based on the real story about how a working class neighbourhood in Barcelona's periphery decides to kidnap buses until they get the routes they need. On Movistar+ and can be rented in other streaming services.

Fènix 11*23: tells the true story of a Catalan teenager who was arrested for terrorism over having sent an email. It's on FilmIn and can be rented in other services like YouTube Movies.

La vampira de Barcelona [The Barcelona Vampiress]: thriller-horror based on the real story of a woman from early 1900s Barcelona who legend accuses of being a vampire, and at the time was accused of kidnapping children for rituals. The movie looks at the story from a point of view of social criticism. Trigger warning for discussion of child sexual abuse. On Amazon Prime and can be rented on Rakuten TV.

Wolfgang: heartwarming comedy drama about a boy with Asperger's who suddenly has to move in with his dad he had never met before, and his aspirations of becoming the world's best piano player. This one is still in the cinemas.

Alcarràs: art house film about a farmer family who is about to lose all their farming land to build a solar energy centre. This is a slow movie (if you think of European artistic cinema, it's that kind of thing) and it has won many awards like the Berlinale. On Netflix.

Estiu 1993 [Summer 1993]: another art house film by the same director as Alcarràs (and if I remember right, this one is based on the director's life), about a little girl from Barcelona whose mother dies and she has to move to the countryside to start her new life. On Netflix.

El mestre que va prometre el mar [The Teacher Who Promised The Sea]: most of this movie is in Spanish since it's about a Catalan teacher who taught in a village in Spain in the 1930s. It's one of my favourite movies (not Catalan movies, I mean all movies) of the last couple of years. On Movistar+ and available for rent in other services.

Herois [Heroes]: coming-of-age story about a group of young teenagers who spend a summer together. Available for free with English subtitles on Rakuten TV.

Pa negre [Black Bread]: movie adaptation of the famous book, it's about a boy during the first years of Franco's dictatorship (1940s) and how he has to find out who committed a murder that the authorities want to pin on his father. On FilmIn.

Incerta Glòria [Uncertain Glory]: another movie adaptation of a famous book, about 20-year-olds who are volunteers in the antifascist army of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and how they and the women they meet deal with the war and try to make sense of what they're living through. For free on RTVE Play.

Jean-françois i el sentit de la vida [Jean-François and the Meaning of Life]: coming-of-age-ish story of a child who dreams of meeting his favourite writer: Albert Camus. Not knowing he's dead, the boy runs away from home to travel to Paris and look for him. For free on RTVE Play.

Salvador (Puig Antich): biopic of one of the last people executed by Franco's dictatorship in the 1970s, a 24-year-old Catalan anarchist. On FilmIn.

Barcelona, nit d'estiu [Barcelona, Summer Night]: romantic comedy about different love stories that mix with each other on the night a comet crosses the sky. Since it was very successful, it has a sequel called Barcelona, nit d'hivern [Barcelona, Winter Night]. On Netflix.

A two-parter mini-series:

Descalç sobre la terra vermella [Barefoot on the Red Dirt]: biopic of Pere Casaldàliga, a Catalan priest who lived in Brazil and was at the forefront of the fight for indigenous rights. Free to stream on 3cat.

Fiction TV series:

Plats Bruts [Dirty Dishes]. It was mandatory for me to start with this 😂 the most iconic Catalan sitcom, about two men and their squatter (and some time also the assistant of one of the men) who live together in Barcelona and all the weird situations they get into. Free to stream on 3cat.

Polseres vermelles [Red Bands]: stories about a group of children and teens who become friends when they meet at a hospital, each one interned for a different reason. It has some coming-of-age, some drama, a bit of romance. This was the most followed Catalan fiction show in the early 2010s and has been translated to other languages because it was aired in other countries. Steven Spielberg made a USA remake (called "Red Band Society"), but the remake wasn't anywhere near as good. Free to stream on 3cat.

Merlí: high school drama that follows the story of a high school philosophy teacher and his students, the "peripatetics". This was the most successful Catalan fiction show of the late 2010s and has been translated to other languages and aired in other countries, it was particularly popular in Latin America so I'm sure it would be easy to find it with Spanish subtitles. Free to stream on 3cat. On Netflix you'll find the sequel (Merlí: Sapere Aude) but in my opinion the sequel wasn't very good.

Lo Cartanyà: sitcom about a self-centered weatherman in a village of the Lleida region. Free to stream on 3cat.

Porca misèria: comedy and drama about a group of people in their 30s who have to deal with this new period of their lives, including things related to their friendships, infidelities, etc. And for some reason they live with a pig. Free to stream on 3cat.

La Catedral del Mar [The Cathedral of the Sea]: historical drama based on the famous book with the same name. This one was filmed in Spanish but I'll include it because I know it was generally liked and it's on Netflix with English subtitles. It tells the story of a man in Medieval Barcelona who lives when Santa Maria del Mar was being built. There's drama, political intrigue, romance... a bit of everything.

Norats: fiction about a father and a son who have to hide from the fascists during the Spanish Civil War in Mallorca (in Mallorca, the fascist occupation succeeded very quickly and they massacred the dissident population with a lot of cruelty, there were many people who had to hide for years inside chimneys, locked rooms, etc to try to survive, similar to Anne Frank to explain it quickly). This show is based on that real historical context and creates a story where these two men will live as outlaws and bandits in the mountains. Free to stream on IB3.

Other TV shows:

Comtes. L'origen de Catalunya [Counts. The Origin of Catalonia]: dramatized documentary about the early history of Catalonia, when it was being formed as Counties. Very well done and very historically accurate. Free to stream on YouTube (legally, it was posted by the TV channel that made it).

Bèsties & Flames [Beasts & Flames]: the presenter travels Catalonia meeting different elements of the bestiary (beasts from our legends that are part of the festa major holidays). Each episode is dedicated to a different beast. She talks about the legends and talks to the members of the group about the role in folk culture celebrations. Free to stream on 3cat.

Eufòria: a very popular singing talent show. Free to stream on 3cat.

Crims, de Carles Porta [Crimes, by Carles Porta]: true crime about crimes that happened in Catalonia. This is one of the most popular TV shows of the last decade. The last season is free to stream on 3cat, the rest are on Netflix.

Tor: another show made by Carles Porta, all the series is about a crime that happened in the small village of Tor. Free to stream on 3cat.

El Foraster [The Foreigner]: a stand-up comedian travels to Catalonia's smallest towns and spends a week with them getting to know the neighbours, to put up a stand-up comedy show to laugh with them about the strange things he learned. It's very wholesome and funny and you can see some pretty weird things going on in some villages lmao. Free to stream in 3cat.

La Travessa [The Journey? this one is difficult to translate, it means a journey through something, where you cross something]: adventure reality TV show where a group of people have to race through a part of Catalonia getting through different challenges. The 1st season was to cross the whole length of the Catalan Pyrenees mountains, in the 2nd season they follow all the coast of Catalonia from North to South, and now they're preparing a new season that will be in the inland. Free to stream on 3cat.

Pirates a les balears [Pirates in the Balearic Islands]: documentary series about - well, about piracy in the Balearic Islands, of course. Free to stream on IB3.

This list is extremely Catalonia-centric since Spain has laws that don't allow us to watch Valencian TV/radio in Catalonia and don't allow Catalonia's TV and radio in the Valencian Country (even though all other regions of Spain air to all of Spain, we're the only ones with a legal restriction). Typical "divide and rule" strategy.

As always, everyone is welcome to leave recommendations!

[footygirl114]

Respaldar (Alexia Putellas X Reader)

Did anyone actually expect me to get the second part out so soon? I bet not, but here we are so enjoy. Part one can be found here

The first week of work was pretty low key for you. Alexia had gone from home to the training ground and back, it was an off week for games so it was relatively quiet. You had spent your first day wondering the training facility and learning the buildings. It was nice that the security was pretty decent and covered the areas you wanted already. 

The staff was very friendly and they left you to your own devices, which meant after you did a lap of the facility you found a spot higher up looking down on the field and you got to watch them train. As much as you tried to deny it to your self, it was hard to take your eyes off anyone that wasn’t Alexia. The more you watched her the more you could see why she was the captain and the best football player in the world, she was unreal. 

You had played football growing up but at 18 when you decided to join the army instead of school, you stopped playing. It didn’t mean you weren’t a fan but you didn’t have the time to follow it anymore, so this job was actually becoming a treat. 

The other benefit of this job was it gave you a lot more down time, you were able to use the facilities gym when the team was on the field. You took advantage of it and generally got a good workout in during their training session. Having perfected your routine you were able to get a work out in and zone out to the music blaring in your ears, which meant you quite often didn’t notice the others in gym. 

What you didn’t know was that they noticed you, it was the injured players that couldn’t train with the team, but they told the team all about the hot visitor that was in the gym. Within the week every player had known who you were and the brave ones were teasing Alexia about her hot babysitter. They made sure you weren’t around but when they walked out of the door talking about you and noticed you leaning on the SUV waiting for Alexia the conversation immediately dropped you knew something was up. 

“Hola Ms Putellas and teammates” You smiled a them, refusing to lift your sunglasses. It has been warm so you have taken to wearing button up shirts and dress pants, leaving the suit jacket in the car. 

You can see the blush on Alexia’s cheek and watch it deepen as her blonde haired tattooed teammate says “Oh hi gorgeous, you know Alexia is super boring, I will make sure to keep you more entertained.” 

As she finishes a tall dark haired teammate whacks her across the back of the head and says “Shut it Maria, and start the car.” 

The tattooed one is throughly chastised and moves to the car park with the tall dark haired one following with a smirk. You feel a small smirk lift the corner of your mouth as you watch Alexia walk towards you. You move to open the back door and when she stops at the door she says “the blonde one is Mapi Leon our centre back, and the tall one that put her in her place is her girlfriend Ingrid Engen, one of our Defence midfielders.” 

“thank you, I think?” you say to her, as you turn to her asking “you know there is no need to be embarrassed.” 

“I am not embarrassed Y/N.” she says and you see the blush creep on to her cheeks again as she moves to get in the back of the car. 

As you close the door you chuckle and move to get into the driver seat, you meet her eyes in the rearview mirror and say “The blush gives you away Mrs. Putellas.”

Before she has a chance to respond her phone rings and when she looks down with it, she says “I have to take this” and she answers and start talking in Catalan to someone on the other end. 

You smile to yourself and put the car in gear starting the drive home, you have to think about the upcoming event and the logistics that you need to handle in order to get her cute blush off your mind so that you can focus on the job and not her. 

**

The next two days you spend trying to focus on work only, and keep any conversations with Alexia to pleasantries only. When Saturday rolls around, the team has an early training and by lunch Alexia has a whole team in her apartment getting her dolled up for the event she has tonight. You had ran down to change and get yourself ready when Alexia was in the shower, and you had spent the last 3 hours sitting in Alexia’s kitchen with your laptop open, but also watching the people move around Alexia. 

It was fascinating to watch, you thought she looked the most gorgeous without all the makeup, but watching the crew doll her up was an experience and she looked gorgeous like this as well. When they disappeared into her room to get her into her dress, it was a formal fundraiser event where Alexia was in attendance to represent the woman’s game, you took the moment to collect yourself and remind your self how professional you need to be. 

When the team files out without Alexia, they all say their goodbyes and you walk them out leaving you alone in her front entry way. You check your phone and see a text from the driver saying he is out front ready, Turning you step back into her living room and say “Alexia, driver is here, we should be heading” before you can finish you meet her eyes from across the room and are speechless. 

You are sure you look like an idiot as you take in the way she looks in the deep blue dress fully dolled up, your eyes are running from head to toe. She moves closer and asks “Is it too much?” 

Without thinking about it you answer “No you are absolutely stunning.” 

“Thank you” she says with a blush and steps closer to you. “I have to say, the full suit is working for me Y/N” as she runs her eyes up and down your body. 

Immediately you can feel the blush move up your neck and you have to dig your nails into your palm to make yourself focus back on the job at hand and you say “we should go.” 

She nods and moves to grab her bags and slip on her shoes as she says “let’s go.” 

You both get down to the car without another word and you move to open the door, you offer her your hand to help herself get into the car and she takes it with a small smile. The sparks that run up your arm are hard to ignore but you get her into the car without incident and then move to get in the other side to sit beside her in the back seat. 

When you are about half way there, you turn to her and say “Ms Putellas, I need you to understand that if I say something about your safety here, you need to listen to me. My job is to make sure you are safe, and I need your cooperation to ensure that happens.” 

“Nothing is going to happen Y/N.” she says as she turns to you. 

“Humour me then, if something happens and I need to step in, let me and listen to me.” you tell her and you add a bit of pleading to your voice. 

She looks at you for a moment and says “okay, Y/N, but nothing will happen.” 

You smile and say “Thats the hope.” 

The car stops and you look out to see some cameras pointed at the car trying to see who’s getting out. “Damn, I didn’t think there would be this much photographers.” she says with an eye roll. 

“I can get you through them Ms. Putellas” you tell her. When she nods you say “put your hand on my back and follow me through the crowd okay?” 

“okay” she says in a small voice, before you can get out of the car, she reaches across and puts her hand on your forearm and with a small voice she says “I really dislike crowds.” 

You smile at her and move your hand to her cheek, your thumb rubbing circles as you say “I got you Alexia, just trust me.” 

She smiles and nods and says “okay, let’s go.” 

You move to get out of the car and you elbow your way through the crowd to get to her door, you open the door and make sure your body is blocking the view as you ask “you ready?” 

Nodding she says “I know you got me.” With a smile you turn and wait for her place her hand on your back. You start moving slowly and wait for her to balance behind you, she’s got a hand on your shoulder and one on your hip balancing her self. You have to dig your nails into your palm again to focus on the job and not how nice her hands feel through your suit jacket. 

When you look back and meet her eyes with a smile and she nods you start to move forward. As soon as she’s in the view you feel the hand on her hip drop as her name is shouted from every side, the one on your shoulder squeezes and you can see her free hand waving to the crowd. You use your training and push through the crowd and when you get about halfway there you can feel two more security guards from the venue push their way through and make you both a path through. 

When your free of the crowd she squeezes your shoulder and moves to stand beside you on her own, meeting your eyes for a moment with a soft smile you see her facade fall into place, and the soft moment from the car is forgotten. She moves into the venue and you follow behind, once she’s in the main banquet room you do a sweep of the room with your eyes and keep your attention on the exits noting security at every one. 

Smiling internally you know she should be okay here, and you wait till she’s seated before you move to the wall behind her table but a bit away and lean on it watching, but out of sight of most of the guests. Before the speeches start Alexia turns her head and looks around and when she meets your eyes you see the small nod and smile, and you can’t help but to wink at her with a smile. 

The rest of the night is uneventful, until it’s time to leave, you see Alexia move to get up and she meets your eyes and nods towards the bathroom. You nod back and watch her disappear through the door where there is a security guard in place. A few minutes later you have your eyes locked on that door waiting for her to come through them, when she doesn’t you trust your instincts and move to pass through them. 

When the security guard on the door moves to stop you, you flash him a glare and push past him. What you see in the hallway makes your blood boil. Alexia has her back flat against the wall with two men in her space with recording devices held up to her face, you notice their free hands holding her wrists on the wall. You take stock of how to handle this, you aren’t worried about your safety just hers. 

Moving closer to them, when you get within arms distance you say “hey you” and when the first turns to you you grab him by the shoulder immediately pushing the heel of your hand into his nose and he howls in pain and grabs his nose releasing his grip, once he’s bent over you raise your foot and kick him hard in between the legs where he falls and gasps. 

Unfortunately it took you a moment to deal with the first one, that the second noticed the commotion and turns once you stand and says “you bitch” and you see the punch coming and you have a second to brace yourself against it to lessen the blow. 

The force makes you step back and when he moves to you, you can see Alexia over his shoulder looking with wide eyes and you yell out “Alexia go back to the ballroom now” as you finish he tries to throw another punch and you immediately grab is arm and duck back using his own momentum to put him in an arm hold behind his back and you press him against the wall. 

You have your body weight pining him to wall as you hear footsteps behind you and 3 security guards coming towards you. Once you turn and see the guard who came out to help you with crowd control you nod and let him take control of the guy you attacked you. 

Stepping back you wipe you nose and lip and see the blood on your hand as the second guard grabs the guy whining on the floor and the third steps up to you and says “we called the police, they should be here soon, they were on standby for anything to happen her.” 

“thank you” you say. 

He chuckles and asks “need a job? I am impressed you could take out two guys double your size.” 

Smiling you nod saying “Most people underestimate me that way.” 

Before he can answer you, you feel someone move right up to you and press a clean towel on to your face and hold it to your bloody lip. You meet Alexia’s eye as she says quietly “they’re bringing you ice.” 

You nod and move to grab it but she shakes her head holding the towel to your face still and you tell her “I am okay. Are you okay?” 

“You saved me Y/N” she says with a small smile. 

Before you can say anything else you hear footsteps and look up to see the police coming towards you. Moving to grab the towel from her hand, you step past her and meet the officers. 

Almost an hour later, where you refused to let Alexia leave your line of sight you are both done with the police and they release you to go home. They had allowed you to clean up your face and you noticed how your eye was going to bruise, but you do not need any stitches which is a relief. Once you are both sat in the car on the way back, you take a moment to relax back in the seat and close your eyes. You can feel her watching you but you know this is not the time for this conversation. 

After a tense ride, you follow her into the lobby and move to go to your apartment, but she reaches out and squeezes your forearm and asks softly “I don’t want to be alone tonight, will you come up with me?” 

“Is there someone I can call for you Ms Putellas?” you ask trying to maintain the professional side. 

Shaking her head she says “You make me feel safe Y/N, I can sleep on the couch, I just don’t want to be alone.” 

Nodding you hold your arm out letting her go first to her elevator as you both wait for it you say “But only if I take the couch.” 

Chuckling she smiles and you both ride the elevator in silence. Once you get into her apartment you silently follow her as she kicks off her shoes and goes into the kitchen, where she grabs two glasses and a bottle of wine, she pours you both one and then hands it to you saying “I am going to change, I’ll be right back.” 

You nod and grab the glass, removing your blazer you roll your sleeves up and unbutton the top button. Other than that you stay standing in her kitchen, the whole scene running through your head wondering why the heck you didn’t protect her. You can feel the tears in the corners of your eyes and when she walks out in pjs you have to look up at the ceiling to control the tears. 

“oh Y/N” you hear and when she moves closer to you, you meet her eyes and cannot take the comfort you see reflected in them. 

You shake your head and say “no please Ms Putellas I can’t” as you move away from her and press your back against her cabinets. 

She steps closer and softly says “It’s okay Y/N, you do not need to pretend here.” 

Shaking your head again you look up at the ceiling as you say “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” 

Feeling her step closer but not touch she says softly again “you did Y/N.” 

“It shouldn’t have come to that.” you say but you still haven’t looked at her. 

She steps closer and reaches up to put both hands on your cheeks, she softly pulls your face down to meet her eyes and says “you did Y/N, I am here un harmed because of you.” She then uses her thumb to run over the cut on your lip and she softly says “you put your self on the line for me, you could have been seriously hurt, so thank you for protecting me.” 

Looking into her eyes, you can see the comfort reflected and you want to lose your self in them, when she leans in to close the distance you can feel her breath on your lips. Before they meet you slowly push back and say “I can’t right now Alexia.”

She lets you pull away, but only far enough to meet your eyes as she says “its okay Y/N, tonight has been a lot. Since I saw you come to rescue me all I wanted was to wrap you in my arms to thank you.” 

You chuckle and pull her into you wrapping her up and you whisper into her ear “I will always protect you Alexia” and you press a kiss to her hair. You stand there thinking about how things could have ended differently, but you are glad the night ended with her in your arms. 

[woso-dreamzzz]

https://www.tumblr.com/woso-dreamzzz/768161805801521152/i-can-see-aitana-now-with-an-army-of-cold-penguin?source=share

The weirdest thing is Aitana would be the warmest in Barça so all of the catalan/spanish or cold kids/teens would flock towards her for warm

-🐺

It's just a little huddle with Aitana at the centre and she can't escape it until the huddle lets her escape

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 4 July 1913, Black Spanish civil war fighter, Holocaust survivor and electrician Carlos Greykey was born to parents from the then-Spanish colony of Equatorial Guinea. His birth name was José Carlos Gray Molay, and he later was given the warrior name "Greykey". His parents moved to Barcelona, and his mother worked as a cleaner, and despite his poor working class background, Greykey was able to attend medical school. His studies were disrupted by the right-wing military coup of general Francisco Franco, and he soon volunteered to fight in the civil war on the Republican side. With Franco's victory, Greykey was forced into exile in France, like tens of thousands of other Republicans. And like many other Spanish refugees, he later joined the French resistance to Nazi occupation. He was eventually captured by the Nazis on the Rhine front and sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, he was assigned the red triangle of political prisoners. Greykey's language skills, which included the ability to speak English, French, German, Spanish and Catalan, as well as the curiosity of the Nazis, led to him being appointed as a personal assistant to senior German officers. The Nazis then dressed Greykey in an old Yugoslav army uniform to give him the appearance of a bellhop. Greykey remained close with his fellow Spanish detainees, and with them took part in a rebellion in the camp shortly before its liberation by US troops. Upon his release, Greykey was unable to return to Spain, as the Franco regime was still in power. So he returned to France, living in Paris and working as an electrician. In his later years, Greykey again became active in opposing the brutal dictatorship in Equatorial Guinea of Francisco Macías Nguema, a former official under Spanish colonial rule. He remained a supporter of the establishment of democracy in the country until his death in 1982. Learn more about the Spanish civil war in our podcast episodes 39-40: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=655755199931032&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[city-of-ladies]

(Photo: Carmen Escobar Carrio)

Juana Galán - Heroic guerrillera 

When the French invaded Spain during the Peninsular War, some women were determined to resist. Among them was Juana Galán (1787-1812), the daughter of a prosperous tavern keeper. 

On June 6, 1808, a column of 1,000 enemy troops attacked the town of Valdepeñas. Juana rallied the townswomen under her command. They manned the windows and threw boiling water and oil at the enemy.

Juana went to the street armed with a club. She reportedly pulled several French soldiers from their horses and dispatched them with a blow to the head. The townspeople’s fierce resistance forced the French to retreat and never return.

Juana didn’t live to see the end of the war. She died in 1812 while giving birth to her daughter. Her legacy lives on and she was made a local heroine and a symbol of resistance. She now has her own monument in Valdepeñas.

Like Juana, other women fought in desperate situations or during riots, sometimes with improvised weapons. In 1809, an unnamed woman armed with a sword rallied the inhabitants of Penafiel (northern Portugal) and led them in battle against the raiders. In 1811, María Marcos, a tavern keeper from La Palma del Condado, played a key role in repelling a small group of French soldiers. 

There were also cases of women involved in guerrilla warfare. The Catalan Somatén, a paramilitary defense organization, had female members such as María Escoplé, Magdalena Bofill, Margarita Tona, María Catalina and Catalina Martín. Francisca de la Puerta reportedly fought in Extremadura and commissioned the Junta of her province for permission to form her own guerrilla band. 

Wanting to avenge her father and brother, Martina de Ibaibarriaga Elorriagafora disguised herself as a man and led a guerrilla band until she gained a commission in the Spanish army. An unnamed woman was given the command of a troop by the Junta of Molina de Aragón in 1809. A British officer also mentioned women serving with bands of irregulars as active combatants. 

For more heroines of the Peninsular War, see Agustina de Aragón. 

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you want to support me!

Further reading

Esdaile Charles J., Women in the Peninsular War

Sheldon Natasha, “Juana Galan: A Spanish Heroine of the Peninsula War”

[ballsbalb]

"glorifying people like Santiago Bernabeu, who was a vocal Franco supporter, and repeatedly called for the genocide of Catalonians & Basque people throughout his life (to name just some of his views)?" Man, you're talking about war! You've never touched it, you don't know what people have to do to survive, so don't moralize. Either way, give us some quotes from this man regarding the things you're saying. Will you also sue German clubs for Nazism because most of their ancestors were Hitler sympathizers? No one denies that Santiago fought in Franco's army, but you also don't say why he was there! From what/who was he running away and how his story with Franco ultimately ended. Your team plays in the competitions (CL), which was created by, among others, Santiago Bernabeu, against Franco's orders not to do so. Aren't you ashamed to tell only part of the story about a person to fit your narrative?

this might be the single worst argument i have ever seen.

“it’s war!” is absolutely not an argument at all. bernabeu wasn’t just some foot soldier, he had strong ties to one of Franco’s top generals, Agustin Munoz Grandes, who was a vocal nazi, and the two both worked together after the war to build up Real Madrid as an institution. he wasn’t “doing what he needed to do to survive”— he was already studying in another country and willingly RETURNED to spain to serve.

Bernabeu was not “running” from anything when he joined Franco’s nationalists. He was not a victim fleeing oppression by joining a fascist military whose primary goal was oppression, violence and division. in fact he regularly boasted of his service in Franco’s military, bragged about how proud he was of his role in violently oppressing the catalan people & region.

saying people just “take sides in war! it’s all fine! it doesn’t matter!” is an insanely privileged, ignorant position to hold. proudly serving a fascist dictator is absolutely not something that should ever just be ignored or brushed off— Bernabeu proudly participated in the systemic violent oppression of rebel groups & innocent people in catalonia, that’s not just an “oopsie!”

acting like there’s any possible way that someone serving proudly in a fascist nationalist army could ever possibly be justified— “buh buh you didn’t say why he was serving Franco!”— is absolutely insane. again, he wasn’t a mere foot soldier who was coerced into service, he was a high-ranking officer with significant connections to even higher ranking members of the Falangist party, many of whom were vocal supporters of figures like Hitler & Mussolini on top of franco himself, and he never once attempted to distance madrid from the regime at all.

“will you also sue german clubs for nazism because most of their ancestors were hitler sympathizers?”— this is almost a laughably stupid thing to ask. almost every german club in existence has, since the war, denounced, apologized, and condemned the nazis; clubs like Bayern have recognized their past, and done almost everything in their power to distance the club from Hitler, recognize their past, and amend the harm that the club was used for during nazi rule. there are no major team’ stadiums named after fascist soldiers or officers, no statues of Wehrmacht soldiers or plaques dedicated to SS officers. unlike spain and spanish sporting entities, germany has made significant efforts to actually address the issues caused by nazi rule, instead of just covering it up and moving on, which is what happened in Spain & with Spanish sporting bodies.

the fact that you have spent so much time and brainpower desperately trying to defend a fascist monster who fought for violent oppression, bloody division & systemic abuse of innocents is absolutely disgusting & incredibly weird.

[veenvss]

Dawn Court

The Family 2/8

autumn court | day court | main masterlist | worldbuilding masterlist

ACOTAR to me has always had so much potential but it was just ruined by it's execution. however, I am a grown woman (I'm 18) and I also have free time so I though, "Huh, why not do it myself?"

Hi.

This is a post on the Dawn Court and its "royal family".

Canonically, the Dawn Court is the southernmost Solar Court in Prythian, its current High Lord is Thesan. There are two other things we know about the Dawn Court. A large population of it's court are immigrants, or the children of them, from a country called Xian, as was revealed in a discussion during the War Meeting:

“No,” Beron said, frowning, “but where did she come from? Who are you?” The last bit directed at Nuan. “I am the daughter of two High Fae from Xian, who moved here to give their children a better life, if that is what you are demanding to know,” Nuan answered tightly. Helion demanded of Beron, “What does this have to do with anything?” Beron shrugged. “If her family is from Xian—which I’ll have you remember fought for the Loyalists—then whose interests does she serve?” Helion’s amber eyes flashed. Thesan cut in sharply, “I will have you remember, Beron, that my own mother hailed from Xian. And a large majority of my court did as well. Be careful what you say.”

In my latest reread I read Xian and I was like "Isn't that a city in China?". Yes, yes it is, although it's written as Xi'an in English. It's actually a really influential city. It's home to the supercool Terracotta army.

So, with Xian out of the way for the moment, let's get to the other situation in the Dawn Court. The Peregryns. They're described as being "distantly related to Drakon's Seraphims people..." and, from what I gathered in their brief description, they have white feathers. The one issue with them is that we never get given a name for any Peregryn, not even Thesan's lover, but I'm getting to that later.

I googled Thesan's name and found that it was the name of an Etruscan goddess. Thesan was the goddess of dawn, divination and childbirth, the equivalent of Eos or Aurora. The Etruscan civilisation was an ancient civilization which ruled over an area of ancient Italy known as Etruria, which is now modern-day Tuscany, roughly. They were then taken over by Rome.

Thesan's father, as he was a fae from the Dawn Court, has an Etruscan name as well. I called him Esplace and also gave him the last name Roig. Roig isn't an Etruscan name but it was hard enough finding Etruscan first names I wasn't going to go on a year-long hunt for Etruscan surnames so I just went with Catalan names because I could. So, his full name is Esplace Roig. Esplace is the Etruscan version of Asklepios, the Ancient Greek god of Healing. I did choose it on purpose, as in ACOWAR, Feyre mentions that the Dawn Court was the Court of Healing so I thought it tied nicely. Roig is a surname meaning "red" which I chose for the red sunsets and sunrises.

Thesan's mother is from Xian, which is ACOTAR's version of China. I chose the name Yawen Zhu. From what I could find, Yawen is combined of "ya" meaning "elegant" and "wen" meaning "cloud patterns" which I thought went well with the Dawn Court being a Solar Court. Zhu is a surname that can come from "zhu" meaning "vermilion red" or the name of the ancient state. It was also the name of the Ming dynasty emperors.

Nuan can mean "warm, genial" which is quite nice in the Dawn Court.

Now onto the Peregryns. They are literally never shown and, of course, never named. I think, even though they're shown to be a lot closer to the Dawn Court than Illyrians are, they would still have their own separate culture from the High Fae. So I chose not to give them Etruscan names and instead went for another Mediterranean language.

The only Peregryn we really get shown is Thesan's lover. I called him Xurxo Puga. Xurxo is the Galician form of George, meaning "earthworker". Puga is a surname that means "thorn, prickle" in Galician as well. I thought calling him a name that means earthworker would be funny as he is able to fly.

i do just want to say that with yawen and nuan, i am only taking one version of their characters and i do know that Chinese has the option for a few different translations. i am english, i only speak english so if i do get something terribly wrong tell me and I'll correct it to the best of my ability AND if you didn't guess, i wrote yawen zhu the english way, with the surname last.

[astropote]

Constantinople, the queen of cities, fell to the the Ottoman Turks exactly 571 years ago. It had been founded by Constantine the Great in 330 AD as a new Roman capital and was the most populated city in Christendom during most of the Middle Ages. Its Greek-speaking inhabitants continued to see themsleves as Romans and preserved many works from the Ancient past.

The Turks settled Asia Minor in the eleventh century and crossed into Europe in the fourteenth century while the Romans were weakened by the Black Death and civil wars. In the following decades, the Serbian and Bulgarian Empires were also defeated by the Ottoman sultanate, which was by then the most powerful Turkish state.

When Mehmed the 2nd became sultan in 1451, he set out to finally conquer Constantinople. He built a castle on the shores of the Bosphorus to cut off the city's supplies and made enormous cannons to break through the heavy walls that had protected the city for a thousand years. It is estimated that the Ottoman army was ten times larger than the Roman army, which included Venetians, Genoese, Catalans and Turkish dissidents.

In spite of overwhelming odds, the Romans repelled several assaults and destroyed tunnels with Greek fire, a powerful weapon developped during the Arab conquests. The sultan offered to lift the siege and to let the emperor Constantine the 11th leave with his possessions if he would surrender the city but the emperor refused, unwilling to forsake his fatherland. Both sides then prepared for the final offensive with religious cermonies and speeches.

On the 29th of May 1453, waves of Ottoman troops assaulted the city. At first, they were pushed back, but the Janissaries (an elite unit of slave-soldiers) managed to severly injure Giovanni Giustiniani, a Genoese commander. His absence led to panic among the defenders, which allowed the Turks to make their way into the city. Constantine died during the street fighting that ensued but would long be remembered as the last emperor of the Romans, despite Mehmed later claiming the title.

The Turks looted the city for three days, enslaving a large part of its population. In the following years, the Ottomans moved their capital to Constantinople and annexed the Roman rump states of Morea, Trebizond and Gothia. In the next century, Russians developped the idea that Moscow was the "Third Rome" while the Ottoman Empire conquered land stretching from Hungary to Algeria. Greek speakers gradually started to refer to themselves as Hellenes rather than Romans

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

[Sneakers] Phreaks Bios: Helena 'Troy' Green

Nicknamed 'Troy' after Helen of Troy, 'Troy' is an expert with blueprints and an Ex-Army Medic who was dishonourably discharged for hacking into classified files and finding out information she should not have read.

"Classified? Give me a real reason why nobody's allowed to read it."

Name

Full Legal Name: Helena Selene Green

First Name: Helena

Meaning: Latinate form of 'Helen', the English form of the Greek 'Helene', probably from Greek 'Helene' meaning 'Torch' or 'Corposant'.

Pronunciation: HEHL-e-na

Origin: Ancient Greek, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek Mythology, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Sorbian, Swedish

Middle Name: Selene

Meaning: Means 'Moon' in Greek.

Pronunciation: si-LEE-nee

Origin: Greek Mythology

Surname: Green

Meaning: From the colour Green.

Pronunciation: GREEN

Origin: English

Titles: Miss

Nicknames: Troy, Lena

Characteristics

Age: 37

Gender: Female. She/Her Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: African-American

Birth Date: 13th September 1955

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Christian

Native Language: English

Known Languages: English, Spanish, American Sign Language

Relationship Status: Engaged

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Actor: Whoopi Goldberg

Appearance

Height: 5'5"/ 165 cm

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Hair Dye: None

Facial Hair: N/A

Tattoos: (As of Jan 1992) 8

Piercings: Ear Lobes (Both)

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Social Drinker

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Friends: Wendy Quinn, Natasha Mussolini, Fang Tian, Spirit Norling, Jesse Haley

Significant Other: Wilson Barna (40, Fiancé)

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Alexander Green (67, Father), Hera Green (63, Mother, Née Gray)

Parents-In-Law: None

Siblings: Daphne Reed (43, Sister, Née Green), Simon Green (40, Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: Phineus Reed (47, Daphne's Husband), Nieobe Green (44, Simon's Wife, Née Silver)

Nieces & Nephews: Nestor Reed (23, Nephew), Melissa Reed (37, Nestor's Wife, Née Brown), Medea Green (30, Niece), Philander Green (17, Nephew)

Children: None

[useless-catalanfacts]

Did you know that there is a European republic that bans entry to women and female animals, and until 2005 also banned entry to Catalan people?

This place is the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos, a theocratic autonomic republic in Greece. It's an Orthodox Christian religious centre that covers about 33,000 hectares and is inhabited by around 1,400 monks in 20 monasteries. In the 16th century, it had reached 30,000 monks in population, and right before the First World War it still had 9,000.

It was founded in the Early Middles Ages, and has been given autonomy since the times of the Byzantine Empire. Since the very beginning, in the year 1046, their laws have forbidden entry to any woman, child, and female animal with the only exception of egg-laying chicken, because they consider that women and female animals must be kept out to preserve the holiness of the site and to keep the male inhabitants away from temptation.

The reason for banning Catalans dates back to the Middle Ages, too. In 1303, the Byzantine Empire was being invaded by the Ottoman Turks. They needed help to fight against them, so the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II asked the Sicilian king for help. The Sicilian king sent him the Great Catalan Company, an army of 4,000 Catalan and Aragonese mercenaries (almogàvers) and 39 ships, led by the commander Roger de Flor. The Byzantine emperor already knew Roger de Flor, because Roger had served him when he was a Templar knight. Roger was a very respected and admired fighter with an impressive career, and he also spoke Greek. The emperor and Roger reached an agreement, Roger was nominated Megaduke and married to the emperor's niece, Mary of Bulgaria.

The Great Catalan Company was successful in their job: they fought off the Turks and gave all the land the Turks had recently taken back to the Byzantine Empire. But not everything went well: the Byzantine emperor did not pay the mercenaries what they were promised, and the mercenaries were cruel to the population. In 1305, the emperor's son Michael (co-regent of the empire) called all the mercenaries to Adrianopolis, bringing together 9,000 men of different origins. Even though last year Michael had refused to meet him, Roger de Flor went to pay homage to him again. This time, Michael welcomed him and invited him to a banquet with the leaders of the two other mercenary groups. During the banquet, following Michael's orders, the leader of the Alan mercenaries assassinated Roger de Flor and all the men who accompanied him, and dismembered Roger de Flor's body. It is said that Michael ordered exterminating all the members of the Catalan Company.

Obviously, this caused a scandal among the surviving Catalan-Aragonese troops. They answered this betrayal by declaring war against the Byzantine Empire, and sacked many parts of Greece, murdering and setting fire to many places they found on their way to Constantinoble. This terrible event became known as The Catalan Revenge. The revenge was particularly cruel against the rich monk communities, who the mercenaries brutally attacked to steal their riches and then set the monasteries on fire. The monks of Mount Athos say that the Catalan mercenaries burned 26 monks alive. The horrible revenge left a mark in the memory of Greek and Albanian people. In Albania, the word for "Catalan" became the word for "monster". Meanwhile, the theocratic government of Mount Athos banned any Catalan person from entering their territory.

Albanian book titled "Catalan", based on an Albanian folk story that depicts Catalans as monsters.

The mercenaries' cruelty only stopped when the influential Catalan doctor and intellectual Arnau de Vilanova and the Catalan king James II begged them to stop.

Mount Athos' law prohibiting Catalan people lasted for 700 years, until 2005. That year, the Government of Catalonia apologized for the events that their fellow countrymen did 700 years ago. The Catalan government paid 240,000€ for the reparation of a Mount Athos monument that had been destroyed by the mercenaries' revenge, and sent an embassy to Greece to have a reparation ceremony, which was welcomed by the Greek government, too. This way, the law was abolished.

Sources: UNESCO, National Geographic, newspapers from 2005.

[salantami]

Located near Prades, Eus is entirely classified as a historical monument and is also one of the "most beautiful villages in France".

It is also one of the sunniest villages.

The name of the village is Eus but you have to pronounce "ews" in Catalan as well as in French. The name Eus comes from the name of the holm oak "Elex". The inhabitants are called "els lluerts", the Catalan name for the green lizard.

Built in "beehives" in the garrigue, between the Conflent valley and Mount Canigou, this ancient defensive site had to repel the French in the 16th century, in 1598, and the Spanish army in the 18th century, in 1793.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.15 (before 1920)

474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years truce. 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place on the Ides of March. 493 – Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together. 856 – Michael III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, overthrows the regency of his mother, empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos) with support of the Byzantine nobility. 897 – Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya enters Sa'dah and founds the Zaydi Imamate of Yemen. 933 – After a ten-year truce, German King Henry the Fowler defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river. 1311 – Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece. 1564 – Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes the jizya tax on non-Muslim subjects. 1672 – King Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, granting limited religious freedom to all Christians. 1783 – In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful, and the threatened coup d'état never takes place. 1820 – Maine is admitted as the twenty-third U.S. state. 1823 – Sailor Benjamin Morrell erroneously reported the existence of the island of New South Greenland near Antarctica. 1848 – A revolution breaks out in Hungary, and the Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the reform party. 1874 – France and Vietnam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina. 1875 – Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States. 1877 – First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia. 1888 – Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888. 1907 – The first parliamentary elections of Finland (at the time the Grand Duchy of Finland) are held. 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne, ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty. 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The battle of Tampere begins. 1919 – Ukrainian War of Independence: The Kontrrazvedka is established as the counterintelligence division of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. 1919 – The American Legion is founded.

[silvestromedia]

The Fall of Constantinople May 29 1453 THE LAST DAY

In the city everyone realized that the moment had come. During Monday, May 28, some last repairs were done on the walls and the stockades, were reinforced. In the city, while the bells of the churches rang mournfully, citizens and soldiers joined a long procession behind the holy relics brought out of the churches.

Singing hymns in Greek, Italian or Catalan. Orthodox and Catholic, men, women, children, soldiers, civilians, clergy, monks and nuns, knowing that they were going to die shortly, made peace with themselves, with God and with eternity.

The assault began after midnight, into the 29th of May 1453. Wave after wave the attackers charged. Soon the first enemy flags were seen on the walls.

The Emperor and his commanders were trying frantically to rally their troops and push back the enemy. It was too late.

One after the other the city Gates were opened. The Ottoman flags began appearing on the walls, on the towers, on the Palace at Blachernae. Civilians in panic were rushing to the churches. Others locked themselves in their homes, some continued fighting in the streets, and crowds of Greeks and foreigners were rushing towards the port area.

They were and unfortunately still are, a common practice, almost a ritual, among all armies capturing enemy strongholds and territory after a prolonged and violent struggle. Thus, bands of soldiers began now looting. Doors were broken, private homes were looted, their tenants were massacred. Shops in the city markets were looted.

Monasteries and Convents were broken in. Their tenants were killed, nuns were raped, many, to avoid dishonor, killed themselves. Killing, raping, looting, burning, enslaving, went on and on according to tradition. The troops had to satisfy themselves. The great doors of Saint Sophia were forced open, and crowds of angry soldiers came in and fell upon the unfortunate worshippers.

Pillaging and killing in the holy place went on for hours. Similar was the fate of worshippers in most churches in the city.