Four Animals That Changed The Course Of History
Throughout the history of mankind, some animals have gained great relevance due to the role they have played at certain times. Pigs, monkeys and dogs occupy an important and transcendental place in various historical events. And if you don’t believe it, read one of these stories.
Did a greyhound cause the Anglican Reformation?
Even if you don’t know anything about history, you probably do know who Henry VIII was. Yes, the one who, among many other things, beheaded their wives. Well, this English king is also responsible for one of the most important events in the history of Christianity: the separation of the Catholic Church and the formation of the Anglican Church.
According to the professor of psychology, Stanley Coren, none of this would have happened if it had not been for the excess of protection that Thomas Wolsey, English archbishop of the Catholic Church, had towards his dog.
Wolsey was in charge of negotiating the nullity of the marriage of Enrique VIII with Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Ana Bolena. Well, history tells that an event occurred at that meeting that bothered the Pope and that some say was decisive for the Catholic Church to separate from England.
The protagonist, Wolsey’s greyhound dog, named Urian . They say that when the moment came for Wolsley to kiss the Pope’s feet, Urian, to protect his master, jumped on the Holy Father and bit him. Clemente was furious about the incident, he ended the meeting and refused to divorce Enrique, who finally decided to break ties with Rome and start the so-called Anglican Reformation, but hey, the rest of the events you can check in the books of history.
The dog that saved Napoleon
Would Napoleon’s might have existed if a dog didn’t save his life? They say that in 1815, when Napoleon went into exile on the island of Elba, he must have gone through a great storm at sea. In the middle of it, Napoleon falls into the water. Legend has it that a Newfoundland dog dived into the rough sea to save it. Although it sounds somewhat fanciful, the truth is that the dogs of this breed stand out precisely for being great rescuers, perhaps that was the reason why he was on the boat at that time.
As you know, after surviving the accident, Napoleon returned to France, began the Hundred Day War and his military campaign to regain power. The final stage of this campaign was the famous Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon’s career as a conqueror came to an end.
The pig that originated European democracy
This story is a chain of events. Pay attention. It turns out that King Philip of France one day had gone out to tour the banks of the River Seine on one of his horses. In the middle of his walk, suddenly, a black pig ran out into a pile of manure, the horse was scared and Felipe fell to the ground, dying in the accident.
After the death of Felipe, who assumes the throne is his brother Luis VII of France, who participated in the Crusades and who had prepared to be a monk. Well, Luis married Eleanor of Aquitaine, but she decided to separate and marry Henry II of England, who were the parents of John I of England, then he was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which later became the basis of all democracy in Europe.
These events occurred due to Eleanor’s remarriage, which would not have happened were it not for the Second Crusade. What an animal achieves!
The monkey that caused thousands of deaths
Did a monkey cause thousands of deaths? After the culmination of the First World War, the Greeks wanted to start a war against Turkey, with the intention of recovering some territories. At that time the King was Alexander I of Greece, son of Constantine I. In the middle of the conflict, Alexander was walking through the royal gardens in Athens with his dog. But the walk was interrupted because Alexander I of Greece suffered an accident, he was attacked by a monkey.
There has been some confusion regarding the monkeys, some historians claiming that they were his pets and that they were attacking his dog. Others say they were wild monkeys. Anyway, anyway, the king was bitten on the hand, the hand got infected and Alexander died of sepsis.
After Alexander’s death, his father Constantine returned to the throne continuing the advance against the Turks. The result, the Greek army was destroyed, millions of soldiers died, and Greece lost all the land that Alexander had acquired. All for a monkey.
