ITT: Minor historical figures that fascinate you
For me it's Tomas de Torquemada, Isabella and Ferdinand's grand inquisitor. He's not mentioned as much as other people in books about the Catholic Monarchs but everything I've read about him from his actions to writeups about his personality are memorable.
My favourite story about him was in 1492 Ferdinand was thinking of not expelling the Jews from Spain in exchange for some gold. Torquemada heard of this, stormed into the castle, ripped his cross off and threw it at Ferdinand. Then he told Ferdinand if he were to accept the bribe he would be betraying Jesus for money, as Judas did.
Saint Laurentius of Rome
>>1411720
I always had a passing fancy for the guy. He embodied everything terrible about the Inquisition (as if much good came of it), yet you never hear his name in the usual collection of historical bad guys, Hitler, Stalin, etc.
As far a minor historical figures, I'll go with Peter the Hermit. Somehow that faggot make the strange story of the first crusade even stranger.
For those who know nothing of General Gordon , he was a Victorian soldier, Empire Builder and Christian Hero who was employed mainly in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion in China and cutting up troublesome Fuzzy-Wuzzies in the Sudan.
"He had the kind of harsh blue eyes that suggested he might have you shot in the head at the first sign of human weakness. Though fierce in battle, he had a sentimental heart and loved none so well as he loved his sister.”
During his time as commander of the Ever-Victorious Army in China, Gordon attempted to find out who had written a mutinous note by threatening to shoot one in five of his officers, and to prove he wasn’t bluffing, actually had one of them shot.
>>1411720
truly an enlightened man
Not really minor but i suppose nobody in this board heard of him
I like how he was the embodiement of medieval warrior
>waging wars
>not caring about politics
>loved by Pope
>authoritatian as fuck
>won every battle he fought in
>went down because he was politically fucked over by sneaky rascal
Between 1750 and 1770, a group of brilliant minds gathered in the modest but elegant house in the Parisian rue Royale Saint Roch. In every discussion between the dinner guests of 'Holbachs coterie' - as the later hostile Jean-Jacques Rousseau called his earstwhile friends - was baron Paul-Henri Thiry d'Holbach (1723-1789) the host, but Denis Diderot (1713-1784) the most prominent speaker.
They got along very well, 'almost as a married couple'. Holbach had, though hidden behind pseudonyms, published the first uncompromised atheist books written since antiquity.
Diderot is more or less known amongst some, thanks to his renewing novels, but Holbach (who studied in Leiden and read Spinoza) remains unknown to many. Still, the baron was an important thinker as well. He received the keenest minds of his age at his home.
>>1411720
>Then he told Ferdinand if he were to accept the bribe he would be betraying Jesus for money, as Judas did.
Absolutely based.
Sad thing is, this is the entire history of the western world condensed in one short paragraph, except we accepted the bribe of the Jews, and behold, we are paying the price now. We are Judas (by that I mean our politicians), and we are incurring in God's punishment.
>>1412079
How can we redeem ourselves anon?
>>1412079
>Absolutely based
Hey, instead of making money off these people we've decided to have a problem with, lets do a massive deportation that begins the decline of the whole fucking empire!
>>1411720
shit son that is a pretty baller haircut
>>1412203
>begins the decline of the whole empire
>empire didn't exist yet
>>1412203
>making money is all that matters
Hello Chaim.
>>1412203
>instead of making money off these people
>decline of the empire
Nigger, the Spanish Empire would only decades later make so much money, the Spaniards literally invented the concept of hyperinflation. They literally had more money than they knew what to do with, and dumped it all in China in exchange for teaware, which in itself caused the collapse of an entire dynasty.
The decline wouldn't start until Louis XIV and his homies rolled along.
Zhang Xianzhong is probably the one that piques my interest.
A minor character in the grand narrative of Chinese civilization. But a fascinating one none the less because we have first hand recorded accounts of scholar who ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) of encountering this absolute mad man.
A peasant-turned bandit-turned rebel leader who mastered the art of raiding and pillaging, using tactics akin to guerrilla warfare to plunder cities bare. He enjoyed killing, even in times of peace, and enacted odd methods of torture on women and male scholars.
He was also notoriously crass and hearty fellow.
His seven kill stele is definitely some element of philosophical pondering.
>>1411720
St. King Solomon "the Exorcist"
He is as full of legends as his persona was enigmatic, he got command over the legions of "shedim"/"demons"/"genies-djinni" (see: daemon-daimon/genii-junonas for european take) via sefer raziel hamalach given to him by the eponymous angel raziel, using that he build the butiful Temple of Solomon, full of sculptures, statues, images, paintings, graven images people bowed down to (like the 2 Cherubim, in the Bible), seeing the splendour of the L-rd.
this book was lost like, thrice? the stuff you see are practical kaballah falseries alike to the ars goetia "other books of moses".
he was a just and benevolent ruler, known from his wisdom when the Chokmah (Holy Spirit) visited him, son of the so great King David, the symbols attributed to him are the pentagram from the signet relic he hold and "Seal of Solomon" which became today of Zionism.
http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=52931.0
Unfrotunately Kingdom broke away after his death, to Judah/Judaea and Israel
Oh yes much of this can be historically dubious, but remember the Stele mentioning King David please.
What I liked about Solomon was perhaps the tolerance? Remember St. Constantine, how he never tried to impose the faith down someone's throat? Solomon did similarly, you can see how he have fallen astray but it's a bullshit, as he was the direct witness of G-d's power.
King Hiram of Pheonicia was his big friend, masonry says they derive themselves from Hiram Abif send by him (or being him in disguise) to finalise the Temple.
The Solomonic dynasty of Abissynia/Ethiopia derived themselves from the child of him and "Queen of Sheba", you know Himayr and Felashe/Beta Israel? I doubt it's much of a bullshit since the Ark of the Covenant is allegedly still held by them.
>>1412276
hmm, minur? welp he was always in shadow of David
lemme rethink then and write other later...
>>1412264
>which in itself caused the collapse of an entire dynasty.
Fuck no. It was the gradual decline of silver going into China that was part of the economic crises of the Late Ming Decline. Not the fucking abundance of it.
>>1412264
>Hasburg
>Spanish Empire
>>1411988
He is somewhat esoteric the gold and iron king. Unless you're from czech or surrounding country you wont know him because of his weakness of not securing his throne and too rash decisions, but I personally like him and hate habsburgs for humilliating his body after his death on the moravian field.
>>1412203
The jews were expelled in March 1492 while the Empire started in October 1492
>>1412203
It's another libtard spouting (((the narrative))) episode.
>gets BTFO by everybody else
Kek.
>1413340
>1412264
>1412249
>implying deporting nearly a million jews didn't ruin the spanish economy
Not him, but the anon obviously misspoke with the inclusion of "empire".
Either way, the Spanish struck lucky as fuck rich in the Americas while under their Holy Roman benefactors. In Torquemada's Spain, it was him pushing the Dominican to enact one increasingly barbaric and stupid policy after another.
Arnold Von Winkelreid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_von_Winkelried
At the battle of Sempach between Old Swiss Confederacy and the Habsburgs, the Austrians held an impenetrable line of pikemen which the Swiss couldn't break. It looked like the Swiss were doomed until one guy cried out that he would grab and hold onto a whole bunch of pikes, so that it could open a temporary gap in the Austrian line knowing full well this would kill him. He asked only that they look after his family was gone and then grabbed and held onto an armful of pikes that had just impaled him creating a breach that allowed the Swiss to punch a hole and breakthrough. His sacrifice allowed the Swiss to turn the tide and win the battle.
Most people believed he was just a legend but some evidence has turned up that he may have been a real person. I like to think that it happened exactly as the legend states.
