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Prix Ars Electronica

The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the best known and longest running yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music. It has been awarded since 1987 by Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria).

In 2005, the Golden Nica, the highest prize, was awarded in six categories: "Computer Animation/Visual Effects," "Digital Musics," "Interactive Art," "Net Vision," "Digital Communities" and the "u19" award for "freestyle computing." Each Golden Nica came with a prize of €10,000, apart from the u19 category, where the prize was €5,000. In each category, there are also Awards of Distinction and Honorary Mentions.

The Golden Nica trophy is a replica of the Greek Nike of Samothrace. It is a handmade gold-plated wooden statuette that is approximately 35 cm high with a wingspan of about 20 cm.

"Prix Ars Electronica" is a phrase composed of French, Latin and Spanish words, loosely translated as "Electronic Arts Prize."

Computer animation / film / vfx
The "Computer Graphics" category (1987–1994) was open to different kinds of computer images. The "Computer Animation" (1987–1997) was replaced by the current "Computer Animation/Visual Effects" category in 1998.

Computer Graphics

 * 1987 – Figur10 by Brian Reffin Smith, UK
 * 1988 – The Battle by David Sherwin, US
 * 1989 – Gramophone by Tamás Waliczky, HU
 * 1990 – P-411-A by Manfred Mohr, Germany
 * 1991 – Having encountered Eve for the second time, Adam begins to speak by Bill Woodard, US
 * 1992 – RD Texture Buttons by Michael Kass and Andrew Witkin, US
 * 1993 – Founders Series by Michael Tolson, US
 * 1994 – Jellylife / Jellycycle / Jelly Locomotion by Michael Joaquin Grey, US

Computer Animation

 * 1987 – Luxo Jr. by John Lasseter, US
 * 1988 – Red's Dream by John Lasseter, US
 * 1989 – Broken Heart by Joan Staveley, US
 * 1990 – Footprint by Mario Sasso and Nicola Sani, IT
 * 1991 – Panspermia by Karl Sims, US
 * 1992 – Liquid Selves / Primordial Dance by Karl Sims, US
 * 1993 – Lakmé by Pascal Roulin, BE
 * 1994 – Jurassic Park by Dennis Muren, Mark Dippé and Steve Williams, US/CA
 * Distinction: Quarxs by Maurice Benayoun, FR
 * Distinction: K.O. Kid by Marc Caro, FR
 * 1995 – God's Little Monkey by David Atherton and Bob Sabiston, US
 * 1996 – Toy Story by John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich and Ralph Eggleston, US
 * 1997 – Dragonheart by Scott Squires, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), US

Computer Animation/Visual Effects

 * 1998 – The Sitter by Liang-Yuan Wang, TW
 * Titanic by Robert Legato and Digital Domain, US
 * 1999 – Bunny by Chris Wedge, US
 * What Dreams May Come by Mass Illusions, POP, Digital Domain, Vincent Ward, Stephen Simon and Barnet Bain, US
 * 2000 – Maly Milos by Jakub Pistecky, CA
 * Maaz by Christian Volckman, FR
 * 2001 – Le Processus by Xavier de l’Hermuzičre and Philippe Grammaticopoulos, FR
 * 2002 – Monsters, Inc. by Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Pete Docter and David Silverman, US
 * 2003 – Tim Tom by Romain Segaud and Cristel Pougeoise, FR
 * 2004 – Ryan by Chris Landreth, US.
 * Distinction: Parenthèse from Francois Blondeau, Thibault Deloof, Jérémie Droulers, Christophe Stampe, France
 * Distinction: Birthday Boy from Sejong Park, Australia
 * 2005 – Fallen Art by Tomek Baginski, Poland.
 * Distinction: The Incredibles from Pixar
 * Distinction: City Paradise by Gaëlle Denis (UK), Passion Pictures (FR)
 * 2006 – 458nm by Jan Bitzer, Ilija Brunck, Tom Weber, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
 * Distinction: Kein platz Für Gerold by Daniel Nocke / Studio Film Bilder, Germany
 * Distinction: Negadon, the monster from Mars, by Jun Awazu, Japan
 * 2007 – Codehunters by Ben Hibon, (UK)
 * 2008 – Madame Tutli-Putli by Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski. (Directors), Jason Walker (Special Visual Effects), National Film Board of Canada
 * 2009 – HA'Aki by Iriz Pääbo, National Film Board of Canada
 * 2010 – Nuit Blanche by Arev Manoukian (Director), Marc-André Gray (Visual Effects Artist), National Film Board of Canada
 * 2011 – Metachaos by Alessandro Bavari (IT)
 * 2012 – Rear Window Loop by Jeff Desom (LU)
 * Distinction: Caldera by Evan Viera/Orchid Animation (US)
 * Distinction: Rise of the Planet of the Apes by Weta Digital (NZ)/Twentieth Century Fox
 * 2013 – Forms by Quayola (IT), Memo Akten (TR)
 * Distinction: Duku Spacemarines by La Mécanique du Plastique (FR)
 * Distinction: Oh Willy… by Emma De Swaef (BE), Marc James Roels (BE) / Beast Animation
 * 2014 – Walking City by Universal Everything (UK)
 * 2015 – Temps Mort by Alex Verhaest (BE)
 * Distinction: Bär by Pascal Floerks (DE)
 * Distinction: The Reflection of Power by Mihai Grecu (RO/HU)

Digital Music
This category is for those making electronic music and sound art through digital means. From 1987 to 1998 the category was known as "Computer music." Two Golden Nicas were awarded in 1987, and none in 1990. There was no Computer Music category in 1991.

 * 1987 – Peter Gabriel and Jean-Claude Risset
 * 1988 – Denis Smalley
 * 1989 – Kaija Saariaho
 * 1990 – None
 * 1991 – Category omitted
 * 1992 – Alejandro Viñao
 * 1993 – Bernard Parmegiani
 * 1994 – Ludger Brümmer
 * 1995 – Trevor Wishart
 * 1996 – Robert Normandeau
 * 1997 – Matt Heckert
 * 1998 – Peter Bosch and Simone Simons (joint award)
 * 1999 – Come to Daddy by Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) and Chris Cunningham (joint award)
 * Distinction: Birthdays by Ikue Mori (JP)
 * Distinction: Mego (label), Hotel Paral.lel by Christian Fennesz, Seven Tons For Free by Peter Rehberg (a.k.a. Pita)
 * 2000 – 20' to 2000 by Carsten Nicolai
 * Distinction: Minidisc by Gescom
 * Distinction: Outside the Circle of Fire by Chris Watson
 * 2001 – Matrix by Ryoji Ikeda
 * 2002 – Man'yo Wounded 2001 by Yasunao Tone
 * 2003 – Ami Yoshida, Sachiko M and Utah Kawasaki (joint award)
 * 2004 – Banlieue du Vide by Thomas Köner
 * 2005 – TEO! A Sonic Sculpture by Maryanne Amacher
 * 2006 – L'île ré-sonante by Eliane Radigue
 * 2007 – Reverse-Simulation Music by Mashiro Miwa
 * 2008 – Reactable by Sergi Jordà (ES), Martin Kaltenbrunner (AT), Günter Geiger (AT) and Marcos Alonso (ES)
 * 2009 – Speeds of Time versions 1 and 2 by Bill Fontana (US)
 * 2010 – rheo: 5 horizons by Ryoichi Kurokawa (JP)
 * 2011 – Energy Field by Jana Winderen (NO)
 * 2012 – "Crystal Sounds of a Synchrotron" by Jo Thomas (GB)
 * 2013 – frequencies (a) by Nicolas Bernier (CA)
 * Distinction: SjQ++ by SjQ++ (JP)
 * Distinction: Borderlands Granular by Chris Carlson (US)
 * 2015 – Chijikinkutsu by Nelo Akamatsu (JP)
 * Distinction: Drumming is an elastic concept by Josef Klammer (AT)
 * Distinction: Under Way by Douglas Henderson (DE)
 * 2017 – Not Your World Music: Noise In South East Asia by Cedrik Fermont (CD/BE/DE), Dimitri della Faille (BE/CA)
 * Distinction: Gamelan Wizard by Lucas Abela (AU), Wukir Suryadi (ID) und Rully Shabara (ID)
 * Distinction: Corpus Nil by Marco Donnarumma (DE/IT)

Hybrid art

 * 2007 – Symbiotica
 * 2008 – Pollstream – Nuage Vert by Helen Evans (FR/UK) and Heiko Hansen (FR/DE) HeHe
 * 2009 – Natural History of the Enigma by Eduardo Kac (US)
 * 2010 – Ear on Arm by Stelarc (AU)
 * 2011 – May the Horse Live in me by Art Orienté Objet (FR)
 * 2012 – Bacterial radio by Joe Davis (US)
 * 2013 – Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, Koen Vanmechelen (BE)
 * 2015 – Plantas Autofotosintéticas, Gilberto Esparza (MX)
 * 2017 – K-9_topology, Maja Smrekar (SI)

[the next idea] voestalpine Art and Technology Grant

 * 2009 – Open_Sailing by Open_Sailing Crew led by Cesar Harada.
 * 2010 – Hostage by [Frederik De Wilde].
 * 2011 – Choke Point Project by P2P Foundation (NL).
 * 2012 – qaul.net – tools for the next revolution by Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud
 * 2013 – Hyperform by Marcelo Coelho (BR), Skylar Tibbits (US), Natan Linder (IL), Yoav Reaches (IL)
 * Honorary Mentions: GravityLight by Martin Riddiford (GB), Jim Reeves (GB)
 * 2014 – BlindMaps by Markus Schmeiduch, Andrew Spitz and Ruben van der Vleuten
 * 2015 – SOYA C(O)U(L)TURE by XXLab (ID) – Irene Agrivina Widyaningrum, Asa Rahmana, Ratna Djuwita, Eka Jayani Ayuningtias, Atinna Rizqiana

Interactive Art
Prizes in the category of interactive art have been awarded since 1990. This category applies to many categories of works, including installations and performances, characterized by audience participation, virtual reality, multimedia and telecommunication.

 * 1990 – Videoplace installation by Myron Krueger
 * 1991 – Think About the People Now project by Paul Sermon
 * 1992 – Home of the Brain installation by Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss
 * 1993 – Simulationsraum-Mosaik mobiler Datenklänge (smdk) installation by Knowbotic Research
 * 1994 – A-Volve environment by Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau
 * 1995 – the concept of Hypertext, attributed to Tim Berners-Lee
 * 1996 – Global Interior Project installation by Masaki Fujihata
 * 1997 – Music Plays Images X Images Play Music concert by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Toshio Iwai
 * 1998 – World Skin, a Photo Safari in the Land of War installation by Jean-Baptiste Barrière and Maurice Benayoun
 * 1999 – Difference Engine #3 by construct and Lynn Hershman
 * 2000 – Vectorial Elevation, Relational Architecture #4 installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
 * 2001 – polar installation by Carsten Nicolai and Marko Peljhan
 * 2002 – n-cha(n)t installation by David Rokeby
 * 2003 – Can You See Me Now? participatory game by Blast Theory and Mixed Reality Lab
 * 2004 – Listening Post installation by Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen
 * 2005 – MILKproject installation and project by Esther Polak, Ieva Auzina and RIXC – Riga Centre for New Media Culture
 * 2006 – The Messenger installation by Paul DeMarinis
 * 2007 – Park View Hotel installation by Ashok Sukumaran
 * 2008 – Image Fulgurator by Julius von Bismarck (Germany)
 * 2009 – Nemo Observatorium by Laurence Malstaf (Belgium)
 * 2010 – The Eyewriter by Zachary Lieberman, Evan Roth, James Powderly, Theo Watson, Chris Sugrue, Tempt1
 * 2011 – Newstweek by Julian Oliver (NZ) and Danja Vasiliev (RU)
 * 2012 – Memopol-2 by Timo Toots (EE)
 * 2013 – Pendulum Choir By Michel Décosterd (CH), André Décosterd (CH)
 * Distinction – Rain Room by rAndom International (GB)
 * Distinction – Voices of Aliveness by Masaki Fujihata (JP)
 * 2014 – Loophole for All by Paolo Cirio(IT)
 * 2016 – Can you hear me? by Mathias Jud(DE), Christoph Wachter (CH)

Internet-related categories
In the categories "World Wide Web" (1995–96) and ".net" (1997–2000), interesting web-based projects were awarded, based on criteria like web-specificity, community-orientation, identity and interactivity. In 2001, the category became broader under the new name "Net Vision / Net Excellence", with rewards for innovation in the online medium.

World Wide Web

 * 1995 – Idea Futures by Robin Hanson
 * 1996 – Digital Hijack by etoy
 * Second prizes: HyGrid by SITO and Journey as an exile

.net

 * 1997 – Sensorium by Taos Project
 * 1998 – IO_Dencies Questioning Urbanity by Knowbotic Research
 * 1999 – Linux by Linus Torvalds
 * 2000 – In the Beginning... Was the Command Line (excerpts) by Neal Stephenson

Net Vision / Net Excellence

 * 2001 – Banja by Team cHmAn and "PrayStation" by Joshua Davis
 * 2002 – Carnivore by Radical Software Group and "They Rule" by Josh On and Futurefarmers
 * 2003 – Habbo Hotel and Noderunner by Yury Gitman and Carlos J. Gomez de Llarena
 * 2004 – Creative Commons
 * 2005 – Processing by Benjamin Fry, Casey Reas and the Processing community
 * 2006 – The Road Movie by exonemo

Digital Communities

A category begun in 2004 with support from SAP (and a separate ceremony in New York City two months before the main Ars Electronica ceremony) to celebrate the 25th birthday of Ars Electronica. Two Golden Nicas were awarded.

 * 2004 – Wikipedia and The World Starts With Me
 * Distinction:
 * Open-Clothes
 * 2005 – Akshaya, an information technology development program in India
 * Distinction: Free Software Foundation (USA) and Telestreet – NewGlobalVision (Italy)
 * 2006 – canal*ACCESSIBLE
 * Distinction:
 * Codecheck (Roman Bleichenbacher CH)
 * Proyecto Cyberela – Radio Telecentros (CEMINA)
 * Honorary Mentions:
 * Arduino (Arduino)
 * Charter97.org – News from Belarus
 * CodeTree
 * MetaReciclagem
 * Mountain Forum
 * Northfield.org
 * Pambazuka News (Fahamu
 * Semapedia
 * stencilboard.at (Stefan Eibelwimmer (AT), Günther Kolar (AT))
 * The Freecycle Network
 * The Organic City
 * UgaBYTES Initiative (UgaBYTES Initiative (UG))
 * 2007 – Overmundo
 * 2008 – 1 kg more
 * Distinction: PatientsLikeMe and Global Voices Online
 * 2009 – HiperBarrio by Álvaro Ramírez and Gabriel Jaime Vanegas
 * Distinction:
 * piratbyran.org
 * wikileaks.org
 * Honorary Mentions:
 * hackmeeting.org
 * pad.ma
 * Maneno
 * femalepressure.net
 * metamute.org
 * ubu.com
 * canchas.org
 * feraltrade.org
 * flossmanuals.net
 * wikiartpedia.org
 * changemakers.net
 * vocesbolivianas.org
 * 2010 – Chaos Computer Club
 * 2011 – Fundacion Ciudadano Inteligente
 * Distinction:
 * Bentham Papers Transcription Initiative (Transcribe Bentham) (UK). See also the project's Transcription Desk
 * X_MSG
 * 2012 – Syrian people know their way
 * 2013 – El Campo de Cebada by El Campo de Cebada (ES)
 * Distinction: Refugees United by Christopher Mikkelsen (DK), David Mikkelsen (DK)
 * Distinction: Visualizing Palestine by Visualizing Palestine (PS)
 * 2014 – Project Fumbaro Eastern Japan by Takeo Saijo (JP)

title: Prix Ars Electronica


text:
Hubbell

Hubbell may refer to:

Places in the United States

 * Hubbell, Indiana
 * Hubbell, Michigan
 * Hubbells, Missouri
 * Hubbell, Nebraska

Other uses

 * Hubble Space Telescope
 * Hubble (crater), a lunar impact crater
 * Hubble (film), a 2010 American documentary film
 * Hubbell (surname)
 * Hubbell Center, the museum, library, and archive of the Hubbell family in North America
 * Hubbell Incorporated, an electric and electronic products manufacturer
 * Hubbell connector, see "Twist-Lock connector"

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

title: Hubbell


text:
Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)

The Kingdom of Poland (Królestwo Polskie, Königreich Polen), also known informally as the Regency Kingdom of Poland (Królestwo Regencyjne), was a short-lived polity that was proclaimed during World War I by the German Empire and Austria-Hungary on 5 November 1916 on the territories of formerly Russian-ruled Congress Poland held by the Central Powers as the Government General of Warsaw and which became active on 14 January 1917. It was subsequently transformed between 7 October 1918 and 22 November 1918 into the independent Second Polish Republic, the customary ceremonial founding date of the latter being later set at 11 November 1918.

In spite of the initial total dependence of this client state on its sponsors, it ultimately served against their intentions in the aftermath of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 as the cornerstone proto-state of the nascent Second Polish Republic, the latter composed also of territories never intended by the Central Powers to be ceded to Poland, and therefore played a crucial role in the resurrection of Polish statehood.

Rationale
The decision to propose the restoration of Poland after a century of partitions was taken up by the German policymakers in an attempt to legitimize further imperial presence in the occupied territories and create a buffer state to prevent future wars with Russia. The plan was followed by the German propaganda pamphlet campaign delivered to the Poles in 1915, claiming that the German soldiers were arriving as liberators to free Poland from subjugation by the Russian Empire. However, the German High Command under Erich Ludendorff also wanted to annex around 30,000 square kilometers of the territory of former Congress Poland, and planned to evict up to 3 million Poles and Jews to make room for German colonists in the so-called Polish Border Strip plan. The German government used punitive threats to force Polish landowners living in the German-occupied Baltic states to relocate and sell their Baltic property to the Germans in exchange for entry to Poland. Parallel efforts were made to remove Poles from Polish territories of the Prussian Partition.

Germany
With the onset of the war in 1914, for the purposes of securing Germany's eastern border against the Russian imperial army, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, the German chancellor, decided on the annexation of a specific strip of land from Congress Poland, known later on as the Polish Border Strip. In order to avoid adding the Polish population there to the population of imperial Germany, it was proposed that the Poles would be ethnically cleansed to a proposed new Polish state further east, while the strip would be resettled with Germans.

German Emperor Wilhelm II conceived of creating a dependent Polish state from territory conquered from Russia. This new autonomous Kingdom of Poland would be ruled by a German prince and have its military, transportation, and economy controlled by Germany. Its army and railway network would be placed under Prussian command.

In several memoranda sent during 1915 and 1916, Hans Hartwig von Beseler, the Governor-General of the Polish areas under German control, proposed the establishment of an independent Polish state. Under the influence of General Erich Ludendorff, then in effect the director of Germany's eastern European operations, this proposal included the annexation of considerable amounts of land by Germany, Lithuania, and Austria-Hungary. Gerhard von Mutius, the cousin of Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg and the foreign office's representative at Beseler's headquarters, disputed the use of annexation, insisting that "if the military interests allow for it, divisions and secessions should be avoided", as such a policy would secure an "anti-Russian inclination [toward] the new Poland".

Similar plans were advanced by influential German intellectuals in the early years of the war. Among them were Hans Delbrück, Friedrich Naumann, and Paul Rohrbach. They generally argued that because Polish nationalism and Polish society were so highly developed, Germany would encounter severe resistance if they attempted to annex large territories in Poland. They concluded that Germany could only effectively project power into Poland by establishing an autonomous Polish state as a German protectorate.

The borders of this "autonomous" Poland were to be changed in favour of Germany with the annexation of the so-called "Polish Border Strip" which would lead to the annexation of considerable parts of Polish territory that had been part of the Russian partition of Poland. By the end of 1916, Germany wanted to annex almost 30,000 square kilometres of Polish territory. These lands were to be settled by ethnic Germans, while the Polish and Jewish population was to be removed.

After the expected victory the Polish economy was to be dominated by Germany and preparations were made for German control over the Polish railway system, shipping in the Vistula and industrial areas in Dąbrowa basin, Radom and Kielce.

Such plans were also proposed by members of the German minority in Poland in the Łódź area, who protested the Act of 5th November, and in a letter to the German government demanded the annexation of western Poland by Germany and settlement of ethnic Germans in those areas.

German candidates for the throne were disputed between the royal houses of Saxony, Württemberg and Bavaria. Bavaria demanded that their Prince Leopold, the Supreme Commander of the German forces on the Eastern front, become the new monarch. Württemberg's candidate Duke Albrecht was considered suitable for the throne because he belonged to the Catholic line of the house. The Saxon House of Wettin's claim to the Polish throne was based on three previous Saxon rulers - Electors Augustus the Strong and Frederick Augustus II and King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony - having ruled over Poland before.

Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary allowed formation of a Polish quasi-government, the Supreme National Committee, and had three different ideas regarding Poland. One, the "Austro-Polish Solution", involved the creation of a Polish kingdom under the Emperor of Austria, who, among his other titles, was already King of Galicia and Lodomeria. German and Magyar (Hungarian) elements within the Habsburg monarchy opposed such a move for fear of creating a predominantly Slavic area. Unlike Emperor Francis Joseph, however, Charles I of Austria, who had acceded to the Habsburg thrones in 1916, promoted the idea. The other two ideas involved the division of former Congress Poland between Germany and Austria-Hungary, or between Austria-Hungary and a state built from Lithuania, Belarus and the remnants of Congress Poland to create a new version of the 1795 dissolved Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

According to Polish historian Janusz Pajewski "the Austrians had underestimated Germany's desire to determine Poland's fate". They did recognise, according to Prime Minister Karl von Stürgkh, that "Poles will remain Poles [...] even 150 years after Galicia was joined to Austria, Poles still didn't become Austrians".

Of the candidates for the new Polish throne, Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria (Karol Stefan) and his son Charles Albert were early contenders. Both resided in the Galician town of Saybusch (now Żywiec) and spoke Polish fluently. Charles Stephen's daughters were married to the Polish aristocrats Princes Czartoryski and Radziwiłł.

By early 1916, the "Austro-Polish Solution" had become hypothetical. Erich von Falkenhayn, the German Chief of the General Staff, had rejected the idea in January, followed by Bethmann Hollweg in February. Bethmann Hollweg had been willing to see an Austrian candidate on the new Polish throne, so long as Germany retained control over the Polish economy, resources and army.

During the first year of the war, German and Austrian troops quickly conquered Russian Vistula Land, former Congress Poland, and in 1915 divided its administration between a German Governor General in Warsaw and an Austrian counterpart in Lublin. During the German military campaign in the ethnically Polish territory, Poles were subjected to forced labour and confiscation of food and private property.

Proclamation of two Emperors promising a Polish state
After the German offensive failed in the Battle of Verdun and Austria suffered military setbacks against Italy, Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff, now supreme commanders of the German military and increasingly the dominant force over the politics of both Germany and Austria, changed their positions on Poland: having previously considered Poland as a bargaining card in the event of a separate peace with Russia, they now postulated the establishment of a German dependency, hoping that the creation of a Polish army could replace the Central Powers' losses. In October 1916, at joint deliberations at Pszczyna, the German and Austrian leadership agreed to accelerate the proclamation promising the creation of a Polish state in the future. Although early plans called for an Austro-Polish solution, they were abandoned by the German Chancellor in February 1916 in the face of growing dependence of Austria-Hungary on Germany. Both control over Polish economy and raw resources was to be in Germany's hands and Germany would also be in total control over the Polish army.

In the meantime, General Beseler had managed to gain support among pro-Austrian Poles and the followers of Józef Piłsudski. The Narodowa Demokracja party (centred in Paris), however, rejected any cooperation with the Central Powers. After the German Emperor and Chancellor met with a Polish delegation led by Józef Brudziński, the final details were arranged. On 5 November 1916, Governor Beseler at Warsaw issued an Act of 5th November, in which he promised that a Polish state would be created, without specifying any future Polish ruler, Polish borders or system of governance and, for the first time since 1831, had the Warsaw Royal Castle decorated with Polish flags. The Austrian Governor-General Kuk issued a similar proclamation at Lublin. A pro-German faction led by Władysław Studnicki existed but didn't gain any significant backing among the Polish population.

Occupation authorities
Immediately after the proclamation, the German governor-general in Warsaw issued an advertisement for military recruitment, resulting in Polish protests which especially decried the absence of a Polish government. In December 1916, a brigade of Polish legions under Stanisław Szeptycki moved into Warsaw to form the officer corps of the new Polish army.

The occupation authorities included German Governor-General at Warsaw, commander-in-chief of the Polska Siła Zbrojna — Hans Hartwig von Beseler (1 October 1915 – 11 November 1918); as well as the Austro-Hungarian Governors-General at Lublin: including Major General Erich Freiherr von Diller (1 October 1915 – 20 April 1916), Feldzeugmeister Karl Kuk (21 April 1916 – April 1917); as well as Major General Stanislaus Graf Szeptycki (April 1917 – 28 February 1918); and the Infantry General Anton Lipošćak (1 March – 11 November 1918).

Council of State and Supreme National Committee
On 14 January 1917, a Provisional Council of State (Tymczasowa Rada Stanu) was established as a provisional government, consisting of 15 members chosen by the German and ten by the Austrian authorities. The magnate Waclaw Niemojowski was appointed Crown Marshal, with Józef Mikułowski-Pomorski acting as his deputy. Franciszek Pius Radziwiłł and Józef Piłsudski were put in charge of the Military Commission. The Council's first proclamation espoused monarchical government, Poland's expansion towards the east and supported an army of volunteers. A National Council served as a provisional parliament. The Councillors insisted on actual Polish autonomy and, on 21 April, were given authority over education, law courts, and propaganda. Still, students were dissatisfied with the extent of autonomy and organised a strike on 3 May, resulting in the temporary closing of all universities.

The state authorities within the Provisional Council of State (14 January – 15 August 1917) included Waclaw Niemojowski, Crown Marshall (14 January – 6 August 1917); Deputy Marshall Józef Mikułowski-Pomorski.

Meanwhile, the Supreme National Committee continued since 1914 as the limited Polish authority in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria.

"Regency" constitution
Both abovementioned bodies were dissolved after creation of the Regency Council (15 October 1917 – 14 November 1918), consisting of Archbishop Aleksander Kakowski, Prince Zdzisław Lubomirski, and Józef Ostrowski. A draft constitution was proposed in 1917. After the intermission of the Temporary Committee of the Provisional Council of State (Komisja Przejściowa Tymczasowej Rady Stanu), the Central Powers introduced a provisional constitution, the patent, on 12 September 1917. The patent devised a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament but without ministerial responsibility. Only schools and courts were transferred to Polish authorities, but — under Polish protests — the German minority was given a separate school system. Pending the election of a King of Poland, a Regency Council (Rada Regencyjna) was installed as a provisional government. On 18 September, the following members of the Council were named: Aleksander Kakowski, Archbishop of Warsaw; aristocrat Prince Zdzisław Lubomirski who had served as mayor of Warsaw in 1916/17; and Józef Ostrowski, a great landowner and formerly the leading Polish politician in the Russian Duma.

The Regency Council was ceremonially installed on 15 October, the anniversary of Tadeusz Kościuszko's death, and on 26 November, appointed Jan Kucharzewski, a lawyer who had been working in the government since June, as Prime Minister. Administration, however, strictly remained in the hands of German authorities, now headed by Otto von Steinmeister. In March 1918, a resolution of the German Reichstag called for the establishment of a native civil administration in Poland, Kurland and Lithuania. However, the German authorities refused to transfer administration to Polish authorities and merely considered Poles as candidates to be trained under German supervision.

In August 1918, Achille Ratti arrived in Warsaw as an apostolic visitor to adjust the Catholic Church to the altered political circumstances. This appointment was mainly due to the influence of German Chancellor Georg von Hertling and Eugenio Pacelli, since 1917 Nuncio to Bavaria in Munich. Ratti gained fame in 1920 for being the only diplomat to stay in Warsaw during the Polish–Soviet War and was elected as Pope Pius XI in 1922.

Armed forces and oath crisis
Meanwhile, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation in favor of a unified and independent Poland (on 22 January 1917) and the downfall of the Emperor of Russia in the February Revolution strengthened the Polish forces favoring a neutral or pro-Entente stance.

On 21 April, the Council of State had passed a proclamation in favor of the Polish army (Polnische Wehrmacht) and appointed Colonel Sikorski to oversee recruitment. The relationship between the Central Powers and the Polish legions became increasingly difficult, especially after the powers barred Austrian subjects from the Legions (now called the Polish auxiliary corps, Polski Korpus Posilkowy), aiming to divert them into the regular Austrian army. Piłsudski agreed to serve in the government, and acted as minister of war. Piłsudski had abstained from the vote on the Polish army's oath, and on 2 July resigned together with two left-wing State Councillors. The new army's oath drafted by the governors-general and passed by the Council of State resulted in a political crisis, especially since it was directed to an unspecified "future king" and emphasized the alliance with Germany and Austria. Several legionaries refused to take the oath and were arrested, prompting General Beseler to arrest Piłsudski, his associate Kazimierz Sosnkowski, and have them confined in Germany. In August, the remains of the Legions, roughly ten thousand soldiers, were transferred to the Eastern front. Crown Marshall Niemojowski resigned on 6 August and the Council disbanded on 25 August. After the oath crisis of 1917, recruitment to the Polish army had received scant support and achieved negligible results, reaching merely 5,000 men. In May 1918, the force was strengthened by General Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki moving his Polish corps — assembled from the former Tsarist army — to Poland. In August, the legionaries arrested for refusing the oath were released and some again volunteered for the Polish army.

Borders of the nascent state
In their proclamation of 5 November 1916, the Central Powers refused to determine the Polish borders.

West and North
However, Poland's unspecified borders were threatened in the West as well: Late in 1917, the German supreme command had proposed annexing a "border strip" to Germany, a policy earlier suggested by a letter to the German government by members of Poland's German minority, settled around Łódź. Such plans were agreed to in principle by the German government in March 1918 and in April gained support in the Prussian House of Lords, but were strongly opposed by General Beseler in a report to Emperor Wilhelm.

In July, Ludendorff specified his plans in a memorandum, proposing annexing a greatly enlarged "border strip" of 20,000 square kilometers. In August, Emperor Charles of Austria insisted on the Austro-Polish option, forbidding Archduke Charles Stephen from accepting the crown and declaring his opposition to any German plans for annexation, but General Ludendorff reaffirmed the "border strip" plan, while Poles refused to yield any part of former Kingdom of Poland.

East and South
Ludendorff agreed in turn to leave Wilno (and possibly Minsk) to Poland, but this did little to soothe Polish sentiment, which regarded the return of Wilno as self-evident. Moreover, Germany's policy later shifted in favour of creating several smaller client states east of Poland, supported especially by the supreme command under Ludendorff, further heightening resistance to German presence on Polish territories. With the support of the German military, the Council of Lithuania proclaimed an independent Lithuanian state on 11 December. Polish sentiment reacted strongly, as it considered Poland and Lithuania to be a historical union and especially since it regarded Wilno (Vilnius), the proposed new Lithuanian capital, as a Polish city. Meanwhile, as it was becoming clear to Austrian politicians that the creation of a Polish state along the lines intended by Germany would result in the loss of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, they similarly proposed to award only its western part to Poland, while East Galicia and the whole of Volhynia were to be separated in order to create a Ukrainian client state. The German representative Max Hoffmann expressed a belief that "independent Poland was always considered by me to be a utopia, and I have no doubts regarding my support for Ukrainian claims." This approach resulted in the signing on 9 February of the initially secret First Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between the Central Powers and the new state of Ukraine, which ceded to the latter the province of Chełm separated from Congress Poland by Russia in 1913. When it became public, many in Poland regarded this as a "Fourth partition of Poland", prompting a "political general strike" in Warsaw on 14 February and the resignation of the Jan Kucharzewski administration later that month. Parts of the Polish auxiliary corps under Józef Haller protested by breaking through the Austro-Russian front line to Ukraine, where they united with Polish detachments which had left the Tsarist army. After a fierce battle with the German army at Kaniów in May, the remnants were interned, though Haller managed to escape to Moscow.

The Regency Council sought admission to the negotiation regarding the future (Second) Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Bolshevik government during travels to Berlin and Vienna early in 1918 but only gained German Chancellor Georg von Hertling's promise to admit the Polish government in an advisory capacity. This, however, was refused by the Bolshevik representatives, who denied the Polish government any legitimacy.

Loss of control by Central Powers and transition to republic
After Germany's 1918 Spring Offensive had failed to win the war on the Western front, General Ludendorff in September proposed seeking peace based on the plan outlined by U.S. President Wilson in January 1918 in his Fourteen Points, which in regard to Poland demanded the creation of an "independent Polish state ... guaranteed by international covenant" with "free and secure access to the sea". On 3 October the new German Chancellor, Prince Max of Baden, announced Germany's acceptance of Wilson's plan and immediate disestablishment of military administration in the countries occupied by Germany. Three days later the Regency Council in Warsaw also adopted Wilson's proposals as the basis for creating a Polish state. On 1 October, General Beseler had conferred with Hindenburg at Berlin and, informed of the gloomy military situation, had returned to Warsaw ill and dispirited. On 6 October, he handed over the administration to Polish civil servants. The Regency Council declared independence on 7 October 1918. On 23 October, the Regency Council installed the Świeżyński government, whom Beseler transferred the command over Polish forces (which by then included the Polish regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Army) to the Regency Council. On 4 November, the government was dismissed after an attempted coup d’état to depose the Regency Council, and was replaced by the provisional government of Władysław Wróblewski.

However, another Polish government based in Lublin arose to challenge the Regency's authority: on 6 November Ignacy Daszyński proclaimed the "Polish People's Republic" (Tymczasowy Rząd Ludowy Republiki Polskiej - literally: "Temporary People's Government of the Polish Republic"), with Daszyński himself (a Socialist politician and formerly a member of the Austrian parliament) as Prime Minister and Colonel Edward Rydz-Śmigły as a military commander. Moderates in Warsaw, who now hoped for a return of General Piłsudski, who was still held in custody at Magdeburg, repudiated Lublin's declaration of the deposition of the Regency to be deposed and its plans for radical social reforms. Already in October, the Regency Council had requested Piłsudski's release, and after negotiations through Harry Graf Kessler the General was allowed to return to Warsaw, where he arrived on 10 November. The following day Germany signed the armistice and German troops in Warsaw were disarmed as they refused to fire on Polish insurgents. On the same day Daszyński government ceded all authority to Piłsudski and resigned, while the Regency Council transferred to him its military authority. On 14 November the Council ceded also the remainder of its authority to Józef Piłsudski and voted itself out of existence. Already on the same day, Piłsudski issued in turn decree reappointing the [Daszyński] Government of the Polish Republic, in spite of the continued existence of Wróblewski provisional government of the Kingdom. On 16th November 1918, Piłsudski sent a radio telegram to "Mr President of the United States, the Royal English Government, the Government of the French Republic, the Royal Italian Government, the Imperial Japanese Government, the Government of the German Republic, as well as the governments of all the warring or neutral states”, notifying them about the establishment of an independent Polish State, named in the telegram as the Polish Republic.

On 17th November, both the newly designated prime minister Daszyński and the provisional government of Wróblewski resigned in favour of the new Moraczewski government, finally ending the governmental diarchy. Therefore, either 14th November or 17th November may both be considered the final day of kingdom’s existence. The transition to republican government was formally completed through the decree of 22 November 1918 on the supreme representational authority of the Polish Republic, which stipulated assumption by Piłsudski of the interim office of chief of state.

title: Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)


text:
New Forest District

New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Lyndhurst, although the largest town is Totton. The district also includes the towns of Fordingbridge, Lymington, New Milton and Ringwood. The district is named after and covers most of the New Forest National Park, which occupies much of the central part of the district. The main urban areas are around the periphery of the forest. The district has a coastline onto the Solent to the south and Southampton Water to the east.

The neighbouring districts are Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, Wiltshire, Test Valley, Southampton and Eastleigh (across Southampton Water). The district also faces the Isle of Wight across the Solent.

History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and most of a third, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named New Forest after the forest which covers much of the area.
 * Lymington Municipal Borough
 * New Forest Rural District
 * Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District (except the parishes of Burton and Hurn, which went to Christchurch, and the parish of St Leonards and St Ives, which went to Wimborne)

New Forest is one of the most populous districts in England not to be a unitary authority; at the 2021 census only four non-unitary districts had more people. The Banham Commission had recommended that New Forest should become a unitary authority in 1995, but this was rejected by the government.

Governance
New Forest District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

In the parts of the district within the New Forest National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the New Forest National Park Authority. The district council appoints four of its councillors to serve on the 22-person National Park Authority.

Political control
The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership
The leaders of the council since 1990 (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been:

Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

The district is divided between two parliamentary constituencies: New Forest East and New Forest West.

Premises
The council is based at Appletree Court on Beaulieu Road in Lyndhurst. The oldest part of the building was originally a large house, which was purchased in 1954 to become the offices of the New Forest Rural District Council. The building has been substantially extended since becoming council offices.

Towns and parishes
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Fordingbridge, Lymington and Pennington, New Milton, Ringwood, and Totton and Eling have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Whilst Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst are both post towns they have parish councils rather than town councils. The parishes are:

 * Ashurst and Colbury
 * Beaulieu
 * Boldre
 * Bramshaw
 * Bransgore
 * Breamore
 * Brockenhurst
 * Burley
 * Copythorne
 * Damerham
 * Denny Lodge
 * East Boldre
 * Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley
 * Exbury and Lepe
 * Fawley
 * Fordingbridge
 * Godshill
 * Hale
 * Hordle
 * Hyde
 * Hythe and Dibden
 * Lymington and Pennington
 * Lyndhurst
 * Marchwood
 * Martin
 * Milford-on-Sea
 * Minstead
 * Netley Marsh
 * New Milton
 * Ringwood
 * Rockbourne
 * Sandleheath
 * Sopley
 * Sway
 * Totton and Eling
 * Whitsbury
 * Woodgreen

title: New Forest District


text:
Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal is a series of vehicular combat video games originally developed by SingleTrac and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As of October 31, 2000, the series has sold 5 million copies. Several of the games in the series were re-released as part of the Sony Greatest Hits program. The original game and its first sequel were also released for the PC.

Overview
In concept, Twisted Metal is a demolition derby that emphasizes the use of ballistic projectiles, machine guns, mines, and other types of weapons (up to and including satellite-based weapons and nuclear weapons). Players choose a vehicle, and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with opposing drivers. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage. The last driver alive is the winner.

Although each individual game features its own storyline, they all revolve around the eponymous "Twisted Metal": a vehicular combat tournament hosted once a year. In almost all of the games, the host is a man called "Calypso"; in the series' fourth installment, perennial contestant Sweet Tooth briefly takes over. The general goal is to destroy all opponents; apart from the other contestants, unique vehicles seemingly designed by the host themselves may stand in the competitors' path. The winner is brought before the tournament host, who will grant the contestant a single wish.

The hosts of these games are the people who are, through arcane means, capable of warping reality itself to grant the wish of the contest winner; however, there is a general "be careful what you wish for" theme in the game series, as nearly all of the winning contestants end up with "not-so-happy" endings, due to the skill and proclivity of the hosts for twisting the words of their wish around—often to deadly effect. The games in the series usually contain a healthy dose of dark humor.

Twisted Metal (1995) and Twisted Metal 2 (1996)
The first two Twisted Metal games were developed by SingleTrac.

Windows versions of Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2 exist. Twisted Metal 2 on PC features slightly cut-down graphics compared to the PlayStation version (minor details of some levels disappeared) but it doesn't require a 3D accelerator video card and played well on computers with lower processing capabilities. It also features multiplayer over a modem line or Internet.

Twisted Metal III (1998) and Twisted Metal 4 (1999)
Both games were developed and published by 989 Studios due to SingleTrac's dispute with Sony and sale to GT Interactive rendered them unable to develop more Twisted Metal games. David Jaffe, in speaking about these two entries in the series, was reported to have said, "....[in and of themselves] they're good games, they're just not good Twisted Metal games".

Twisted Metal: Black (2001)
After developing several non-Twisted Metal vehicular combat games for GT Interactive, a large number of SingleTrac employees left the company to form the gaming studio Incog Inc. Entertainment, and signed with Sony to develop another installment of the series on the PlayStation 2, Twisted Metal: Black. It serves as a reboot for the series, with returning characters having drastically changed appearances alongside newcomers.

Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005)
Despite what was essentially a complete relaunch and rebranding of the franchise with Twisted Metal: Black, Incognito decided to return to the series' roots and create a game that felt more like a true follow-up to the original Twisted Metal series, bringing back the bright colors and cartoony characters of Twisted Metal 1 and 2. Available on the PSP in time for its North American launch and utilizing the PSP's built-in online capabilities, it also marked the first time a Twisted Metal game had full online play available from the start.

Twisted Metal: Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition (2008)
In February 2008, Eat Sleep Play, a new development studio formed by David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, released Twisted Metal: Head-On for the PlayStation 2. While primarily a direct port of the PSP game "Twisted Metal: Head-On", it does feature a number of extra features, most notably four complete and playable levels from the unreleased/incomplete Twisted Metal: Black sequel, called Twisted Metal: Harbor City. Other bonus content includes: a code to download the soundtrack (a timed offer which has since expired); a half-hour documentary on the series with some of the original developers called "Dark Past"; a rough playable portion of an unfinished and unreleased third person action game starring Sweet Tooth (controllable for the first time ever on-foot and outside of a vehicle); and the never before seen original live-action ending videos of all the characters from the first Twisted Metal, directed by Jaffe.

Twisted Metal (2012)
Twisted Metal (2012) is the most recent game in the Twisted Metal series. It features multiple drivers and tracks. It also features multiplayer gameplay and other game modes. The game consists of three story arcs that focus on Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm and Dollface.

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)
Instead of delivering a PlayStation 2 follow-up to Twisted Metal: Black, Incognito took an unexpected turn and developed Twisted Metal: Small Brawl for the original PlayStation, a Twisted Metal aimed at a younger audience that featured radio-controlled toy cars instead of full-size vehicles.

Twisted Metal: Black Online (2002)
Platform: PlayStation 2

A game featuring only the multiplayer portion of Twisted Metal: Black, but playable online. A free copy could originally be obtained by mailing in a card that came packaged with the PlayStation 2 online network adapter. After Sony stopped offering the disc, it was later included as a bonus disc in subsequent reissues of the Greatest Hits version of Twisted Metal: Black. The official servers to the game have since been shut down, but unofficial fan-hosted servers are available to join as of 2023.

Twisted Metal: Harbor City
A sequel to the PlayStation 2 game Twisted Metal: Black, titled Twisted Metal: Harbor City, was in development but was cancelled before it was announced when the series co-creators left the development team. At the time of cancellation four levels had been completed; these levels were included in Twisted Metal Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition as part of Twisted Metal: Lost.

Twisted Metal: Apocalypse
A Twisted Metal game set in a post-apocalyptic environment, which was originally in development in 2008 but was scrapped. Artwork of the cancelled game was released by David Jaffe at the San Diego Comic-Con International; it showcased concept arts of locations such as a destroyed Mount Rushmore as well as a giant crater. Eat Sleep Play team was originally rather keen on the idea, though it was hinted by Jaffe that the idea was rejected by Sony Computer Entertainment, speculated to be because of the release of MotorStorm: Apocalypse, a racing game which also featured a post-apocalyptic environment.

Twisted Metal: Revolution
Apart from Twisted Metal: Apocalypse, another Twisted Metal game was in development for the PlayStation 3 which utilized street culture and hip-hop influence. The game was titled Twisted Metal: Revolution, but it was cancelled; it would have featured characters with a more realistic look such as a Sweet Tooth that looked more of a smooth criminal rather than a psychopathic clown. Other characters included Yakuza, FBI agents and street gang members. David Jaffe compared the game to Rockstar's Midnight Club series when describing the look and feel of the game. In addition, Jaffe said that it was extremely difficult to portray the environments that they had created in their concept art within the game as it resulted in an extremely bland environment.

Comic book
A one-shot Twisted Metal 2 comic book was published by DC Comics in 1996, written by Jamie Delano, pencilled by Phil Hester and inked by Peter Gross. The comic was given out as a prize in a promotional contest held in the Tips & Tricks magazine.

Cancelled film adaptation
In February 2012, Sony Pictures Entertainment was bringing Twisted Metal to theaters by hiring Brian Taylor to write and direct the film. Five years later in September, Brian Taylor confirmed that Sony had passed on the Twisted Metal film, feeling the series fanbase did not warrant the higher budget it would have cost to realize it.

Twisted Metal was the inspiration for Slaughter Race, a fictional video game featured in the Disney animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

Television adaptation
In March 2019, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra spoke about developing a television adaptation of the Twisted Metal franchise, during a presentation for investors at a special event. According to Vinciquerra, his division will be working closely with his acquaintances at the PlayStation division through a brand new production team created solely with the purpose of helping Sony produce filming television projects based on their gaming IPs. In February 2021, a Twisted Metal TV series was moving forward, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick helping to develop the series, with Michael Jonathan Smith writing the series and executive producing the series alongside Will Arnett, Reese, Wernick, Marc Forman, Peter Principato, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Herman Hulst. Later in September, Anthony Mackie was announced in the role of John Doe, and later officially confirmed to be starring and executive producing the series, which had been given a series order at Peacock. In May 2022, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church and Neve Campbell joined the cast. Will Arnett was hired to voice Sweet Tooth in June, with Samoa Joe playing the dual role. Mike Mitchell plays Stu, Mike's best friend who will be played by Tahj Vaughans. Lou Beatty Jr. plays a character named Tommy. The 10-episode series was released on Peacock on July 27, 2023.

title: Twisted Metal


text:
User:Ryan524~enwiki/Projects

My Current Projects (Listed By Priority):

1. Fix Vandalism 2. Cleanup (if i can find articles listed for cleanup that i could contribute to anyway) 3. Binary Code (I need to add more info about conversion.) 4. New Pages

Last Updated: Ryan B. (Talk, contributions)  19:18, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

title: User:Ryan524~enwiki/Projects


text:
José Castillo (infielder)

José Castillo Rondón (March 19, 1981 – December 6, 2018) was a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, and Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chiba Lotte Marines and Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He was killed in a car crash in 2018 in Venezuela, caused by bandits in an attempted robbery.

Pittsburgh Pirates
On July 2, 1997, Castillo signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as an international free agent. He made his professional debut in 1999 with the GCL Pirates. In 2000, he spent the year in Single-A with the Hickory Crawdads, slashing .299/.346/.480 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI. The next year, he played for the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats, where he slashed .248/.288/.359 in 125 games. He remained in Lynchburg for the 2002 season, batting .300/.370/.453 with 16 home runs and 81 RBI in 134 games. He played with the Double-A Altoona Curve in 2003, hitting .287/.339/.390 with 5 home runs and 66 RBI.

Castillo was named the fourth-best prospect in the Pirates organization by Baseball America following the 2003 season, and he also ranked as the top Pittsburgh prospect by USA Today Sports Weekly.

In 2003, Castillo was both the starting shortstop for the World Team in Major League Baseball's All-Star Futures Game and an All-Star in the Double-A Eastern League.

In his rookie season, Castillo impressed the Pirates' front office with his defensive plays. In the field, he displayed good range and a very strong arm in 2004, even better than the Pirates expected from a former shortstop. At the plate, however, his play was more typical of a 22-year-old who had never played in Triple-A. Except for hot streaks in April and August, Castillo did not hit for average or power and was not very selective at the plate, striking out with regularity (if not quite as often as some of his teammates) and walking very little despite hitting in front of the pitcher for most of the season. However, his power potential was apparent from the fact that the majority of his extra base hits and home runs were hit the opposite way—including a 445 ft blast to center field on July 5, 2004, at Pro Player Stadium – and his minor league statistics indicated that his plate discipline should improve. He finished with eight home runs, 39 RBI and a .256 batting average, despite missing two months on the disabled list. Because of his defense and high ceiling, he entered 2005 as the Pirates' starting second baseman.

2005 was a trying season for Castillo. He was on the disabled list for most of April with a strained left oblique muscle. In late August, he tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals and missed the rest of the season.

Despite the injuries, Castillo showed progress both defensively and at the plate when he did play. In the field, he and shortstop Jack Wilson were largely responsible for the Pirates turning more double plays than any National League team except the Cardinals. At the same time, Castillo hit .268 with 11 homers and 53 RBI, significantly improving his power production while cutting down heavily on his strikeouts (from 92 in 383 at bats in 2004 to 59 in 370 at bats in 2005). The Pirates expected Castillo to be 100% for the start of spring training in February 2006, though he was not able to play winter ball in his native Venezuela.

Castillo was the Pirates' starting second baseman in almost every game in 2006. After a slow April, Castillo was among the best hitters in all of the majors in May, culminating in his "Player of the Week" award for the last week in May, during which he led the NL in RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, and home runs.

The 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, and Castillo finished third among NL second basemen in the All-Star voting behind Chase Utley and Craig Biggio. Castillo's teammates Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez represented the Pirates in the All-Star Game that year.

But after a promising start, Castillo struggled down the stretch of the 2006 season. In the 92 games since homering seven times in a two-week span in May, Castillo hit only six home runs. He snapped an 0–23 hitting slump on September 23 against the Padres, but had been benched for three consecutive games before that. By the end of the season, his batting average had fallen to .253. His signature excellent defense was also missing at times in 2006, he committed a team high 18 errors. Castillo finished September batting only .087 for the month and did not start in several games.

He finished the 2006 season with 14 home runs, 65 RBI, 131 hits, and 25 doubles to go along with his .253 batting average.

Despite rumors he might be traded in the off-season, the Pirates elected to keep Castillo. With the emergence of infielders Freddy Sanchez and José Bautista, Castillo entered spring training with his role on the team uncertain.

Castillo entered spring training slimmed down and had a stellar spring. But on March 23, the Pirates announced that José Bautista would start the season as the team's starting third baseman, meaning Castillo would start the season as a utility bench player. Though with Freddy Sanchez nursing an injury, Castillo started at second base for the first five games of the season.

Through May and June, Castillo had received few starts and minimal pinch hit appearances. Though he received praise from manager Jim Tracy about his attitude after being left on the bench, Castillo's agent asked the Pirates to trade him due to poor playing time. With the team, and notably starting shortstop Jack Wilson, struggling, there was speculation Castillo could find his way into a starting role, or at least see his appearances become more regular. 2007 closed a disappointing season for Castillo. He played in only slightly over half of the team's games, and many of his appearances were as a pinch hitter rather than a starter. He never got into an offensive groove and finished with a .244 batting average, 24 RBI, and no home runs. He was released by the club on December 6.

Florida Marlins
On December 24, 2007, Castillo signed a major league contract with the Florida Marlins, but was placed on waivers in the spring.

San Francisco Giants
Castillo was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants on March 22, 2008, who took on his $850,000 salary. Castillo opened the 2008 season as the team's starting third baseman, replacing the Giants' departed third baseman, Pedro Feliz, and combining adequate defensive play with a .268 average and 26 RBIs through the month of June. Castillo was designated for assignment by San Francisco on August 13, 2008.

Houston Astros
On August 20, 2008, Castillo was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros. He finished the season with Houston, hitting .281 with 2 RBI in 15 games. On October 9, 2008, he elected free agency.

Washington Nationals
On December 17, 2008, Castillo signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization. However, Castillo was released by the team in Spring Training.

Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions
After his release from Washington, Castillo joined the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan for the 2009 season. In 73 games for the Lions, Castillo slashed .314/.346/.500 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI. He won the Taiwan Series with the club in 2009.

Yokohama BayStars
On December 19, 2009, Castillo signed a one-year contract with the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. Castillo played in 131 games for the club in 2010, batting .273/.309/.446 with 19 home runs and 55 RBI.

Diablos Rojos del México
On March 30, 2011, Castillo signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. In 68 games for the Red Devils, Castillo batted .357/.399/.541 with 10 home runs and 60 RBI. On June 19, 2011, Castillo was released by the club.

Chiba Lotte Marines
Castillo signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball on June 21, 2011. In 86 games for the team, Castillo hit .269/.315/.360 with 5 home runs and 34 RBI. He became a free agent after the season.

Rojos del Águila de Veracruz
On March 14, 2012, Castillo signed with the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican League. He played in 109 games for the team in 2012, slashing .314/.351/.455 with 15 homers and 55 RBI.

Pericos de Puebla
On March 22, 2013, Castillo signed with the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. He batted .369/.406/.636 with 25 home runs and 108 RBI in 102 games for the team.

Rojos del Águila de Veracruz (second stint)
On March 26, 2014, Castillo re-signed with the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. He appeared in 71 games for the team, posting a batting line of .279/.308/.397.

Olmecas de Tabasco
On July 3, 2014, Castillo was traded to the Olmecas de Tabasco. He finished the year with Tabasco, playing in 36 games for the club and batting .317/.370/.423 with 3 home runs and 20 RBI. In 2015, Castillo played in 111 games for the team, slashing .292/.312/.381 with 8 home runs and 50 RBI. On October 21, 2015, Castillo was released by the team.

Rojos del Águila de Veracruz (third stint)
On April 1, 2016, Castillo signed with the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. Castillo hit .274 with no home runs and 7 RBI before he was released by Veracruz on April 21, 2016.

Piratas de Campeche
On April 27, 2016, Castillo signed with the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League. He posted a batting line of .278/.316/.389 with to go along with 2 home runs and 8 RBI in 21 games for the team before he was released on May 24, 2016.

Parmaclima
On June 13, 2017, Castillo signed with Parmaclima of the Italian Baseball League. In 18 games for the club, Castillo posted a .238 average with 10 RBI.

Death
On December 6, 2018, Castillo, Luis Valbuena, and Carlos Rivero were in a car in Yaracuy driven by Rivero's chauffeur when the group was ambushed by highway robbers. The driver attempted to avoid them but the vehicle struck a rock and overturned, killing Castillo and Valbuena. Four men were arrested in connection to the incident after being found in possession of the players' property. Castillo, Rivero, and Valbuena were members of Venezuelan winter team Cardenales de Lara, and were returning from a game played that day.

title: José Castillo (infielder)


text:
Maldon District

Maldon District is a local government district in Essex, England. The district is managed by Maldon District Council, which is based in Maldon, the largest town in the district. The district also includes the town of Burnham-on-Crouch and numerous villages, including Heybridge, Wickham Bishops, Southminster, Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbury. The district covers the Dengie peninsula to the south of Maldon and the Thurstable Hundred area to the north of the Blackwater Estuary, a total area of 358.78 km2. The majority of people live in the small rural villages, many of which have their origins in connections with the coast or agricultural economy. The district has a long association with sailing, as is referenced in the council's logo.

Administrative history
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:
 * Burnham-on-Crouch Urban District
 * Maldon Municipal Borough
 * Maldon Rural District

The new district was named Maldon after its largest town.

Governance
Maldon district is a non-metropolitan district, with Maldon District Council forming the middle layer of a three-tier structure of local government. Above the district level, Essex County Council provides county-level services. At the lower level the district is divided into civil parishes.

Political control
The council has been under no overall control since 2020. The council remained under no overall control following the 2023 election.

The first election to Maldon District Council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2006 have been:

Former leader of Maldon district council John Smith, who led the council between 1991 and 1993, was killed along with two family members while he commanded a light aircraft flight from Oban bound for Andrewsfield, Essex on 9 April 2007.

Composition
Following the 2023 election and one subsequent change of allegiance in June 2023, the composition of the council was:

Of the independent councillors, six form the "District Support Group" and the other three do not belong to a group. The next election is due in 2027.

Premises
The council is based at the Council Offices on Princes Road in Maldon. The original building was previously an orphanage called "The Retreat", which had been purchased in 1939 by the Maldon Rural District Council for £4,500. Large extensions were added in the 1980s to the north and south of the original building.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2003, the council has comprised 31 councillors elected from 17 wards. Elections are held every four years.

The area is part of the parliamentary constituency of Maldon.

History
The first evidence of a settlement to the north of Maldon at Elms Farm is from the Middle Bronze Age 3500 years ago. From 500 BC onwards the red hills of the Crouch and Blackwater show us that there was a continuous and extensive activity in the salt making which still prospers today.

Later, during the Iron Age, about 100 BC, there was a port, set among the marshlands at the junction of the Blackwater and Chelmer rivers. This settlement may have been of regional religious significance, and there is evidence that it traded luxury goods with Europe.

Elms Farm continued as a port and market place but was clearly superseded in importance by Colchester in the 1st century AD, when Colchester became the first capital of the Roman administration.

The Romans founded Othona in the 3rd century. It was a Saxon Shore fort at the mouth of the Blackwater, built to protect the estuary from Saxon pirates. It was here in 654 AD that St Cedd founded the church of St Peter-on-the-Wall, the oldest church in England to retain much of its original fabric.

In 664 AD St Cedd attended the Synod of Whitby which merged the Anglo-Celtic Church with the Church of Rome. Recent changes in the coastline have revealed the remains of extensive Saxon 5-7th century fish traps. The Church stands today overlooking the North Sea from whence came further invaders in the 10th century - the Danes.

In 912 AD and 914 AD King Edward the Elder camped at Maldon to organise defences in the desperate fight against the Danes. In 917 AD the Saxons were defeated at Colchester and besieged at Maldon, but eventually, the Danes were defeated.

In 991 AD there was a major battle between the pillaging Danes led by Olaf Trygvassen who had already attacked Ipswich, and Earl Byrhtnoth’s men who were defending Maldon on the instruction of the Saxon King Æthelred the Unready. Earl Byrhtnoth was in his sixties. The battle was recorded in a poem which is regarded as one of the finest examples of early English literature.

The famous Battle of Maldon took place beside the River Blackwater on 10 August 991, during the reign of Æthelred the Unready. The Anglo-Saxons, led by Byrhtnoth and his thegns, fought against a Viking invasion, a battle which ended in defeat for the Anglo-Saxons.

Geology, landscape and ecology
The district is in the east of Essex (51.68333°N, 0.75°W). Most of the district is the Dengie peninsula. Still, a significant area is also the area above the Blackwater Estuary, bounded by the River Blackwater to the west until near Kelvedon, the boundary then continues south of Tiptree to the Salcott inlet on the Blackwater Estuary. There are very few settlements on the boundary of the district with the North Sea, in contrast with other coastal districts of Essex, due to the Dengie Marshes.

The district has a rural character ranging from the tidal salt marshes to farmland and rolling wooded ridges. A network of country lanes provides access to the countryside from the towns and villages. A remote area of tidal mud-flats and saltmarshes at the eastern end of the Dengie peninsula forms the Dengie Special Protection Area. The River Blackwater and River Crouch are of international importance for nature conservation particularly for their extensive population of wildfowl and waders.

Parishes
The district is divided into 34 civil parishes. In Burnham-on-Crouch and Maldon, the parish councils operate under the name "Town Council". In addition, some of the parishes share a grouped parish council, meaning there are just 31 parish councils. The current parishes are:

 * Althorne
 * Asheldham
 * Bradwell-on-Sea
 * Burnham-on-Crouch (Town)
 * Cold Norton
 * Dengie
 * Goldhanger
 * Great Braxted
 * Great Totham
 * Hazeleigh
 * Heybridge
 * Heybridge Basin
 * Langford
 * Latchingdon
 * Little Braxted
 * Little Totham
 * Maldon (Town)
 * Mayland
 * Mundon
 * North Fambridge
 * Purleigh
 * St Lawrence
 * Southminster
 * Steeple
 * Stow Maries
 * Tillingham
 * Tollesbury
 * Tolleshunt D'Arcy
 * Tolleshunt Knights
 * Tolleshunt Major
 * Ulting
 * Wickham Bishops
 * Woodham Mortimer
 * Woodham Walter

title: Maldon District


text:
Rhos-on-Sea

Rhos-on-Sea (Llandrillo-yn-Rhos) is a seaside resort and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins Colwyn Bay and is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late Roman Britain as a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd. It later became a cantref (hundred).

Bryn Euryn and Llys Euryn
Bryn Euryn is a hill overlooking Rhos-on-Sea on which there are the remains of a hillfort called Dinerth, the 'fort of the bear', and a limestone quarry. Ednyfed Fychan, 13th century seneschal to Llywelyn the Great and ancestor to the House of Tudor was granted the land and built a castle on the hill, of which all traces have disappeared, and a manor, Llys Euryn of which the ruins of its 15th-century reconstruction can be seen today.

Church of Llandrillo yn Rhos
Llandrillo yn Rhos Church was built on the site of Ednyfed Fychan's private chapel and incorporates what was his tombstone, the history of this church goes back to the 13th century, but having been rebuilt over the centuries, the oldest parts of the present church are 15th century. A major restoration was carried out in 1857 and was criticised by some for amounting to 'vandalism', in particular the destruction of an ancient stained glass window. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important historic buildings in North Wales.

The stone lych-gate was built in 1677 and is one of the oldest in the district; the sundial is from the early 18th century.

The graveyard here contains the grave of Harold Lowe, an officer on the RMS Titanic. He was widely regarded as a hero, helping many to safety with cool nerve and bravery. It also contains war graves of eight service personnel, two of World War I and six of World War II.

Rhos Fynach
In 1186 Llywelyn the Great permitted the establishment of the Cistercian Aberconwy Abbey, and the monks built a fishing weir on the sea shore below Bryn Euryn. The place became known as Rhos Fynach, heath of the monks. In a charter of 1230, Llywelyn sanctioned the purchase by Ednyfed Fychan of land at Rhos Fynach and in 1289, the abbey moved to Maenan (becoming Maenan Abbey), and the weir was ceded to Ednyfed's estate. Eventually Rhos Fynach and the weir came into the hands of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who in 1575 granted it to a Captain Morgan ap John ap David, a privateer, for services rendered against the enemies of Queen Elizabeth I at sea. (This is not the famous pirate of the Caribbean Captain Henry Morgan who lived in the century following).

The weir continued to provide a prosperous livelihood through to the early 20th century: during a single night in 1850, 35,000 herring were caught, and 10 tons of mackerel were removed in one tide as late as 1907. Because such weirs decimated inshore fish stocks, Parliament banned them in 1861 unless it could be shown they pre-dated the Magna Carta, which the then owners, the Parry Evans family, were able to prove. Their estate included Rhos Fynach house, also known as Rhos Farm, on the Promenade near St Trillo's Chapel. The house is now a pub and restaurant. Its date of construction is not known for sure, but it is considered to have been started by the Cistercians before the dissolution of the monasteries.

The fishing weir fell into disuse during World War I and most traces have disappeared. Trial excavation of the site in 1993 recorded constructions carbon 14-dated between 1500 and 1660.

St Trillo's Chapel
The 6th-century St Trillo's Chapel (Capel Sant Trillo), which was the mother church of a large parish which included places as far apart as Eglwysbach and Eglwys Rhos (Llan Rhos).

The chapel by the sea is on the site of a pre-Christian, sacred holy well; the altar is built directly over the pure water of the well. Saint Trillo, the son of Ithel Hael from Llydaw (Brittany) also founded a church at Llandrillo in Denbighshire. Trillo's brother Tygai (Llandygai) founded a church near Penrhyn, Bangor; their sister Llechid founded a church (Llanllechid) in the uplands above Penrhyn.

Trams
The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956.

Other features

 * Rhos-on-Sea also has the first permanent puppet theatre to be built in Britain, the Harlequin Puppet Theatre, which opened on 7 July 1958, when it won the Civic Trust Award for its design. Founders Eric Bramall and Chris Somerville have also created many puppet programmes for BBC children's television over a forty-year period. Many of the puppets created for these television series are now on display at the National Trust property of Penrhyn Castle.
 * Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, the former Llandrillo Technical College
 * Ysgol Llandrillo yn Rhos, a mixed county primary day school
 * The Society of St. Pius X operates a Traditionalist Catholic chapel in a renovated Methodist church on Conwy Road.

Governance
The community boundaries are coterminous with the electoral ward of Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, which elects four county councillors to Conwy County Borough Council.

Rhos-on-Sea is also divided into two community wards, of Rhos and Dinarth. Rhos elects up to five councillors and Dinarth elects up to three councillors to the Bay of Colwyn Town Council (which was formed in 1996).

Sport
Colwyn Bay Cricket Club was founded in 1923 and started playing at Penrhyn Avenue, Rhos on Sea in 1924. Glamorgan Cricket has been hosted here since the 1960s.

Notable people

 * Madog and claims for the discovery of America - According to legend, Madog ap Owain Gwynedd, a Welsh prince of Gwynedd, sailed from here in 1170 and discovered America, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's famous voyage in 1492. This event was recorded by a plaque on one of the properties on the sea-front. This property was called "Odstone" at no. 179, Marine Drive which, as of June 2012, had become neglected. It was demolished as of September 2017.

 * David Jones and Rhos - The poet and visual artist David Jones visited Rhos-on-Sea in 1904 when he was 9. It was his first ever trip to Wales and it made an enormous impression on him. His father's family lived in Rhos, and the young Jones played with his cousins at St. Trillo's Chapel, and on Bryn Euryn. He also particularly loved the fishing weir just a few yards from St. Trillos. These were formative influences both on his writing and visual art. He wrote that this visit left 'an indelible mark on my soul'.

 * In 1937, after the death of his mother, Jones revisited Rhos. He found it a 'wilderness of villas and bungalows'. The fishing weir had gone (there remain a few stumps), and the chapel was now 'cleared and cared for', but it had 'lost half its numinous feeling'.

 * Harold Lowe 5th officer of Titanic, is buried at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos churchyard
 * Thérèse Coffey MP [Con., Suffolk Coastal, 2010–present] was partly educated in Rhos-on-Sea
 * Llewelyn Wyn Griffith, author of Up to Mametz, born 1890

title: Rhos-on-Sea


text:
Lord Edward's crusade

Lord Edward's Crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward, Duke of Gascony (later king as Edward I) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was the last of the Crusades to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre in 1291 brought an end to the permanent crusader presence there.

The crusade saw Edward clash with the Egyptian Mamluk sultan Baibars, with both achieving limited victories. The Crusaders were ultimately forced to withdraw since Edward had pressing concerns at home and felt unable to resolve the internal conflicts within the remnant Outremer territories. It also foreshadowed the imminent collapse of the last remaining crusader strongholds along the Mediterranean coast.

From Dover to Acre
Following the Mamluk victory over the Mongols in 1260 at the Battle of Ain Jalut by Qutuz and his general Baibars, Qutuz was assassinated, leaving Baibars to claim the sultanate for himself. As sultan, Baibars proceeded to attack the Christian crusaders at Arsuf, Atlit, Haifa, Safad, Jaffa, Ascalon, and Caesarea. As the Crusader fortress cities fell one by one, the Christians sought help from Europe, but assistance was slow in coming.

In 1268, Baibars captured Antioch, thereby destroying the last remnant of the Principality of Antioch, securing the Mamluk northern front and threatening the small Crusader County of Tripoli. With royal and papal approval, Edward "took the cross" on 24 June 1268. Louis IX of France organized a large crusader army with the intent of attacking Egypt, but diverted it instead to Tunis. Louis himself died there in 1270. He had loaned Edward 70,000 livres tournois for his crusade.

Edward and his brother Edmund prepared an expedition to join Louis at Tunis, but it was delayed several times in the summer of 1270 because their father, King Henry III of England, could not make up his mind whether to join it or not. On the advice of his councilors, he opted to stay in England and the crusaders embarked at Dover on 20 August. Unusual for the time, they were accompanied by Edward's wife Eleanor of Castile throughout.

Edward traveled slowly through France, arriving in Aigues-Mortes, the same port from which Louis had embarked, in late September (a month later than expected). He went from there to Sardinia, where he waited a month before crossing to Tunis, where he arrived on 10 November, too late for the fighting. In fact, the Treaty of Tunis that ended the crusade had been signed on 30 October. Although Edward had played no role in its negotiation, the treaty obligated its signatories—Philip III of France, Charles I of Sicily and Theobald II of Navarre—to prevent Edward from attacking Tunis. Edward was also excluded from receiving a portion of the indemnity paid to the crusaders for leaving.

On 18 November, Charles granted Edward a safe-conduct allowing him to stay in Sicily while contemplating his next steps. Although the other crusaders decided each to return home, Edward opted to continue on his way to the Holy Land to assist Bohemund VI, Prince of Antioch and Count of Tripoli, against the Mamluk threat to the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. On May 9, 1271 Edward finally arrived at Acre with a fleet of eight sailing vessels and thirty galleys. He brought a small but not insignificant contingent of no more than 1,000 men, including 225 knights.

Operations in the Holy Land
Edward arrived at Acre while it was still under siege. His arrival caused Baibars to change his plans and turn away from Acre. In the meantime, Edward discovered that the Venetians had a flourishing trade with the Mamluks, providing the latter with timber and metal needed for armaments. In addition, they controlled the slave-trade along with the Genoese, in which they carried Turkish and Tartar slaves from the Black Sea ports to Egypt. However, he could not prevent such businesses, as they had licenses from the High Court at Acre.

Crusader raids
The forces under Edward's command were much too small to take on the Mamluks in a straight battle, being unable to even stop the Mamluks from seizing the nearby Teutonic Montfort Castle. They settled for launching a series of raids. After capturing Nazareth, Edward raided St Georges-de-Lebeyne but accomplished little other than burning some houses and crops, on top of losing a few men to the heat.

Later, the arrival of additional forces from England and Hugh III of Cyprus, under the command of Edward's younger brother Edmund, emboldened Edward. He launched a larger raid with the support of the Templar, Hospitaller, and Teutonic Knights on the town of Qaqun. The Crusaders surprised a large force of Turcomans (mostly itinerant herdsmen), reportedly killing 1,500 of them and taking 5,000 animals as booty. These Turcomans were likely relatively new additions to Baibars' army, being integrated in 1268 and given horses, titles, and lands in return for military service after the Turkmen migrations following the Mongol invasions. Muslim sources list one emir as killed and one as wounded during this raid. On top of that, the Muslim commander of the castle was forced to abandon his command. However, Edward did not take the castle itself and retreated before Baibars could respond in kind (he was with his main army in Aleppo at the time, guarding against the Mongol raid).

In December 1271, Edward and his troops saw some action when they repelled an attack by Baibars on the city of Acre. Baibars eventually abandoned his siege of Tripoli, but the exact reason is not known. Contemporary accounts state that Edward's attacks on Baibars' interior lines forced him to abandon the siege. Some modern observers reject this interpretation, saying he instead abandoned it to avoid overcommitting himself in one direction due to a lack of intelligence on the Crusaders' true capabilities.

Mongol raids
As soon as Edward arrived in Acre, he made some attempts to form a Franco-Mongol alliance, sending an embassy to the Mongol ruler of Persia, Abagha, an enemy of the Muslims. The embassy was led by Reginald Rossel, Godefroi of Waus and John of Parker, and its mission was to obtain military support from the Mongols. In an answer dated 4 September 1271, Abagha agreed on cooperation and asked on what date the concerted attack on the Mamluks should take place.

At the end of October 1271, a Mongol army arrived in Syria. However Abagha, occupied by other conflicts in Turkestan could only send 10,000 horsemen under general Samagar, a force made up of the occupation army in Seljuk Anatolia and auxiliary Seljukid troops. Despite the relatively small force, their arrival still triggered an exodus of Muslim populations (who remembered the previous campaigns of Kitbuqa) as far south as Cairo. The Mongols defeated the Turcoman troops that protected Aleppo, and raided southwards, sending the other garrisons fleeing for Hama, and devastating the lands down to Apamea. But the Mongols did not stay, and when the Mamluk leader Baibars mounted a counter-offensive from Egypt on 12 November the Mongols had already retreated beyond the Euphrates, laden with booty.

Naval campaign off Cyprus
In the interim, Baibars came to suspect there would be a combined land-sea attack on Egypt. Feeling his position sufficiently threatened, he endeavoured to head off such a manoeuvre by building a fleet. Having finished construction of the fleet, rather than attack the Crusader army directly, Baibars attempted to land on Cyprus in 1271, hoping to draw Hugh III of Cyprus (the nominal king of Jerusalem) and his fleet out of Acre, with the objective of conquering the island and leaving Edward and the crusader army isolated in the Holy Land. He disguised 17 war galleys as Christian vessels and attacked Limassol. However, in the ensuing naval campaign the fleet was destroyed off the coast of Limassol and Baibars' armies were forced back.

End of the Crusade
Following this victory, Edward realized that to create a force capable of retaking Jerusalem it would be necessary to end the internal unrest within the Christian state, and so he mediated between Hugh and his unenthusiastic knights from the Ibelin family of Cyprus. In parallel to the mediation, Edward and Hugh began negotiating a truce with Baibars; a 10-year-10-month-and-10-day agreement was reached in May 1272, at Caesarea. Almost immediately Edmund departed for England, while Edward remained to see if the treaty would hold. The following month, an attempt to assassinate Edward was made, of uncertain origin. According to different versions, the assassin was sent by the emir of Ramlah or by Baibars. Some legends also say that the assassin was sent by the Hashshashin leader, the "Old Man of the Mountains". Edward killed the assassin but received a festering wound from a poisoned dagger, further delaying his departure. In September 1272, Edward departed Acre for Sicily and, while recuperating on the island, he first received news of the death of his son John, and then a few months later news of the death of his father, Henry III of England. In 1273 Edward started his homeward journey via Italy, Gascony and Paris. Edward finally reached England in the middle of 1274, and was crowned King of England on 19 August 1274.

Aftermath
Edward had been accompanied by Theobald Visconti, who became Pope Gregory X in 1271. Gregory called for a new crusade at the Council of Lyons in 1274, but nothing came of this. Meanwhile, new fissures arose within the Christian states when Charles of Anjou took advantage of a dispute between Hugh III, the Knights Templar, and the Venetians to bring the remaining Christian state under his control. Having bought Mary of Antioch's claims to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, he attacked Hugh III, causing a civil war within the rump kingdom. In 1277, Roger of San Severino captured Acre for Charles.

Although the crusaders' internecine war was debilitating, it offered the possibility of unified control of the crusade under Charles. However, this hope was dashed when Venice suggested a crusade be called not against the Mamluks but against Constantinople, where Michael VIII had recently re-established the Byzantine Empire and driven out the Venetians. Pope Gregory would not have supported such an attack, but in 1281 Pope Martin IV assented to it; the ensuing fiasco helped lead to the Sicilian Vespers on 31 March 1282, instigated by Michael VIII, and Charles was forced to return home. This was the last crusader expedition launched against the Byzantines in Europe or the Muslims in the Holy Land.

The remaining nine years saw an increase in demands from the Mamluks, including tribute, as well as increased persecution of pilgrims, all in contravention of the truce. In 1289, Sultan Qalawun gathered a large army and invested the remnants of the county of Tripoli. He ultimately laid siege to the capital and took it after a bloody assault. The attack on Tripoli however was particularly devastating to the Mamluks as the Christian resistance reached fanatical proportions and Qalawun lost his eldest and most able son in the campaign. He waited another two years to regather his strength.

In 1275, Abaqa sent a messenger to Edward with a letter. Abaqa requested that Edward mobilize for another Crusade, saying he could offer more help this time. Edward wrote back the same year, thanking Abaqa for his help in the Ninth Crusade while also noting his affection for Christianity. He said he did not know when there would be another Crusade, but was eager to get back to the Holy Land, and would inform Abaqa if the Pope declared another. The letter was almost certainly a formality, as Edward made no preparations for another Crusade. In 1276, another envoy was sent to Edward with the same message, with an additional message of apology for not effectively intervening in 1271.

In 1291, a group of pilgrims from Acre came under attack and in retaliation killed nineteen Muslim merchants in a Syrian caravan. Qalawun demanded they pay an extraordinary amount in compensation. When no reply came, the Sultan used it as a pretext to besiege Acre and finish off the last independent Crusader state occupying the Holy Land. Qalawun died during the siege, leaving Khalil, the sole surviving member of his family, as Mamluk Sultan. With Acre seized, the Crusader States other than Cyprus ceased to exist. The center of power of the Crusaders was moved northwards to Tortosa and eventually offshore to Cyprus. In 1299, a Mongol army led by Ghazan Khan led a series of successful raids against the Mamluks in an area northeast of Homs to as far south as Gaza. He finally withdrew from Syria in 1300. The Mongols and Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia led another campaign to recapture Syria, but were soon defeated by the Mamluks at the Battle of Shaqhab in 1303. The last remaining foothold on the Holy Land, Ruad Island, was lost by 1303. The period of the Crusades to the Holy Land was over, 208 years after the beginning of the First Crusade.

title: Lord Edward's crusade


text:
Saint Jean d'Acre

Saint Jean d'Acre ('Saint John of Acre') or the Italian equivalent San Giovanni d'Acri (and Acone) may refer to:

 * the city Acre, Israel, notably during the Crusader Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (later shifting its capital to Acre)
 * a former Latin Catholic Diocese of Acre with see there, later a titular see

title: Saint Jean d'Acre


text:
Borough of Wellingborough

The Borough of Wellingborough was a non-metropolitan district and borough in Northamptonshire, England, from 1974 to 2021. It was named after Wellingborough, its main town, but also included surrounding rural areas.

The local council preferred to call itself the "Borough Council of Wellingborough" rather than the more usual form "Wellingborough Borough Council".

The borough covered almost the same area as the Wellingborough constituency. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the borough of Wellingborough with Wellingborough Rural District.

The borough bordered the districts of South Northamptonshire, Northampton, Kettering, Daventry and East Northamptonshire, as well as Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, and Bedford in Bedfordshire.

Abolition and replacement
In March 2018, following suspension of the County Council arising from its becoming insolvent, due to financial and cultural mismanagement by the cabinet and officers, the then Secretary of State for Local Government, Sajid Javid, sent commissioner Max Caller into the council, who recommended the county council and all district and borough councils in the county be abolished, and replaced by two unitary authorities, one covering the West, and one the North of the county. These proposals were approved in April 2019. It meant that the districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire were merged to form a new unitary authority called West Northamptonshire, whilst the second unitary authority North Northamptonshire consists of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts. These new authorities came into being on 1 April 2021. Elections for the new authorities were due to be held on 7 May 2020, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concurrent with these changes, the unparished area of Wellingborough was established as a civil parish and gained a Town Council.

Settlements and parishes
Other than Wellingborough itself the borough included:

 * Bozeat
 * Earls Barton
 * Easton Maudit
 * Ecton
 * Finedon
 * Great Doddington
 * Great Harrowden
 * Grendon
 * Hardwick
 * Irchester
 * Isham
 * Little Harrowden,
 * Little Irchester
 * Mears Ashby
 * Orlingbury
 * Strixton
 * Sywell
 * Wilby
 * Wollaston

Political control
See Wellingborough Borough Council elections

title: Borough of Wellingborough


text:
User talk:Vanriku

Hello "Vanriku" and welcome to Wikipedia. A few tips for you:

 * Peruse Welcome, newcomers and associated pages, such as
 * How to edit a page
 * How to write a great article
 * Naming conventions
 * Manual of Style
 * You can experiment in the Sandbox.
 * Sign talk page entries with ~, which is automatically converted to a name and date.
 * If you have any questions, see Help, or you can a question to the village pump.
 * I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian -- Infrogmation 17:59, 4 May 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Vanriku


text:
Chilworth, Hampshire

Chilworth is a village in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, on the northern edge of Southampton. Good travel connections and restricted development have led to the village becoming particularly affluent. The village was referred to as Celeworda in the Domesday Book of 1086, and is now in two parts: modern Chilworth lying along the straight 'new' stretch of the Southampton to Romsey road, and old Chilworth built around the 'old' road.

Etymology
Chil is an aspirate mutation of the Common Brittonic noun cil meaning "angle or corner" and having the implication of "boundary". The suffix worth is the Middle English cognate of the proto-Germanic warō meaning "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend". The name literally translates as two nouns: "boundary-guards."

Chilworth Old Village
Chilworth Old Village, at the west end, consists of former farm workers' thatched cottages interspersed with modern houses and bungalows built in the 1950s. The Anglican Church of St Denys, which lies on the edge of the Old Village, was rebuilt in 1812 and is noted for its old bells which date from about the year 1200. Chilworth Old Village was designated a conservation area on 1 November 1989. Most of the buildings from the 16th century are situated in the Chilworth Old Village Conservation Area. The exceptions are Manor Farm and the Beehives, the latter of which are the lodges to Chilworth Manor Hotel.

University of Southampton Science Park
Chilworth is home to the University of Southampton Science Park, formerly known as the Chilworth Science Park. Construction started in 1984 with the first buildings finished in 1986. It houses the main satellite uplink earth station of Sky UK (formerly known as BSkyB, British Sky Broadcasting and BSB, British Satellite Broadcasting). This facility uplinks signals (both Sky and some third party) to the Astra satellites at 28.2° east.

Facilities
There is a small public house on the main road through the village called The Chilworth Arms (formerly The Clump). The original name of the pub, 'The Clump' comes from an old earthwork. Chilworth has a village hall and football field near the pub and there is a kennel and cattery in Chilworth Common, one of the local wooded areas. The thatched post office building was originally built as a kennel for the local hounds before being handed over to the village in 1900. Now both the Post Office and the convenience store are closed.

Since the early 1960s, there has been a Village Hall, situated on the edge of the Village Green behind what is now the Chilworth Arms. Administered by a charitable trust, the Hall is available to the residents of Chilworth and the immediately surrounding vicinity, for meetings, events and many other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of generating and improving a local community spirit. The Hall has a microsite on the Village's website where more details may be found, including availability and how to book.

Chilworth Manor
Chilworth Manor was a mansion house on the Chilworth Estate. John Willis Fleming rebuilt the house in 1904. The Flemings sold Chilworth Manor in 1947. In 1967 it was sold by Catherine Ann Young, wife of British entrepreneur Jock Young (CEO of "Unity Heating"), to Southampton University and converted into a hall of residence. In 1990 it was developed into a conference and training centre. In 2001, AHM, a specialist management company, acquired the property. It is now a 97 bedroom hotel, conference and event venue run by Best Western.

Notable residents
Notable Chilworth residents have included circus impresario Jimmy Chipperfield and Southampton football stars Matthew Le Tissier, Francis Benali and James Beattie.

Richard Cockle Lucas (1800–1883), the sculptor, lived in Chilworth from 1854 onwards, originally at "The Tower of the Winds" (which stood opposite the former "Clump Inn"), and later at the nearby "Chilworth Tower".

Village design statement
In February 2006 the Test Valley Borough Council issued a Village Design Statement for Chilworth to foster a vibrant community and preserve Chilworth's very special characteristics: its woodland, architecture and village environment.

title: Chilworth, Hampshire


text:
User:Zheludev

This page is incorrect and must be deleted

title: User:Zheludev


text:
Talk:Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)

Flag
Is the flag correct? Article is about 1917-1918 and when you click the flag it says "Flag of Second Polish Republic in period from 1919 to 13 December 1927." 77.242.90.183 (talk) 12:51, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Kingdom of Poland (1917–1918)