Valariesblog

  EARLY LIFE Genghis Khan, whose birth name was Temujin was born in the year 1162 in Khentii mountains (Present day between Mongolia and Siberia). His father, Yesugei had kidnapped his mother, Hoelun and forced her into marriage. At that time, dozens of nomadic tribes on the central Asian steppe were constantly fighting and stealing from each other, and life for Temujin was violent and unpredictable. Before he turned 10, his father was poisoned to death by an enemy clan. Temujin’s own clan then deserted him, his mother and his six siblings in order to avoid having to feed them. Shortly thereafter, Temujin killed his older half-brother and took over as head of the poverty-stricken household. At one point, he was captured and enslaved by the clan that had abandoned him, but he was eventually able to escape. In 1178 Temujin married Borte, with whom he would have four sons and an unknown number of daughters. He launched a daring rescue of Borte after she too was kidnapped, and he s...

  In 1902, under Caliph Abderrahman Dan Abi Bakar, the British led by Lord Frederick Lugard took advantage of the disagreement between Emirs in the south of the Caliphate. The Emirs were pitted against themselves and this prevented them from having any defense against the British troops. The last Caliph, Attahiru 1, came to the throne after the death of Abderrahman Dan Abi Bakar on the 13th of October, 1902. Due to the disagreement in the south of the Caliphate, the British were able to take over parts of the Caliphate and were now ready to launch a full scale attack on the capital (Sokoto). On seeing this, Attahiru 1 put together a quick defence and was ready to fight off the British, but unfortunately, the British who had superior fire power prevailed. Upon the defeat, Attahiru I and many of his followers fled the capital (Sokoto) on what Attahiru I described as "hijra" to await "Mahdi". On March 13th 1903, the Caliphate conceded to the British. Lord Lugard abol...

  EARLY LIFE He was born in the forest village of Gryn in the Kaluga region of the Soviet Union. The details surrounding his birth were not preserved. In 1942, German soldiers launched an attack on Gryn killing both fighters and civilians. Sergei's 10 year old brother, Petya was hanged while his mother was shot. He escaped through a window with the help of a neighbour. He became a young boy lost in the forest all alone, he survived on wild fruits and rain water. There was incident when he encountered German soldiers and his only refuge was a tree that had snakes on it, but he preferred the tree. In August of that year, he was found by a reconnaissance group of the 142nd Guards Rifle Regiment. The red army decided to keep him and they brought him to the staff dogout. Because of his age, he was made a pupil of the 142nd Guards Infantry Regiment and the 47th Guards Rifle Division. The Major Mikhail Vorobyov grew fond of him and decided to adopt him. He was a messenger and during comba...

  PUNITIVE EXPEDITION Following the Benin Massacre in which only two British officials survived, Rear admiral Harry Rawson, commander of the Royal Navy Forces at the Cape of Goof Hope and West Coast of Africa Station was appointed by the admiralty to lead a force to invade the kingdom of Benin and capture the Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi on the 12th of January, 1897. The operation was called the "Benin Punitive Expedition". The Punitive Expedition started on the 9th of February,1897, the British military strength was about 1200 men. After the capture, the ceremonial buildings, monuments and houses of high ranking chiefs were looted and burned. Inside the palace, the Oba in panic embarked on mass human sacrifice in order to stave of full disaster, the palace was burnt although the British claimed it was a mistake. OBA OVONRAMWEN NOGBAISI Picture of Oba Ovonramwen The Oba (Ovonramwen) was eventually captured by the British Consul-general Ralph Moor. He was deposed and exiled...

  Background At the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Benin had managed to retain its independence and the Oba exercised a monopoly over trade which did not sit well with the British. The territory was coveted by an influential group of investors for its rich natural resources such as palm-oil, rubber and ivory. The kingdom was largely independent of British control, and pressure continued from figures such as Vice-Consul James Robert Phillips and Captain Gallwey (the British vice-Consul of Oil Rivers Protectorate) who were pushing for British annexation of the Benin Empire and the removal of the Oba. In March 1892, Henry Gallwey, the British Vice-Consul of Oil Rivers Protectorate (later Niger Coast Protectorate), visited Benin City hoping to annex Benin Kingdom and make it a British protectorate. Although the King of Benin, Omo n’Oba (Ovonramwen), was sceptical of the British motives he was willing to endorse what he believed was a friendship and trade agreement. The tre...