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What is the Spanish Legion?

Introduction Spain had already for centuries recruited foreign soldiers to its army, creating the Foreign Regiments (Infantería de línea extranjera) – such as the Regiment of Hibernia, formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal laws. However, the specific unit of… Read More

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What was the Harrying of the North (1069-1070)?

Introduction The Harrying of the North refers to a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069-1070 to subjugate northern England, where the presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Atheling, had encouraged Anglo-Danish rebellions. William paid the Danes to go home, but the remaining rebels refused to meet him… Read More

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Who was Charlemagne?

Introduction Charlemagne (Charles the Great; Latin: Carolus Magnus; 02 April 747 to 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of the Romans from 800. During the Early Middle Ages, Charlemagne united the majority of western and central Europe. He was the first recognised emperor… Read More

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Who was William Nolde?

Introduction Colonel William Benedict Nolde (08 August 1929 to 27 January 1973) was an officer in the United States Army. Born in Menominee, Michigan, Nolde was a professor of military science at Central Michigan University before joining the army. He is known for being the last official American combat casualty of the Vietnam War: the… Read More

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What was the Darby Scheme (1915)?

Introduction The Derby Scheme was introduced during World War I in Britain in the autumn of 1915 by Herbert Kitchener’s new Director General of Recruiting, Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby (1865-1948) after which it was named. The war was lasting longer than had been anticipated and the British military required more recruits; ‘Derby’s scheme’… Read More

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What was the Conscription Crisis of 1918?

Introduction The Conscription Crisis of 1918 stemmed from a move by the British government to impose conscription (military draft) in Ireland in April 1918 during the First World War. Vigorous opposition was led by trade unions, Irish nationalist parties and Roman Catholic bishops and priests. A conscription law was passed but was never put in… Read More