Knights Templar Fact Eleven

The Battle of Montgisard in 1177 was one of their greatest victories of the Crusades as the Eighth Grand Master Odo de St Amand led 80 Templar Knights along with 375 other knights led by Raynald of Chatillion and a few thousand infantry against the forces of Saladin and his 27,000 men. Saladin was the Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. His forces were spread thin raiding villages and was surprised at Montgisard by 16 year old King Baldwin IV and his army. Baldwin wanted to make a stand there before the Muslims reached Jerusalem. The much smaller army routed the Ayyubids and Saladin returned to Egypt to regroup with only ten percent of his army.


Knights Templar page

Viking Fact Eleven

Once the Vikings raided a country they imposed a tax called Danegeld. If the tax was paid then the territories would not be subject to future attacks by the Vikings. It was primarily collected in England and France from the ninth through 11th centuries.


Viking page

American Civil War Fact Eleven

President Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address himself. It was only ten sentences and 269 words in total. Being so short President Lincoln completed the speech before all the official photographers could get their cameras ready and no pictures captured the event.


American Civil War page

Ancient Egypt Fact Eleven

Many nobles who lived along the Nile River had huge villas of 25 to 30 rooms. Most were made with sun dried brick while some were made from cut stones and others with white limestone. 


Ancient Egypt page

Pirate Fact Eleven

Pirates were often compensated for loss of a limb or eye. It was written into the ship's constitution the value of each loss. Since most people are right handed a limb on the right side was valued more. For example the loss of a right arm would go for 600 pieces of silver while losing the left arm would get 500. The right leg might get 500 and the left one would be compensated for 400. Loss of either eye would get 100. 


Pirate page

St Peter First Pope

Saint Peter was the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born as Simon Peter in Bethsaida, Syria although the exact date is unknown. While working as a fisherman on Lake Genesareth with his brother Saint Andrew, Andrew introduced him to Jesus. Both were among the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. Jesus gave him the new name Cephas which meant rock because he was the rock on which the Christian church would be built.

After the death of Jesus, Saint Peter continued his ministry as the head of the Christian church and was Pope from 32 to 67. The church went universal after he met with other church leaders at the Council of Jerusalem in 50 and they set the rules for Gentile converts to Christianity. Saint Peter took missionary trips to cities including Antioch, Corinth and Rome. He was executed in 67 when Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar had him crucified upside down. An inverted cross became one of his symbols. The church recognizes him with a feast day on June 29. 

Ancient Seven Wonders Random Facts and Topics

                                                              FACTS

FACT ONE			FACT TWO			FACT THREE
FACT FOUR			FACT FIVE			FACT SIX
FACT SEVEN			FACT EIGHT			FACT NINE
FACT TEN			FACT ELEVEN			FACT TWELVE
FACT THIRTEEN			FACT FOURTEEN			FACT FIFTEEN
FACT SIXTEEN			FACT SEVENTEEN			FACT EIGHTEEN
FACT NINETEEN			FACT TWENTY			FACT TWENTY ONE
FACT TWENTY TWO			FACT TWENTY THREE			FACT TWENTY FOUR
FACT TWENTY FIVE			FACT TWENTY SIX			FACT TWENTY SEVEN
FACT TWENTY EIGHT			FACT TWENTY NINE

                                                          

                                                              TOPICS

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Temple of Artemis

Colossus of Rhodes