Off With Their Heads :) or The Headless Horseman Wannabe

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 167899

> Nikkalmati
  
> Oh dear.
  
>  "On 27 September 1480, they [Ferdinand and  Isabella] 
appointed the first inquisitors, who promptly installed  
themselves in Seville.  The Holy Office was born;  it was 
not to  disappear until 1834."  The Spanish Inquisition, 
by Joseph Perez  (Yale University Press 2005) at 21.

Goddlefrood:

Oh dear indeed :). Mr. Perez may never himself have read E. H.
Carr's "What is History?". An essential starting point for the
serious historian ;). My previous injunction relative to this
matter of 1492, which I admit to having started :), is having
little effect, or so it seems.

Mr. Carr's basic premise is that when reading history works it
should always be borne in mind, as I do, that the author must
necessarily be writing with regard to his or her own social and
cultural parameters. IOW it is extraordinarily difficult to be
objective. Mr. Perez, enough said, perhaps ;)

Technically the Spanish Inquisition was established by the Papal 
Bull "Exigit Sinceras Devotionis Affectus" in 1478, not 1480 as 
stated by Nikalmati from her source. Papal Bulls are, of course, 
always known by the introductory phrase ;). The original Papal 
Bull that established the Inquisition, as distinct from the 
Spanish Inquisition, that is "Ab Abolendam", was issued towards 
the end of the 13th Century. The King and Queen mentioned may 
have influenced this, but they certainly did not produce the 
Papal Bull, not being Popes themselves :).

It did also remain extant until the early nineteenth century, so
again, technically it is correct that the Spanish Inquisition 
lasted a little under 400 years. Having said that it effectively
only *operated* as an instrument of the wider Catholic Church for
about 30 or 40 years. It was, barring events in Loudun in the 
seventeenth century, the most brutal Inquisiton, but it did not
really do a great deal from about the 1530s onward. This can all
be found not only in many great works by some fine historians,
amongst them no doubt Lord Norwich, but also in a work (one of 
his few non-fiction ones) by Rafael Sabatini called "Torquemada 
and the Spanish Inquisition". 

I must say the record (as in LP) is now broken and I will play
another :)

> Nikalmati:

> On topic. I don't think the year 1492 means anything in 
Potterverse.

Goddlefrood:

Also now on topic, Nearly Headless Nick did not suffer his near 
beheading then in said year ? (I know this is imputed in a bit
I snipped ;))

There may be further significance in the year, but what it also 
does go to show is another example of JK not doing her sums 
properly. For Nick to have celebrated his five hundredth Death 
day party on 31st October 1992 he must have been nearly beheaded
on or around 20th October 1492 (you do the maths ;)) due to the 
anomaly of the change over in the British Isles (barring one 
small community in Wales that retains the Julian Calendar to this 
day, and who would like a bet that JK does not also know this ;)) 
from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. Well, none of 
you can say I didn't warn you about this ;). This changeover, of 
course, occurred in September 1752.

Hallowe'en is of known significance, but the 21st October 1492 
(and yes, I know it states the date exactly in the books) is
probably of no consequence. What is of consequence is that Henry 
VII was on the throne of England at the time of Nick's nearly 
beheading, and his kingdom was a member of the Order of the 
Golden Fleece. A similarity that is plain to see :)

At that time wizards and witches, acording to the boundaries set
up in canon, still lived amongst Muggles. The Statute of Secrecy 
did not take effect for a further two hundred years.

During HVIIR's reign the original Court of the Star Chamber, from 
which others were born, was set up, and I've referred previously 
to that body's similarity to the Wizengamot in canon.

Two significant events occurred in Florence (Firenze) in 1492, 
but I'm not about to link that in further ;). The birth of one 
and the death of another Lorenzo de Medici, if interested.

Why had Nick upset Henry VII or some other powerful leader and 
why did he choose to become a ghost, other than his professed 
fear of death should be of interest, it certainly interests me 
:). 

Once again it just really goes to show that JK does a little 
research and IMO likes her little links to matters in the 
Muggle world , as she herself has told us. Therefore, while
certain things can be ignored the significance of dates, both
years and specific days, should not be overlooked ;)

Goddlefrood who leaves you to ponder on this and on the wisdom
of further references to the Spanish Inquisition, which would 
not be expected ;)