Table of contents for Issue 162 in All About History

In Zaragoza in northeast Spain stands Aljaferia Palace, one of the finest surviving examples of Islamic Spain and the only palace from this era that’s still largely intact. Within its walls can be found many striking examples of the hybrid Mudejar architecture that is unique to this area, combining Islamic design with traditional Spanish styles. Built during the 11th century, the palace was originally constructed to be a place of leisure, though it has served many purposes over the subsequent centuries, from royal residence to military barracks. At one point it even hosted the notorious Spanish Inquisition. The palace was commissioned by Al-Muqtadir when Zaragoza was one of the many tariffs in Muslim Spain. These tariffs were independent principalities, each ruled by a different emir. Due to the original purpose…

In your book Flavors of Al-Andalus you include 120 recipes with Moorish heritage. How did you achieve this? Having written several previous books about Spanish cooking, I have an extensive collection of traditional recipes. I started by pulling recipes from my files whose titles are derived from Arabic, for example albóndigas (meatballs), alboronía (eggplant stew), alfajores (honey-almond rolls) and almojábanas (cheese-filled sweet buns). I also researched medieval Arabic cookery manuscripts in translation. Two examples are The Exile’s Cookbook, Medieval Gastronomic Treasures from al-Andalus and North Africa by Ibn Razīn al-Tujībī, translated by Professor Daniel L Newman, and Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits (Anwā ‘al-Saydala fī Alwān al-At‘ima), an anonymous 13th century cookbook translated and edited by Nawal Nasrallah. I searched for recipes that closely resemble…

“LIKE HER TITULAR CHARACTER, MARY SHELLEY CREATED A MONSTER, BUT HERS CONTINUES TO GROW, EACH NEW VERSION ADDING A PIECE TO THE LEGEND” In 1818, man made a monster for the first, though certainly not the last, time. Released that year, Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel Frankenstein was a gruesome story of an ambitious young man who defies the laws of nature to create a living creature from rotting cadavers. The grisly tale shocked and delighted the public in equal measure and continues to sell around 4,000 copies a year. In the years since its publication, Frankenstein has evolved from a mere story to a modern myth. This evolution has caused strange tales to circulate regarding the novel’s origins, as well as inconsistencies between what are popularly considered Frankensteinian tropes and…

The empire of the Inca began small, eventually growing to encompass a vast area containing numerous peoples. Starting with the city of Cusco, nestled in an upland Andean valley in modern Peru, the Inca expanded relentlessly from their home base until they had become masters of a gigantic realm. They called their state Tawantinsuyu, meaning ‘the Land of the Four Quarters’ in their native language of Quechua. It was an appropriate moniker, as it came to stretch from Quito in modern-day Ecuador in the north to the Rio Maule in modern Chile in the south and embraced large portions of what are today sections of Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. Its population would reach approximately 10 million. The Inca themselves were not barbarians who left only destruction in their wake. They…

Although the United States had supported the Allied cause in the First World War with weapons, supplies and financial considerations, the introduction of American troops and other military assets in a direct role in 1917-18 was welcomed by the war-weary nations of Britain and France, and was an ominous development for Germany and the Central Powers. However, the absence of this US commitment to an active military role in the Great War may well have altered the outcome of the conflict along with the structure and steadiness of the tenuous peace that followed the armistice and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. How would the outcome of the Great War have been altered if the US had not entered the fight? Clive Webb: Historians are not usually in the…

ARGENTINA, 1985 Director: Santiago Mitre Starring: Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner Country: Argentina Year: 2022 Does this restaging of the Trial of the Juntas stick to the evidence? 01 The film follows the investigation and prosecution of the leaders of Argentina’s military juntas (1976-83) by Julio César Strassera (Darín). He’s portrayed as reluctant and uneasy about taking on the case, which appears to be true to his feelings at the time. 02 Having been turned down by seasoned lawyers and prosecutors, or rejecting them for being sympathetic to the old regime, Strassera and his deputy Luis Moreno Ocampo (Lanzani) really did turn to recent graduates to fill out their research team. 03 One common complaint about the film is that it doesn’t give enough credit to campaigners, such as…

21 November 1931 FRANKENSTEIN PREMIERES Directed by James Whale, the 1931 film Frankenstein was released to critical and public acclaim. Based on Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) and its 1927 play adaptation by Peggy Webling, the movie starred Colin Clive as the film’s titular scientist and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster. Karloff’s interpretation of the character came to define it, and his makeup and performance became iconic. The film’s cultural impact and importance was recognised in 1991 when the title was placed on the USA’s National Film Registry. 20 November 1992 WINDSOR CASTLE CATCHES FIRE At 11:30am on 20 November 1992 a fire broke out at Windsor Castle, a residence of the British royal family. Having started in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel due to a…

1 MOSQUE OF CRISTO DE LA LUZ TOLEDO During the Islamic reign, there were ten mosques in Toledo. In the years following the Reconquista, nine were either destroyed or transformed into Christian churches. Today, the Mosque of Cristo De La Luz is the only example that has not undergone significant changes, allowing visitors to appreciate the original structure’s beauty. Built in 999 by Musa Ibn Ali, the surrounding area was at that time populated by particularly affluent Islamic citizens. There is an interesting legend attached to the mosque concerning King Alfonso VI, which gives it its current name – Christ of the Light. Alfonso is said to have discovered a figurine of Christ hidden within one of the walls, where it had been placed centuries prior to protect it from…

The efforts of Allied forces in Asia during the Second World War are all too frequently overlooked. The fighting carried on longer in this region – three months past VE Day (8 May 1945) – and covered a much larger area. In Burma (modern-day Myanmar) from 1941 to 1945, forces from across the British Empire battled to push back the Japanese occupiers and reclaim the strategically vital region. But just as important was showing solidarity with the United States and keeping them engaged in the fight. We are delighted to talk to Lucy Betteridge-Dyson, whose new book Jungle Commandos delves deep into the Burma campaign and its significance, with first-hand accounts informing her insight, including those of her grandfather. What were some of the unique challenges faced by British forces…

Marie Laveau wasn’t just born in New Orleans; during the syncretic religion of voodoo’s heyday between the 1820s and 1860s she was New Orleans. No other citizen in the port city’s 300-year existence has so represented the unique and mysterious vibe of the town, nor gripped the public’s imagination the same way. Although her biography is littered with contradictions and codswallop due to a lack of verifiable information, this has only served to keep the flame of Laveau burning in the Big Easy. So much of her life story is wrapped up in legend, fabrication and the unknowable that even her birth year is disputed. Generally given as either 1794 or 1801, The New York Times’ 1881 obituary marked her age at death as 98, meaning she must have been…

London from 1750 to 1914 was at the heart of a global empire, a centre of the Industrial Revolution and arguably the most powerful city in the world. But, like all major cities, it had a shadowy underbelly of murder, terrorism, tragedy and supernatural happenings. Now this darker side of the capital’s history is explored in a new book by social historian Dr Drew Gray. Split into four chapters entitled Crime and Punishment, Death and the Supernatural, Dens of Vice and Iniquity, and Disasters and Destitution, Dark London: A Journey Through the City’s Mysterious and Macabre Underworld delves into the seamier history of the capital through more than 100 cases and stories. From the murders of serial killer Jack the Ripper to the lesser-known activities of the grave-robbing London Burkers, Gray…

Spanish cuisine still carries some of the influences of its Muslim history. One crop that was introduced into the region by Muslims was almonds, which make up a key component in ajoblanco – ‘white gazpacho’. Like gazpacho, ajoblanco is a cold soup, but it makes use of almonds alongside garlic and other ingredients, since using nuts in cooking was common in the Arabic world from this era. The base of the soup, with its garlic, oil and bread, may have some links to Roman dishes from the ancient world, which would have been found on the Iberian peninsula. Ajoblanco predates traditional gazpacho, which contains tomatoes, since tomatoes didn’t arrive in Spain until after Columbus’ return from the New World. This soup remains popular in southern Spain, where almonds are a…

961-976 REIGN OF AL HAKAM II The golden age of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba is considered to have been the reign of Al Hakam II. During this time there are numerous developments in science and culture. Al Hakam II welcomes King Ordono IV of Leon to his palace, depicted here. 1236 CAPTURE OF CORDOBA Although the beginning of the Reconquista is often dated to shortly after the Muslim conquest of Iberia in 718, the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) leads to a series of victories for Christian forces. Beginning with the capture of Cordoba in 1236, Ferdinand III is able to conquer a number of vital territories, including Seville. 1492 CONQUEST OF GRANADA On 2 January 1492 the armies of Isabella and Ferdinand are victorious over the…

Al Zahrawi Surgeon, 936 – 1013 An innovative and eminent surgeon, Abu Qasim Khalaf Ibn Abbas Al Zahrawi, more commonly known as Al Zahrawi, was born in the city of Cordoba. For most of his adult life he worked as a physician in his hometown and for a time at the court of the Umayyad caliph Al Hakam III. In the year 1000, he completed writing the Kitab Al-Tasrif, a medical encyclopaedia consisting of 30 volumes that covered a number of medical topics, including the first known description of haemophilia as a genetic condition. Al Zahrawi is also credited as the first surgeon to carry out a thyroidectomy. ABBAS IBN FIRNAS POLYMATH, 810 – 887 An inventor, astronomer, engineer and mathematician, Abbas Ibn Firnas was born in the Caliphate of…

The Scourge of God: this nickname has fitted Attila well since it was first used in 451 CE. By then, his Huns had despoiled a large part of Christian Europe, were apparently on their way to take the Roman province of Gaul and – if his plans worked out – would seize the heart of the empire itself. Yet when he died two years later, his own realm vanished with hardly a trace, leaving a metaphor of evil in the European imagination. But there was much more to Attila than that. No one knows the origins of the Huns. They may have been remnants of the Xiongnu people, who formed the first of several nomadic empires that ruled the steppes north of the Great Wall for almost three centuries, from…

For almost 300 years, a portrait by 17th century Spanish painter Diego Velázquez of arguably the most infamous and powerful women in papal history had been lost. In 2019, as it went up for auction at Sotheby’s, it attracted international attention as the world laid their eyes on the striking face of Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj, the woman who dominated the halls of the Vatican for 11 years between 1644 to 1655. At the height of her influence, Olimpia was the most controversial figure in the Catholic world, yet today few people have heard her name. Such was her power that she was christened La Papessa – The Female Pope – by both those who hated her and those who admired her. So how did she become so powerful? A HEADSTRONG…

KILLING THE DEAD A mature and wide-ranging exploration of undead folklore Author: John Blair Publisher: Princeton University Press Price: £30 Released: Out now Vampires and their ilk have been haunting the minds of humanity for centuries. Whether it’s the countless retellings of Dracula, the 2010 craze with Twilight or the chilling domestic invaders of 2025’s hit movie Sinners, our cultural obsession, much like the creatures themselves, has refused to die. What is behind humanity’s obsessive fear of the dead returning, not to reunite with their loved ones but to feed upon them? Oxford fellow John Blair’s Killing the Dead is a new history of vampirism throughout the millennia and attempts to provide the answers. The origins of the undead are more than just spooky tales to terrify children. Throughout history,…