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Talk:British Peerage

Peerage title typo?
Hi, I noticed in the article the text "(One Marquesses - the Marquess Camden - bears a territorial title but does not use 'of'."

Does this mean that the current holder is a woman, or is the plural just a typo? I'm American, so it's hard to know for sure. Thanks! Pakaran 18:30, 17 Dec 2003 (UTC)

That is a typo. "Marchioness" is the feminine of "Marquess". There are no Marchionesses in their own right. john 21:43, 17 Dec 2003 (UTC)

The Crown office lists Camden and Townsend as the two Marquessates that do not have "of", likewise only Grey is the only Earldom without "of" http://www.dca.gov.uk/dept/titles.htm#part8 garryq 12:13, 8 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Peerage title tradition
I have seen pagest that assert that the bearer of the Marquessate of Douro is the Marquess Douro, and not the Marquess of Douro, though the same may not be necessarily correct:. -- Lord Emsworth 22:36, Dec 18, 2003 (UTC)

P.S. It is probably "of Douro," as that style is used by Britannica:. -- Lord Emsworth 22:37, Dec 18, 2003 (UTC)

It is "Marquess Douro". The current heir to the Dukedom uses "Marquess of Douro", however, presumably because he thinks it sounds better. Proteus 20:05 GMT 6th January 2004

Yes, Burke's gives "Marquess Douro"... of course, the official secondary title of the Dukes of Atholl is something like "Marquess of Tullibardin", but they've always used "Tullibardine", and so forth... john 20:20, 6 Jan 2004 (UTC)

The Crown office lists Camden and Townsend as the two Marquessates that do not have "of", likewise only Grey is the only Earldom without "of" http://www.dca.gov.uk/dept/titles.htm#part8 The problem is that Douro is in Portugal (or is it Spain), so political correctness might play a part too. Arthur Wellesley was 1st Marquess of Douro, before he was 1st Duke of Wellington, and "relegated" the Marequessate to being used as a mere courtesy title. garryq 12:11, 8 Apr 2004 (UTC)

images?
Does anybody have images of the peers' coronets or robes? -- Emsworth 02:46, Feb 16, 2004 (UTC)

NPOV
"Thus, it is likely that the prestige of the hereditary peerage will be reduced, and therefore, some might call for its abolition."

I have to agree with the removal of this phrase by an anonymous user, and I doubt the NPOV of the preceding paragraph as well. I don't see any logical basis for either of this sentence's two assertions: firstly, the peerage has been largely disassociated with wealth for a long time, since political rather than economic success has been the main criterion for admission for more than a century; secondly, people have already called for its abolition, and have been largely ignored, and I see no relevance in pointing out that more people may call for its abolition in the future. Most political and social institutions have been criticised at some point by some group or other, and I don't see why the peerage should be singled out by it being implied that it is doomed to be abolished. Judging by examples in other countries, nobility seems to last longer than monarchy in most places, and I don't see the British monarchy being in any danger of abolition. Proteus 15:31, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC)

opening paragraph

 * The peerage is a system of titles of honour unique to Britain, and is one part of the British honours system. Peers were, historically, title holders entitled to be summoned to the House of Lords. The families of title-holders are not peers (though the wives of peers are traditionally known as peeresses). This is a fundamental distinction from the Continental system of titles, where families rather than individuals are ennobled, and where more than one person can hold the same title simultaneously.

Please reword this so the naive reader (such as myself) can get a grasp of the system. Currently, I feel this paragraph is written with a bit of an assumption that the reader already knows the topic at hand. Sincerely, Kingturtle 19:55, 21 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Capitalization consistency of the word "peerage" ?
This article has several instances of Peerage with the P capitalized when it occurs in the middle of the sentence. Is this proper? There are also many instances with the P in lowercase. Shouldn't it be consistent one way or the other? Bevo 15:27, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I have changed the article, following the standard of capitalizing when referring to the Peerage as a whole, or to the Peerage of England, Scotland, etc, but otherwise using the lower case. -- Emsworth 18:16, Feb 22, 2004 (UTC)

Pictures for this article
I think we should have Tony Benn, perhaps someone like Lord Bath, Byron, Lucan and to represent life peers, perhaps someone like Andrew Lloyd Weber or Waheed Alli? Mintguy (T) 15:47, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Typo?
many Princes, however, are granted peerates separately.

Is "peerates" a typo for "peerages", or a very obscure synonym? Marnanel 06:07, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Typo, I think. john 07:41, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Slight reword and question
I reworded the following sentence slightly, since I had to read it twice to get the point:

 * until the number of Irish peers ... reached (was reduced to) one-hundred, the Sovereign could not create a new Irish peerage until three previous titles became extinct.

But that brings up a question in my mind; how was the Peerage of Ireland (particularly those granted after the Act of Union) affected by the creation of the Irish Free State? I've checked the other pages and didn't really see an answer; are they just all now peerages of northern Ireland? -TimeLord mbw 18:33, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)

It is still the Peerage of Ireland. The Irish Peers lost the right to elect representative peers to the House of Lords. I assume they have no particular rights in the Republic of Ireland (except maybe some heraldic ones), but presumably have similar rights to other peers in the U.K. (except they cannot renounce their peerages - c.f. the present Earl of Longford). I think there's a complex juridical relationship between the Republic and the UK on matters like this...if jtdirl was still around, I'm sure he could discuss this in more depth, but he seems to have vanished. john 19:51, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Interesting; I guess what was boggling my mind is "where" (for lack of a better word) do the Irish peerages exist? I suppose (with my ingrained American thinking) I was having a hard time imagining the peerages existing in the Republic of Ireland, with no monarchy.  And for the same reason, I'm probably trying to subconsciously tie titles to land more than is valid.  I think things like this interest me not so much per se, but more as logic problems.  :-)  -TimeLord mbw 20:59, 16 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Timelordmbw, abolishing the hereditary right to sit in the Lords shows that now a peerage is just a grand name, not tied to anyplace, even if called “of Longford”. Earl Grey isn’t ‘of’ anywhere.
 * Calling Peerages “of England”, “of Scotland” etc was need to sort out seniority (it 300 years and Elizabeth II has just sorted out seniority of Royal numbers).

 * Lots of republics have titles of honor. Bill Clinton still gets called “President” but President “of” what? :) garryq 14:19, 8 Apr 2004 (UTC)

One might also ask the same questions on the Peerage of England, Scotland and Great Britain. These do not really exist any further in the fashion of independent entities, yet the Peerages named for them continue to persist. When these entities were distinct, the peers were indeed peers in distinct kingdoms, but the same cannot be said to remain the case. -- Emsworth 22:14, Mar 16, 2004 (UTC)

I'd add that French noble titles do exist, despite that country being a republic, and are protected in the law of France. I believe titles in the Peerage of Ireland have some status in the laws of both the UK and the Republic of Ireland (that is to say, the Republic of Ireland allows its citizens who are peers of Ireland to use that title on their passport, and protects the holders of said titles from imposture), although I'm not sure of the rules in the latter case. This is clearly material which ought to be discussed in the Peerage of Ireland article. I shall check the archives of alt.talk.royalty to see if there's any discussion of this. john 04:12, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Well, that's partly why I mentioned it; I had thought perhaps this was covered in an article I hadn't read. Hadn't thought about French nobility.  Of course, I know even less about that than the little I know about UK peerages; were they granted in the same way as in the UK, i.e. completely from the top down?  Or did French titles precede the French crown?  I think that's what I have a hard time figuring out about Ireland; all the Irish peerages devolved from the Irish crown, which was held in the British crown, but now the Irish crown no longer exists, as such, so how do the peerages that sprang from it continue to exist?  Whereas with what Lord E. says, the English and Scottish crowns do still exist, even though they have no independent existence from the UK crown.  It does make sense that the modern Republic would protect the extant titles of its citizens, too.  -TimeLord mbw 06:18, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

French titles tended to be top down, as well. Basically, in France, they are considered personal property, and are protected like any other personal property. They have intermittently been banned (after the Revolution, I believe, but then restored by Napoleon - or perhaps he only created a new nobility, and the old nobility was restored by Louis XVIII; then again in the 2nd Republic, but restored by Napoleon III. The Third Republic, initially dominated by monarchists, didn't abolish titles when it came in, I think). Other countries that have become republic have officially banned titles - Italy has, I think. Certainly Austria. In Germany, titles became a part of your personal name. Thus, the current Hohenzollern pretender's name is Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen, with his last name being "Prinz von Preußen." As to the Irish case, I assume that the treaty creating the Irish Free State made some provision for the Irish peerage. The Irish Free State itself remained, of course, a monarchy, and Ireland didn't officially become a republic until 1949. So, again, I'm not really sure about the specifics of the Irish case, although I'm fairly sure that there's some sort of special arrangement going on in terms of treaties with the UK, and so forth. And of course, the Irish crown does still kind of exist, in the form of the UK's control of Northern Ireland. john 06:50, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

At any rate, I've posted a query about this on alt.talk.royalty, so hopefully one of the smart people there will explain the situation. john 06:53, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Okay, the situation seems to be that the Republic doesn't officially recognize Irish peerage titles in any way, but it also makes no effort to restrict their use, or declare them invalid, and generally tolerates all title use. There is, however, no official body, in either Ireland or the UK, that regulates the Irish peerage, which thus seems to continue only by inertia. In theory, the House of Lords would be the body to regulate the Irish peerage, but I don't think it has particularly done so. john 20:20, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Renouncing a peerage was a device to allow hereditary peers to sit it the UK Commons. Irish peers were not called to the Lords, so could sit in the commons if elected. Frank Pakenham sat in the House of Lords, as Viscount Pakenham, but after his brother’s death in 1961 was referred to as The Earl of Longford as a courtesy. A further confusion, when hereditary peers were denied seats in the Lords Longford automatically received a Life Peerage along with all First Creations of Peers. As they have no constitutional role, the republic simply ignores peers. Disputes about who should be head of the family and call themselves “2nd Lord X” should be sorted out by the family and do not concern the government, as long as someone pays the 1st Lord X’s taxes. It would be interesting to see how an Irish title could be called out of abeyance.:garryq 13:09, 8 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * Calling an Irish peerage out of abeyance would be handled no differently than calling any 'British' title. The Monarch could call it out or they could refer it to the House of Lords for a decision. The standing orders are pretty clear about this Alci12

Spiritual Peers
Several sources describe the Lords Spiritual as "peers," while others assert the opposite. What is the general opinion as to which is correct?

Lords Spiritual ARE peers

 * "The Archbishop of Canterbury is the first peer of England ... The Archbishop of York ('Primate of England') is the third peer in the United Kingdom ... Diocesan Bishops of England in the Lords are also peers of the kingdom and of Parliament." (Debrett's)
 * The Lords are technically the "House of Peers" (Erskine May; Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the Proceedings of the Lords)
 * "In the case of a diocesan bishop his proper title is the Lord Bishop of A., whether he be a spiritual peer or not." (1997 Britannica)
 * "The Bishop, as a spiritual peer, sat in the House of Lords, and no doubt watched over the interests of the county in a general way." (The Constitutional Beginnings of North Carolina by John Spencer Bassett)

Lords Spiritual ARE NOT peers

 * "Not every lord, even one with a seat in the House of Lords, is a peer. Bishops, for instance, are spiritual lords." (Burke's)
 * "[T]he spiritual lords are not now regarded as peers." (1911 EB "Peerage")

Discussion
You are welcome to offer additional support for either position. -- Emsworth 20:50, Apr 16, 2004 (UTC)

It might be added that Bishops only feature in the CP if they also hold a hereditary Peerage title. Personally I think they key word is "regarded" in the 1911 EB: someone who is not regarded as a peer must technically be one, otherwise the sentence would not make sense. However, Bishops cease to be Peers when they leave the House. Dbiv 17:15, 17 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I will add to the article on the presumption that they are peers, but will note that they are not "regarded" by many as peers. -- Emsworth 20:52, Apr 17, 2004 (UTC)

From Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England

 * "It is said, that this does not extend to bishops; who, though they are lords of parliament, and sit there by virtue of their baronies which they hold jure ecclesiae, yet are not ennobled in blood, and consequently not peers with the nobility."

 * "THE commonalty, like the nobility, are divided into several degrees; and, as the lords, though different in rank, yet all of them are peers in respect of their nobility, so the commoners though some are greatly superior to others, yet all are in law peers, in respect of their want of nobility."

There seems little in the way of unequivocal statements that bishops are peers by any worthwhile authority. On the contrary, many authorities specifically state that bishops should not be held to be peers. Andrew Yong 23:26, 17 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Blackstone suggests that bishops are not "peers with the nobility." Perhaps they are not equal to the nobility, as they are not ennobled in blood. Still, Debrett's seems to suggest that they are "peers of the kingdom." -- Emsworth 02:36, Apr 18, 2004 (UTC)

Another quotation:

"for though bishops, on account of the baronies annexed to their bishopricks, are clearly lords of parliament, yet, their blood not being ennobled, they are not universally allowed to be peers with the temporal nobility..."

"Universally allowed..." indicates a disputed point, I believe. -- Emsworth 14:19, Apr 18, 2004 (UTC)

 * Indeed, and according to the 1911 EB article on Peerage, which has a great deal on this, there seems to have been a dispute in the reign of Richard II on this issue. The bishops tried to claim both their position outside secular jurisdiction, but maintaining the privileges of peerage. They metaphorically fell between two stools, and eventually ended up with neither.

 * "The Standing Orders of the House of Lords for 1625 contain the statement that Bishops are only Lords of Parliament and not Peers (Lords Journals, iii. 349). In 1640 the Lords Spiritual were altogether excluded from the House of Lords by act of parliament, and were not brought back until the second year of the Restoration. From that period there has been no question as to their position."

 * While in early times they claimed immunity from secular trial altogether, he bishops seem never have attempted to claim trial by the Lords and indeed as a rule never participated in the trial of temporal lords, however, at the trial of the seven bishops in 1688 (by common jury), it is taken for granted, bizarrely, that they are peers and have the privilege of petitioning and advising the King.

 * I think the best thing would be to admit and explain that this is a point of dispute Andrew Yong 17:46, 25 Apr 2004 (UTC)

 * Very well, I'll add the section soon. -- Emsworth 22:58, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)

A couple of thoughts on spiritual peers: 1) are all diocesan bishops spiritual peers, or only those with seats in the Lords? Are Welsh and Northern Irish bishops in the Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland spiritual peers?  Also, it should clarify about the disestablishments of the Welsh and Irish churches. john 20:39, 18 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Only those with seats in the Lords seem to be peers, and only for the duration of their service in that House. What do you think of the division of the article (which was about 92 KB long)? -- Emsworth 22:00, Apr 18, 2004 (UTC)

Too many external links
This is the same complaint I brought up in the Jew article - there are too many external links. The rule of thumb is that there should be at least one or two, but not more than 10. This article currently has 28. Remember, wikipedia is not a link repository. →Raul654 14:36, May 2, 2004 (UTC)

 * They aren't just external links, though, they're references from which the article has been written. There is a large number of them due to the immense amount of research that has gone into this article. It's not like someone's just listed 30 pages connected to the Peerage. From What Wikipedia is not: "But of course there's nothing wrong with adding both lists of links and lists of on-line references you used in writing an article." Proteus (Talk) 15:01, 2 May 2004 (UTC)

 * These sites that have been linked to have all been used in the individual parts of the series. I thought it convenient to locate all of the references centrally. -- Emsworth 17:36, May 2, 2004 (UTC)

Peer Usage
I was under the impression that though a Baronet was created to fill the ranks of nobility, it was a peerage title nonetheless? How is it not? Also, the honorific title "The Right Honorble" has appeared before as a salutation. Especially in British parliament, considering it being casually used or not.

 * Baronet is not a peer. It is just under the lower boundary of peerage = barons. Baronet = little baron. 62.78.120.237 19:59, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

A question of privileges
I've read in several different fantasy books that certain hair styles were common to a certain circumstance - firstborn sons were encouraged to wear their hair longer, certain nobility could use certain birds in falconry, etc. Is there any truth to this, and if so, could yuo direct me to a guide on it?
 * Basically Gerfalcon = King, Peregrine falcon = Earl, Hawk = Baron & Lanner = SquireAlci12

POV?
If peerageis the system of nobility in the United Kingdom, then there should be no other articles on peerage, such as the Peerage of France...

There needs to be some NPOV cleanup on every single article on aristocratic title in Wikipedia to be non-England centric! Most articles (list articles as well) seem to assume everything is English or part of the UK by default, with footnoting the rest of the world.

Just some thoughts. 132.205.45.148 21:15, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * The term "Peerage" is almost always used in the British context. The same applies, for example, to House of Lords; the article concerns the British House, even though there has been an Irish body of the same name. -- Emsworth 21:21, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * almost is the kicker. There should be a disambiguation page linked off the top. Still, though, the articles on titles need work since they are UK-centric, like Duke was/is, when they should not be. 132.205.45.110 18:19, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

House of Lords is practically a British thing. However, peerage is a term used of several other countries, such as France. There were pairs de France, and they formed the Peerage of France... 62.78.120.237 19:55, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Michael Bush argues convincingly that the British peerage is only the upper segment of a broader British "aristocracy," the lower levels being the baronetcy and the gentry (paralleling the "minor nobilities" on the Continent). He's arguing that the British system is not really all that different, historically, from any other upper class in Europe, differing only in details -- but that those details enabled the survival of the British system where aristocracies on the Continent were swept away in all practical senses by revolutions of the commonality. Anyway, this would make "peerage" a British term and "aristocracy" the broader western term. How does that strike people? --Michael K. Smith 18:10, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

 * It strikes me as confusing. "Aristocracy" had a precise, legal meaning in ancient Greece, but today is a general term for the uppermost, hereditary portion of any country's "upper class". Peerage is a much narrower term. Bush's description of the British peerage's survival as a legal institution through the 20th century because of its flexibility and fluidity is probably an accurate interpretation of its history (though debatable), but it misapprehends and denies the uniqueness of Britain's social class system. Although legally the "nobility" was synonymous with the peerage in the British Isles, in fact the former term has always been colloquially used to refer to those of the immediate family of peers who derived courtesy prefixes (e.g. Lord, Lady, Honourable, Dowager Viscountess, etc) from those kinships. The remoter, untitled descendents of peers who were in line of succession to a peerage, as well as their wives and daughters, were also gentry by dint of "gentle birth", unless they actually performed manual labor to support themselves. Gentry also included baronets, knights, and their wives, by virtue of possession of the prefixes attached to those ranks. But those who lived off the (usually agricultural) proceeds of their property were also considered gentry, even if they had no title nor were in line of succession to any. This last class formed by far the largest sector of the gentry, and because of it the "gentry" may absolutely not be considered the British version of the Continental lower nobility. While the latter shared most of the British gentry's lack of title, they retained possession of the legal status of "nobility" as much as did any duke, count or peer. Whereas any Briton could rise into the gentry by acquiring the means to live "gently", on the Continent one could only be noble by inheritance or grant from a sovereign. In some countries, such as France, Germany, Hungary and Venice, these untitled nobles nonetheless retained privileges at law that were either reserved in Britain for peers, or were not even possessed by members of the House of Lords, e.g. exemption from taxation or eligibility to vote for or be elected national ruler (e.g. Doge). The gentry is unique to the British Isles, and although it functioned and was treated as if it were the British lower nobility, it was far more porous than the noblesse of the rest of Europe, and was legally indistinguishable from the poorest peasant: Being a gentleman in Britain was a way of life, whereas being a noble on the Continent was a matter of birth.Lethiere 06:00, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

American Princess
The US tv show "American Princess" announced that the winner will be granted a British noble title. Queen Elizabeth II is the only person in UK entitled to grant noble titles. Will Queen grant title or not ? If granted a title, I don't think the winner can use her title since she is not British citizen.

User:Siyac 13:42, 9 June 2005 (UTC)

Reversion
I have removed the following paragraph added by an anonymous user:

"As the UK does not have a written constitution, Peerage titles are social constructs whose existance are dependent on citizens continued use of them. As the UK continues its transformation towards a meritocracy this tradition is currently dying out, with many 'peers' now referred to by their regular names in the national press and popular parlance. There is no law demanding that the titles must be used."

This passage is somewhat misleading. Firstly, the UK does have a constitution, partly written and partly unwritten; it is merely uncodified. Secondly, the passage implies that Peerages have no recognition in the law/ constitution of the UK, when such is clearly untrue. The uncodified constitution certainly recognises Peerage titles, as evidenced, for instance, by the right to sit in the Lords and by the Privilege of Peerage. Thirdly, it would be inaccurate to state that the UK is becoming a meritocracy. The government does include meritocratic elements, but it is not a meritocracy, nor is it becoming one. Fourthly, the use of quotation marks around the word peers seems to have certain POV implications. Fifthly, "regular names" is not an appropriate term: a peer's title is, in effect, his name. Sixthly, although many peers use so-called "regular names," most do not; the use of "Lord Such-and-Such" is still prevalent. Seventhly, there is no law forcing anyone to use any title, but all official documents, etc., do use them. Hence, the passage in general was quite misleading, leading to my (hopefully correct) decision to remove it. -- Emsworth 20:59, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Sixth rank?
The Scottish "lord of Parliament" isn't really a sixth rank, is it? It's the same rank as the English "baron", is it not? —Ashley Y 01:51, 2005 Jun 10 (UTC)

FARC?
Someone put that this was a failed FARC. But I can't find any record of the discussion of it there at all. What's the deal? john k 15:00, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * It's in the March to July 2004 archive (about half way down). Presumably the template is new and someone's going back through the archives adding it to them all. Proteus (Talk) 15:09, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Australian 'Politicians'
We seem to have a problem with the Australian articles. User Adam Carr is removing styles [Rt Hon] or medals [VC] from any person who was involved with Australia. He explains this by objecting to "pompous and grovelling... feudal titles" and that "If British or New Zealand or whatever Wikipedians want to clutter up their articles with ugly titles and acronyms, that's their business. Australian users have decided that we don't want them."

This leaves us in the situation that a British peer who serves as Governor General has styles removed. A British peer who serves as a Canadian or New Zealand GG has them left alone. You can find links at Governor-general_of_Australia Oddly the link page has the full styles that are then removed from most/all of the articles. This breaks all consistency across wiki articles. Can anyone suggest how we solve thisAlci12
 * As an Australian I disagree with Adam Carr. Someone should tell him he lost the referendum. Avalon 01:24, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

Correct reference to Life Peers
I was not able to find a fully satisfactory answer here under 'Styles and Titles' (nor at Forms of Address in the United Kingdom) to a question about how to refer to Life Peers who have the same name as an existing peer. Let us take the example of the late Lord Dacre of Glanton (Hugh Trevor-Roper). I understand he had to take the additional title 'of Glanton' because there was already a (hereditary?) Lord Dacre. But how should he be written about? Clear it is necessary to speak of 'Lord Dacre of Glanton' at first usage, both out of correctness and in order to distinguish him from the other Dacre. But (and here is the question) does one need to repeat 'of Glanton' thereafter? This might be worth a sentence from someone who knows the correct form.

 * I've never seen a definitive answer to this question (to which I have often given much thought), and it's not even addressed by works of correct form, let alone answered, but I'd tend to regard "Dacre of Glanton" as an indivisible entity — Lord Dacre of Glanton wasn't someone called Lord Dacre who came from Glanton (which would enable it to be snipped at second reference), he's someone whose title is "Baron Dacre of Glanton", and who definitely isn't Lord Dacre. If he isn't Lord Dacre, it's wrong to call him that, even at second reference. The fact that "of" is a connecting particle doesn't mean it should be treated as such when it's part of a peerage title, as grammatical rules shouldn't apply inside names. After all, it's just a translation of "de", found in some early peerage titles, and no one is going to refer to Lord Willoughby de Broke at second mention as "Lord Willoughby". If my legal name were "John Smith of Wikipedia", then I'd be referred to at second mention as "Mr Smith of Wikipedia", just as Henry Smith de Wikipedia would be called "Mr Smith de Wikipedia" — you couldn't truncate either of our names simply because they had an "of" (or a French version of "of") in them. Why should peerages be any different?
 * It might sound slightly cumbersome, but that's his fault for choosing that title (I have often suspected that people like Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare and Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon chose their titles for the very reason that no one will ever use the second part). I've never seen any justification provided for the (extremely common) practice of snipping off the "of Y" except cumbersomeness, and there are other British forms of address which provide similar cumbersomeness — Lord Justice John Smith (forced to be such due to the existence of plain Lord Justice Smith) must be (and always would be by decent sections of the media) referred to as such even after first reference: if you don't want to keep writing "Lord Justice John Smith" you have to write "the Lord Justice" or "the judge" or similar.
 * The situation is of course different for peers with "X and Y" titles, as they can quite correctly be called "Lord X" (and, indeed, if you called the Earl of Cork and Orrery "Lord Cork and Orrery" you'd get rather odd looks). Proteus (Talk) 17:53, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

 * I know this discussion is ancient, but Proteus seems clearly wrong, unless we talk about the "Curzon of Kedleston Line." (Which we do not, of course).  Curzon is always called "Lord Curzon," even though that title properly belongs as the courtesy title of Earl Howe's heir.  Given the fact that usage is one way, it is not wikipedia's job to prescribe usage in a different way because we think it is "more correct." john k 23:12, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

 * I don't believe anyone asked what common usage is, but if they had have done then I'm sure your answer would have been useful. (I must admit, I am surprised at you of all people saying "it's common usage and therefore what we should use it". Would you like me to propose a move to Princess Diana, or will you be doing that yourself?) Proteus (Talk) 16:31, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Once again, I'm very late, but you were saying that on *second mentions* we couldn't call peers with territorial disambiguators by just "Lord X". By that standard, we should have to refer to Lord Curzon as "Lord Curzon of Kedleston" or "Curzon of Kedleston" at every appearance of his name.  This seems clearly wrong. john k 13:18, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Jacobite Peerage
Just editing Earl of Dundee and someone has added a 'succession' listing to a pretended jacobite peerage of the same name. I haven't done anything as yet but personally don't think Wiki should add entries to non existant titles. It might be appropriate to add a comment that references the supposed creation but nothing more. Thoughts Alci12 16:24, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the . Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

no consensus with four in favour and four against. — Nightst a  llion  (?) 08:27, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Requested move
It was proposed on WP:RM that this article be moved from "Peerage" to "British Peerage"; however, the nominator doesn't seem to have bothered putting a notice here or creating a discussion section. In the absence of a proper request and in the absence of a proposal for a new article to be moved to "Peerage", I oppose this request. — Knowledge Seeker দ 21:13, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Agreed, it's a terrible idea. Mackensen (talk) 22:41, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Disagree, it's an excellent idea. The French peerage died out in the 19th century, but had been re-created and re-invigorated several times post-Napoleon as the upper chamber of France's national legislature, exercising substantial power and influence on French history. Prior to the French Revolution, it constituted the most powerful nobles in the realm. It was an important institution, as unique as the British peerage, to which it bore virtually no resemblance. Because its members enjoyed the right of membership in the Parlement of Paris, the French peerage was the closest thing to both a supreme court and legislature in France. Since the British House of Lords is the main article describing the British peerage's current role in the UK, there is no reason why "Peerage" should also be reserved for the British institution.Lethiere 06:00, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Actually, that article is at House of Lords, last I checked. Mackensen (talk) 13:50, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Hm, I can share the concerns of Lethiere that peerage can refer to British as well as French (maybe others? but they would probably be known more as "nobility"). so so far I would tend to support.... Gryffindor  10:00, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I would also support, that makes it a 3-2 no consensus... — Nightst a  llion  (?) 11:31, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I proposed the move, so of course I agree to it. That's a 3-3 tie. I note user Knowledge Seeker opposed the move for purely procedural reasons. So in fact there's a 3-2 vote for the move now... You can check in the history of this article the disambiguation version I proposed for the article peerage and which was reverted by user Mackensen on March 3. Hardouin 12:16, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

 * I'm afraid you can't just decide not to count a vote. Proteus (Talk) 13:28, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Oppose. An obvious case of a primary topic. Proteus (Talk) 13:28, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Let's clear this up a bit.
 * For: Lethiere, Gryffindor, Nightstallion, Hardouin (4)
 * Against: Knowledgeseeker, Mackensen, Proteus (3)

Still a no consensus, 4-3 this time. (To clarify, I meant "3 for, 2 against" with "3-2 no consensus" above.) What now? — Nightst a  llion  (?) 15:02, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

 * You need a consensus to move it. Proteus (Talk) 15:23, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

 * I'd also note I reverted the move because it was a cut-and-paste job. Mackensen (talk) 16:25, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Well, of course we need consensus. The question is whether it's important enough to start a long discussion about it, likely resulting in mediation in the end, or not. — Nightst a  llion  (?) 20:25, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Oppose. The term "Peerage" almost always refers to the British system, just as "House of Lords" almost always refers to the British house. -- Emsworth.

I'm relatively indifferent here. If we had a great article ready that discussed all the various other peerages (the only ones I can think of are the Spanish and the French), that'd be one thing, but we don't, and, as others have noted, the British Peerage is the most predominant. I will note that we ought a) to have disambiguation links at the top of Peerage to the articles on the other peerages; and b) to create an article on the Spanish peerage, as none presently exists. john k 23:02, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

In response to Hardouin, what you call “procedural reasons” are excellent reasons to not perform a move. For instance, proposing a move on WP:RM without going through the proper steps means that people who otherwise would vote might not if the appropriate sections were not created. The more serious flaw, though, is the lack of a proposed article that would be placed here at “Peerage” if this article were to be moved. That alone is a strong reason to leave this article here. In response to Nightstallion, Proteus’s comment about consensus was referring to that if no consensus is achieved, an article is not moved. If there were four people in favor and three opposed, you would need around 8 more people to support and no new opposers to reach the usual threshold for moving. I can’t see why long discussions would result, nor why mediation would be necessary. This time at least, this proposal will likely fail. — Knowledge Seeker দ 02:31, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Knowledge Seeker, FYI there is already a proposed replacement article that would be placed here at “Peerage” if this article were to be moved. You can see this replacement article in the history page of Peerage article, deleted on March 3 by user Mackensen. To be frank, I find it rather nationalistic and ignorant to devote the Peerage article only to the British peerage, as if other European peerages did not exist. It's a bit as if the Wine article was devoted only to French wine. Hardouin 22:25, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I wish you'd stop this business about deleting the article. Your cut-and-paste move of this article would have destroyed the edit history, which would have been a disaster. Mackensen (talk) 22:27, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

 * The analogy with wine is, with all due respect, a very weak one. A more apt comparison might involve Rome. There are several cities named Rome in the whole world, yet the article Rome relates to the city in Italy. Is this practice nationalistic or ignorant? Or does it merely recognize the fact that the word "Rome" primarily refers to the city in Italy?
 * The official policy is, "When the primary meaning for a term or phrase is well known (indicated by a majority of links in existing articles, and by consensus of the editors of those articles), then use that topic for the title of the main article, with a disambiguation link at the top.".
 * The first test is that the majority of links in existing articles must refer to the British Peerage. A brief look at the "What links here" page indicates that this is overwhelmingly the case. I would judge that over 95% of the links to Peerage refer to the British institution alone.
 * The second test is whether there is a consensus among the editors of the article. This would certainly appear to be the case; those who have contributed extensively seem to agree. -- Emsworth

Emsworth, the Rome comparison seems deeply invalid. Rome is, by far, the most important city called Rome in the world by any objective standard - it is the largest city of that name, the most historically significant, and the city for which all the other "Romes" are named; and it is a national capital. This does not apply to the peerage issue. There are a number of peerages and while, as English speakers, the various British ones obviously are discussed the most, I am uncertain in what way the French and Spanish peerages can be considered objectively less important in the way that Rome, Georgia is objectively less important than the city of the same name in Italy. I'm also highly uncomfortable with the idea that wikipedia usage can be considered an authority for what wikipedia usage should be - this is circular. As I said above, I'd definitely lean towards the "leave things as they are" department. But I do think there is a degree of national bias to the current way of things, and that we ought to give some consideration to the idea of developing a broader article on the peerage in general to go at peerage, which would, I think, be a significant addition to wikipedia. I'd suggest that a draft page be created to develop a real article (not a disambiguation page) which discusses the institution of the peerage as it developed in multiple European countries (including Britain). I do think that the existence of Peerage as a very well-developed article only discussing the British Peerage does tend to discourage work on broader issues of peerage, which would be a good thing. john k 23:48, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Totally agree with you. All the Romes of the world are named after Rome, Italy, but the British Peerage is named after the French Peerage (pairage in Old French), not the other way around. I also note that in the French speaking world, people have no clue that there is a British Peerage (except, maybe, in French Canada). Ask anyone in France, Belgium, Cameroon, or French Polynesia, educated people know about the French Peerage, but they'd be suprised to hear that the word peerage is also used for the British nobility. If you think the peerage is not an important issue in France, just check Le Colonel Chabert, written by Balzac in 1844. They made a French movie out of it, in 1994, with Gérard Depardieu playing the role of Coronel Chabert. During the Bourbon's restoration of monarchy, Count Ferraud, who married the widow of Coronel Chabert, thought dead during the Battle of Eylau but in fact still alive, wishes to nullify his marriage (divorce is not legal) in order to marry a higher-status woman, which would pave the way to the French Peerage, over which he is literally obsessing. "Peerage, peerage, there's only this word in your mouth" says his wife at some point. Hardouin 14:14, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm afraid this is shaping up to be a clear no consensus. — Nightst a  llion  (?) 08:27, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

title: Talk:British Peerage


text:
Gary Player

Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the Champions Tour. At the age of 29, Player won the 1965 U.S. Open and became the only non-American to win all four majors in a career, known as the career Grand Slam. At the time, he was the youngest player to do this, though Jack Nicklaus (26) and Tiger Woods (24) subsequently broke this record. Player became only the third golfer in history to win the Career Grand Slam, following Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen, and only Nicklaus and Woods have performed the feat since. He won over 160 professional tournaments on six continents over seven decades and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Nicknamed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, he is also a renowned golf course architect with more than 400 design projects on five continents throughout the world. Player has also authored or co-written 36 books on golf instruction, design, philosophy, motivation and fitness. On 7 January 2021, Player was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by United States President Donald Trump.

The Player Group was established by Marc Player and operates The Player Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivileged education around the world. In 1983, The Player Foundation established the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for more than 500 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2013 it celebrated its 30th anniversary with charity golf events in London, Palm Beach, Shanghai and Cape Town, bringing its total of funds raised to over US$60 million.

Background and family

Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the youngest of Harry and Muriel Player's three children. When he was eight years old his mother died from cancer. Although his father was often away from home working in the gold mines, he did manage to take a loan in order to buy a set of clubs for Gary to begin playing golf. The Virginia Park golf course in Johannesburg is where Player first began his love affair with golf. At the age of 14, Player played his first round of golf and parred the first three holes. At age 16, he announced that he would become number one in the world. At age 17, he became a professional golfer.

Player married wife Vivienne Verwey (sister of professional golfer Bobby Verwey) on 19 January 1957, four years after turning professional. Together they had six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa, and Amanda. He also has 22 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. During the early days of his career Player would travel from tournament to tournament with his wife, six children, their nanny and a tutor in tow. Vivienne died of cancer in August 2021.

Player's eldest son, Marc, owns and operates The Player Group, which exclusively represents Player in all his commercial activities, including all endorsements, licensing, merchandising, golf course design, and real estate development.

Player is the brother of Ian Player, a South African environmental educator, activist and conservationist.

Playing career
Player is one of the most successful golfers in history, tied for fourth in major championship victories with nine. Along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus he is often referred to as one of "The Big Three" golfers of his era – from the late 1950s through the late 1970s – when golf boomed in the United States and around the world and was greatly encouraged by expanded television coverage. Along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, he is one of only five players to win golf's "career Grand Slam". He completed the Grand Slam in 1965 at the age of twenty-nine. Player was the second multiple majors winner from South Africa, following Bobby Locke, then was followed by Ernie Els, and Retief Goosen.

Player competed regularly on the U.S. based PGA Tour from the late 1950s. He led the Tour money list in 1961, and went on to accumulate 24 career Tour titles. He also played an exceptionally busy schedule all over the world, and he has been called the world's most traveled athlete. Player has logged more than 26 e6km in air travel – in 2005 it was estimated that he had "probably flown further…than any athlete in history".

Player has more victories than anyone else in the South African Open (13) and the Australian Open (7). He held the record for most victories in the World Match Play Championship, with five wins, from 1973 until 1991 when this feat was equalled by Seve Ballesteros, finally losing his share of the record in 2004, when Ernie Els won the event for the sixth time. Player was in the top ten of Mark McCormack's world golf rankings from their inception in 1968 until 1981; he was ranked second in 1969, 1970 and 1972, each time to Jack Nicklaus.

Player was the only player in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades. His first win, as a 23-year-old in 1959 at Muirfield, came after he double-bogeyed the last hole. In 1974, he became one of the few golfers in history to win two major championships in the same season. Player last won the Masters in 1978, when he started seven strokes behind 54-hole leader Hubert Green entering the final round, and won by one shot with birdies at seven of the last 10 holes for a back nine 30 and a final round 64. One week later, Player again came from seven strokes back in the final round to win the Tournament of Champions. In 1984, at the age of 48 Player nearly became the oldest ever major champion, finishing in second place behind Lee Trevino at the PGA Championship. And in gusty winds at the 1998 Masters, he became the oldest golfer ever to make the cut, breaking the 25-year-old record set by Sam Snead. Player credited this feat to his dedication to the concept of diet, health, practice and golf fitness.

Player has occasionally been accused of cheating, particularly in the 1974 Open; he has strongly denied the accusations. Later, at a skins game in Arizona in 1983, Tom Watson accused him of cheating by moving a leaf from behind his ball.

Being South African, Player never played in the Ryder Cup in which American and European golfers compete against each other. Regarding the event, Player remarked, "The things I have seen in the Ryder Cup have disappointed me. You are hearing about hatred and war." He was no longer an eligible player when the Presidents Cup was established to give international players the opportunity to compete in a similar event, but he was non-playing captain of the International Team for the Presidents Cup in 2003, which was held on a course he designed, The Links at Fancourt, in George, South Africa. After 2003 ended in a tie, he was reappointed as captain for the 2005 Presidents Cup, and his team lost to the Americans 15.5 to 18.5. Both Player and Jack Nicklaus were appointed to captain their respective teams again in 2007 in Canada; the United States won.

Augusta National green jacket
The green jacket is reserved for Augusta National members and golfers who win the Masters Tournament. Jackets are kept on club grounds, and taking them off the premises is forbidden. The exception is for the winner, who can take it home and return it to the club the following year. Player, who became the tournament's first international winner in 1961, said he did not know that. After the victory he packed the jacket and took it to his home in South Africa. That led to a call from club Chairman Clifford Roberts, who was a stickler for rules. "I didn't know you were supposed to leave it there," Player said. "Next thing you know, there was a call from Mr. Roberts."

Legacy
In 2000, Player was voted "Sportsman of the Century" in South Africa. In 1966, he was awarded the Bob Jones Award, the highest honour given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. The "Gary Player – A Global Journey" exhibition was launched by the Hall of Fame as of March 2006.

In 2000, Golf Digest magazine ranked Player as the eighth greatest golfer of all time.

In 2002, Player was voted as the second greatest global golfer of all time by a panel of international media, golf magazines and fellow professionals conducted by the leading Golf Asia Magazine.

On 10 April 2009, he played for the last time in the Masters, where he was playing for his record 52nd time – every year since 1957 except for 1973, when he was recovering from surgery. After Nicklaus and Palmer, he was the last of the Big Three to retire from this tournament, which is a testament to his longevity.

At age 73 on 23 July 2009, Player competed in the Senior British Open Championship at Sunningdale Golf Club, 53 years after capturing his maiden European Tour victory at the Berkshire venue.

Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters announced on 5 July 2011 that Player had been invited to join Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter. The Big Three were reunited in this capacity starting with the 2012 tournament.

In July 2013, he became the oldest athlete ever to pose nude in ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue to inspire people to keep looking after themselves throughout their lives whatever their age.

Business and other interests
Gary Player's business interests are exclusively represented by Black Knight International, which includes Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, The Player Foundation, Gary Player Academies, and Black Knight Enterprises, aspects of which include licensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia. The Player Group, which operates The Player Foundation, is owned and managed by Marc Player.

The Player Foundation
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player and began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. The Player Foundation has since blossomed into an organisation that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated over $65 million to the support of children's charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.

The foundation is primarily funded by donations, grants and the four Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International and staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa annually. The Gary Player Invitational is a pro-am tournament that pairs celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and other local participants. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever-expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach and the Masizame Children's Shelter in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.

Proceeds from the Gary Player Invitational have also been donated to the Lord's Taverners in the UK and the following organisations in South Africa; Wildlands Conservation Trust, Twilight Children and Bana Development Centre.

Golf course design
The Player Design firm have executed over 400 projects in 41 countries on five continents, including courses such as the Gary Player Country Club, Leopard Creek, Thracian Cliffs, Wentworth and The Links at Fancourt.The company offers three different design brands: Gary Player Design, Player Design, and Black Knight Design.

With golf accepted back into the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Gary Player Design was selected among the finalists of an official RFP in early December 2011.

Nelson Mandela Invitational
Player hosted the Nelson Mandela Invitational golf tournament staged by Black Knight International from 2000. In October 2007, media attention arose about his involvement in the 2002 design of a golf course in Burma and as a result, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund withdrew its support. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu accepted Player's position and statements on Burma. Player refused to withdraw as he and his son Marc personally built the golf event from scratch and issued a statement rebutting these claims via his website. The event continued to be staged annually at the Sun City Resort as the Gary Player Invitational until 2013.

Views on apartheid
In 1966, Player espoused support for the apartheid policies of Hendrik Verwoerd in his book Grand Slam Golf, stating: "I must say now, and clearly, that I am of the South Africa of Verwoerd and apartheid ... a nation which ... is the product of its instinct and ability to maintain civilised values and standards amongst the alien barbarians. The African may well believe in witchcraft and primitive magic, practise ritual murder and polygamy; his wealth is in cattle". Activists publicly demonstrated against Player's espousal of apartheid, including protesting against Player at the 1969 PGA Championship. Australian activists also strongly protested against Player. In 1971 there were several threats to protest against Player at tournaments though they never came to fruition. Years later, in October 1974, Australian activists screamed at Player, "Go home racist", as he was lining up a putt on the 72nd hole in a tournament he had a chance to win.

However, in a 1987 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Player disavowed the system of apartheid, stating, "We have a terrible system in apartheid...it's almost a cancerous disease. I'm happy to say it's being eliminated....we've got to get rid of this apartheid." In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Player discussed his early support for apartheid stating that the South African Government had "pulled the wool over our eyes" and that the people were "brainwashed" into supporting these policies.

Other views
In July 2007, Player made statements at The Open Championship golf tournament about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in golf. He alleged that at least ten players were "taking something", citing human growth hormone, steroids and creatine as possible substances. Both the PGA Tour and European Tour were in the process of introducing random testing programmes at the time.

In June 2016, in an interview with bunkered.co.uk, Player branded as 'laughable' a report released by The R&A and USGA which said that driving distance in golf was only increasing minimally. He warned of a 'tsunami coming' due to the governing bodies' failure to address issues surrounding new golf technology. After the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Player reiterated these comments, taking to Twitter to say he was 'sad' to see the Old Course at St Andrews 'brought to her knees' after Ross Fisher broke the course record on a day of very low scoring during the final round.

Distinctions and honours

 * On 8 June 1961, Player was the guest on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. In a comedy skit, he gives Tennessee Ernie Ford a golf lesson.
 * Received the 1965 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award.
 * Received the 1966 Bob Jones Award from the United States Golf Association.
 * Named Honorary Member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1994.
 * Received Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from University of St Andrews in 1995.
 * Received Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland in 1997
 * The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational trophy is named the Gary Player Cup.
 * Named Honorary Member of Carnoustie in 1999
 * Received Honorary Doctorate in Law, University of Dundee, Scotland in 1999
 * South African Sportsman of the Century award in 2000
 * Received the 2003 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monte Carlo.
 * Awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (in gold for exceptional achievement) in 2003 by President Mbeki of South Africa for excellence in golf and contribution to non-racial sport in South Africa.
 * He was the world's first golfer to be featured on any country's postal stamp in South Africa.
 * Has designed over 400 golf courses on six continents around the world.
 * He currently plays on the U.S. Champions Tour and European Seniors Tour occasionally.
 * He received the 2006 Payne Stewart Award from the PGA Tour.
 * Played in his 52nd Masters Tournament at Augusta National in April 2009, extending his record of for most Masters appearances
 * Inducted into the African American Sports Hall of Fame in May 2007, with Lifetime Achievement Award
 * Has played in a record 46 consecutive British Open Championships, winning 3 times over 3 decades.
 * Stars with Camilo Villegas in a MasterCard "priceless foursome" television commercial launched during the U.S. Open in June 2009
 * In November 2009 he was awarded the inaugural Breeders Cup "Sports and Racing Excellence Award" at Santa Anita Park in California which honours owners and breeders of thoroughbred race horses.
 * Was inducted into the Asian Pacific Golf Hall of Fame with Jack Nicklaus in 2011 at a ceremony in Pattaya, Thailand.
 * In December 2011, Gary Player Design was selected amongst the finalists to design the golf course for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
 * He received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award at The Players Championship in May 2012. The first international person to receive this accolade.
 * Received the 2020 GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
 * Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 7 January 2021 from then President Donald Trump.
 * With the death of Jack Burke Jr., Player becomes the oldest living Masters champion.

PGA Tour wins (24)
PGA Tour playoff record (3–10)

European Tour wins (4)
European Tour playoff record (0–2)

Southern Africa Tour wins (20)
 * Note: The 1979 Lexington PGA Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Southern Africa Tour playoff record (2–0)

PGA Tour of Australia wins (2)
PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1)

Other European wins (10)
Sources:

Other South African wins (39)

 * 1955 East Rand Open
 * 1956 East Rand Open, South African Open
 * 1957 Western Province Open
 * 1958 Natal Open
 * 1959 East Rand Open, Natal Open, South African Professional Match Play Championship, Transvaal Open
 * 1960 Natal Open, South African Masters, Transvaal Open, Western Province Open, South African Open
 * 1961 Transvaal Open (Dec.)
 * 1962 Transvaal Open
 * 1963 Liquid Air Tournament, Richelieu Grand Prix (Cape Town), Richelieu Grand Prix (Johannesburg), Sponsored 5000
 * 1964 South African Masters
 * 1965 South African Open
 * 1966 Natal Open, Transvaal Open, South African Open
 * 1967 South African Masters, South African Open
 * 1968 Natal Open, Western Province Open, South African Open
 * 1969 South African PGA Championship, South African Open
 * 1971 General Motors Open, South African Masters, Western Province Open
 * 1974 Rand International Open
 * 1986 Nissan Skins Game
 * 1988 Nissan Skins Game
 * 1991 Nissan Skins Game

Other Australasian wins (17)
Sources:

Other wins (11)

 * 1955 Egyptian Matchplay
 * 1965 World Series of Golf, NTL Challenge Cup (Canada), World Cup of Golf, World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy
 * 1968 World Series of Golf
 * 1972 World Series of Golf
 * 1977 World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy
 * 1979 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (shared title with Andy North)
 * 1983 Skins Game
 * 1986 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Greg Norman - team shared title with Peter Jacobsen and Curtis Strange)

Senior PGA Tour wins (22)
 * Note: The 1989 GTE North Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (5–2)

European Seniors Tour wins (3)
European Seniors Tour playoff record (1–0)

Other senior wins (6)

 * 1987 Northville Invitational (United States), German PGA Team Championship
 * 1997 Dai-ichi Seimei Cup (Japan)
 * 2000 Senior Skins Game (U.S. – unofficial event)
 * 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Bob Charles)
 * 2010 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Bob Charles)

 * The Senior British Open was retroactively recognised by the PGA Tour Champions as a senior major in 2018.

Wins (9)
1Defeated Nagle in 18-hole playoff; Player 71 (+1), Nagle 74 (+4).

Results timeline
{{legend|lime|Win}} {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1970, 1980, 1981 and 1985 Open Championships) WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

 * Most consecutive cuts made – 37 (1970 PGA – 1980 Masters)
 * Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (1962 PGA – 1964 Masters)

Results in The Players Championship
{{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

Wins (9)
1Defeated Charles in 18-hole playoff; Player (68), Charles (70). 2Defeated Bland with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Results timeline
1The Senior Open Championship was not a Champions Tour major until 2003, though it was on the European Seniors Tour. Player won the event three times prior to this recognition.

{{legend|lime|Win}} {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = Missed the half-way cut

NYF = Tournament not yet founded

"T" = tied

Team appearances

 * World Cup (representing South Africa): 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 (winners, individual winner), 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977 (individual winner)
 * Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
 * Chrysler Cup (representing the International team): 1986 (captain), 1987 (captain, winners), 1988 (captain), 1989 (captain), 1990 (captain), 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 (winners)
 * Dunhill Cup (representing South Africa): 1991
 * Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Southern Africa): 1995 (non-playing captain, winners)
 * UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001 (captain), 2002 (captain), 2004 (captain)
 * Insperity Invitational – Greats of Golf: 2012 (winners), 2014 (winners), 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Gary Player


text:
Parade (ballet)

Parade is a ballet choreographed by Leonide Massine, with music by Erik Satie and a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau. The ballet was composed in 1916–17 for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The ballet premiered on Friday, May 18, 1917, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, with costumes and sets designed by Pablo Picasso, choreography by Léonide Massine (who danced), and the orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet.

Overview
The idea of the ballet seems to have come from Jean Cocteau. He had heard Satie's Trois morceaux en forme de poire ("Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear") in a concert and thought of writing a ballet scenario to such music. Satie welcomed the idea of composing ballet music (which he had never done before) but refused to allow any of his previous compositions to be used for the occasion, so Cocteau started writing a scenario (the theme being a publicity parade in which three groups of circus artists try to attract an audience to an indoor performance), to which Satie composed the music (with some additions to the orchestral score by Cocteau).

Work on the production started in the middle of the First World War, with Cocteau traveling back and forth to the war front in Belgium during planning and pre-production. The most difficult part of the creative process, however, seems to have been to convince Misia Edwards to support the idea of having this ballet performed by the Ballets Russes. She was easily offended but was trusted completely by Sergei Diaghilev for advice on his productions. A first version of the music (for piano) was dedicated to Misia and performed in 1916.

Eventually, after aborting some other plans (and some more intrigue), Diaghilev's support was won, and the choreography was entrusted to Léonide Massine, who had recently become the principal dancer of the Ballets Russes and lover of Diaghilev, replacing Vaslav Nijinsky who had left Paris shortly before the outbreak of the war. The set and costume design was entrusted to the then-Cubist painter Pablo Picasso. In addition to the costume designs, Picasso also designed a curtain which illustrated a group of performers at a fair consuming dinner before a performance. The Italian futurist artist Giacomo Balla aided Picasso in his creating the curtain and other designs for Parade. In February 1917, all the collaborators, excluding Satie, met in Rome to begin working on Parade, scheduled to premiere in May.

The poet Guillaume Apollinaire described Parade as "a kind of surrealism" (une sorte de surréalisme) when he wrote the program note in 1917, thus coining the word three years before Surrealism emerged as an art movement in Paris. The English premiere of Parade, performed by the Ballets Russes, was performed at London's Empire Theatre on November 14, 1919, and became a cultural event.

The ballet was remarkable for several reasons. It was the first collaboration between Satie and Picasso, and also the first time either of them had worked on a ballet, thus making it the first time either collaborated with Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. The plot of Parade incorporated and was inspired by popular entertainments of the period, such as Parisian music-halls and American silent-films. Much of the settings used in Parade's plot occurred outside of the formal Parisian theater, depicting the streets of Paris. The plot reproduces various elements of everyday life such as the music hall and fairground. Before Parade, the use of popular entertainment materials was considered unsuitable for the elite world of the ballet. The plot of Parade composed by Cocteau includes the failed attempt of a troupe of performers to attract audience members to view their show. Some of Picasso's Cubist costumes were in solid cardboard, allowing the dancers only a minimum of movement. The score contained several "noise-making" instruments (typewriter, foghorn, an assortment of milk bottles, pistol, and so on), which had been added by Cocteau (somewhat to the dismay of Satie). It is supposed that such additions by Cocteau showed his eagerness to create a succès de scandale, comparable to that of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps which had been premiered by the Ballets Russes some years before, and caused no less scandal. Although Parade was quite revolutionary, bringing common street entertainments to the elite, being scorned by audiences and being praised by critics, nonetheless many years later Stravinsky could still pride himself in never having been topped in the matter of succès de scandale. The ragtime contained in Parade would later be adapted for piano solo and attained considerable success as a separate piano piece. The finale is "a rapid ragtime dance in which the whole cast [makes] a last desperate attempt to lure the audience in to see their show".

The premiere of the ballet resulted in a number of scandals. One faction of the audience booed, hissed, and was very unruly, nearly causing a riot before they were drowned out by enthusiastic applause. Many of their objections were focused on Picasso's cubist design, which was met with cries of "sale boche."

According to the painter Gabriel Fournier, one of the most memorable scandals was an altercation between Cocteau, Satie, and music critic Jean Poueigh, who gave Parade an unfavorable review. Satie had written a postcard to the critic which read, "Monsieur et cher ami – vous êtes un cul, un cul sans musique! Signé Erik Satie" ("Sir and dear friend – you are an arse, an arse without music! Signed, Erik Satie."). The critic sued Satie, and at the trial, Cocteau was arrested and beaten by police for repeatedly yelling "arse" in the courtroom. Satie was given a sentence of eight days in jail.

Legacy
In 2013, Dale Eisinger of Complex ranked Parade the 20th best work of performance art in history, writing, "Though there had been collaboration on ballets and operas previously, none had broken free of traditional notions of the forms quite like this group of artists did in the early 20th century."

title: Parade (ballet)


text:
Kinmon incident

The Kinmon incident (禁門の変), also known as the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion (蛤御門の変), was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on the 20th of August [lunar calendar: 19th day, 7th month], 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.

History
Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, within a few years foreign powers forced the shogun dynasty to abandon its isolationist policy sakoku. The rebellion reflected the widespread discontent felt among both pro-imperial/anti-shogunate and anti-foreigner groups, who rebelled under the sonnō jōi ("revere the emperor, expel the barbarians") slogan. Emperor Kōmei had issued an "Order to expel barbarians". Thus, in March 1863, the shishi rebels sought to take control of the Emperor to restore the Imperial household to its position of political supremacy.

During what was a bloody crushing of the rebellion, the leading Chōshū clan was held responsible for its instigation. To counter the rebels' kidnapping attempt, armies of the Aizu and Satsuma domains (the latter led by Saigo Takamori ) led the defense of the Imperial palace. However, during the attempt, the rebels set Kyoto on fire, starting with the residence of the Takatsukasa family, and that of a Chōshū official. It is unknown if the rebels set fire to Kyoto as soon as they began to lose, or if their doing so was part of their original strategy, and done as a diversionary tactic. Among the shishi who died in the incident was Kusaka Genzui.

Various courtiers, including Nakayama Tadayasu, the Emperor's Special Consultant for National Affairs, were banished from Court as a result of their involvement in this incident. Sanjō Sanetomi, due to his association with many of the shishi that were captured, executed or identified during the rebellion, was forced to flee. The shogunate followed the incident with a retaliatory armed expedition, the First Chōshū expedition, in September 1864.

title: Kinmon incident


text:
Booker

Booker may refer to:

Places

 * Booker, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet in England
 * Booker, Texas, a town in the United States
 * RAF Booker, a Royal Air Force airfield from 1941 to 1963

Arts and entertainment

 * Booker (TV series), a spin-off of 21 Jump Street
 * Booker (film), a 1984 American biographical short television film
 * Booker Kudo (工藤 優作), a fictional character in Case Closed
 * Booker Prize, presented annually for the best original full-length novel
 * Booker, a character in the comic strip U.S. Acres
 * Booker DeWitt, protagonist of the video game BioShock Infinite
 * Booker Baxter-Carter, son of Raven Baxter in the television series Raven's Home

Brands and enterprises

 * Booker Group, the United Kingdom's largest food wholesale operator
 * Booker Software, a software company headquartered in New York City
 * Booker's, a bourbon produced by the Jim Beam distillery

Roles

 * Booker, one who plans the order of and events within pro wrestling matches.
 * Booking agent, or talent agent, a person who helps to arrange appearances by entertainers

Other uses

 * Booker (name), a list of people with the surname or given name
 * M10 Booker, a armoured fighting vehicle of the United States Army
 * United States v. Booker, a 2005 Supreme Court ruling permitting federal judges to depart from the United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines
 * Booker (horse) Australian racehorse

title: Booker


text:
William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington

William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, PC (c. 1683 – 8 December 1756) was a British statesman and diplomat.

Life
William Stanhope was born in 1683 at the family home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, third surviving son of John Stanhope and Dorothy Agard. His elder brother Charles Stanhope (1673–1760) was also a politician and deeply involved in the South Sea Company financial scandal, while his cousin James Stanhope (1673–1721) is considered an alternative candidate to Robert Walpole for the title of Britain's first Prime Minister.

He married Anne Griffiths, who died in 1719 giving birth to twin sons, William, 2nd Earl of Harrington (1719–1779) and Thomas (1719–1743).

Career
Educated at Eton College, Stanhope was commissioned in 1703 as a lieutenant in the 2nd Foot Guards during the War of the Spanish Succession, before transferring to the 3rd Foot Guards in Spain. By 1710, he was a lieutenant-colonel and missed the December 1710 Battle of Brihuega, when the British rearguard under his cousin James Stanhope was cut off and forced to surrender. In March 1711, he became Colonel of the former Lepells Regiment, which was disbanded in November 1712 as the army was cut back in the run-up to the 1713 Peace of Utrecht.

Stanhope was serving as a diplomat in Spain when the War of the Quadruple Alliance began in 1719 and joined the French army under the Duke of Berwick as a volunteer. He accompanied Berwick's army during its successful Siege of San Sebastian. When the war ended in 1720, Stanhope was appointed British ambassador to Spain and given the Colonelcy of the 13th Light Dragoons, later 13th Hussars; he retained this position until the Anglo-Spanish War began in March 1727, having built up his reputation as a diplomatist during a difficult period. As a reward for his part in negotiating the 1729 Treaty of Seville that ended the war, he was created Baron Harrington in January 1730. Later the same year, he replaced Lord Townshend as Secretary of State for the Northern Department under Robert Walpole. Despite policy differences over British involvement in the 1734–1735 war, he kept his position until Walpole's fall in 1742, when he became Lord President of the Council and created Earl of Harrington and Viscount Petersham.

With the support of his political ally the Duke of Newcastle, he was restored as Secretary of State in 1744 but resigned in February 1746 over his preference for an immediate end to the 1740–1748 War of the Austrian Succession. He was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1747 to 1751 and while his active military career finished in 1720, he received a number of promotions, ending a full General in 1747. He died in London on 8 December 1756.


text:
FIGHT Against War and Fascism

FIGHT Against War and Fascism was an anti-fascist monthly broadsheet published in the United States by the American League Against War and Fascism from November 1933 until July 1939. It was headquartered in New York City.

It was sponsored by socialists and communists. It apparently had Albert Einstein on its editorial committee.

Perhaps the most famous interview conducted by the paper occurred in 1936, when Grace Lumpkin interviewed the New York publisher and editor Seward Collins, whose literary journal The American Review published the work of T. S. Eliot and other notable writers. In that interview, Collins came out as a fascist and supporter of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler and a harsh critic of European Jews. The fallout from the interview was immediate and The American Review ceased publication the following year.

title: FIGHT Against War and Fascism


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Tobruk

Tobruk or Tobruck (Ἀντίπυργος, Antipyrgos; Antipyrgus; Tobruch; طبرق; also transliterated as Tobruch and Tubruk) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.).

Tobruk was the site of an ancient Greek colony and, later, of a Roman fortress guarding the frontier of Cyrenaica. Over the centuries, Tobruk also served as a waystation along the coastal caravan route. By 1911, Tobruk had become an Italian military post.

During World War II, Allied forces, mainly the Australian 6th Division, took Tobruk on 22 January 1941. The Australian 9th Division ("The Rats of Tobruk") pulled back to Tobruk to avoid encirclement after actions at Er Regima and Mechili and reached Tobruk on 9 April 1941. There prolonged fighting followed, against a siege by German and Italian forces.

Although the siege was lifted by Operation Crusader in November 1941, a renewed offensive by Axis forces under Erwin Rommel the following year resulted in Tobruk being captured in June 1942. It was held by the Axis forces until November 1942, when it was recaptured by the Allies.

Rebuilt after World War II, Tobruk was later expanded during the 1960s to include a port terminal linked by an oil pipeline to the Sarir oil field.

King Idris of Libya had his palace at Bab Zaytun. Tobruk was traditionally a stronghold of the Senussi royal dynasty and one of the first to rebel against Muammar Gaddafi in the Arab Spring.

Geography
Tobruk has a strong, naturally protected deep harbour. It is probably the best natural port in northern Africa, although due to the lack of important nearby land sites it is certainly not the most popular. The city is effectively surrounded by a desert lightly populated with nomadic herdsmen who travel from oasis to oasis.

There are many escarpments (cliffs) to the south of Tobruk, as is common across Cyrenaica, the eastern half of Libya. These escarpments generally have their high sides to the south and their low sides (dip slopes) to the north. This constitutes a substantial physical barrier between the north and south of Libya in the Tobruk area.

Previously, Tobruk was some 470 km from Benghazi through the Libyan Coastal Highway, but this distance was shortened to 450 km after the construction of the Charruba–Timimi Road between the years 1975 and 1985. Construction of the Tobruk–Ajdabiya Road reduced the distance between those two cities from 620 km to about 410 km.

Because it is approximately 150 km away from Egypt by land, Tobruk is also an important hub for merchants from both Egypt and Libya, and for travellers between the two countries as well as those from Bayda and Derna.

Tobruk suffers a serious saltwater intrusion problem. A factory for the desalination of sea water has been built there.

Climate
Tobruk features a hot desert climate (BWh according to the Köppen climate classification.) However, its maritime location allows it to receive significantly more precipitation than areas further inland in the Sahara desert.

Ancient
An Ancient Greek agricultural colony, Antipyrgus (Ἀντίπυργος, Antipyrgos) was once on the site of modern Tobruk, and the ancient name is still occasionally in use. The name roughly meant "across from Pyrgos", referring to a location in Crete across the Mediterranean Sea from Antipyrgos. In the Roman era, the town became a Roman fortress guarding the Cyrenaican frontier. With the spread of Christianity, Antipyrgus became an episcopal see. Only one of its ancient bishops is known by name: Aemilianus, who took part in the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. No longer a residential bishopric, Antipyrgus is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Later the site became a way station on the caravan route that ran along the coast.

World War II
At the beginning of World War II, Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers. Tobruk was strategically important to the conquest of Eastern Libya, then the province of Cyrenaica, for several reasons.

Strategic importance

Tobruk had a deep, natural, and protected harbour, which meant that even if the port were bombed, ships would still be able to anchor there and be safe from squalls, so the port could never be rendered wholly useless regardless of military bombardment. This was of critical importance, as it made Tobruk an excellent place to supply a desert warfare campaign. It was also heavily fortified by the Italians prior to their invasion of Egypt in November 1940.

In addition to these prepared fortifications, there were a number of escarpments and cliffs to the south of Tobruk, providing substantial physical barriers to any advance on the port over land. Tobruk was also on a peninsula, allowing it to be defended by a minimal number of troops, which the Allies used to their advantage when the port was under siege. An attacker could not simply bypass the defenders, for if they did, the besieged would sally forth and cut off the nearby supply lines of the attacker, spoiling their advance.

But Tobruk was also strategically significant, due to its location with regard to the remainder of Cyrenaica. Attackers from the east who had secured Tobruk could then advance through the desert to Benghazi, cutting off all enemy troops along the coast, such as those at Derna. This advance would be protected from counterattack, due to escarpments that were quite difficult for a military force to climb, running generally from Tobruk to Suluq. Due to the importance of maintaining supply in the desert, getting cut off in this area was disastrous. Therefore, whoever held both Suluq and Tobruk controlled the majority of Cyrenaica.

Finally, 24 km south of the port was the largest airfield in eastern Libya. This was significant due to the importance of air power in desert warfare.

Italian advance
Italian forces (and their native Libyan allies—about two divisions of the latter) invaded Egypt in early September 1940 but halted their advance after a week and dug in at Sidi Barrani. In early December, British Empire forces—an armoured division and two infantry divisions—launched a counterstrike codenamed Operation Compass. The Italians had previously invaded Albania and occupied part of the south of France, and had now made a military incursion into a British protectorate.

British capture of Tobruk
The counterstrike involved the British pocketing two of the Italian camps against the Mediterranean, forcing their surrender. This led to a general Italian retreat to El Agheila. Tobruk was captured by British, Australian and Indian forces on 22 January 1941.

Italy called on her German ally, which sent an army corps, under the name Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK). Italy also sent several more divisions to Libya. These forces, under Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel, drove the Allies back across Cyrenaica to the Egyptian border, leaving Tobruk isolated and under siege. The defenders of the fortress consisted of the Australian 9th Division, the Australian 18th Brigade and some British tanks and artillery. They were later reinforced and replaced by the British 70th Infantry Division, Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade, a Czechoslovak battalion and a British tank brigade. The siege lasted until December, when Operation Crusader pushed the DAK and Italians back out of Cyrenaica.

German capture of Tobruk
Rommel's second offensive took place in May and June 1942. Tobruk was taken in an outflanking attack on 21 June 1942, capturing the largest number of British Commonwealth troops after the fall of Singapore earlier in the year, where over 80,000 were captured. Rommel was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall, shortly thereafter and was the youngest in the Wehrmacht Heer to achieve this rank. The following units were deployed in Tobruk on 20 June 1942, and most of them were captured by the Axis forces:
 * 2nd South African Infantry Division
 * 4th Royal Tank Regiment
 * 7th Royal Tank Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
 * 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
 * 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
 * 2nd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
 * 2nd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles
 * 67 Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 68 Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

British Commando raid
A British raid on Tobruk on 13–14 September 1942, codenamed Operation Agreement, intended to destroy port facilities and stores being used to support the Axis forces further west. Special forces approached from across the desert while Commandos attacked from the sea. A preparatory air raid by RAF heavy bombers served only to alert the Italian and German defenders. The special forces were unable to silence the coastal artillery batteries and the seaborne assault had to be abandoned after some of the Commandos had been landed in the wrong place. The retiring vessels were then attacked from the air. The British sustained almost 800 casualties, together with a cruiser, two destroyers and several smaller ships and boats.

British recapture
Tobruk remained in Axis hands until 11 November 1942, when the Allies captured it after the Second Battle of El Alamein. It remained in Allied hands thereafter. Although not as much a reason for its strategic significance, the British built a rail line from El Alamein to Tobruk during the course of the war. This rail line was significant both for purposes of supply and as a sense of pride to the Allied troops, as the rail line was built through a little-populated, inhospitable desert.

Libyan Civil Wars
At the outset of the First Libyan Civil War, the city quickly came under the control of the NTC. In September 2014 the internationally recognized government of Libya relocated to a Greek car ferry in Tobruk harbor. A rival New General National Congress parliament continued to operate in Tripoli. In October 2014 they again re-located, to a hotel named Dar al-Salam also known as the Al Masira Hotel in Tobruk. In November 2014 that government was declared illegal by Libya's highest court.

Notable people
Professor Omar El Barasi (b. 1951), who once managed the Libyan branch of Society of Petroleum Engineers, and later became a deputy of Libya PM Abdurrahim El-Keib is from Tobruk and gained his doctorate in petroleum engineering from Waseda University, Japan.

Eman al-Obeidi, a Libyan woman who was abused by the Gaddafi government during the First Libyan Civil War, is from Tobruk.

Omar Mukhtar was born in Zanjhur, near Tobruk.

Transportation
The city is served by Tobruk Airport, with two major domestic airlines serving it.

title: Tobruk