War of the Polish Succession - King Augustus III of Poland

When Polish King Augustus II the Strong died in 1733, French King Louis XV (1710 –1774) decided to reappoint his father in law, Stanisław I Leszczyński 1677 –1766) on the Polish throne.

However, Russia wanted Augustus’ lawful son Frederick Augustus II (Augustus III) (1696 –1763) to rule Poland.

Stanisław I Leszczyński managed to get hold of the throne but the upcoming Russian army of 30,000 men made him re-think his move, so he fled the country.

That is how War of the Polish Succession began.

France, Spain and Sardinia were on Stanislaw’s side, while Austria, Prussia and Russia supported Augustus III.

Although a preliminary peace was reached in 1735, the war was formally ended with the Treaty of Vienna (1738) in which Augustus III was confirmed as king of Poland.

This was the second time in Poland’s history that other European powers pursued their own national interests through the Poland throne.

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John – the man who located Bin Laden.

To CIA's shame, Associated Press has recently published a profile and several photos of certain John, an agent that was most likely the main link in the capture of the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. 

The scene is almost cinematographic – A middle-aged CIA analyst begins to inform the gathered crowd that the Agency is almost certain that in one complex in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, Osama Bin Laden, leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, is hiding.

When he finished with his presentation, President Obama asks him how sure is he that Bin Laden is still there.

About eighty percent - says John, pointing out that they never managed to capture him with satellite surveillance, but, nevertheless, he was never so sure about Bin Laden’s location like he was now.

The rest is history.

Obama accepts his opinion and asks Admiral Mullen whether the army is prepared to complete this mission. Mullen answers affirmatively and sends a command to the commander of a special unit, known as SEAL Team Six, which finished the job.

If mentioned names were different, this little story would look like some scene from a spy novel – and our John is matching perfectly to some main character of such novel. The news agency Associated Press has recently published a great story about him – he is a CIA veteran who has for the last ten years searched for Bin Laden everywhere around the world. And he was undoubtedly confident that he would find him.

His name is fictional, but he is a man who proved himself while working in the CIA’s departments for the Balkans and Russia.

After the terrorist attack on America, on 11 September 2001, John was transferred to the anti-terrorist department. From that point, his analytical hunt for Osama Bin Laden began. In those ten years, John had several offers for promotion, but he decided to stay in that department until they achieve their goal and found the most wanted terrorist. It was he who played a key role in all significant arrests of terrorists (Abu Zubaydah, Abd al-Nashiri, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Ramzi bin Alshib, Hambali and Faraj al-Libi). But the main target was still at large.

He and his team were reading and analyzing thousands of documents in order to find any type of clue - the last one they had was a hideout in Tora Bora, the mountainous part of Afghanistan. Besides that, John dealt with all aspects of Bin Laden’s  life in order to find an answer to his key question: what kind of shelter would a man like Bin Laden seek? He constantly repeated to his team members to check any information on all family members and associates who might be in contact with Bin Laden.

“He's there somewhere. We'll get there.” – was his favorite line.

His reputation in the Agency's grew with each year. And then, finally, a breakthrough. In 2007, one female agent whose identity is not revealed, tracked Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, Osama’s trusted courier. This made everyone in the team absolutely convinced that they will reach their goal.  In August 2010, they finally located Bin Laden in Abbottabad. The CIA sent a team to a house near Bin Laden’s complex and waited for the final confirmation.

But the confirmation didn’t arrive until Obama was completely convinced in their story. Meanwhile, John was warning the members of his team: “Right up to the last hour, if we get any piece of information that suggests it's not him, somebody has to raise their hand before we risk American lives.”

No one got such information. Two days after the operation, John appeared in front of Senate Intelligence Committee. He was calm and restrained like always. But then he finally gave in - when he began to present details of the operation, he suddenly choked, paused and started crying.

John's identity came out in the open the way it shouldn’t have. At least when it comes to “top secret” operations. It was, in essence, very simple: the editor of “NY Observer”, the weekly edition of reputable daily "Guardian", has managed, thanks to certain blogger John Young, to find out the name of this agent, and then all that he needed to do was to google John’s name and his name appeared in Northern Virginia Division.

Then other details emerged. The guy played basketball in college and had an unusual shooting style, for which he was remembered by his coaches. He also had a respectable college G.P.A. Recently his wife launched a charity campaign to help the school in which their children are attending. The reporters also discovered and that his son is a good athlete. 

The journalists were able to learn all that, and the U.S. officials could only scratch their heads and wonder - how?

Spied on KGB – Created Putin’s profile

This CIA’s analyst has gained fame when he made a profile of then new Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In fact, at the beginning, many perceived this former KGB agent as just another interim solution when Yeltsin's rule ended. But John conducted a thorough analytical work and concluded that Putin is a person who will firmly take control and manage Russia for many years. At that point, John proved his greatest quality - the ability to perceive important from something that might look unimportant.

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Compensation – Admiral Lord Nelson

When he lost his right eye in a naval battle, famous British Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) demanded monetary compensation for his injury from the Royal Navy. He was told that he could not receive any kind of compensation if a ship doctor didn’t immediately recorded how exactly he lost his eye.

Nelson pursued this issue for several years, and eventually got a very small amount of money.

In the meantime, he also lost his right arm. Once more, he had to pursue monetary compensation from the Navy, but this time even longer.

“I guess I'll be rich when I loose a leg because it’s larger than both, the eye and the hand!” – Nelson said angrily when he was forced to humiliate himself in front of doctors.

Nelson, however, never lost his leg. He lost his life in the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805.

In his testament, he emphasized that he doesn’t want to be buried in Westminster Abbey, along with other British great men. Allegedly, he had heard that the abbey was built on the landslide and that all the dead will slip into the Thames.

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He was no elephant – John Sedgwick

In 1864, during the American Civil War, General John Sedgwick (1812-1864) led the forces of the Union against the Confederate troops when the two armies clashed in Virginia.

Since Confederate forces started advancing, General Sedgwick realized that his soldiers needed encouragement. Therefore, he started shouting:

“What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist…”

The General probably wanted to say “distance”, but he never finished his sentence.

He was fatally shot.

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Brazil's crusade for Olympics

When Brazil won the organization of Football World Cup and Rio the 2016 Olympic Games, the Brazilian statesmen were thankful to FIFA and IOC. These two organizations closed their eyes to the fact that Rio is the city with the highest murder rate in the world, and the authorities have no control over favelas, which are run by local gangs and almost represent a country in the country.

In efforts to change that, the Brazilians have hired Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, as a consultant. Known for being able to calm things even in Harlem, Giuliani’s job is to use his know-how in Brazil.  Giuliani is known for his strategy of "zero tolerance", according to which everyone who breaks the system must be punished, from the Mafia to the sellers of hot dogs on the street.

There is just one catch – New York is not Rio and Harlem is not Brazilian favelas. Police actions there are not just fight against crime, they are literally war against crime. Police entry into favelas is referred in local media as "liberation of territory".

The operation of the police and the army against gangs in November 2010, on the territory of Complexo do Alemão, the complex of 15 favelas, was the biggest operation in the history of liberation of favelas. Unfortunately, this operation showed that even Giuliani’s "zero tolerance" will not that easily set things right in the favelas . This historic operation was named “reconquista”(reconquest), because the Brazilians are doing exactly that, reconquesting their occupied territory. 

Complexo do Alemão is one of the most famous favelas. Until the operation in November 2010, it was controlled by the Red Command, a gang of over a thousand drug dealers and arms merchants. However, Giuliani’s "zero tolerance" is now only functioning if the military and the police constantly keep favelas under siege. But even that is not easy to do because of the "philosophy of favelas”. Favelas are not just some hovels framed in the squatter settlements – they have become a way of life.

After five day of heavy fire, the Governor of Rio triumphantly announced the liberation of Complexo do Alemão territory. What remained in the shadow of that triumph was the fact that more than 40 people, some of whom were civilians, were accidentally caught in the crossfire, and were killed. The Brazilian media were fascinated with the fact that the police and army, for the first time, acted as one.

This attack forced the opposing gangs to unite, for the first time in history. This means that real fights are yet to come. The bandits have already started to burn cars and city buses.  The criminals are using this tried recipe for years.  Whenever the police tries to enter one of their favela, they start with the riots.

The Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, says that, in this way, they are trying to create a picture for the public that will suggest that the authorities have no control.  "We do not want peace with criminals and terrorists. This time we will not retreat”, harshly says Paes.

A large number of criminals fled to the favelas on the hills above Rio, carrying heavy weapons. The picture of them fleeing was like a withdrawal of an army. Heavily armed police forces are now patrolling the streets of liberated favelas . On the other hand, heavily armed drug traffickers and their troops are now patrolling gang-controlled favelas, in expectation of more attacks.

The Brazilian police have trained a special unit, just for fights in the favelas. The operation from November 2010 is considered their best performance so far.  However, there are very few of those who believe that this country can keep fighting these criminals to the end.

Antonio Carlos Costa, director of Rio de Paz, anti-violence NGO, said that Rio needs more police officers that are better trained and better paid. "There is no way they can pacify all the communities. If you push the traffickers out of one area, they naturally just flow to another" – he said.

A growing number of people believe that Brazil needs to try a strategy of total isolation of favelas before the Olympic Games, rather than bring them in line. For example, in Alemao favela about 120,000 people live in ramshackle hovels, often with no electricity and no water, and they do not know of a different kind of life. Kids who are growing up there know that they have only two choices in life - to play football or to be criminals. If they don’t start playing for Barcelona, they will be playing with cocaine. And this cannot be corrected in 5 or less years.

In 2009, just two weeks after the announcement that Rio won the organization of Olympic Games, gangs knocked down a police helicopter. This caused a series of police raids in which about thirty people were killed. In August 2010, thirty-five people were imprisoned in a hotel with five stars – criminals from favela did this, while fleeing from the police. About sixty "to the teeth" armed criminals were returning from some party in the early hours. They were headed towards their ”base”, Rocinha, which is the biggest favela in Rio. The police spotted them and intercepted. Fifty of them managed to escape, but ten couldn’t so they rushed into an exclusive hotel and took hostages.

Jenson Button, famous Formula 1 driver experienced the spirit of favela on his own skin. When he was in Brazil for a race at Interlagos, he was attacked on the streets by armed bandits. He barely escaped alive.

Elza Santiago, a member of women’s cooperative that sells handcrafted goods to raise funds for education programs offered to women and children, thinks that everything will return the way it was when the Olympic Games are over. “Our people don’t have water. We’re walking up the hill to our favelas with water because we don’t have any. No one is talking about the Olympics, that is our Olympics.”

City of God

Favelas emerged in the late 19th century when the first black slaves were winning their freedom. Later, the favelas spread in several waves, especially as people from rural areas came to the city in search of a better life, and found only the misery of favelas. And once you enter a favela, it is hard to leave. Today, only in Rio there are more than a thousand favelas. There are mostly along the perimeter of the city, and in the case of Rio, that means surrounding hills.

Brazilian authorities have several times tried to implement some kind of slum urbanization (that is why some of favelas have stronger walls), but the spirit of favelas has proven to be indestructible. Drugs, crime and life on the street is the only thing the people who live there know. Some studies show that only 15 percent of the population in Rio’s favelas has expressed a desire to leave them.

Favelas, though not in a construction sense, follow the trends, so today 97 percent of homes have a television, 94 percent a refrigerator, and about 48 percent have a washing machine. About half of the people there have a mobile phone and 12 percent of homes have a computer.

Most accurate impression of favela is shown in the famous Brazilian film "City of God", about life in the favela of the same name - "Cidade de Deus". That film was often compared to Scorsese’s “GoodFellas”, but Scorsese’s movie begins with “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster" and characters from the "City of God" had no choice.

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part VI - Battle of Pelekanon

Battle of Pelekanon (1329)

After the civil war in Byzantium that occurred between 1321 - 1328, a younger generation of nobles came to power, led by Emperor Andronicus III Palaeologus (Ruled from 1328-1341) and his best friend and collaborator, and later emperor, John Cantacuzenus. 

The new emperor, and his close associates, have properly assessed that the Ottomans are the greatest threat and that the territory of Asia Minor will determine the fate of the Empire.

In the late spring of 1329, that is, the first war season after the takeover, they led a not so large army to Nicaea, the glorious Byzantine city in which two ecumenical councils were held, and which was then under the Turkish siege.

This was the first time that some Byzantine emperor goes into direct conflict with the Ottoman ruler, and in this case, it was Orhan I (ruled from 1324-1361). This heroic endeavor, worthy of all praise, ended unsuccessfully for the Romans.

First, in the skirmish near Pelekanon, one arrow hit Andronicus III in the leg. He was immediately dispatched to Constantinople, and thus, he did not participate in the decisive battle, which took place the next day.

On June 11, 1329, the Turkish troops, situated near Pelekanon, a city on the east coast of the Marmara Sea, encouraged by the confusion among the Byzantines caused by emperor injury, inflicted a heavy defeat to Byzantine troops. John Cantacuzenus remarkable composure didn’t help at all, and he barely saved the rest of the army. He scarcely saved his own head.

However, comparing this defeat with the Byzantine disaster at Manzikert in 1071, that is often done in the scientific writings, in spite of certain similarities that are very appealing, is somewhat unjustified. The collapse of Romanos IV Diogenes and Byzantine troops, like it was said, was an event of global and historic significance, while the failure of Andronicus III Palaeologus and John Cantacuzenus is just one of the final forms of long-weaned historical flows, and as such, it doesn’t have nearly the weight of Manzikert collapse.

It turned out that the campaign from 1329 was, in fact, the last serious effort of the Byzantines on the eastern front. The remaining Byzantine cities in Asia Minor where left to their own fate and temperament the Islamic invaders.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part V - Battle of Myriokephalon

Battle of Myriokephalon (1176)

A century after the battle of Manzikert, Byzantines suffered another heavy defeat by the Seljuks. This time the main actors were the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (ruled from 1143-1180) and Iconium’s sultan Kilij Arslan II (ruled from1156-1192).

During his reign, the Byzantine emperor was able to slightly improve the relationships between the Empire and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Kilij Arslan visited Istanbul in 1161 as a guest of the Byzantine emperor, and his host organized a magnificent reception for him. He even pledged to Manuel Komnenos that he would send military support and return him some of the cities in the border zone. However, due to emperors many obligations and commitment to Western politics, the sultan "forgot" his obligations and, furthermore, encouraged by the support of the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (ruled from 1152-1190), he took hostile attitude towards Byzantium. 

At the head of a huge army, in the summer of 1176, Manuel Komnenos headed towards the Seljuk border. Emperor firmly refused Sultan's peace offer and continued the march.

Kilij Arslan was trying to avoid conflict in the open field, so he only occupied long and narrow Tzibritze pass near the city Myriokephalon in Asia Minor area of Phrygia. In addition, he sent his supporting troops to disturb the progress of emperor’s army. They burned the grass to make it difficult to feed Byzantine horses and poisoned wells by throwing bodies and dirt in them. And indeed, during this campaign a great number of Romans died from stomach diseases.

On September 17, 1176, in Tzibritze pass, the Seljuks surrounded and attacked the Byzantine army, and completely defeated it. The Byzantines were as trapped, powerless to resist properly. In addition, it was not possible to establish any type of connection between the individual Roman troops.

The battle lasted all day. A large number of Byzantine soldiers and several prominent military leaders were killed while Manuel Komnenos, in a moment of despondency, was thinking to leave his army and run for his life. Later, the Byzantine soldiers openly blamed the emperor for the defeat. 

The state and the mood of the Roman army didn’t change even when the darkness of the night surrounded them. Byzantine historian, who lived in those times, Niketas Choniates, wrote that those who managed to escape spent the next few long sleepless hours filled with horror and suspense.

Since the Turkish losses were also significant, in the evening hours Kilij Arslan accepted Manuel’s proposal for the conclusion of peace. According to concluded agreement, the Byzantines were required to destroy their two fortress in the border area.

After two days, the remaining Roman army began to retreat. Manuel Komnenos, himself, compared this loss to the disaster in Manzikert 150 years earlier. 

Great Byzantine defeats - Part VI - Battle of Pelekanon 

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part IV - Battle of Manzikert

Battle of Manzikert (1071)

Throughout its history, Byzantium had misfortune to, roughly speaking, constantly fight wars on two fronts, east and west. In the East, the enemies of the Empire were at first the Persians, then Arabs and finally the Turks, Seljuks and Ottomans.

In the 11th century, Byzantium was dangerously threatened by an invasion of Seljuks who easily broke the Arabian forces in Asia, conquered a number of areas, penetrated through Mesopotamia and conquered caliph’s capital Baghdad. Soon, the whole part of Asia to the borders of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt, belonged to the Seljuk. They penetrated Armenia, ravaged Cilicia and with invasion of Cappadocia, they made it clear that they have intensions to occupy Asia Minor.

Precisely at that time, the Emperor Constantine X Doukas (ruled from 1059-1067) died, and his widow Eudokia, under the pressure of one part of the public, married the Roman general Diogenes who was the only one capable to take action against invasive Seljuks.

The new emperor, Romanos IV Diogenes (ruled from 1068-1071) was skilled military leader and he immediately went to the East. His campaigns in 1068 and 1069 could be called relatively successful, but his third campaign ended with heavy defeat.

In the summer of 1071, two armies collided, the Byzantine - which consisted and of many foreigners (Frankish, Russians, Pechenegs, Uz, Normans) - and Seljuk led by sultan Alp Arslan (ruled from 1064-1072). The battle was fought in Armenia, near the town Manzikert, which is near Lake Van. It was thought previously that the battle occurred on August 19, 1071, but based on the data of the Byzantine Short chronicles, the event was placed a whole week back, on August 26, 1071.

The facts from preserved sources - Byzantine, Eastern and Western - are considerable contradictory so it is not easy to discern what has happened. There is no doubt that the Byzantine army was numerically stronger than the Seljuk, but it was also diverse and less disciplined.

The impression is that the Byzantine emperor clearly underestimated the opponents and that he split his army so that one part of it - the Normans, led by Commander Roussel de Bailleul - did not participate in the battle, and were directed on the other side. Furthermore, when the battle began, they have retreated to the west.

In the first phase, the Byzantine cavalry attacked and the Seljuks retreated, pretending to flee, but then they unexpectedly turned and caught their enemies into a trap. However, the majority of the Byzantine army attacked those Turkish detachments, forcing them to retreat, and safely returned to their camp.

The next day, sultan Alp Arslan managed to draw on his side a number of Uz units, a tribe related to the Seljuks, but that was still far from victory. Therefore, he proposed a truce, but the terms offered by the Romanos IV Diogenes were unacceptable.

When the battle began anew, the Byzantine army, under the command of the emperor, struck at the center. Just then, Andronikos Doukas, Emperor's old rival, spread the word that emperor is defeated. He immediately left the battlefield and caused general chaos and retreat. Romanos IV Diogenes found himself surrounded by Seljuks and desperately fought until he was captured.

Today, researchers believe that one of the reasons for Turkey's victory was and the fact that they used their archers more cleverly.

In the beginning, the defeat was not that heavy. Byzantine losses were relatively small, and Alp Arslan treated the captured Byzantine emperor like a true knight and signed an honorable peace with him. However, the Roman disputes turned this event into a disaster with unforeseeable consequences. Opposing party at Constantinople, led by John Doukas, a father of Manzikert’s traitor, and Michael Psellos, performed a sort of coup, and placed Michael VII Doukas (ruled from 1071-1078) on the throne.

Upon his return from Turkish captivity, Romanos IV Diogenes reached out for the protection of his royal rights. This initiated a civil war. Eventually, his opponents captured and blinded him on fraud by not keeping their word.

On news of Romanos blindness and death, in 1072 the Seljuks began to penetrate Asia Minor because the contract that they signed several months ago, was no longer valid. Byzantium didn’t have enough strength to stop the Turkish invasion and, in just few years, they conquered most of Asia Minor. They won even Nicaea, a town not far from Constantinople. The participants of the First Crusade returned it to Byzantium only in 1097.

Battle of Manzikert was a significant turning point in Byzantine history and an event of global historical significance.  It marked the arrival of the Turks in Asia Minor, and the foundation of their Sultanate of Iconium state (Rûm), on one side, and gradual turn of focus of Byzantium on the European area, on the other side.

In 1971, the modern Turkey celebrated this event in a special way, with a great public holiday. They celebrated their ninth centenary.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part V - Battle of Myriokephalon

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part III - Battle of Vărbitsa Pass

Battle of Vărbitsa Pass (July 26,  811)

When Charlemagne destroyed the Avar state in Pannonia, at the beginning of the 9th century, the Bulgarians gained their freedom. Soon, the head of Pannonian Bulgars - warlike Krum, took the Bulgarian throne. In 809, he attacked Byzantine Serdica (Sofia), destroyed the fortress and killed everyone who served there.

Emperor Nicephorus I (ruled from 802-811) immediately replied – he penetrated to the Bulgarian capital Pliska, and then restored the destroyed fortifications. However, the main campaign came after two years of extensive preparation, in the spring of 811.

As reported by the chronicler Theophanes, confident emperor ignored the advices of astrologers who warned him that the arrangement of stars is not favorable. With his army, he entered Bulgaria through the mountain passes in July 20, at the time of unfortunate ascent of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the main star in the constellation of The Great Dog, when she can be seen at the east, at dawn.

However, the way the campaign was developing, the emperor had every right to think that this time he will completely destroy the Bulgarian state. Frightened Krum begged for peace, but Byzantine emperor refused the offer. He concentrated on the capital Pliska, which he destroyed, and then he took all the valuables from Khan Krum’s court and then burned it. Nicephorus was totally convinced that he holds everything in his hands and that it was now only a matter of time before he breaks the Bulgarian resistance. Therefore, with arrogant disdain he once again rejected Krum’s peaceful offer and moved on.

While the Byzantines were busy devastating their country, the Bulgarians retreated to the canyons of the mountain Balkan. Aware that it could be hard to withstand Roman attack in the open field, they made an ambush in the Vărbitsa Pass and waited quietly.

Byzantine army progressed confidently, not expecting that the Bulgarians would dare get in the battle. However, on July 26, 811, a very fast and sudden attack in Vărbitsa Pass occurred. 

When he saw what happened, emperor Nicephorus, in panic and desperation, allegedly said: "Even if we have had wings we could not have escaped from peril!"

In the chaos that swept of the Byzantines ranks, a horrific massacre occurred. Almost the entire Roman army was killed, the Byzantine nobility elite, and the emperor himself.

Byzantine chronicler Theophanes dejectedly and bitterly concluded that "the flower of Christianity was destroyed!" Let me remind you that, at that time, the Bulgarians were still pagans, and that they received Christianity half a century later.

Krum chopped the head of the dead emperor, put it on the long stick and for days ostentatiously and triumphantly showed it to the tribes that came to him. Then he took the emperor's skull, cleaned it to the bone, lined with silver on the outside and made a cup from which he drank at his feasts.

It was the first time since the battle of Adrianople and Valens' death - after over almost four and a half centuries! - that a Byzantine emperor lost his life in a war battle. Moreover, the king's son and heir, Staurakios, was badly wounded and immediately transferred to Edirne, but it was obvious that he will not recover. He died several months later, on January 11, 812, in Constantinople, but before that, on October 1, 811, he had to relinquish the throne and receive monastic vows.

This was followed by three difficult years for the Byzantine Empire, filled with anxiety and restlessness.

And just when he was preparing to attack Constantinople, the Bulgarian Khan Krum died suddenly from a stroke, in April 814.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part IV - Battle of Manzikert

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part II - The Battle of Yarmouk

The Battle of Yarmouk (August, 636)

Until the first decades of the 7th century, Arabs, who have been neighbors of the Byzantine Empire for centuries, were not a very significant political factor. But then, Muhammad united this large group of people, made them a state and brought them Islam. On the wings of the new faith, Arabs have, several years after the prophet's death, started their conquests.

First to be affected were Byzantine Empire and Persia, who just emerged from a long and exhausting war with each other. While Persia succumbed quickly, the Byzantine Empire resisted the invasion of Arabs for a long time.

The fact remains that since their first conflict, in 634, and all the way to the Arabian siege of Constantinople (674-678), therefore almost half a century, Byzantium didn’t have any significant victory.

One of the most important events in that period was the famous battle near the Yarmouk River in August 636, in which the Arabs completely crushed Byzantine army.

After several defeats suffered by Theodore, brother of emperor Heraclius (ruled from 610-641), the emperor sent great but diverse army led by Theodore Trithyrius. In this army there were Armenians, Persians, even Arabian mercenaries.

According to the chronicler Theophanes, each of the two armies had 40,000 troops, but some modern researchers, after reading all the available resources, claim that the Byzantines and their allies were much more: apparently, about 100,000.

The day was warm, a real summer day. The humidity was pressing down while the wind carried the clouds of sand and dust to the one of the driest places in the desert that Arabian military leaders have cleverly chosen.

Aware that, for the first time, they are facing numerous and serious army, the Arabs have shown that they are up for it. Leaving aside the former mutual rivalry, the military leaders have chosen the most competent person among them to be their Commander in Chief of the Muslim army. They have chosen Khalid ibn al-Walid, who, with his intellect and courage, proved to be better than the others were. 

The Battle of Yarmouk was one of the bloodiest in history of Arabian wars.

Under pressure from the Byzantine cavalry, the Muslims had to withdraw three times, but they always returned to the battle because the women who stood behind them didn’t allowed them to flee.

Eventually, Khalid managed to cut the enemy's cavalry from the infantry, and strike with all forces the Byzantine camp, set between the river and nearby hills. With unstoppable rush and thunderous cry "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest), which echoed all around, "the sons of the desert" completely shattered the Byzantine troops.

Neither crosses nor chants of Byzantine priests, who were singing church hymns, helped raising the morale of Roman soldiers. Some sources mention and disunity in the colorful Byzantine army, and that in the decisive moment the Arabian mercenaries changed sides.

Christians defeat was complete, since one part of their soldiers drowned in the river, while others were killed by Muslim sword.

With the victory that was won on the Yarmouk river, the Arabs have secured success in the subsequent conquest.

Heraclius, who was already in his sixties and didn’t participate in this battle, was aware of what this defeat means. This confrontation with the Arabs was in fact a battle for Syria, one of the most important Byzantine provinces. With dignity in defeat, in the moments when he saw that his life's work is breaking apart –  just a few years before he succeeded to recover the province from the Persians – the emperor Heraclius had enough strength to utter the proud pathos " Farewell, a long farewell to Syria, my fair province. Thou art an infidel's (enemy's) now. Peace be with you, O Syria – what a beautiful land you will be for the enemy"

Soon most Syrian cities surrendered themselves to the victorious Arabian troops, almost without a struggle, and the very capital Antioch fell into the hands of a new master.

The greatest temptations of Byzantium begin from here.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part III - Battle of Vărbitsa Pass

 
Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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21th century woman goes to war!

Armies all over the world are starting more and more to include women in their army troops. In the beginning they served mainly in medical services, but today they are serving as combat pilots, military police officers and even generals. Experts are indicating that they are best as war negotiators and intel agents.







Although the military service is considered as men’s occupation, more and more women are applying for military service. Until 20th century, women did part-take in wars, but they generally weren’t directly involved in bloody battles like today. Their jobs were mainly administration volunteering and helping out in medical services.

American army today has most women soldiers, more than 356 000, or 16% of all count. In 2009, 57 women in American army had the rank of a general or admiral, which is twice the number from 1999.

At the end of war in Vietnam, America was faced with breaking of all illusions and lack of men’s interest for the army. The real breakthrough occurred in 1973 when voluntary units were formed. Pretty soon women made it to the West Point, and other academies. Today, they are present in all ranks of army and American air-force has even women as combat pilots. Nevertheless, until 2001, no woman was located on the first lines of combat, but military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq changed a great deal of things. Doctor John A. Nagl, president of a Center for a New American Security, is stating that USA would not be able at all to fight in these wars if women weren’t present there.

Combats in Iraq demanded a completely different approach. The commanders were forced the erase any sex limitations. According to Peter R. Mansoor, retired colonel, the war in Iraq caused a complete integration of women in the army, they now gained confidence and respect from their men colleagues. According to regulations, they are not serving in infantry, but they are participating in wars in armor, special and artillery units.

From 121 women that were killed in Iraq, 66 were killed in combat, and the others died in accidents, by suicide and because of illness. So far, 620 were wounded in Iraq.

In November 2008, Ann E. Dunwoody was the first woman in U.S. history and uniformed service history to achieve a four-star officer grade of a general, which is a highest grade anyone can achieve in the U.S. army. Last year two women were awarded with the silver star, and the researches have showed that a great deal of women were awarded with medals of honor.

However, active involvement of women in the army and on the battle field didn’t occurred without some problems. Besides facing sex discrimination, one of the biggest problems was raping by fellows soldiers. Every third woman who participated in a war mission was raped, while 99% of them were at least once a subject of harassment. According to the research conducted in the American armed forces, women soldiers in Iraq were more afraid of people they shared food with, then the Taliban’s.

British colonel Simon Wendler says that women are necessary for many military specialties because of their characteristic and social personalities, observation abilities and better organized minds.

“They are great as commissaries, radio connection maintainers, logistics, negotiators and military police officers. 20% of British military police officers are women” – says Wendler.  He underlines that there is no place for army feminization story.  Actually, the place where most experts places the soft gender is the function of a negotiator, a person who creates, which means that in conditions of interchanged safety of world, on key position should be brought persons who will be able to apply “soft power” to either prevent or calm down conflicts.

The Bulgarian army, which, until the end of 1980s, was hardly opened to women, today counts around 2000 women in the army, and it sends them to peaceful missions. Like most of Scandinavians, the Swedish have allowed their women to become real troops. The Norwegians have, for example, become the first ones who allowed women to serve in submarines, but also in all other ranks. The French have, since 1970s ,equalized women troops with men troops but until 1980s they didn’t make any serious steps toward better integration of women in the troops. The French women are participating in peaceful mission today. The Belgian women have entered the army in 1970s but they are present today only as 7% and they serve mainly as logistic back-up or in the administration. Spain started with women recruiting in 1988 while Portugal did it in 1992. Although Portuguese women can officially apply for all ranks, in reality they are unable to become marines or any other special force. Greece has opened army doors for women in 1979 but military high schools were closed for them all the way until 1990. Greek women even today have limited access to troops and military schools. Not until 2000 the first Greek woman served in the navy. While in Poland women served for a long time inclusively as medical officers, in Czech Republic and Hungary this process has advanced. Nevertheless, women in the army of these counties are mainly tasked with traditional roles. In Romania one woman has even a rank of a general.

A country that could brag about real women warriors is Israel, where women are obligated to serve in the army. With the measures that are introduced two years ago, women have the option to train in all military units, and even in commandos. In this country, military obligation for men is three years while for women is two years. Until several years ago they were mainly tasked with administrative jobs, but there existed even tank instructors, military police officers, technicians and rescuers.




Some facts:

#Due to huge interest of visitors for Muammar el-Gaddafi's bodyguards, here is a link to 14 additional photos of his protective female bodyguards#

#You can also check this cool video on You Tube#

Since 1969 when he took over Libya, the safety of Muammar el-Gaddafi is in hands of his female bodyguards. How important to him they are he showed by founding the first female military academy. With this he showed the whole world that they are just as equal and good bodyguards as men. Vatican is also more and more prone that their bodyguard unit be consisted from women. In fact, the Swiss guard which is in charge of Pope's safety is consisted mainly from young Swiss Catholics, age 19-30. Although there are many obstacles for soft gender to enter in this famous service, like to small space, and inability to place women in separate rooms for dressing and hygiene, this decision is still under reconsideration. There exist a theory that woman bodyguard is preferred in VIP security, because snipers, no matter how trained, are hesitating to pull a trigger on a female bodyguard and that they need extra 5 seconds to do it.

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