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The Byzantine Empire around the time of David

David (born 630) was one of three co-emperors of the Byzantine Empire for a few months in late 641. David was the son of Emperor Heraclius and his wife and niece Empress Martina. His name was an attempt to link the family with the Biblical David. After the death of Heraclius in February 641 a power struggle ensued. In a compromise, 10-year-old David was raised to co-emperor, alongside his brother Heraclonas and their nephew Constans II. At the time the Byzantine state faced the ongoing Muslim conquest of Egypt and continuing religious strife over monothelitism and other Christological doctrines. All three emperors were children and the Empress Dowager Martina acted as regent. Martina was deeply unpopular due to her incestuous relationship with Heraclius and her unconventional habits. Her regime was deposed, probably by January 642. She and her sons were exiled to Rhodes and, in an early example of Byzantine political mutilation, Martina's tongue was cut out and her sons' noses were cut off. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg in 2019

... that Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg (pictured), the new mayor of Frankfurt, gave birth to her first child while a political prisoner in the wake of the Iranian Revolution?
... that Cranksgiving has been described as "part bike ride, part food drive, part scavenger hunt"?
... that the body of Fateme Asadi was found 37 years after she was tortured and killed by the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan when she attempted to ransom her husband?
... that penetration enhancers can open tight junctions to allow entry of drugs?
... that James Diossa rescued the only public library and post office in Central Falls, Rhode Island, when the city went into bankruptcy?
... that the first judgement of 2022 from the High Court of Australia was considered a loss for a labour hire organisation, but a win for labour hire organisations?
... that Eleanor Hadley, a 29-year-old doctoral candidate in economics, was recruited by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to implement antitrust policies in occupied Japan?
... that some believe that learning about Roko's basilisk may cause a superintelligence from the future to torture you for eternity?

In the news

Homes in Cugenang, West Java

An earthquake (damage pictured) centred near Cianjur in Indonesia's West Java kills at least 271 people and injures more than 2,000 others.
In Canadian football, the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.
NASA's Artemis 1 is successfully launched on an uncrewed test flight to the Moon.
The United Nations estimates the world population to have exceeded eight billion.
In cricket, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup concludes with England defeating Pakistan in the final.

On this day

November 25: Evacuation Day in New York City (1783)

Johan Ferrier in 1975

1510 – Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of Portuguese India, led an armada to conquer Goa.
1678 – Trunajaya rebellion: After a series of difficult marches, allied Mataram and Dutch troops successfully assaulted the rebel stronghold of Kediri in eastern Java.
1936 – Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, agreeing that, if the Soviet Union attacked one of them, they would consult each other on what measures to take to "safeguard their common interests".
1975 – Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, Johan Ferrier (pictured) became its first president.

Johann Georg Pisendel (d. 1755)
Maurice Denis (b. 1870)
John F. Kennedy Jr. (b. 1960)

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From today's featured list

Map of the system with trail logos

The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation". There are four types of trails: the national scenic trails, national historic trails, national recreation trails, and connecting or side trails. In response to a call by President Lyndon B. Johnson to have a cooperative program to build public trails for "the forgotten outdoorsmen of today" in urban and backcountry areas, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation recommended a network of trails to provide recreational opportunities and evaluated several possible trails, both scenic and historic. The National Trails System Act created a program for long-distance natural trails on October 2, 1968, establishing the first two of eleven national scenic trails: the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. The first four of nineteen national historic trails were established by Congress in 1978, marking the routes of early travels across the country. Over 1,300 national recreation trails have since been administratively designated. (map pictured). (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

Julie d'Aubigny (1673–1707), better known as Mademoiselle Maupin or La Maupin, was a 17th-century French opera singer. Her life inspired numerous fictional and semi-fictional portrayals. Théophile Gautier loosely based the title character, Madeleine de Maupin, of his novel Mademoiselle de Maupin (1835) on her.

Illustration credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden

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