January 30: On this date in medieval history, in 1648, the Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück was signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain, known as the Eighty Years War (aka the Dutch War of Independence.) This began as a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. The negotiations between Spain and the Dutch Republic formally started in January 1646 as part of the more general peace negotiations between the warring parties in the Thirty Years War. (This was a series of wars principally fought in Central Europe, involving most of the countries of Europe. It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history.) However, Holland, sick of the feet-dragging in the peace negotiations, refused to approve the annual war budget, unless progress was made in the negotiations. The Dutch and Spanish delegations soon reached an agreement, that was based on the text of the Twelve Years Truce, confirming Spains recognition of Dutch independence. In 1615, Thomas Rolfe was born. He was the only child of Pocahontas by her English husband, John Rolfe. Pocahontas did not leave any fully Native American descendants. However, many non-Native people in the United States claim descent from her through her son, Thomas Rolfe, and Thomass daughter, Jane (by his second wife.) Moreover, many people in Great Britain also claim descent from Pocahontas through Thomass daughter, Anne, by his first wife Elizabeth Washington. As Thomas Rolfe was a child of a white man and a Native American woman, some aspects of his life were particularly controversial. Thomas expressed interest in rekindling relations with his Native American relatives, despite societal ridicule and laws that forbade such contact. The birth of Thomas Rolfe, as he was both white and Native American, reinstated peace between the Powhatans and the European settlements. In 1030, William V, Duke of Aquitaine died. He was very well educated, a collector of books, and turned the prosperous court of Aquitaine into the learning center of Southern France. Though a cultivated prince, he was a failure in the field. He had to contain the Vikings who yearly threatened his coast, but in 1006, he was defeated by Viking invaders. He tried to stem the tide of feudal warfare then destroying the unity of many European nations by supporting the current Peace and Truce of God movements initiated by Pope and Church. In 1574, Portuguese philosopher Damião de Góis died at the age of 71. He was a friend and student of Erasmus, and compiled one of the first accounts on Ethiopian Christianity. In 1538 he published a translation of the Biblical book Ecclesiastes in Portuguese, though it was not widely circulated. In 1570 the inquisitorial process opened again, sending Góis to reclusion in the monastery of Batalha. He died shortly after in Alenquer under mysterious circumstances (apparently, murder). And in 1606, English conspirator Everard Digby died. He was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, intending to blow up the House of Lords with gunpowder, and killing James I. Robert Catesby, a religious fanatic, then planned to incite a popular revolt, during which a Catholic monarch would be restored to the English throne. Despite an eloquent defense, Digby was found guilty of high treason, and three days later was hanged, drawn and quartered. But three years before his death, he and his wife Mary had a son, Kenelm, who became well known for the publication of a cookbook, The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Knight Opened, as well as the design and construction of the modern wine bottle.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 23:24:35 +0000