Oliver Cromwell

[Almac]

Also, Cromwell's role in the admittance of Jews is a bit complicated. First of all, Spanish Jews fleeing the inquisition had been tolerated passively by the Tudors and Stuarts in years prior, except in moments of heightened anti-Spanish sentiment. You actually find reflections of English interest in Jews during the Elizabethan period in plays like The Merchant of Venice, The Jew of Malta, and The Tragedy of Mariam. There were Jews in England for a while already, though not legally, and crackdowns occasionally occurred.

Edit: Though, I'm a bit biased as someone who studies 17th century literature, I've always had a soft spot for the Royalists, and the shut down of the theatres during the Commonwealth makes it a rather boring period for literature, unless you like Milton a lot.

[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="3"]I had no idea that there were Jewish people living in Tudor England, I've learned something today. I would imagine any crackdown by the English authorities were never as bad as the awful Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks or Hammer of the Scots did to the Jews, a really shameful period in English history. I would imagine he beat up my Scottish ancestors a bit too...!

Thank you I think it's been a good conversational point.. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Almac]

Absolutely not. Are you seriously advocating civil war? The very thought makes my skin crawl.

For me the horrors of Civil War are summed up in Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica', especially the bull in that painting for me symbolises the horrors of Fascism and as a general symbol of brutality and darkness. So marshlander, the last thing I would want to ever imagine is a another civil war on the extent that England had in the 17th century.

[marshlander]

I had no idea that there were Jewish people living in Tudor England, I've learned something today. ...

Here's a picture of a plaque in my local market town of King's Lynn



Jews were here long before Tudor times, speaking of which, Shakespeare ...?

Incidentally, in 1642 Lynn supported parliament, but in August 1643, after a change in government, the town changed sides. Parliament lost no time in sending an army to capture the town. King's Lynn was besieged for three weeks before it surrendered.

[marshlander]

For me the horrors of Civil War are summed up in Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica', especially the bull in that painting for me symbolises the horrors of Fascism and as a general symbol of brutality and darkness. ...

Since my teens I had wanted to see Picasso's Guernica. A few years ago PA took me to the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and left me to take in the work. I wonder if he knew how powerful that experience would be for me. I stood before it in tears for more than thirty minutes, before being able to take in the fact that there were other people looking at it too. I swear I heard the howling of the mother holding her dead baby in her arms.

[Almac]

Since my teens I had wanted to see Picasso's Guernica. A few years ago PA took me to the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid and left me to take in the work. I wonder if he knew how powerful that experience would be for me. I stood before it in tears for more than thirty minutes, before being able to take in the fact that there were other people looking at it too. I swear I heard the howling of the mother holding her dead baby in her arms.

Hi Marshlander, I have to agree with you that painting is so powerful it brought tears to my eyes as well. Pablo Picasso put is heart and soul into that painting, in response to the horrors of the bombings. I'm glad that I was not the only one to be moved to tears in the presence of Guernica.

[Almac]

Here's a picture of a plaque in my local market town of King's Lynn



Jews were here long before Tudor times, speaking of which, Shakespeare ...?

Incidentally, in 1642 Lynn supported parliament, but in August 1643, after a change in government, the town changed sides. Parliament lost no time in sending an army to capture the town. King's Lynn was besieged for three weeks before it surrendered.

Thank you marshlander I had no idea Kings Lynn had a Jewish population. There is a lane where I live called Jews lane I can only presume at one point there must have been a Jewish settlement?