Download or read book The Tyrannicide Brief written by Geoffrey Robertson and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2008-12-10 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles I waged civil wars that cost one in ten Englishmen their lives. But in 1649 Parliament was hard put to find a lawyer with the skill and daring to prosecute a king who claimed to be above the law. In the end, they chose the radical lawyer John Cooke, whose Puritan conscience, political vision, and love of civil liberties gave him the courage to bring the king to trial. As a result, Charles I was beheaded, but eleven years later Cooke himself was arrested, tried, and executed at the hands of Charles II. Geoffrey Robertson, a renowned human rights lawyer, provides a vivid new reading of the tumultuous Civil War years, exposing long-hidden truths: that the king was guilty, that his execution was necessary to establish the sovereignty of Parliament, that the regicide trials were rigged and their victims should be seen as national heroes. Cooke’s trial of Charles I, the first trial of a head of state for waging war on his own people, became a forerunner of the trials of Augusto Pinochet, Slobodan Milosevic, and Saddam Hussein. The Tyrannicide Brief is a superb work of history that casts a revelatory light on some of the most important issues of our time.
Download or read book The Tyrannicide Brief written by Geoffrey Robertson and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2005 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a life of John Cook, the bravest of barristers, whose bowels were publicly burned as punishment for sending the King to the scaffold. In 1649, no lawyer in the country would accept the brief of prosecuting Charles I. All packed their bags and disappeared to the country, except one, the forty-year old John Cook. The charge was treason - not, of course against himself, the monarch, but against his people - bringing evidence to show that Charles had begun wars which cost the lives of innumerable Englishmen and had sanctioned murder, rape and pillage. Cook was a farmer's son from Leicestershire, who had studied at Oxford and travelled widely in Europe. He was a political visionary, concerned for social justice and liberty of conscience, and especially with reforming the old, barbaric legal system. His fate was sad. He had little sympathy with Cromwell's strict protectorate - and at the restoration in 1660, with the other 'regicides' who signed the king's death warrant, he was arrested, tried, and brutally hung drawn and quartered. -Geoffrey Robertson is one of Britain's leading counsels, famous for his battles for civil liberties. In this gripping account of a sensational life, which uses Cook's own moving speeches and letters, Robertson relates the call for a republic to the debates of today. More significantly, he presents the indictment of Charles I as a precedent for trials of modern war criminals and leaders - Goering, Pinochet, Milosevic - who have oppressed their own people. John Cook was not a regicide but a tyrannicide - the first to argue that brutal action by a head of state justified 'regime change'. Centuries after these brutal events, he is still a potent example to us all.
Download or read book Tyrannicide written by Emily Blanck and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tyrannicide uses a captivating story of the escape of thirty-four slaves from a British privateer to unpack the experiences of slavery and slave law in South Carolina and Massachusetts during the Revolutionary Era, highlighting differences and foreshadowing the Civil War.
Download or read book An Inconvenient Genocide written by Geoffrey Robertson and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-16 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most controversial question that is still being asked about the First World War - was there an Armenian genocide? - will come to a head on 24 April 2015, when Armenians worldwide will commemorate its centenary and Turkey will deny that it took place, claiming that the deaths of over half of the Armenian race were justified. This has become a vital international issue. Twenty national parliaments in democratic countries have voted to recognise the genocide, but Britain and the USA continue to equivocate for fear of alienating their NATO ally. Geoffrey Robertson QC condemns this hypocrisy, and in An Inconvenient Genocide he proves beyond reasonable doubt that the horrific events in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 constitute the crime against humanity that is today known as genocide. He explains how democracies can deal with genocide denial without infringing free speech, and makes a major contribution to understanding and preventing this worst of all crimes. His renowned powers of advocacy are on full display as he condemns all those - from Sri Lanka to the Sudan, from Old Anatolia to modern Syria and Iraq - who try to justify the mass murder of children and civilians in the name of military necessity or religious fervour.
Download or read book Et Tu Brute written by Greg Woolf and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Then fall, Caesar!" -- Talking tyrannicide -- Caesar's murdered heirs -- Aftershocks.
Download or read book Down with Big Brother written by Michael Dobbs and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-10-17 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of this volume was present during the final decade of the Soviet empire, first for Reuters, then for the "Washington Post". While Dobbs watched, playwrights and elctricians were transformed into presidents, while Communist Party leaders became jailbirds or newly-minted tycoons. He identifies the seeds of destruction, and shows how Mikhail Gorbachev, in particular, was the unwitting inspiration for the upheaval of the empire, while he thought he could save the Communist Party by reforming it.;Dobbs' conclusion is that though Big Brother may be dead, his dark legacy is still alive in the turbulence in Russia, Romania, Bosnia and other countries that once made up the most brutal empire of the 20th century.
Download or read book Who Owns History written by Geoffrey Robertson and published by Biteback Publishing. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biggest question in the world of art and culture concerns the return of property taken without consent. Throughout history, conquerors or colonial masters have taken artefacts from subjugated peoples, who now want them returned from museums and private collections in Europe and the USA. The controversy rages on over the Elgin Marbles, and has been given immediacy by figures such as France's President Macron, who says he will order French museums to return hundreds of artworks acquired by force or fraud in Africa, and by British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has pledged that a Labour government would return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. Elsewhere, there is a debate in Belgium about whether the Africa Museum, newly opened with 120,000 items acquired mainly by armed forces in the Congo, should close. Although there is an international convention dated 1970 that deals with the restoration of artefacts stolen since that time, there is no agreement on the rules of law or ethics which should govern the fate of objects forcefully or lawlessly acquired in previous centuries. Who Owns History? delves into the crucial debate over the Elgin Marbles, but also offers a system for the return of cultural property based on human rights law principles that are being developed by the courts. It is not a legal text, but rather an examination of how the past can be experienced by everyone, as well as by the people of the country of origin.
Download or read book By Birth or Consent written by Holly Brewer and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2012-12-01 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In mid-sixteenth-century England, people were born into authority and responsibility based on their social status. Thus elite children could designate property or serve in Parliament, while children of the poorer sort might be forced to sign labor contracts or be hanged for arson or picking pockets. By the late eighteenth century, however, English and American law began to emphasize contractual relations based on informed consent rather than on birth status. In By Birth or Consent, Holly Brewer explores how the changing legal status of children illuminates the struggle over consent and status in England and America. As it emerged through religious, political, and legal debates, the concept of meaningful consent challenged the older order of birthright and became central to the development of democratic political theory. The struggle over meaningful consent had tremendous political and social consequences, affecting the whole order of society. It granted new powers to fathers and guardians at the same time that it challenged those of masters and kings. Brewer's analysis reshapes the debate about the origins of modern political ideology and makes connections between Reformation religious debates, Enlightenment philosophy, and democratic political theory.
Download or read book The Putney Debates written by The Levellers and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2018-11-20 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of debates with Oliver Cromwell in Civil War England of 1647, the Levellers argued for democracy for the first time in British history. Evolving from Oliver Cromwell's New Model army in Parliament's struggle against King Charles I, the Levellers pushed for the removal of corruption in parliament, universal voting rights and religious toleration. This came to a head with the famous debates between the Levellers and Cromwell at St Mary's church in Putney, London. Renowned human-rights lawyer and author Geoffrey Robertson argues for the relevance of the Levellers' stand today, showing how they were the first Western radical democrats.
Download or read book Liberty or Equality written by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and published by Ludwig von Mises Institute. This book was released on 1952 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The World Encyclopedia of Christmas written by Gerry Bowler and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 1075 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At last, a truly comprehensive look at Christmas and all of its customs with its long history around the world. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas contains articles on the history of Christmas baking, drinking, and merrymaking, and Christmas dramas, music, literature, art, and films. It includes entries on the evolution of the Christmas tree and the Christmas card, gift-giving, and decoration of church and home. There are profiles of the many gift-bringers, from Santa Claus to Babouschka, and miraculous tales of the numerous saints associated with the season. And there are histories of seasonal celebrations and folk customs around the world, from the United States to Japan, from Egypt to Iceland. Who, for example, knew the links between the Punch and Judy show and Christmas? That the medieval Paradise tree hung with tempting apples was the forerunner of the Christmas tree? About the Peerie Guizers, who terrorized the Shetland Islands, going door-to-door for Christmas charity? Or what Freudians make of our interest in Christmas stockings and Santa’s entrance through the chimney? There are detailed accounts of Wren Boys and Star Boys, mumming and wassailing, the Feast of Fools and the origins of eggnog. And of course stories of the Nativity and legends of the Magi. With beautifully illustrated accounts ranging from the pagan roots of Yuletide, through the birth of Christ, and the long and fascinating history of the festival ever since, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, is a rich and continually surprising array of religious and secular history, trivia, literature, and art. This wonderful book deserves to find a home with every family that celebrates Christmas.
Download or read book Stalin s Curse written by Robert Gellately and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A chilling, riveting account based on newly released Russian documentation that reveals Joseph Stalin’s true motives—and the extent of his enduring commitment to expanding the Soviet empire—during the years in which he seemingly collaborated with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the capitalist West. At the Big Three conferences of World War II, Joseph Stalin persuasively played the role of a great world leader, whose primary concerns lay in international strategy and power politics, and not communist ideology. Now, using recently uncovered documents, Robert Gellately conclusively shows that, in fact, the dictator was biding his time, determined to establish Communist regimes across Europe and beyond. His actions during those years—and the poorly calculated responses to them from the West—set in motion what would eventually become the Cold War. Exciting, deeply engaging, and shrewdly perceptive, Stalin’s Curse is an unprecedented revelation of the sinister machinations of Stalin’s Kremlin.
Download or read book Blood Royal written by Eric Jager and published by Hachette+ORM. This book was released on 2014-02-25 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting true story of murder and detection in 15th-century Paris, by one of the most brilliant medievalists of his generation. On a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer -- and one of history's first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. A rich portrait of a distant world, Blood Royal is a gripping story of conspiracy, crime and an increasingly desperate hunt for the truth. And in Guillaume de Tignonville, we have an unforgettable detective for the ages, a classic gumshoe for a cobblestoned era.
Download or read book O Horrable Murder written by Robert B. Partridge and published by Rubicon Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three-and-a-half centuries ago Charles Stuart, King of England, Scotland, Ireland and France, stepped through a window of the Banqueting House in Whitehall onto a scaffold erected in the street. In front of a silent crowd he was executed by the severing of his head from his body. This volume provides an account of the trial and execution.
Download or read book Brutus written by Kathryn Tempest and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This award-winning biography delves beyond the myths about Ancient Rome’s most famous assassin: “A beautifully written and thought-provoking book” (Christopher Pelling, author of Plutarch and History). Conspirator and assassin, philosopher and statesman, promoter of peace and commander in war, Marcus Brutus was a controversial and enigmatic man even to those who knew him. His leading role in the murder of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BC, immortalized his name, but no final verdict has ever been made about his fateful act. Was Brutus wrong to kill his friend and benefactor or was he right to place his duty to country ahead of personal obligations? In this comprehensive biography, Kathryn Tempest examines historical sources to bring to light the personal and political struggles Brutus faced. As the details are revealed—from his own correspondence with Cicero, the perceptions of his peers, and the Roman aristocratic values and concepts that held sway in his time—Brutus emerges from legend, revealed as the complex man he was. A Choice Outstanding Academic Title Winner
Download or read book On Royalty written by Jeremy Paxman and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2008-07-31 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The notable characteristic of the royal families of Europe is that they have so very little of anything remotely resembling true power. Increasingly, they tend towards the condition of pipsqueak principalities like Liechtenstein and Monaco -- fancy-dress fodder for magazines that survive by telling us things we did not need to know about people we have hardly heard of. How then have kings and queens come to exercise the mesmeric hold they have upon our imaginations? In On Royalty renowned BBC journalist Jeremy Paxman examines the role of the British monarchy in an age when divine right no longer prevails and governing powers fall to the country's elected leaders. With intelligence and humor, he scrutinizes every aspect of the monarchy and how it has related to politics, religion, the military and the law. He takes us inside Buckingham Palace and illuminates the lives of the monarchs, at once mundane, absurd and magical. What Desmond Morris did for apes, Paxman has done for these primus inter primates: the royal families. Gilded history, weird anthropology and surreal reportage of the royals up close combine in On Royalty, a brilliant investigation into how an ancient institution struggles for meaning in a modern country.
Download or read book Killers of the King written by Charles Spencer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the lives of the men who signed Charles I's death warrant and the far-reaching consequences for them, those present at the trial, and England itself.
