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The Battle of Abritus - Historic Gothic Victory Over Rome
The Battle of Abritus was an engagement fought between the armies of Rome under Emperor Decius (reign 249-251) and a coalition of Goths under the leadership of Cniva (circa 250 to circa 270?) in 251, resulting in a victory for Cniva and the...
Definition
Berlin Conference 1884-5 - Establishing the Rules of the Scramble for Africa
The Berlin Conference, also known as the Berlin West Africa Conference, was held between November 1884 and February 1885. Imperial powers, notably Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany, met to thrash out their competing claims for control...
Definition
Cnut the Great - King of England, Denmark & Norway
Cnut (died 1035), sometimes called Cnut the Great, was king of England (reign 1016-1035), Denmark (reign 1018-1035), and Norway (reign 1028-1035). Following the Danish conquest of England, Cnut became England's king and then succeeded his...
Definition
Cniva - The Goth King Who Defeated Rome
Cniva (also given as Kniva, reign circa 250 to possibly 270) was the king of the Goths who defeated Emperor Decius (reign 249-251) at the Battle of Abritus in 251. Little is known of him other than his campaign in 251, in which he successfully...
Definition
Mesopotamia - The Beginning of Beginnings
Mesopotamia (from the Greek, meaning "between two rivers") was an ancient region located in the Near East (Middle East) bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau, corresponding to modern-day...
Definition
Caligula - The First Mad Emperor of Rome
Caligula (12-41 CE) was the third Roman emperor, who reigned from 37 to 41 CE. A member of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, he came to power after the death of his great-uncle Tiberius. The ancient sources claim that he was initially a popular...
Definition
Gaius Cassius Longinus - Liberator, Tyrannicide, or Traitor?
Gaius Cassius Longinus (circa 86-42 BCE) was a leader of the 'Liberators', the faction of Roman senators who assassinated Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BCE. Motivated by a desire to save the Roman Republic from collapsing...
Definition
Antinomian Controversy - Inspiring the Separation of Church and State in the USA
The Antinomian Controversy (1636-1638) was a religious-political conflict that divided the Massachusetts Bay Colony of New England in the 17th century. The disagreement, also known as the Free Grace Controversy, centered on the primacy of...
Definition
Mesopotamian Science and Technology - Scientific Method in the Ancient Near East
Mesopotamian science and technology developed during the Uruk period (circa 4000-3100 BCE) and the Early Dynastic period (circa 2900-2350/2334 BCE) of the Sumerian culture of southern Mesopotamia. The foundation of future Mesopotamian advances...
Definition
The Barracks Emperors - Instability of Populist Rule
The "barracks emperors" is a term coined by later historians referring to the Roman emperors who were chosen and supported by the army during the period known as the Crisis of the Third Century (also known as the Imperial Crisis, 235-284...