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Emperor Gaozu of Tang

Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.

In 615, Li Yuan was assigned to garrison Longxi. He gained much experience by dealing with the Göktürks of the north and was able to pacify them. Li Yuan was also able to gather support from these successes and, with the disintegration of the Sui dynasty in July 617, Li Yuan – urged on by his second son Li Shimin (李世民, the eventual Emperor Taizong) – rose in rebellion. Using the title of "Great Chancellor" (大丞相), Li Yuan installed a puppet child emperor, Yang You, but eventually removed him altogether and established the Tang dynasty in 618 with himself as emperor. His son and successor Li Shimin honoured him as Gaozu ("high founder") after his death.

Emperor Gaozu's reign was concentrated on uniting the empire under the Tang. Aided by Li Shimin, whom he created the Prince of Qin, he defeated all the other contenders, including Li Gui, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, Xue Rengao and Liu Wuzhou. By 628, the Tang dynasty had succeeded in uniting all of China. On the home front, he recognized the early successes forged by Emperor Wen of Sui and strove to emulate most of Emperor Wen's policies, including the equal distribution of land amongst his people, and he also lowered taxes. He abandoned the harsh system of law established by Emperor Yang of Sui as well as reforming the judicial system. These acts of reform paved the way for the reign of Emperor Taizong, which ultimately pushed Tang to the height of its power.

In 626, Li Shimin, in a dispute with his brothers Li Jiancheng, the Crown Prince, and Li Yuanji, the Prince of Qi, ambushed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate, killing them. Fearful of what Li Shimin might do next, Emperor Gaozu passed the throne to him and became Taishang Huang (retired emperor). He died on 25 June 635.

Early life and career
According to the official genealogy of the Tang ruling house, Li Yuan's seventh-generation ancestor was Li Gao, the Han Chinese founder of the Dunhuang-based Sixteen Kingdoms state of Western Liang. After Western Liang's destruction by the Northern Liang, Li Gao's grandson Li Zhong'Er (李重耳) served as a Northern Wei official, but for several generations after that, Li Yuan's ancestors had only minor military titles. Li Yuan's paternal grandfather Li Hu (李虎) served as a major general under Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai, and was created the Duke of Longxi and given the Xianbei surname Daye (大野). Li Hu died before Yuwen Tai's son Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou founded Northern Zhou, but was posthumously created the Duke of Tang after Northern Zhou's founding. His son and Li Yuan's father Li Bing (李昞), of Han ethnicity, inherited the title of the Duke of Tang and married one of the Dugu sisters and daughter of the prominent Xianbei general Dugu Xin. Li Bing died in 572, and Li Yuan inherited the title of Duke of Tang, a title he continued to hold after the Northern Zhou throne was seized by Emperor Wen of Sui (Yang Jian) in 581, establishing the Sui dynasty, as Emperor Wen's wife, Empress Dugu, was an aunt of his.

At some point, he married Lady Dou, a daughter of Dou Yi (竇毅) the Duke of Shenwu and Northern Zhou's Princess Xiangyang (Yuwen Tai's daughter) as his wife and duchess.

During Emperor Wen's reign (581–604), Li Yuan served three terms as a provincial governor. Early in the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang, Li Yuan served as commandery governor (as Emperor Yang converted provinces into commanderies), but was later recalled to serve as a junior minister within Emperor Yang's administration. When Emperor Yang carried out his second campaign against Goguryeo in 613, Li Yuan was in charge of part of the logistics operation. When the general Yang Xuangan rebelled near the eastern capital Luoyang, Emperor Yang commissioned Li Yuan as a general and made him be in charge of the operations west of the Tong Pass, although Yang Xuangan's rebellion eventually did not involve that region. Li Yuan took the opportunity to recruit talented people to his staff. Later that year, when Emperor Yang summoned him to his presence, he declined, citing ill health—an excuse that Emperor Yang did not believe, as he questioned Li Yuan's niece, Consort Wang (Emperor Yang's concubine), "Will he die?". In fear, Li Yuan took up drinking and receiving bribes to try to show Emperor Yang that he did not have great ambitions. In 615, Emperor Yang placed him in charge of the operations against agrarian rebels in the Hedong (河東) region (roughly modern Shanxi), but recalled him in 616. Later that year, Emperor Yang put him in charge of the key city of Taiyuan (太原, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).

Rebellion against Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang grew dissatisfied with Li Yuan and Wang Rengong (王仁恭), the governor of Mayi Commandery (馬邑, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), over their inability to stop incursions by the Eastern Turks (Tujue) and the growing strength of agrarian rebels—particularly the Turk-supported Liu Wuzhou, the Dingyang Khan, who soon rose against Wang and killed him and captured Emperor Yang's secondary palace near Taiyuan. Li Yuan also became fearful due to prophecies circulating throughout the empire that the next emperor would be named Li—and because Emperor Yang had killed another official, Li Hun (李渾) and his clan over his fears that Li Hun's nephew Li Min (李敏, the son-in-law of Emperor Yang's sister Yang Lihua, the Princess Leping) had imperial ambitions.

Traditional accounts, compiled during the reign of Li Yuan's second son by the Duchess Dou, Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong), emphasize the latter's initiative and major role in instigating his father's rebellion. According to these, Li Shimin was secretly planning rebellion against Sui rule with Pei Ji, the majordomo of Emperor Yang's secondary palace, and with Liu Wenjing, the magistrate of Jinyang County (晉陽, i.e., Taiyuan), but at first did not reveal their plans to Li Yuan. At Li Shimin's urging, Pei Ji, who had also earlier, against regulations, allowed Li Yuan to have sexual relations with some of late Emperor Wen's imperial concubines, persuaded Li Yuan that it was necessary for him to rebel. Modern researchers, however, have concluded that the initiative for the revolt came from Li Yuan himself.

Li Yuan began to gather forces from the region, claiming that they were necessary to defend against the Turks, which drew suspicions from his deputies Wang Wei (王威) and Gao Junya (高君雅). Li Yuan, afraid that Wang and Gao would act against him first, then used a Turkic attack as an excuse to falsely claim that Wang and Gao were working in concert with the Turkic khagan, Shibi Khan (Ashina Duojishi), and had them executed. He sent secret messengers to Hedong to recall his sons Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji (both by Duchess Dou) and Li Zhiyun (李智雲, by his concubine Lady Wan), whom he had left there to watch over his household, and the capital Chang'an (modern Xi'an) to recall his daughter (the future Princess Pingyang) and her husband Chai Shao (柴紹). Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, leaving Li Zhiyun at Hedong, soon met with Chai, and they arrived together at Taiyuan. Li Yuan's daughter, believing it would be difficult for her to flee with Chai, chose to hide instead.

Once Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Chai arrived at Taiyuan, Li Yuan formally declared his rebellion, but maintained the guise of a Sui loyalist and declared that his intention was simply to install on the throne Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You, the Prince of Dai, who was then at Chang'an, and honor Emperor Yang as Taishang Huang (retired emperor). Li Yuan first secured his northern flank by contacting Shibi Khan, offering tribute, and received men and horses in exchange. He put Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin in charge of his army and, leaving Li Yuanji in charge at Taiyuan, advanced south. Meanwhile, the Sui officials at Hedong arrested Li Zhiyun and delivered him to Chang'an, where he was executed.

His daughter Pingyang sold her possessions to raise an army for him. She persuaded several other leaders to fight under her banner. They took several towns and her army swelled until she had 70,000 troops under her command.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan wrote another rebel leader, Li Mi the Duke of Wei, who was near Luoyang, trying to see if Li Mi would be willing to follow him, but Li Mi, believing in his own strength, had his secretary Zu Junyan (祖君彥) write Li Yuan for him in this way:

"Although I and you, my older brother, are of different branches, but we are both Lis. I know that I do not have sufficient strength, but by the love of the men on this earth, I have been made the leader. I hope that you will support and help me. Let us capture Ziying at Xianyang, and let us kill Xin of Shang at Muye; would it not be a great accomplishment?"

Li Yuan was dismayed but, not wanting to make another enemy, wrote back humbly:

"Although I am ordinary and foolish, but I have had the opportunity to, by my ancestors' largess, receive the opportunity to be an imperial messenger when leaving the capital and a guard leader in the capital. If the administration falls and I am unable to help it, even the most understanding wise man will rebuke me. Therefore, I have organized a righteous army and sought peace with the barbarians to the north [i.e., Tujue] to try to calm the earth and to protect Sui. However, for the people under the heavens, there must be someone to rule over them, and other than you, who can be that person? I am too old – over 50 – and that is not my intent, but I am happy to support you, my younger brother. I hope to be able to climb onto the scale of a dragon and hold onto the wing of a phoenix, and I hope that you, my younger brother, will soon, in accordance with the prophecy, pacify all who are on this earth. You are the leader among the Li, and I hope that you will be gracious and accept me, and to give me again the domain of Tang; that will be enough glory for me. I do not have the heart to hear such commands as killing Xin of Shang at Muye, nor do I dare to listen to the order of capturing Ziying at Xianyang. Also, the Fen and Jin region [i.e., modern Shanxi] requires pacification right now, and I am not yet able to arrange a time for the meeting at Mengjin [(盟津, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan, where King Wu of Zhou met his supporters before attacking Shang's King Zhou)]."

Li Mi was pleased with Li Yuan's response, believing that Li Yuan was willing to support him, and from that point on, Li Mi and Li Yuan often exchanged messengers. Li Yuan's campaign against Chang'an thus went without opposition from Li Mi. Meanwhile, however, when Li Yuan arrived near Hedong, his army was bogged down by the weather, and with food running out, there were rumors that Eastern Tujue and Liu Wuzhou would attack Taiyuan. Li Yuan initially ordered retreat, but at the earnest opposition by Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, continued to advance. After defeating Sui forces at Huoyi (霍邑, also in modern Yuncheng), he decided to leave a small contingent to watch over Hedong while advancing across the Yellow River into Guanzhong (i.e., the Chang'an region). Once he did, he headed for Chang'an himself, while sending Li Jiancheng to capture the territory around the Tong Pass region to prevent Sui forces at Luoyang from reinforcing Chang'an and Li Shimin north of the Wei River to capture territory there. Meanwhile, his daughter had also risen in rebellion in support of him, and she was able to gather a sizable army and capture some cities. She joined forces with Li Shimin and her husband Chai Shao. Soon, Li Yuan reconsolidated his forces and put Chang'an under siege. In winter 617, he captured Chang'an and declared Yang You emperor (as Emperor Gong). He had himself made regent (with the title of grand chancellor) and created the Prince of Tang. (Meanwhile, most of Sui territory did not recognize Yang You as emperor and continued to recognize Emperor Yang as emperor and not as retired emperor.) He sent his nephew Li Xiaogong south, and Li Xiaogong was able to persuade the Sui cities in modern southern Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing to submit.

Establishment of Tang and gradual unification
In spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji. When the news reached Chang'an, Li Yuan had Yang You yield the throne to him, becoming Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty. He restored much of the institutions of Sui's first ruler, Emperor Wen, reversing a number of changes that Emperor Yang made. He created Yang You the Duke of Xi, Li Jiancheng, his oldest son, was named crown prince, while Li Shimin was made the Prince of Qin and Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi. Meanwhile, the Sui officials at Luoyang declared another grandson of Emperor Yang, Yang You's brother Yang Tong, the Prince of Yue, as emperor, and refused to recognize the regime change in Chang'an.

Emperor Gaozu's rule immediately faced a major challenge from Xue Ju, an agrarian leader who had declared himself the Emperor of Qin. During the fall of 618, Xue took advantage of Li Shimin's illness to defeat an army commanded by Li Shimin and Liu Wenjing at Qianshui Plain (in modern Xianyang, Shanxi) and approach Chang'an. In response, Gaozu tried to enter an alliance with Li Gui, the Prince of Liang, between whose domain and the Tang Xue's Qin state was located, writing Li Gui and referring to him as cousin. Li Gui briefly submitted to Gaozu. Meanwhile, before he could attack Chang'an, Xue Ju died of illness and was succeeded by his son Xue Rengao, who was a capable commander but who had alienated his generals because of his cruelty. Li Shimin was soon able to attack Xue Rengao at Gaozhi (高墌, in modern Xianyang as well), and force Xue Rengao to surrender.

Meanwhile, Li Mi, having been defeated earlier in the year in a surprise attack (at the Battle of Yanshi) by the Sui general Wang Shichong, fled to Tang territory and submitted to Gaozu. Li Mi's general Xu Shiji, who controlled a major part of Li Mi's former territory, also submitted, and Emperor Gaozu, impressed with Xu's faithfulness to Li Mi, bestowed the imperial surname of Li on Xu. Gaozu created Li Mi the Duke of Xing, but only made him the Minister of Feasts, a post that Li Mi viewed as below his stature. Around New Year 619, Li Mi requested Emperor Gaozu's permission to head east to persuade some of his former subordinates to submit to Tang, but once he left Chang'an, planned to restore his independence. He was ambushed and killed by the Tang general Sheng Yanshi (盛彥師).

In spring 619, Wang Shichong at Luoyang had Yang Tong yield the throne to him, ending the Sui dynasty and establishing a new state of Zheng.

Around the same time, Li Gui, while stating that he wished to be a Tang subject, refused the Tang creation of Prince of Liang, instead declaring himself the Emperor of Tang. In summer 619, Li Gui's official An Xinggui (安興貴), formerly a Tang official, rebelled against Li Gui and captured him, submitting to Tang. Gaozu executed Li Gui and incorporated his domain into Tang. Also around the same time, the rebel leader Du Fuwei, who controlled the modern southern Anhui, submitted to Tang, and Gaozu also bestowed the imperial surname of Li on him, creating him the Prince of Wu. Similarly, Luo Yi, who controlled the modern Beijing region, submitted, was bestowed the imperial surname of Li, and was created the Prince of Yan.

Meanwhile, Tang was facing another serious threat—Liu Wuzhou, now determined to march south against Tang. Emperor Gaozu sent Pei Ji against Liu's advancing army, but Pei was defeated by Liu, who then put Taiyuan under siege. Li Yuanji fled back to Chang'an, and much of modern Shanxi was seized by Liu. Emperor Gaozu then sent Li Shimin against Liu, and by summer 620, Li Shimin had defeated Liu, forcing him to flee to the Eastern Turks. Liu's territory was incorporated into Tang. Around the same time, however, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia made a major offensive against the cities that had submitted to Tang in modern Hebei and Henan, north of the Yellow River, seizing nearly all of them and taking Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Shentong (李神通) the Prince of Huai'an, Emperor Gaozu's sister the Princess Tong'an, and Li Shiji's father Li Gai (李蓋) captive. With Li Gai in Dou's custody, Li Shiji surrendered to Dou as well. In 620, Li Shiji, in association with another Tang general who surrendered to Dou, Li Shanghu (李商胡), plotted to ambush Dou, but the plot was discovered; Li Shanghu was killed, and Li Shiji fled back to Tang.

In 620, Li Fuwei captured much of the territory of another agrarian ruler, Li Zitong, the Emperor of Wu, in the lower Yangtze River region, in the name of the Tang dynasty. Li Zitong, in turn, defeated and took over the territory of Shen Faxing the Prince of Liang, roughly modern Zhejiang.

After Li Shimin defeated Liu, he started a campaign against Wang's Zheng state in fall 620. He initially could not decisively defeat Zheng, but by spring 621 had put the Zheng capital Luoyang under a tight siege, although he was not able to capture it. Wang sought aid from Dou. The latter agreed, concerned that a Tang victory over Zheng would also mean his own demise, but at the same time was eager to exploit the weakness of the Zheng and claim its domains for himself. Emperor Gaozu was initially fearful that Dou and Wang would be able to sandwich Li Shimin's forces between them and ordered Li Shimin to retreat, but upon Li Shimin's petition changed his mind and permitted Li Shimin to remain in the Luoyang region. Li Shimin, leaving Li Yuanji in charge of the siege of Luoyang, advanced and took up position at Hulao Pass. In summer 621, the Tang and Xia forces engaged at Hulao, and Li Shimin defeated Dou, capturing him. Despairing, Wang also surrendered, and most of the Zheng territory was seized by the Tang. Xia territory was also seized by Tang, but after Emperor Gaozu executed Dou, Dou's general Liu Heita rose against the Tang and seized most of the former Xia territory, while Xu Yuanlang, a rebel leader who had previously submitted to Zheng, also rose in revolt, occupying the modern Shandong region.

Also in 621, Li Xiaogong defeated Xiao Xian the Emperor of Liang, who had controlled the modern Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi region, forcing Xiao Xian to surrender. On another front, Li Fuwei's lieutenant Fu Gongshi defeated Li Zitong, forcing him to surrender as well. Liang and Wu territory were seized by Tang.

Meanwhile, while not as noted as Emperor Gao of Han's killing of Han Xin and Peng Yue, historians have nevertheless noted that some contributors to Emperor Gaozu's establishment of Tang were wrongly killed by him or killed based on fairly little evidence of wrongdoing:
 * Liu Wenjing, in 619, on accusation that he engaged sorcerers.
 * Emperor Gaozu's cousin Dugu Huai'en (獨孤懷恩), in 620, on accusation of treason.
 * Li Zhongwen (李仲文) the Duke of Zhenxiang, in 620, on accusation of collaboration with Eastern Tujue.
 * Liu Shirang (劉世讓) the Duke of Yingyang, in 623, on accusation of collaboration with Eastern Tujue.

Struggle between sons and the Xuanwu Gate Incident
In spring 622, Li Shimin defeated Liu Heita, forcing him to flee to the Eastern Turks, but Liu Heita soon returned with Turkic reinforcements and killed Emperor Gaozu's nephew Li Daoxuan (李道玄) the Prince of Huaiyang in battle, again seizing former Xia territory, although by this point Li Shimin and Li Yuanji had also defeated Xu Yuanlang and reduced his territory to a few cities.

Meanwhile, an intense rivalry had developed between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, as while Li Jiancheng had some contributions toward Tang's reunification of China, Li Shimin had been the one defeating and capturing the major rivals Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong, causing him to possess the greater reputation among the army. Li Yuanji, who was also often relied on by Emperor Gaozu as a general, supported Li Jiancheng in this rivalry, and often pushed Li Jiancheng toward a more hardline position against Li Shimin, wanting to be crown prince when Li Jiancheng would become emperor. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had better relations with Emperor Gaozu's favored young concubines than Li Shimin did (as their mother Duchess Dou had died before Tang's establishment), and those concubines helped rehabilitate Li Jiancheng's standing before Emperor Gaozu, causing him to no longer consider making Li Shimin crown prince instead, as he considered at one point.

By winter 622, Liu Heita posed the only remaining major threat against Tang rule. At the suggestion of his staff members Wang Gui and Wei Zheng, who argued that Li Jiancheng needed some victories himself to establish his reputation, Li Jiancheng volunteered to command the army against Liu Heita. Emperor Gaozu thus sent Li Jiancheng, assisted by Li Yuanji. Around the new year 623, with Liu's forced bogged down while attacking Tang's Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan, Hebei), Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji engaged him at Guantao (館陶, in modern Handan as well), crushing him. Liu fled north toward the Eastern Turks, but was ambushed and captured by his own official Zhuge Dewei (諸葛德威), who delivered him to Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng executed Liu. Around the same time, Xu was killed in flight. Meanwhile, Lin Shihong the Emperor of Chu, who had one point controlled modern Jiangxi and Guangdong, had died, and his followers scattered. China was by this point completely unified by Tang except for the domain of Liang Shidu the Emperor of Liang, who controlled modern northern Shaanxi and western Inner Mongolia, although, with Li Fuwei at Chang'an, Fu Gongshi rebelled in 623 and declared himself the Emperor of Song. Fu's rebellion, however, was quelled by Li Xiaogong in 624.

Meanwhile, the rivalry between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin intensified. In 624, Li Jiancheng requisitioned a number of soldiers from the general Li Yi the Prince of Yan, to supplement his guard corps, against Emperor Gaozu's regulations. When this was revealed to Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Gaozu rebuked Li Jiancheng and exiled his guard commander Keda Zhi (可達志). When, subsequently, Li Jiancheng nevertheless requested the commandant at Qing Prefecture (慶州, in modern Qingyang, Gansu), Yang Wen'gan (楊文幹), to conscript troops, presumably to guard against Li Shimin, the officers Erzhu Huan (爾朱煥) and Qiao Gongshan (橋公山) informed Emperor Gaozu that Li Jiancheng was encouraging Yang to start a rebellion so that they could seize power together. Emperor Gaozu, then at Renzhi Palace (仁智宮, in modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi), was incensed, and summoned Li Jiancheng, then at Chang'an, to Renzhi Palace. Li Jiancheng briefly flirted the idea of occupying Chang'an and not accepting the order, but eventually reported to Renzhi Palace to request forgiveness. Emperor Gaozu put him under arrest. When Yang heard this, Yang rebelled, and Emperor Gaozu, after promising Li Shimin that he would be made crown prince, sent Li Shimin to attack Yang. (Under Emperor Gaozu's promise, Li Jiancheng would be removed as crown prince and created the Prince of Shu instead. He would then send Li Jiancheng to the modern Sichuan region.) Once Li Shimin left, however, Li Yuanji, Emperor Gaozu's concubines, and the chancellor Feng Deyi, all spoke on Li Jiancheng's behalf, and Emperor Gaozu changed his mind, released Li Jiancheng, and allowed him to return to Chang'an and remain as crown prince. Instead, Emperor Gaozu only blamed the discord between his sons on Li Jiancheng's staff members Wang Gui and Wei Ting (韋挺), and Li Shimin's staff member Du Yan, exiling them. Yang was subsequently assassinated by his own subordinates.

Another problem that Emperor Gaozu faced was constant Eastern Turkic incursions. Emperor Gaozu seriously considered burning Chang'an to the ground and moving the capital to Fancheng (樊城, in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), a suggestion that Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and the chancellor Pei Ji agreed with. Li Shimin opposed, however, and the plan was not carried out. Meanwhile, Li Shimin himself was sending his confidants to Luoyang to build up personal control of the army there. After an incident in which Li Shimin suffered a severe case of food poisoning after feasting at Li Jiancheng's palace—an event that both Emperor Gaozu and Li Shimin apparently interpreted as an assassination attempt—Emperor Gaozu considered sending Li Shimin to guard Luoyang to prevent further conflict, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, after consulting each other, believed that this would only give Li Shimin an opportunity to build up his personal power there, and therefore opposed it. Emperor Gaozu therefore did not carry out the plan.

By 626, Li Shimin was fearful that he would be killed by Li Jiancheng, and his staff members Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Zhangsun Wuji were repeatedly encouraging Li Shimin to attack Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji first—while Wei Zheng was encouraging Li Jiancheng to attack Li Shimin first. Li Jiancheng persuaded Emperor Gaozu to remove Fang and Du, as well as Li Shimin's trusted guard officers Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie (程知節), from Li Shimin's staff. Zhangsun, who remained on Li Shimin's staff, continued to try to persuade Li Shimin to attack first.

In summer 626, the Eastern Turkic khaganate was making another attack, and under Li Jiancheng's suggestion, Emperor Gaozu, instead of sending Li Shimin to resist the Turks as he first was inclined, decided to send Li Yuanji instead. Li Yuanji was given command of much of the army previously under Li Shimin's control, further troubling Li Shimin, who believed that with the army in Li Yuanji's hands, he would be unable to resist an attack. Li Shimin had Yuchi summon Fang and Du back to his mansion secretly, and then on one night submitted an accusation to Emperor Gaozu that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were committing adultery with Emperor Gaozu's concubines. Emperor Gaozu, in response, issued summonses to Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji for the next morning, convening the senior officials Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda to examine Li Shimin's accusations. As Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji approached the central gate leading to Emperor Gaozu's palace, Xuanwu Gate (玄武門), Li Shimin carried out the ambush he had set. He personally fired an arrow that killed Li Jiancheng. Subsequently, Yuchi killed Li Yuanji. Li Shimin's forces entered the palace and, under the intimidation of Li Shimin's forces, Emperor Gaozu agreed to create Li Shimin crown prince. Meanwhile, Li Shimin accused the late Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of plotting treason, posthumously demoted them to commoners and had their sons all executed as well, with Emperor Gaozu unable to oppose the action. Two months later, Emperor Gaozu passed the throne to Li Shimin (as Emperor Taizong).

As retired emperor
Emperor Gaozu, as retired emperor, did not appear to try to exert much influence in the reign of his son Emperor Taizong, and not much was recorded about his activities. Indeed, Emperor Taizong, almost immediately, began reversing some of his policies, including his policies of creating many relatives to be imperial princes (which Emperor Taizong reversed later in 626, reducing the ranks of most of those princes to dukes) and Emperor Gaozu's gathering of many ladies in waiting (which Emperor Taizong reversed in 628, releasing about 3,000 ladies in waiting from service, although Emperor Taizong himself, later in his reign, appeared to have gathered as many if not more).

In 629, Emperor Gaozu moved from the main palace, Taiji Palace (太極殿) to the subsidiary Hongyi Palace (弘義宮), which was then renamed Da'an Palace (大安宮). Only then was Emperor Taizong able to move from the crown prince's palace to Taiji Palace.

In 630, when Emperor Gaozu, who had been submitting tribute to the Eastern Turks throughout his reign, heard that Emperor Taizong had sent the general Li Jing to defeat and capture the Turkic khagan Jiali Khan (Ashina Duobi), commented, "Gaozu of Han was trapped [at Baideng (白登, in modern Datong, Shanxi) in 200 BCE by Xiongnu forces] and could not avenge himself. Now my son can destroy Tujue. I have entrusted the empire to the right person, and what do I have to worry about?" He subsequently summoned a number of princes and princesses, along with high level officials, to celebrate the victory, playing the pipa himself at the celebration and having the guests dance to it.

As Chang'an was often hot during the summer, Emperor Taizong often invited Emperor Gaozu to go with him to Jiucheng Palace (九成宮, in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), to avoid the heat during the summer. However, as Sui's Emperor Wen had died there (which was named Renshou Palace (仁壽宮) during the Sui dynasty), Emperor Gaozu did not want to visit Jiucheng Palace. Rather, in 634, Emperor Taizong began to construct another summer palace, Daming Palace (大明宮), to serve as Emperor Gaozu's summer palace, but Emperor Gaozu fell ill before it was completed, and he never visited Daming Palace. He died in spring 635.

Era name

 * Wude (武德 wǔ dé) 618–626

Chancellors during reign

 * Li Shimin (618–626)
 * Pei Ji (618–626)
 * Liu Wenjing (618)
 * Xiao Yu (618–626)
 * Dou Wei (618)
 * Dou Kang (618)
 * Chen Shuda (618–626)
 * Yang Gongren (619–626)
 * Feng Deyi (620–626)
 * Pei Ju (624–625)
 * Yuwen Shiji (625–626)
 * Gao Shilian (626)
 * Fang Xuanling (626)

Family
Consorts and Issue:
 * Empress Taimu, of the Dou clan of Henan (太穆皇后 河南竇氏/河南窦氏; c. 569–613)
 * Li Jiancheng, Crown Prince Yin (隱皇太子 李建成/隐皇太子 李建成; 589–626), first son
 * Princess Zhao of Pingyang (平陽昭公主; d. 623), third daughter
 * Married Chai Shao, Duke of Qiao (谯国公柴绍，d. 638), and had issue (two sons)
 * Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong (太宗 李世民; 598–649), second son
 * Li Xuanba, Prince Weihuai (衛懷王 李玄霸/卫怀王 李玄; 599–614), third son
 * Li Yuanji, Prince Chaola (巢剌王 李元吉; 603–626), fourth son
 * Noble Consort, of the Wan clan (貴妃 萬氏/贵妃 万氏)
 * Li Zhiyun, Prince Chu'ai (楚哀王 李智雲/楚哀王 李智; 604–617), fifth son
 * Virtuous Consort, of the Yin clan (德妃 尹氏)
 * Li Yuanheng, Prince Fengdao (酆悼王 李元亨; 619–632), eighth son
 * First Imperial Concubine, of the Yuwen clan (昭儀 宇文氏/昭仪 宇文氏, d. 634)
 * Li Yuanjia, Prince Han (韓王 李元嘉/韩王; 620–688), 11th son
 * Li Lingkui, Prince Lu (魯王 李靈夔/鲁王 李零夔; 625–688), 19th son
 * Noble Imperial Concubine, of the Mo clan (貴嬪 莫氏/贵嫔 莫氏; 597–618), personal name Lifang (麗芳/丽芳)
 * Li Yuanjing, Prince Jing (荊王 李元景; 618–653), sixth son
 * Imperial Concubine, of the Sun clan (嬪 孫氏/嫔 孙氏)
 * Li Yuanchang, Prince Han (漢王 李元昌/汉王 李元昌; 619–643), seventh son
 * Imperial Concubine, of the Cui clan of Boling (嬪 博陵崔氏/嫔 博陵崔氏； d. 636), personal name Shanggui (商珪)
 * Li Yuanyu, Prince Dengkang (鄧康王 李元裕/邓康王 李元裕; 624–665), 17th son
 * Imperial Concubine, of the Yang clan of Hongnong (嬪 弘農楊氏/嫔; 602–657)
 * Li Yuanxiang, Prince Jiang'an (江安王 李元祥; 626–680), 20th son
 * Imperial Concubine, of the Yang clan (嬪 楊氏/嫔 杨氏)
 * Li Yuanming, Prince Shu (舒王 李元名; 624–689), 18th son
 * Fairness Lady, of the Zhang clan (婕妤 張氏/张氏)
 * Li Yuanfang, Prince Zhou (周王 李元方; 619–629), ninth son
 * Fairness Lady, of the Guo clan (婕妤 郭氏)
 * Li Yuanli, Prince Xukang (徐康王 李元禮/李元礼; 619–672), tenth son
 * Fairness Lady, of the Liu clan (婕妤 劉氏/刘氏)
 * Li Yuanqing, Prince Daoxiao (道孝王 李元慶/李元庆; 623–664), 16th son
 * Beauty, of the Zhang clan (美人 張氏/张氏)
 * Li Yuangui, Prince Huo (霍王 李元軌/李元轨; 622–688), 14th son
 * Beauty, the Yang clan (美人 楊氏/杨氏; d. 644)
 * Li Feng, Prince Guozhuang (虢莊王 李鳳/虢庄王 李凤; 622–675), 15th son
 * Talented Lady, of the Wang clan (才人 王氏; 596–662)
 * Li Yuanze, Prince Pengsi (彭思王 李元則/李元则; 620–651), 12th son
 * Talented Lady, of the Lu clan (才人 魯氏/鲁氏)
 * Li Yuanxiao, Prince Mizhen (密貞王 李元曉/密贞王 李元晓; 628–676), 21st son
 * Treasured Lady, of the Zhang clan (寶林 張氏/宝林 张氏; 589–645), personal name Chongze (寵則/宠则)
 * Li Yuanyi, Prince Zhenghui (鄭惠王 李元懿/郑惠王 李元懿; 621–673), 13th son
 * Treasured Lady, of the Liu clan (寶林 柳氏/宝林 柳氏)
 * Li Yuanying, Prince Teng (滕王 李元嬰/李元婴; 630–684), 22nd son
 * Unknown
 * Princess Changsha (長沙公主/长沙公主), first daughter
 * Married Feng Shaoshi of Changle (長樂 馮少師/长乐 风少师)
 * Princess Xiangyang (襄阳公主), 2nd daughter
 * Married Dou Dan of Henan, Duke Shen (河南 竇誕/窦诞; 580–648), the third son of Dou Kang, in 617, and had issue (two sons, one daughter)
 * Princess Gaomi (高密公主; d. 655), 4th daughter
 * Married Zhangsun Xiaozheng of Henan (河南 長孫孝政/长孙孝政), and had issue (one daughter)
 * Married Duan Lun, Prince Jinchang (段綸/段纶; d. 642), and had issue (one son, one daughter)
 * Princess Changguang (長廣公主/长广公主; d. 648), 5th daughter
 * Married Zhao Cijing of Tianshui, Duke Kaihua (天水 赵慈景; d. 618)
 * Married Yang Shidao of Hongnong, Duke Ande (弘農 楊師道/弘农 杨师道; d. 647) in 622, and had issue (one daughter)
 * Princess Fangling (房陵公主; 619–673), 6th daughter
 * Married Dou Fengjie of Henan, Duke Zan (河南 竇奉節/窦奉节) in 630, and had issue (one son, one daughter)
 * Married Helan Sengjia, Baron Tonghua (賀蘭僧伽/贺兰僧伽), and had issue (one son)
 * Princess Changle (常樂公主/长乐公主; d. 688), 7th daughter
 * Married Zhao Gui (趙瑰/赵瑰; d. 688)
 * Princess Jiujiang (九江公主), 8th daughter
 * Married Zhishi Sili, Duke An (執失思力/安国公 执失思力)
 * Princess Luling (廬陵公主/庐陵公主), 9th daughter
 * Married Qiao Shiwang, Viscount Xiangyi (喬師望/乔师望)
 * Princess Nanchang (南昌公主),10th daughter
 * Married Su Xu (蘇勗/苏勖)
 * Princess Anping (安平公主), 11th daughter
 * Married Yang Sijing of Hongnong (弘農 楊思敬/弘农 杨思敬)
 * Princess Huainan (淮南公主; 622–690), personal name Chengxia (澄霞), 12th daughter
 * Married Feng Daoyan of Bohai, Duke Mi (渤海 封道言; 616–699), a son of Feng Lun, in 638
 * Princess Zhending (真定公主), 13th daughter
 * Married Cui Gongli of Boling (博陵 崔恭禮/崔恭礼)
 * Princess Hengyang (衡陽公主/衡阳公主), 14th daughter
 * Married Ashina She'er, Duke Bi (阿史那社爾阿史那社尔; 609–655), a son of Ashina Xichun, in 636
 * Princess Danyang (丹陽公主/丹阳公主), 15th daughter
 * Married Xue Wanche of Hedong, Duke Wu'an (河東 薛萬徹/河东 薛万彻; d. 653) in 644
 * Princess Linhai (臨海公主/临海公主), 16th daughter
 * Married Pei Lüshi of Hedong, Duke Hedong (河東 裴律師/河东 裴律师), the second son of Pei Ji
 * Princess Guantao (館陶公主/馆陶公主), 17th daughter
 * Married Cui Xuanqing (崔宣慶/崔宣庆)
 * Princess Changsha (長沙公主/长沙公主; d. 724), 18th daughter
 * Married Doulu Huairang of Changli, Duke Rui (昌黎 豆盧懷讓/豆卢怀让), and had issue (one son, one daughter)
 * Princess Anding (安定公主), 19th daughter
 * Married Wen Ting (溫挺/温挺), the second son of Wen Yanbo
 * Married Zheng Jingxuan of Xingyang (滎陽 鄭敬玄/荥阳 郑敬玄), and had issue (one son)

title: Emperor Gaozu of Tang


text: Category:Canoeing

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

title: Category:Canoeing


text:
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry

The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANY (PRVC)) is a British independent all-female registered charity formed in 1907 and active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars. Its members wear a military-style uniform, but it is not part of the Regular Army or Army Reserve; members do not train at Sandhurst, nor do they hold a commission.

Formation
It was formed as the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in 1907 as a first aid link between the field hospitals and the front lines, and was given the 'yeomanry' name as its members were originally mounted on horseback. Unlike nursing organisations, the FANY saw themselves rescuing the wounded and giving first aid, similar to a modern combat medic. Their founder, Sergeant Major, later Captain, Edward Baker, a veteran of the Sudan Campaign and the Second Boer War, felt that a single rider could get to a wounded soldier faster than a horse-drawn ambulance. Each woman was trained not only in first aid but signalling and drilling in cavalry movements. The original uniform was a scarlet tunic with white facings, a navy-blue riding skirt with three rows of white braid at the bottom and a hard-topped scarlet hat with black-leather peak. The uniform gradually became more practical and less flamboyant, including importantly, a divided skirt to allow public riding astride. By 1914 it consisted of a khaki tunic, khaki skirt and a khaki solar topee. Shortly after their arrival in France, at the beginning of the First World War, the topee was discarded in favour of a soft bonnet, the hard topee proving impractical for driving an ambulance with a low canvas roof.

Early leaders of the FANY included Grace McDougall and Lilian Franklin, "The Boss".

First World War
On 27 October 1914, their offer of assistance as paramedics having been refused by the War Office, a party of six FANYs, including Lieutenants Franklin and McDougall, plus three trained nurses and two male orderlies, crossed to Calais. They were shortly followed by a privately funded motor ambulance. The Belgian Army welcomed them with open arms and for the next two years the FANYs drove ambulances, opened a hospital and two convalescent homes and set up a casualty clearing station near the Front. Observing this, British official resistance crumbled, and on 1 January 1916 the FANY became the first women to drive officially for the British Army, with the establishment of an ambulance section at Calais. The role for the British was to transport the dead and dying from clearing stations to hospitals and hospital ships. This was followed by the formation of several convoys for the French Army, stationed in the southern sector of the Front, near Verdun.

By the Armistice, the Corps had been awarded many decorations for bravery, including 17 Military Medals, 1 Legion d'Honneur and 27 Croix de Guerre. Although a number of FANYs were injured while serving in France, there was only one death; Evelyn Fidgeon Shaw CdeG died while serving with the French and was buried by them with full military honours in Sézanne.

McDougall wrote an anonymous 1917 account of her experiences Nursing Adventures: A FANY in France, retitled A Nurse at War: Nursing Adventures in France for America. In 1919 Pat Beauchamp wrote a book titled Fanny Goes to War about her experiences serving with the Corps during the First World War.

The Coffin Jump installation at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park was inspired by the work of the FANY during the First World War.

Inter-war years
Being independent and self financing, the FANY was not disbanded after the First World War, unlike the women's services. As a result of service in the general strike of 1926, when the name was briefly changed to Ambulance Car Corps (FANY), the Corps was finally recognised by the War Office and allowed to appear on the Army list, although not publicly funded.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s FANYs continued training, including radio work, first aid, and motor vehicle maintenance and mechanics. Numbers grew and several regional sections were established. In 1931 an independent unit of the Corps was set up in East Africa, known as The Women's Territorial Service (EA). This was the first overseas all-women unit to be formed.

In 1937, wishing to move away completely from any assumed connection with formal nursing, the Corps became the Women's Transport Service (WTS (FANY)).

Second World War
At the start of the war the FANY was led by Mary Baxter Ellis who had served with the Corps during the First World War. Helen Gwynne-Vaughan was the first Chief Controller of the newly formed Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). This was a role that Ellis had turned down as she preferred to lead the FANY. Ellis agreed however to supply 1,500 FANY motor mechanics to serve with the ATS as long as these FANYs could be independent. This was agreed but Gwynne-Vaughan broke the agreement and forced the FANY/ATS to be absorbed into the territorial service. Ellis demurred, but won the agreement that these FANY/ATS would wear their FANY flash, a tradition dating back many years, with the chinstrap of their hats over the crown. An autonomous FANY HQ ran simultaneously in London. These members were known as the ‘Free FANYs', and they wore their uniform as of right.

One better known role of the FANY in the Second World War is their service with the Special Operations Executive. FANYs became involved in the SOE in 1940 through the friendship between Phyllis Bingham (secretary to the then Corps commander) and Colonel, later Major-General, Colin Gubbins (Director of Operations and Training SOE). The FANYs service began with their involvement in the highly secretive Auxiliary Units set up in 1940 as a stay-behind force in case of invasion. By the end of the war over 3,000 FANYs had served with SOE; as trainers, coders, signallers, forgers, dispatchers, and, most famously, as agents. Recruits were trained in one of four fields: Motor transport, wireless telegraphy, codes or general. They worked on coding and signals, acting as conductors for agents and providing administration and technical support for the Special Training Schools. Their work was top secret and often highly skilled.

Of the 50 women sent by SOE into France 39 were members of the FANY. Of these 39 women, 12 were murdered by the Nazis and one Corps member died in the field. Many decorations, of both the UK and other countries, were awarded to FANYs for their service and outstanding courage. Among these, four of the highest UK decorations were the George Cross awarded to Odette Hallowes (who was incarcerated and tortured, but survived the war), Violette Szabo and Noor Inayat Khan (these latter two perishing in captivity and decorated posthumously). Nancy Wake's awards included the George Medal.

Corps members operated in several theatres of war, including North Africa, Italy, India and the Far East. The FANY served the Finnish Government. A section was attached to the Polish Army, based mainly in Linlithgow where they provided the Poles with uniforms, weapons, vehicles, equipment, food, administration services and drivers’ services. Corps members also provided the guard of honour at the funeral of General Wladyslaw Sikorski, who had gone up to Scotland several times to inspect his troops. A Kenyan section, formed in 1931, which was made the official East African unit by the War Office in August 1941, was very active during the war. This section took women from all over the southern half of Africa. Other FANYs were attached to the British Red Cross, the American Ambulance Corps and the French Committee for the French Red Cross. In 1944 another large group were deployed to the Indian subcontinent and the Far East with South East Asia Command. Altogether over 6,000 FANYs served in the Second World War.

Maud MacLellan, a FANY who served with the ATS during the war, taught the future Queen Elizabeth to drive.

A memorial at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge commemorates 52 named members who died on active service with the Corps in the First and Second World Wars, including 9 members who died when the SS Khedive Ismail was sunk by a Japanese submarine in 1944. FANYs are also commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial in Surrey.

Ranks of the Women's Transport Service
Below is a chart of WTS (FANY) ranks compared to the British Army.

Cold War
During the Cold War the FANY took on new roles including the provision of national communications support as part of 2 (National Communication) Signal Brigade. These were arrangements in place for ensuring the continuity of government in the event of a substantial attack on the United Kingdom. In such an eventuality, Corps members would have been required to assist the Brigade by deploying to one of a number of secret bunkers established around the country to house dispersed government.

Contemporary role
The FANY was officially renamed the Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps in 1999, after being given permission by Anne, Princess Royal to use her title, and is now referred to as FANY (PRVC). The original name has greater recognition, and greater prominence even in official publications and on its website. The Princess Royal became Commandant-in-Chief of the Corps in 1981, following the death of her great great aunt Princess Alice who was the Corps's first Commandant-in-Chief in 1933.

Today, the Corps focuses on deploying specialist rapid response teams to support civil and military authorities at times of crisis. Most recently the Corps has been deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, serving at NHS Nightingale Hospital London, the North London and Westminster Coroners, City of London Police and the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal. Members train every week, and are on call 24/7 to help in times of national emergency. The Corps is open to volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45 who reside or work near London, within the M25. Members are trained in communications, first aid skills, map reading, navigation and orienteering, shooting, self-defence, survival techniques and advanced driving. Their working dress is similar to that of the modern British Army; on formal occasions they wear a uniform similar to historic female British Army Service Dress. They also have their own 'rank' system.

Notable members

 * Enid Bagnold
 * Sadie Bonnell
 * Evelyn May Cridlan
 * Lilian Franklin
 * Joan Bamford Fletcher
 * Beryl Hutchinson
 * Grace McDougall
 * Olive Mudie-Cooke
 * Muriel Thompson
 * Lise de Baissac
 * Denise Bloch
 * Andree Borrel
 * Sonya Butt
 * Madeleine Damerment
 * Odette Hallowes
 * Noor Inayat Khan
 * Cecily Lefort
 * Vera Leigh
 * Maud MacLellan
 * Eileen Nearne
 * Jacqueline Nearne
 * Eliane Plewman
 * Lilian Rolfe
 * Yvonne Rudellat
 * Sue Ryder
 * Krystyna Skarbek
 * Violette Szabo
 * Nancy Wake
 * Pearl Witherington
 * Julia Pirie
 * Mary Railton

title: First Aid Nursing Yeomanry


text:
Rudolf Walden

Karl Rudolf Walden (1 December 1878 in Helsinki – 25 October 1946) was a Finnish industrialist and a military leader.

Education
Walden received his military education at the Hamina Cadet School and graduated in 1900. He was dismissed from service in 1902, in connection with conscription strikes.

Finnish civil war
From 20 February 1918 till 5 March 1918, Walden was chief of Vaasa military district. From then until 6 May 1918, he was chief of headquarters of the rear. He then became chief of security of the occupied areas until 22 May 1918. On 28 November 1918, Walden became minister of war and held this position until 15 August 1919. Walden was then promoted to commander in chief of the Finnish army and the Civil Guard (27 November 1918 - 30 December 1918). Walden and general of the White army Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim developed a close working relationship that continued throughout the inter war period (head of Finnish Red Cross in the 20th century) and during the Winter War and Continuation War.

Finnish paper industry
After leaving the army, Walden sought a career in business. He moved to Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire, and after few years founded a sales agency for Finnish paper. As a steadfast patriot, Walden also became a prominent figure in the large Finnish community of Saint Petersburg. From 1906 to 1946, Walden worked in the paper industry. He worked to consolidate the Finnish paper industry. He founded Yhtyneet Paperitehtaat Oy (United Paper Mills Ltd) and was the first president of "Finpap", a Finnish paper sales association.

Winter War
During the Finnish-Soviet Winter War, Walden was recalled to active service. From 3 December 1939 to 27 March 1940, he was a member of the war cabinet. On 27 March 1940 he became Minister of Defence and continued in this role till 27 November 1944. Walden was able to maintain important diplomatic relationships with Sweden and the United States. Walden represented Finland at the Treaty of Tartu of 1920, the Moscow Peace Treaty (1940), and the Armistice treaty of Moscow (1944).

After the Civil war and during the 1930s there was general distrust of the labour movement and the patriotism of the Finnish worker. In Winter War this proved unfounded and the nation was united. Industrial leader Walden and Väinö Tanner (Social Democrat leader and Finnish foreign minister) had developed mutual respect and worked well together. In the so-called Betrothal of January 1940, Finland's industry associations acknowledged the trade unions as negotiation partners regarding labour issues.

Civilian and military decorations
In 1919, Walden became Commander of the Order of the White Rose. Later, he received the Grand Cross of the order. For his services during and after the Finnish Civil War he was awarded the Grand Cross of Liberty. He was also awarded the Iron Cross (1918). During the 1920s, Walden became a knight of the Order of the Polar Star (Sweden). In 1928, Walden received the Danish Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog personally from King Christian X. During his service as minister of defence, Walden received several decorations including the Swedish Order of the Sword, the German Order of the German Eagle and Iron Cross (1939) 1st and 2nd class, the Hungarian Grand Cross of Order of Merit, and the Romanian Grand Cross of Order of the Star. On 2 December 1944 he received the Mannerheim Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty for his services to the country.

title: Rudolf Walden


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/L Neil Smith

L. Neil Smith
Delete I believe this article is pure vanity. L Neil Smith is an obscure author who writes books about libertarianism and science fiction. He would not get a mention in any serious encyclopedia. Reithy 21:21, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. Couple dozen titles on Amazon (albeit, many OOP.) 13,700 hits on Google. 20 titles at UC Library. --jpgordon {gab} 21:55, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, notable author. More of Reithy's anti-Libertarian rampage.  RickK 23:52, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * merge /redirect with L. Neil Smith. See my comments under Votes for deletion/L. Neil Smith. --Feedle 01:24, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

See also Votes for deletion/L. Neil Smith. Can some neutral party combine these? pstudier 00:37, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC) merged into Votes for deletion/L. Neil Smith —Stormie 01:38, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)


text:
Monster Garage

Monster Garage is an American television series aired on the Discovery Channel and hosted by Jesse James. Each episode was an hour in length and was conceived and produced (along with James) by Thom Beers.

The show premiered on June 23, 2002 and concluded on June 12, 2006.

On February 24, 2020, it was announced that the series will be revived and premiere in 2020 on TLC. This was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It premiered on Discovery, Inc.'s new streaming service Discovery+ on launch day, January 4, 2021.

Premise
A team of five people with mechanical, fabricating, or modifying expertise was assembled to modify a vehicle into a "monster machine." On the show this generally meant making one vehicle that could transform into another such as a PT Cruiser which could change into a wood chipper, or a school bus which transformed into a pontoon boat. Occasionally vehicles were modified so as to hide non-vehicular functions, such as a police car which doubled as a donut shop (built by a team of cops), or a Toyota Tundra which was modified so as to allow it to discharge a motorcycle at high speeds. Build teams who successfully completed their assignment were rewarded with expensive tool kits.

Rules
According to the show, the rules were as follows:
 * 1) When complete, the monster was to appear to be stock.
 * 2) The team had $3000 (later raised to $5000) for parts. Any 'seat change' found during the build was added to the total.
 * 3) The team had seven days to complete the monster.
 * 4) *The first day was for designing
 * 5) *the next five were for building
 * 6) *and the seventh day was for testing the monster

In practice, as the series progressed, some liberties were taken with the first two rules, at times becoming punchlines. In one episode, when a Chevrolet El Camino was turned into a Figure 8 race car, James discarded plans for a spoiler on the vehicle, sarcastically citing the first rule.

Starting with season 4, the winning team also donated a toolkit to a high school of their choice.

Host
Host Jesse James claims to be the great-great-grandson of a cousin of the legendary wild west outlaw, Jesse James. Jesse G. James has both mechanical and metal fabricating expertise and is the founder, owner and head bike builder for his custom chopper shop, West Coast Choppers. Jesse said he liked monsters that went fast and did something. He preferred hard working build crew members. His favorite monster vehicles were the Ford Ambulance Wheel-stander and the Chevrolet Blazer Pikes Peak hill climber. One of Jesse's ambitions throughout the run of the show was to build a monster that could top 200 mph, which he was unsuccessful at achieving.

Announcer
Announcing for this show was done by Brett "The Big Schwag" Wagner who later became the host of the Speed Channel show Pass Time. He was very memorable for frequently shouting out "You gotta be kidding me!" during the tests of the "monster" vehicles and signing off most episodes saying: "The next Monster Garage challenge is JUST... AROUND... THE BEND!".

Failed Monsters
With rules as strict as they were in the Monster Garage, there was a 1 in 10 monster build failure rate. When a team failed to complete a vehicle in time, it was destroyed by host Jesse James.

 * Failed Monsters and their Ultimate Demise
 * Cadillac Hearse/Car Crusher "Grim Ripper" — was the first failure on Monster Garage. The build team spent more time goofing off than building the car. In one scene, the original Batmobile appeared at the shop, and Jesse quipped "tryin' to weld" when asked what he was doing. The non-functional Car Crusher was then sent to Terminal Island to meet its fate in a scrapper. At the suggestion of the scrap machine's owner, the Hearse came to an explosive end with a propane tank in the back. In Grim Ripper II, the team spoofed the demise of their first project by having the car in which they arrived at Terminal Island meet the same fate as the first hearse.
 * Scion xA/Rock'em, Sock'em Scions — In this two-episode special, Jesse handpicked a team of the best Monster Garage participants at the time, while the producers picked a "mis-fit" team of quirky and somewhat anti-social participants to build Rock'em Sock'em Robots out of two new Scions. The winning team would win a "special edition" set of Mac tools while the other team would see their creation turned into scrap. Jesse's handpicked team, dubbed the Red Rockers, secured the Scion xB, while the producer-selected Blue Bombers received the xA. In the challenge, the Bombers' xA suffered transmission issues, meaning the Rockers won by default. Some members of the Bombers stayed to see their failed monster off, only to find out that they would be receiving tool sets as well.
 * DeLorean Hovercraft — In an early attempt to shave time off the build, the team removed the outer bodywork of a De Lorean and put it on a donor personal hovercraft. Quite angry about this decision (even though he himself declared early on that he didn't like the project), Jesse fired one of the team members after a snide comment. Working again with a "new" De Lorean donor, the team tried unsuccessfully to make the monster hover but ultimately ran out of time. The car was eventually towed to a naval base where a tank tracked vehicle crushed the unfinished vehicle.
 * Mazda Miata Jetski — Some fans have noted that the reason why this build failed was the engine might have contributed to the air intake being flooded due to the heavy weight in the nose area. Nevertheless, three members of the build team opted to send the Miata to the scrapheap with a dynamite explosion.
 * Dirt Track Camaro — For the second time in MG history, this build had an all-girl build team (the first was the Black Widow Demolition Derby Car, which was heavily gutted moments before a demolition derby). However, a plague of miscommunication and personal differences sent this Camaro to a steel smelter and eventual recycling into rebar.
 * Peel Trident Micro Car — With a team composed of mostly dwarves, the team attempted to put a Hayabusa engine into a tiny Peel Car. Some fans felt that the team was compromised due to their small stature, but Jesse coldly stated that he gave no team any exceptions; they were all equal. Other fans feel the project was simply too ambitious for builders of any size. After they failed, Jesse, sporting some of his personal gun collection, took out the Peel with a .50 caliber sniper rifle.
 * Anglia Nitro Dragster — The team did not give themselves enough time to fire up the engine. The engine ended up not firing due to timing issues, and Jesse brought it to a construction site where a crane dropped a large metal box on it.

Successful monsters destroyed in Day 7

 * Mazda RX-7/Doom Buggy — Unsatisfied with how the Sandrail performed, Jesse destroyed it with a Dillon Minigun.
 * 1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille/Demolition-Derby Car - In day 7, Cindy Regimbald lost the demolition derby, leaving the car smashed from the derby.
 * 1970 Oval Racer/RC Car - During the challenge, after Jesse lapped the car about 5 times, he rammed his car into the quarter panel of it and sent it smashing into wall of the short track. The monster was totalled, and it was stored outside the Monster Garage, later to be cannibalized in future episodes.
 * 1969-1970 Classic Farm Tractor/Crop Circler - The vehicle was built successfully, but Jesse decided the project was uninteresting, so he burnt it in a desert with a flamethrower.

UK version
A UK version of the show was aired in 2004 by Channel 4. The team always included a Hell's Angel known as "Cookie". There was a budget of £3,000. Only 3 days were used for the build. Cars often looked radically different from the production models. Challenges included; converting a Toyota into a lawnmower, a Lotus into a hovercraft, and an ice cream van into a riot truck. In one episode, the team sold the internal fittings of the car that was to be transformed (A Rolls-Royce) to raise funds to convert it into a muck spreader.

The UK series lasted only 8 episodes.

Videos
MBI published Monster Garage videos, detailing the Ford Mustang lawn mower, Ford Explorer garbage truck, limousine firetruck, and the Volkswagen Beetle swamp boat.

Monster Garage sale
The 2008 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction included 42 of the surviving project vehicles.

Video games
Invictus Games Ltd. developed a PC video game, based on the series. An Xbox remake was made by Impulse Games in 2004. Both games were published by Activision Value.

Books
Inside Monster Garage, a book about the TV series, was published by Meridith Books.

MBI Publishing Company has published Monster Garage instruction books under the Motorbooks brand, including:

 * Monster Garage: How to Custom Paint Damn Near Anything
 * Monster Garage: How to Customize Damn Near Anything
 * Monster Garage: How to Fabricate Damn Near Anything
 * Monster Garage: How to Weld Damn Near Anything

Monster Garage: How to Custom Paint Damn Near Anything, Monster Garage: How to Customize Damn Near Anything, Monster Garage: How to Weld Damn Near Anything were also sold together as Monster Garage Gift Set and The Big Box of Monster Garage (box set).

title: Monster Garage


text:
WABC

WABC may refer to:

New York broadcasters

 * WABC (AM), a radio station (770 AM)
 * WABC-TV, the flagship station of the ABC television network (channel 7)

Former callsigns

 * WPLJ, a radio station (95.5 FM), which formerly used the call sign WABC-FM
 * WCBS (AM), a radio station (880 AM), which formerly used the WABC call sign

Other broadcasters

 * Classic Gold WABC, a defunct British radio station

title: WABC


text:
User talk:Pontifex

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title: User talk:Pontifex


text:
Samiam

Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988.

History
Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 with Christ on Parade. They released records through New Red Archives and Hopeless Records in the US and Burning Heart Records in Europe.

In the mid-'90s, the band was signed to Atlantic Records, releasing their major label debut Clumsy in 1994. Their video for single "Capsized" gained considerable airplay on MTV. Samiam performed on The Jon Stewart Show in 1994.

Samiam recorded one more album during their time with Atlantic, though the label opted not to release it. The album, You Are Freaking Me Out, was eventually released in 1997 by Burning Heart Records. Its single "She Found You" garnered considerable radio play in 1998.

Over the years, Samiam has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and Japan, and performed with bands like Bad Religion, Green Day, The Offspring, NOFX, No Doubt, Toadies, Sense Field, Blink-182, Deftones, 311, Millencolin, and Fishbone.

In early 2001, the band went on hiatus after supporting the Astray album. Despite what was initially to be a breakup, they continued to tour abroad yearly (Europe and South America) with occasional shows in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. This led to the recording of the band's seventh album Whatever's Got You Down, which was released in 2006. Samiam toured Europe three more times in 2006 and 2007 and played various US dates in 2008.

Samiam toured Australia in September 2009, together with the band A Death in the Family. This was followed by an appearance at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida in November 2009 and shows in Santiago, Chile; San Miguel, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil in December 2009. October 2010 brought them together again with A Death in the Family for a European and East Coast tour.

Samiam released Trips, their first album in five years, on September 6, 2011. Semi annual tours have followed ever since in Europe, Australia and South America. In 2015, while in Chicago for an appearance at Riot Fest, a four-song demo was recorded but never finished.

In December 2019, Samiam announced on their Facebook page that they are working on their first studio album in $8 1/2$ years.

Musical style
The band's musical style has been described as punk rock, hardcore punk,  pop-punk, melodic hardcore, and emo. Samiam's influences during their initial 1990s run included the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Swervedriver, and Short Dogs Grow.

Members
Current members

 * Jason Beebout – vocals
 * Sergie Loobkoff – guitar
 * Colin Brooks – drums
 * Sean Kennerly – guitar, bass
 * Chad Darby – bass

Past members

 * Ryan Sullivan – guitar (1988–1989)
 * Johnny Cruz – drums
 * James Brogan – guitar (1988–2000)
 * Martin Brohm – bass (1988–1993)
 * Aaron Rubin – bass (1993–1997)
 * Jeremy Bergo – bass (2006)
 * Mark Mortinsen – drums (1988–1990, 1993)
 * Dave Ayer – drums (1990–1993)
 * Tré Cool – drums (1999)
 * Scott McPherson – drums (1999)
 * Victor Indrizzo – drums (1993–1995)
 * Davey Latter – drums (1999)
 * Michael Petrak – drums (1995–1999)
 * Charlie Walker – drums
 * Billy Bouchard – bass

title: Samiam


text:
User talk:Kruemel

Welcome
Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~ ~ ~. Four tildes (~ ~ ) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!
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Whosyourjudas (talk) 21:27, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Kruemel


text:
Forrest S. Petersen

Forrest Silas Petersen (May 16, 1922 – December 8, 1990), (VADM, USN), was a United States Navy aviator and test pilot. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA.

Birth and education
Born May 16, 1922, in Holdrege, Nebraska, he was the son of Elmer and Stella Petersen, and was raised in Gibbon, Nebraska. He graduated from Gibbon High School in 1939. Prior to his admission to the United States Naval Academy, he attended the University of Nebraska for two years.

Military career
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944 with a Naval Science degree. He was commissioned as an ensign and reported to the destroyer USS Caperton (DD-650). While serving aboard USS Caperton, he participated in campaigns in the Philippines, Formosa and Okinawa. After graduation from flight training in 1947, he was assigned to Fighting Squadron Twenty Able which was later redesignated Fighter Squadron 192.

Petersen graduated from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in July 1950. He continued studies for one year at Princeton University and received a Master of Science degree in Engineering. From 1953 to 1956 he served with Fighter Squadron 51. In 1956, he was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and remained as an instructor following graduation.

In August 1958, he was assigned duties as Research Pilot in the X-15 Program and served at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California until January 1962. During that time, he made five free flights in the X-15 and achieved a speed of 3,600 mph (Mach 5.3) and an altitude of about 102,000 ft. He was one of the initial three test pilots, with Joe Walker, Bob White, and contractor pilot Scott Crossfield. He was the only active duty Navy pilot to fly the X-15 (John B. McKay, Milton O. Thompson, Scott Crossfield and Neil Armstrong were former Navy pilots). In July 1962, he was a joint recipient of the Collier Trophy, which was presented by President John F. Kennedy, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, which was presented by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Petersen served as Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron 154 prior to being assigned to the office of Director, Division of Naval Reactors, Atomic Energy Commission for Nuclear Power Training. He reported to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in January 1964 and served as Executive Officer until April 1966. He was awarded the Bronze Star for duty during Enterprise's first combat tour in Vietnam. In November 1967, he assumed command of USS Bexar (APA-237) in the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Forces. Following an eight-month deployment with the United States Seventh Fleet Amphibious Forces in the Western Pacific, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V. He then served as Commanding Officer of USS Enterprise (July 8, 1969 – December 3, 1971). He was then assigned duties as an Assistant to the Director of Naval Program Planning in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In 1974, he went on to command Combined Task Force 60 (CTF-60) based at Athens, Greece. In 1975 he came back to the Pentagon to head the Naval Air Operations office. He then headed the Naval Air Systems Command, from which he retired in 1980.

Awards and decorations

Petersen held the following awards for service in World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War: Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Navy Commendation Medal (with "Combat V"), American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, China Service Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (with "Japan" clasp), Philippine Liberation Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, World War II Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal (with bronze service star), Korean War Service Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. In 1962 he also received the John J. Montgomery Award. The midshipman library at the University of Nebraska is named in honor of Admiral Petersen.

Family
Petersen married June Berkshire on February 2, 1946. They had three children: Lynn Elizabeth, Nels Christian, and Forrest Dean. June died on May 8, 1977. He subsequently married Jean Baldwin on June 17, 1978; she had a son, Preston. She died in 2005.

Death and burial
He died on December 8, 1990, in Georgetown, South Carolina from a brain tumor, at age 68. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

title: Forrest S. Petersen


text:
SMS Schleswig-Holstein

SMS Schleswig-Holstein was the last of the five pre-dreadnought Deutschland-class battleships built by the German Kaiserliche Marine. The ship, named for the province of Schleswig-Holstein, was laid down in the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel in August 1905 and commissioned into the fleet nearly three years later. The ships of her class were already outdated by the time they entered service, being inferior in size, armor, firepower and speed to the new generation of dreadnought battleships.

Schleswig-Holstein fought in both World Wars. During World War I, she saw front-line service in II Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet, culminating in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916. Schleswig-Holstein saw action during the engagement, and was hit by one large-caliber shell. After the battle, Schleswig-Holstein was relegated to guard duty in the mouth of the Elbe River before being decommissioned in late 1917. As one of the few battleships permitted for Germany by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Schleswig-Holstein was again pressed into fleet service in the 1920s. In 1935, the old battleship was converted into a training ship for naval cadets.

Schleswig-Holstein fired the first cannon shots of World War II when she bombarded the Polish base at Danzig's Westerplatte in the early morning hours of 1 September 1939. The ship was used as a training vessel for the majority of the war, and was sunk by British bombers in Gotenhafen in December 1944. Schleswig-Holstein was subsequently salvaged and then beached for use by the Soviet Navy as a target. As of 1990, the ship's bell was on display in the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden.

Design

The passage of the Second Naval Law in 1900 under the direction of Vizeadmiral (VAdm—Vice Admiral) Alfred von Tirpitz secured funding for the construction of twenty new battleships over the next seventeen years. The first group, the five Braunschweig-class battleships, were laid down in the early 1900s, and shortly thereafter design work began on a follow-on design, which became the Deutschland-class battleship. The Deutschland-class ships were broadly similar to the Braunschweigs, featuring incremental improvements in armor protection. They also abandoned the gun turrets for the secondary battery guns, moving them back to traditional casemates to save weight. The British battleship HMS Dreadnought (1906)—armed with ten 12-inch (30.5 cm) guns—was commissioned in December 1906. Dreadnought's revolutionary design rendered every capital ship of the German navy obsolete, including the Deutschland class.

Schleswig-Holstein had a length of 127.60 m, a beam of 22.20 m, and a draft of 8.21 m. She displaced 13,200 t normally and up to 14,218 t at combat loading. She was equipped with three triple expansion engines and twelve coal-fired water-tube boilers that produced a rated 12,503 kW and a top speed of 19.1 kn. In addition to being the second-fastest ship of her class, Schleswig-Holstein was the second-most fuel efficient. At a cruising speed of 10 kn, she could steam for 5,720 nmi. She had a standard crew of 35 officers and 708 enlisted men.

The ship's primary armament consisted of four 28 cm SK L/40 guns in two twin turrets; one turret was placed forward and the other aft. Her offensive armament was rounded out with a secondary battery of fourteen 17 cm SK L/40 guns mounted individually in casemates. A battery of twenty-two 8.8 cm SK L/45 guns in single mounts provided defense against torpedo boats. The ship was also armed with six 45 cm torpedo tubes, all below the waterline. One was in the bow, one in the stern, and four on the broadside. Her armored belt was 240 mm thick amidships in the citadel, and she had a 40 mm thick armored deck. The main battery turrets had 280 mm thick sides.

Service history
Schleswig-Holstein was laid down on 18 August 1905 at the Germaniawerft dockyard in Kiel. She was launched on 17 December 1906, the last pre-dreadnought battleship of the German navy. At Schleswig-Holstein's launching ceremony, she was christened by Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the German Empress; Wilhelm II was also in attendance. Ernst Gunther, the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, gave the commissioning speech.

Upon completion, Schleswig-Holstein was commissioned for sea trials on 6 July 1908. Her crew largely came from her sister ship SMS Schlesien. On 21 September the ship was assigned to II Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet, alongside her sister ships. In November, fleet and unit exercises were conducted in the Baltic Sea. The training regimen in which Schleswig-Holstein participated followed a similar pattern over the next five years. Fleet maneuvers were conducted in the spring, followed by a summer cruise to Norway, and additional fleet training in the fall. This included another cruise into the Atlantic, from 7 July to 1 August 1909.

Starting in September 1910, Friedrich Boedicker took command of the ship, a position he held for the next three years. On 3 October 1911, the ship was transferred back to II Squadron. Due to the Agadir Crisis in July, the summer cruise only went into the Baltic. In 1913, she won the Kaiser's Schiesspreis (Gunnery Award). On 14 July 1914, the annual summer cruise to Norway began, but the threat of war in Europe cut the excursion short; within two weeks Schleswig-Holstein and the rest of II Squadron had returned to Wilhelmshaven.

World War I
At the outbreak of war in July 1914, Schleswig-Holstein was assigned to guard duty in the mouth of the Elbe River while the rest of the fleet mobilized. In late October, she and her sisters were sent to Kiel to have improvements made to their underwater protection system to make them more resistant to torpedoes and mines, after which II Battle Squadron rejoined the fleet. The squadron covered Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's battlecruisers of the I Scouting Group while they bombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool, and Whitby on 15–16 December 1914. During the operation, the German battle fleet of some 12 dreadnoughts and 8 pre-dreadnoughts came to within 10 nmi of an isolated squadron of six British battleships. However, skirmishes between the rival destroyer screens convinced the German commander, Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, that he was confronted with the entire Grand Fleet, and so he broke off the engagement and turned the fleet for home. In April 1916, the ship had two of her 8.8 cm guns removed and replaced with 8.8 cm Flak guns.

Schleswig-Holstein then participated in a fleet advance to the Dogger Bank on 21–22 April 1915. On 11–12 September II Reconnaissance Group conducted a minelaying operation off the Swarte Bank with II Squadron in support. This was followed by another sweep by the fleet on 23–24 October that ended without result. II and III Battle Squadron dreadnoughts conducted an advance into the North Sea on 5–7 March 1916; Schleswig-Holstein and the rest of II Squadron remained in the German Bight, ready to sail in support. They then rejoined the fleet during the operation to bombard Yarmouth and Lowestoft on 24–25 April. During this operation, the battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz was damaged by a British mine and had to return to port prematurely. Visibility was poor, so the operation was quickly called off before the British fleet could intervene.

Battle of Jutland

The commander of the High Seas Fleet, Admiral Reinhard Scheer, immediately planned another advance into the North Sea, but the damage to Seydlitz delayed the operation until the end of May. As the last ship assigned to IV Division of II Battle Squadron, the rearmost German formation, Schleswig-Holstein was the last battleship in the line. II Battle Squadron was commanded by Rear Admiral Franz Mauve. During the "Run to the North", Scheer ordered the fleet to pursue the retreating battleships of the British 5th Battle Squadron at top speed. Schleswig-Holstein and her sisters were significantly slower than the dreadnoughts and quickly fell behind. During this period, Admiral Scheer directed SMS Hannover to place herself behind Schleswig-Holstein so he would have a flagship on either end of the formation. By 19:30, the Grand Fleet had arrived on the scene and confronted Admiral Scheer with significant numerical superiority. The German fleet was severely hampered by the presence of the slower Deutschland-class ships; if Scheer had ordered an immediate turn towards Germany, he would have had to sacrifice the slower ships to make his escape.

Admiral Scheer decided to reverse the course of the fleet with the Gefechtskehrtwendung, a maneuver that required every unit in the German line to turn 180° simultaneously. Having fallen behind, the ships of II Battle Squadron could not conform to the new course following the turn, and fell to the disengaged side of the German line. Admiral Mauve considered moving his ships to the rear of the line, astern of III Battle Squadron dreadnoughts, but decided against it when he realized the movement would interfere with the maneuvering of Hipper's battlecruisers. Instead, he attempted to place his ships at the head of the line. But by the time II Squadron reached its position at the head of the line, Scheer had ordered another Gefechtskehrtwendung, which placed them at the rear of the German fleet. By 21:00, Scheer had turned the fleet around a third time, but the slow speed of Schleswig-Holstein and her squadron mates caused them to fall out of position, to the disengaged side of the fleet.

Later on the first day of the battle, Hipper's badly damaged battlecruisers were being engaged by their British rivals. Schleswig-Holstein and the other so-called "five-minute ships" came to their aid by steaming in between the opposing battlecruiser squadrons. These ships were very briefly engaged, owing in large part to the poor visibility. The visibility was so bad, the gunners aboard Schleswig-Holstein could not make out a target, and she did not fire her main guns. At 21:35 a heavy caliber shell struck the ship on the port-side, punching a hole approximately 40 cm (16 in) wide before exploding against the inner casemate armor. It tore apart 4.50 m of the superstructure deck and disabled one of the port side casemate guns. Three men were killed and nine were wounded. Admiral Mauve halted the fight against the much more powerful battlecruisers and ordered an 8-point turn to starboard.

Late on the 31st, the fleet re-formed for the night voyage back to Germany, with Schleswig-Holstein towards the rear of the line, ahead of SMS Hessen, Hannover, and the battlecruisers SMS Von der Tann and SMS Derfflinger. Around 03:00, British destroyers conducted a series of attacks against the fleet, some of which were directed towards Schleswig-Holstein. Shortly thereafter, Pommern was struck by at least one torpedo from the destroyer HMS Onslaught (1915); the hit detonated an ammunition magazine, destroying the ship in a tremendous explosion. During the attack, Schleswig-Holstein was forced to turn away to avoid the destroyers' torpedoes. Shortly after 05:00, Hannover and several other ships fired repeatedly at what they falsely believed to be British submarines.

Despite the ferocity of the night fighting, the High Seas Fleet punched through the British destroyer forces and reached Horns Reef by 4:00 on 1 June. The German fleet reached Wilhelmshaven a few hours later, where the undamaged dreadnoughts of the Nassau-class battleship and Helgoland-class battleshipes took up defensive positions. Over the course of the battle, Schleswig-Holstein had fired only twenty 17 cm rounds.

Later actions
Schleswig-Holstein was put into dock for repairs 10–25 June 1916. The Navy then decided to withdraw the four remaining Deutschland-class ships, owing to their obsolescence and vulnerability to underwater attacks, as demonstrated by the loss of Pommern. Thereafter, the ship was used as a target for U-boats, except during 12–23 February 1917 when she was used as a guard ship. In April Schleswig-Holstein was sent to Altenbruch at the mouth of the Elbe; here she was decommissioned on 2 May. Schleswig-Holstein was then disarmed and assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla to be used as a barracks ship in Bremerhaven. In 1918 the ship was moved to Kiel, where she remained for the rest of the war.

Inter-war years

Following the German defeat in World War I, the German navy was reorganized as the Reichsmarine according to the Treaty of Versailles. The new navy was permitted to retain eight pre-dreadnought battleships under Article 181—two of which would be in reserve—for coastal defense. Schleswig-Holstein was among the ships that were retained, along with her sisters Hannover and Schlesien and several of the Braunschweig-class battleships. Schleswig-Holstein was recommissioned as the new fleet flagship on 31 January 1926 following an extensive refit, with new fire controls and an enlarged aft superstructure for the admiral's staff. The secondary 17 cm guns were replaced with 15 cm pieces and four 50 cm torpedo tubes were fitted in main deck casemates fore and aft, replacing the submerged tubes.

Schleswig-Holstein and her sister Hannover went on a training cruise into the Atlantic that lasted from 14 May to 17 June 1926; while on the cruise, she visited Palma de Mallorca in the Mediterranean from 22 to 30 May. She stopped in Barcelona with SMS Elsass from 1 to 7 June, and then proceeded to Vigo from 12 to 14 June, where she joined Hessen, Elsass, and Hannover. There, the chief of the fleet, Vice Admiral Konrad Mommsen, met with King Alfonso XIII. Schleswig-Holstein went on another training cruise between 30 March and 14 June 1927 into the Atlantic. She visited a series of Iberian ports, including Lisbon, Portugal, where Mommsen was greeted by Óscar Carmona, the president of Portugal. In December 1927 Schleswig-Holstein went back into dock, re-emerging in January 1928 with her forefunnel trunked back into the second and both remaining funnels heightened, as had previously been done with her sister Schlesien.

With the delivery of the new Deutschland-class cruiser Panzerschiffe (armored ships) beginning in 1933, the older battleships were gradually withdrawn from front-line service. In May 1935, the Reichsmarine was reorganized as the Kriegsmarine by the reforms instituted by Adolf Hitler that created the Wehrmacht. Schleswig-Holstein ceased to be fleet flagship on 22 September 1935, and was refitted as a cadet training ship during January–March and May–July 1936. The changes included removing her remaining upper deck 15 cm guns and her torpedo tubes, and her two aft boiler rooms were converted to oil-firing models, although the forward boilers remained coal-fired. The ship's standard complement was also reduced from 35 officers and 708 enlisted men to 31 officers and 565 sailors. The crew was supplemented by 175 cadets, who were taken on long cruises in Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein, the latter sailing in October 1936 on a six-month voyage to South America and the Caribbean. The following year, her cruise took her around Africa, and the 1938–1939 cruise went back to South American and Caribbean waters. Gustav Kieseritzky served as the ship's commander from June 1938 until April 1939.

In the mid-1930s, Hitler began pursuing an increasingly aggressive foreign policy; in 1936 he re-militarized the Rhineland, and in 1938 completed the Anschluss of Austria and the annexation of the Sudetenland. He then demanded German control over the city of Danzig, which had become a free city after World War I.

World War II

Early on 1 September 1939, Germany launched an invasion of Poland. Schleswig-Holstein had been positioned in the port of Danzig, moored close to the Polish ammunition depot at Westerplatte under the guise of a ceremonial visit in August. Around 04:47 on 1 September, Schleswig-Holstein opened fire with her main battery at the Polish positions on the Westerplatte, and in doing so fired the first shots of World War II. These shots were the signal for ground troops to begin their assault on the installation, though the first German ground attack in the Battle of Westerplatte was repelled shortly thereafter. A second assault began later that morning, again supported by Schleswig-Holstein, though it too had failed to break into the installation by around noon.

Schleswig-Holstein was joined on 4 September by the torpedo boats T196 and Von der Gröben. A force of German infantry and army engineers went ashore to take the depot, with heavy fire support from Schleswig-Holstein. The Poles managed to hold off the Germans until they were forced to surrender on 7 September at 10:30. Following the Polish surrender, Schleswig-Holstein began shelling Polish positions at Hel and Redłowo; these operations lasted until 13 September. Between 25 and 27 September, the old battleship returned to Hel with her sister Schlesien; both vessels conducted further bombardments of Polish positions there. On 25 September the Schleswig-Holstein was lightly damaged by Polish coastal batteries at Hel.

The German military then turned its attention westward, and in April 1940 invaded Denmark. Schleswig-Holstein was assigned to Gruppe 7, a part of the naval component for the German invasion force for Denmark. Along with the torpedo boat Claus von Bevern and several auxiliary ships, her objective was to support the capture of Korsør and Nyborg. During the invasion, the ship was briefly grounded in the Great Belt, west of Agersø. Following the operation, she was transferred back to training duties, as the flagship of the Chief of Training Units. At the end of 1943, the reactivation of Schleswig-Holstein was once again contemplated. In her favor was the fact that she retained some coal-fired boilers, given the ever-worsening oil-supply situation. Thus, on 1 February 1944 she was once again recommissioned, at first taking up her old role as a cadet training ship, then later in the year docking at Gotenhafen (Gdynia) for a refit. She was to be converted into a convoy escort ship with a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft armament, but after being hit three times by Royal Air Force bombers on 18 December 1944, she eventually foundered in shallow water. As the ship was permanently disabled, her crew was sent ashore to assist in the defense of Marienburg.

Following the Soviet capture of that city, the remaining crew detonated scuttling charges in the wreck on 21 March to further destroy the ship. After the war, the ship was raised during 1945–1946 by the Soviet Navy and transferred to Tallinn. Although reference books long stated that she was scrapped there or in Marienburg, in actuality she was towed out in 1948 and beached for long-term use as a target in shallow water off the island of Osmussaar in the Gulf of Finland. Last used for target practice around 1966, the remains are now submerged. Her bell was held in the collection of the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr in Dresden as of 1990.

title: SMS Schleswig-Holstein


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Describe a Room Game

Describe a Room Game

 * Delete, not encyclopedic. ~leif 21:29, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, this is an actual surrealist game.
 * Comment: That vote by an IP, but not the page author. Andrewa 07:49, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. An actual surrealist game that is nowhere described online other than in Wikipedia mirrors. Does it perhaps have another name? Or has it simply never been discussed online? --jpgordon {gab} 21:49, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Wile E. Heresiarch 04:36, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Absurd. - Nunh-huh 04:40, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Isn't this an evaluation of the game rather than whether there should be an article on it? --Daniel C. Boyer 12:56, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * No. It's a vote. Delete is a vote. The game itself is not clever enough to be "absurd". - Nunh-huh 20:04, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete is clearly a vote, but I am just trying to get some clarification on what you mean by "absurd." What is absurd about the article?  --Daniel C. Boyer 22:56, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Nonsense. --Jll 12:23, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. --Daniel C. Boyer 12:56, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Merge and redirect to Surrealism, perhaps in a new "Surrealist games" section Surrealist games, for which additional content could be drawn from Exquisite corpse,, , and maybe . This game doesn't seem to have enough popularity or influence for its own article, but as long as it's real, mentioning it in the broader article seems reasonable.   —Triskaideka 16:35, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * As long as it's real? One could make up any number of games and they would be "real", but they would not be notable enough to be included in an encyclopedia. ~leif 22:31, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * To elaborate: as long as it's really played by at least a moderate number of real surrealists, or really mentioned in some surrealist literature. Of course the notability requirement still applies, but I think it's a little lower when a subject is just being mentioned in a broader article and not getting its own.  Regarding your comment below, I didn't find the Surrealist games article earlier—though in my defense, I did look for a link to it on Surrealism and Exquisite corpse, both of which should have one, and did a search for Surrealist game, which would be the correct form—but you're right that that article is the better place for this subject.  As for evidence of whether it's just one person's spontaneous invention, I don't think we've (or at least I've) seen enough to say either way.  I'm casting my vote based on the nature of the article's subject, and not on its content.  If this article were merged with Surrealist games, one could certainly raise a challenge about its validity on Talk:Surrealist games, and remove the information after a certain length of time if no evidence can be discovered.   —Triskaideka 23:19, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Unless there's a lot to say about it, merge and redirect to Surrealism surrealist games. --Goblin 21:42, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * The Surrealism article already has too much specifics about non notable subjects. Please do not merge this into the Surrealism article. If merged anywhere, it could go into surrealist games, but I have seen no claim that this game has even been played, the way it's described here, by anyone besides the person who posted the article. Wikipedia is not one's personal notebook. ~leif 22:31, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * I didn't check if there was a surrealist games article, but you're right. --Goblin 01:50, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Unverifiable.   — Gwalla | Talk 00:12, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep or M/R to Surrealist games — siro  χ  o  00:22, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. I have a "sense" that this article is "utter nonsense". Denni ☯ 02:35, 2004 Oct 15 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but I just don't see how it's a game, nor do I believe that it's ever actually played. I guess it's sort of a pity we don't have an Index of lame conversational tools for the bored and pretentious. If there's any evidence of notability than I could be persuaded to change my vote, but until then I have to say delete. -R. fiend 03:45, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep or redirect to surrealist games. There is evidence that this game is actually "played," so to speak, by surrealists. Posiduck 10:37, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Where is the evidence? Please, don't let the VfD notice stop you from adding to the article if you have more information ~leif


text: User:Foxandpotatoes

title: User:Foxandpotatoes