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Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic













GLADIATOR † SLAVE † REVOLUTIONARY
















Rising from the depths of obscurity, this is the story

of how one man defied the Roman Republic and led

a social upheaval that still echoes through history


Written by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln



he amphitheatre is full to capacity, the Night has fallen and a cool breeze flits through
crowd shouting excitedly with every clash the sleeping quarters of the gladiatorial school in
of steel. Below the braying citizens, two Capua. The man they sometimes call the Thracian
men circle one another, each taking careful sits atop his bunk and lets the breeze cool the
T steps on the blood-splattered sand. One beads of sweat on his skin. His body still aches
wears a grated mask fused to a curved helmet from the duel and he’s been stretching his muscles
along with a pair of leather greaves, a gladius for over an hour now. Old military habits die hard,
(short sword) twirling in each hand. Dimachaerus it seems. He’d been a soldier once, a long time
is their name for him. His opponent has a short ago. Had he deserted? Had he defied an order
sword in one hand and a parmula (small triangular and been bound to slavery for insubordination?
shield) in the other. He’s wearing a similarly It has been so many years, so many duels and so
shaped helmet, but his has a plume of dyed horse many nights of hunger and uncertainty ago that
hair sticking from the top. Thracian is his chosen even he can’t remember any more. His days as a
class, one famed for its lithe and versatile warriors. novicius (novice) were long behind him but, like
Both are licked with cuts and bruises, their chests all his fellow gladiators, every time he stepped into
heaving from ten minutes of well-matched combat. the arena the accepted the chance of damnati ad
Time slows as the gladiator of the dimachaerus gladium – that he could be sentenced to execution
class leaps forward, both blades swinging in by sword if he lost his match. As long as he can
wide circles above his head. The Thracian drops wield a blade he still has some control over his
to one knee, spins on the ball of his foot and fate, but no matter how many he entertains he is
drags his gladius across the tendons behind still just a commodity, just a slave.
the dimachaerus’s left knee. The man grunts For 500 years the Roman Senate – the political
and drops to the dirt. The crowd is alive again, hub of the Republic – had relied on the influx of
screaming for blood – this fight, unlike most new bodies from territories claimed in its name
gladiatorial encounters, would end in someone’s to serve as slaves, but as the state became divided
death. The Thracian raises his gladius above his with civil rivalries and political infighting, military
head and drives it down, plunging the blade into expansion began to slow and Rome tightened its
his opponent’s heart. He steps away from the body hold on its already dwindling servile population.
and raises his arms to the crowd, giving them the Those slaves that chose to run were hunted down
fairy-tale vanquisher their imaginations crave. The and punished severely to remind the rest that
arena begins to boom with the sound of a single Rome did not look kindly on deserters of any
name chanted in unison: Spartacus. kind. Crucifixions, in all their grisly theatre, were






52

SPARTACUS
Roman, 109-71 BCE
“The defiant gladiators escape
So steeped in
Brief myth and legend is
the famous slave that
Bio historians still argue the school where they had
over the particulars
of his origins. However, most been taught not just how
assume that he was born
around 109 BCE in Thracia
(modern-day Bulgaria). He to kill, but how to kill to
enlisted in the Roman infantry
as a teenager and eventually
became a slave. He fought as a ensure the Roman mob
gladiator before inciting a slave
rebellion that led to the Third were entertained”
Servile War. He died during the
Battle of the Siler River.

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic






acommonsightandsobytheyear73BCE,the Spartacus breaks free from his quarters, frees
atmosphere among the serving class was growing Crixus and Oenomaus and together they unlock
tenserwitheverypassingmoment.Theyhadgone as many of the cages as they can before the
to war with their masters twice before and failed, school’s privately employed guards realise what’s
butwiththeRomanlegionsstretchedthinacross happening. Soon the arena is filled with screams
the Republic, if such an uprising were to rise again, and shouts and the familiar noises of men fighting
theslavesmightjusthaveachancetochangethe to the death as Spartacus breaks into the eating
very face of the civilised world. quarters and uses the knives and forks in there
AstheRomansummerdrawstoaclose,aplot as weapons. Some of the gladiators refuse to join
isformingwithinthecrampedconfinesofthe the escape, too indoctrinated by their servitude
gladiatorialschoolinCapua,themaincityofthe to even contemplate such an act. In under half
Campania region in southern Italy. While its owner, an hour the arena is theirs, a cart carrying new
Lentulus Batiatus, dreams gladiatorial weapons ripped
D
r
D
ofacontractthattakeshim “ “Drenched in apart and used to arm the
D
r
d

e
d
i
n

i
n
n
n
e
e
c
h
e
c
h
to the capital, entertaining uprising. Now armed with the
o
o
d
o
l
e
l
o
e
t
h
h
t
n
o
d
n
o
thepoliticalcreamofthe b b blood on the blades, spears and tridents that
l
r
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t
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l
o
o
o
r
t
t
e
e
n
n
n
n
n
n
i
i
i
,
e
crop with his slave warriors, f f f front line, had once been symbolic of
his most popular fighter is S Spartacus leads their enslavement, the defiant
a
c
d
u
a
l
e
p
a
s
s
r
t
hatchingaplantoescape. gladiators escape the school
a
e
h
r
g
e
h
c
Over the many years he’s t the charge where they had been taught
fought and lived at the i into the not just how to kill, but how to
t
n
h
e
o
t
amphitheatre, Spartacus has kill to ensure the Roman mob
a
a
n
i
i
e
e
”
e
g
g
o
n
n
o
n
r
i
s
r
i
e
s
grown close to two other l l legionnaires” were entertained.
slaves, Crixus and Oenomaus. As the uprising sweeps
The three know that gladiators have escaped before, across the region, it swallows settlement after
but their brands make their true nature undeniable settlement. With more and more slaves joining
As a former soldier,
Spartacus adapted – if they were to escape, it had to be part of a united their cause the numbers of the rebels swells from
well to the tactics force that couldn’t be easily hunted down. less than 100 to almost 5,000. Slaves from all over
and brutality of life
in the gladiatorial However, Spartacus’s plan to escape had been the region were suddenly upping and leaving their
arenas and became a compromised and the plan had leaked out. There masters, buoyed by a confidence that they could
popular warrior was no time for planning; they had to act now. seek a life free of servitude in Spartacus’s defiant
Discover eight different classes of deadly fighters
Thracian Murmillo Retiarius Secutor
» WEAPONS: SHORT SWORD, TRIANGULAR SHIELD » WEAPONS: SWORD, SQUARE SHIELD » WEAPONS: RETE (WEIGHTED NET), FUSCINA » WEAPONS: GLADIUS, DAGGER




» STRENGTHS: AGILE WARRIOR » STRENGTHS: WELL EQUIPPED WITH A LARGE (TRIDENT) » STRENGTHS: HEAVILY ARMOURED



» WEAKNESSES: RANGED ATTACKS SWORD AND SHIELD » STRENGTHS: AGILITY, RANGED ATTACKS » WEAKNESSES: SLOWER THAN MANY OTHER



» MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: LAQUERIUS, VELITUS » WEAKNESSES: SUSCEPTIBLE TO AGILE ATTACKS » WEAKNESSES: LITTLE TO NO ARMOUR CLASSES



» WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: MURMILLO » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: LAQUERIUS, VELITUS » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: SECUTOR, MURMILLO » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: SAMNITE



» WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: DIMACHAERUS » WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: SAMNITE, THRACIAN » WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: RETIARIUS

Did you know?
The Thracian’s sica was a smaller version Did you know? Did you know? Did you know?
of the falx. It would often be used to swing The Murmillo class was introduced to replace Due to their lack of armour – some wore Secutor, with its anti-trident and anti-net
into an opponent’s unprotected back, which the similarly slow and powerful Gallus nothing but a loincloth – many viewed them armour, was a class designed to fight the
would often end the contest there and then. discipline. It favoured strong warriors. as the lowliest of classes. more agile Retiarius class.
54

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic






stand against the Republic. Spartacus, Crixus and
Oenomaus decide to make camp in the safest place
within marching distance, Mount Vesuvius.
Back in Rome, the Senate was furious at this new
rebellion taking place a mere 193 kilometres (120
miles) from the capital. At this point they aren’t
unduly worried through, and the Senate dispatches
the praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber along with a
contingent of 12,000 men with the task of putting
down this insolent rebellion. Glaber and his forces
arrive in a matter of days but choose not to attack,
instead setting up a blockade and seal the rebel
camps in. Gladus intends to starve them out. The
rebels don’t even try to attack, leading the Roman
praetor to believe his task will be an easy one.
Unbeknownst to Glaber, Spartacus and his troops
use vines from the volcano’s trees to rappel down
the side of the mountain. Having crept through
the cover of darkness, Spartacus and a contingent
of around 500 warriors attack the Roman siege-
makers in a flanking manoeuvre. In a matter of
minutes most of Gladus’s contingent is wiped out.
It isn’t long before news of Gladus’s humiliation
reaches Rome. Without delay a second contingent,
twice the size of Gladus’s, is sent out under the
command of fellow praetor Publius Varinius. The
praetor chooses to split his forces before reaching
Vesuvius, planning to besiege the camp from three
sides. Spartacus’s army is ready though; they know
this land well and use guerrilla tactics to wear
Varinius’s forces down until a final attack by the
Slaves rebelling was one of Rome’s
Romans ends in another victory for the rebels. greatest nightmares as they vastly
By the winter of 72 BCE, Spartacus’s forces are outnumbered their masters
spreading far and wide across the Italian heartland,
enveloping the towns of Thurii, Nola, Nuceria and
























Velitus Samnite Dimachaerus Laquerius
» WEAPONS: SPEAR » WEAPONS: SHORT SWORD, SHIELD » WEAPONS: DUAL SWORDS » WEAPONS: NOOSE, TRIDENT




» STRENGTHS: SPEED, MOBILITY, RANGED ATTACKS » STRENGTHS: ALL ROUNDER » STRENGTHS: SKILLED IN CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT » STRENGTHS: ABLE TO DISARM OPPONENTS




» WEAKNESSES: LIGHTLY ARMOURED » WEAKNESSES: ABDOMEN AND LEGS (UNARMOURED) » WEAKNESSES: LIGHTLY ARMOURED » WEAKNESSES: OPEN TO RUSH ATTACKS




» MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: DIMACHAERUS » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: THRACIAN, SECUTOR » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: LAQUERIUS » MOST LIKELY TO WIN AGAINST: VELITUS




» WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: EVERYBODY » WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: RETIARIUS » WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: THRACIAN » WOULD STRUGGLE AGAINST: SAMNITE




Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know?
Gladiators fighting as the Velitus class were The Samnite class fell out of favour when In the Spartacus TV series, the producers Some historians have speculated that the
not seen as good prospects. They usually Samnium (the previously defeated enemy chose to have Spartacus himself favour this Laquerius class was actually a form of jester
fought in groups against one or more chariots who provided the inspiration for the class) particular gladiatorial style despite evidence who came into the arena to mock great
and didn’t normally last long. returned as an ally to Rome. suggesting he was a Thracian. battles of old.
55

Spartacus: HowaSlaveDefiedaRepublic







C_bgg\aZ TaW XfVTcX
5eXT^\aZ g[X eXib_g JTe haWXe
—Murtina
73 BCE
While based at the Capuan 73-72 BCE Crassus
01gladiatorial training school owned The uprising spreads across the nearby regions,
by Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Batiatus, 04freeing slaves and swelling its ranks to over 70,000 71 BCE
Despite the loss of
Spartacus hatched a plan to break free fighters. Alarmed at the size of the revolt, the Senate 05Craxis and his forces,
of the camp. Despite their attempts dispatches a consular army to engage the slaves. It’s
at secrecy the plot is betrayed, but initially successful, with Crixus and around 30,000 slaves Spartacus has led the larger
force into the south of
Spartacus still manages to muster being defeated by General Lucius Gellius Publicola.
between 70 and 80 willing slaves – many Italy, which continued to
sweep Roman forces. The
of whom were former soldiers – to join
his escape. Senate grants praetorship to
Marcus Licinius Crassus and
—Rome an army of around almost
50,000 infantrymen.
Crassus and Spartacus’s first
clash ends in defeat for the
slave, with a loss of 6,000
men. After being betrayed
G[X `\_\gTel Tee\iXf —Capua by pirates, Spartacus’s force
retreats to Rhegium.
73 BCE
After breaking free, the group elects
02three individuals to lead them; two
Gallic slaves, Crixus and Oenomaus and
Spartacus. The group ransacks military
equipment from the camp and takes
on a small force sent to quash them.
Spartacus’s group easily defeats the
soldiers, plunders the surrounding region G[X 5Tgg_X bY g[X
and adds more slaves to its number —Thurli
before retiring to a defensive position on F\_Xe E\iXe
Mount Vesuvius.
71 BCE
The legions of Pompey are
06returning home after the
conquest of Hispania, so the Senate
orders them to march directly
CeTXgbe\Ta `\Z[g to Crassus’s position. With news
of the reinforcements reaching
Spartacus he attempts to negotiate
73 BCE
With news spreading of the revolt, Rome dispatches a a truce, but Crassus refuses and kills
03militia of 3,000 men to stop the uprising. Praetor Gaius 12,300 fleeing rebels. Despite the
Claudius Glaber leads the reactionary force, blocking the revolt —Rhegium insurmountable odds, Spartacus and
from escaping its base on Vesuvius. Spartacus’s men use vines his men charge into Crassus’s forces.
to rappel down the side of the mountain at night, sneaking up Spartacus dies on the battlefield
on the force and annihilating them. —Sicily with his rebel cohorts.
many more. With two military successes to its Lucius Gellius’s legions ambush Crixus’s legion in outright. He even captures 300 legionnaires and
name and with news of the revolt spreading across thefoothillsofMountGarganus.TheGaulishslaves has them executed as a message to Gellius and
the region, Spartacus’s rebellion now totals over fightfortheirlives,butthedisciplineofGellius’s Rome itself. Gellius’s 30,000-strong army arrives a
150,000 slaves. Hundreds of camps litter the plains forces wins out and the smaller rebellion army is few days later and clashes with Spartacus’s larger
of Campania, their food reserves restocked from slaughtered, along with both Crixus and Oenomaus. force in the mountain range. Drenched in blood
the towns and settlements they now control. By Itistherebellion’sfirstloss. on the front line, Spartacus leads the charge into
now, Spartacus’s uprising has also bisected into two the legionnaires and inspires his fellow rebels to
separate forces – one mainly consisting of Thracians overcome the disciplined soldiers. When the brutal
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s
c
a
u
c
s
s
a
s
s
S
s
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S
a
and other slaves and the other commanded by “ “Spartacus sends battle is done, the rebel army sends a wounded
n
f
a
a
f
f
u
u
n
d
d
h
Crixus and Oenomaus. The force under Spartacus’s a a a handful of Gellius and a handful of survivors back to Rome
h
l
o
o
l
f
two allies is essentially a Celtic army, bolstered by as a reminder that these former slaves will not be
r
r
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a
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b
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s
s
k
b
k
k
v
v
r
v
v
i
i
v
i
r
o
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u
o
r
o
u
v
Gaulish slaves and so it pushes further into the s s s survivors back brought to heel so easily.
o
a
s
a
R
e
m
o
Appelines with many of its number hoping to find t to Rome as a By the spring of 71 BCE it seems the Senate
a new freedom in Gaul itself. r reminder that needs a miracle to defeat Spartacus – it comes in
i
a
e
m
h
d
t
t
e
r
n
With a great deal of Rome’s military might the form of Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the
f
o
r
h
e
e
s
m
e
r
consigned to putting down another rebellion in t these former most successful and revered generals of the entire
Hispania (modern-day Spain), the Republic musters s s slaves will not be Republic. The Senate grants him full praetorship
b
a
b
a
n
n
l
l
e
l
l
e
l
o
e
e
l
w
o
w
s
s
i
i
v
v
t
t
what forces it can from its disparate military. and a combined army of six legions. With an army
Finally realising the gravity of the situation, the brought to heel” of around 40,000 legionnaires, Crassus marches
Senate chooses to combine the forces of two its toward the remaining rebel forces. Crassus is a
most revered generals, Lucius Gellius Publicola and Gellius’s legions now have a taste for blood. hardline general, a brutal leader who executes any
Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodanius to make an They turn their attentions to Spartacus’s army as rebels he finds and treats his own men with as
army of around 50,000 legionnaires. The uprising it heads toward Cisalpine Gaul. Before Gellius’s much disdain, not hesitating to use decimation for
is now split into two groups with around 30,000 forces can reach Spartacus, though, Lentulus’s his own troops following murmurs of tiredness or
troops under the command of Crixus, but the bulk legions attempt to trap him in the narrow paths insubordination. Decimation involved a section of
of the rebellion remains with Spartacus. Realising of the Appelines. However, Spartacus rushes into the army drawing lots in groups of ten; the other
that this division can be used to their advantage, Lentulus’s forces head-on and destroys them nine, usually by stoning or clubbing, would kill
56

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic



The remains of the arena in
Capua where Spartacus would
have fought in as a gladiator
THREE SLAVE

REBELLIONS

Spartacus’s uprising wasn’t the
only rebellion to rock the slave
trade and ‘civilised’ society

Zanj
Rebellion
869-883
At its height,
the Abbasid
Caliphate (one of
three powerful
Islamicstatesthat
controlled much
Spartacus fought with
Thracian-style armour of the Middle
East and Asia
and fighting method
between 750 and 1517) had one of the biggest
slave populations in the world. The Zanj Rebellion,
whichcomprisedanumberofsmalleruprisings
that eventually solidified into a single national
conflict, saw 500,000 captives rise up against
their masters in a violent confrontation that
eventuallyledtotheformationofanindependent
state within Egypt. However, the Abbasid armies
eventually regrouped and crushed what was left of
the uprising soon after.
Haitian
Rebellion
21APRIL1791-1
JANUARY 1804
Toward the end of
the1780s,Saint-
Domingue was the
most profitable
possession
controlled
by France. It
producedastaggering60percentoftheworld’s
coffeeandaround40percentofallsugar
reserves,butitdidsobyworkingitsslavesintoa
mortality rate that far exceeded the island’s birth
rate.InspiredbytheshockwavesoftheFrench
Revolution, an uprising was concocted by freeman
and military genius François-Dominique Toussaint
Louverture. After almost 13 bloody years the
French were driven off the island and the republic
of Haiti was established.
Second
Roman
Servile
War

104-100 BCE
Taking place over
30 years after the
very first major
servile conflict,
the uprising
ledbyslave
leader Tryphon grew to such a size that it took
considerable military might on the part of the
Republic to bring it to heel. The revolt broke out
whenmostoftheslavepopulationontheisland
of Sicily walked out on their masters. Refusing
to return to servitude, the slaves formed into
a force of around 2,000 cavalry and 20,000
infantry. Despite its considerable presence, the
consul general Manius Aquillius eventually put the
rebellion down.





57

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic







The Senate was the political heart of the Roman
Republic and where the decision was made to
send troops to attack Spartacus’s rebels


















THE

LIFE OF

A SLAVE


A slave could live a good
Spartacus and his uprising was finally life in Ancient Rome,
defeated in 71 BCE, a battle that solidified but the punishment for
Crassus’s standing within Roman society
breaking the law led
to some very severe
punishments. Here are
three of the worst…


Crucifixion
Up until the rule of Emperor Constantine
– who eventually outlawed the cruel
practice – a slave could be crucified for
even the most menial of crimes, such as
disrespecting a high-ranking member of
society or even stealing food. Despite the
fact that nails were driven through the feet
and wrists, crucified slaves almost always
died of asphyxiation as their joints began
to separate.
Broken bones and
branding
Those slaves who chose to run away from
their servitude did not face death, but they
did find themselves with a punishment that
would remind them of their failed attempt
at freedom: broken bones. It was common
for legs, arms and feet to be broken, along
with the branding of the word ‘fug’ (an
abbreviation of ‘fugivitus‘ or ‘runaway’).
Branding was also used for slaves who were
sold into rural subjugation – these were
usually individuals deemed too destructive
and rebellious for life in the cities.
Execution of a
household
Despite the considerable deficit in slaves
toward the collapse of the Roman era,
Roman citizens were terrified of uprisings
among the serving class, so only the most
severe of punishments were sought. If
any slave assaulted or killed their master,
the entire serving household would be
murdered, one by one.




58

Spartacus: How a Slave Defied a Republic




Kirk Douglas played
Spartacus in the 1960
Oscar-winning film of POPULAR
the same name
MEDIA &
MYTH
Why has Spartacus’s
story endured
throughout history?


While his uprising was ultimately
defeated like the previous two servile
wars,hisactionsasageneralanda
defier of authority has immortalised
himasasymbolofuniversalrebellion.
Embodied by future rebellion leaders
(the Haitian Revolution’s leader
François-Dominique Toussaint
Louverture was nicknamed the
‘Black Spartacus’ by his enemies),
popular media (Kubrick’s Spartacus
filmandthepopularStarzTVseries
tonamebuttwo)andevenaslewof
sports teams. Bulgaria in particular,
themodern-daysiteofSpartacus’s
supposed birthplace, openly celebrate
him as a national hero. However, some
theories suggest that Spartacus was
notasinglemanatall,butinfacta
cabalofindividualswhoknewthat
inordertodefytheRepublicthey
needed one figurehead that would
both inspire the people and strike
fear into the heart of authority. While
suchatheorydoesseemplausible
considering the rebellion’s scale, such
adetailhasbeenlosttothelegacyofa
single defiant man.




the soldier that loses. Crassus is unlike anyone wearingtherebelarmydowninsmallbattles peacefulresolutionhasfailed,aportionoftherebel
Spartacus has ever faced. andskirmishes.Thetideisnowturninginthe army breaks away and flees into Petulia. A large
Before Crassus and Spartacus meet for the first favourofthepraetor,andSpartacusknowsit.The consignmentofCrassus’slegionspeelsawayand
time, Spartacus defeats two of Crassus’s allies slave-turned-rebel-leader sends his forces into pursues them. With a lashing storm boiling on the
in Picenum, tearing their legionnaires to shreds Rhegium, but Crassus builds fortifications on the horizon,thelegionnairescatchtheterrifiedformer
as they attempt to outflank the rebel army. As border,cuttingofftheThracian’ssupplylines.By slaves, butchering over 12,000 of them.
Crassus’s forces approach, Spartacus attempts to thesummerof71BCEthesteamisfastdissipating Spartacus’s own forces arrive to find the
show humility and barter a truth with the Romans. consignmentoflegionnairesstandinginafield
Crassus, sensing weakness, immediately attacks, coveredwiththeirfallenbrothers.TheThracian
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Spartacus’s men. The rebels soon battle back but c c chose to run were arrivessoonafter.Despitebringingthesmall
Crassus’s forces are relentless – Spartacus realises militaryforcetoheel,Spartacusknowsthereal
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orders his troops to retreat. In a matter of minutes p punished severely army around and meets Crassus’s men head on.
6,000 rebels are dead with few major losses to t to remind the rest Theyfightwithallthefearlessnessoftruewarriors
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Spartacus then decides to lead some of his forces that Rome did not begins to slowly wear Spartacus’s men down. The
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island had once seen a large slave uprising of its From across the battlefield the Thracian,
own decades before and Spartacus was counting deserters” exhaustedfromyearsofconstantfightingand
on the considerable servile population to revolt leadership, spies Crassus across the warzone. Sat
and join his cause. He makes a deal with a band from the rebellion, and with reinforcements atophishorsethegeneralwatchestherebelforce
of local pirates to transport 2,000 of his men onto arriving in the form of the legions of Gnaeus fall apart from the safety of his personal guard.
the isle, but – if the ancient historian Plutarch is to Pompeius Magnus, the great Roman general and SpartacusneverreachesCrassusthoughand
be believed – the pirates instead take the payment future consul, the end looms for Spartacus. his rebellion is routed by the general’s military
and abandon the rebel forces to the Roman legions Hearing of the approach of the Pompey legions, might.Asthelastbreathsoflifeleavehisbodyhe
closing in behind them. Spartacus tries to broker another truce, but witnesseshisbrotherscutdownaroundhim,the
As the weeks roll by Crassus’s forces relentlessly Crassus once again refuses to parlay with the dreamoffreedomanddefyingthemightyRoman
pursue Spartacus through Lucenia, slowly rebel general. At the news that another attempt at Republic finally over.
59

Hunting with Germany’s U-boat Killers

























































Sailors on the desk of the
U-boat U-123, somewhere in
the Atlantic Ocean, 1940



60

The Deadly Wolfpack





























Otto Kretschmer was the most successful German
U-boat commander of WWII, sinking 47 ships















As lone hunters, the German U-boats of


World War II were deadly killing machines.

When attacking in groups, or ‘wolfpacks’,

they were so devastating they almost won

WWII for Hitler… Written by Will Lawrence



inston Churchill paces up and down were co-ordinated, in what came to be known
his war room, his anxiety rising. as ‘wolfpack’ (wolfsrudel) attacks, and they
It is the winter of 1940, the year is scored a string of staggering successes – such as
drawing to a close, and more bad the harrowing of convoy SC-7, which German
W news has reached his ears. Britain submariners dubbed ‘the night of the long knives.’
is suffering terrible casualties in the Battle of the This violent confrontation unfolded on the evening
Atlantic. The nation’s war leader knows his besieged of 18 October 1940, as an Allied flotilla of 35
country is in grave danger; German U-boats are merchant ships and six escorts sailed from Nova
stalking the Atlantic’s grey waters like packs of Scotia in Canada laden with vital supplies destined
wolves. During 1940 alone they sink almost 500 for ports in the United Kingdom.
cargo ships, totalling close to 2.4 million tonnes. The convoy was slow – a number of ships ferried
Britain looks set to starve. “Our lifeline even across steel ingots and iron ore – and proved easy prey for
the broad oceans was endangered”, Churchill would prowling U-boats. Three lone hunters, U-124, U-48
write in his acclaimed history, The Second World and U-38, sunk four ships on October 16 and 17.
War. “I was even more anxious about this battle Then, on the following night, Admiral Karl Dönitz,
than I had been about the glorious fight called the the chief of the German U-boat Waffe, co-ordinated
Battle of Britain.” a five-sub wolfpack attack upon the remainder of
It was a fear well placed. During the first 16 the beleaguered fleet. The results were devastating.
months of World War II, U-boats destroyed more Tucked away at his headquarters in Lorient,
than 700 Allied vessels. These silent killers France, Dönitz ordered U-46, U-100, U-101, U-123
were at their most lethal when their efforts and U-99 – the latter captained by the deep-sea


61

The Deadly Wolfpack













How the wolfpack bared its teeth



Torpedoes
The G7 torpedo was the primary U-boat weapon and a
Type VII featured four forward torpedo tubes and one aft.
The commander would calculate the necessary distances
before unleashing the missile, which was launched via
the use of compressed air. The missiles were often called
‘eels’ as they were long and greasy and ran in straight
lines. The U-boats would have enjoyed even more
staggering successes early in the war had the eels been
more reliable; a high number of torpedoes fired in the
first two years of the war failed to detonate.

Mines
The other primary
offensive weapon aboard
the U-boat was the mine
and the Kriegsmaine
developed specialised
mine-laying subs like the
Type VIID and XB. Even a Sailors on the deck of the US Coast Guard Cutter
standard Type VII could Spencer watch the explosion of a depth charge that
carry mines, launching two or three atatimefromits sunk the German U-boat U-175 on 17 April 1943
torpedo tubes. Though used less frequently than the
other offensive weapons, mines could be highly effective.
U-106, for example, sunk eight ships off the west coast of
Africa in the spring of 1941 using this weapon.








Deck guns
The Type VII usually carried a 88mm cannon on its deck
that was used to dispatch solitary merchant ships that
sailed without escort, thereby saving the limited number
of eels. Given the increasing attacks on U-boats from the
air, the Type VII’s conning tower was regularly redesigned
to allow the installation of anti-aircraft guns. The station
to the aft of the conning tower was known as the ‘winter Following his capture
Kretschmer spent almost seven
garden’ and usually housed a 20mm flak gun for defence years as a prisoner of war
against air attack.


ace Otto Kretschmer – to engage the convoy in attheheartoftheconvoyforaddedprotection. In fact, the autumn of 1940 was known as ‘The
unison. U-boats usually hunted alone, though Kretschmer fired 12 torpedoes, sinking six Allied Happy Time’ among the U-boat commanders and
Dönitz had long championed pack tactics as the vessels and damaging another. “This was the first their crews. Between June and November they
most effective way to attack and sink enemy ships. time that we had experienced these tactics”, he wreaked havoc in the Atlantic, sinking in excess of
This overwhelming victory 1.5 million tonnes of merchant
emphatically proved his point; “The autumn of 1940 was known as shipping. This was a true
20 Allied ships, totalling golden era for the U-boat
almost 80,000 tonnes, were ‘The Happy Time ’ among the Waffe, and Kretschmer was its
sunk or damaged at the golden boy. 
cost of 141 lives. The U-boats U-boa t commanders and their crews” Born in May 1912,
suffered no casualties. Kretschmer joined the
After the attack, Kretschmer in U-99 recalled that continuedinapassagerecordedin U-Boat,Alan Reichsmarine of the Weimar Republic shortly
once he had penetrated the centre of the convoy, Gallop’s definitive guide to the Type VII sub “and before his 18th birthday and took command of U-35
his boat sailed, “up and down the lanes looking for the first time Dönitz had been able to put the after just seven years of service. He was an inspired
the most important and most valuable ships.” Fuel wolfpack plan to the test. The night became known submariner and went on to become the most
tankers and munitions ships were among the most as ‘the night of the long knives’ because so many celebrated U-boat commander of WWII, earning the
highly prized targets and these were often placed ships were sunk.” nickname Silent Otto thanks to his stealth tactics.


62

The Deadly Wolfpack





Captured German U-boats in Trondheim,
Norway, shortly after WWII had ended











































Athree-stepguidetohuntingacrosstheworld’soceans
The hunt The attack The getaway
01 Once an Allied convoy 02 If the target was 03 If the attack was
successful the U-boat
was identified a U-boat
significant, the U-boat
approached underwater, wouldstrikeatadistance would slip away from the
seeking a gap in the of around 400-1,000m convoy, remaining on
convoy into which the boat could sail. (1,300-3,280ft) with its torpedoes. A the surface where the sonar equipment
The U-boat then took a position at right surfaced U-boat might use its 88mm could not find them. Once safe, it would
angles to the column of ships, thereby deck gun, with its more plentiful supply reload its torpedo tubes and return to
facing the largest target area. If a of shells. If torpedoes were used, a the attack. If the escorting warships
number of U-boats were to engage in a salvomightbefiredatseveraltargetsat detected it, the sub would try to outrun
wolfpack attack, then one sub would be thesametime,therebyminimisingthe the ship on the surface before diving
chose to stalk the prey while the others convoy’s response time. The furthest and disappearing back into the depths
were manoeuvred into position. target would receive the first missiles. of the ocean.

His successes came thick and fast during the early Wherever possible, Kretschmer attacked under to hunt as a wolfpack, as with the attack on convoy
years of the war and he helped pioneer the U-boats’ the cover of darkness, with lone ships sometimes SC-7. It is thought that around 250 different U-boat
most lethal killing techniques – attacking Allied targeted by the 88-millimetre deck-gun in a bid wolfpacks were formed during WWII, coming
ships from the surface while under cover of night. to save the limited supply of torpedoes. Ideally, together either for one-off engagements, or for
Once surfaced for a night attack, a Type VIIB night attacks were to be executed with the moon missions that could last several weeks. Kretschmer
U-boat like Kretschmer’s U-99, ran low in the water ahead rather than behind the U-boat, so that the proved a true pack leader, his exploits accounting
and even with its conning tower exposed was a hunter remained in the shadows while the hunted for the destruction of 56 ships – in excess of
difficult target to spot amid the ocean swell. In was silhouetted in the water, and Kretschmer 300,000 tonnes – before his capture on 17 March
addition, the Allied ships’ sonar equipment was preferred to fire just one torpedo per target, rather 1941. He fought to the very end, his capture coming
redundant once the U-boat had surfaced. The vessel than unleashing a fanned-out burst of three or four the day after his crushing assault on convoy HX-112,
also moved quicker when on the surface where it missiles. The sub would dive for just a few hours where he sunk six ships, accounting for more than
could use its diesel engines, which powered the each day, giving the crew some much-needed rest 43,000 tonnes.
boat at around 17 knots (31 kilometres per hour) — while the boat was hidden in the ocean depths. If His capture followed an unfortunate manoeuvre
when submerged and reliant on electrical power, undetected the boat would then reload, resurface executed when Kretschmer was below decks; his
the boat made little over seven knots (13 kilometres and launch another attack. watch officer ordered U-99 to dive too early, thereby
per hour). This surface speed was invariably faster Though U-boats often operated as solitary alerting HX-112’s escorts, which were assisted by
than the U-boats’ heavily laden prey. instruments of war, they were often called together radar technology. The destroyers HMS Walker and


63

The Deadly Wolfpack






HMS Vanoc unleashed a depth-charge attack that underdeveloped British sonar systems and it was
forced Kretschmer to surface and to eventually only when radar came into play that the Allies
abandon ship. He saw out the remainder of the began to put up some effective resistance against Periscopes 1 and 2
Theboat’stwoperiscopescrestedthe
conflict in a Canadian prisoner-of-war camp. The the U-boats. Indeed, the Allies owed the fatal conningtower,whichformedthemain
U-boat Waffe was deprived of its greatest warrior. 17 March strikes against Kretschmer’s boat and station for spotting Allied shipping.
Back home in Germany, men like Kretschmer U-100, which was commanded by another deep- Thecontrolroomwaspositioned
immediately below. Men on the bridge
were celebrated as great heroes and service in sea ace, Joachim Schepke, to the use of radar. The
were issued with special waterproof
the U-boat Waffe was sold to the public as a U-boat Waffe developed a response but the U-boat clothing, but this provided little
glamorous life of high adventure. However, the campaign now entered a transitional phase. The protection from the waves crashing
over the boat.
truth was different. The life of a U-boat crewman Battle of the Atlantic was in the balance. From the
was extremely perilous, and it became even more late summer of 1941 when the now-famous code-
fraught in the aftermath of the first Happy Time breakers at Bletchley Park cracked the Enigma-
attacks, such as the pounding of convoy SC-7, encrypted radio communications between Admiral
which forced the British high command to rethink Dönitz’s headquarters in France and his vessels
its wholly inadequate anti-submarine tactics. out at sea, the tide eventually began to turn in the
The surface attacks perpetuated by Kretschmer Allies’ favour. It was not long before the hunters
and his fellow commanders bypassed the became the hunted.


anatomy of a

Type VII U-boat



The main points of interest from the most common
type of German attack U-boat



Radio room
It was here that U-boats received their orders,
especially important when hunting in wolfpacks.
The installations featured both short and long-
wave equipment.
Deck weapons
The88mmdeckgunwas
oftenemployedagainst
merchant shipping,
especially if the ship
wasaloneandaneasy
target. The anti-aircraft
gun mounted behind the
conning tower tried to
fightoffAlliedairattacks.



















Forward torpedo
room Toilet
A Type VII carried 14 torpedoes, which ThoughaTypeVIIhadtwo
were stored in every available nook toiletsonboard,onewas
andcranny.Thetorpedoroomcrew Battery compartments usually decommissioned to
slept either in the smattering of bunks Thebatteriespoweredtheelectricityonboardthe allow for further storage,
wedged between the missiles and vessel,andalsotheelectricmotorsthatwereused meaningacrewofover40men
equipment,orsimplynappedonthe to propel the boat underwater. The diesel engines, hadtoshareoneworkingtoilet.
floor. The four torpedo tubes were the meanwhile, were used when the boat ran on the surface. The queues were long and the
vessel’s main weapons. flushing system highly complex.



64

The Deadly Wolfpack






The U-boats menace was never fully culled, hugging the brightly lit shoreline, their radios open
however, and the submariners fought to the war’s thereby announcing their positions to the U-boats
end. They enjoyed another prolific killing spree — lurking out at sea. The pickings were so rich that
the Second Happy Time — during 1942, soon after the German submariners dubbed this period ‘the
America joined the conflict. It was American shooting season’ as
during 1942 that Admiral more than 400 American ships Germany’swolfpackataglance
Dönitz sent his Type “Kretschmer were destroyed.
VII boats to harangue became the most Foralltheirsuccessduringthe
America’s eastern Happy Times, the U-boat crews
seaboard, the killer subs celebra ted still endured great hardship;
kept at sea for months on life on board was dangerous,
end, suckled by special U-boa t claustrophobic, dirty and not In 1945 only 20 per cent
of U-boats leaving port
Type XIV boats, known as commander of for the faint-hearted. When the 20% were expected to return.
‘milk cows’, which carried subcameunderattack,lifewas
vast stores of fuel. WWI I , earning hellish. “When depth charges
As the head of the the nickname areadded,lifebecomesawarof
U-boat Waffe, Dönitz nerves,” claimed the celebrated
saw the United States’ Silent Otto” commander Wolfgang Lüth in a
entry into the war as an 1943 lecture. “These blasts have
opportunity to further devastate Allied shipping. tormenting intensity. The lights go out and we sit i
The United States had no pipelines running up and thedark,andwhenitisdarkallmenbecomemore TheTypeVIICwaslaunchedinSeptember1940and
down its coast, which meant huge tankers had to afraid. Unlike the plane, the submarine cannot fly became the most prevalent U-boat with more than
take to the waters to ensure its war-machine kept away. All that requires stouthearted men.” 600 constructed.
turning. Foolishly, the American merchant vessels Lüth,whorankssecondonlytoKretschmer,
chose to sail with their navigational lights ablaze, having sunk more than 220,000 tonnes of
shipping across 15 different patrols, was one
stouthearted man. He went on to say that
Main crew life aboard a submarine was, “unnatural and 220
sleeping unhealthy compared to life on a sailing vessel,
quarters justasunhealthyascitylifecomparedtolifein
Themajorityofthecrew the country.” He had a point. Once on board the
shared bunks that were A Type VIIC U-boat was 67m (220ft) long and could
housed off the central crewwasnotpermittedtouseanyfreshwaterfor travel at 17 knots (31km/h) once surfaced.
passageway. Each cot bathing or shaving, and each man was expected
was1.8m(5.9ft)longand
58cm (23in) wide and
carriedathinmattress.A
manondutyandaman
offdutysharedeachbunk.







When Germany
surrendered in May
1945, around 50
U-boats were still
at sea.




73






The Type VII destroyed 730 Allied ships during the first
16 months of WWII.


Galley
U-boats sunk around
Thekitchenwashousedonthestarboard 2,840 of the 5,000+
side forward from the diesel engine room and
merchantmen
featuredanumberofcookersandhotplates, lost during WWII,
as well as a small refrigerator and sink with
accounting for more
hot and cold water.
14 than 14 million tonnes.
65

The Deadly Wolfpack






















Taming the
wolfpack
How the Allies defeated the
U-boat threat German U-boats surrender
at Lisahally, Northern
The ‘Happy Time’ of 1940 came to an end for Ireland, 25 May 1945
the U-boats as Allied anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) capabilities improved. RAF aircraft
were now equipped with radar and started to
hunt boats on the surface. The first successful
employment of radar against German U-boats
brought about the neutering of U-99 and U-100
in March 1941. In May 1941, the improved Type
271 radar was fitted to British warships and in
July the first High Frequency Direction Finder
(HFDF) equipment was installed on Royal Navy
ships. This could track U-boats, allowing the
RAF and Royal Navy to target them. In 1943,
the Allies seized the initiative when they put
more escorts and carriers into the Atlantic and
closed the mid-Atlantic ‘air gap’ by launching
long-range bombers from North America,
Iceland and the UK. During 1943, only 451 Allied
merchant ships were lost, less than half the
number sunk in the previous year.


to wear the same clothes throughout the entire Added to this monotony was the continuous in a Type VII; the rest of the crew ate where they
duration of the voyage. climate in the boat. A U-boat might pass from cold stood. The quality of what they ate, though, was
Type VII submarines like Kretschmer’s U-99, or European waters to the tropics, but conditions good. Hitler’s navy, or Kriegsmarine, valued its
Lüth’s Type IX boats, like U-138 or U-181, operated inside would remain the same. No regular time submariners’ health and fed them well, especially at
with a crew of over 40 men, and each sailor had to was set aside for sleeping for the crew either, “since the start of the voyage as the cook worked his way
share the confined space with hundreds of tons of mostofthefightingisdoneatnight,”accordingto through the fresh fruit and vegetables. Normally,
fuel, equipment and weaponry. Every inch of space alcohol was forbidden. “However, the men are very
on board the sub was utilised; cooked meats hung “Life on board grateful if they can take a swig from the bottle now
suspended from the overhead piping and the smell and then on a special occasion, as when a steamer
of diesel hung heavy in the odorous air. The stench was dangerous, has been sunk,” said Lüth. Given the successes
was part of everyday life for a U-boat crew. claustrophobic, enjoyed by Lüth’s and Kretschmer’s crews, these
The unsanitary nature of U-boat service was commanders must have seen their private booze
made all the more pronounced by the lack of unsanitary and supplies dwindle rapidly. 
sufficient toilet facilities. The Type VII, for instance, Those who served aboard the U-boats sacrificed
was fitted with two toilets, although one was not for the faint- much in the service of their country. Not only did
invariably removed from service to make extra hearted” they endure great discomfort and hardship during
room for supplies, leaving the entire crew to share their everyday existence; they also suffered a
just one working system, which could not be used Lüth. When sleeping was permitted, the conditions shockingly high death rate. Close to 40,000 men
once the U-boat dived more than 24 metres (80 were uncomfortable, with the majority of the crew served in the U-boat Waffe and all but 7,000 died
feet) below the surface. sleeping in slim bunks that were slotted in either at sea. Germany lost more than 750 submarines
A U-boat mission could easily last up to six side of the central passageway. The men coming during WWII. Still, the deep-sea aces – warriors like
months —Lüth once spent seven-and-a-half months off duty clambered into a cot surrendered by a man Silent Otto, Wolfgang Lüth or Joachim Schepke –
at sea — and life on board could be monotonous going on duty – personal space was an unheard-of wrought chaos among Allied shipping. By the war’s
until the action kicked in. “There is no constant luxury. Those serving in the torpedo room and end in 1945, the sea-borne marauders had sunk
change between day and night, for the lights have not housed in the smattering of bunks wedged more than 14 million tonnes of merchant shipping;
to burn all the time inside the boat,” said Lüth. between the equipment and missiles were forced to the German submariners were brave men and their
“There are no Sundays and no weekdays, and there sleep on the floor. gallantry deserves its place in the history books.
is no regular change of seasons. Therefore life is When it came to mealtimes, officers and NCOs Churchill was right to fear the U-boats – they very
monotonous and without rhythm.” dined around a table, but there was no mess area nearly cost him the war.


66

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19 MYTHS BUSTED: JOAN OF ARC













































































JEANNE D’ARC
French, 1412-1431
Joan of Arc was
Brief a peasant girl living
in France during the
Bio Hundred Years’ War.
She believed God
wished her to lead the French
army to victory and expel the
English. Her military successes
and subsequent execution
have led her to become a
national figure in France and
a celebrated martyr in the
Catholic Church.



68

19 MYTHS BUSTED






















OF




















Unravel19–oneforeveryyearofherlife–mistruths,

legendsandmythsaboutthepeasantgirlwholed

France’s armies and became a worldwide icon


Written by Frances White

oan of Arc is a name that is known and certainly not by the Inquisition. She also reliable and insightful information about the
worldwide. Upheld as a saint in the didn’t win the Hundred Years’ War and, while woman who lived in the 15th century. These
Catholic Church, a national hero in we’re at it, she wasn’t even all that rebellious. transcripts provide a very different image of
France and an inspiration to those The image of the ferocious, cross-dressing Joan, a soft-spoken, pious girl who wept for
Jfacing adversity, her tale of heroism and warrior Joan we have today is the one her her enemies and wished more than anything
sacrifice has transcended time and entered enemies used to damn her to execution. to return to her quiet, farming life. This true
into legend. The story of the young rebellious It’s only natural for historical figures to pick image of a girl who was not naturally violent,
teen who defeated the English army in the up some misconceptions and myths along but instead showed great courage in the face
Hundred Years’ War before being burned to the way, but in Joan’s case the sheer amount of immense fear and adversity, is perhaps
death by the Inquisition for being a witch of inaccuracies in the face of hard evidence even more inspiring than the warrior
has been retold countless times. But just how is overwhelming. Ironically, it is the notaries goddess she’s painted to be. Read on as we
accurate is this portrayal? She was indeed of the trials that tried to wipe her off the strip away the myths and reveal the true
burned at the stake, but not for being a witch planet who have provided us with the most heroine as she really was.


69

19 MYTHS BUSTED: JOAN OF ARC






Her execution



was faked While pretending to be Joan,

Jeanne des Armoises visited
the Princess Elizabeth of
In 1436, five years after Joan was burned Luxembourg and went on
several pilgrimages
at the stake, a strange, unexpected figure
appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Her
alleged identity caught the attention of
the whole of France – she claimed she
was Joan of Arc and that she had escaped
her execution. There had been plenty of
women claiming to be the famous Joan of Joan was hardly
Arc before, but this woman bore a striking the miraculously
resemblance to the young warrior and, gifted horse rider she’s
most convincing of all, Joan’s own brothers, paintedtobe;shelearned
Jean and Pierre, were with her and attested to ride as she conducted her
to the truth of her tale. This ‘Joan’ claimed mission, and was placed
she had managed to flee her captors and with the slowest
lived in obscurity for years. The tale caught riders in battle.
the attention of the nation, and the three
travelled around France, were bestowed
with lavish gifts and even visited Joan’s old
comrades, who consistently identified her
as the woman they believed to have lost
five years prior.
It was during her visit to the French
King Charles VII in 1440, the man she had
helped to put on the throne in 1429, that
the lie was unravelled. The king apparently
asked ‘Joan’ to tell him the secret she had
told him many years prior; the woman
was unable to answer and confessed her
treachery, revealing herself to be a woman
named Jeanne des Armoises. The idea of
the real Joan of Arc escaping her execution
can be disproved by the sheer amount
of eyewitnesses at her execution. The
English were so worried that people would
attest that she escaped that they made
the executioner push the fire back so all
present could see her charred corpse.





She was a feminist


The reasons for Joan’s feminist pastimes of sewing, weaving camp followers, and there are
status today are fairly obvious – a and cleaning. Her most boastful even accounts of her chasing
young girl leaving home to lead comments were not about her them off with a sword – hardly
armies of men at the height of ability to lead men, but her skill the actions of an ambassador for
one of the biggest conflicts in in besting any woman with a female rights. Joan’s quest was
Europe – but by today’s standards needle and spindle. When she first and foremost to put a man on
Joan would be the opposite of was directly questioned about the throne of France, and she led
a feminist. The young warrior’s why she wasn’t doing more not women into battle, but men.
favourite hobbies were not “womanly duties” she simply Hardly rocking the foundations
disobeying authority and fighting replied that other women were of gender roles, she was rather
for justice with a sword, but the already doing them. She was reinforcing the tradition that men,
far more traditionally feminine also known to loathe the female not women, should be in power.




70

A jar of alleged relics of Joan
of Arc consisting of a human
rib, linen and wood have since
been proven to have come
from an Egyptian mummy



Joan was a

rebellious child


Throughout history rebellious teen girls permission. She approached her mission
have frequently been compared to with some reluctance and consistently
Joan of Arc, with the young saint being expressed a desire to return home to
portrayed as a devil-may-care rebel who her parents. The most damning evidence
disobeyed her parents to lead armies. against her rebellious personality is the
The French icon was quite the opposite; fact that the prosecution made the
quiet, pious, dedicated to her family very same claim against her in trial, but
and diligent, with the most rebellious were forced to retract the accusation
action attributed to her young years upon finding absolutely no evidence to
going off to visit local churches without substantiate it.






TheCatholicChurch

wanted her dead

The notion that the Catholic Church Similar can be said about the theory
personally hunted Joan down seems thatshewasProtestant,andsheeven
tobecoupledwiththeideashewas threatened to lead a crusade against the
either Protestant or guilty of witchcraft, Hussites (an early Protestant group) if
which are both absurd theories. Not they didn’t convert to Catholicism. The
only is there not a shred of evidence Catholics present at the trial were led
to support her allegiance to Wicca (a notbysomeepicreligiousquest,butby
pagan religion) in any way, but when theirownpersonalpoliticalallegiancesto
Joan was asked about this at the trial her the English. Most of the Catholic clergy
answersprovednotonlycontemptfor actually supported Joan and she was
pagan practises, but also that she had upheld as a ‘true Catholic’ before she Joan witnessed the raiding
no real idea what they actually were. began her campaign.
and burning of Domrémy,
her home village
She was a great military tactician



Joan,anaïve17-year-oldpeasantgirl,
certainlyshowedimmensebravery 4.Endofthesiege 1.AssaultonStLoup
France finally victorious
ridingintobattlealongsideseasoned France fights back
The English abandon the siege and their northern
warriors,butshewasnomilitary troops assemble in a field near St Laurent. The The count of Dunois attacks the Eastern
genius.Infact,Joan’srashactionsand French army stands against them and they stare each EnglishbastilleofStLoup.140Englishare
killedwith40moretakenasprisoners.An
reckless decisions proved more than other down for an hour before the English withdraw. attemptbytheEnglishtodistractattention
once to be a dangerous addition to with an attack on the north of Orléans fails.
theFrencharmy.Forexample,upon
approachingOrléanssheinsistedthe
English should be attacked from the
northasthatwaswheretheirgreatest
numbers lay. The commanders were
soagainstthispotentiallydisastrous
strategy that they took the convoy on
a different route without telling Joan.
Whentheattackdidhappen,Joanwas
napping and nearly missed the entire 3. Tourelles attacked
battle.Whentheyoungwarrioractedof Joans leads from the front
herownaccordandtriedtoattackthe Joan leads an assault on the English
stronghold known as Boulevart. The
stronghold of Boulevart, she narrowly
French rush up the ladders and force
escaped disaster and had to be dragged theEnglishout,whoflee.TheFrench
offthefieldamidmasspanic.Afterthis 2. Augustines assault English forces follow them and nearly 1,000 English
The assault continues soldiers perished in the attack, and the
shewasaskedtositoutontheassault French forces
TheFrenchsettheirsightsonthesouthbank.Joan Tourellesissetaflame.
thenextday,arequestsheignored. leadsanassaultonthebastilleoftheAugustines,
anditfallsintoFrenchhands.
71

n’s clothing

er garments


of choice


vision of Joan of Arc swapping her dresses
ousersandarmouratthefirstopportunity
ommon one, and it was the act of wearing
male clothes that she was finally executed The French people
r. But she did not wear boys’ clothing from
preference, but rather as a necessity – first were angry about
to enable her to ride a horse with more her death
ease and later to protect herself from the
TodayJoanisupholdasanationalheroandmartyr,
many rape attempts she faced. Not only but at the time many of the citizens of France were
did Joan happily wear a dress for the 17 more likely to celebrate her death than mourn it.
years of her life before she embarked on For the English, the death of the mascot of the
French forces was an important boon, and they
her journey, but she also begged to be
openly rejoiced at the news of her execution.
buried in a dress if she died in prison. Those who supported Joan and Charles VII would
have taken the news with sadness, but there was
no mass mourning, and the royal court didn’t
recognise her death. It took years for France to
revoke the trial sentence and embrace Joan as
the figure she is today. After her innocence was
declared, she gradually became a legendary figure
for the four centuries after her death, and was used
as a political symbol by Napoleon in the early-19th
century. To date, there have been over 20 statues
created in her honour, countless paintings, operas,
films and even French Navy ships named after her.







The French victory in the Hundred

Years’ War was thanks to Joan

Although there is no denying Joan’s between individual conflicts of the war
presence helped lift the siege of Orléans, allowed the French army to gather its
leading to the crowning of Charles strength and become a fierce, organised
VII, it would be incorrect to attest the force. The English army were faced
ultimate French victory to her. Not only with severe funding issues and became
was Joan executed 20 years before the distracted with conflict back at home
final battle at Castillon, but several other that led to the War of the Roses, so the
important factors led to the eventual French campaign became unfeasible.
French victory. The period of the war While Joan certainly inspired nationalism
was a transition period for France, as among a dejected army, the intricacies of
the country developed from a medieval the war are far too varied and complex
feudal system to a modern state with to place the victory solely on one brave
The war at a glance a professional army. The long periods woman with a banner.



1346
O Battle of Crécy O Battle of Poitiers O Treaty of Brétigny O Battle of Agincourt O Treaty of Troyes O Siege of Orléans O Battle of Castillon
Edward III’s English The English forces King John II and After English king Henry It is agreed that Henry French and English forces English forces capture
troops decimate the raiding their way through King Edward III’s V claims the French will inherit the throne battle over possession of Bordeaux. In response,
French forces by utilising the French countryside, treaty hands over throne, he leads his of France upon the Orléans, which holds great King Charles VII attacks
new weapons and finally meet resistance much French land forces to northern death of Charles VI. strategic advantage. The tide the English forces and
military tactics. This in King John II of France, to England, under France. Despite being This agreement goes turns when Joan of Arc enters defeats them. The
victory allows the English but the battle sees the duress that outnumbered, the English on to prompt the later the city. Nine days after her battle results in the loss
army to besiege and the English destroy Edward renounces forces defeat and cripple stages of the war, with arrival, the siege collapses and of all English land in
claim the town of Calais the French forces and all claims to the the French army, leading many English kings France claim their first major France except for the
as English territory. capture the French king. French throne. to a new period of war. claiming the throne. victory for many years. Pale of Calais.
26 August 1346 19 September 1356 25 May 1360 25 October 1415 21 May 1420 12 Oct 1428 – 8 May 1429 17 July 1453


72

The Duke of

Bedford was She wasn’t


an evil man
The third son of King Henry IV, intelligent

John Lancaster served as regent of
Joan said herself that she “did not know ‘a’ from ‘b’,”
France for King Henry VI, his nephew.
but this does not mean she was stupid. It is especially
Because his actions led to the capture
obvious when examining the court transcripts from
and eventual execution of Joan of Arc, her trial that she possessed a quick mind. For example,
history has placed a black blot against when asked by a man with a thick accent what
his name, and an unfair one. Not only language the voices in her head spoke in, she replied
that they spoke better than he did. Her responses
was John a skilled military tactician,
show that she was a woman with good mental
but he also displayed great bravery reasoning and intelligence. It is important to remember
in battle and acted as a thoughtful that she was able not only to convince Charles VII, but
and merciful governor among reckless also a legion of high-ranking military officials that she
deserved a place leading their army.
leaders. Considering the era of his
life, Bedford was restrained and
sympathetic, with unrelenting loyalty
to his cause and family.
“FEAR NO MULTITUDE WHATSOEVER.
THE ENGLISH. GOD CONDUCTS
DO NOT HESITATE TO ASSAULT

The allegations OUR WORK. IF I HAD NOT THIS
that Joan sold her
ASSURANCE, I WOULD RATHER
bodytomenwere
disprovedwhenshewas GUARD SHEEP THAN EXPOSE
examined during her
MYSELF TO SO GREAT PERILS.”
capture and proved
John led the English army to to be a virgin.
several victories, for example at “IT IS TRUE THAT I
the Battle of Verneuil, described
WISHED AND STILL
as a second Agincourt

It was unusual WISH TO ESCAPE,

for women AS IS LAWFUL FOR

to lead armies ANY CAPTIVE OR


TheonlyunusualthingaboutJoan’scommandof
an army is not her gender, but her social standing. PRISONER.”
Itwascommonduringtheeraforaristocratic
womentocommandtheirfamily’sforcesinthe
absenceofabrotherorhusband.Andratherthan “TRULY, IF YOU WERE TO TEAR ME
going against the grain and breaking social
norms, this was actually adhering to LIMB FROM LIMB AND SEPARATE
the feudal society in France at the Joanna of MY SOUL FROM MY BODY, I
time. Joan was granted command Flanders WOULD NOT SAY ANYTHING
because of the religious society Joanna of Flanders was married to
John de Montfort and served as consort
that believed anyone could
duchess of Brittany from 1341 to 1345. She
receive a divine calling, and played an active part in the War of Breton MORE. IF I DID SAY ANYTHING,
it should be listened to. It is Succession, where she led the Montfortist AFTERWARD I WOULD ALWAYS
highly unlikely that a legion armies after her husband was captured. Joanna
of male soldiers would have managed to capture the commune of Redon DECLARE THAT YOU MADE ME SAY
and at the siege of Hennebont she encouraged
followed her word if the
the women to “cut their skirts and take their IT BY FORCE”
inclusion of women in battle safety in their own hands.” Joanna was
had not already been widely described as entering the fray with
accepted at the time. her sword and fighting “with
the heart of a lion.”

73

Her canonisation swiftly
followed her death

The belief that Joan was immediately hailed as a saint straight after her
burning at the stake is incorrect. In fact it took 25 years for a second
trial to even take place. The retrial took place in 1456 following an
investigation in 1452 and a formal appeal in 1455. Overseen by Pope
Callixtus III at the request of Joan’s mother and Inquisitor-General Jean
Bréhal, the trial examined testimony from 115 witnesses and concluded
that Joan was innocent of her crimes. Originally 70 charges were brought
against Joan, but these were reduced to 12, which varied from witchcraft
to horse theft. The two that she was eventually found guilty of were
heresy and cross-dressing. Although Joan became a strong figure in the
Catholic Church, she wasn’t actually canonised until 16 May 1920 by
Pope Benedict XV, almost 500 years after her death.












Charles of Orléans

was her father
This myth is one of the oldest ones concerning
Joan, borne out of the ancient belief that
someone from such low social standing could
not possibly accomplish such remarkable things.
In 1407 a baby was born to the Orléans family
who died soon after birth, so people jumped
ontheideathatJoanmusthavebeenthis‘lost’
child, secretly bundled away and coached to later
emerge and lead France to victory. This absurd
theory ignores the fact that this child indeed did
die as the records say and was born five years
before Joan. There is not a shred of evidence to
back up this conspiracy theory, and it is quite
absurd that the idea of Joan having royal blood
somehow legitimises her achievements, as during
this period several members of the French royal
family were suffering from mental disabilities and
insanity themselves.


She was a

great warrior


Although ‘The Maid of Orléans’ is remembered
as a fearless warrior, she admitted at her trial that
she never killed anyone. In fact, Joan was probably
one of the mildest figures on the field, and her
comrades attested to the fact that she wept and
prayed for the departed souls on both sides of
the battle. Joan took less of a combat role and
acted as a sort of ‘mascot’ for the troops. Although
she carried a sword, it was her banner she relied
on, proclaiming, “I liked much better, even forty
times, my standard than my sword.” The image
of Joan tearing across the battlefield slaughtering
the English is not true, but she was very brave – at
the Siege of Orléans she was shot with an arrow
between her neck and shoulder but stayed on the
battlefield to encourage the French troops.


74

She lied about

Inquisitor the voices in
Thepresenceofa
member of the Inquisition
wasrequiredbylawto her head
validate the trial, but
Judge Vice Inquisitor Jean
The Bishop of Beauvaid, Pierre Cauchon,
Le Maistre was mostly
served as the judge at Joan’s trial and was absent.Itwaslater The appearance of three mysterious voices in
the primary catalyst behind her sentencing
reported that Le Maistre Joan’s head sent the French teenager off in her
andexecution.AnEnglishsympathiser,he refusedtocooperateuntil quest to expel the English from her homeland. The
used intimidation, fraud and threats to bring
hislifewasthreatened
Joan to her eventual downfall. accusation that Joan was lying about these holy
bytheEnglish,andhe
subsequently played a voiceswasascommonatthetimeasitistoday.
verysmallpartinthetrial. At her trial Joan was asked frequently about the
voices,aboutwhattheytoldhertodoandthe
nature of their appearances. Considering Joan was
representing herself and was subjected to daily
physical and mental exhaustion, it would not have
beensurprisingifhertaledeviated–butitdid
not. Under constant questioning Joan’s account of
her miraculous visions remained constant. Joan
experiencedherfirstvisionwhenshewas12years
old;thevoicestoldhertodrivetheEnglishout
ofthecountryandbringthedauphinCharlesto
Reimstobecrowned.Itwasn’tuntilshewas16that
she felt compelled to follow them.
It seems unlikely she made the three saintly
Prosecutor voices up for attention, as the story would likely
Jean Beaupere served as a prosecutor unravelundertheinterrogationofskilledlawyers.
during Joan’s trial. He interrogated her Whether the voices really did come from saints and
mercilessly and insisted there were angels as Joan claimed is impossible to validate, but
natural causes for Joan’s visions. He later
testified about the trial in 1452 during the what we can say with some certainty is that Joan
investigations for the retrial. believedthevoicessheheardwerelegitimate,and
she followed them despite putting herself in danger.
VOICES IN HER HEAD
The Inquisition
arranged her trial SAINT SAINT SAINT
MICHAEL CATHERINE MARGARET
The assumption that the Inquisition ARCHANGEL IN EGYPTIAN, 282- GREEK,
hunted down Joan and pushed for her trial CHRISTIANITY, 305 UNKNOWN-304
is a common one, but inaccurate. Pierre ISLAM AND Known for: Known
Cauchon was the main judge at the trial, JUDAISM Converting for: Being
disowned and
hundreds of
Known for:
but he was not a member of the Inquisition, Thereisno Leading God’s people to tortured due
and in fact there was only one inquisitor evidence at all that armies and Christianity to her Christian
beliefs and
aged 14,
there – Jean Le Maistre. Maistre did not Joan was homosexual defeating Satan executed prompting many
in the Book of
attend the trial, but was forced to preside by andthis‘crime’didnot Revelation by Emperor miraculous
Maxentius. incidents to
the English who threatened him with death featureonthelonglist occur. Was killed
if he dared to refuse. At the retrial years of accusations she
after Joan’s death, Inquisitor Jean Bréhal facedattrial.
agreed with Maistre that the trial and
conviction was wholly illegal. Those who
did speak out about the illegality and unfair
proceedings during the trial were either
thrown in prison themselves or threatened
with death by the English, with the
inquisitors not exempt from these threats.
Joan’s trial and eventually execution was
wholly political, and the entire proceedings
were controlled by the English who wished
to rid France of this dangerous woman who
threatened their victory.




75















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THE REAL-LIFE













OF




















































In the mid-19th t was supposed to be a day of celebration; a its 31 stars and 13 stripes flew over the City Hall
time for people to enjoy the United States’ and the church bells rang – once at sunrise and
century, the Five hard-fought independence, which had been again at noon – trouble lurked around the corner. It
won some 81 years earlier against the British wasn’t the first time that mass violence had seen
Points area of New IEmpire. However, as the evening hours of the streets of New York splattered red with blood;
Saturday, 4 July 1857 unfolded, it soon became clear since the 1820s, gangs had come to rule parts of
York was the brutal to the New York authorities that they would have a Lower Manhattan and violence was depressingly
bloody fight on their hands. common. Many of these gangs were made up of
battleground for gangs During the day, the warm glow of a sunny sky poor, ruthless, unskilled Irish immigrants fleeing
had bathed the excited but peaceful spirits of the the Great Famine back home, competing for ever-
seeking to gain control city’s inhabitants, most of whom had taken the decreasing living space and respect in a country
day off. Stores had closed their doors, banks had where many saw them as an inferior race and
stopped trading and the courts had ceased to wished they would return home.
Written by David Crookes process its villains. And yet, as the US flag with These hopeful immigrants worked in the


84

THE REAL-LIFE GANGS OF NEW YORK







THE GANGS’

TERRITORIES






WALKER STREET (FUTURE CANAL STREET)
CENTER STREET ORANGE STREET MULBERRY STREET MOTT STREET ELIZABETH STREET BOWERY


WHITE STREET
BAYARD STREET
FRANKLIN STREET
PELL STREET BOWERY

LEONARD STREET
CROSS STREET
CENTER STREET ANTHONY STREET ORANGE STREET MULBERRY STREET CHATHAM


SQUARE
CROSS STREET PEARL STREET CHATHAM STREET





FT FORTY MANHATTAN
THIEVES


DB DAYBREAK
BOYS

BB THEBOWERY CENTRAL PARK
BOYS


W WHYO BROADWAY


DR DEAD
RABBITS


K KERRYONIANS POINTS
FIVE



notorious slums in which they came to reside, of the infamous area. in the early-19th century, had been formed solely
some toiling long, hard hours to send money back Five Points was the roughest part of town. It to protect the city’s liquor merchants. Gangs would
to Ireland; others trading in bloody violence and had been built up in an area that was once home also attach themselves to volunteer fire stations,
hair-raising crime as they sought political influence to a pretty five-acre lake known as the Collect but taking payments from the city for putting out
and wealth. Of the New York gangs of the 1850s, had, in the mid-18th century, become a dumping blazes, although this stopped shortly after the Great
two – The Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys – had ground for the bloody waste of the tanneries and Fire of 1835 when 600 buildings in 17 city blocks
battled the hardest, engaging in fierce fighting slaughterhouses that ringed it. The authorities filled were destroyed while the gangs fought among
against each other with both bearing grudges going in the dumping ground in 1813, but the slums that themselves and looted at will.
back years. They each took up camp in different emerged on top were little better. It was the dirtiest In order to keep earning money and to gain
parts of the city: The Dead Rabbits in an area and unhealthiest hellhole on Earth in the eyes its respect, the gangs quickly realised the benefits of
called the Five Points, the centre of which was an unlucky inhabitants and, in such an environment, involving themselves in political matters. Politicians
irregular intersection of three streets – Anthony, the gangs offered security, work and money. came to use the gangs’ muscle to help them fight
Cross and Orange – that had five corners, while The The Dead Rabbits, for instance, had been part of an election – sometimes quite literally – and in
Bowery Boys claimed the Bowery district just north another crew nicknamed the Roach Guards that, return, they were rewarded in an arrangement


85

THE REAL-LIFE GANGS OF NEW YORK





COULD YOU BE in which both sides benefited. Democrat mayor
THE GANG Fernando Wood employed many Irishmen in the
Municipal Police but in 1857, when he was accused
BUSTERS A MUNICIPA of corruption and refused to stand down, the
Stateformedarivalforce;theMetropolitanPolice.
Calling for the cops POLICE ThisthreatenedtheroleoftheIrishanditledto
wasn’t necessarily a
shrewd move; corruption OFFICER? widespread anger, especially on 2 July, when the
Municipal Police was disbanded.
JusttwodayslaterTheDeadRabbitsalong
inevitably ruled with other gangs from the Five Points walked en
masse to the Bowery, targeting Metropolitan cops
19th-centuryNewYorkwasachaotic
city and for the century’s first half, it was QUALIFICATIONS: along the way. “Five members of the Metropolitan
policed by an incompetent and corrupt force No qualifications necessary Police[…]weresurrounded[…]byseveralhundred
available for hire. This force consisted of a as officers are trainedonthe ofthelowIrishoccupantsofthetenanthouses
night watch, 100 city marshalls and some 80 job. You will require common thereabout”, wrote a reporter in the New-York Daily
government officers. In 1845, however, the sense and a dollop of bravery:
pro-immigrant Democratic Party created an some cops refuse to patrol Tribune.Itwasjustthebeginningofthebattlefor
800-strong, highly political Municipal Police neighbourhoods on foot after controlamongthegangs,thetwodifferentspolice
force. When Democrat Fernando Wood was dark, but we want you to be made forces and politicians.
elected mayor of New York City in 1854, he of sterner stuff. numbers of arriving immigrants
lent his support to it, knowing his immigran that are new to the city. For Irish bare-knuckle fighter and gambler John
supporters had a controlling interest. Wood PHYSICAL FITNESS: Morrissey, the ensuing fight was essential. By 1857,
used it for his own political advantage and i You must be able and willing to UNIFORM: this loyal Democrat had come to lead the Dead
members weren’t above taking bribes. walk constantly for a shift of 16 You will have seen some of our
In 1857, when the Republicans came hours around a few small blocks officers wearing copper stars on Rabbits. It had been quite a rise for Morrissey, who
to control New York State, it created a of the city. Ability to deal with their hats and jackets. Removing had arrived in Manhattan at the age of 18 and
replacement Metropolitan Police. With Woo riots is essential; so is being able these for fear of attack on the startedabrawlatthecity’spoliticalorganisation,
refusing to let go of the Municipals, the city to nimbly navigate the dangerous street is frowned upon. As of 1853, theEmpireClub,withinhoursofsettingfooton
ended up with two forces, each controlled Five Points. full uniforms are permitted.
by a rival political party. Things came to American soil. The club had been run by Isalah
a bloody head when Met officers tried to RESPONSIBILITIES: CRIMINAL RECORD? Rynders, the political boss of the Sixth Ward voting
arrest the mayor on corruption charges on You will be expected to apprehend Having been in trouble with district in which the Five Points was located, and
16 June 1857. Hundreds of Municipal Police ruffians, often forcibly, inspect the law doesn’t mean you can’t
defended him and an almighty battle ensu hacks and stages, sweep the be a police officer, although MorrisseybecameRynders’protégé,usinghis
on the steps and corridors of City Hall, wit streets and light gas lamps in it is beneficial if your political brawn to intimidate Republican voters. Although
the resulting feud simmering for months a the evening. It is important allegiance is to the Democrats. Do Morrissey lived in California for a spell, where he
gangs siding with either the Municipals or you protect private property, you side with the Republicans? wonseveralboxingmatches,hisdesiretostepinto
the Metropolitans. The Municipal police fo especially that of the ruling Apply for a role with the
was disbanded later that year. political party, and control large Metropolitan Police. theringwithfamousfighterYankeeSullivanlured
himback.HethrewhimselfintoNewYorklife,not
only getting involved in the American-Irish rivalry
Mulberry Bend in the Five thatsplitthecitybutalsoallyinghimselfwiththe
Points in the late-19th or pro-immigrationpoliticsoftheDemocrats.
early-20th century
Intheoppositecornerwasanotherbare-knuckle
boxer, William Poole, otherwise known as Bill the
Butcher.PoolewastheleaderofboththeBowery
BoysandtheKnowNothingpoliticalmovement



FORTY THIEVES


WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? Given that they numbered
more than 40 members, it is highly likely they took
inspiration from the folk tale Ali Baba And The Forty
Thieves.

MEMBERS: Irish immigrants
MAIN ENEMY: Shopkeepers and residents of the Five Points.
GANG BRUTALITY: They were among the first of New York’s
organised street gangs, formed by Edward Coleman in
1826. He was imprisoned in 1838 for violently beating and
killing his wife for not earning enough cash.
DID YOU KNOW? Their headquarters was in the Centre
Street grocery store and dive bar run by Rosanna Peers.
Members were given illegal activity quotas and were also
involved in politics.
DOMINANT YEARS: 1826-1850




86

THE AL-LIFE GANGS OF EW YORK






New York’s affairs and would, if it could, strip the
Living space in the
Irish of US citizenship. His men would frequently KERRYONIANS Five Points was
rig elections and seize ballot boxes, so Isalah inhospitably crowded
Rynders employed Morrissey and the Dead
WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? The gang’s
Rabbits to prevent this from happening. The two
members predominantly came from County
groups became sworn enemies and, inflaming the Kerry in Ireland.
situation further, was a personal grudge between
Morrissey and Poole that stemmed from the MEMBERS: Irish immigrants
butcher placing a bet against Morrissey in his fight
MAIN ENEMY: Anyone of British descent.
against Sullivan in 1853.
The feud reached a climax in 1854, when they GANG BRUTALITY: Much of their time was spent
agreed to settle their differences as they believed beating up and mugging British people.
real men should; in a boxing match. During the
DID YOU KNOW? They frequently gathered at
fight Poole beat Morrissey to such an extent that
Rosanna Peers’ grocery store, rarely venturing
sight in one of his eyes was irreparably damaged. much further.
In retaliation Morrissey’s friend, Lew Baker, blasted
Poole in the chest with a gun some months later, DOMINANT YEARS: 1825-1830s
causing a wound so deep that he died following
two weeks of agonising pain.
Many gang members
These bloody events and the subsequent ongoing ended up in Manhattan’s DAYBREAK BOYS
skirmishes between the Dead Rabbits and the detention centre
Bowery Boys were mere child’s play compared to
the evening of 4 July 1857. Just a short while after WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? They operated
before dawn.
the battle with the Metropolitan cops, the Dead
Rabbits raided a saloon run by the Bowery Boys MEMBERS: Teenage Americans
and another city gang called the Atlantic Guards.
They assaulted the building with stones, bricks MAIN ENEMY: Five Points Gang.
and clubs, smashing windows to fragments and
GANG BRUTALITY: Police suspected them
pummelling at the doors with such force that they
of stealing up to $200,000 of goods and
began to give way. The Bowery Boys and Atlantic murdering between 20 and 40 people.
Guards retaliated with fury, and hell was unleashed.
Fights spilled on to the city’s streets as hundreds of DID YOU KNOW? They often operated on the
East River on boats as pirates.
gang members tore into each other, fists pounding
faces; clubs battering bodies; bullets cracking over DOMINANT YEARS: 1840s-1850s
the tremendous noise of shouting and bravado. The










































87

THE AL-LIFE GANGS OF EW YORK


















































THE BOWERY
BOYS

WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? They staked
their territory around the Bowery, north of
Five Points.
MEMBERS: Americans
MAIN ENEMY: Catholics and Irish immigrants;
The Dead Rabbits were their main rivals.

GANG BRUTALITY: They would guard polling
stations and brutally intimidate Irish-Catholic
immigrants to vote for their candidates.
DID YOU KNOW? They were middle-class men,
obsessed with their appearance, believing
themselves to be better than the more recent
immigrants. They ran a fire department and
were allied with the Metropolitan Police.
DOMINANT YEARS: 1840s-1860s


THEREALBILLTHEBUTCHER a highly fictionalised film
Daniel Day Lewis played
version of Bill the Butcher
“Readyforactiononalloccasions”
William ‘Bill the Butcher’ Poole was an imposing, tough Although he was a violent, strong-willed, physically fit
gangsterwhohadafirmgripontheBoweryBoysandused man described by The New York Times as “ready for action
them to further his own political ambitions. A butcher by on all occasions”, he is not believed to have killed anyone.
trade, he was a leader of the Know Nothing movement and He was no angel, though; he gouged the eyes of opponents
he was strongly against the influx of foreign immigrants, when fighting them and was part of a gang, which savagely
whichcausedhimtoclashwithJohnMorrissey,headofthe beatthebarkeeperoftheFlorence’sHotel.Hediedofashot
Dead Rabbits. woundon8March1855,aged34.


88

THE AL-LIFE GANGS OF EW YORK







Gang members encountering a
wealthy person in the Five Points DEAD RABBITS
– the Bowery Boys were not too
badly off themselves, though
WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? According to
Irish slang, “dead” meant “extremely” and
“rabbit” means “fearful.”

MEMBERS: Irish immigrants
MAIN ENEMY: The Bowery Boys.
GANG BRUTALITY: Having split from the Roach
Guards – and said to distinguish themselves
with a red instead of blue stripe on their
pantaloons – the Dead Rabbits were the most
feared of all of the gangs, constantly fighting,
pick-pocketing and robbing others.
DID YOU KNOW? The Dead Rabbits were
active in politics, supporting Mayor Fernando
Wood and his immigrant-populated
Municipal Police. One of their members was
an infamous female fighter called Hell Cat
Maggie who filed her teeth into points and
wore long, claw-like brass fingernails.
POVERTY WORTH
DOMINANT YEARS: 1850s
WRITING ABOUT
“ Even by the standards of the city’s CharlesDickenswashorrified

worst slum, the riots of 4 July were on bythelivingconditionsofthe
Five Points slum
a different scale” Writer and social critic Charles Dickens was well
versed in the misery of England’s Victorian slums.
Dead Rabbits began to be pushed back, their attack one gang or another, a loosening of ties with a They formed the backdrop to his many novels from
The Adventures Of Oliver Twist to Great Expectations,
turningtodesperatedefence. corrupt politician would spell disaster. Only by each a commentary on the life he saw around him.
ThebattlemovedtothenearbyBranchHotel fighting could they continue to enjoy the spoils In 1842, Dickens visited the US and Canada with his
where residents formed a barricade to keep the such political arrangements brought, and for the wife, spending a month in New York to give a series of
lectures. Dickens’ thoughts on his travels were detailed
oncomingmobatbay.TheBoweryBoysand Irishgangstherewasachancethatwiththeloss in his American Notes For General Circulation. He did
AtlanticGuardsmanagedtodrivetheDeadRabbits of their tame politician would come persecution. not hold back when it came to the Five Points around
away,buttheirretreatwasnotpermanentand The Irish were reliant on the strong ties they had which he was given a tour.
The famous novelist talked of “ruined houses,
thefightingcontinued.Themenwouldtrade withtheDemocraticParty.Aspartofareciprocal open to the street, whence, through wide gaps in the
blows while women would find ammunition arrangement, for instance, Mayor Wood would walls, other ruins loom upon the eye, as though the
such as rocks that the men could launch at their ensure the Irish immigrants had a plentiful supply world of vice and misery had nothing else to show.”
enemy. The newly created Metropolitan Police was offoodandcoalaswellashelpwithrentandjobs. He described “hideous tenements which take their
renderedpowerlessinthefaceoftheonslaught; Without Wood and the Democrats, Irish name from robbery and murder: all that is loathsome,
drooping and decayed here”, and noted, “poverty,
many of those who served with the rival Municipal integration into society would have been much wretchedness and vice… reeking everywhere with dirt
PolicesidedwiththeIrishgangsandjoinedinthe hardertoachieve,sotheDeadRabbitsgang and filth.” Dickens questioned, “What place is this, to
attacks on the Metropolitan Police. was only too willing to use muscle to help their which the squalid street conducts us?”
The streets descended into chaos as gang politicians achieve their goals. An open door to
memberslootedbuildingsandrobbedanyonethey other gangs that often fought alongside the Bowery would be called in to quell the violence. Many gang
came across using brick-bats, iron bars and knives. Boys would have been a sign of weakness. The members were fuelled by ‘bad liquor’ that had been
Thecity’sinhabitantsbarricadedthemselves stakesweretoohighandpoliticiansunderstood drunk throughout the day, so it didn’t take long for
into their cramped living quarters in a desperate more than anyone the power gangs could provide hundreds to assemble once more to throw cobbles
attempttostaysafe.Ifthemerementionofthe tothem;atelectiontimesfightingandintimidation and missiles high into the air.
AstorPlaceRiotof1849stillsentachilldownthe wasfrequentlyusedto‘persuade’voterstosupport At around 7pm on the Sunday, Isalah Rynders,
spineofaNewYorker–thefirstuprisinginwhich aparticularcandidate.Violencewasacommon the political boss of the Sixth Ward, tried to broker
thestatemilitiawerecalledout–thenitlookedlike occurrenceintheFivePoints,butevenbythe a truce. Both sides jeered his attempts to calm
therewouldbeanewhorrorstoryforthecity,as standardsofthecity’sworstslum,theriotsof4 them and pelted him with rocks, forcing a hasty
theviolenceshowednosignsofabating. July were on a different scale. retreat. Fighting continued for another hour before
Morrissey’sDeadRabbitsgangandothercrews The New-York Daily Tribune dubbed the violence a cease-fire was finally declared, but the actions of
fromtheFivePointsregroupedandreignitedthe ‘civil war in the bloody sixth’ district as they spilled those final moments showed that Rynders’ position
battle again. There was still much to fight for: into the next day. One flashpoint involved another was untenable. Morrissey eventually became
MorrisseyfearedlosinggroundtotheBowery Irishgang,theKerryonians,whointerferedina head of the Sixth Ward and, in 1866, following the
Boys because it would have strengthened the fracas during which 12 men were shot and 40 bloodshed of the American Civil War of 1861 to
pro-Yankee,anti-IrishNativeAmericanPartywith injured. The Metropolitan Police ran into more 1865, ran for Congress and served two terms. He
whichtheysympathised.Forthoseaffiliatedto troubleandtherewereevenrumoursthemilitia put Irish interests at the top of his agenda.


89

THE AL-LIFE GANGS OF EW YORK






After the American war life began to get better during the war formed the Whyos gang and ruled
LIVING for the Irish and many of them gradually moved wider Manhattan with an iron fist. The Irish won
away from the United States’ biggest slum and
themselves political influence with resentment
CONDITIONS the cesspit of violence, waste and disease it had against them subsiding to some degree. Violence
become. This wasn’t the end of the Five Points,
and savagery continued, though, with the
or the gangs though; there were plenty more newspapers lapping up each tale, providing the
immigrants to take their place, this time from Italy, middle classes – many of whom had toured the
China and other far-flung European and Eastern Five Points in the 1840s with camphor-soaked
locations. Those who had just stepped off the boat handkerchiefs over their noses – with a running
in New York often didn’t have enough money to soap opera of sorts.
live anywhere apart from the dirtiest, cheapest and The Five Points is no more today; the buildings
most dangerous part of the city; the Five Points. were gradually razed during the 20th century and
When they were there they grouped together to visitors today will see court houses, Chinatown and
survive and exert the political clout they needed to Little Italy now sitting upon the Five Points area.
improve their position. It is a part of Lower Manhattan now better known
The names of the gangs may have been different, for its prosperity than the slums that witnessed a
but the Five Points remained one of the most two-day riot during the nation’s Independence Day.
dangerous parts of the US long after men like Bill Still, the Five Points – where so many immigrants
the Butcher had become myths told by mothers literally fought for a chance at the American Dream
to scare their children into behaving. Members – will forever be a key part of New York and the
of the Five Points gangs that had disbanded United States’ history.

FREQUENT FIRES “ The Metropolitan Police ran into more
There was one thing residents of the Five Points feared
more than even the gangs – fires. Ruffians affiliated trouble and there were even rumours
themselves to fire stations and were paid for turning up at
blazes first. Rivals would arrive at the same time leading to
large-scale fisticuffs over who would put it out while the the militia would be called in”
properties burned.
POORSANITATION
With so many people living cheek to jowl and so few
outhouses, sanitation was incredibly poor. Sewage ran WHYO
down the streets and the air was filled with the stench of
urine and pigs. Disease soon spread, cholera and diphtheria
making life even more miserable. WHY WERE THEY CALLED THAT? Their calling-
card shout sounded like “Why-o.”
CRAMPEDCONDITIONS
Families and groups of people jammed their bodies into MEMBERS: Irish immigrants
tiny, squalid, dank and dark rooms. Some buildings –
notably The Old Brewery – were full to bursting with MAIN ENEMY: Anyone threatening their turf.
hundreds of people jostling for space. Fights were frequent
and murders common as gangs ran amok in carefree, GANG BRUTALITY: The Whyos emerged
lawless chaos. following the Civil War, made up of murderers
and pickpockets from the old Five Points
street gangs. To become a member, a person
SOURCE MATERIAL needed to have killed at least once.
DID YOU KNOW? They were so feared that
Herbert Asbury paints an almost
other gangs asked them for permission to
unbelievable picture of the Five Points operate. They ruled most of Manhattan,
running prostitution, murder and extortion
rackets. One member, Piker Ryan, even had a
price list; for example, two black eyes cost $3.
DOMINANT YEARS: 1865-1890s
















Even in the 1870s, these immigrant tenements in Donovan
Lane near Five Points lived in terrible conditions



90

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HISTORY ANSWERS





Sendyourquestionsto [email protected]


What was the
The Maginot Line was an
expensive military mistake
Ghost Dance?
Edward Johnstone, Carlisle
Originating in Nevada, the Ghost Dance
was a Native-American spiritual movement
that peaked in the final years of the
American Indian Wars. Foretold by religious
leader Wovoka, the dance was meant to
bring back the old Native-American way of
life before the white settlers came west.
It also promised to return dead relatives
who had fallen at the hands of the new
colonists. The dance spread throughout
many tribes including the Cheyenne,
Arapaho and Apache, and involved the
dancer going into a trance-like state.
Despite the massacre at Wounded Knee
in 1890, the dance continued, in a vain
attempt to restore peace, as the remaining
ANDRE MAGINOT
French, 1877-1932 tribes were rounded up into reservations
and their way of life was gradually eroded.
A high-ranking
What was the Brief French statesman
and then-minister
Bio
of war, Maginot
demanded that his
Maginot Line? country construct a line of
defensive fortifications against
the perceived threat of German
invasion. As well as the famous
Alex Yates, Gloucester The huge cost of the defences led battlements, Maginot served
in World War I and helped
Even after World War I had ended to several other areas of the French reorganise his country’s army
the French elite were still wary of military being poorly financed though after the conflict.
the threat from the East, despite the and, although the Maginot Line did
Treaty of Versailles stripping away stop a direct German attack, the
most of Germany’s power. As a result Nazis simply invaded France though
of these fears they constructed huge Belgium in 1940 and thus avoided
defences over their eastern border most of the defences. The French
from Luxembourg in the north to had left their Belgian border sparsely
Switzerland in the south. Filled defended, so the Germans simply
with heavy weapon instalments, outflanked the line, blitzing through
the defences were designed to be the Ardennes. When Allied forces
almost impenetrable to any advancing invaded Nazi-occupied France in
German force. They were designed by 1944 they too mostly bypassed the
Andre Maginot and built for a cost of wall, further highlighting what an The Ghost Dance was popular
about 3 billion French francs. expensive mistake it was. throughout many of the Native-
American tribes

Thisdayinhistory 13 November


1002 1642 1715 1789
St Brice’s Day Massacre English Civil War begins TheBattleofSheriffmuir O “Nothing is certain but death
Ordered by King Ethelred the Tensions between Charles I A key battle of the Jacobite and taxes”
Unready, this slaughter of many and Parliament reach fever Rebellion,thetwoarmiesclash This immortal phrase is uttered
Viking men is issued after Danish pitch and civil war breaks out. at Sheriffmuir near Dunblane. byBenjaminFranklininaletter
raids had frequently ravaged It rages until 1649, with Charles Afterthebattle,government to France’s Jean-Baptiste Le Roy
England in the preceding years. beheaded and Oliver Cromwell forces manage to halt the describing the new US Constitution.
It is believed the massacre led to later establishing himself as advanceoftheJacobitearmy Since then, the quote has been
future Viking raids and Danelaw. Lord Protector. as they retreat to Perth. frequently used in popular culture.



92

History Answers






Who was Parmenion?


YOUR
Elliott Reeves Giblin, Liverpool from grace after he was supposedly
He was a Macedonian general who involved in a conspiracy to assassinate
served both Phillip II and Alexander the Macedonian leader. His guilt has
TWEETS
the Great in their conquests of Persia. never been proven, but Alexander Follow us at…
He contributed greatly to big military went on the defensive and Parmenion @AboutHistoryMag
victories at Granikos and Issos. At was quickly disposed of and stabbed Ifyouhaven’thadthe
one time Parmenion was second in to death without being given a chance pleasure, please check out All
About History magazine. It
command after Alexander, but he fell to refute the allegations. is amazing
@BeanBodhi
@AboutHistoryMag Genghis
Khan, Chernobyl and Sparta
with a bonus of finding out
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@Muttbunch82
The Tudor monarch had an incredibly short Great, new issue of
reign and is known as the ‘Nine-Day Queen’
AboutHistoryMag just
Howlongwas arrived! Awesome cover too...
@Edwardchapman01
Lady Jane Grey on @AboutHistoryMag Reading
time…myfavmagIwanta
the throne for? life-long subscription
@BlueFlower_88
Luke Powell, Swind
Lady Jane Grey reig
middle of the Tudor
between Edward VI
the sickly Edward d
lord protector, John
WHAT of Northumberland,
Parmenion isn’t as Edward’s success
mentioned often but WAS THE NAME Mary and Elizabeth.
he was one of the most spectacularly as the
important Macedonian OF THE LEADER OF
military tacticians Mary’s cause, so the
THE GUNPOWDER wasbeheadedinFe
Which Allied pilot shot PLOT?
down the most planes Robert Catesby
in World War I?
Jason Scott, Chelmsford
Hailed by none other than the Red Baron himself, Albert
Ball is considered the best dogfighter on the Allied
sideintheFirstWorldWar.With44confirmedkills
andapossible25unconfirmedonesaswell,Ballwas
an outstanding and brave pilot. He joined the army at
the outbreak of the war, transferred to the Royal Flying
Corps 1916 and flew on reconnaissance missions before Discover ten ter
As well as his
becoming a fighter ace. On 7 May 1917, Ball was killed flying expertise,
when his plane crashed – it is thought he experienced Ball is famous for predictions – an
mechanical problems with the plane rather than being themanyletters historyans
hewroteofhis
shot down. The British ace was posthumously awarded
experiences
the Victoria Cross and remains an iconic figure.



1918 1941 1947 1971
Constantinople occupied Ark Royal torpedoed First AK-47 made O Probe orbits Mars
Constantinople, the centre Having survived many attacks The AK-47 assault NASA space probe Mariner 9
of the Ottoman Empire, is in its lifetime, the HMS Ark rifleiscreatedby becomes the first spacecraft to
captured by British, French and Royal finally runs out of luck Mikhail Kalashnikov orbit Mars as it comes within
Italian forces. It is the first time as it is torpedoed by the andbecomesimmenselypopularduetoitslowcost 1,290km (800mi) of the Red
the city changes hands since German U-81 just off the coast and durability. The inventor is rewarded with The Planet’s surface. The Mariner
the Ottoman Turks occupied of Gibraltar. Most of the ship’s StalinPrizeandtheOrderofTheRedStar,aswellas takes 7,329 images of Mars,
the Byzantine capital in 1453. 1,487officersandcrewsurvive. lifelong fame. capturing violent sandstorms.



93

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T

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Major Philip Walter
Plumb, aged 22 (1947)
Palm-leaf papyruses
at Myanmar National
Library, preserved
SHARE & WI
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Scans of snaps that
offer insight to the past
Antiques and Marianne Piano a long-standing affection for the country and
objects My grandfather, Philip Walter stayedinBurmaforthreeyearsaspartofthe
Show off your family heirlooms, Plumb,wasborninthewinterof Army Education Corps, training and educating
mementos and retro curios 1925 at River Green in Buntingford troops for demobilisation and a return to civilian
Letters from the past – a Hertfordshire market town. life in a variety of occupations. He had a great love
He resided there for the duration of knowledge and education, and studied for his
Old correspondence can hold a wealth of
ofhislife,takingontheroleof LibraryAssociationexamswhileinBurma–bythe
historical info and fascinating stories
its historian and chronicling Buntingford’s places, time he was demobilised, he had been promoted
News clippings people and happenings through his photograph tomajorandwascommandantofatrainingcentre
Articles reporting on iconic events collectionandbooks.However,hisinterests with around 500 students under his care.
and research ranged far beyond the town in In1992,hewasoneofthefewindividualsfrom
Amazing stories whichhelived.Inthesummerof1945,toward outside Burma allowed to visit the country, as
Interesting or insightful tales passed theendofWWII,hewason-boardashipto president of the British Library Association (now
down from your ancestors Yangon (Rangoon), Burma (now Myanmar) with theCharteredInstituteofLibraryandInformation
Eyewitness accounts hisplatoon,asanofficerintheBedsandHerts Professionals) where he was able to assist Burmese
Regiment, when they received news of Japan’s librarians with the conservation and cataloguing
Did you witness a historic event in
surrender. The war was over. of numerous irreplaceable palm-leaf books and
person? Share it today
Upon disembarking at Yangon, Philip found illustrated manuscripts. His efforts and those of
Family trees Burma’scapitaltobeinaterriblestate,withno theBurmeseNationalLibraryhaveensuredthese
A chance to boast about famous or watersupplyandopenroadsidedrainsfullof scriptures can still be read and admired for many
significant ancestors sewage. Despite this first impression, he developed years to come.
Send your memories to: [email protected] /AllAboutHistory @AboutHistoryMag



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HISTORY HOLLYWOOD

VS





Fact versus fi ction on the silver screen






































What they got right
The overall atmosphere of the
movie and the persecution that
Irish immigrants faced upon
GANGS OF NEW YORK and gangs really did war among
moving to America is entirely true
themselves regularly. The names
of the Five Points gangs – Bowery
Boys, Dead Rabbits, Plug Uglies,
Short tails, Slaughter Houses,

Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron SwampAngels–arealsocorrect.
Diaz,DanielDay-Lewis Country of origin: USA Year made: 2002
Does this film butcher the realities of
life in the notorious New York slum?





WHATTHEYGOTWRONG…
One of the central characters One member of Amsterdam’s Throughout the movie Throughout the film The film’s final
01 in the movie, Bill ‘the 02 gang is a young black man, 03 various characters are 04 Amsterdam (DiCaprio) and 05 confrontation between the
Butcher’ Cutting, is depicted as but it is extremely unlikely they shown drinking out of pewter his father repeatedly recite a section Irish and the ‘natives’ occurs during
being alive and well in 1862. This would have allowed black people to mugs, and the bars are full of them. of the Prayer to St Michael. The first the Draft Riots, but in reality the
man did exist, but his name was join them. During the draft riots Irish However, people stopped drinking time Priest Vallon speaks the prayer showdown happened on 4-5 July
Bill Poole and he died in 1855 after immigrants attacked blacks, killing at from pewter cups in the 18th before the street battle is in 1846, 1857, not 1863. Still, it was between
being shot in a gambling saloon by least 119 and also targeting numerous century, so glass tumblers would but the prayer wasn’t written until the Bowery Boys (Natives) and the
a rival gangster, Lew Baker. black orphanages. have been far more accurate. 1886 by Pope Leo XIII. Dead Rabbits (Irish) as depicted.







© Alamy




98

The Holy Land Revealed

Taught by Professor Jodi Magness
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
LECTURE TITLES
1. The Land of Canaan
2. The Arrival of the Israelites
55% 3. Jerusalem—An Introduction to the City
LIMITED TIME OFFER
4. The Jerusalem of David and Solomon
off 5. Biblical Jerusalem’s Ancient Water Systems
ORDER BY 13 DECEMBER 6. Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel

7. Fortifications and Cult Practices
8. Babylonian Exile and the Persian Restoration
9. Alexander the Great and His Successors
10. The Hellenisation of Palestine
11. The Maccabean Revolt
12. The Hasmonean Kingdom
13. Pharisees and Sadducees
14. Discovery and Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls
15. The Sectarian Settlement at Qumran
16. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes
17. The Life of the Essenes
18. From Roman Annexation to Herod the Great
19. Herod as Builder—Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
20. Caesarea Maritima—Harbour and Showcase City
21. From Herod’s Last Years to Pontius Pilate
22. Galilee—Setting of Jesus’s Life and Ministry
23. Synagogues in the Time of Jesus
24. Sites of the Trial and Final Hours of Jesus
25. Early Jewish Tombs in Jerusalem
26. Monumental Tombs in the Time of Jesus
27. The Burials of Jesus and James
28. The First Jewish Revolt; Jerusalem Destroyed
29. Masada—Herod’s Desert Palace and the Siege
30. Flavius Josephus and the Mass Suicide
31. The Second Jewish Revolt against the Romans
32. Roman Jerusalem—Hadrian’s Aelia Capitolina
33. Christian Emperors and Pilgrimage Sites
34. Judaism and Synagogues under Christian Rule
35. Islam’s Transformation of Jerusalem
36. What and How Archaeology Reveals
Unearth Ancient Secrets


from the Holy Land The Holy Land Revealed

Course no. 6220 | 36 lectures (30 minutes/lecture)
With a rich history stretching back over 3,000 years, the Holy Land (the
area in and around modern-day Israel) is a sacred land for three major faiths
and the setting for defining events in religious history. And with the help of SAVE £45
information uncovered at various archaeological sites, historians have shed
intriguing new light on our understanding of this area—and its powerful
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an unforgettable experience that will add new dimensions to your
understanding of the millennia-long story of this dynamic region. Delivered
by archaeologist and professor Jodi Magness, these 36 lectures give you an For 24 years, The Great Courses has brought the world’s
insider’s look at ruins, artefacts, documents, and other long-buried objects foremost educators to millions who want to go deeper into
the subjects that matter most. No exams. No homework.
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