Ronsard, Pierre de. 1524-85. French Pléiade poet. Odes 1550. Amours 1552. Franciade 1572.

Rosso Fiorentino. 1495-1540. Mannerist painter. Descent from Cross 1521.

Royal Scots Guards. 1633. Oldest regular regiment in British Army.

Rubens, Peter Paul. 1577-1640. Flemish Baroque painter. Sensuous works. Descent from Cross 1611. Médicis cycle 1621-5. Peace and War c1630.

Rump Parliament. 1648-60. After Pride’s Purge.

Russo-Swedish War. 1614-17. Russia loses access to Baltic. 1741-3. Sweden cedes part of Finland. 1788-90. 1808-9. Sweden cedes Finland + Åland Islands.

Sacco-Vanzetti Case. 1921-7. Italian/US anarchists convicted and executed despite prejudiced trial.

Saladin. 1138-93. Egyptian sultan 1169-. Took Jerusalem, 1187, inciting Third Crusade. Began Ayyubid Dynasty.

Samaritans. Jewish sect. Claim descent from Jews not deported 722BC. A claim rejected by other Jews. Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.

San Marino. 301 St Marinus the Dalmation settles. 1463 expanded. 1600 Constitution. Oldest, smallest independent republic.

Sandinistas. 1962-. Nicaraguan Communist guerilla group vs Somoza. Governed 1980-89, despite US Funded Contra rebellion.

Santo Domingo. Dominican Republic. 1496- Oldest continuous European settlement in western Hemisphere.

Sargon II. King of Assyria c722-705BC. Destroyed kingdom of Israel. Conquered Samaria, Babylon.

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. German dynasty includes Belgian Leopold I 1831-; Albert, Prince-Consort, England. 1840-; Ferdinand, Prince-Consort, Portugal. 1836-; Prince of Bulgaria 1887-1946.

Schley, Winfield. 1839-1911. Destroyed Spanish fleet at Santiago.

Scipio Africanus Minor. 185-129BC. Roman Consul, censor, general. Conquered, destroyed Carthage.

Scythians. 8/7-2C BC. Nomadic conquerors of S Europe, Russia. Conquered by Samaritans. Destroyed 2C AD.

Secret Speech. 1956. Khrushchev call for destalinization in USSR leads to Hungarian, Polish uprisings.

Sekhmet. Egyptian war goddess with lion’s head.

Seljuks. 1075-1242. Turkish dynasty ruled Caliphate Empire. Attacks vs Byzantines led to Crusades. Nucleus for Ottoman Empire.

Semiramis. Assyrian queen, goddess. Founded Babylon.

Semite. Descended of Shem, Noah’s eldest son. Assyrians, Phoenicians, Israelites, Babylonians. Now: Jews, Arabs of S.W. Asia.

Sennacherib. -681BC. Assyrian king. Besieged Jerusalem 701. Destroyed Babylon 689. Rebuilt Nineveh.

Septuagint. 3-2C BC. Oldest Greek translation of Old Testament.

Seven Oaks Massacre. 1816. Northwest Company. agents kill 20 settlers in Red River rivalry with Hudson Bay Company. Settlement destroyed.

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