Angela Merkel – The Titanium Frau

Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany and Europe’s most powerful politician, has come a long way from a member of Socialist-led youth movement “Free German Youth (FDJ)”, to the position of Chancellor. The whole world respects her and her people will most definitely put their trust in her for yet another term.

For a woman who has a picture of famous German woman, Russian Empress Catherine the Great, on the desk in her office – symbol of enlightenment and good relations with people – Angela Merkel is surprisingly non-charismatic. She is criticized for not holding long speeches, for not appearing in public unless it is necessary, for being mysterious, strong and unshakable to the point of stubbornness.  But, instead of glamour and gossips that follow the other heads of states in Europe, Angela Merkel has behind her something that many of them do not have – results.

The most powerful politician of the most powerful – both politically and economically – country in Europe has subjected everything to practice. Prosperous, rich, export-oriented, and with an unemployment rate that has hit the historical bottom line, Germany will once again find her way through the chaos of recession that threatens to consume the entire Europe.

While her political party – Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – fears for the election results in German federal states, her position in the Chancellor’s chair is stronger than ever. There is no one now who doubts that she will, like her political friend and former head of the government Helmut Kohl, win yet another term and keep the title of "Frau Bundeskanzlerin" at least until 2017. And this will be a rare exception in today's European politics, because the voters have brutally punished all governments that have been in power since 2008 when economies started to fall. Such thing will definitely not happen in Germany.

We could probably conclude that Angela Merkel’s strength, which frightens her colleagues  from London, Rome, Paris or Madrid, comes from her origin.  She was born as a daughter of a Lutheran pastor in the communist GDR, and she became a leader of a party that was formed to protect the rich middle class of the West.

And not just that – today, she is a leading woman in a "male" political party, divorced Protestant in a Catholic party, "Easterner" in a party run by "Westerners", and a scientist in the party of financiers, bankers, businessmen and managers. The only woman with whom we can compare her is, perhaps, Margaret Thatcher. But if Thatcher (a woman who was afraid of "united Germany" in the autumn of 1989, when Merkel worked at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry in Leipzig) was the “iron lady”, then Angela Dorothea Merkel, nee Kasner, is definitely the “titanium lady”. 

Her political career started already in her youth. Like all students in East Germany, she was a member of Socialist-led youth movement “Free German Youth (FDJ)”. However, she didn’t participate in movement’s ceremonies and her progress in the compulsory Marxism-Leninism course was graded only with “sufficient” - passing grade. In her youth she learned fluently the Russian language.

In 1989, Merkel got involved in the democracy movement, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall politics became her full time profession. At the first elections after the reunification of Germany, she was elected to the Bundestag. Then she became Minister for Women and Youth in Helmut Kohl's 3rd cabinet. Her next position was Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety. Helmut Kohl appreciated Angela (the youngest minister in his cabinet) very much, and at every meeting they had, he called her "mein Mädchen" – my girl.

CDU’s departure to opposition didn’t mean that Merkel ceased to aim the top position in the German (and European) politics. In 2002, she was nominated by CDU to be a rival to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, but in the end, she had to accept a large coalition with Schroeder’s SPD. She claimed the Chancellor’s cabinet on November 22, 2005, and she won a second term with such a convincing margin over SPD that she no longer needed Schroeder’s party. 

She is considered as one of the best negotiators in European politics. 

As a "Superstar" of European politics, Angela Merkel was placed four times in a row on a convincing first place of Forbes magazine list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" (in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and also in 2011). In February 2011, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama. This recognition is awarded only to those who do something great for world peace. She is also awarded with Vision for Europe Award (2006), Charlemagne Prize (2008), Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2008), B’nai B’rith Europe Award of Merit (2008), Global Leadership Award –AICGS (2010), Leo Baeck Medal (2010), Jawaharlal Nehru Award (2011), etc.

 And regardless to all of that, Frau Merkel remained firmly on the ground. She still goes shopping in the neighborhood where she lives. And she still cooks and prepares cakes for her second husband (quantum chemist and professor Joachim Sauer) by herself.

Germans like everything about her. Residents of her country believe that her mixture of dangerous and shy, human and pragmatic best describes and depicts their country. That is why it’s no wonder that German media is racing with praises on her account. Der Spiegel has proudly posted on their front page that she, a single woman, has managed to transform a gloomy country in to a country of smiles.

And how she did it can be summarized with just two words – “Merkel effect. “

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Stasi – secret service that was better than its mother, KGB

East Germany’s secret service monitored every suspicious activity, they made small holes in the walls of houses for easier surveillance, and they even had a division for garbage analysis that looked for any suspicious material or food that came from the west.

Stasi (abbreviation from Staatssicherheit – State Security, full name was Ministerium für Staatssicherheit – Ministry for State Security) was formed in 1950 on the model of then Soviet’s MGB (Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti - Ministry for State Security), which was a predecessor of the KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti -  Committee for State Security). Very quickly Stasi emerged as the most important service in the system of KGB and the generals from the Red Square in Moscow. Although, formally, Stasi was an independent agency of East Germany, in reality it was operating in the framework of KGB because the Russians had their people in all directorates of German secret service.

Crucial year for Stasi was 1957 when Erich Mielke was appointed at the head of the service and Markus Wolf, one of the most famous spies on the east side of the Iron Curtain became head of the Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung (HVA - General Reconnaissance Administration). Wolf cemented his name in the history of spy business because he managed to infiltrate a large number of his men in the political life of West Germany, including Günter Guillaume, head of the cabinet of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. When he was instructed that Guillaume works for the communists, Brandt refused to believe it and said that he had his outmost confidence in him. However, when that turned out to be true, in May of 1974 Brandt was forced to resign from his position.

Stasi infiltrated every pore of East Germany’s life, and it was a service that is perhaps the closest to the realization of Orwell's vision in the book "1984." In every building there was at least one tenant who was in charge of monitoring what was happening in the house council. Every suspicious activity was monitored. In the walls of houses small holes were found that the agents of Stasi used for surveillance of their targets. Stasi even had a Division of Garbage Analysis that was responsible for analyzing garbage for any suspect western foods and/or materials. Stasi was probably the most effective and most brutal secret service of the communist regime. Their ideological enemies disappeared like they never had walked on earth. 

Ten years ago, German "Der Spiegel" revealed that one of Stasi’s methods of liquidation was radiation exposure of prisoners in order to cause cancer. One of the recent movies that has very convincingly demonstrated a police state and Stasi’s mechanisms of monitoring and enforcement is Oscar-winning work of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, "The Lives of Others".

From the year of its foundation, the number of Stasi’s informants constantly grew, and it reached its peak during the wave of student protests in 1968. If we take into account all the people who in one way or another worked for the secret police, Stasi is certainly a record holder, because, according to the data that was released by the BBC several years back, at one point every seventh citizen of the GDR worked for them.

After the revolution in 1989, officials and agents of the secret police were desperately trying to destroy records in order to hide traces of their activities. They did not know where to begin with the destruction. Around 130 kilometers of files on paper were destroyed and over 50 kilometers on celluloid strip. They left behind 16 000 bags that contained files torn to pieces.

During the revolution in 1989, demonstrators broke in to the Stasi offices, but, by then, a great number of data from their archives had been destroyed. According to official estimates, about five percent of the files were destroyed. Some ten years later began the reconstruction of those documents and it still lasts. About 45 million pages of paper needs to be reconstructed, and that will cost about $ 30 million. However, the rest of the files that weren’t destroyed were unavailable to public for a long time. Even after unification with West Germany and democratic elections, the liberals from East Germany had to lead a great fight to gain access to those files.

The question arose whether the opening of the files would be an intrusion in the privacy of individuals, and that was a consequence of the fact that those files were an integral part of people's lives. The biggest opposition came from the people of West Germany where they claimed that they did not want to feel the breath of those files.

It was said that with the opening of the secret files, the political freedom that was so heavily gained would be jeopardized, and there was also a fear that the disclosure of the names of informants could provoke massive retaliations. The first and only democratically elected Prime Minister of East Germany, Lothar de Maizière, publicly warned that, if those files are opened, a wave of killings will occur. However, after the opening of the files, not a single case of revenge was recorded. On the contrary, there were cases where people wanted to meet agents who followed them and ran their case.

Stasi was formally disbanded in 1989, on the eve of German reunification. Today there is a joke about why did the most notorious and the most infiltrated secret service so peacefully managed to disappeared. They say that when the demonstrators broke in to the Stasi offices, agents were not allowed to shoot at the crowd – in order to avoid killing someone who was their own.

One spy per 165 people

Between 1950 and 1989, Stasi employed a total of 274,000 people. In its final moments of existence, Stasi had 91,000 full-time employees and 2,000 unofficial collaborators. About 13,000 soldiers and over 2,000 Army officers worked for the service, and it is estimated that there was about 170,000 informants in East Germany and about 1,500 in West Germany. It is recorded that there were also 10,000 juvenile informants. These figures came from official archives that were discovered when Stasi was disbanded.

However, since part of the archive is destroyed, it is estimated that Stasi had as many as 500,000 informants and it is believed that at least at one point about two million people worked for Stasi. Stasi had one agent per 165 people, while KGB had one agent per 580 people and Gestapo, during WWI, one agent per 2000 people.

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Lusty Ram of the Third Reich - Joseph Goebbels

Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945), among the most important tasks that he performed for the Fuhrer, was constantly chasing after women. He wrote everything about it in his diary.

Sex scandals, which are surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, are probably the thing that will be most remembered in the mandate of this politician. This is also the evidence that there was always more interest in the sexual details of some politician’s life than what he did for his country when he was holding his position. This tradition is dating back to ancient Rome and it is still present today.

In many biographies of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, it is written that he was obsessed with sex, even more then he was with planetary conquest. He even had his own team that was in charge of bringing him every day at least on beauty. However, sexual affinities and love affairs of German Nazi chiefs were never quite clear. Hitler preferred to conquer territories instead of women, and that was even confirmed by Mussolini, who, in several occasions, tried to introduce many beauties to Fuhrer. But Fuhrer was not that interested in them so Mussolini eventually gave up on such treats for him. Fuhrer's sexual power was brought into question several times and sometimes Mussolini even suspected that Hitler had affinities for perversions.

Like him, all the other Nazi heads were more described as monsters with ordinary family life then seducers with many love affairs.

However, the book “Joseph Goebbels: Biography” that was published recently uncovered unknown details regarding love life of Hitler’s closest associate. "Evil genius" who developed propaganda to perfection and dark manipulator who organized the burning of books, brutal deaths during Kristallnacht attack, and finally, deportation of millions of Jews to concentration camps and death, was described as lusty person. He even had a nickname The Ram, and, in his diary, he wrote: “Eros awoke. Sentimental period. Bombastic letters, poems. Besides which, love for mature women”.

When he was seven years old, Goebbels had an attack of osteomyelitis which resulted in having his right leg a few centimeters shorter that his left leg. This handicap isolated him from his peers. As he himself admitted, he became a bit eccentric and weird after that. 

At the same time, he was very attached to his mother, whom he described with the following words: “To her I owe everything I accomplished in life.” His mother was a role model through whom Goebbels chose friends, and even the future boss - Adolph Hitler. His attachment to his mother had influence even on his earliest love affinities.  

In accordance with the psychological profile of a person very attached to his mother, Goebbels’ earliest love life was associated with older women. The first love of Hitler's propaganda chief was a stepmother of his school friend. Her name was Theresa and Goebbels described her as a handsome woman, always wearing a freshly washed skirt. His affinity towards older women was continued with falling in love with Mrs. Lennartz, wife of the owner of the factory where his father worked. And when he became completely infatuated with the girlfriend of his older brother Hans, his father became furious.

However, those were all fantasies of platonic genre. He had his first true relationship with Lena who, after a year of a relationship, allowed him to kiss her breasts. Hitler's hellish assistant described the event in his diary: ”The first kiss on Garden Street! At night in the Kaiser Park - I kissed her breast. She experienced for the first time what it was like to be a loving woman.”

Goebbels’ love life continued during his student days in Bonn, where he became deeply in love with Anka Stalherm who was studying economy. She wasn’t physically attracted to Goebbels but he won her with his intellect and persistence – a very strong card he had when it comes to winning a heart of a woman. The young student didn’t spare ink, and he sent regularly to Anka long letters, as well as epics and dramas he wrote. He neither spared his fingers when he played organs in the cathedral for his sympathy. How deeply in love the future Hitler's propaganda chief was, shows and his trip to Munich, just to be with his love. In the center of Bavaria financial difficulties caught on him, and he was forced to pawn his suit and watch at some “cocky Jew”. He was soon faced with end of their relationship because wealthy industrialist's daughter did not like the fact that Joseph was beginning to turn to the left and writing plays about the struggle of workers. He often said about himself: "I am a German communist," and in his diary he wrote: “Anka walked out on me. And my entire relationship to women has suffered ever since.” However, he didn’t forgot her and he sent her letters even ten years after they stop seeing each other. He stopped when Anka’s husband began to threaten him. Joseph’s great love outlived him. She died of cancer in 1955.

Soon came new loves but also and growing anti-Semitism. When his teacher Else Janke revealed to him that her mother is Jewish, Goebbels lost interest in her. He wrote in his diary: “She told me her roots. Since then her charms were destroyed for me.” At the same time, his left-wing beliefs were starting to lose battle against dreams of dictatorship: "Ninety percent of people are worthless and only 10 percent are worthy. That is why those 10 percent should rule over the rest. "

When he met Hitler in 1925, he was completely mesmerized. He described the future dictator as "a man who has everything it takes to be a king." Later, Hitler awarded him with high political position.  His fascination with women continued.  From many young female members of national socialist party, he picked the most beautiful ones and took them to nightclubs and movie theaters. He also despised Hollywood movies, which he described as "Jewish kitsch."

Then, a blonde named Magda walked into Goebbels life. When she joined the national socialist party she was captivated with Hitler, but Hitler matched her with Joseph. Goebbels wrote in his diary: "Hitler loved Magda, but he left her to me. With tears in his eyes, he told me to be happy and to remain a good friend. "

Although he was infatuated with his wife, Goebbels couldn’t resist chasing other women. When he fell in love with Czech actress  Lida Baarova, because of which he wanted to divorce from his wife,  Magda asked of Hitler to help, and he resolved their  marital crisis.

Joseph and Magda had six children whose names all began with the H, because of Hitler of course. The couple Goebbels killed their children and committed suicide just after Hitler and Eva Braun did it. Later, Red Army found their bodies, burned them and thrown the ashes in to the river Elbe.

Horrified with the stories that he was gay

In spite of so many girls around him, rumors were circulating from time to time that the wicked Nazi propaganda chief was gay, and that was the reason he didn’t had a permanent partner. These rumors have horrified him. “It’s all so dirty. It must be expunged, radically and ruthlessly!” – he wrote about homosexuality when he discovered that several Nazi chiefs preferred men.

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Coca-Cola's brief political history

This year marks 125 years since John Pemberton invented carbonated soft drink – Coca-Cola – “cure for nerve trouble, dyspepsia, mental and physical exhaustion, gastric irritability, wasting diseases, constipation, headache, neurasthenia and impotence”. But Coca-Cola was not only a cure, it was also the source of headache and hysteria in the political waters.

The only Coca-Cola that was colorless was created after World War II - for political reasons. It was produced in limited quantities, by special order, for a Russian Marshal Georgi Zhukov, who tried Coca-Cola during his negotiations about dividing Germany with the commander of allied forces in Europe, U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower. This Coca-Cola was packed in cylindrical bottles that had a red star as a label instead of Coca-Cola’s recognizable logo.

Zhukov really liked this drink, but since the relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union began to tighten, it was inconvenient for him to be seen with an American drink in his hands. That is why, on Zhukov’s request, and with the approval of U.S. President Harry Truman, Coca-Cola Company manufactured colorless Coke and packed it so that it looked like vodka. 

Last year, Coca-Cola Company celebrated its 100 birthday, and this year they will celebrate 125 years since John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola. 

In the beginning, Coca-Cola was advertised as “Delicious. Refreshing. Exhilarating. Invigorating” drink and also as a cure for nerve trouble, dyspepsia, mental and physical exhaustion, gastric irritability, wasting diseases, constipation, headache, neurasthenia and impotence. By often following U.S. foreign policy, rarely acting in conflict with American interests, and eventually becoming the symbol of globalization, in the past decades Coca-Cola was also and a source of headaches and hysteria in the (international) political waters.

During World War II, a special group of Coca-Cola employees called “Technical Observers” was among U.S. army soldiers. These Technical Observers supervised the shipment and operation of 64 complete bottling plants that distributed nearly 10 billion bottles of Coca-Cola to servicemen and women.

Military personnel who worked in Coca-Cola military plants became just as important as mechanics who worked on the maintenance of aircraft and tanks. And thanks to its popularity, along with lobbying in the army with the statement that this drink was a key product in the war, in 1942 Coca-Cola Company managed to get an exemption from sugar rationing.

A company that at all times sought to show how much symbolic power its drinks has on U.S. troops, also functioned and on the opposing side, in Germany, where before the war this drink was very popular. One of the Nazi statements was that “America never contributed anything to world civilization but chewing gum and Coca-Cola”.

Some publicists have stated that Coca-Cola Company had controversial relations with Germany, before and during World War II: during the war, Coca-Cola branches didn’t stopped working in Germany, but they weren’t able to import the necessary raw materials in the country. Publicist Mark Pendergrast wrote that several top executives from Coca-Cola branch in Germany were in fact members of the Nazi Party, and there are also records that this company sold millions of bottles to Hitler's Germany.

This obscure and not completely explored part of Coca-Cola history was not an obstacle for this product name to become linked not only to America but to key values of Western countries, such as "every kind of freedom, democracy and free market capitalist”, during the Cold War period. Parallel to that, Coca-Cola was expanding in the world, and the American political influence was strengthening. 

In the early fifties, those who were opposed to American influence marked Coca-Cola as an American cultural weapon.  In relation to this, in France was created a term “coca-colonization” - It was used by leftists who fought against opening of factories for bottling Coca-Cola drink. They even tried to prove that Coca-Cola is poisonous. The former president of the Coca-Cola Company, Robert Woodruff, stated that leftist’s hostility towards Coca-Cola comes from the fact that Coca-Cola is the very “essence of capitalism”.

Despite the logic of capitalism, and in the name of protecting the interests of U.S. foreign policy, until the nineties Coca-Cola was practically not present in the Eastern European market. The first opportunity for Coca Cola to install facilities in Russia, in mid-sixties, was not used because the only possible partner was a communist government (there were no private firms in Russia during that regime). For Coca-Cola, that probably wasn’t a problem, but it was for the U.S. government. In that period, U.S. Army was in war with Vietnam, and if Coca-Cola started working in Russia, they would have financed the communist side, American public enemy number one. 

To this day, connection between Coca-Cola and American values brings damage to the Coca-Cola Company in the Middle East.  There, in mid-sixties, Coca-Cola was accused of anti-Semitism and in the following decades it has become a symbol of "American occupying" and "anti-Muslim” policy. Some internet sites claim that Coca Cola, read from right to left, in Arabic language means "No Muhammad, no Mecca". Boycott of Coca-Cola is also elaborated with claims that by buying a bottle of Coca-Cola tenth of its price goes to the largest Arabian enemy, Israel.

In 1966, Coca Cola was accused of avoiding working in Israel, in order to protect sales of its products in the Arabian world. Things started to get complicated when, because of these accusations, Jewish organizations in America begun to boycott Coca-Cola. The company eventually allowed the construction of a bottling plant in Israel, in 1968, but that again caused boycott similar to that of Arabian League, which ended in the early eighties.

With that, Coca Cola found itself again on the course of U.S. foreign policy.  Respond to this was creation of authentic Arabian Colas such as Mecca Cola. Recently, the Iranian Minister of Industries, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, renewed the idea of boycotting Coca-Cola, because it is a "Zionist product”.

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A heart of stone – Joseph Stalin

During World War II, the Nazis imprisoned many members of the Red Army. On the other side, the Soviets have also captured many German soldiers. 

However, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878-1953), Soviet President and General Secretary of the Communist Party, refused to exchange prisoners with the Germans.

The Germans were surprised with Stalin's decision since, among the captives, was his son Yakov.

Yakov eventually died in a Nazi camp.

Stalin's second son, Vasiliy, died of alcoholism in 1962.

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Letter of recommendation – Giacomo Meyerbeer

In 1839, a young German composer went to Paris in search of glory.

In Paris he met a prominent musician Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) who kindly received him and patiently listened to all of his compositions. After that, Meyerbeer wrote a letter of recommendation to the Director of the Paris Opera.

In the letter, which was found many years later, Meyerbeer wrote: "Please take this imbecile off my hands!"

And do you know who was this so-called “imbecile”?

Richard Wagner, the famous German composer.

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Tempest! – Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), famous German composer, was asked once why is his Sonata Op.31 No.2 in D minor named "The Tempest Sonata ".

Beethoven, who was known as closed and unfriendly man, replied:

- You want to know why is this is sonata called "The Tempest "? Then read attentively Shakespeare’s Tempest!

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My Name Is Otto – Otto von Bismarck

German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was known as restrained man who was strict when it comes to rules of conduct.  Because of that, it was hard for someone to conclude friendship with him.

Once, the Chancellor hosted a formal dinner. Next to him at the table sat a certain American woman, loud and direct and, in Bismarck's view, almost uncivil.

At the beginning of dinner, when an appetizer was served, an American addressed Chancellor according to rules of conduct. She addressed him with "Your Highness". But as soon as they brought the main course, this lady addressed him with "Dear Chancellor". When they brought the cake, this friendly woman already talked to the chancellor like with an old friend, nudging him and saying, "My dear sir."

Finally, the German chancellor stood up, bowed and said to an American woman:

"Before you continue chatting, I want to say just one thing. My name is Otto”

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Criterion: Ludwig van Beethoven!

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), German composer, fired his house cleaner, without thinking twice, when he learned that she had lied to him.

A friend who recommended this maid, tried to persuade the composer that he is making a big mistake and that that woman was fair and worthy, and that she did not lie to him with the intention to harm him.

 

 

-He who lies does not have a pure heart - Beethoven explained to his friend. -And he, who does not have a pure heart, cannot make a pure soup!

Otherwise, Beethoven's diary was full of notes about cooks who fled from his home like a devil from a cross ...

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Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part Three: Noble Blood)

While the nobility is, as a social status and class, everywhere in Europe long ago abolished, the descendants of noble families still exist and use their old titles.

It is calculated that in Germany there are 40,000 people who belong to noble families. It is interesting that in Germany all noble families are shared on ancient nobility (the ones whose noble families existed before 1400) and the new nobility (created after 1400). These families are also shared as high nobility (the ones who had their place in the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire) and the lower nobility.

It should be stressed, however, that noble families are not in any way, special and separate part of the population. Modern studies have "democratized" genealogy, in the sense that it showed that, when looking at a long period of time (several tens of generations), the nobility is practically closely related to other populations and that the notion of "noble blood" is only myth, invented to impose and maintain class and social differences. During the Middle Ages, in some countries, many younger branches of the royal family have melted into the middle nobility, and often in the coming generations because of impoverishment they connected their selves through marriage to wealthier civil families. The process was also and reversed.

The difference between the nobles and the others is just the fact that only the family of nobles was able to preserve records of their ancestors (but only selected ones) for a longer time period, so that their genealogies are the only ones available and they can keep track of the change of generations throughout the centuries.


To return to Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part One: From Cesar to Emperor), click HERE.

To return to Who is a nobleman in Europe? (Part Two: Seven Modern Kingdoms), click HERE.

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Fourth Crusade - Twilight of Byzantium (Part two: The Beginning of The End)

The first ruler from Angel family, Isaac Angel, became Emperor in the year of 1185 almost by accident, by rescuing his bare life in the city rebellion against the Emperor Andronicus I Comnenus. After coming on the throne he lived in the magnificent castle that was built on one of the islands in the Marmora Sea. He was surrounded with mistresses and buffoons who he received at the same time as the royal princess. Diseases of old Byzantine state, which were hidden in the era of the former Comnenus dynasty, emerged on the surface. Selling of positions, bribery and blackmail from tax collectors have become an everyday occurrence. For Emperor Isaac II was said that he is selling clerical positions like a vegetables in the market. However, Isaac II showed at least some effort to improve the position of Byzantium in foreign affairs, and has led several war campaigns against the Bulgarians and Serbs. Although in 1190, in the fierce battle, he defeated the army of the Great Zupan Stefan Nemanja, in the end he returned to Stefan most of the conquered land that he possessed earlier. As a special proof of his peaceful intentions, the Emperor married his niece Evdokia with Nemanja’s middle son Stefan (the Crowned).

During one of the following campaigns, in 1195 against the Bulgarians, the Emperor was, while he was hunting, victim of a conspiracy behind which was standing his older brother, Alexius (Evdokia’s father). Isaac was captured and blinded, and thrown into prison along with his young son, Alexis.

But during the eight years of ruling of Alexius III, the situation in the Kingdom worsened, and its fall was more visible. Alexius III was a typical product of this declining era. Utter love for power was merged inside of him with cowardly weakness. This ruthless man is remembered, among other things, for blinding two Emperors – his rivals - one of which was his brother and the other his son-in-law. Alexius spent his days amused only with his satisfactions on which he extravagantly spent the money from the state treasury.

The enemies of the Empire weren’t at rest. Alexius III was particularly harassed by his imperial opponent from the west, the German Emperor Henry VI (son of Frederick Barbarossa) who, as the husband of Norman Princess, demanded possessions in the Balkans between Durazzo and Salonica. In May 1197, Henry married his brother Philip of Swabia with daughter of the overthrown Emperor Isaac II, Irene, which acquired him the right to fight for the throne in Constantinople by presenting himself as sponsor and avenger of Isaac’s family against the usurper Alexius III.

Scared Alexius agreed to pay huge tribute to German emperor. A special “Alemanic tax” was imposed, but a huge sum could not be collected. That is why Alexius III, in desperation, ordered that even the jewelry from the imperial tombs in the church of the Holy Apostles is collected in order to appease his superior opponent. The Emperor found unexpected support in the Roman Pope Innocent III, who opposed the attack on the Byzantine Empire, fearing the excessive strengthening of his rival - the German Emperor. But before the attacks occurred, fate has helped Alexius: in September 1197 the Emperor Henry VI suddenly died during his campaign in Sicily and the western empire soon collapsed. Emperor Alexius III was then at peace. But, not for long.

Evident weakness of the Byzantine Empire around 1200 aroused thoughts of its conquering. Not only one leader of the Crusade was tempted with thought of immeasurable riches that were hidden behind the walls of Constantinople. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Serbian Zupan Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade, in Nis, in 1189, have already forged plans for an attack on Byzantium. It took several decades of bad government in Constantinople, several incompetent leaders, a group of brave crusader leaders and a high style insolent plotter (Venetian Doge Dandolo) that inevitably occur. A decisive strike against the Byzantine Empire was in preparation.


To read Part one: Angels of Vanity, click HERE.

To read Part three: Crusader Galleys Under Constantinople, click HERE.

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Top 9 destinations in 2010

South Africa invites you with the World Cup - Businessmen will visit World Expo in Shanghai -  México, besides fabulous beaches, is celebrating two spectacular jubilees this year…

South Africa

South Africa will be particularly interesting to visit this year because the World Cup which will take place there, from June 11 to July 11th. Although the main attraction will most definitely be spectacular football, the visitors will also have the chance to visit many interesting places in the south of the African continent. The capital of South Africa, Cape Town, is attraction itself. Many sites of this fabulous town are like from some sci-fi universe – incredible shape of Table Mountain, beautiful beaches, astonishing vineyards, wild landscape and rare seen plants and animals. Those who will follow their national teams during match games will most definitely enjoy and the remaining riches from all parts of this hot African country.   

Shanghai

Shanghai’s preparations for the event of global importance, World EXPO, have begun long time ago. And this event has already begun, on May, 1. Since this event will be taking place all the way until October 31 it will most definitely be interesting destination for businessmen. Some predictions indicate that about 70 million people will visit this “urban future window” event. Otherwise, this Chinese city is also being called and “The Paris of the East”, a city where you can get rich really fast, a place where all gain is disputable and a place where many riches have been lost because of a wrong number on a roulette. This is also a place where many adventurers live, cheats, gamblers, dillers, taikuns, missionaries, gangsters and street macros.

Istanbul

Turkey will most definitely be in the centre of attention in 2010. Istanbul is chosen as a European Capital of Culture this year, and thanks to that all kind of manifestations will be held there. Of course, this will only be a supplement to already rich Turkish culture. This country never lacked tourists who enjoyed in Turkish cultural heritage, beaches and attractive and affordable hotels. Although recession had impact on most of the countries, it seems that it avoided Turkey, at least when we talk about tourists.

Mexico

This year Mexico is celebrating two important jubilees and the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, announced them as two spectacles. In 2010, the Mexicans are celebrating 200 years of independence from Spain and 100 years since the revolution when the dictator Porfirio Diaz was overthrown. The first celebration will be held on September 15, and the second one on November, 20. Besides that, the exotic beaches of Cancun are not to be forgotten. The government of Mexico has invested around 75 million dollars in a campaign with the goal to lure back tourists after the Mexican flue.

Dubai

This year Dubai will probably invest a lot of effort to promote their new miracle – the tallest building in the world, which is now a part of a new urban masterpiece of Dubai called Downtown Dubai. A lot of people will probably want to see this steel-glass miracle which is more than 200 meters high. Among many things inside of this complex most notably are seven stars hotel, a swimming pool on 76 and scene-sight on 124’s floor. Experts are predicting favorable arrangements due to fact that this country has went bankrupt.  On the other hand, in spite of crisis, all apartments are already sold.

Portugal

Although it was once a great naval force, Portugal today is a place where two different worlds meet. For goody goody’s it’s a country of great tradition, of Christian saints festivals at which ox rigs are rolling down the streets covered with flowers, and the old vineyards that are giving life to medieval villages during annual vintage. At the same time, in other parts of the country, something entirely different is happening. Historical city centers, from which the youth has escaped a long time ago, are gradually resurrecting. In once half-ruined buildings, trendy boutiques have arisen, art galleries and coffee bars, and urban life is gaining it’s old grandeur.

El Salvador

Currently one of the most interesting countries in the world, El Salvador fascinates with socialistic coffee bars, war monuments and museums, and with paths through forests with luxuriance vegetation. Travelers tend to skip visiting El Salvador and go to more popular countries like Guatemala and Costa Rica, and that is partly due to frightening stories of a civil war and violence between gangs. Meanwhile, the war ended 20 years ago, and crime, although still on a high level, is playing mainly among rival gangs, so the tourists are almost never victims of these factors.

Germany

They say that Germany was forced to change more often then Maradona, but for those who love continental vacation, it’s a right place to come. 20 years after the last transformation, Germany is still a country where you can witness a history of rising. As a tribute to that, in Hamburg you can see how a whole square has arisen from a ruined port from 19th century, while Dresden is dominated with dome from a famous church, Frauenkirche. And not to forget, Berlin is astonishing as always.


Malaysia

Malaysia is often described as a gentle variation of her fierce neighbors Thailand and Indonesia. That is correct – Malaysia is suffering from less natural catastrophes, and there are no public strikes. The roads don’t have many wholes, buses and trains have air-condition, and a cultural offerings are among most fascinating in the south-east Asia. Besides that, flights from Europe are cheaper, and euro is fairly strong in compare to the local currency, which could provide some serious savings.

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