What’s that? You want more horrific history? Too long to wait for the last series of ‘Game of Thrones’. Cool, I got you fam! This time we’re going to Sicily - a land known for food, wine, cultural treasures & acts of staggeringly brutal violence - in the year 1282… THREAD 1/ Sicily has always been a prize - it’s been fought over more times than anyone cares to think about & the island is littered with scars. In the late 13th century, the island had passed from the German Hohenstaufen dynasty to the French Angevin. This was not a popular change. /2

Ladies, I feel like you and I could both do with a pick-me-up, so let me tell you about one of the stone cold, icy-veined, razor-sharp women to ever walk the earth. Allow me to introduce you to Olga of Kiev... THREAD 1/ Olga of Kiev was a princess of the Kievan Rus, descended from Norse settlers who arrived in what we know today as Russia in the 9th century. She was born sometime in the closing years of the 9th century, and reached adulthood in the very early 10th century. /2

Commodus (161 - 192) had a rabid popular base, cleared out the coffers, charged the Roman state for his gladiatorial fights, lied constantly about his feats & executed folks so he could take their money and property.

He was strangled while in the bath by his wrestling buddy. The Sassanid Emperor, Khosrow II (570 - 628) flaunted his wealth outrageously, refused to own his mistakes, flayed generals who 'failed' him & was known for other acts of arbitrary cruelty.

He was overthrown, starved - told to eat his riches actually - then shot with arrows.

Today Donald Trump tweeted this, regarding protesters campaigning against Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

This signals that the President of the United States buys into antisemitic conspiracy theories. Here's why. THREAD 1/ Right up front, George Soros is a very, very rich man. He's worth, at present, around 8.3 billion USD. He's made that money as a banker, starting in London in the 60s, before moving to America & becoming an investor in the US. /2

Now, I want to tell you the tale of a bloke who spent his life trying to pierce the veil between the living and the dead. A bloke who many considered mad, and who was spoken in hushed tones by local villagers. A bloke born at a place called - get this - Frankenstein... /THREAD Johann Conrad Dippel - though he often just went by Conrad - was born in 1673 in what is today the German state of Hesse. The place of his birth? Burg (or Castle) Frankenstein. A minor noble, he could afford a decent education, and trained as a theologian. /2

Alright, enough bad news! I feel like we're not getting sufficiently spooky enough, with Halloween fast approaching. Here then, is a glimpse at an eldritch tome of demonic abominations, so horrible that it comes with a warning to the reader... THREAD! /1 This cursed grimoire, this blaspheming text claims to originate from the distant past - 1057, to be precise. It is written in a mixture of Latin and German, suggesting that it originated from the dark, forsaken forests of the Holy Roman Empire. /2

Over the last few weeks, I have had an increasing number of Brazilians contacting me with their fears and concerns regarding Jair Bolsanaro, the hardline, Far Right presidential candidate. @DanielaAbade asked whether I could pass on her words regarding him - here's a thread. 1/ Part 2/

On the 9th of November, 1923, Adolf Hitler & members of the NSDAP attempted to seize power in Munich, Bavaria, in a coup. It was a failure, Hitler was injured (& some killed) & he was arrested. This is not that story. This is - *more importantly* - about happened next. THREAD 1/ Hitler, his co-conspirators and the Sturmabteilung (SA) had attempted to usurp the Bavarian state government. Thus, they had been charged with 'high treason'. A trial was scheduled for early 1924, in Munich's 'People's Court'. /2

'Assassin's Creed: Odyssey' verdict 4 hours in: Stunningly beautiful, the option to go without quest markers makes the game much more enjoyable, Kassandra is one of the best protagonists so far, and enjoyably grumpy. Also, I hope she meets Odessa again, because they have chemistry.

Here’s a tale of love, of passion and obsession. A tale that has inspired countless films, books and even a ballet. A tale that is also, perhaps, perfect for this time of year. It takes place at a hunting lodge in Austria, called ‘Mayerling’. THREAD 1/ In 1888, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was a young man by the name of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. A thoughtful, introspective man, he was different from his stern, conservative father, Franz Joseph I. Not exactly a progressive, he was still quite liberal. /2

Ladies, I’m just gonna leave this here. For no particular reason. No ulterior motive. Do with it as you will. Many of you may already know about it, if you do, by all means, pass it on. I’m talking about an event that occurred on the 5th of October, 1789 - THREAD! /1 So, Paris at the end of the 18th century. A complex series of factors are conspiring to make life miserable for a large slice of the population. Crap harvests. Bad weather. Fiscal mismanagement. A detached elite. Misinformation. Agitators in the streets, baying for blood. /2

Let’s talk about bog bodies. Let’s talk about what’s to see. Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things they could be... THREAD 1/ Among all the kinds of burials that archaeologists encounter, there is one that seems to be localised to northern Europe - very possibly because of a unique landscape feature found there. That is to say, peat bogs, consisting of dead wetland vegetation & moss. Yum. /2

Everything is shit, so maybe we need a vaguely uplifting story for a change. Let me tell you a quick story about a badass boss-lady who actually did some good, despite living at time of epic douchebaggery - Sybilla von Anhalt. THREAD 1/ Sybilla was born in what is now Saxony-Anhalt in 1564. A younger daughter of nobility (a prince, in fact), she was either destined for marriage, or become a nun. Sybilla copped both - first she had to become a nun, then she was married off to Friedrich, Duke of Wuerttemberg. /2

How did I find myself in a country where kids, grey with hunger, turn up to school, despite both parents working on the living age?

How is it that the most media attention is given to a Brexit exhibition or a fucking bridge to Ireland?

Why aren't there massive protests, riots? I mean, sorry, even the most jaded political hack has gotta admit we're way beyond pissant political shadowboxing into genuine, irredeemable incompetence & a loss of social cohesion?

Am I high? How long have I been high? Did someone spike the water table?

The world is changing. There’s a feeling in the air that the blocs of the past are shattering, fragmenting. We’ve been through those times in the past. They’re very often bloody. Let me tell you about the Sack of Magdeburg, in the May of the Year of Our Lord, 1631 - THREAD /1 I often make reference to the Thirty Years War and it’s hard not to, considering the utter ruin it caused. It wasn’t just the fighting - the conflict is thought to have led to the deaths of up to half the population of the German peoples, through starvation and plague. /2

In honour of the @KhmWien opening their exhibition devoted to Pieter Breugel the Elder, I thought I’d do a thread on the bloke and some of his greatest works. Basically, he’s my favourite painter - always has been. Here’s why… THREAD /1 Note: All paintings in this thread come from @WikiCommons, unless stated. /1a

You can't contain beliefs. You can't put a wall up when it comes to faith. Cults and creeds sprout up out of whole earth and spread. The London Mithraeum embodies that for me. THREAD 1/ Back in 1954, during construction work on Walbrook, a street in the City of London, the foundation of a temple were found. Originally thought to be an early Christian space, it turned out to be a 'Mithraeum' - space for the Mithras Cult. 2/

Speaking of the Merchant Navy, here's a tale my grandfather told me, and I'd love to know whether it's bullshit or not. Not that I don't trust the guy, but he's where I get the tendency to run to my mouth... 1/ I'll start off by saying I don't know what year this is supposed to be, but Grandad Rout is a serving sailor in the British Merchant Navy in the years after WW2.

He's on a ship delivering steel somewhere, and for some reason, his boat sails through the Taiwan Strait... /2

When I was a kid, I loved the US. I spent a lot of time there in my early twenties. I never thought there'd come a day where the government visibly, blatantly lurched towards being the enemy of everything I hold dear. My ex-girlfriend was from Washington, lived most of her life in Alaska, lived in rural Georgia at the time - near Cedartown. Some very happy memories. July 4s. NYE. Shooting (and nearly maiming myself) in the backyard. Waffle House.

Sometimes you just have to be direct and to the point in the hopes that people will listen. Tomorrow, Ukrainians commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre in the capital, Kiev. (CW: Genocide) /1 When talking about Babi Yar, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. The figures are monstrous. The facts, however, are these: In the space of two days - the 29th and 30th of September, 1941 - over 33,000 Jews were taken to a ravine in the capital - known as Babi Yar - and shot. /2

There’s been a lot of talk about the power women wield recently, for many reasons. So when I got a suggestion from @hestebesta, to talk about the Oseberg Ship Burial I thought, why the hell not? That’s a bloody great idea - a burial that passes the Bechdel Test! THREAD 1/ It was pure luck that the Oseberg Ship was found - digging into a mound on his property near Slagen, in Norway, 1903, a farmer, Oskar Rom found what appeared to be a ship. He alerted an archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson, &over the next two years, what was there was unearthed. /2