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"Leila Williams (born 1937) is a former British beauty queen and television presenter. She was one of the original presenters of Blue Peter, working on the programme from 1958 to 1962. Career In 1957 Williams won the Miss Great Britain title. The following year she became the first female Blue Peter presenter, co-presenting with Christopher Trace. Williams left Blue Peter at the start of 1962, after being made redundant by Clive Parkhurst, a newly appointed producer, with whom she did not get on. Williams recalled "he could not find anything for me to do", and in October, Williams did not appear for six editions, and was eventually fired, leaving Christopher Trace on his own or with one-off presenters. Parkhurst was replaced by John Furness. She went on to play small parts in the films Watch Your Stern, Marriage of Convenience and The Beauty Jungle, and returned to Blue Peter for the show's 20th anniversary in 1978 and subsequently the 40th anniversary in 1998 and the 60th in 2018. Personal life Williams married Fred Mudd, lead singer of the popular music group The Mudlarks, and in the early to mid-1960s had their only child Debra. Whilst the Mudlarks were touring in the early 1970s, she worked as an assistant manager at a Dorothy Perkins clothing store in Harrow. The couple then ran public houses in Kingston-upon-Thames and Surbiton for many years before retiring to Spain. Fred Mudd died there in 2007. References Notes Bibliography * External links * Category:Blue Peter presenters Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:People from Walsall Category:English television presenters Category:English beauty pageant winners "
"The Royal Frankish Annals (Latin: Annales regni Francorum; also Annales Laurissenses maiores and German: Reichsannalen) are Latin annals composed in Carolingian Francia, recording year-by-year the state of the monarchy from 741 (the death of Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel) to 829 (the beginning of the crisis of Louis the Pious). Their authorship is unknown, though Wilhelm von Giesebrecht suggested that Arno of Salzburg was the author of an early section of the Annales Laurissenses majores surviving in the copy at Lorsch Abbey. The Annals are believed to have been composed in successive sections by different authors, and then compiled.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 5 The depth of knowledge regarding court affairs suggests that the annals were written by persons close to the king, and their initial reluctance to comment on Frankish defeats betrays an official design for use as Carolingian propaganda.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 4 Though the information contained within is heavily influenced by authorial intent in favor of the Franks, the annals remain a crucial source on the political and military history of the reign of Charlemagne. Copies of the annals can be categorized into five classes, based on additions and revisions to the text.Kurze “Praefatio” Annales Regni Francorum p. viii The chronicles were continued and incorporated in the West Frankish Annales Bertiniani and in the East Frankish Annales Fuldenses and Annales Xantenses. Content Pépin the Short by Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz. The annals give a brief individual description of events for each year (a few omitted), with a focus on the actions of the Carolingian monarchy, beginning with the account of Pepin the Short's ascension through the dethronement of the Merovingian king Childeric III. The annalists pay particular attention to the military campaigns of the Carolingian kings, justifying their actions in terms of a grand narrative of Carolingian peacekeeping and conquest in the name of expanding the Christian faith. The overthrow of the Merovingians is also portrayed in such a way as to legitimize the transfer of royal power between dynasties, emphasizing Carolingian adherence to Frankish traditions and the approval of Pope Zacharias in the matter.McKitterick “The Illusion of Royal Power” English Historical Review p. 17 Of the three kings—Pepin, Charlemagne, and Louis—Charlemagne's military chronicles are the most detailed, covering his victories against the Saxons, Bretons, and other peoples. The account of Charlemagne's campaign against the Saxons is also notable as one of the few extant references to the Irminsul, an important if enigmatic part of the Germanic paganism practiced by the Saxons at the time. Its destruction is a major point in the annals, written to continue a jingoistic theme of Frankish triumphs against the “un-Frankish” and unchristian barbarian. The unrevised text neglects to mention defeats suffered by Charlemagne, such as the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 (later dramatized in the Song of Roland) and the Battle of Süntel in 782.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 8 The Battle of Süntel is portrayed in the annals as a victory, as opposed to a crushing Frankish defeat at the hands of the Saxons. The 792 conspiracy of Pepin the Hunchback against Charlemagne is also omitted, along with any reference to potential misconduct on Charlemagne's part. The revised text, however, incorporates these events while maintaining a positive tone towards the emperor, presented as a peerless leader in battle. Attigny in 822. Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious, is rarely shown engaging in battle by the annalists, but rather directs others to do so, or negotiates for peace. The contrast between Louis and his father and grandfather is clear. While the past kings were unshakeable figures, depicted as the better of their foes even in defeat by the revised edition, the annalists’ Louis is a smaller man who invests the power of the military in others, not unlike the annals’ earlier depiction of the Merovingian kings.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 8 Miracles aid Charlemagne and his men, and the grace of God leads him to victory; mostly ill portents surround Louis, such as an omen in the stars supposedly foretelling his army's defeat at the hands of Count Aizo, and the sudden collapse of a wooden arcade atop him in 817. Such references to striking natural phenomena, strange happenings, and miracles become increasingly common in the annal entries for the 9th century. In addition to astronomical oddities, such as eclipses, the supernatural begins to enter the account, set against almost ritualistic yearly notices of the regular passages of Christmas and Easter. Nearly two-dozen villages are reported to have been destroyed by heavenly fire in 823, while at the same time an unnamed girl is said to have begun a three-year fast. Scholz regards this preoccupation as a reflection of a belief in a divine will and control of history.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 9 Many of the worse omens also parallel growing dissatisfaction with Louis the Pious, which immediately after the end of the annals spilled into civil war between him and his sons. Divine intervention through the relics of saints play an important role as well, with mention of Hilduin's translation of the relics of St. Sebastian to the Abbey of St. Medard, and Einhard's transport of the relics of SS. Marcellinus and Peter into Francia.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles pp. 16-17 A more detailed account of Einhard's procurement of the relics exists in his Translation and Miracles of Marcellinus and Peter. Additionally, the annals provide the only attestation to the existence of Charlemagne's personal elephant Abul-Abbas, aside from a mention by Einhard drawn from the annals. The gift of the elephant to Charlemagne, amongst other treasures, by Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid is evidence of the attempts to form an Abbasid- Carolingian alliance at the time, which the annals document loosely.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles pp. 16-17 Classification The annals survive in multiple versions, widely distributed across the Frankish empire, though none of these are original copies.McKitterick “The Illusion of Royal Power” English Historical Review p. 8 Each version is marked with distinguishing features, and based on these features, Friedrich Kurze formulated five classes for the categorization of these texts.Kurze “Praefatio” Annales Regni Francorum p. viii This system still remains in use. The five classes of texts are lettered A through D, with an additional E class for the revised text. They are as follow: =Class A= Class A texts end at the year 788, and are reflected in one of the earliest modern printings of the annals, that of Heinrich Canisius's Francicorum Annalium fragmentum. Canisius also includes the years up to 793 in his printing, however, and Rosamond McKitterick speculates that the manuscript originally ran to that date.McKitterick Charlemagne p. 34 These manuscripts are now lost. =Class B= Class B texts go to, at the latest, 813. Kurze notes that one of these was used by Regino of Prüm in his Chronicon.Kurze “Praefatio” Annales Regni Francorum p. ix =Class C= Class C texts are complete through 829. These contain various additions not found in the previous two classes, and Kurze divides them based on what other texts are found in their codices, such as the Liber historiae Francorum. =Class D= Class D texts are derived from a complete copy, though McKitterick points out that the derivatives are often not complete themselves.McKitterick Charlemagne p. 36 These also contain insertions not found in the other classes, including mention of Pepin the Hunchback. The revised texts are based on a Class D manuscript. =Class E= Class E comprises the revised editions of the annals, and are by far the most numerous. These are often found paired with Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni, and it is partially from this that they are sometimes believed to have been written by him as well, and thus called the Annales qui dicuntur Einhardi (English: Annals which are said to be of Einhard).Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 7 The revised editions correct the Latin of the originals and elaborate on many of the earlier entries, which were written by a terse hand in their unedited states. The major edits go up to 801, with minor stylistic changes through 812. Authorship "The destruction of Irminsul by Charlemagne" (1882) by Heinrich Leutemann. Though the number of sections into which the annals should be divided is debated, they undoubtedly were written in at least four stages, corresponding roughly to the entries for 741-795, 796-807, 808-819, and 820-829.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 5McKitterick Charlemagne p. 33 Additionally, an unknown editor produced the revised text at some point during the third stage. The identities of any of the authors save that of the fourth section are unknown, but production by a group of clerics associated with the Carolingian court is likely.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 6 =The First Section (741-795)= Between the years 741 and 768, the annals overlap with the continuations of the Chronicle of Fredegar. On account of this, scholars such as Scholz have suggested that the annals are based on the continuation of Fredegar up to 768, and then on minor annals up to some point between 787 and 793.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 5 McKitterick, however, contends that the continuation of Fredegar and the minor annals are more likely based upon the Annales regni Francorum, which is the most ordered and precise of them.McKitterick History and Memory p. 100 Neither argument considers these entries to be contemporaneous with the events described. The manner of reporting for these years is typically terse, though they include the convention of mentioning Easter and Christmas, which continues throughout the annals. The author of this section is unknown. Scholz posits the work of multiple authors in the royal chapel.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 6 The year 795 is not definitive as the date of authorial change, but it is the latest of those suggested. =The Second Section (796-807)= Unlike the first section, these entries were written contemporaneously and with greater depth. Considering this and the fact that the subject matter remains fixed on the actions of Charlemagne, composition by members of the royal chapel again seems likely, as few other groups would have had access to the same information. However, the identities of these authors remains unknown. =The Third Section (808-819)= This section, as well as the fourth, are also both contemporaneous accounts. Scholz notes an increased eloquence in the language employed from here on.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 6 At this time, the editor of the revised edition also began his work on the earlier entries, bringing the Latin up to a similar level as the new entries and adding lengthy passages where detail was lacking, again in the style of the later years. For this reason, the editor is believed to have belonged to or been affiliated with this third group of authors. =The Fourth Section (809-829)= This section ends abruptly after the events of 829, and for this reason has been associated with Hilduin of St. Denis.Monod “Hilduin” Melanges p. 65 The case for his authorship is founded on Hilduin's involvement in the first civil war between Louis and his sons in 830.McKitterick Charlemagne p. 47 In that year, he left the emperor's service to join the sons’ uprising and was subsequently banished, which would account for the termination of the annals. His increasing distaste for Louis would also correspond with the veiled negativity towards the emperor which surfaces in the later entries of the annal, in the form of faint praise and the recording of omens and disasters. Additionally, the entry for 826 mentions Hilduin's translation of relics, and is followed in 827 by Einhard's translation. The inclusion of these somewhat obscure events, both of which Hilduin was involved with, would be explained by his authorship of the section. =The Revised Text= An illustration of Einhard, to whom the revised text is often ascribed. The revised text is believed to have been edited after Charlemagne's death in 814 but prior to Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni, which references the revisions, written in 833 at the latest.McKitterick History and Memory p. 30 It covers the years 741 through 812, variously adding detail and modifying style.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 7 Leopold von Ranke put forth Einhard as the editor, an association which has carried with the revised annals in references to the Annales qui dicuntur Einhardi.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 7 However, while no other names have been suggested for the editor, the case for Einhard cannot be argued definitively either.Scholz “Introduction” Carolingian Chronicles p. 7 Legacy Three major annals take up the work of the Annales regni Francorum after 829: the Annales Bertiniani, the Annales Fuldenses, and the Annales Xantenses. The Annales Bertiniani concern the West Frankish Kingdom from 830 to 882, serving as a direct unofficial continuation. The Annales Fuldenses use the Annales regni Francorum as a basis up to the year 829, and then continue on their own until 901, documenting the East Frankish Kingdom. The Annales Xantenses run from 832 to 873 and are largely independent from the other two continuations. See also * Reichsannalen Text Sources =Latin= * Heinrich Canisius’s Francicorum Annalium fragmentum in Antiquae Lectiones, Book III (Class A) * The Annales regni Francorum at The Latin Library (Class C) * The Annales regni Francorum in Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi from Monumenta Germaniae Historica, with preface and classifications by Friedrich Kurze (Composite) =English= * Scholz, B. (1972). Carolingian chronicles: Royal Frankish annals and Nithard's Histories, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, (Composite with annotations) * King, P.D. (1987). Charlemagne: Translated Sources, Lambrigg, Kendal, Cumbria: P.D. King, Citations References *Boyd, Kelly, ed. Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writers (Rutledge, 1999) 1:35-36 * McKitterick, R. (2008). Charlemagne. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, * McKitterick, R. (2004). History and Memory in the Carolingian World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, * McKitterick, R. (2000). “The Illusion of Royal Power in the Carolingian Annals”, The English Historical Review 115(460), pp. 1–20. Oxford: Oxford University Press. * Scholz, B. (1972). Carolingian chronicles: Royal Frankish annals and Nithard's Histories. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, * External links * Complete text in latin. Category:8th-century history books Category:9th-century history books Category:Carolingian historiography Category:Sources on Germanic paganism Category:8th-century Latin books Category:9th-century Latin books Category:Works of unknown authorship Category:8th-century Latin writers Category:8th-century Frankish writers "
"The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest of Europe (at the time of its inauguration, it was - with its area of 7730 sqm. - the third largest opera house in Europe after the Palais Garnier in Paris, and the K. K. Hof-Opernhaus in Vienna),http://www.teatromassimo.it/il- teatro/storia.html renowned for its perfect acoustics. Construction and opening An international competition for the creation of the opera house was announced by the Palermo Council in 1864 at the instigation of the mayor, Antonio Starrabba di Rudinì. For many years there had been talk of building a large new theatre in Palermo, worthy of the second biggest city in southern Italy (after Naples) and designed to promote the image of the city following the unification of Italy in 1861. Bust of Giuseppe Verdi outside of the Teatro Massimo The opera house was designed, and overseen by the Italian architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile, who was well known in Sicily for his previous cathedral restoration design in the city of Acireale, as well as garden and villa designs in the city of Palermo and Caltagirone. Following G. B. F. Basile's death in 1891, construction was then overseen by his son, Architect Ernesto Basile. The Rutelli and Machì Company, represented by Giovanni Rutelli and Alberto Machì (both founding members of the company) was contracted for the main construction of the theatre which, under Architect Giovanni Rutelli's technical and building direction, went from the foundations all the way up to the theatre's attic structures. He was also responsible for all the external decorations of the building. Rutelli initially designed a steam tower crane machine which was then successfully able to lift large stone blocks and Greek/Roman styled columns during construction of the very large theatre. Giovanni Rutelli belongs to a very old and renowned Italian family of confirmed British Isles origin, a family which also includes architects and sculptor artists from the old Sicilian classic and baroque school as well as building contractors, all entrepreneurs going back to the first half of the 18th century in Palermo. Along with Architect D. Mario Rutelli (Giovanni's great-grandfather), they were considered to be among the most technically and artistically specialized experts in Sicily at that time, especially because of Mario Rutelli and his descendants' profound knowledge and experience in Ancient Greek/Roman architecture, as well as the Norman architectural style. This style required the use of natural thick stone, all of which was part of the structural design. The two very large bronze statues of lions sitting next to the theatre's monumental stairway entrance were created by Giovanni Rutelli's son, sculptor artist Sir Mario Rutelli and Benedetto Civiletti. Construction started on 12 January 1874, but was stopped for eight years from 1882 until 1890. Finally, on 16 May 1897, twenty-two years after the laying of the foundation stone, the fourth largest opera house in Europe at the time — after the Royal Opera House in London, the Palais Garnier in Paris, and the K. K. Hof-Opernhaus in Vienna— was inaugurated with a performance of Verdi's Falstaff conducted by Leopoldo Mugnone. The interior is decorated and painted by Rocco Lentini, Ettore De Maria Bergler, Michele Cortegiani and Luigi Di Giovanni. Busts of famous composers were carved for the theatre by the Italian sculptor, Giusto Liva (born in Montebelluna, Treviso in 1847) and several of his sons. Facilities and recent history Interior view of the Teatro Massimo The Teatro Massimo is the largest theatre in Italy. Basile was inspired by ancient and classical Sicilian architecture and, thus, the exterior was designed in the high neoclassical style incorporating elements of the Greek temples at Selinunte and Agrigento. Realized in the late-Renaissance style, the auditorium was planned for 3,000 people, but, in its current format, it seats 1,381, with 7 tiers of boxes rising up around an inclined stage, and shaped in the typical horseshoe style. In 1974, the house was closed to complete renovations required by updated safety regulations, but cost over-runs, corruption, and political in-fighting all added to the delay and it remained closed for twenty-three years, finally re-opening on 12 May 1997, four days before its centenary. The opera season started again in 1999, although Verdi's Aida was performed in 1998 while work in progress continued. During the restoration regular opera seasons were performed in Teatro Politeama, a minor building not far from Teatro Massimo. In summer a few performances, usually concerts, ballet and operetta, are held in Teatro della Verdura. In recent years, "charges of corruption and political meddling…along with budget deficits and heavy debts" have plagued the house, but, under its then part-English music director, Jan Latham Koenig, it was reported that it is once again on track.Thicknesse, Robert, “Double espresso”, Opera Now, July/August 2005. (An article on the Music Director, Jan Latham Koenig) 2013-2014 was a two-year hiatus under the leadership of the comissario straordinario Fabio Carapezza Guttuso, who brought in Lorenzo Amato and Eytan Pessen as artistic advisors. Under Carapezza Guttuso's leadership the theatre offered a varied programme including Richard Strauss's Feuersnot, Hans Werner Henze's Gisela!, Jaromir Weinberger's Schwanda the bagpiper and an increased ballet activity. The current intendant is the experienced Francesco Giambrone and the musical director is Gabriele Ferro. The final scenes of the Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather Part III (1990) were filmed at the theatre. References External links * Teatro Massimo official website (including a virtual visit) * Teatro Massimo: Its Art and History * City of Palermo official website Massimo Category:Neoclassical architecture in Palermo Massimo Category:Theatres completed in 1897 Category:1897 establishments in Italy Category:Music venues completed in 1897 "