title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: While not making a direct appearance "Devil May Cry 4"'s main storyline, Vergil is revealed to be the father of the game's protagonist, Nero, who possesses Vergil's traits and abilities. Nero would eventually learn this when meeting Vergil in "Devil May Cry 5", redesigned to slightly resemble his father. For "Devil May Cry 5", Itsuno wanted to portray a villain who would be not be taken lightly by Dante or Nero. The staff found Vergil the best candidate, due to the power he had demonstrated throughout the series, and his relation with the protagonists. The staff wanted to generate a major emotional scene when Vergil reappears in the climax confronting his brother. As a result, the brothers' feud is stopped by Nero who awakens his own demon powers to face his father.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Makoto Tsuchibayashi designed Nelo Angelo as a rival for Dante. Unlike other enemy demons from "Devil May Cry", Nelo Angelo did not have original movements for the 3D environment; the game designers used those of Dante. Unlike Dante, Nelo Angelo does not have guns; he was instead provided with a projectile move called to make him stand out. The staff had no problems using the projectiles for the character because the model did not change. Makoto Tsuchibayashi originally aimed to show Vergil in human form with Kamiya supporting his ideas of how the two characters were going to contrast each other.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Ikeno stated that because Vergil and Dante are identical twins, they share a hairstyle in the opening of the game, intended to make new players confuse them. Vergil's clothing was meant to contrast with his brother's; similarly, Nelo Angelo's design was prominently blue while Dante's was red. The staff had problems with the creation of Vergil's outfit because of the way it moved in 3D computer graphics; they joked that Vergil should remove his coat whenever he starts fighting. In order to generate major contrasts between the two brothers, Vergil was given blue clothing as Dante always wore red. Omori did the character's first CGI artwork which was approved by Capcom. From there Daigo Ikeno took over, with Omori believing his work aged well. Like other characters, Vergil's face used a real model; Capcom said how he really portrayed Vergil the exact same way the production team imagined him. Nero's relationship with Dante and Vergil was inspired by mecha anime Itsuno watched.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Casey Edwards, who composed Vergil's battle theme "Bury the Light" for "Devil May Cry 5", said in a tweet that the character's theme song was meant to be a reflection of "Devil Trigger". As Nero chose to "embrace the darkness" and embrace the demon inside of him, Vergil has always tried to bury the human side of himself, as he sees it as a great source of personal pain and memory of weakness. When Capcom first conceived "Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition", the first upgrade for the game would have been the inclusion of Vergil as a playable character, with a new fighting style previously unseen.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In the making of the reboot "" by Ninja Theory, the Capcom team felt Ninja Theory appeared to like the original design of Vergil because he was mostly unchanged, unlike Dante. They found his personality colder-hearted because of his violent actions, such as killing demons. Itsuno enjoyed Vergil's personality and said across the story he became the Vergil from the original series because of his corrupted growth. Alex Jones from Ninja Theory said bringing Vergil into the story was necessary because it was meant to explain Dante's origins and affects Vergil's characterization because the characters are brothers. Despite making multiple changes to the original series, Jones refrained from mentioning them during an interview conducted before the release of the game. Vergil's agenda in the game is one of the main themes of the story; satire. Vergil works for an organization known as The Order, which attempts to rebel against the world portrayed in the game.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: During the making of "DmC", Ninja Theory aimed to give the player a co-op mode with Vergil assisting Dante but it did not make it to the game. As a result, the team decided to use Vergil as the single player character from the downloadable content "Vergil's Downfall". He was decided to play more smooth than Dante despite sharing multiple similarities like the grappling hook both characters show in order to do platforming.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Although Nelo Angelo does not talk in "Devil May Cry", the sounds he makes were made by David Keeley. In "Devil May Cry 3", Vergil was voiced by Daniel Southworth, who said he had been cast quickly and also performed the motion capture. Itsuno, who initially doubted the completion of Vergil's character, was surprised by Southworth's work and said, "it showed a respect for authentic Japanese swordsmanship, but balanced with a slightly rough, wild style that perfectly fit Vergil's profile of a Western man using a Japanese sword". When being cast to voice Vergil, Southworth was aware of the character's history and had a knowledge of samurai culture, which allowed him to give a good performance. According to the game's development staff, Southworth's knowledge about the samurai allowed him to fit well into Vergil's character in terms of voice and motion capture. When describing Vergil, Southworth stated that while he often appears to be calm, the audience would notice he shows signs of rage. Southworth found the motion-capturing the action scenes challenging and said these were his favorite parts of his work for the game. He said he was honored to repeat his work for the fighting game "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3".


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: David de Lautour voiced Vergil in the reboot of the "Devil May Cry" series. De Lautour enjoyed finding out about Vergil's mannerisms and posture, labeling him a "great character". Vergil was voiced in Japanese for the first time in "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". The voice actor Hiroaki Hirata was chosen by the developers of both "Devil May Cry" team and "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". Ryota Niitsuma, the producer of "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3", and producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi found Hirata's voice suitable for Vergil. As with "Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition", Vergil was designed to be played in a similar way to Dante, albeit with several differences to make both characters unique.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil is Dante's identical twin brother; they are sons of a demon named Sparda and a human named Eva. Vergil is half-demon, which gives him superhuman abilities. He is more serious about his training than Dante. He has a cold, calm, and introverted demeanor, as opposed to Dante's arrogant, thrill-seeking, and outgoing nature. Both characters enjoy fighting; Vergil values the power gained from Sparda, without which he would be unable to protect anything. Vergil's main weapon is a katana named , inherited from Sparda. As Nelo Angelo, Vergil wears black armor with a cape while using a wide, blue sword, retaining his sense of honor despite being a slave to Mundus's will.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In the first "Devil May Cry" game, Vergil is said to have been separated from his family at the hands of the Demon King Mundus. He appears in the game as Nelo Angelo, a dark knight under Mundus's control who attacks Dante three times, with the third encounter revealing his identity. At the end of the game, Nelo Angelo appears to explode, leaving his half of an amulet his mother gave him and Dante as children behind.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil plays a bigger role in "Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening", a prequel to the first game where he sought the power of his father, Sparda. Vergil allied himself with a man named Arkham and seeks Dante's amulet to use with his own to create a gate leading to the demon world. Vergil defeats Dante when he refuses to assist him and takes his brother's amulet, only to be betrayed as Arkham used the brothers' animosity for each while exploiting Lady's vendetta against him, in a scheme to take Sparda's power for himself. This convinces the brothers to set aside their differences in a temporary ceasefire to stop Arkham. Once the brothers defeat Arkham, Vergil remains in the Demon World after losing to Dante in a final duel. Soon after, Vergil encounters Mundus, and engages him in a fight leading to his conversion into Nelo Angelo. In the game's updated version "Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition", Vergil is a playable character, playing the same missions as Dante. When playing as Vergil during missions that have him as a boss character, the player fights a red-clad version of Vergil.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In "Devil May Cry 4", the Order of the Sword uses remains of Nelo Angelo to create the Alto and Bianco Angelos—artificial demons consisting of a suit of armor powered by a human or demon's soul. Vergil's sword Yamato ends up in the possession of Nero, who is Vergil's son. Vergil appears as a playable character in "", with his chapter taking place before the third game, including a scene of Vergil walking through Fortuna Island to investigate the traces his father Sparda left behind while fighting demons that have invaded the area, as well as the Order of the Sword's true intentions.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In "Devil May Cry 5", Vergil finds Nero and rips his Devil Bringer arm off to reclaim the Yamato and use its power to heal himself. Vergil then returns to his childhood home in Red Grave City where he proceeds to use Yamato to purge his humanity from his being. This splits him into two beings: the full-blooded demon Urizen, who grows a Qliphoth Tree to eat its fruit and become king of the Underworld, and V, a frail man who enlists Dante and Nero to help him stop Urizen. After Dante defeats Urizen, V absorbs him and reconstitutes Vergil. Once whole, Vergil engages Dante in a duel to the death, but Nero, now revealed to be his son, intervenes. Following Vergil's defeat, he and Dante decide to leave to the underworld to cut the Qliphoth's roots to stop its growing, and use the Yamato to seal the portal to the underworld. Knowing it will leave them trapped, they entrust Nero to watch over the human world in their absence. After cutting Qliphoth's roots and sealing the portal, Dante and Vergil are shown fighting in the underworld, not as enemies, but as friendly rivals, while also fending off various waves of demons.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil also appears in the Yunchang Games's 2020 mobile phone game "Devil May Cry: Pinnacle of Combat", reprising his role from "Devil May Cry 3".


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In Ninja Theory's 2013 game, "DmC: Devil May Cry", Vergil appears as the leader of The Order—a group of rogue vigilantes trying to free the world from demons. He takes Dante back to their childhood home to reveal their connection to each other and persuades him to contribute to the destruction of Mundus. While Vergil completes his part of the plan in the human world, he tasks Dante with battling his way through limbo. Eventually, Vergil uses the power of the Yamato to seal the Hell Gate and cut off Mundus' source of power. After defeating Mundus, he reveals his true intention: to rule the world with Dante. Vergil is fought as the final boss of the game. After being defeated, Vergil escapes through a portal. Vergil is also a playable character in "DmC: Devil May Cry" through the "Vergil's Downfall" DLC. The DLC takes place after the events of the main game; it follows Vergil's quest for power following his defeat. Vergil travels through Hell and replaces Mundus as the new Demon King.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In the novels by Shinya Goikeda, Vergil appears as a mercenary using the alias Gilver, a tall man swathed in bandages. He becomes a partner of Dante as both hunt demons. In the novel's climax, however, Gilver confronts Dante in a duel and perishes; Dante learns in his final moments that Gilver is his brother. In the second novel, Vergil appears as Nelo Angelo, leading a revolution against Mundus in an alternate dimension and allying with his brother. The "Devil May Cry 3" manga by Suguro Chayamachi is set a year before the events of the game; Vergil is told by Arkham of a route to the demons' world and starts planning. In the "Devil May Cry" comics by Dreamwave Productions, Nelo Angelo chooses to serve under Mundus, stating his past self no longer exists. When facing Dante, however, he starts remembering his past and feeling conflicted about fighting him.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil is also mentioned several times in the novel adaptation of "Devil May Cry 4"; Dante is often reminded of his brother when seeing Nero, but states that Vergil is dead. The light novel "Devil May Cry 5 Before the Nightmare" and the manga "Visions of V" explore the character's actions between his appearances. He is also the leading character in Guillaume Dorison's two-part comic series "DmC: Devil May Cry: The Chronicles of Vergil", which follows Vergil and is set before the start of the reboot's story. The comic series tells the story of Vergil and Kat's meeting and their formation of the Order.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil also appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting game "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". He is also a character card in "". His "Devil May Cry 3" outfit is available in the Capcom game "Sengoku Basara 4" for Mitsunari Ishida. Vergil appears as a playable character in the tactical role-playing video game "Project X Zone 2" with Dante as his partner. Nelo Angelo appears as a boss unit because the Vergil who partners with Dante is actually a time-displaced version of Vergil that originated before the "Devil May Cry 3" event. Whether the time-displaced Vergil meets Nelo, his devil power is lingering because of Nelo's presence, although Vergil is not aware Nelo is his present self. In the "Sengoku Basara vs. Devil May Cry" stage show, Vergil was portrayed by Shōhei Namba and Tomokazu Yoshida portrayed Nelo Angelo.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil has been praised by video game publications. His debut as Nelo Angelo was regarded as one of the best bosses of the "Devil May Cry" series; "GamesRadar" and "PlayStation Universe" discussed his skills and his impact on Dante. His role in "Devil May Cry 3" received similar comments; "UGO Networks" listed him in its "Top 50 Hardest Boss Battles" article. "IGN" listed him as the best boss in the "Devil May Cry" franchise in 2013. "GamesRadar+" stated that Vergil and Dante share one of the best rivalries between brothers in gaming due to their differences. In 2008, "IGN"s Jesse Schedeen compared Vergil with Gray Fox from the "Metal Gear" series, writing that they are "two formidable warriors from the videogaming realm" who "met their unfortunate ends in the games". "Engadget" appreciated the prequel game "Devil May Cry 3" for retroactively making Nelo Angelo a "more emotional villain" by introducing Dante's history with Vergil. Dante and Vergil's half demon nature has been examined in the context of religion.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: Vergil's inclusion as a playable character in the updated version of "Devil May Cry 3" was also the subject of discussion. "PALGN" appreciated that Vergil's moves are different from Dante's, making the former's scenario a different experience. He was also stated to be more powerful than Dante, which could either make a positive or negative impression on the player due to how playing as him lowered the game's difficulty. "IGN"s Jeremy Dunhan also praised Vergil's unique moves but criticized his balancing for reducing the challenge of the boss fights—one of the game's strong points. "GameSpot" said playing as Vergil was not as interesting as playing as Dante because Vergil begins the game with multiple abilities, leading to a lack of improvements during gameplay. "GameSpot" lamented that Vergil fought the same bosses as Dante and did not have his own story. Vaughn Smith of "Cheat Code Central" viewed Vergil's inclusion as one of the updates' strongest points, and commented on his difference from Dante. "GamesRadar+" listed him as one of the best unlockable characters in gaming because the abilities he can earn in battle, most notably his unlimited devil form.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: In a "GameSpy" interview about Vergil's possible appearance in "Devil May Cry 4", Hiroyuki Kobayashi's translator told him the interviewer was a fan of the character. Similarly, "Gameplanet"s reviewer Syed Mahir Hussain described Vergil's inclusion in "Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition" as one of the title's greatest strengths based on Vergil's "unique" fighting style. When giving the pros of the same game, "GamesRadar+"s writer Tom Senior enjoyed "the way Vergil saunters casually through combat". "Destructoid" said elements of the reboot's version of Vergil were incorporated well into the regular Vergil. Hideaki Itsuno mentioned that Vergil's inclusion in any "Special Edition" had become a standard expectation from the fanbase.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: According to "GameCored", many fans eager to play as Vergil once again in "Devil May Cry 5" were disappointed to find him not playable on release, but hoped he would appear as downloadable content. "HobbyConsolas" hacked into the game to find a code that mentioned the character's name but was still unsure if it meant Vergil would be playable. Though not appearing in his full persona until the game's climax, Siliconera noted that "Devil May Cry 5"s setting was heavily influenced by him as his alteregos V and Urizen represent different sides of his personality while demons V has are taken from Nelo Angelo's persona from the original "Devil May Cry" game. Once V and Urizen merge and Vergil confronts his son Nero, he decides to redeem himself regardless of cost. In April 2019, Matt Walker from Capcom claimed "Devil May Cry 5" development was complete, lamenting the lack of more DLC. "Destructoid" enjoyed the impact Vergil has on both Dante and Nero as both his brother and son become far more serious as they take it on themselves to stop the threat of their relative. "USGamer" found that while Vergil was too powerful in "Devil May Cry 5" considering how he easily overpowers Dante and Nero as Urizen and criticized how his enemies reach his level without reason. He further criticized how his connection with Nero is not explored despite being father and son, respectively.


title: Vergil (Devil May Cry)

text: For the reboot of the series, Chris Carter of "Destructoid" wrote that Vergil was a more entertaining character than "DmC: Devil May Cry"s Dante, despite some problems he found with the character's gameplay. Dustin Chadwell of "Gaming Age" liked Vergil's gameplay, finding it superior to Dante's, but was confused by his storyline because of the lack of an explanation for his survival. "GameSpot" also appreciated Vergil's gameplay because of his departure from Dante's, despite finding it more challenging to play. Angelo M. D'Argenio of "Cheat Code Central" liked Vergil's story and like previous writers found his gameplay superior to Dante's. Despite liking Vergil's moves, "Kotaku" stated that Vergil's story lacks the appeal of "DmC" because he does not face entertaining boss characters.


title: Doll

text: A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls go back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. They have been made as crude, rudimentary playthings as well as elaborate art. Modern doll manufacturing has its roots in Germany, from the 15th century. With industrialization and new materials such as porcelain and plastic, dolls were increasingly mass-produced. During the 20th century, dolls became increasingly popular as collectibles.


title: Doll

text: The earliest dolls were made from available materials such as clay, stone, wood, bone, ivory, leather, or wax. Archaeological evidence places dolls as the foremost candidate for the oldest known toy. Wooden paddle dolls have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to as early as the 21st century BC. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to at least 200 BC. Archaeologists have discovered Greek dolls made of clay and articulated at the hips and shoulders. Rag dolls and stuffed animals were probably also popular, but no known examples of these have survived to the present day. Stories from ancient Greece around 100 AD show that dolls were used by little girls as playthings. In ancient Rome, dolls were made of clay, wood or ivory. Dolls have been found in the graves of Roman children. Like children today, the younger members of Roman civilization would have dressed their dolls according to the latest fashions. In Greece and Rome, it was customary for boys to dedicate their toys to the gods when they reached puberty and for girls to dedicate their toys to the goddesses when they married. Rag dolls are traditionally home-made from spare scraps of cloth material. Roman rag dolls have been found dating back to 300 BC.


title: Doll

text: Traditional dolls are sometimes used as children's playthings, but they may also have spiritual, magical and ritual value. There is no defined line between spiritual dolls and toys. In some cultures dolls that had been used in rituals were given to children. They were also used in children's education and as carriers of cultural heritage. In other cultures dolls were considered too laden with magical powers to allow children to play with them.


title: Doll

text: African dolls are used to teach and entertain; they are supernatural intermediaries, and they are manipulated for ritual purposes. Their shape and costume vary according to region and custom. Dolls are frequently handed down from mother to daughter. "Akuaba" are wooden ritual fertility dolls from Ghana and nearby areas. The best known "akuaba" are those of the Ashanti people, whose "akuaba" have large, disc-like heads. Other tribes in the region have their own distinctive style of "akuaba".


title: Doll

text: There is a rich history of Japanese dolls dating back to the Dogū figures (8000–200 BCE). and Haniwa funerary figures (300–600 AD). By the eleventh century, dolls were used as playthings as well as for protection and in religious ceremonies. During Hinamatsuri, the doll festival, are displayed. These are made of straw and wood, painted, and dressed in elaborate, many-layered textiles. Daruma dolls are spherical dolls with red bodies and white faces without pupils. They represent Bodhidharma, the East Indian who founded Zen, and are used as good luck charms. Wooden Kokeshi dolls have no arms or legs, but a large head and cylindrical body, representing little girls.


title: Doll

text: The use of an effigy to perform a spell on someone is documented in African, Native American, and European cultures. Examples of such magical devices include the European poppet and the "nkisi" or "bocio" of West and Central Africa. In European folk magic and witchcraft, poppet dolls are used to represent a person for casting spells on that person. The intention is that whatever actions are performed upon the effigy will be transferred to the subject through sympathetic magic. The practice of sticking pins in "voodoo dolls" have been associated with African-American Hoodoo folk magic. Voodoo dolls are not a feature of Haitian Vodou religion, but have been portrayed as such in popular culture, and stereotypical voodoo dolls are sold to tourists in Haiti. Likely the voodoo doll concept in popular culture is influenced by the European poppet. A kitchen witch is a poppet originating in Northern Europe. It resembles a stereotypical witch or crone and is displayed in residential kitchens as a means to provide good luck and ward off bad spirits.


title: Doll

text: Hopi Kachina dolls are effigies made of cottonwood that embody the characteristics of the ceremonial Kachina, the masked spirits of the Hopi Native American tribe. Kachina dolls are objects meant to be treasured and studied in order to learn the characteristics of each Kachina. Inuit dolls are made out of soapstone and bone, materials common to the Inuit. Many are clothed with animal fur or skin. Their clothing articulates the traditional style of dress necessary to survive cold winters, wind, and snow. The tea dolls of the Innu people were filled with tea for young girls to carry on long journeys. Apple dolls are traditional North American dolls with a head made from dried apples. In Inca mythology, Sara Mama was the goddess of grain. She was associated with maize that grew in multiples or was similarly strange. These strange plants were sometimes dressed as dolls of Sara Mama. Corn husk dolls are traditional Native American dolls made out of the dried leaves or husk of a corncob. Traditionally, they do not have a face. The making of corn husk dolls was adopted by early European settlers in the United States. Early settlers also made rag dolls and carved wooden dolls, called "Pennywoods". La última muñeca, or "the last doll", is a tradition of the "Quinceañera", the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America. During this ritual the "quinceañera" relinquishes a doll from her childhood to signify that she is no longer in need of such a toy. In the United States, dollmaking became an industry in the 1860s, after the Civil War.


title: Doll

text: Matryoshka dolls are traditional Russian dolls, consisting of a set of hollow wooden figures that open up and nest inside each other. They typically portray traditional peasants and the first set was carved and painted in 1890. In Germany, clay dolls have been documented as far back as the 13th century, and wooden doll making from the 15th century. Beginning about the 15th century, increasingly elaborate dolls were made for Nativity scene displays, chiefly in Italy. Dolls with detailed, fashionable clothes were sold in France in the 16th century, though their bodies were often crudely constructed. The German and Dutch peg wooden dolls were cheap and simply made and were popular toys for poorer children in Europe from the 16th century. Wood continued to be the dominant material for dolls in Europe until the 19th century. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, wood was increasingly combined with other materials, such as leather, wax and porcelain and the bodies made more articulate. It is unknown when dolls' glass eyes first appeared, but brown was the dominant eye color for dolls up until the Victorian era when blue eyes became more popular, inspired by Queen Victoria.


title: Doll

text: Dolls, puppets and masks allow ordinary people to state what is impossible in the real situation; In Iran for example during Qajar era, people criticised the politics and social conditions of Ahmad-Shah's reign via puppetry without any fear of punishment. According to the Islamic rules, the act of dancing in public especially for women, is a taboo. But dolls or puppets have free and independent identities and are able to do what is not feasible for the real person. Layli is a hinged dancing doll, which is popular among the Lur people of Iran. The name Layli is originated from the Middle East folklore and love story, Layla and Majnun. Layli is the symbol of the beloved who is spiritually beautiful. Layli also represents and maintains a cultural tradition, which is gradually vanishing in urban life.


title: Doll

text: During the 19th century, dolls' heads were often made of porcelain and combined with a body of leather, cloth, wood, or composite materials, such as papier-mâché or composition, a mix of pulp, sawdust, glue and similar materials. With the advent of polymer and plastic materials in the 20th century, doll making largely shifted to these materials. The low cost, ease of manufacture, and durability of plastic materials meant new types of dolls could be mass-produced at a lower price. The earliest materials were rubber and celluloid. From the mid-20th century, soft vinyl became the dominant material, in particular for children's dolls. Beginning in the 20th century, both porcelain and plastic dolls are made directly for the adult collectors market. Synthetic resins such as polyurethane resemble porcelain in texture and are used for collectible dolls.


title: Doll

text: Colloquially the terms "porcelain doll", "bisque doll" and "china doll" are sometimes used interchangeably. But collectors make a distinction between china dolls, made of glazed porcelain, and bisque dolls, made of unglazed bisque or biscuit porcelain. A typical antique china doll has a white glazed porcelain head with painted molded hair and a body made of cloth or leather. The name comes from "china" being used to refer to the material porcelain. They were mass-produced in Germany, peaking in popularity between 1840 and 1890 and selling in the millions. Parian dolls were also made in Germany, from around 1860 to 1880. They are made of white porcelain similar to china dolls but the head is not dipped in glaze and has a matte finish. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish. They had their peak of popularity between 1860 and 1900 with French and German dolls. Antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century were often made as children's playthings, but contemporary bisque dolls are predominantly made directly for the collectors market. Realistic, lifelike wax dolls were popular in Victorian England.


title: Doll

text: Up through the middle of the 19th century, European dolls were predominantly made to represent grown-ups. Childlike dolls and the later ubiquitous baby doll did not appear until around 1850. But, by the late 19th century, baby and childlike dolls had overtaken the market. By about 1920, baby dolls typically were made of composition with a cloth body. The hair, eyes, and mouth were painted. A voice box was sewn into the body that cried ma-ma when the doll was tilted, giving them the name Mama dolls. During 1923, 80% of all dolls sold to children in the United States were Mama dolls.


title: Doll

text: Paper dolls are cut out of paper, with separate clothes that are usually held onto the dolls by folding tabs. They often reflect contemporary styles, and 19th century ballerina paper dolls were among the earliest celebrity dolls. The 1930s Shirley Temple doll sold millions and was one of the most successful celebrity dolls. Small celluloid Kewpie dolls, based on illustrations by Rose O'Neill, were popular in the early 20th century. Madame Alexander created the first collectible doll based on a licensed character – Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind".


title: Doll

text: Contemporary dollhouses have their roots in European "baby house" display cases from the 17th century. Early dollhouses were all handmade, but, following the Industrial Revolution and World War II, they were increasingly mass-produced and became more affordable. Children's dollhouses during the 20th century have been made of tin litho, plastic, and wood. Contemporary houses for adult collectors are typically made of wood.


title: Doll

text: The earliest modern stuffed toys were made in 1880. They differ from earlier rag dolls in that they are made of plush fur-like fabric and commonly portray animals rather than humans. Teddy bears first appeared in 1902–1903.


title: Doll

text: Black dolls have been designed to resemble dark-skinned persons varying from stereotypical to more accurate portrayals. Rag dolls made by American slaves served as playthings for slave children. Golliwogg was a children's book rag doll character in the late 19th century that was widely reproduced as a toy. The doll has very black skin, eyes rimmed in white, clown lips, and frizzy hair, and has been described as an anti-black caricature. Early mass-produced black dolls were typically dark versions of their white counterparts. The earliest American black dolls with realistic African facial features were made in the 1960s.


title: Doll

text: Fashion dolls are primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends and are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women. The earliest fashion dolls were French bisque dolls from the mid-19th century. Contemporary fashion dolls are typically made of vinyl. Barbie, from the American toy company Mattel, dominated the market from her inception in 1959. Bratz was the first doll to challenge Barbie's dominance, reaching forty percent of the market in 2006.


title: Doll

text: Plastic action figures, often representing superheroes, are primarily marketed to boys. Fashion dolls and action figures are often part of a media franchise that may include films, TV, video games and other related merchandise. Bobblehead dolls are collectible plastic dolls with heads connected to the body by a spring or hook in such a way that the head bobbles. They often portray baseball players or other athletes.


title: Doll

text: With the introduction of computers and the Internet, virtual and online dolls appeared. These are often similar to traditional paper dolls and enable users to design virtual dolls and drag and drop clothes onto dolls or images of actual people to play dress up. These include KiSS, Stardoll and Dollz.


title: Doll

text: Also with the advent of the Internet, collectible dolls are customized and sold or displayed online. Reborn dolls are vinyl dolls that have been customized to resemble a human baby with as much realism as possible. They are often sold online through sites such as eBay. Asian ball-jointed dolls (BJDs) are cast in synthetic resin in a style that has been described as both realistic and influenced by anime. Asian BJDs and Asian fashion dolls such as Pullip and Blythe are often customized and photographed. The photos are shared in online communities.


title: Doll

text: Since ancient times, dolls have played a central role in magic and religious rituals and have been used as representations of deities. Dolls have also traditionally been toys for children. Dolls are also collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value. Antique dolls originally made as children's playthings have become collector's items. Nineteenth-century bisque dolls made by French manufacturers such as Bru and Jumeau may be worth almost $22,000 today.


title: Doll

text: Dolls have traditionally been made as crude, rudimentary playthings as well as with elaborate, artful design. They have been created as folk art in cultures around the globe, and, in the 20th century, art dolls began to be seen as high art. Artist Hans Bellmer made surrealistic dolls that had interchangeable limbs in 1930s and 1940s Germany as opposition to the Nazi party's idolization of a perfect Aryan body. East Village artist Greer Lankton became famous in the 1980s for her theatrical window displays of drug addicted, anorexic and mutant dolls.


title: Doll

text: Lifelike or anatomically correct dolls are used by health professionals, medical schools and social workers to train doctors and nurses in various health procedures or investigate cases of all sexual abuse of children. Artists sometimes use jointed wooden mannequins in drawing the human figure. Many ordinary doll brands are also anatomically correct, although most types of dolls are degenitalized.


title: Doll

text: In Western society, a gender difference in the selection of toys has been observed and studied. Action figures that represent traditional masculine traits are popular with boys, who are more likely to choose toys that have some link to tools, transportation, garages, machines and military equipment. Dolls for girls tend to represent feminine traits and come with such accessories as clothing, kitchen appliances, utensils, furniture and jewelry.


title: Doll

text: Pediophobia is a fear of dolls or similar objects. Psychologist Ernst Jentsch theorized that uncanny feelings arise when there is an intellectual uncertainty about whether an object is alive or not. Sigmund Freud further developed on these theories. Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori expanded on these theories to develop the uncanny valley hypothesis: if an object is obviously enough non-human, its human characteristics will stand out and be endearing; however, if that object reaches a certain threshold of human-like appearance, its non-human characteristics will stand out, and be disturbing.


title: Doll

text: A doll hospital is a workshop that specializes in the restoration or repair of dolls. Doll hospitals can be found in countries around the world. One of the oldest doll hospitals was established in Lisbon, Portugal in 1830, and another in Melbourne, reputedly the first such establishment in Australia, was founded in 1888. There is a Doll Doctors Association in the United States. Henri Launay, who has been repairing dolls at his shop in northeast Paris for 43 years, says he has restored over 30,000 dolls in the course of his career. Most of the clients are not children, but adults in their 50s and 60s. Some doll brands, such as American Girl and Madame Alexander, also offer doll hospital services for their own dolls.


title: Doll

text: Many books deal with dolls tales, including "Wilhelmina. The Adventures of a Dutch Doll", by Nora Pitt-Taylor, pictured by Gladys Hall. Rag dolls have featured in a number of children's stories, such as the 19th century character Golliwogg in "The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg" by Bertha Upton and Florence K. Upton and Raggedy Ann in the books by Johnny Gruelle, first published in 1918. "The Lonely Doll" is a 1957 children's book by Canadian author Dare Wright. The story, told through text and photographs, is about a doll named Edith and two teddy bears.


title: David Brent

text: David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary "The Office", portrayed by the show's co-creator, co-writer and co-director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the series. He is the general manager of the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg paper merchants and the boss of most other characters in the series. Much of the comedy of the series centres on Brent's many idiosyncrasies, hypocrisies, self-delusions and overt self-promotion.


title: David Brent

text: Brent is presented as an employer who wholeheartedly believes that his employees love him, whereas in fact, aside from Gareth Keenan, they actually resent him. This is best noticed in the Series 1 finale, where Brent betrays his staff and accepts a promotion to higher management, saving his own skin from the inevitable downsizing that will befall the Slough branch as a consequence. Brent later fails a medical examination which makes him unable to take the position, but he insists to his employees that he failed it on purpose to save the branch.


title: David Brent

text: Despite being the manager, Brent is totally spineless when it comes to confrontation. This is best seen through the character of Chris Finch, who Brent views unconditionally as his best friend despite his appalling attitude towards women and his many chances at ridiculing Brent as well as his staff. Brent's inability to stand up for himself or his staff members properly and professionally often results in him lashing out at his employees, pointing out their weight or age if his own is brought to ridicule.


title: David Brent

text: In the second season, manager of the Swindon branch Neil Godwin is given Brent's promotion. Neil is shown to be everything that Brent is not, which provokes Brent's insecurity and jealousy. Neil effortlessly bonds with Brent's staff and earns their trust, perhaps best shown when a payroll issue is brought to Neil's attention, essentially going over Brent's head. Brent's dismissive attitude to key issues such as this culminates in a later confrontation with Neil and Jennifer when Brent fails to produce a report he promised to do. When given an official warning, Brent recklessly challenges Neil in an effort motivated by his hurt pride, stating that his removal from managing the Slough branch would result in a staff uprising. This however proves to be totally baseless, as when Neil and Jennifer announce that Brent will be made redundant, his staff are shown to be completely unconcerned and even relieved by the news.


title: David Brent

text: Despite his unlikeable nature, Brent is not wholly perceived as insufferable. Instead, Brent is shown as the increasingly tragic figure of the series; a lonely man without any friends, goals or achievements who would rather please everybody around him even if it is met at his own expense. Of these key moments where sympathy is garnered for Brent, perhaps one of the most crucial scenes is when Brent begs Neil and Jennifer to reconsider firing him, after a secondary role as a motivational speaker falls through.


title: David Brent

text: In the Christmas special, Brent is shown to be working as a travelling salesman following his dismissal from Wernham Hogg, but he remains emotionally attached to his old workplace and constantly visits the office during working hours, eventually resulting in Neil banning him from the premises. He earns additional income on the side from Z-list celebrity appearances at various club nights trading on the minor fame the documentary series has given him, but he is frequently met with heckles and abuse from the crowds and gradually hits an emotional low. He is allowed to attend the Wernham Hogg Christmas party that ends the special, at which he meets a blind date who genuinely enjoys his company and says she would go out with him again. In higher spirits, Brent is later shown bonding with his former colleagues and finally succeeds in making them laugh when they take a group photo together.


title: David Brent

text: In 2002, Gervais wrote an in-character piece for the BBC website on "what makes a winner" of the FA Cup. He said, "Managing a Premiership football team is a bit like running a successful paper merchant. There's a lot of similarities. I have to pick the right team, I have to lead by example, I have to instil trust and discipline."


title: David Brent

text: Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who co-created the show and the Brent character) put together two videos for Microsoft in the UK entitled "The Office Values", in which Brent Brent is brought in as a motivational speaker. In the videos, Brent repeatedly shows a deep hatred for Bill Gates, at one point calling him a litterbug. Additionally, Brent plays a guitar song about the ills of technology versus the human condition, elaborates upon his desire for a comedy show (such as by impersonating Max Wall) and repeatedly makes fun of Jeff (Merchant's character), calling him a dweeb and a nerd for using the big word "erroneous". This culminates in an appraisal in which Jeff repeatedly insults Brent, calling him an idiot, ill-informed, ill-educated and a shaved baboon in a suit, among others.


title: David Brent

text: Intended as internal training videos, the two videos were leaked online in August 2006 and Microsoft was reportedly unhappy about the leak.


title: David Brent

text: At Wembley Stadium on 1 July 2007, Ricky Gervais performed as David Brent at the Concert for Diana. Alongside Mackenzie Crook as Gareth, Gervais performed a rendition of the song "Freelove Freeway" from episode four of "The Office".


title: David Brent

text: In 2009, Ricky Gervais appeared on "Inside the Actors Studio", in which the host James Lipton asked if he could interview Gervais in character as David Brent for a brief period in the show. Gervais went on to perform a shortened version of the song "Freelove Freeway".


title: David Brent

text: Brent made two brief appearances in the American version of "The Office". In the season 7 episode "The Seminar", he meets his American counterpart Michael Scott (Steve Carell) while coming out of an elevator the latter is waiting for. Unsurprisingly, the two are seen to develop an instant rapport. David learns that Michael manages the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin (the paper company that is the equivalent of Wernham Hogg in the UK series) and asks if there are any jobs available there, but is told there are no openings at the moment. In the final episode of the same season, "Search Committee", Brent appears (via pre-recorded video resumé) as an interviewee for the Scranton manager's job, following the Michael Scott character's departure from the show several episodes earlier. In addition to appearing in the latter episode, Gervais contributed to the script.


title: David Brent

text: In March 2013, the BBC broadcast a mini-episode called "The Office Revisited" for Comic Relief 2013, a charity fund-raising event.


title: David Brent

text: After ten years, Gervais revived the character for his YouTube channel in the web series "Learn Guitar with David Brent." In each episode he plays the guitar, gives tips on how to play and answers fan questions. Among the songs he has played are "Freelove Freeway", "Spaceman", "Ooh La La" and "Life on the Road".


title: David Brent

text: On 5 August 2014, it was announced that Gervais would reprise the role of Brent for a film titled "", which features the character as he tours the UK with his band Foregone Conclusion. The film was released in August 2016.


title: David Brent

text: In August 2016, David Brent and Foregone Conclusion released the album "Life on the Road". On 13 August 2016, Gervais appeared on the Dermot O'Leary show on BBC Radio 2 to publicise this album. Gervais was initially interviewed as himself and then after a short music interlude, O'Leary interviewed David Brent about the album release, and gave a stripped back acoustic session, playing the tracks "Life on the Road" and "Slough".


title: David Brent

text: Dan Coop of the British band Does It Offend You, Yeah? has said that the name of the band came from a line spoken by David Brent, when he says, 'My drinking — does it offend you, yeah good?'


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in "All Creatures Great and Small", Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera "Doctors" and Ted Murray in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders".


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Timothy was born in Bala, North Wales, attended The Priory Grammar School for Boys, Shrewsbury, and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In the 1960s, Timothy was part of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company and appeared in such productions as "The Master Builder", "Juno and the Paycock" and Olivier's "Othello". Timothy's television career started with the 1969 series "Take Three Girls", and he went on to appear in "UFO" (1970 episode "The Psychobombs"), "Doctor at Large" in 1971, "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" in 1973 and "Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle" in 1977 before winning the role of Herriot.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He played the role of James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series) for the full 90 episodes, from 1978 until 1990. Timothy later recalled meeting the author, Alf Wight, who had "a soft, lilting Scottish accent – though I was told to keep my speech neutral to retain the universality of the part. Which I thought was complete bollocks".


title: Christopher Timothy

text: His film career included roles in "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" (1967), "Alfred The Great" (1969), "The Virgin Soldiers" (1969), "Spring and Port Wine" (1970), "The Mind of Mr. Soames" (1970), "Up the Chastity Belt" (1971), and the sex comedy "Eskimo Nell" (1975).


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In 1980, he played Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays. He continued work as James Herriot until 1990.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In 2000, he was cast as Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera "Doctors" staying in the series for six years, and directing some of the episodes.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In 2004, he made an appearance in "Casualty" as the murderer of long-standing character Finlay Newton. He also appeared as a special guest on ITV1 drama "The Bill", which was aired on New Years Day 2009. More recently he has appeared in "Lewis" (ITV1) in the episode "Wild Justice", "The Grapes of Wrath", "All the Fun of the Fair", "Haunting Julia" and "Casualty" (2014).


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He is the son of BBC announcer Andrew Timothy, and has done regular voice work himself including taking his father's place as the Announcer for the "Goon Again Show" in 2001 marking the 50th anniversary of "The Goon Show" (Andrew had been the announcer for the show back in the early 1950s). He played the Announcer role on The Kinks' 1974 double album, "Preservation Act 2".


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He was the subject of "This Is Your Life" in 2000 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of "Doctors" at the BBC's Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He voiced and appeared in numerous television commercials for "The Sun" newspaper in the 1970s when Rupert Murdoch had entered British newspaper publishing; these were extremely unusual commercials for the time in the level of energy and even aggression evident in Timothy's delivery. As the person in these advertisements, he became a character, a role, in the 2017 stage production of "Ink", a play about Australian Rupert Murdoch’s start on Fleet Street in British newspaper publishing with The Sun. Timothy was played by Jack Holden in the Almeida opening and by Andrew Durand in the Broadway production. The play was directed by Rupert Goold, at the Almeida Theatre, London, and later moved to the West End, and then performed on Broadway.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He appeared in BBC Radio's "Just a Minute" in 1988 and 1989. He was also used in the marketing material for Dignity plc, primarily for their prepaid funeral plans.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In 2008 Timothy took part in the BBC Wales programme "Coming Home" about his Welsh family history. In 2011, he played himself in the audio drama "We are not the BBC" written by Susan Casanove and produced by the Wireless Theatre Company.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He returned to theatre in March 2013 in "The Living Room". In 2014 he played Inspector Hubbard in the UK tour of the stage thriller "Dial M for Murder".


title: Christopher Timothy

text: In April 2017, it was announced that he would be joining the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" as regular character Ted Murray, in which he made his last appearance on 27 September 2019.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Timothy appeared with Peter Davison in two series of "Great British Car Journeys" for Channel 4 in 2018 and 2019.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: He also appeared in "Midsomer Murder" S21E1 “The Point of Balance” as Ned Barnaby. In February 2020 Timothy appeared in "" as Chamberlain, episode #3.3 "The Sticking Place".


title: Christopher Timothy

text: When Kate's flashy ex-husband Dennis arrives in town with his much younger wife, Kate feigns an attachment to Koji


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Timothy had narrated the first nine series of Channel 5's "The Yorkshire Vet" which features veterinarians Julian Norton and Peter Wright. He had hoped to do so for the tenth series as well, but was self-isolating due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. Peter Davison was asked to take on the role, because his home was equipped with a recording studio, allowing him to complete the project in spite of the lockdown. Timothy was gracious in his comments. "I’m so sorry not to be able to do the voiceover for The Yorkshire Vet right now, but I can’t tell you all how delighted I am that Peter is taking over. He most definitely would be my first choice while I’m in lockdown!"


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Timothy had also narrated the audio books of the James Herriot series, written by veterinarian Alf Wight who practiced for decades in Thirsk.


title: Christopher Timothy

text: Timothy has been married twice; first to Susan Boys, with whom he had four sons and two daughters. During the 1978–1980 first run of "All Creatures Great and Small", he had an affair with his on-screen wife, Carol Drinkwater. He has been married to Annie Veronica Swatton since 1982, and they have one daughter.


title: Destan (TV series)

text: Destan (English: Epic), is a Turkish historical action drama series produced by Mehmet Bozdağ, directed by Emir Khalilzadeh, Fethi Bayram and Metin Günay, and written by Nehir Erdem and Ayşe Ferda Eryılmaz. The leading roles are Ebru Şahin, Edip Tepeli and Selim Bayraktar. The plot is fictional, inspired by Turkish epics rather than historical reality.


title: Destan (TV series)

text: The show depicts the epic love story of Akkiz, who was orphaned through Alpagu Khan's killing of her father, and Batuga, Alpagu's disabled son, and their journey to gain justice and exact revenge on the Gök Khan.


title: Destan (TV series)

text: The story takes place in the 8th century before the Turks converted to Islam. The tale starts with Alpagu Khan, whose infantrymen were killed because of a Chinese-led trap. Following this betrayal, his brother Balamir Yabghu finds a note on a Chinese soldier which reveals that Alpagu's wife, Tılsım Hatun, betrayed him, and that she and her father had formed an alliance with China to destroy the Gök Khaganate. Upon learning this, Alpagu kills Tılsım Hatun, thereby orphaning his son, Batuga.


title: Destan (TV series)

text: Whilst on a journey, Alpagu Khan and his Alps are ambushed by a Chinese-led trap, in which Alpagu comes out victorious, at the cost of 249 Alps. Balamir Yabgu finds a note on one of the Chinese soldiers, which labels Tilsim Hatun (Alpagu's first wife) and her father Toygar Khan as the ones responsible for informing China of Alpagu's journey and thereby betraying Alpagu. Alpagu thereby kills his wife Tilsim, her father Toygar Khan and Evren Alp, father of Akkiz, thereby orphaning Akkiz and Tilsim and Alpagu's disabled son, Batuga. Batuga then pretends to be insane in order to save himself from death by strangling, and Akkiz swears revenge. 15 years later, Alpagu arranges for Batuga's marriage to his cousin Kircicek, son of Balamir Yabgu. While on the way to ask for Kircicek, Alpagu is shot by Akkiz, which results in Dag Tribe being raided and Akkiz and many others taken prisoner. Akkiz and Batuga reunite after briefly meeting 15 years ago, and Batuga reveals to Akkiz that he is actually not insane.. Batuga eventually helps Akkiz escape Gok Palace. Akkiz then reveals that she is the "Paw of the Two Headed Wolf" in front of the entire council due to being threatened with Batuga. Alpagu is about to have Akkiz executed when Batuga storms in, revealing that he is not insane, and finally speaking after 15 years. It is also revealed that Tilsim Bike and her father were not traitors, but had been framed by Ulu Ece, the first wife of Alpagu due to her jealousy. Batuga and Akkiz then escape the palace and engage in a conflict with Alpagu Khan, until they finally resolve to peace after the arrival of the Itbraklar. Batuga then manages to finally heal his disabled arm and foot, and is the one to lead the war against the Itbraklars along with Alpagu. The series ends with Akkiz and Batuga marrying each other, and Batuga is appointed as Yabgu of the West Gok Khanate. Batuga Then Dies in the last episode getting killed by Ulu Ece and Ulu Ece Is Killed By Akkiz and along with both of them Temur Tegin Dies also. Akkiz take the Thone and became Ulu Ece. Akkiz baby boy born.


title: Rosalia Lombardo

text: Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 – 6 December 1920) was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, one week before her second birthday. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty", hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily.


title: Rosalia Lombardo

text: Thanks to Salafia's embalming techniques, the body was well-preserved. X-rays of the body show that all the organs are remarkably intact. Rosalia Lombardo's body is kept in a small chapel at the end of the catacomb's tour and is encased in a glass covered coffin, placed on a wooden pedestal. A 2009 "National Geographic" photograph of Rosalia Lombardo shows the mummy is beginning to show signs of decomposition, most notably discoloration. Her body is starting to take on a yellow waxy skin texture. To address these issues, the mummy was moved to a drier spot in the catacombs, and her original coffin was placed in a hermetically sealed glass enclosure with nitrogen gas to prevent decay. The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs.


title: Rosalia Lombardo

text: That same year, Capuchin catacombs curator Dario Piombino-Mascali discovered a handwritten manuscript written by Salafia, wherein he lists the ingredients used to mummify Rosalia. The embalming formula is described as "one part glycerin, one part formalin saturated with zinc sulfate and zinc chloride, and one part of an alcohol solution saturated with salicylic acid", and was entered into the body through a single-point injection, most likely into the femoral artery via a gravity injector. Rossella Lorenzi of Discovery News reported that the formalin was used to kill bacteria, the glycerin used to prevent desiccation, and the salicylic acid used to eliminate any fungi within the flesh, with the purpose of the zinc salts being petrifaction.


title: Rosalia Lombardo

text: The mummy has achieved further notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises. In response to speculation about her moving eyelids, Piombino-Mascali stated that "It's an optical illusion produced by the light that filters through the side windows, which during the day is subject to change ... [her eyes] are not completely closed, and indeed they have never been".


title: Sonic Underground

text: Sonic Underground (French: "Sonic Le Rebelle") is an animated television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third "Sonic the Hedgehog" animated series, and the last to be produced by DIC. It follows a main plot separate from all other "Sonic the Hedgehog" media, where Sonic has two siblings, Sonia and Manic, that are collectively part of a royal family who were forced to separate from their mother, Queen Aleena, upon Doctor Robotnik's takeover of Mobius due to a prophecy told by the Oracle of Delphius. Along the way, they encounter other resistance groups against Robotnik as well as powerful artifacts that could wreak havoc on the world, all the while searching for their long-lost mother Queen Aleena.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The series first aired in France from January to May 1999 on TF1, and then premiered in the United Kingdom in May 1999 on ITV on the GMTV strand and finally in the United States in the syndicated children's block BKN Kids II from August to October 1999. It also aired on Kids' WB and the Sci-Fi Channel on weekday mornings starting October 1999, lasting until October 2000. The show ran only for one season consisting of forty episodes. It was the first "Sonic the Hedgehog" television series to be sold on the iTunes Store.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The show takes place in a separate canon and continuity than any other "Sonic the Hedgehog" media. Queen Aleena, the former ruler of Mobius, was overthrown by Dr. Robotnik and his bounty hunter lackeys Sleet and Dingo. Robotnik seized control of the planet and forced Queen Aleena into hiding. To preserve the dynasty, Queen Aleena separated her three children: Sonic, Manic, and Sonia after the Oracle of Delphius told her of a prophecy, proclaiming that one day, Queen Aleena would reunite with her children to form the "Council of Four," and overthrow Robotnik. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik did his best to set up an autocratic government, and legally turned anyone who stood against him into robots devoid of free will, and forced the nobles into paying large amounts of money to him as tribute.


title: Sonic Underground

text: When Sonic, Manic, and Sonia grew up, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to them. After that, Sonic, Manic, and Sonia decided to go on a quest, searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Dr. Robotnik, with the assistance of the Swat-Bots and his bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, tries constantly to capture the royal hedgehogs and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The Oracle of Delphius has assigned the three siblings powerful "medallions" that can change into musical instruments, and can also be used as weapons. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar, Sonia's medallion is a keyboard that functions as a smoke machine, and Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as an "earth controller" with cymbals that can deflect laserfire. All of the medallions can be used as laser guns. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but also as instruments for their underground rock band, "Sonic Underground."


title: Sonic Underground

text: It is often claimed that the newly Sega of America CEO Shoichiro Irimajiri contacted DIC CEO Andy Heyward to make a new Sonic cartoon, which would help gain interest in buying their new console, the Dreamcast. "Sonic Underground" started production in early 1997, around the same time the development of both the Dreamcast and "Sonic Adventure" had started. The show bible was written as early as March 1997. The show was publicly announced as early as December 1997.


title: Sonic Underground

text: When the show was in development, two episodes per week were produced, and the writers felt that they were not given enough time to "tie everything together" in the plot, being limited to a three-part "Origins" saga for coherency. DIC used cattle calls to generate episode plots. Periodically, about twenty unaffiliated writers were brought into the studios to learn about the established characters and brainstorm possible plots for episodes, after which about one or two would be selected. According to Mike Piccirillo, when he was writing songs for the show, there were no storyboards done yet, so he could only work off of the scripts, which often said what moral or lesson the song should be about in each episode. The show's animation was outsourced to the Taiwanese animation studio Hong Ying Animation with the main title animation done in Madrid, Spain by Milimetros, S.A. (also responsible for the animation in the Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon), pre-production services provided by Le Studio Ellipse, layout services by Arles Animation and video and audio post-production services by Les Studios de Saint-Ouen. According to Robby London, Sega of Japan had an active role in the approval process for "Sonic Underground", going so far as to force DiC to reanimate the characters with five fingers instead of the usual four due to the Japanese association of four fingers with the Yakuza.


title: Sonic Underground

text: While it was once believed that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from "Sonic the Hedgehog" (dubbed "SatAM" by fans), who was also involved in "Sonic Underground"'s production, stated in a chat at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo 2008 that only 40 were planned to be produced from the beginning.


title: Sonic Underground

text: "Sonic Underground" first premiered in France on 6 January 1999 and aired on TF1 on the "TF! Jeunesse" block on Wednesdays and Sundays.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The show made its English premiere in the United Kingdom on May 2, 1999, airing on ITV's GMTV strand, on the Disney-produced block Diggit, which was programmed by the show's distributor Buena Vista International Television and had also aired other programmes produced by DIC Entertainment at the time. ITV aired the first 18 episodes of the series on Sunday mornings before the series was removed from the Diggit schedule.


title: Sonic Underground

text: In 2005, DIC pre-sold the series to GMTV, and so the series reran on ITV2 in 2005 as part of the GMTV2 Kids strand.


title: Sonic Underground

text: By 2006, alongside the other Sonic cartoons, the series began to air on Pop, and by 2012, was airing on its sister channel Kix!


title: Sonic Underground

text: In January 1999, it was announced that Bohbot Entertainment had acquired the North American broadcast rights to the series to air on their BKN syndicated strand. The series premiered in the country on August 30 1999 on the company's then-new BKN Kids II on weekday mornings at 6:00 AM Central Time., and ran until October 22 1999.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The series also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel which BKN also had a broadcast deal with at the time, however, the episodes that were supposed to air on Fridays were skipped because "Double Dragon" and later "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice" were airing instead, therefore only 32 of the 40 "Sonic Underground" episodes aired on that channel.


title: Sonic Underground

text: In 2004, the show returned to syndicated television stations on weekends as part of the DIC Kids Network E/I strand. It, alongside fellow DIC series "Mummies Alive!" were the only two programs on the strand to not fulfill E/I requirements.


title: Sonic Underground

text: On January 19 2006, CBS announced a multi-year deal with DIC to broadcast some of their shows on the "CBS's Secret Saturday Morning Slumber Party" segment, including "Sonic Underground", however, the block would not end up running the show in the end.


title: Sonic Underground

text: In 2009, reruns of "Sonic Underground" aired on Firestone Communications' Sorpresa, a Hispanic children's station (Channel 850 on Time Warner Cable) in the United States, broadcasting the audio-dubbed Latin Spanish dub.


title: Sonic Underground

text: Re-runs of the series aired on Disney XD starting June 11 2012 and ending on December 14 2012. This marked the second time a "Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon has aired on a Disney-themed channel, with the first being "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" on Toon Disney (the predecessor of Disney XD) from 1998 to 2002.


title: Sonic Underground

text: In the United States, Sterling Entertainment released a VHS/DVD titled Dr. Robotnik's Revenge in 2003, containing 4 episodes (3 on the VHS). It was re-released by NCircle Entertainment in 2007. The Sterling versions of the "Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3" "King Koopa Katastrophe" and "The Legend of Zelda" "Ganon's Evil Tower" DVDs also included 1 and 2 episodes respectively as DVD bonuses which the NCircle reissues of both releases excluded. Sterling Entertainment's VHS/DVD release of "Sonic Christmas Blast" also included 3 episodes (2 on the VHS).


title: Sonic Underground

text: Shout! Factory and Vivendi Entertainment have released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 (NTSC) in two volume sets. Volume 1, simply entitled "Sonic Underground", was released on December 18 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs; a bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. "Sonic Underground: Volume 2" was released on 17 June 2008, featuring the remaining 20 episodes. In May 2013 NCircle Entertainment released Volume 1 along with many of the older SEGA and Nintendo cartoons that were already released by Shout Factory. Most of the newer NCircle's releases are copies of the Shout Factory versions.


title: Sonic Underground

text: In the UK, the complete "Sonic Underground" series, comprising all 40 episodes on 10 DVDs, was released by Anchor Bay UK in 2004, compatible only with region 2 players. The entire series was re-released by Delta, who released a 4 disc DVD set with a 5th DVD containing bonus features for region 0 players in 2007. In return the entire series was re-released by GO Entertain, in the UK, compatible only with region 2 players.


title: Sonic Underground

text: "Sonic Underground" received mixed to negative reviews: it was criticized for its complex plot and large amount of differences from the games, although some critics have defined the music as catchy. David Cornelius of DVD Talk said, "While many Sonic fans did not take too well to all the changes, preferring the original 'Sonic' cartoon to this stranger, sometimes darker, sometimes sillier incarnation, the series did win a small but loyal cult following. I fall more on the side of disappointment - for all the cleverness that went into crafting an all-new backstory, the episodes themselves are uninspired - but acknowledge the simple fact that it scores well with its target audience." GamesRadar called the show as one of "the absolute worst Sonic moments", criticizing the extra characters and the complex plot. Patrick Lee of "The A.V. Club" panned the series, calling it one of the most artistic failures to ever end up on television and "the result of several unrelated ideas forcibly squashed into one project". Comedian Chris Hardwick commented on the show's theme song, composed by Mike Piccirillo, claiming that "that guy sounds like he's trying to win his exwife back." Susan Arendt of Wired said "The songs are actually kind of catchy in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way, but the band thing still seems a bit out of place, especially when the instruments turn into weapons." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media said ""Sonic Underground" has some good things to offer kids, but only if they're ready for the complexities of its story" criticizing its complex plot but complimenting its low violence and ability to entertain children.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic from Archie Comics featured a story in one of its special issues in which the "Sonic Underground" continuity was featured. According to the comics' plot, the reality in which "Sonic Underground" takes place is one of many parallel universes that share elements with Sonic's own. In the story, Sonic Prime—hailing from the main universe in the comic series—joins forces with his counterpart and siblings to stop Dr. Robotnik, who has managed to assemble a monstrous battle machine known as the Giant Borg. Robotnik obtained the pieces for this machine due to being mistaken for one of his own counterparts by Evil Sonic, an evil counterpart of Sonic's who later came to be known as Scourge the Hedgehog.


title: Sonic Underground

text: The "Sonic Universe" spin-off comic was originally scheduled to feature an epilogue to the unfinished "Sonic Underground" for its 50th issue. However, for unknown reasons this was replaced with a story focusing on one of Sonic's long-running enemies, Metal Sonic. The Underground Epilogue was put on hold indefinitely, due to Sega not permitting the show be featured in the comics.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta has a long history and was first inhabited in around 5900 BC. The first inhabitants were farmers, and their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable. The islands were repopulated around 3850 BC by a civilization which at its peak built the Megalithic Temples, which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed in around 2350 BC, but the islands were repopulated by Bronze Age warriors soon afterwards.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta's prehistory ends in around 700 BC, when the islands were colonized by the Phoenicians. They ruled the islands until they fell in 218 BC to the Roman Republic. The island was acquired by the Eastern Romans or Byzantines in the 6th century AD, who were expelled by Aghlabids following a siege in 870 AD. Malta may have been sparsely populated for a few centuries until being repopulated by Arabs in the 11th century. The islands were invaded by the Norman County of Sicily in 1091, and a gradual Christianization of the islands followed. At this point, the islands became part of the Kingdom of Sicily and were dominated by successive feudal rulers, including the Swabians, the Aragonese, and eventually the Spanish.


title: History of Malta

text: The islands were given to the Order of St. John in 1530, who ruled them as a vassal state of Sicily. In 1565, the Ottoman Empire attempted to take the islands in the Great Siege of Malta, but the invasion was repelled. The Order continued to rule Malta for over two centuries, and this period was characterized by a flourishing of the arts and architecture and an overall improvement in society. The Order was expelled after the French First Republic invaded the islands in 1798, marking the beginning of the French occupation of Malta.


title: History of Malta

text: After a few months of French rule, the Maltese rebelled and the French were expelled in 1800 with British, Neapolitan and Portuguese assistance. Malta subsequently became a British protectorate, becoming a "de facto" colony in 1813. This was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris a year later. The islands became an important naval base for the British, serving as the headquarters of the Mediterranean Fleet. Due to this, Malta was attacked by the Axis powers during World War II, and in 1942 the island was awarded the George Cross, which today appears on Malta's flag and coat of arms. The Crown Colony of Malta was self-governing from 1921–1933, 1947–1958 and 1962–1964.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta became an independent Commonwealth realm known as the State of Malta in 1964, and it became a republic in 1974. Since 2004, the country has been a member state of the European Union.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta stands on an underwater ridge that extends from North Africa to Sicily. At some time in the distant past, Malta was submerged, as shown by marine fossils embedded in rock in the highest points of Malta. As the ridge was pushed up and the Strait of Gibraltar closed through tectonic activity, the sea level was lower, and Malta was on a bridge of dry land that extended between the two continents, surrounded by large lakes. Some caverns in Malta have revealed bones of elephants, hippopotamuses, and other large animals now found in Africa, while others have revealed animals native to Europe.


title: History of Malta

text: While until recently, it was believed that Malta's first inhabitants arrived in the islands in 5700 BC, it has now been established that this occurred around 5900 BC, as is evidenced by studies of ancient soils. These first Neolithic people have generally been assumed to have arrived from Sicily (about north), but DNA analysis shows that they originated from different parts of the Mediterranean, including both Europe and Africa.


title: History of Malta

text: They were mainly farming and fishing communities, with some evidence of hunting activities. They apparently lived in caves and open dwellings. During the centuries that followed there is evidence of further contacts with other cultures, which left their influence on the local communities, evidenced by their pottery designs and colours. The farming methods degraded the soil; at the same time prolonged drought set in, and the islands became too dry to sustain agricultural practices. This occurred partly due to climate change and drought, and the islands were uninhabited for about a millennium.


title: History of Malta

text: Research carried out as part of the FRAGSUS project, comprising analysis of soil cores from valleys, which contained ancient pollen and animal evidence from past environments, revealed that "climate change fluctuations made Malta uninhabitable in some periods of prehistory. There was a substantial break of around 1,000 years between the first settlers and the next group who settled permanently on the Maltese islands and eventually built the megalithic temples."


title: History of Malta

text: A second wave of colonization arrived from Sicily in around 3850 BC. Prof. Caroline Malone has said: "Given the restricted land space of Malta, it is remarkable that the second colonisation survived for 1,500 years. This sort of settlement stability is unheard of in Europe and is impressive in terms of how they were able to live on an ever-degrading land for such a period of time."


title: History of Malta

text: One of the most notable periods of Malta's history is the temple period, starting around 3600 BC. The Ġgantija Temple in Gozo is one of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world. The name of the complex stems from the Maltese word "ġgant", which reflects the magnitude of the temple's size. Many of the temples are in the form of five semicircular rooms connected at the centre. It has been suggested that these might have represented the head, arms, and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples comprises obese human figures, popularly termed "fat ladies" despite their ambiguity of gender, and often considered to represent fertility.


title: History of Malta

text: The civilization which built the temples lasted for about 1,500 years until about 2350 BC, at which point the culture seems to have disappeared. There is speculation about what might have happened and whether they were completely wiped out or assimilated, but it is thought that the collapse occurred due to climate conditions and drought.


title: History of Malta

text: Prof. Malone has stated: "We can learn a lot from the mistakes made by the first Maltese. The lack of water, coupled with the destruction of soil that takes centuries to form, can cause the failure of a civilisation. The second group of inhabitants to Malta in 3850–2350 BC managed their resources adequately and harnessed soil and food for over 1,500 years. It was only when climate conditions and drought became so extreme that they failed."


title: History of Malta

text: After the Temple period came the Bronze Age. From this period there are remains of a number of settlements and villages, as well as dolmens — altar-like structures made out of very large slabs of stone. They are claimed to belong to a population certainly different from that which built the previous megalithic temples.


title: History of Malta

text: It is presumed the population arrived from Sicily because of the similarity to the constructions found in the largest island of the Mediterranean sea.


title: History of Malta

text: One surviving menhir, which was used to build temples, still stands at Kirkop; it is one of the few still in good condition.


title: History of Malta

text: Among the most interesting and mysterious remnants of this era are the so-called cart ruts as they can be seen at a place on Malta called Misraħ Għar il-Kbir (informally known as 'Clapham Junction'). These are pairs of parallel channels cut into the surface of the rock, and extending for considerable distances, often in an exactly straight line. Their exact use is unknown. One suggestion is that beasts of burden used to pull carts along, and these channels would guide the carts and prevent the animals from straying. The society that built these structures eventually died out or at any rate disappeared.


title: History of Malta

text: Between 1400 BC and 1200 BC there was a Mycaenaean influence on the Malta, which is evidenced by presence of Mycaenaean artefacts.


title: History of Malta

text: Phoenicians possibly from Tyre began to colonize the islands in approximately the early 8th century BC as an outpost from which they expanded sea explorations and trade in the Mediterranean. Phoenician tombs have been found in Rabat, Malta and the town of the same name on Gozo, which suggest that the main urban centres at the time were present-day Mdina on Malta and the Cittadella on Gozo. The former settlement was known as "Maleth" meaning "safe haven", and the whole island began to be referred to by that name.


title: History of Malta

text: The Maltese Islands fell under the hegemony of Carthage around the middle of 6th century BC, along with most other Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean. By the late 4th century BC, Malta had become a trading post linking southern Italy and Sicily to Tripolitania. This resulted in the introduction of Hellenistic features in architecture and pottery, discerning Malta was Hellenized; it is not known if Malta was settled like a traditional Greek "apoikia", so, some support that Malta was never a Greek colony. Hellenistic architectural features can be seen in the Punic temple at Tas-Silġ and a tower in Żurrieq. The Greek language also began to be used in Malta, as evidenced by the bilingual Phoenician and Greek inscriptions found on the Cippi of Melqart. In the 18th century, French scholar Jean-Jacques Barthélemy deciphered the extinct Phoenician alphabet using the inscriptions on these cippi.


title: History of Malta

text: According to Latin historian Livy, the Maltese Islands passed into the hands of the Romans at the start of the Second Punic War in the year 218 BC. As written by Livy, the commander of the Punic garrison on the Island surrendered without resistance to Tiberius Sempronius Longus, one of the two consuls for that year who was on his way to North Africa. The archipelago became part of the province of Sicily, but by the 1st century AD it had its own senate and people's assembly. By this time, both Malta and Gozo minted distinctive coins based on Roman weight measurements.


title: History of Malta

text: In the Roman period, the Punic city of "Maleth" became known as "Melite", and it became the administrative hub of the Island. Its size grew to its maximum extent, occupying the entire area of present-day Mdina and large parts of Rabat, extending to what is now the church of St Paul. Remains show that the city was surrounded by thick defensive walls and was also protected by a protective ditch that ran along the same line of St Rita Street, which was built directly above it. Remains hint that a religious centre with a number of temples was built on the highest part of the promontory. The remains of one impressive residence known as the "Domvs Romana" have been excavated, revealing well-preserved Pompeian style mosaics. This "domus" seems to have been the residence of a rich Roman aristocrat, and it is believed to have been built in the 1st century BC and abandoned in the 2nd century AD.


title: History of Malta

text: The islands prospered under Roman rule, and were eventually distinguished as a Municipium and a Foederata Civitas. Many Roman antiquities still exist, testifying to the close link between the Maltese inhabitants and Sicily. Throughout the period of Roman rule, Latin became Malta's official language, and Roman religion was introduced in the islands. Despite this, the local Punic-Hellenistic culture and language is thought to have survived until at least the 1st century AD.


title: History of Malta

text: In AD 60, the Acts of the Apostles records that Saint Paul was shipwrecked on an island named Melite, which many Bible scholars and Maltese conflate with Malta; there is a tradition that the shipwreck took place on the shores of the aptly named "St. Paul's Bay".


title: History of Malta

text: Malta remained part of the Roman Empire until the early 6th century AD. The Vandals and later the Ostrogoths might have briefly occupied the islands in the 5th century, but there is no archaeological evidence to support this.


title: History of Malta

text: In 533, Byzantine general Belisarius may have landed at Malta while on his way from Sicily to North Africa, and by 535, the islands were integrated into the Byzantine province of Sicily. During the Byzantine period, the main settlements remained the city of Melite on mainland Malta and the Citadel on Gozo, while Marsaxlokk, Marsaskala, Marsa and Xlendi are believed to have served as harbours. The relatively high quantity of Byzantine ceramics found in Malta suggests that the island might have had an important strategic role within the empire from the 6th to 8th centuries.


title: History of Malta

text: From the late 7th century onward, the Mediterranean was being threatened by Muslim expansion. At this point, the Byzantines probably improved the defences of Malta, as can be seen by defensive walls built around the basilica at Tas-Silġ around the 8th century. The Byzantines might have also built the retrenchment which reduced Melite to one-third of its original size.


title: History of Malta

text: In 870 AD, Malta was occupied by Muslims from North Africa. According to Al-Himyarī, Aghlabids led by Halaf al-Hādim besieged the Byzantine city of Melite, which was ruled by governor Amros (probably Ambrosios). Al-Hādim was killed in the fighting, and Sawāda Ibn Muḥammad was sent from Sicily to continue the siege following his death. The duration of the siege is unknown, but it probably lasted for some weeks or months. After Melite fell to the invaders, the inhabitants were massacred, the city was destroyed and its churches were looted. Marble from Melite's churches was used to build the castle of Sousse.


title: History of Malta

text: According to Al-Himyarī, Malta remained almost uninhabited until it was resettled in around 1048 or 1049 by a Muslim community and their slaves, who rebuilt the city of Melite as Medina, making it "a finer place than it was before". However, archaeological evidence suggests that Melite/Medina was already a thriving Muslim settlement by the beginning of the 11th century, so Al-Himyarī's account might be unreliable.


title: History of Malta

text: Although their rule was relatively short, the Arabs left a significant impact on Malta. In addition to their language, Siculo-Arabic, cotton, oranges and lemons and many new techniques in irrigation were introduced. Some of these, like the "noria" (waterwheel), are still used, unchanged, today. Many place names in Malta date to this period.


title: History of Malta

text: A long historiographic controversy loomed over Medieval Muslim Malta. According to the "Christian continuity thesis", spearheaded by Giovanni Francesco Abela and still most present in popular narratives, the Maltese population continuously inhabited the islands from the early Christian Era up to today, and a Christian community persisted even during Muslim times. This was contested in the 1970s by the medieval historian Godfrey Wettinger, who claimed that nothing indicated the continuity of Christianity from the late 9th to the 11th century on the Maltese Islands – the Maltese must have integrated into the new Arab Islamic society. The Christian continuity thesis had a revival in 2010 following the publication of "Tristia ex Melitogaudo" by Stanley Fiorini, Horatio Vella and Joseph Brincat, who challenged Wettinger's interpretation based on a line of a Byzantine poem (which later appeared to have been mistranslated). Wettinger subsequently reaffirmed his thesis, based on sources from the Arab historians and geographers Al Baqri, Al-Himyarī, Ibn Hauqal, Qazwini, who all seemed to be in agreement that "the island of Malta remained after that a ruin without inhabitants" – thus ruling out any continuity whatsoever between the Maltese prior to 870 and after. This is also consistent with Joseph Brincat’s finding of no further substrata beyond Arabic in the Maltese language, a very rare occurrence which may only be explained by a drastic lapse between one period and the following. To the contrary, the few Byzantine words in Maltese language can be traced to the 400 Rhodians coming with the knights in 1530, as well as to the influx of Greek rite Christians from Sicily.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta returned to Christian rule with the Norman conquest. It was, with Noto on the southern tip of Sicily, the last Arab stronghold in the region to be retaken by the resurgent Christians. In 1091, Count Roger I of Sicily, invaded Malta and turned the island's Muslim rulers into his vassals. In 1127, his son Roger II of Sicily fully established Norman rule in Malta, paving the way for the islands' Christianization.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta was part of the Kingdom of Sicily for nearly 440 years. During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the rulers of Swabia, Anjou, the Crown of Aragon, the Crown of Castile and Spain. Eventually, the Crown of Aragon, which then ruled Malta, joined with Castile in 1479, and Malta became part of the Spanish Empire.


title: History of Malta

text: Meanwhile, Malta's administration fell in the hands of local nobility who formed a governing body called the "Università".


title: History of Malta

text: The islands remained largely Muslim-inhabited long after the end of Arab rule. The Arab administration was also kept in place and Muslims were allowed to practise their religion freely until the 13th century. The Normans allowed an "emir" to remain in power with the understanding that he would pay an annual tribute to them in mules, horses, and munitions. As a result of this favourable environment, Muslims continued to demographically and economically dominate Malta for at least another 150 years after the Christian conquest.


title: History of Malta

text: Even in 1175, Burchard, bishop of Strasbourg, an envoy of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, had the impression, based upon his brief visit to Malta, that it was exclusively or mainly inhabited by Muslims.


title: History of Malta

text: In 1192, Tancred of Sicily appointed Margaritus of Brindisi the first Count of Malta, perhaps for his unexpected success in capturing Empress Constance contender to the throne. Between 1194 and 1530, the Kingdom of Sicily ruled the Maltese islands and a process of full latinisation started in Malta. The conquest of the Normans would lead to the gradual Romanization and Latinization and subsequent firm establishment of Roman Catholicism in Malta, after previous respective Eastern Orthodox and Islamic domination. Until 1224, however, there remained a strong Muslim segment of society.


title: History of Malta

text: In 1224, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, sent an expedition against Malta to establish royal control and prevent its Muslim population from helping a Muslim rebellion in the Kingdom of Sicily.


title: History of Malta

text: After the Norman conquest, the population of the Maltese islands kept growing mainly through immigration from the north (Sicily and Italy), with the exile to Malta of the entire male population of the town of Celano (Italy) in 1223, the stationing of a Norman and Sicilian garrison on Malta in 1240 and the settlement in Malta of noble families from Sicily between 1372 and 1450. As a consequence of this, Capelli et al. found in 2005 that "the contemporary males of Malta most likely originated from Southern Italy, including Sicily and up to Calabria."


title: History of Malta

text: According to a report in 1240 or 1241 by Gililberto Abbate, who was the royal governor of Frederick II of Sicily during the Genoese Period of the County of Malta, in that year the islands of Malta and Gozo had 836 Muslim families, 250 Christian families and 33 Jewish families.


title: History of Malta

text: Around 1249, some Maltese Muslims were sent to the Italian colony of Lucera, established for Sicilian Muslims. For some historians, including Godfrey Wettinger, who follow on this Ibn Khaldun, this event marked the end of Islam in Malta. According to Wettinger, "there is no doubt that by the beginning of Angevin times [i.e. shortly after 1249] no professed Muslim Maltese remained either as free persons or even as serfs on the island." The Maltese language nevertheless survived – an indication that either a large number of Christians already spoke Maltese, or that many Muslims converted and remained behind.


title: History of Malta

text: In 1266, Malta was turned over in fiefdom to Charles of Anjou, brother of France's King Louis IX, who retained it in ownership until 1283. Eventually, during Charles's rule religious coexistence became precarious in Malta, since he had a genuine intolerance of religions other than Roman Catholicism. However, Malta's links with Africa would still remain strong until the beginning of Aragonese and Spanish rule in 1283, following the War of the Sicilian Vespers.


title: History of Malta

text: In September 1429, Hafsid Saracens attempted to capture Malta but were repelled by the Maltese. The invaders pillaged the countryside and took about 3,000 inhabitants as slaves.


title: History of Malta

text: By the end of the 15th century, all Maltese Muslims would be forced to convert to Christianity and had to find ways to disguise their previous identities by Latinizing or adopting new surnames.


title: History of Malta

text: Malta was ruled by the Order of Saint John as a vassal state of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1530 to 1798.


title: History of Malta

text: In the early 16th century, the Ottoman Empire started spreading over the region, reaching South East Europe. The Spanish king Charles V feared that if Rome fell to the Turks, it would be the end of Christian Europe. In 1522, Suleiman I drove the Knights Hospitaller of St. John out of Rhodes. They dispersed to their commanderies in Europe. Wanting to protect Rome from invasion from the south, in 1530, Charles V handed over the island to these knights.


title: History of Malta

text: For the next 275 years, these famous "Knights of Malta" made the island their domain and made the Italian language official. They built towns, palaces, churches, gardens, and fortifications, they embellished the island with numerous works of art, and enhanced cultural heritage.


title: History of Malta

text: The order of the Knights of St. John was originally established to set up outposts along the route to the Holy Land, to assist pilgrims going in either direction. Owing to the many confrontations that took place, one of their main tasks was to provide medical assistance, and even today the eight-pointed cross is still in wide use in ambulances and first aid organisations. In return for the many lives they saved, the Order received many newly conquered territories that had to be defended. Together with the need to defend the pilgrims in their care, this gave rise to the strong military wing of the knights. Over time, the Order became strong and rich. From hospitallers first and military second, these priorities reversed. Since much of the territory they covered was around the Mediterranean region, they became notable seamen.


title: History of Malta

text: From Malta the knights resumed their seaborne attacks of Ottoman shipping, and before long the Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent ordered a final attack on the Order. By this time the Knights had occupied the city of Birgu, which had excellent harbours to house their fleet. Birgu was one of the two major urban places at that time, the other most urban place being Mdina the old capital city of Malta. The defences around Birgu were enhanced and new fortifications built on the other point where now there is Senglea. A small fort was built at the tip of the peninsula where the city of Valletta now stands and was named Fort Saint Elmo.


title: History of Malta

text: On 18 May 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to Malta. By the time the Ottoman fleet arrived the Knights were as ready as they could be. First, the Ottomans attacked the newly built fort of St. Elmo and after a whole month of fighting the fort was in rubble and the soldiers kept fighting until the Turks ended their lives. After this they started attacking Birgu and the fortifications at Senglea but to no gain.


title: History of Malta

text: After a protracted siege ended on 8 September of the same year, which became known in history as the Great Siege, the Ottoman Empire conceded defeat as the approaching winter storms threatened to prevent them from leaving. The Ottoman Empire had expected an easy victory within weeks. They had 40,000 men arrayed against the Knights' 9,000, most of them Maltese soldiers and simple citizens bearing arms. Their loss of thousands of men was very demoralising. The Ottomans made no further attempts to conquer Malta and the Sultan died in the next year.


title: History of Malta

text: The year after, the Order started work on a new city with fortifications like no other, on the Sciberras Peninsula which the Ottomans had used as a base during the siege. It was named Valletta after Jean Parisot de Valette, the Grand Master who had seen the Order through its victory. Since the Ottoman Empire never attacked again, the fortifications were never put to the test, and today remain one of the best-preserved fortifications of this period.


title: History of Malta

text: Unlike other rulers of the island, the Order of St. John did not have a "home country" outside the island. The island became their home, so they invested in it more heavily than any other power. Besides, its members came from noble families, and the Order had amassed considerable fortunes due to its services to those en route to the Holy Land. The architectural and artistic remains of this period remain among the greatest of Malta's history, especially in their "prize jewel" — the city of Valletta.


title: History of Malta

text: However, as their main "raison d'être" had ceased to exist, the Order's glory days were over. In the last three decades of the eighteenth century, the Order experienced a steady decline. This was a result of a number of factors, including the bankruptcy that was a result of some lavish rule of the last Grand Masters, which drained the finances of the Order. Due to this, the Order also became unpopular with the Maltese.


title: History of Malta

text: Indeed, in 1775, a revolt known as the Rising of the Priests occurred. Rebels managed to capture Fort St Elmo and Saint James Cavalier, but the revolt was suppressed and some of the leaders were executed while others were imprisoned or exiled.