The story of the life of one of Norway's greatest naval heroes of all time provides a fascinating and knowledgeable account of 17th century maritime and military history. Cort Adeler traveled to the Netherlands in 1637 at the age of fifteen to learn navigation and mathematics, and after a short time joined the Dutch navy, before going into Venetian service in the war against the Turks and ending his exciting and colorful life as admiral general in the Danish-Norwegian navy.

Inspired by the book of Ole Henrik Gjeruldsen: https://issuu.com/cappelendamm/docs/cort_adeler

JRR Tolkien (1892 – 1973) is famous for writing “The Hobbit” “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion.” Other published completed stories include “Roverandom,” “Farmer Giles of Ham,” “Smith of Wootton Major,” and “Leaf by Niggle.” In this video, we go over his life, with a focus on factors that motivated/inspired his writing. The Middle Earth universe, created by JRR Tolkien, has inspired many other stories and franchise, including (but not limited to) Warcraft, Elder Scrolls (all games), Dungeons & Dragons, Raid Shadow Legends, Babylon 5, and pretty much anything where you see elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs sharing a world.

This video is on the long side because JRR Tolkien is my (Ivor Kovac) favorite author. I could actually talk about him much longer than I did, but in the interests of time I refrained. I discovered Tolkien when I was 13 and he has remained at the top of my list since then. Some of my own stories were inspired by his work. In doing this research, and over the course of years, I have found some of his sources of inspiration. These include, but are not limited to:

The Kalevala
Sigurd and Fafnir
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The Voyage of Saint Brendan
Prose Edda
Elder Edda

Sources:
“JRR Tolkien A Biography” by Humphrey Carpenter
“The Letters of JRR Tolkien” edited by Humphrey Carpenter & Christopher Tolkien

Additional Information:
Examples of Barrows in England: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2017/11/seven-must-see-long-barrows-in-england/100889

The Quenya Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7pg3ucnpc

Connla and the Fairy Maiden: https://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/fairymaiden.htm

In this video we explain why the Athenians listened to Paul when he talked about the “Unknown God,” and why at least some of them found him convincing. There is actually a reason why they did, and I (Ivor Kovac) came across some material which provides context by accident while reading the Timaeus and Critias Dialogues. The Timaeus and Critias Dialogues were written by Plato, who founded the Academy of Athens. Timaeus deals primarily with the physical structure and origin of the universe, while Critias deals with history and contains the only written account (so far) of Atlantis. We also covered Atlantis in another video, if anyone is interested in that.

Sources:
“Timaeus and Critias” by Plato
KJV Bible
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato/Dialogue-form
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Academy-ancient-academy-Athens-Greece

In this video, we discuss why Portugal is not part of Spain. I was wondering why Portugal is a separate country from Spain, while Catalonia is not. Cultural distinctiveness and language differences are often not enough to ensure that any people group gets their own country, so I assumed that there must be some events or a series of events which led to Portugal being an independent sovereign unit. I focused on events that I thought to be culturally and historically significant to this end, and the video ended up being somewhat like an overview of Portugues history (though it is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive). There is not just one event or circumstance which caused Portugal to be independent. Like so many things, it is the end result of a chain of events.

Sources:
“A Dictionary of the Roman Empire,” by Matthew Bunson

https://www.britannica.com/place/Portugal

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iberian

https://ancient-civilization.com/levant/carthage-history-of-the-phoenicians-in-north-africa.html

https://www.worldhistory.org/Phoenician_Colonization/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain/Phoenicians

https://kids.kiddle.co/Decimus_Junius_Brutus_Callaicus

https://www.worldhistory.org/Viriathus/

https://www.tota.world/article/1166/

https://www.liquisearch.com/history_of_portugal/etymology

https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsEurope/BarbarianSuevi.htm

https://alchetron.com/Pelagius-of-Asturias#:~:text=Pelagius%20%28Spanish%3A%20Pelayo%2C%20Asturian%3A%20Pelayu%3B%20c.%20685%20%E2%80%93,reconquest%20of%20the%20Iberian%20peninsula%20from%20the%20Moors.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pelayo-king-of-Asturias

https://www.britannica.com/place/Portugal/History#ref233815

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Almoravids

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Afonso-I-king-of-Portugal

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Afonso-III

https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/restoration-portuguese-war-1640-16..

Xi Jinping is the current (as of this posting) ruler of China. He was born in 1953, and rose to fame in the CCP after providing surveillance for the Olympics. He is responsible for the implementation of the social credit system.

Source: https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/17944914/xi-jinping-verdens-mektigste-mann?publisherId=17848269

John Nelson Darby (1800 to 1882) is the father of dispensationalism and the rapture theory. He started his religious career as an Anglican preacher stationed in Ireland, where he won hundreds of converts a week to the Anglican Church. After a decree from the Archbishop requiring Irish converts to also swear allegiance to the King of England, Darby began to grow disillusioned with the Anglican Church. Following an injury which required extensive time to recuperate, he began to formulate his theories which would later have tremendous impact on many churches in America.

Sources:
Writings of John Nelson Darby: https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/darby/

Thy Precepts: http://www.presenttruthpublishers.com/pdf/Precepts-1996.pdf

Biography and letters: https://web.archive.org/web/20051212210328/http://www.mybrethren.org/bios/framjnd.htm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity

A Short History of Dispensationalism (stated why Darby leaves the Anglican Church, & how his views spread in America): https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=pretrib_arch

https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/john-nelson-darby

https://www.socalsem.edu/john-nelson-darby-a-brief-sketch-of-his-life-and-impact/#_ftn1

The Seven Dispensations: https://www.compellingtruth.org/seven-dispensations.html

http://johndarby.org/beginning/index.html (origin of the Brethren Movement)

https://lighthousebc.com/beacon/2016/06/07/who-was-john-nelson-darby-part-1/

https://www.gotquestions.org/Plymouth-Brethren.html

“Considerations addressed to the Archbishop of Dublin and the Clergy who signed the petition to the House of Commons for Protection.” (Darby’s letter of protest to the archbishop): https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/darby/ECCLESIA/01001E.html

Earlier rapture ideas: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=pretrib_arch

https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/vi..

In this video we discuss the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi and what the real reasons were for doing it (real reasons differ from the official reasons). We also talk about the state Libya has fallen into following the overthrow of Gaddafi.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus aka Caracalla, ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217. He was the son of Emperor Septimius Severus and Julia Domna. Both father and son set the trend of ruling the empire by way of military dictatorship. “Caracalla” is actually a nickname given him by the military, which he went out of his way to show kindness to, and made efforts to share in the suffering of the common soldiers. Although he is known for his brutality (mainly directed at rivals and potential rivals), Caracalla did not persecute Christians and Jews, as many other emperors did prior to the legalization of Christianity.

Sources:
“A Dictionary of the Roman Empire” by Matthew Bunson

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Caracalla

https://historycooperative.org/lucius-septimius-bassianus-caracalla/

Muammar Gaddafi lived from 1942 to 2011, and ruled over Libya from roughly 1969 to his death in 2011. During the 1970s he wrote down his thoughts and political theories in three books, which were later merged into one volume called "The Green Book." In this video we discuss some of the philosophies and ideas from "The Green Book."

The full text of "The Green Book" can be found here, and is available for download: https://archive.org/details/TheGreenBook_848

Constantine the Great lived from 272 to 337, and served as Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. He is famous for permanently legalizing Christianity, presiding over the Council of Nicaea, and building the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. He is also considered to be the founder of the Byzantine Empire (even though this term is applied anachronistically and was not used during the time), as he established Byzantium as his new capital. Byzantium was renamed “Constantinople” and remained the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (retroactively known as the Byzantine Empire) up until it’s destruction by the Turks.

Septimius Severus served as Emperor of Rome from 193 to 211 AD. He was of Punic (Phoenicians who colonized North Africa) origins, from the city of Leptis Magna, which can be found in the area of modern day Libya. Septimius Severus physically expanded the Roman Empire, and spent money developing the Phoenician areas of North Africa, particularly his home town. He is considered to be a military dictator, and established a trend for Roman emperors to favor the military, even at the expense of the general population.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Septimius-Severus
https://www.worldhistory.org/Septimius_Severus/
https://historycooperative.org/septimus-severus-roman-emperor/
https://www.worldhistory.org/Lepcis_Magna/

Adam Weishaupt (lived 1748 to 1830) was born in Ingolstadt. He attended a Jesuit school, and later became a professor at Ingolstadt university, but mitigated by the influence the Jesuits still exerted. He founded the Illuminati, which sought to recruit young people and worked to undermine the influence of traditional religion on society.

Francis of Assisi (lived 1181 or 1182 to 1226) is the founder of the Franciscan Order, which was an order of monks devoted to poverty while also serving the poor. Saint Francis is considered to be the Patron Saint of animals, archaeologists, Italy, ecology, merchants, metal workers, and messengers.

The Romani/Gypsies are an itinerant culture originating in the area of India which, today, is called Rajasthan. They left during the medieval period, for reasons that are not truly known, but in this video we discuss some of the theories on that. Their language is derived from Sanskrit, like other North Indian languages, but predominantly they belong to a variety of H haplogroup. This video is by no means a full representation of their history, and should only be taken as a simplified overview or introduction.

Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gypsy
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rom
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/itinerant
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/07/gypsies-arrived-europe-1500-genetic
https://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Gypsy-Americans.html
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/romani-people-0010492

https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Gypsies – occupations, criminality, and persecution
Kali Sara - http://kopachi.com/articles/the-romani-goddess-kali-sara-ronald-lee/
https://brewminate.com/the-medieval-arrival-of-the-gypsies-on-the-territory-of-romania/#:~:text=The%20appearance%20of%20the%20Gypsies%20in%20the%20Byzantine,the%20ethnic%20name%20they%20bear%20today%3A%20Tsigane.%20

https://gypsies.en-academic.com/54/Atsingani

First connected with Sanskrit - https://radoc.net/radoc.php?doc=art_b_history_stefanvalyi&lang=fr&articles=true

Kids taken away from Gypsy parents https://www.news.com.au/world/gypsy-children-returned-to-parents-after-dna-test-prove-they-are-related-/news-story/4fc708e124d2d96c63ce2ecdcb7193f1

Differences between Gypsies and Romanians https://differencebetween.io/difference-between-gypsies-and-romanians/

https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/the-gypsy-chronicles/

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/genetic-sequencing-traces-gypsies-back-to-ancient-indian-origin/

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1866/02/the-origin-of-the-gypsies/627983/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509117/ - genetic study

https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz77219.html

https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/migration/charts-graphs/origin-stories
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mahmud-king-of-Ghazna
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/txt_eaton_temples1.pdf

Download this: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048477
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)01260-2
https://bmcmedgenet.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2350-2-5
https://bmcgenomdata.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12863-017-0547-x

The House That Did Not Burn

Miracles happen: The House That Did Not Burn (Waldehuset)

Waldehuset was the only house in the eastern district which was not burned down during the great fire of January 23rd 1904. Come and hear the incredible story of the miracle house.

About ten thousand people became homeless when 850 homes went lost during the great fire in Ålesund January 23rd. 1904. One house in Grensegata remained standing amongst the ruins. Anders Nor, who lived in the house, was visited by an angel the day before. The angel promised that his home was going to be spared. Furniture that was removed from the house, lit up in flames, but the house stood unharmed when every other building in the eastern district burned to the ground. The house was built around 1870, and has been in property of the Walde family. In 2012 the Pentecostal Church Filadelfia Ålesund aquired the house. It has since been restored, so that many can now visit the miracle house.

The Praetorian Guard was a special unit which existed (ostensibly) to protect the Roman Emperor, but they also assassinated emperors and crowned new ones, for the right price. They were originally formed by Octavius Augustus, the first emperor, in 27 BC, and were disbanded by Constantine the Great in 312 AD.

Sources:

“A Ditionary of The Roman Empire” by Matthew Bunson

https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-praetorian-guard
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Praetorian-Guard
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor
https://www.worldhistory.org/Praetorian_Guard/

Rita of Cascia (1381 to 1457) was an Augustinian nun, who was beatified in the year 1900. Her body is still on display where it can be seen in the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia. Though she wanted to join a convent at a young age, she was put into an arranged marriage by her father. The marriage turned out to be a difficult one, as her husband was a career criminal and violent. After the death of her husband she joined the Augustinian order.

In this video, we dive into the extraordinary life and legacy of Pim Fortuyn, a charismatic Dutch politician who dared to challenge the status quo. Known for his provocative ideas and outspoken nature, Fortuyn emerged as a political force in the early 2000s, captivating the nation with his unconventional approach and captivating rhetoric.

From the controversial issues of immigration and multiculturalism to his unapologetic stance on political correctness, Fortuyn fearlessly addressed topics that others avoided. He ignited a nationwide debate, resonating with citizens who felt unheard and frustrated with traditional politics.

This video takes you on a journey through Fortuyn's rise to prominence, his captivating speeches, and the formation of his political party, Pim Fortuyn List. We explore the reasons behind his remarkable popularity and the powerful impact he had on Dutch society. Fortuyn's tragic assassination in 2002 shook the nation and forever changed the political landscape.

Featuring insightful interviews with key figures who witnessed Fortuyn's political ascent and untimely demise, we shed light on the enduring influence of this enigmatic figure. Discover how his ideas continue to shape political discourse, not just in the Netherlands but around the world.

Join us as we unravel the captivating story of Pim Fortuyn, a man whose ideas and charisma challenged the establishment and sparked a revolution in Dutch politics. Prepare to be fascinated, inspired, and deeply moved by the unforgettable legacy of this political maverick. Don't miss this viral video that's sure to ignite discussions and broaden your understanding of the power of individuals to challenge the system.

The Muslim Conquest of Spain occurred in the year 711, and was completely accomplished within less than a year. This is technically part three of my series on the early Muslim expansion, which was a response to a viewer request. Part one was the Muslim Conquest of Egypt, and Part two was the conquest of the Maghreb. In this video, we go into the background of Visigoth Spain, and how it was established during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. This conquest of Spain was the swiftest of the three, and occurred as a result of both treachery and the general ill-preparedness of the Visigoth kingdom.

Sources:
https://gibraltar-intro.blogspot.com/2019/12/blog-post.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain/The-caliphate-of-Cordoba

https://www.worldhistory.org/Umayyad_Dynasty/

https://heritage-history.com/index.php?c=read&author=morris&book=spanish&story=guadalete

https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain/The-Visigothic-kingdom

https://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/visigoths-in-spain

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dhikr_Fat%E1%B8%A5_Al_Andalus/ZE7gAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

"Discover the amazing culture of the Sami people - Europe's only official indigenous people of the north! (although this is debatable) From their ancient traditions and stunning Arctic landscapes to their fascinating history and modern way of life, this video takes you on a journey through the heart of Sami culture. Learn about their unique language, music, and art. Whether you're a history buff, culture enthusiast, or just curious about the world around you, this video is a must-watch! Join us on an unforgettable journey to explore the rich and vibrant world of the Sami people."

Veronica Giuliani (12/27/1660 – 7/9/1727) was a Roman Catholic nun, born and raised in Italy, where she also conducted her ministry. During her time as a nun, she experienced a series of visions which she wrote down in a journal. Prior to entering the convent, her reading and writing skills were minimal, but the act of recording her experienced forced her to improve. Church authorities had doubts about the legitimacy of her experiences, and temporarily stripped her of her rank. She was also subjected to various humiliations during the process of interrogation, but was eventually fully restored. In 1839 she was officially designated as a saint, and the Catholic Church observes her feast day on July 9th.

As of this posting, and to the best of our knowledge, her full journal has not yet been published or translated into English.

Additional reading:
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-veronica-giuliani/
https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/IWW/BIOS/A0158.html

Why is the Medieval Period called "Medieval," and why is it often characterized as a dark time? The term "Medieval" actual comes from the Latin term "Medium Aevum," which was applied to this period based on the notion that it was a sort of down time between two eras of civilizational progress (classical and modern civilization). The medieval period should not be conflated with or referred to as "the dark ages," as there have been many dark ages throughout history, and while the period was elicited by a dark age, the entire medieval period was not a dark age by any metric. While most of the negative characterizations of the medieval period are based on subjective judgments, it is true that it was a period of geopolitical weakness for European civilization.

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Middle-Ages

https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-medieval-1789185#:~:text=Updated%20on%20June%2020%2C%202019%20The%20word%20medieval,of%20the%20Roman%20Empire%20and%20precede%20the%20Renaissance.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Petrarch

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medieval

https://www.worldhistory.org/Medieval_Church/

Fall of Constantinople | Facts, Summary, & Significance | Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain/Muslim-Spain - Muslim Conquest of Spain

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1453/the-mongol-invasion-of-europe/ - The Mongol Invasion

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-mongols-in-eastern-europe/ - Mongol Invasion

Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning c. 672. Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime.

In this video we discuss Atlantis, and address where it might have been, what it was like, and what sort of people created that civilization. The oldest written source and, as far as I know, the only remaining source material, is Plato. How trustworthy Plato was is a matter of debate, but there is some corroborating evidence which we go over in this video. I believe the reason why Atlantis was not found throughout most of history, and my lifetime, is because people were looking in the wrong place. Based on the descriptions in Plato, and recent discoveries, there is a very probability that the remains of Atlantis have been found.

Note:

Hello, everyone. Since we have received some feedback on this video, and are likely to receive more, I want to add some clarification here and make mention of some things which I intended to say in the video but forgot (my brain is not the most organized). I realize that what I have done here is propose a theory, and one of which I am not fully convinced, but which I think is probable if certain premises are assumed true (like the trustworthiness of Plato). As I stated later on in the video, I am not convinced that Plato is entirely trustworthy. Some of his political theories are strange and impractical, like the use of female soldiers by ancient Greece. To my knowledge that is unsubstantiated, and I see that as an example of "finding" something in the past to justify a particular outcome in the present (revisionist history). It does appear that Plato was, at least, twisting history in order to provide precedent for the type of society he wanted to create. It's possible that his Atlantis story is a fabrication, and I cannot completely rule out that it is. However, if there was an Atlantis, then I believe it must be connected with the Berber cultures, as the bulk of it's territory was their realm. The naming of the Atlas Mountains, King Atlas of Mauritania, and Atlas the founder of Atlantis strikes me more

Sources:
“Timaeus and Critias” by Plato (Translated by Robin Waterfield)

https://memim.com/atlas-of-mauretania.html

https://www.guidememalta.com/en/why-malta-may-not-be-atlantis-after-all-because-this-is-where-it-probably-is

https://www.ecowatch.com/ancient-river-system-flowed-under-sahara-desert-it-would-rank-12th-lar-1882118676.html

https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/83309/berber-mythology-three-gods-that.html

Archaeologists Researching Atlantis - https://visitingatlantis.com/archaeology/

https://www.theatlantisproject.org/the-richat-structure/

https://thinkafrica.net/kingdom-of-mauretania/

https://passportoverused.com/2020/05/20/the-possible-berber-connection-to-the-lost-kingdom-of-atlantis-2/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solon -Solon

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato -Plato

Nubian Egg - https://roaming-jewel.com/2018/05/13/aswan-egg/

https://adam-hennessy.medium.com/the-nubian-egg-941a7e18cc16

The Greek Dark Age: https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Dark_Age/

Pantaleon was a doctor from Nicomedia (eastern Roman Empire) who lived in the late 3rd century AD. His skill was such that Galerius appointed him to be his personal physician. During this time Pantaleon converted to Christianity. Galerius served as "Caesar" under the Emperor Diocletian, and later succeeded him as emperor. Diocletian was persuaded by Galerius to begin a campaign of persecution against Christians, which Galerius continued when he became Emperor. When it was found out that Pantaleon was a Christian, he was tortured in a number of ways to pressure him into giving up his faith.