Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Select all Deselect all Add selection to lightbox
Large Small
Thumbnails per page
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.
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.
Pompeia (1st Century BCE) was the second wife of Julius Caesar. The two were married in 67 BCE, after Caesar's first wife Cornelia had died the year previous. Not much is known about her, aside from the controversial events surrounding her hosting the festival of the Bona Dea ('good goddess') in 62 BCE, a festival which men were not permitted to attend. Despite this, a young patrician named Publius Clodius Pulcher snuck in disguised as a woman, supposedly to try to seduce Pompeia. He was caught and prosecuted for sacrilege, and Caesar divorced Pompeia, uttering 'my wife ought not even to be under suspicion', which gave rise to the proverb 'Caesar's wife must be above suspicion'.
Domitia Longina (53/55-126/130 CE) was wife to Domitian and an empress of Rome. She divorced her previous husband, Lucius Aelius Lamia, to marry Domitian in 71 CE, and together they had one son. His early death caused them to drift apart for a while however, with Domitian briefly exiling Domitia for not producing another heir. He soon recalled her though, and despite rumours of Domitian having an incestuous relationship with his niece Julia Flavia, it is said that Domitia continued to live in the palace without incident. She survived Domitian's assassination in 96 CE, and died peacefully decades afterwards.
Marcia Furnilla (1st century CE) was born into a noble and distinguished family, claiming descent from Roman King Ancus Marcius. Furnilla was Titus' second and last wife, marrying him in 63 CE. Furnilla was described as a 'very well-connected' woman, and bore Titus a daughter in 64 CE, Julia Flavia. Like Titus' first marriage, his time with Furnilla was short, as Furnilla's family was connected to the opponents of Nero after the failure of the Pisonian conspiracy in 65 CE. Titus divorced her, not wanting to be connected with any of the potential plotters, taking their daughter with him.
Flavia Domitilla Major (1st century CE), also known as Domitilla the Elder, was the first wife of Vespasian. She was the daughter of Flavius Liberalis, a humble quaestor's clerk, and was a formal mistress to an African knight before her marriage to Vespasian. She married Vespasian some time around 38 CE, and was the mother of future emperors Titus and Domitian, as well as Domitilla the Younger, and grandmother of Saint Flavia Domitilla. She died before Vespasian became emperor, some time around 65 CE.
There is little known of Petronia (1st century CE), the first wife of Vitellius. They married some time before the year 40 CE and produced a son together, Aulus Vitellius Petronianus. Seeing as Vitellius remarried in 50 CE, he must have divorced Petronia or she had died before then, but no further mention of her can be found in history.
Born to a noble and ancient Etruscan lineage, Otho was one of the young nobles of Nero's court, said to be overly extravagant and reckless. His close friendship with Nero crumbled when his wife began an affair with the emperor and eventually divorced Otho, having Nero send Otho away to govern the distant province of Lusitania, where he would remain for ten years.<br/><br/> Otho followed Galba in his revolt against Nero, but his own personal ambitions led him to betray and overthrow Emperor Galba, purchasing the services of the Praetorian Guard and killing Galba. Otho was declared emperor, but his reign would be even briefer than Galba's.<br/><br/> Inheriting a revolution from Galba, Otho was forced to war against rival claimant to the throne Vitellius. After some of his army was defeated by the Vitellians, Otho decided to commit suicide rather than cause more deaths, even though he still had a substantial force willing to fight for him. He was only emperor for three months, and was the second emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors.
Aemilia Lepida (1st century CE) was the wife of Galba, with whom she bore two sons before her death. Galba was devoted to his wife and so was completely uninterested when Agrippina the Younger, fourth wife of Tiberius and mother of Nero, then a widow, made countless shameless advances on Galba, wishing for him to divorce Lepida and marry her instead. It is said that on one occasion, Lepida's mother publicly reprimanded Agrippina in public and slapped her in the face. Lepida died relatively young, and so did her sons, and his love for her meant that Galba never remarried.
Third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Domitian (51-96 CE) was the youngest son of Vespasian and most of his youth was spent in the shadow of his more accomplished brother Titus, who earned his renown during the First Jewish-Roman War. When his father became emperor at the end of the Year of the Four Emperors in 69 CE, Titus was given a great many offices while Domitian held honours but no responsibilities. This would go on for many years, until his brother, succeeding his father in 79 CE, himself died unexpectedly from illness in 81 CE. Domitian was suddenly declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard.<br/><br/> During his reign, Domitian strengthened the Roman economy, expanded the Empire's border defenses and initiated a massive building program to restore a debilitated Rome. Further wars were fought in Britain. Domitian ruled more autocratically than previous emperors, seeing himself as the new Augustus, and formed a cult of personality around himself, making him popular with the people but considered tyrannical by the Senate.<br/><br/> After 15 years in power, longer than any emperor since Tiberius, Domitian was assassinated in 96 CE by court officials. His death ended the Flavian dynasty and he was succeeded by his advisor Nerva, his memory condemned to oblivion by the Senate.
From an equestrian family that rose to senatorial rank under the Julio-Claudian dyansty, Vespasianus - as he was then called - earned much renown through his military record. He first served during the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 CE, and was later sent by Emperor Nero to conquer Judea in 66 CE, during the Jewish rebellion.<br/><br/> During his siege of Jerusalem, news came to him of Nero's suicide and the tumultuous civil war that happened afterwards, later known as the Year of the Four Emperors. When Vitellius became the third emperor in April 69, the Roman legions of Egypt and Judea declared Vespasian the new emperor. Marching to Rome, he defeated and executed Vitellius, becoming emperor and ending the Year of the Four Emperors.<br/><br/> He ruled the Roman empire for 10 years, building the Flavian Amphitheatre, known nowadays as the Roman Colosseum, as well as enacting various reforms to the empire. He died in 79 CE, and his son Titus became the next Roman emperor, starting the Flavian dynasty and making Vespasian the first emperor to be directly succeeded by his own natural son.
The third of the emperors to rule during the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors, Vitellius first started his career as Consul in 48 CE, and was eventually given command of the armies of Germania Inferior by Emperor Galba. From there he began his bid for power against Galba and the other claimants.<br/><br/> He successfully led a military revolution against Galba's successor Otho in 69 CE, marching into Rome and becoming Emperor, though he was never acknowledged as such in the entire Roman world. His men were said to be licentius and rough, with Rome becoming embroiled in massacres and riots, decadent feasts and gladiatorial shows. Vitellius himself was described as lazy and self-indulgent, an obese glutton and a hedonist.<br/><br/> In July 69 CE, Vitellius learned that the eastern provinces had declared a rival emperor, Commander Vespasian. Following more provinces declaring for Vespasian and mass desertions among his own adherents, Vitellius resigned as emperor in December 69 CE. He was executed by Vespasian's men upon their arrival to Rome. His reign lasted 8 months.
Born to a noble and ancient Etruscan lineage, Otho was one of the young nobles of Nero's court, said to be overly extravagant and reckless. His close friendship with Nero crumbled when his wife began an affair with the emperor and eventually divorced Otho, having Nero send Otho away to govern the distant province of Lusitania, where he would remain for ten years.<br/><br/> Otho followed Galba in his revolt against Nero, but his own personal ambitions led him to betray and overthrow Emperor Galba, purchasing the services of the Praetorian Guard and killing Galba. Otho was declared emperor, but his reign would be even briefer than Galba's.<br/><br/> Inheriting a revolution from Galba, Otho was forced to war against rival claimant to the throne Vitellius. After some of his army was defeated by the Vitellians, Otho decided to commit suicide rather than cause more deaths, even though he still had a substantial force willing to fight for him. He was only emperor for three months, and was the second emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors.
Born Servius Sulpicius Galba, Galba came from a noble and wealthy family, though he had no connection by birth and only a very remote connection by adoption to any of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Refusing encouragement by friends to make a bid for the empire after Caligula's assassination, Galba loyally served Claudius, and lived for most of Nero's reign in retirement.<br/><br/> However, in 68 CE, he was informed of Nero's intention to have him killed, and he defected from Nero to save himself. After Nero's suicide, Galba was named Caesar and killed many soldiers upon his approach to Rome for making demands of him.<br/><br/> Galba's reign lasted little more than seven months, his cruelty and sentencing of many to death without trial turning the people and especially the military and Praetorian guard against him. Many legions refused to swear loyalty and rebelled against Galba, and Galba was assassinated while riding out to confront them. His reign began what would be known as the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors.
Claudius was the first Roman emperor to be born outside of Italy, and he was ostracised and exempted from public office for much of his life due to slight deafness and being afflicted with a limp. It was his infirmity that would save him from the noble purges that occurred during the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula, as he was not seen as a serious threat.<br/><br/> Due to being the last surviving man of the Julio-Claudian family, Claudius was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after their assassination of Caligula. Despite his only previous experience being sharing a consulship with his nephew Caligula in 37 CE, he proved to be a capable administrator, as well as an ambitious builder across the Empire. The conquest of Britain began under his reign, and his seeming vulnerability meant that Claudius often had to shore up his position, usually through the deaths of rival senators and nobles.<br/><br/> He was succeeded after his death in 54 CE by his adopted son, Nero.
Born Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), Julius Caesar was one the most infamous figures in history. A Roman politican, general and author, he played a critical role in the fall of the Roman Republic and paved the way for the rise of the Roman Empire. His political alliance alongside Crassus and Pompey, first formed in 60 BCE, would dominate Roman politics for many years. His victories in the Gallic Wars extended the Republic's territories all the way to the English Channel and the Rhine, and he became the first Roman general to build a bridge across the Rhine, as well as starting the invasion of Britain.<br/><br/> With these achievements under his belt, he amassed unmatched military power to himself, soon eclipsing his political ally Pompey. The Senate, also fearful of his growing power, demanded he step down from military command and return to Rome, which he refused, and marked his defiance by crossing the Rubicon with a legion in 49 BCE, illegally entering Roman Italy with an army and causing a civil war that he quickly crushed.<br/><br/> Taking control of the government, Caesar began implementing various social and political changes, declaring himself 'dictator in perpetuity'. The Senate still held much contempt for him however, and during the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BCE, Caesar was assassinated by a conspiracy of rebellious senators led by former friend and ally, Marcus Junius Brutus. A new string of civil wars ensued, ultimately concluding with Julius Caesar's adopted heir, Octavian, emerging victorious and becoming emperor.
Statilia Messalina (35- after 68 CE) was a Roman patrician woman, empress and third wife to Nero. She was married to consul Marrcus Julius Vestinus Atticus, and became Nero's mistress in 65 CE. After the death of Nero's second wife Poppaea Sabina, possibly at his hands, Vestinus was forced by the emperor to commit suicide so that he could marry Statilia. She was one of the few courtiers to survive the collapse of Nero's reign, dying some time after 68 CE.
Born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, Nero was the only son of Agrippina the Younger, who would later marry his great-uncle Emperor Claudius. Claudius adopted Nero and was made heir and successor alongside Claudius' own son Brittanicus. Nero acceded to the throne after Claudius' death in 54 CE, possibly poisoned at the hands of Nero's mother.<br/><br/> Nero's reign is infamous for his corruption, tyranny and extravagance, as well as his many executions, including that of his mother and the poisoning of his stepbrother Britannicus soon after the start of his rule. His most infamous mark on history however, is his presumed starting of the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, which caused widespread destruction and was intentionally done to clear space for Nero's planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea.<br/><br/> In 68 CE, Nero was driven from the throne by rebellion, and he committed suicide that same year. With his death came the the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, leading to the tumultuous period known as the Year of the Four Emperors.
Vipsania Agrippina (36 BCE - 20 CE) was betrothed to Tiberius by her father, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and Octavian before her first birthday. They were married in 19 BCE. Their son, Drusus Julius Caesar, was born in 14 BCE. However, Tiberius was forced to divorce Vipsania and marry Augustus' daughter, Julia the Elder, in 11 BCE, an action that he never ceased to regret all his life. She was remarried to senator Gaius Asinius Gallus Saloninus that same year, with whom she had at least six sons. Vipsania eventually passed away in 20 CE.
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.
Milonia Caesonia (- 41 CE) was a Roman empress and the fourth wife of Caligula. Little is written about her, though she is described as neither beautiful nor young, with a reckless extravagance and uncontrolled wantonness, and that she was loved devotedly and passionately by Caligula. Some stories claim that Caligula would often parade Caesonia in front of his troops, and sometimes would parade her naked in front of select friends. Caesonia and her daughter, Julia Drusilla, were murdered hours after Caligula's assassination.
Born Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, Caligula was the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, making him part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He earned the nickname 'Caligula' (little solder's boot) while accompanying his father, Germanicus, during his campaigns in Germania.<br/><br/> His mother, Agrippina the Elder, became entangled in a deadly feud with Emperor Tiberius that resulted in the destruction of her family and leaving Caligula the sole male survivor. After Tiberius' death in 37 CE, Caligula succeeded his grand uncle as emperor. Surviving sources of his reign are few and far between, but he is often described as initially being a noble and moderate ruler before descending into tyranny, cruelty, sadism, extravagance and sexcual perversity.<br/><br/> Caligula was eventually assassinated in 41 CE by a conspiracy of courtierts, senators and officers within his own Praetorian Guard, who murdered him and his family. Attempts by some of the conspirators to re-establish the Roman Republic were thwarted when the Praetorian Guard immediately decalared Caligula's uncle, Claudius, the new emperor.
Natural son and heir of Emperor Vespasian, Titus was a member of the Flavian dynasty, the first Roman emperor to succeed his own biological father. Titus, like his father, had earned much renown as a military commander, especially during the First Jewish-Roman war.<br/><br/> When his father left to claim the imperial throne after Nero's death, Titus was left behind to end the Jewish rebellion, which occurred in 70 CE with the siege and sacking of Jerusalem. The Arch of Titus was built in honour of his destruction of the city. He was also known for his controversial relationship with the Jewish queen Berenice.<br/><br/> Under his father, her served as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, and he was known as a good emperor after his accession. As emperor, he is most endearingly known for his completion of the Colosseum, started by his father, and his efforts in relieving the destruction caused by eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE and a fire in Rome in 80 CE. Titus only served for two years before dying of a fever in 81 CE, and was deified by the Roman Senate before being succeeded by his younger brother, Domitian.
Aelia Paetina (1st century CE) was the second wife of Claudius Caesar, marrying him in 28 CE before he became emperor. They had one child together, Claudia Antonia, born in 30 CE. Claudius divorced her a year later in 31 CE, after her adoptive brother fell from power and was murdered. After Claudius' third wife Valeria Messalina was executed in 48 CE for trying to usurp the throne, it was suggested by some of his advisors that Claudius remarry Paetina, but ultimately Claudius married Agrippina the Younger instead.
Born Tiberius Claudius Nero, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, he became step-son of Octavian (later to become Augustus, first emperor of Rome) after his mother was forced to divorce Nero and marry him.<br/><br/> Tiberius would eventually marry Augustus' daughter from his previous marriage, Julia the Elder, and later be adopted by Augustus, officially becoming a Julian, bearing the name Tiberius Julius Caesar.<br/><br/> In relations to the other emperors of this dynasty, Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus, grand-uncle of Caligula, paternal uncle of Claudius, and great-grand uncle of Nero.<br/><br/> Tiberius was one of Rome's greatest generals, with his conquest of Pannonia, Dalmatia, Raetia, and temporarily, parts of Germania, creating the foundations for the empire's northern frontier. However, he came to be known as a dark, reclusive, and sombre ruler who never really desired to be emperor; Pliny the Elder called him <i>tristissimus hominum</i>, 'the gloomiest of men'.
Sultan Suleyman I (1494-1566), also known as 'Suleyman the Magnificent' and 'Suleyman the Lawmaker', was the 10th and longest reigning sultan of the Ottoman empire. He personally led his armies to conquer Transylvania, the Caspian, much of the Middle East and the Maghreb. He intoduced sweeping reforms in Turkish legislation, education, taxation and criminal law, and was highly respected as a poet and a goldsmith. Suleyman also oversaw a golden age in the development of arts, literature and architecture in the Ottoman empire.
Gritti was born in Bardolino, near Verona. He spent much of his early life in Constantinople as a grain merchant, looking after Venetian interests. In the late 1490s he was using his commercial correspondence for sending encoded information to Venice regarding the movements of the Turkish navy. In 1499, he was imprisoned on charges of espionage, but escaped execution due to his friendship with the vizier, and was released several years later.<br/><br/> In the early sixteenth century Venice lost nearly all its territory on the Italian mainland, and Gritti played an important part in the events connected with this loss and the eventual return to the status quo ante. In 1509, after the Venetian defeat at the Battle of Agnadello, Gritti was appointed as proveditor to the Venetian army in Treviso; ordered by the Council of Ten to support revolts against the invaders, he successfully engineered the return of Padua to Venetian hands, and its subsequent defence against the Emperor. In 1510, following the death of Nicolo di Pitigliano, Gritti took command of Venice's army, but was forced to withdraw to Venice by French advances. He continued as proveditor through to the end of the League of Cambrai and the subsequent war of the Holy League. In 1512, he led the negotiations with Francis I that resulted in Venice leaving the League and allying with France.<br/><br/> Elected Doge in 1523, Gritti concluded a treaty with Charles V, ending Venice's active involvement in the Italian Wars. He attempted to maintain the neutrality of the Republic in the face of the continued struggle between Charles and Francis, urging both to turn their attention to the advances of the Ottoman Empire in Hungary. However, he could not prevent Suleiman I from attacking Corfu in 1537, drawing Venice into a war with the Ottomans. He died in 1538.
Mary Magdalene (Greek Μαγδαληνή) was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of 'seven demons', [Luke 8:2] [Mark 16:9] conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses. She became most prominent during his last days, being present at the cross after the male disciples (excepting John the Beloved) had fled, and at his burial. She was the first person to see Jesus after his Resurrection, according to both John 20 and Mark 16:9.<br/><br/> Mary Magdalene is considered by the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches to be a saint, with a feast day of July 22. The Eastern Orthodox churches also commemorate her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.
Mary Magdalene (Greek Μαγδαληνή) was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of 'seven demons', [Luke 8:2] [Mark 16:9] conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses. She became most prominent during his last days, being present at the cross after the male disciples (excepting John the Beloved) had fled, and at his burial. She was the first person to see Jesus after his Resurrection, according to both John 20 and Mark 16:9.<br/><br/> Mary Magdalene is considered by the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches to be a saint, with a feast day of July 22. The Eastern Orthodox churches also commemorate her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.