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Queen Charlotte, wife of the English King George III (1738-1820), was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. The riddle of Queen Charlotte's African ancestry was solved as a result of an earlier investigation into the black magi featured in 15th century Flemish paintings. Two art historians had suggested that the black magi must have been portraits of actual contemporary people (since the artist, without seeing them, would not have been aware of the subtleties in colouring and facial bone structure of quadroons or octoroons which these figures invariably represented) Enough evidence was accumulated to propose that the models for the black magi were, in all probability, members of the Portuguese de Sousa family. (Several de Sousas had in fact traveled to the Netherlands when their cousin, the Princess Isabella went there to marry the Grand Duke, Philip the Good of Burgundy in the year 1429.)Six different lines can be traced from English Queen Charlotte back to Margarita de Castro y Sousa, in a gene pool which because of royal inbreeding was already minuscule, thus explaining the Queen's unmistakable African appearance.So who was Queen Charlotte?Charlotte was the eighth child of the Prince of Mirow, Germany, Charles Louis Frederick, and his wife, Elisabeth Albertina of Saxe-Hildburghausen.Charlotte was thought to be directly descended from a black branch of the Portuguese royal family: Alfonso III and his concubine, a black Moor.In the 13th century, Alfonso conquered a little town named Faro from the Moors and he demanded the governor’s daughter as a paramour. He had three children with her.Charlotte was directly descended from this black branch of the Portuguese royal family, related to Margarita de Castro e Souza, a 15th-century Portuguese noblewoman nine generations removed, whose ancestry she traces from the 13th-century ruler Alfonso III. (Whew! Got that?)MarriageCharlotte married George III of England on September 8, 1761, at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, London, at 17 years of age becoming the Queen of England and Ireland.The Royal couple had fifteen children, thirteen of whom survived to adulthood. Their fourth eldest son was Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, who later fathered Queen Victoria (so yes that means that today’s royal family are Charlotte’s descendants.)Queen Charlotte’s features, as recorded by her contemporaries, gave her an ‘unmistakable African appearance,’ but her African features were downplayed by most artists of the time. One painter, Sir Allan Ramsay, who was against slavery, did not hide the Queen’s real features.Intelligent and compassionateQueen Charlotte was a learned character. Her letters indicate that she was well read and had interests in the fine arts. The Queen is known to have supported and been taught music by Johann Christian Bach. She was extremely generous to Bach’s wife after Bach’s death. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at aged eight dedicated his Opus 3 piece to the Queen at her request.Also an amateur botanist, Queen Charlotte helped to establish Kew Gardens bringing amongst others the Strelitzia Reginae, a flowering plant from South Africa. The Queen also established the Charlotte Maternity hospital in London as a charitable institution. It is the oldest maternity care institution in England.Queen Charlotte died on November 17, 1818 at Dutch House in Surrey, now Kew Palace, in the presence of her eldest son, the Prince Regent. She is buried at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Queen Charlotte is the great great-great grandmother of the present Queen Elizabeth II. She was even honored in America, with Charlotte, North Carolina being named for her.With this in mind, perhaps Queen Charlotte’s influence was, in fact, the reason that Britain abolished the slave trade?

Victory…although gaining it is achieving much in battle, theres always a price we have to pay. We give all we have, lives, property, safety…we fight, we die for such simple matters.Sometimes in war, warriors who fight against terrible odds, with their backs against the wall, unleash heroism that is remembered for countless centuries. Here i’m going to tell about several battles that saw soldiers fight against unlikely odds, and win.BATTLE OF LACOLLE MILLS - (1814)James Wilkinson, an immoral officer, and an uncusseful commander, marched northwards from Plattsburgh to attack the american outpost on March 27, 1814. His force consisted of 4,000 men organised into three brigades, with 11 pieces of artillery. The march was delayed by deep snow and mud, and he was not able to occupy Odelltown until March 30, and begin the attack on Lacolle Mill until the early afternoon.The Americans opened fire with two 12-pounder cannons and a 5.5 inch mortar. They could not bring an 18-pounder gun into action because of soft ground around the area. The British garrison fired back with their Congreve rockets. Although the rockets were inaccurate, they caused several American casualties. The American troops had not encountered these weapons before in battle and were unnerved.The flank (light and Grenadier) companies of the 13th had been stationed nearby. They launched a bayonet charge against the American artillery emplacements, but they were far outnumbered and were repulsed. Hearing the firing from some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away, a company of the Candadian Voltigeurs and the Grenadier company of the Canadian Fencibiles also marched to reinforce the defenders. They waded through frigid, icy water to slip through the American lines and opened fire on American artillery, wounding the American artillery commander, his replacement and many of the gun crews. The Americans were also under fire from their rugged gunboats under Commander Daniel Pring of the Royal Navy, who had brought his vessels up the Richelieu River from Ile Aux Noix to the mouth of the Lacolle River.By evening, the Americans had made little impression on the British defences. Rather than launch an all-out assault, Wilkinson ordered a retreat. The Americans returned to Plattsburgh, considerably disheartened. Wilkinson had recklessly exposed himself to heavy British fire throughout the action, though to little purpose. On April 11, Wilkinson recieved orders from Armstrong relieving him of command. This was probably not a direct result of the Blunder at Lacolle Mills, but followed a request made by Wilkinson himself on March 24, for a Court of Enquiry to rule on his conduct of the St. Lawrence campaign the previous year. This eventually resulted in a court martial, but Wilkinson was acquitted of various charges of negligence and misconduct.BATTLE OF BROWNSTOWN - (1812)The War of 1812 was in the brinks of being born, The British, yet again attacking the U.S. took unusual tactics that gained them victory in many battles throughout the “Second War of American Indipendence”. In 1783, The British used Native Americans to their advantage. Encouraged by the British, the Mingo, Wyandotte, Miami, Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo, Sauk, Ottowa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Mohawk, and Chickamauga joined an alliance against the United States of America. The alliance was originally formed at the Sandusky villages of the Wyandot, but after those villages were destroyed, the council fire was moved to Brownstown. Walk-in-the-water and seven other Wyandot chiefs petitioned the U.S. on February 5, 1812, and obtained a 50-year possession of Brownstown and Monguagon; he lived at Brownstown and commanded the Wyandot warriors.On August 5, 1812, Major Thomas Van Horne and the 200 U.S. soldiers were en route south to the River Raisen, where they were to pick up cattle and other needed supplies and escort them back to Fort Detroit for the use of Brigadier General William Hull. Hull was, at the time, in the Canadian village of Sandwich, now known as Windsor, Ontario, although he would abandon his position there and return to Detroit on August 8. and lo, the battle was sinking into place…A cool August breeze flowed over the sturdy Michigan white oaks, birds chirped the songs sung a thousand times before, and a stillness in the woods below, which meant trouble was on the horizon. 200 U.S. soldiers slowly waded across brownstown creek, the cool water made a the day seem serene, peaceful. Out of nowhere, A fierce indian raid descended upon the American recruits. The raid was led by the Shawnee war chief Tecumseh, Chickamauga war chief Daimee, Wyandot chief Roundhead, and several others. Faced with fierce oppostion, Van Horne ordered a retreat, whereupon the untrained American militia scattered in a panic. Van Horne was able to save only half of his command, Men were run down in a useless skirmish to push the indians back ; 18 men were killed, 12 were wounded, and 70 went missing. On the Natives side ; 1 man was killed, 0 were wounded, and 0 went missing. Although being outnumbered 8:1 the British forces of Indians overwhelmed a superior force, which although wasn’t well trained, could have just opened fire and eliminated the threat.SIEGE OF VIENNA - (1529)In August 1526, Sultan Suleiman I, of the Ottoman Empire, successfully seized control of southern Hungary. After unsuccessful military attempts by Ferdinand I, the brother of the Holy Roman Emperor, to retake the land, the Ottomans marched to take controle of Hungary on May 10, 1529.DEFENSIVE MEASURES -As the Ottomans advanced towards Vienna, the city's population organised an ad-hoc resistance formed from local farmers, peasants and civilians determined to repel the inevitable attack. The defenders were supported by a variety of European mercenaries, namely German Landsknecht pikemen and Spanish musketeers sent by Charles V.The Hofmeister of Austria, Wilhelm Von roggendorf, assumed charge of the defensive garrison, with operational command entrusted to a seventy-year-old German mercenary named Nicholas, count of Salm, who had distinguished himself at the Battle of Pavia in 1525.Salm arrived in Vienna as head of the mercenary relief force and set about fortifying the three-hundred-year-old walls surrounding St. Stephens Cathedral, near which he established his headquarters. To ensure the city could withstand a lengthy siege, he blocked the four city gates and reinforced the walls, which in some places were no more than six feet thick, and erected earthen bastions and an inner earthen rampart, levelling buildings where necessary to clear room for defences.After Ferdinand abandoned the city to (in effect) go and cry to his brother until he got help, the Marshall of Austria, Wilhelm von Roggendorf, took command of Vienna’s small garrison. He commanded the defense alongside a 70-year-old German mercenary, Niklas Graf Salm. The Viennese were able to muster around 20,000 men and 75 artillery guns to defend the large city. The Ottoman army that arrived at Vienna in the cool fall air of September numbered 100,000 men and 500 artillery pieces.SIEGE -The Ottoman army that arrived in late September had been somewhat depleted during the long advance into Austrian territory, leaving Suleiman short of camels and heavy artillery. Many of his troops arrived at Vienna in a poor state of health after the tribulations of a long march through the thick of the European wet season. Of those fit to fight, a third were light cavalry, or Sipahis, ill-suited for siege warfare. Three richly dressed Austrian prisoners were dispatched as emissaries by the Sultan to negotiate the city's surrender; Salm sent three richly dressed Muslims back without a response.As the Ottoman army settled into position, the Austrian garrison launched sorties to disrupt the digging and mining of tunnels below the city's walls by Ottoman sappers, and in one case almost capturing Ibraham Pasha. The defending forces detected and successfully detonated several mines intended to bring down the city's walls, subsequently dispatching 8,000 men on 6 October to attack the Ottoman mining operations, destroying many of the tunnels, but sustaining serious losses when the confined spaces hindered their retreat into the city.(Depiction of German Landskneckt circa 1530, renowned mercenary infantry)More rain fell on 11 October, and with the Ottomans failing to make any breaches in the walls, the prospects for victory began to fade rapidly. In addition, Suleiman was facing critical shortages of supplies such as food and water, while casualties, sickness, and desertions began taking a toll on his army's ranks. The Janissaries began voicing their displeasure at the progression of events, demanding a decision on whether to remain or abandon the siege. The Sultan convened an official council on 12 October to deliberate the matter. It was decided to attempt one final, major assault on Vienna, an "all or nothing" gamble.Extra rewards were offered to the troops. However, this assault was also beaten back as, once again, the arquebuses and long pikes of the defenders prevailed.Unseasonably heavy snowfall made conditions go from bad to worse. The Ottoman retreat turned into a disaster with much of the baggage and artillery abandoned or lost in rough conditions, as were many prisoners.Upon learning of these attempts, Niklas had bowls of water, filled with dried peas, placed around the walls. The dried peas floated on the surface of the water and, when disturbed by nearby digging, created ripples in the water, informing the defenders that the Ottomans were coming. Defenders then dispatched their own diggers to intercept the enemy’s digging attempts and destroy the mines. In one such instance, they nearly captured the Suleiman’s Grand Vizier. On October 6, 1529, 8,000 troops left the city in a rather risky raid that aimed to put a stop to the mining operations. They succeeded in destroying most of the attackers’ mines but took heavy casualties in doing so. On October 14, Suleiman’s forces retreated, having lost most of their mines to the defenders or rain and having taken heavy casualties.BATTLE OF CERAMI -Roger I, was a Norman knight and Lord of Calabria who, along with his brother, led a successful conquest against Muslim Sicily from 1061 to 1091 and became Count of Sicily. In 1063, Roger was occupying Cerami, a small settlement in Sicily, with 130 knights when a far larger Muslim army met them on the battlefield. The small force survived an initial charge, fighting in a vicious battle that lasted throughout the day before the Muslim army fled under cover of night.Sources from the time that suggest 15,000 Saracens were slain and that St. George appeared at the battle and smote the enemy with nothing but his pinky finger are likely exaggerated and arguably impossible. However, the Normans likely killed many times their own number, as the Muslim force included troops from both Sicily and Africa. Cerami was seen as the turning point of Roger’s conquest and the papacy even granted the Normans a papal banner for their valor.Unfortunately nothing is known of the disposition of the Muslim force at the battle, however it is likely that the vanguard was made up of the Muslim cavalry contingent which dismounted in order to besiege the town. Roger's force, however, was drawn up into a tight body of men forming a vanguard and a rearguard, in a similar fashion to the Norman tactic used at Castrogiovanni in 1061.The Muslim force, tired of its fruitless efforts to capture Cerami, abandoned the siege of the town and drew up facing them. It is unclear who attacked first, but a hesitant Roger is recorded as having led an early cavalry charge which failed to break the Muslim lines. The Muslim forces then counterattacked in force however the Norman infantry held fast. It was at this point that St. George is said to have appeared amongst the Norman ranks, clad in shining white armour atop a white stallion and bearing the flag of St. George upon his lance (it has sometimes been portrayed as Roger who bore the flag of St. George). His speech inspired the Norman knights to charge the Muslim ranks again and, as they did, Serlo led a charge down from Cerami into the left flank of the Muslim force, cutting a bloody path towards his Norman compatriots.In the space of a few hours, the courage and determination of the Norman warriors in the face of such an overwhelming force had checked the Muslim onslaught. The surprise of the double charge proved too much for the undisciplined Zirid troops, who turned tail and fled, precipitating the rout of the remaining Kalbid troops. Before long the entire Muslim army had descended into a chaotic flight which the Norman cavalry, now regrouped, was able to exploit without mercy.AFTERMATH -Malaterra records how the Norman cavalry chased the mass of routing troops all the way back to their camp, which they sacked and pillaged, killing all they found. He also claims that the Norman cavalry were want to stop and rest their horses at the Muslim camp and enjoy the spoils of war, but, given the sheer numbers of the Muslims, Roger ordered the chase to be continued into the surrounding mountains. After much time had passed, and the dust had settled, it is claimed that 35,000 Sicilians and Zirids had been killed.Yet the Zirid Princes Ayyud and 'Ali, as well as the Palermitan Emir Ibn al-Hawas, escaped the battle, returning to Palermo with what remained of the Muslim army.Roger, in the immediate aftermath, sent four camels as a gift to the Norman suzerian, the reigning pope Alexander II, who in return blessed the expedition and offered certain spiritual indulgences, such as remission of sins, for those who had fought at the battle.With his possessions secured, Roger took advantage of the lull in Muslim aggression to return to Calabria in order to quell rising rebellious sentiments among his vassals and to plan the capture of Palermo with his brother, the Duke of Apulia and Calabria, Robert Guiscard, in turn increasing European growth in Sicily.SIEGE OF MALTA -The Great Siege of Malta took place in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire tried to invade the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The Knights, with approximately 2,000 footsoldiers and 400 Maltese men, women and children, withstood the siege and repelled the invaders. This victory became one of the most celebrated events in sixteenth-century Europe. Voltaire said, "Nothing is better known than the siege of Malta", and it undoubtedly contributed to the eventual erosion of the European perception of Ottoman invincibility and marked a new phase in Spanish domination of the Mediterranean.The siege was the climax of an escalating contest between a Christian alliance and the Islamic Ottoman Empire for control of the Mediterranean, a contest that included the Turkish attack on Malta in 1551, the Ottoman destruction of an allied Christian fleet at the Battle of Djerba in 1560, and the decisive Battle of Lepanto in 1571.SIEGE -Before the Turks arrived, de Valette ordered the harvesting of all the crops, including unripened grain, to deprive the enemy of any local food supplies. Furthermore, the Knights poisoned all wells with bitter herbs and dead animals.The Turkish armada arrived at dawn on Friday, 18 May, but did not at once make land.The first fighting broke out on 19 May.A day later, the Ottoman fleet sailed up the southern coast of the island, turned around and finally anchored at Marsaxlokk (Marsa Sirocco) Bay, nearly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Grand harbour region. According to most accounts, in particular Balbi's, a dispute arose between the leader of the land forces, the 4th vizier Serdar Kızılahmedli Mustafa Pasha, and the supreme naval commander, Piyale Pasha, about where to anchor the fleet. Piyale wished to shelter it at Marsamxett Harbour, just north of the Grand Harbour, in order to avoid the sirocco and be nearer the action, but Mustafa disagreed, because to anchor the fleet there would require first reducing Fort St. Elmo, which guarded the entrance to the harbour. Mustafa intended, according to these accounts, to attack the poorly defended former capital Mdina, which stood in the centre of the island, then attack Forts St. Angelo and Michael by land. If so, an attack on Fort St. Elmo would have been entirely unnecessary. Nevertheless, Mustafa relented, apparently believing only a few days would be necessary to destroy St. Elmo. After the Turks were able to emplace their guns, at the end of May they commenced a bombardment.It certainly seems true that Suleiman had seriously blundered in splitting the command three ways. He not only split command between Piyale and Mustafa, but he ordered both of them to defer to Dragut when he arrived from Tripoli. Contemporary letters from spies in Constantinople, however, suggest that the plan had always been to take Fort St. Elmo first.In any case, for the Turks to concentrate their efforts on it proved a crucial mistake.While the Ottomans were landing, the knights and Maltese made some last-minute improvements to the defences of Birgu and Senglea. The Ottomans set up their main camp in Marsa, which was close to the Knights' fortifications.In the following days, the Ottomans set up camps and batteries on Santa Margerhita Hill and the Sciberras Peninsula.The attacks on Birgu began on 21 May, while Senglea was first attacked a day later.(Map of Malta at the time of the Great Siege)Capture of Fort St. Elmo“The darkness of the night then became as bright as day, due to the vast quantity of artificial fires. So bright was it indeed that we could see St Elmo quite clearly. The gunners of St Angelo... were able to lay and train their pieces upon the advancing Turks, who were picked out in the light of the fires."— Francisco Balbi, Spanish relief soldierHaving correctly calculated that the Turks would seek to secure a disembarkation point for their fleet and would thus begin the campaign by attempting to capture Fort St Elmo, de Valette sent reinforcements and concentrated half of his heavy artillery within the fort.His intent was for them to hold out for a relief promised by Don Garcia, Viceroy of Sicily. The unremitting bombardment of the fort from three dozen guns on the higher ground of Mt. Sciberras began on 27 May, and reduced the fort to rubble within a week, but de Valette evacuated the wounded nightly and resupplied the fort from across the harbour. After arriving in May, Dragut set up new batteries to imperil the ferry lifeline. On 3 June, a party of Janissaries managed to seize the fort's Ravelin and ditch.Still, by 8 June, the Knights sent a message to the Grand Master that the Fort could no longer be held but were rebuffed with messages that St Elmo must hold until the reinforcements arrived.The Turks attacked the damaged walls on June 10 and 15, and made an all out assault on June 16, during which even the slave and hired galley oarsmen housed in St Elmo, as well as the native Maltese soldiers, reportedly fought and died "almost as bravely as the Knights themselves." Two days later, Dragut was seen in a trench cannon emplacement arguing with the Turkish gunners about their level of fire. At Dragut's insistence a cannon's aim was lowered, but the aim was too low, and when fired its ball detached part of the trench which hit Dragut in the head, killing him,(although according to Bosio, it was a lucky shot from Fort St. Angelo that mortally wounded him. Finally, on 23 June, the Turks seized what was left of Fort St. Elmo. They killed all the defenders, totaling over 1,500 men, but spared nine Knights whom the Corsairs had captured. A small number of Maltese, managed to escape by swimming across the harbour. Although the Turks did succeed in capturing St. Elmo, allowing Piyale to anchor his fleet in Marsamxett, the siege of Fort St. Elmo had cost the Turks at least 6,000 men, including half of their Janissaries.Dragut ReisMustafa had the bodies of the knights decapitated and their bodies floated across the bay on mock crucifixes. In response, de Valette beheaded all his Turkish prisoners, loaded their heads into his cannons and fired them into the Turkish camp.^^^Epic Come BackBy this time, word of the siege was spreading. As soldiers and adventurers gathered in Sicily for Don Garcia's relief, panic spread as well. There can be little doubt that the stakes were high, perhaps higher than at any other time in the contest between the Ottoman Empire and Europe. Queen Elizabeth I of England wrote:“If the Turks should prevail against the Isle of Malta, it is uncertain what further peril might follow to the rest of Christendom”All contemporary sources indicate the Turks intended to proceed to the Tunisian fortress of La Goletta and wrest it from the Spaniards, and Suleiman had also spoken of invading Europe through Italy.However, modern scholars tend to disagree with this interpretation of the siege's importance. H.J.A. Sire, a historian who has written a history of the Order, is of the opinion that the siege represented an overextension of Ottoman forces, and argues that if the island had fallen, it would have quickly been retaken by a massive Spanish counterattack.Although Don Garcia did not at once send the promised relief (troops were still being levied), he was persuaded to release an advance force of some 600 men. After several attempts, this piccolo soccorso (Italian: small relief) managed to land on Malta in early July and sneak into Birgu, raising the spirits of the besieged garrison immensely.On 15 July, Mustafa ordered a double attack against the Senglea peninsula. He had transported 100 small vessels across Mt. Sciberras to the Grand Harbour, thus avoiding the strong cannons of Fort St. Angelo, in order to launch a sea attack against the promontory using about 1,000 Janissaries, while the Corsairs attacked Fort St. Michael on the landward end. Luckily for the Maltese, a defector warned de Valette about the impending strategy and the Grand Master had time to construct a Palisade along the Senglea promontory, which successfully helped to deflect the attack. Nevertheless, the assault probably would have succeeded had not the Turkish boats come into point-blank range (less than 200 yards) of a sea-level battery of five cannons that had been constructed by Commander Chevalier de Guiral at the base of Fort St. Angelo with the sole purpose of stopping such an amphibious attack. Just two salvos sank all but one of the vessels, killing or drowning over 800 of the attackers. The land attack failed simultaneously when relief forces were able to cross to Ft. St. Michael across a floating bridge, with the result that Malta was saved for the day.The siege of St Michael, showing the Christian Knights cut off from the sea and surrounded in their remaining fortresses of Birgu, St Angelo and St Michael.The Turks by now had ringed Birgu and Senglea with some 65 siege guns and subjected the town to what was probably the most sustained bombardment in history up to that time. (Balbi claims that 130,000 cannonballs were fired during the course of the siege.) Having largely destroyed one of the town's crucial bastion, Mustafa ordered another massive double assault on 7 August, this time against Fort St. Michael and Birgu itself. On this occasion, the Turks breached the town walls and it seemed that the siege was over, but unexpectedly the invaders retreated. As it happened, the cavalry commander Captain Vincenzo Anastagi, on his daily sortie from Mdina, had attacked the unprotected Turkish field hospital, killing everyone. The Turks, thinking the Christian relief had arrived from Sicily, broke off their assault.St. Michael and BirguAfter the attack of 7 August, the Turks resumed their bombardment of St. Michael and Birgu, mounting at least one other major assault against the town on 19–21 August. What actually happened during those days of intense fighting is not entirely clear.Bradford's account of the climax of the siege has a mine exploding with a huge blast, breaching the town walls and causing stone and dust to fall into the ditch, with the Turks charging even as the debris was still falling. He also has the 70-year-old de Valette saving the day by leading towards the Turks some hundred troops that had been waiting in the Piazza of Birgu. Balbi, in his diary entry for 20 August, says only that de Valette was told the Turks were within the walls; the Grand Master ran to "the threatened post where his presence worked wonders. Sword in hand, he remained at the most dangerous place until the Turks retired."Bosio also has no mention of the successful detonation of a mine. Rather, in his report a panic ensued when the townspeople spied the Turkish standards outside the walls. The Grand Master ran there, but found no Turks. In the meantime, a cannonade atop Ft. St. Angelo, stricken by the same panic, killed a number of townsfolk with fiendly fire.Fort St. Michael and MdinaView of Mdina (left) and map of the citys fortafications as they were in 1565 (right)The situation was sufficiently dire that, at some point in August, the Council of Elders decided to abandon the town and retreat to Fort St. Angelo. De Valette, however, vetoed this proposal. If he guessed that the Turks were losing their will, he was correct. Although the bombardment and minor assaults continued, the invaders were stricken by an increasing desperation. Towards the end of August, the Turks attempted to take Fort St. Michael, first with the help of a manta (similar to a Testudo Formation), a small siege engine covered with shields, then by use of a full-blown siege tower. In both cases, Maltese engineers tunneled out through the rubble and destroyed the constructions with point-blank salvos of chain shot.At the beginning of September, the weather was turning and Mustafa ordered a march on Mdina, intending to winter there. However the attack failed to occur. The poorly-defended and supplied city deliberately started firing its cannon at the approaching Turks at pointlessly long range; this bluff scared them away by fooling the already demoralised Turks into thinking the city had ammunition to spare.By 8 September, the Turks had embarked their artillery and were preparing to leave the island, having lost perhaps a third of their men to fighting and disease.Gran SoccorsoOn 7 September, Don Garcia had at last landed about 8,000 men at St. Paul's Bay on the north end of the island. The so-called Grande Soccorso ("great relief") positioned themselves on the ridge of San Pawl tat-Tarġa, waiting for the retreating Turks. It is said that when some hot-headed knights of the relief force saw the Turkish retreat and the burning villages in its wake, they charged without waiting for orders from Ascanio della Corgna. Della Corgna had no choice but to order a general charge which resulted in the massacre of the retreating Turkish force. The Turks fled to their ships and from the islands on 13 September. Malta had survived the Turkish assault, and throughout Europe people celebrated what would turn out to be the last epic battle involving Crusader Knights.Outstanding courage and sacrifice, these two things have created legends and stories which have, and will be remembered for thousands of years. Heres a list of other battles which saw outnumbered armies bravery and perseverance conquer the greatest armies in history.Battle of Longewala - (Dec 4–7, 1971)Battle of Okehazama - (From May To June, 1560)Battle of Galveston - (Jan 1,1863)Battle of Tolvajarvi - (Dec 12, 1939)Battle of Gate Pa - ( April Month, 1864)Second Battle of Sabine Pass - (Sep 8, 1863)Battle of Vitkov Hill - (June 12–14, 1420)Battle of Carrhea - ( May 6, 53 BC)Battle of Againcourt - ( Oct 25, 1415)Second Battle of Acentejo - (Dec 25, 1494)Battle of Hodow - ( June 11, 1694)Battle of Roks Drift - (22–23 Jan, 1879)Battle of Saragarhi - (Sep 12, 1897)Thanks for Reading, Cheers!

Staying closer to home I live in a city named wolvehampton uk. It has a close attachment to queen victoria for the following reasonQueen Victoria’s visit to Wolverhampton in November 1866 was a great event for celebration locally, but also an important event nationally. Since the death of her beloved husband, Albert, in December 1861, the Queen had been in deep mourning, and had accepted no invitations to public engagements and the people were wondering if she was still alive, so this was her first venture into the public domain.Prince Albert had been well loved by the country, and towns and cities were erecting statues to honour him. Wolverhampton’s Mayor, George Underhill, led the fund-raising for a commission to sculptor Thomas Thornycroft, well known for statues of Boudicca and Queen Victoria herself, for Wolverhampton’s own statue. The Queen was consulted on this and she requested the carved image of Prince Albert should show him riding his favourite horse, which was put at the sculptor’s disposal, and dressed in the uniform of Field Marshall, which she loaned to him. She also visited Mr Thornycroft at his studio to see how he was progressing, and he finally finished the work on 1 October 1866, at a cost of £1150, after which it was sent away to be cast in bronze. Alderman Underhill had offered to pay for the plinth on which it would stand, and the completed memorial was placed in position at the beginning of November on High Green, which had been the Town’s market place.As a matter of etiquette members of the Council went to London to invite the Queen to officially unveil the statue, thinking she would not accept, as she had already declined invitations from other cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. However the Queen accepted and proposed a date for the ceremony just nine days away. They had forgotten that while public bodies had sent her messages of condolence after Albert’s death, she had been deeply moved by a personal letter from the widows of Wolverhampton, sympathising with her widowhood and loneliness. At the time she had declared that if she appeared again at a public function, it would be in Wolverhampton,“for the love and sympathy of the widows comforted me in my darkest hour”.The town was thrown into tremendous activity. Two routes were agreed, one for the Royal procession from the Great Western (Low Level) Station to reach the statue, by way of Wednesfield Road, Railway Street, Queen Street, Dudley Street, Cleveland Street, Salop Street, Darlington Street to High Green, the second for the return down Cock (Victoria) Street, Skinner Street, School Street, Waterloo Road, Stafford Street, Little Berry Street, Princess Street, Queen Street to Railway Street, so giving plenty of places for people to see everything. A grandstand and scarlet and gold pavilion were constructed by the statue, giving seating for two thousand invited guests, and a series of triumphal arches depicting local industry erected along the route. These included one of coal (one piece weighing four tons) and bars of iron, decorated with picks and shovels, at the station drive entrance, one in School Street representing trades, with tools, hardware, japanned goods, and in Waterloo Road, an arch of architectural and floral design. Everywhere streets were decorated extensively, houses were cleaned, painted, and had extra decoration added.The Low Level Station was to be used for dining, and local builder Henry Lovatt was in charge of creating three classes of dining room and even more classes of lavatories – for the Queen, other Royal family, Lords and Ladies, down to the attendants!Friday 30th November was a cold day. It had been declared a holiday to allow as many people as possible to witness the event. During the morning the streets filled with thousands of people, and trains carrying passengers from Birmingham, Black Country towns, Worcester, Stafford, Stoke and places further afield had been bringing more and more to line the route. The Royal coaches, brought from Windsor for the occasion, had been kept at the Swan Hotel, High Green, and were driven to the station by 1 o’clock. The Royal train, pulled by the Lord of the Isles, arrived at the platform at 1.08 with the party, which included the Prince and Princess Christian and Princess Louise, also John Brown, the Queen’s manservant. A Royal Salute was fired by the Artillery Volunteers, the signal was sent to St Peter’s Church for a peal of bells to be started, and the band of the Hussars played the National Anthem. As the procession followed the route, everywhere crowds cheered, shouted, applauded, and bands played.After the arrival in High Green, the Royal party were shown to their seats to the further cheering and shouting from the crowds, and the National Anthem was played, before the Bishop of Lichfield delivered a prayer and led the Lord’s Prayer, and the Recorder read from the illuminated address with the Corporate Seal, inviting Her Majesty to unveil the statue. The Mayor, John Morris, then handed this Address to the Queen, who was so impressed with the reception that she borrowed a sword and to everyone’s surprise knighted the Mayor, which led to more cheers from the crowds. The Queen was introduced to the various dignitaries, then signified her pleasure that the statue be unveiled. Thomas Thornycroft pulled the cord for the unveiling, to the great delight of Her Majesty and more crowds cheering. She spoke to Mr Thornycroft to thank him for his work, and the Royal Party then entered their carriages for the return journey to the station via the alternative route, to more cheering from crowds lining the streets.Luncheon had been prepared for the Royal party in one room at the station, and for the entourage in another. After nearly an hour, the guests re-appeared, and the Mayoress, her daughter, Miss Ironmonger, and Miss Mander, were introduced to Princess Christian, to whom they presented, in the name of a few ladies of Wolverhampton, a very handsome bracelet. At 3.45pm the Royal carriages were brought to the platform, the band of the 8th Hussars again played the National Anthem, and the train moved off amid the cheers of the assembled multitude.Between 4pm and 5pm there were upwards of three hundred noblemen, ladies, and gentlemen, at a sumptuous banquet at the Exchange Building, on the invitation of the Mayor. At this event were various toasts, by the Mayor, the Recorder to the Bishop and clergy with a reply by the Bishop, the Lord Lieutenant, and an important speech by Alderman Henry Hartley Fowler, talking of the great qualities of the Prince Consort and linking his support of industry and the sciences to the work of Wolverhampton.Activities went well into the night with illuminations, created in numerous streets around the town, and fireworks at the Race Course (now West Park). One sad note on the day concerned a serious accident to one of the artillery men firing the Royal Salute from one of the cannons stationed on the Racecourse. William Bridgeway was about nineteen years old, and the gun at which he was assisting had been fired twice, but whilst Bridgeway was loading it again, for some reason the charge went off. His hand was blown off, and his arm fractured in three places, besides which his face was badly bruised. He was removed to the General Hospital, where his forearm was amputated.The Queen settled a life annuity of £20 upon William Bridgeway.Commemorating the visit, High Green was renamed Queen Square, and Cock Street was renamed Victoria Street.