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The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy.<br/><br/> In 1231, under Doge Jacopo Tiepolo, the city donated land at this site to establish a monastery and church belonging to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. This edifice proved too small and a three nave church was begun in 1250, and not completed until 1338. Work almost immediately began on its much larger replacement, the current church, which took over a century to build.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy.<br/><br/> In 1231, under Doge Jacopo Tiepolo, the city donated land at this site to establish a monastery and church belonging to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. This edifice proved too small and a three nave church was begun in 1250, and not completed until 1338. Work almost immediately began on its much larger replacement, the current church, which took over a century to build.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy.<br/><br/> In 1231, under Doge Jacopo Tiepolo, the city donated land at this site to establish a monastery and church belonging to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor. This edifice proved too small and a three nave church was begun in 1250, and not completed until 1338. Work almost immediately began on its much larger replacement, the current church, which took over a century to build.
Justinian I (482-565), also known as Justinian the Great or Saint Justinian the Great, was the nephew of Emperor Justin I, originally born from a peasant family in Tauresium. Justin, before he became emperor, adopted Justinian and raised him in Constantinople. Justinian served in the Imperial Guard, the Excubitors, just as his uncle had, and was made associate emperor in 527 before becoming sole emperor when Justin died in the same year.<br/><br/> Justinian was ambitious and clever, and sought to revive the empire's greatness, planning the reconquest of the western half of the Roman Empire in what was known as <i>renovatio imperii</i> (restoration of the Empire). Justinian was hard-working and known as 'the emperor who never sleeps'. He nearly lost his throne during the Nika riots, and nearly lost his life during the Justinian Plague of the early 540s.<br/><br/> Justinian was a devout Christian and theologian, and his partial recovery of lost Roman territories led him to be called by some as one of the 'last Romans'. His uniform rewriting of Roman law, the <i>Corpus Juris Civilis</i> is perhaps his greatest legacy, which is still used as the basis of civil law in many modern nations. His restoration activities included the building of the Hagia Sophia. He died in 565 without an heir, succeeded by his nephew Justin II.
Born Livia Drusilla (58 BCE - 29 CE) but later known as Julia Drusilla after her adoption into the Julian family in 14 CE, Livia was Emperor Augustus' third wife and his spouse throughout his reign as emperor. She was granted the honorific title of Augusta. The mother of Tiberius, paternal grandmother to Claudius, paternal great-grandmother of Caligula, and maternal great-great-grandmother of Nero, she was deified by Claudius after her death.<br/><br/> She was known throughout her life for her influence and her capacity as privileged advisor and counselor to both Augustus and Tiberius later in life, and her and Augustus became the role model for proper Roman households. She was also ambitious, pushing her sons to power, with rumours that she ordered the assassinations of all rival claimants to emperor.<br/><br/> During Tiberius' early reign, Livius held unofficial but very real power, but their relationship would later sour, Tiberius becoming resentful of the idea that she had given him the throne. She finally died of illness in 29 CE, with Tiberius refusing to attend her funeral and vetoing all honours the Senate wished to grant her posthumously. Her honours would later be restored during the reign of her grandson Claudius.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
The octagonal Florence Baptistery (<i>Battistero di San Giovanni</i>), also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.<br/><br/> The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east doors were dubbed by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise.<br/><br/> The Italian poet Dante and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistry.
Lodovico de Medici also known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere (5 April 1498 – 30 November 1526) was an Italian <i>condottiero</i>. He was the son of Giovanni de Medici and Caterina Sforza. He was the father of Cosimo I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.<br/><br/><i>Condottieri</i> (singular <i>condottiero</i> and <i>condottiere</i>) were the leaders of the professional military free companies (or mercenaries) contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy from the late Middle Ages and throughout the Renaissance.
Saint Antoninus of Florence (1389 - 1459), was an Italian Dominican friar, who ruled as an Archbishop of Florence. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Boccaccio wrote a number of notable works, including <i>The Decameron</i> and <i>On Famous Women</i>. He wrote his imaginative literature mostly in the Italian vernacular, as well as other works in Latin, and is particularly noted for his realistic dialogue which differed from that of his contemporaries, medieval writers who usually followed formulaic models for character and plot.
Leon Battista Alberti (February 14, 1404 – April 25, 1472) was an Italian humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher and cryptographer; he epitomised the Renaissance Man.
Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Renaissance.
At the Battle of Camlann, Arthur charges Mordred and impales him with a spear. But with the last of his strength, Mordred impales himself even further, so as to come within striking distance of King Arthur, then gives a mortal blow to Arthur's head.
Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (14 March 1835 – 4 July 1910) was an Italian astronomer and science historian.<br/><br/> He was educated at the University of Turin, and later studied at Berlin Observatory, under Encke. In 1859–1860 he worked in Pulkovo Observatory and then worked for over forty years at Brera Observatory. He was also a senator of the Kingdom of Italy, a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino and the Regio Istituto Lombardo, and is particularly known for his studies of Mars.
Oriental carpets more than two centuries old have rarely survived and are rarely represented in Islamic Art since Sunni Islam (and to a lesser extent Shia) eschews representational art in favour of precisely the repetetive geometric symbols and arabesques found, for example, in oriental carpets.<br/><br/> This means that most examples of 17th century and earlier oriental carpets, mainly produced in Muslim lands, are only to be found in paintings from Christian lands where rich oriental carpets were associated with wealth, power and taste.<br/><br/> Such carpets featured as an important decorative feature in paintings from the 14th century onwards, leading to the dichotomy that there are more depictions of oriental carpets produced before the 17th century in European paintings than there are actual oriental carpets surviving from the same period.<br/><br/> Because of this European paintings have proved an invaluable source of reference for the study of the history of carpetmaking and carpets.
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis.<br/><br/> Thought to have started in China, it travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1346. From there, probably carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships, it spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe.<br/><br/> The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60 percent of Europe's population, reducing the world's population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in the 14th century.<br/><br/> The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover. The plague returned at various times, killing more people, until it died out in Europe in the 19th century.
Giovanni Mocenigo (1409 – September 14, 1485), Pietro Mocenigo's brother, was doge of Venice from 1478 to 1485. He fought at sea against the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and on land against Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, from whom he recaptured Rovigo and the Polesine. He was interred in the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.
For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The city lost some 50,000 people to the Black Death in 1575-77, but remained a major manufacturing center and port well into the 18th century.
Leonardo Loredan (or Loredano) (November 16, 1436 – June 21, 1521) was the doge of the Republic of Venice from 1501 until his death, in the course of the War of the League of Cambrai. Upon the death of Pope Alexander VI in 1503, Venice occupied several territories in the northern Papal States. When Julius II was elected as Alexander's eventual successor, the Venetians expected their seizure of papal territory to be tacitly accepted, as Julius had been nicknamed Il Veneziano for his pro-Venetian sympathies. But instead the new Pope excommunicated the Republic and united the Papal States in an alliance with France, the Holy Roman Empire and several other Christian states.<br/><br/> The Doge's problems did not end in Europe. In 1509, the Battle of Diu took place, in India, where the Portuguese fleet defeated an Ottoman and Mameluk fleet, which had been transferred from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea with Venetian help. The defeat marked the end of the profitable Spice trade, which was bought by Venetians from the Mameluks in Egypt and in turn monopolised its sale in Europe, reaping great revenues from it.<br/><br/> After losing to the league's forces at the Battle of Agnadello, Venice found her holdings in Italy shrinking exponentially. Soon Padua, Venice's most strategically vital Terra Firma holding, had fallen, and Venice herself was threatened. Loredan united the population, calling for sacrifice and total mobilisation. Padua was retaken, though Venice was still forced to accept a reluctant peace, following which it joined the Pope as only a junior ally in his new war against the French. When the Pope betrayed Venice once again, upon the verge of victory over France, Venice retaliated by aligning themselves with the French King Louis XII and were able to secure back all the territories they had lost. In addition, the Papacy was forced to repay man.outstanding debts to the Loredan family totaling approximately 500,000 Ducats.
A ‘harem’ is not a bordello, seraglio or brothel, but refers to the women’s quarters, usually in a polygynous household, which are forbidden to men. It originated in the Near East and is typically associated in the Western world with the Ottoman Empire.<br/><br/> Female seclusion in Islam is emphasized to the extent that any unlawful breaking into that privacy is ḥarÄm ie, 'forbidden'. A Muslim harem does not necessarily consist solely of women with whom the head of the household has sexual relations (wives and concubines), but also their young offspring, other female relatives or odalisques, which are the concubines’ servants. The harem may either be a palatial complex, as in Romantic tales, in which case it includes staff (women and eunuchs), or simply their quarters, in the Ottoman tradition separated from the men's selamlık.<br/><br/> A hammam is a common bath house.
Esther (Hebrew: ×ֶסְתֵּרr), born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical 'Book of Esther'.<br/><br/> According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus is traditionally identified with Xerxes I (r. 486-465 BCE) during the time of the Achaemenid empire. Her story is the basis for the celebration of Purim in Jewish tradition.