Hermann von Salza was born around 1165 in Thuringia, Holy Roman Empire (Germany). Not much is known about his early years, though he may have taken part in the Siege of Acre in 1189, where the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed. 1/10
The Order was started by merchants from Lübeck and Bremen to provide medical support for the wounded in the siege. In 1197, Emperor Heinrich raised German knights for battle in the Levant. The Landgrave of Thuringia was among those that answered the call. 2/10
Emperor Heinrich's unexpected death in Sicily curtailed the Levantine war theatre, but the influx of German knights was made use of with the militarization of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, better known later as Teutonic Order, in 1198. 3/10
Over the next decade, Hermann von Salza appears to have grown in prominence within the Teutonic Order. He was seen attending the coronation of Jean de Brienne as King of Jerusalem in 1210, as the Hochmeister of the Order, which was its highest office. 4/10
However, they saw more action in Europe than in Levant. In 1211, Hermann von Salza and his knights came to the aid of the Hungarian King András to subdue the Cumans in Transylvania. Once they were subdued, the Knights attempted to gain autonomy, but got expelled instead. 5/10
In the meantime, Hermann von Salza developed a good relationship with Emperor Friedrich (Emperor Heinrich's son). He was made a Prince of the Empire and the Teutonic Knights were present when the Emperor was crowned King of Jerusalem. 6/10
This close friendship proved useful when the Polish Duke of Mazovia, Konrad, asked for Hermann's help against the tribes north of his border. In 1226, Emperor Friedrich allowed the Teutonic Knights to conquer and possess the lands of the tribes referred to as Borussi. 7/10
The Teutonic Order went on to establish their state in a ruthless manner. As they gained territory, they received support from further north, from the Livonian Order of the Brothers of the Sword, who had acquired territory there. 8/10
The State of the Teutonic Order lasted for almost three centuries, expanding as they captured Gdańsk in the west in 1308 and purchased Estonia in 1346 from the Danes. But they had to soon face invasions from the neighbouring Rus', Polish and Lithuanians. 9/10
In 1525, the then Hochmeister, Albrecht von Brandenburg, adopted Lutheran faith and transformed the land conquered from the Borussi as a Polish fief, and became the first Duke of Prussia. The remaining lands were slowly lost to neighbours over time. 10/10
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When the Romans made their calendar, it started with March and had only ten months. The second King of Rome is traditionally attributed to have added January and February.
That change was brought about by the fifth King of Rome, who oddly did not change the numerically named September, October etc. to match the rearranged calendar. 3/4
Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma was born in 1706 to Karthika Thirunal and Raghava Varma. His mother was the sister of Rama Varma, who became King of Venad in 1721. Venad was one of the many successor states of the Chera Kingdom in the South West of the Indian subcontinent. 1/10
Protected by the Western Ghats in its east, the Cheras had flourished till the 12th century. After its collapse, many city states with varying power over its neighbours had come up, with the southernmost Ay Kingdom breaking away and forging connections with the Pandyas. 2/10
India will never recognize the capacity of its citizens. Now it is the time for @socialepfo 🤷
Managed to reach till Step 8 and then instead of receiving OTP gets redirected to Aadhar site for a Virtual ID. But once that is entered, EPFO becomes non-responsive. Same process has continued multiple times. 🤦
Very odd day. Site seems to be working okay overall now. But not much luck in getting the last step done, though other things appear to be working fine. Even managed to change the intended nomination. The date appears to have been extended thankfully.
François-Dominique Toussaint Bréda was born around 1743. His father or grandfather may have been Gaou Guinou, a Prince of the Kingdom of Ardra in the African continent. Gaou Guinou was captured, perhaps during a civil war, and sold as a slave in the Caribbean. 1/10
Toussaint grew up in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which was on the western part of the island of Hispaniola. Earlier dominated by the Spanish, Hispaniola's western part had become dominated by the French in the 17th century, who formally acquired it in 1697. 2/10
Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides was born in 1594 to Martim de Sá and Marie de Mendoza Benevides. His maternal family were prominent nobles of Cadiz in Spain, while his paternal ancestors played a significant role in Portuguese Brazil. 1/10
In 1565, Estácio de Sá had founded Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Both Salvador's father and grandfather, Salvador de Sá, had been Governors of Rio de Janeiro on different occasions and the younger Salvador followed them becoming Governor of the southern captaincies of Brazil. 2/10
Jan Pieterszoon Coen was born in the city of Hoorn, Holland in 1587. Raised as a Calvinist, he grew up in a time when the Dutch were fighting for their independence from the Spanish King, who was also the Count of Holland and ruled over most parts of the Low Countries. 1/10
The Spanish King ruled over a vast realm across continents and had a strong say in global trade. In 1602, the Dutch started Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company) partly to counter the Spanish might. 2/10