title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis received the title of Duke of Transylvania from his father in 1339, but he did not administer the province. According to a royal charter from the same year, Louis's bride, Margaret of Bohemia, lived in the Hungarian royal court. Louis's separate ducal court was first mentioned in a royal charter of 1340.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Charles I died on 16 July 1342. Five days later, Csanád Telegdi, Archbishop of Esztergom, crowned Louis king with the Holy Crown of Hungary in Székesfehérvár. Although Louis had attained the age of majority, his mother Elizabeth "acted as a sort of co-regent" for decades, because she exerted a powerful influence on him. Louis inherited a rich treasury from his father, who had strengthened royal authority and ruled without holding Diets during the last decades of his reign.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis introduced a new system of land grants, excluding the grantee's brothers and other kinsmen from the donation in contrast with customary law: such estates escheated to the Crown if the grantee's last male descendants died. On the other hand, Louis often "promoted a daughter to a son", that is authorized a daughter to inherit her father's estates, although customary law prescribed that the landed property of a deceased nobleman who had no sons was to be inherited by his kinsmen. Louis often granted this privilege to the wives of his favorites. Louis also frequently authorized landowners to apply capital punishment in their estates, limiting the authority of the magistrates of the counties.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: William Drugeth, an influential advisor of Louis's late father, died in September 1342. He bequeathed his landed property to his brother, Nicholas, but Louis confiscated those estates. In late autumn, Louis dismissed his father's Voivode of Transylvania, Thomas Szécsényi, although Szécsényi's wife was a distant cousin of the queen mother. Louis especially favored the Lackfis: eight members of the family held high offices during his reign. Andrew Lackfi was the commander of the royal army during the first war of Louis's reign. In late 1342 or early 1343, he invaded Serbia and restored the Banate of Macsó, which had been lost during his father's reign.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Robert the Wise, King of Naples, died on 20 January 1343. In his testament, he declared his granddaughter, Joanna I, his sole heir, excluding Louis's younger brother, Andrew, Joanna's husband, from becoming co-ruler. Louis and his mother regarded this as an infringement of a previous agreement between the late kings of Naples and Hungary. He visited his bride's father, Charles of Moravia, in Prague to persuade him to intervene on Andrew's behalf with Charles's former tutor, Pope Clement VI, the overlord of the Kingdom of Naples. Louis also sent envoys to his Neapolitan relatives and the high officials of the kingdom, urging them to promote his brother's interests. Their mother, Elizabeth, left for Naples in the summer, taking with her almost the whole royal treasure, including more than of silver and of gold. During her seven-month-long stay in Italy, she was only able to persuade her daughter-in-law and the pope to promise that Andrew would be crowned as Joanna's husband.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: According to the nearly contemporaneous chronicle of John of Küküllő, Louis launched his first campaign against a group of Transylvanian Saxons, who had refused to pay taxes, and forced them to yield in the summer of 1344. During his stay in Transylvania, Nicholas Alexanderwho was the son of Basarab, the ruling prince of Wallachiaswore loyalty to Louis on his father's behalf in Brassó (now Brașov in Romania); thus the suzerainty of the Hungarian monarchs over Wallachia was, at least outwardly, restored.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis joined a crusade against the pagan Lithuanians in December 1344. The crusadersincluding John of Bohemia, Charles of Moravia, Peter of Bourbon, and William of Hainaut and Holland laid siege to Vilnius. However, a Lithuanian invasion of the lands of the Teutonic Knights forced them to lift the siege. Louis returned to Hungary in late February 1345. He dispatched Andrew Lackfi, Count of the Székelys to invade the lands of the Golden Horde in retaliation for the Tatars' earlier plundering raids against Transylvania and the Szepesség (now Spiš in Slovakia). Lackfi and his army of mainly Székely warriors inflicted a defeat on a large Tatar army on 2 February 1345. Hungarian warriors were victorious in their campaign, decapitating the local Tatar leader, the brother-in-law of the Khan, Atlamïş, and making the Tatars flee toward the coastal area. The Golden Horde was pushed back behind the Dniester River, thereafter the Golden Horde's control of the lands between the Eastern Carpathians and the Black Sea weakened. A conflict between Louis's uncle and father-in-law (Casimir III of Poland and Charles of Moravia) led to a war between Poland and Bohemia in April. In this war Louis supported his uncle with reinforcements in accordance with the agreement of 1339.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: While Louis's armies were fighting in Poland and against the Tatars, Louis marched to Croatia in June 1345 and besieged Knin, the former seat of the late Ivan Nelipac, who had successfully resisted Louis's father, forcing his widow and son to surrender. The counts of Corbavia and other Croatian noblemen also yielded to him during his stay in Croatia. The citizens of Zadar rebelled against the Republic of Venice and accepted his suzerainty. Louis meanwhile returned to Visegrád. He dispatched Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, to assist the burghers of Zadar, but the ban did not fight against the Venetians.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis's brother Andrew was murdered in Aversa on 18 September 1345. Louis and his mother accused Queen Joanna I, Prince Robert of Taranto, Duke Charles of Durazzo, and other members of the Neapolitan branches of the Capetian House of Anjou of plotting against Andrew. In his letter of 15 January 1346 to Pope Clement VI, Louis demanded that the pope dethrone the "husband-killer" queen in favor of Charles Martel, her infant son by Andrew. Louis also laid claim to the regency of the kingdom during the minority of his nephew, referring to his patrilinear descent from the first-born son of Robert the Wise's father, Charles II of Naples. He even promised to increase the amount of yearly tribute that the kings of Naples would pay to the Holy See. After the pope failed to fully investigate Andrew's murder, Louis decided to invade southern Italy. In preparation for the invasion, he sent his envoys to Ancona and other Italian towns before summer 1346.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: While his envoys negotiated in Italy, Louis marched to Dalmatia to relieve Zadar, but the Venetians bribed his commanders. When the citizens broke out and attacked the besiegers on 1 July, the royal army failed to intervene, and the Venetians overcame the defenders outside the walls of the town. Louis withdrew but refused to renounce Dalmatia, although the Venetians offered to pay 320,000 golden florins as compensation. Lacking military support from Louis, however, Zadar surrendered to the Venetians on 21 December 1346.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis sent small expeditions one after one to Italy at the beginning of his war against Joanna, because he did not want to harass the Italians who had suffered from a famine the previous year. His first troops departed under the command of Nicholas Vásári, Bishop of Nyitra (now Nitra in Slovakia), on 24 April 1347. Louis also hired German mercenaries. He departed from Visegrád on 11 November. After marching through Udine, Verona, Modena, Bologna, Urbino, and Perugia, he entered the Kingdom of Naples on 24 December near L'Aquila, which had yielded to him.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Queen Joanna remarried, wedding a cousin, Louis of Taranto, and fled for Marseille on 11 January 1348. Their other relatives, Robert of Taranto and Charles of Durazzo, visited Louis in Aversa to yield to him. Louis received them amicably and convinced them to persuade their brothers, Philip of Taranto and Louis of Durazzo, to join them. After their arrival, King Louis's "smile was replaced by the harshest expression as he unveiled with terrible words the true feelings he had for the princes and that he had kept hidden until then", according to the contemporaneous Domenico da Gravina. He repeated his former accusations, blamed his kinsmen for his brother's murder, and had them captured on 22 January. The next day Charles of Durazzo the husband of Joanna I's sister, Marywas beheaded upon Louis's orders. The other princes were kept captive and sent to Hungary, together with Louis's infant nephew, Charles Martel.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis marched to Naples in February. The citizens offered him a ceremonious entry, but he refused, threatening to let his soldiers sack the town if they did not raise the taxes. He adopted the traditional titles of the kings of Naples"King of Sicily and Jerusalem, Duke of Apulia and Prince of Capua"and administered the kingdom from the Castel Nuovo, garrisoning his mercenaries in the most important forts. He used unusually brutal methods of investigation to capture all accomplices in the death of his brother, according to Domenico da Gravina. Most local noble families (including the Balzos and the Sanseverinos) refused to cooperate with him. The pope refused to confirm Louis's rule in Naples, which would have united two powerful kingdoms under Louis's rule. The pope and the cardinals declared Queen Joanna innocent of her husband's murder at a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The arrival of the Black Death forced Louis to leave Italy in May. He made Ulrich Wolfhardt governor of Naples, but his mercenaries did not hinder Joanna I and her husband from returning in September. Louis, who had signed a truce for eight years with Venice on 5 August, sent new troops to Naples under the command of Stephen Lackfi, Voivode of Transylvania, in late 1349. Lackfi reoccupied Capua, Aversa and other forts that had been lost to Joanna I, but a mutiny among his German mercenaries forced him to return to Hungary. The Black Death had meanwhile reached Hungary. The first wave of the epidemic ended in June, but it returned in September, killing Louis's first wife, Margaret. Louis also fell ill, but survived the plague. Although the Black Death was less devastating in the sparsely populated Hungary than in other parts of Europe, there were regions that became depopulated in 1349, and the demand for work force increased in the subsequent years.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis proposed to renounce the Kingdom of Naples if Clement dethroned Joanna. After the pope refused, Louis departed for his second Neapolitan campaign in April 1350. He suppressed a mutiny that occurred among his mercenaries while he and his troops were waiting for the arrival of further troops in Barletta. While marching towards Naples, he faced resistance at many towns because his vanguards, which were under the command of Stephen Lackfi, had become notorious for their cruelty.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: During the campaign, Louis personally led assaults and climbed city walls together with his soldiers, endangering his own life. While besieging Canosa di Puglia, Louis fell into the moat from a ladder when a defender of the fort hit him with a stone. He dove into a river without hesitation to save a young soldier who was swept away while exploring a ford upon his order. An arrow pierced Louis's left leg during the siege of Aversa. After the fall of Aversa to Hungarian troops on 3 August, Queen Joanna and her husband again fled from Naples. However, Louis decided to return to Hungary. According to the contemporaneous historian Matteo Villani, Louis attempted to "leave the kingdom without losing face" after he had run out of money and experienced the resistance of the local population.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: To celebrate the Jubilee of 1350, Louis visited Rome during his journey back to Hungary. He arrived in Buda on 25 October 1350. With the mediation of the Holy See, the envoys of Louis and Queen Joanna's husband, Louis of Taranto, signed a truce for six months. The pope promised Louis that the queen's role in her husband's murder would again be investigated, and he ordered her to pay 300,000 gold florins as a ransom for the imprisoned Neapolitan princes.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Casimir III of Poland urged Louis to intervene in his war with the Lithuanians who had occupied Brest, Volodymyr-Volynskyi, and other important towns in Halych and Lodomeria in the previous years. The two monarchs agreed that Halych and Lodomeria would be integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary after Casimir's death. Casimir also authorized Louis to redeem the two realms for 100,000 florins if Casimir fathered a son. Louis led his army to Cracow in June 1351. Because Casimir fell ill, Louis became the sole commander of the united Polish and Hungarian army. He invaded the lands of the Lithuanian prince, Kęstutis, in July. Kęstutis seemingly accepted Louis's suzerainty on 15 August and agreed to be baptised, along with his brothers, in Buda. However, Kęstutis did nothing to fulfill his promises after Polish and Hungarian troops were withdrawn. In an attempt to capture Kęstutis, Louis returned, but he could not defeat the Lithuanians, who even killed one of his allies, Boleslaus III of Płock, in battle. Louis returned to Buda before 13 September. A papal legate visited Louis to persuade him to wage war against Stefan Dušan, Emperor of the Serbs, who had forced his Roman Catholic subjects to be re-baptised and join the Serbian Orthodox Church.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: To deal with the grievances of the Hungarian noblemen, Louis held a Diet in late 1351. He confirmed all but one of the provisions of the Golden Bull of 1222, declaring that all noblemen enjoyed the same liberties in his realms. He rejected only the provision that authorized noblemen who died without a son to freely bequeath their estates. Instead, he introduced an entail system, prescribing that the estates of a nobleman who had no male descendants passed to his kinsmen, or if there were no male relatives to the Crown, upon his death. At the same Diet, Louis ordered that all landowners were to collect the "ninth", that is one tenth of specified agricultural products, from the peasants who held plots on their estates. On the other hand, he confirmed the right of all peasants to freely move to another landowner's estates.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The "general accord" between Louis and the royal couple of Naples "was accepted by both sides" during 1351, according to the contemporaneous Niccolò Acciaioli. Joanna I and her husband returned to the Kingdom of Naples and Louis's troops were withdrawn. Louis even renounced the ransom that Joanna I had promised to pay for the liberation of the imprisoned Neapolitan princes, stating that he had not gone to "war for greed, but to avenge the death of his brother". Louis continued to use the titles of his grandfather, Charles Martel of Anjou (the firstborn son of Charles II of Naples), styling himself as "Prince of Salerno and lord of Monte Sant'Angelo".


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Casimir III laid siege to Belz and Louis joined his uncle in March 1352. During the siege, which ended without the surrender of the fort, Louis was heavily injured in his head. Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, hired Tatar mercenaries who stormed into Podolia, Louis returned to Hungary because he feared a Tatar invasion of Transylvania. Pope Clement proclaimed a crusade against the Lithuanians and the Tatars in May, authorizing Louis to collect a tithe from Church revenues during the next four years. The pope stated that he had never "granted a tenth of such duration", emphasizing the link between his magnanimity and the release of the imprisoned Neapolitan princes. The pope also authorized Louis to seize the pagans' and schismatics' lands bordering on his kingdom.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Although Louis signed an alliance with the Republic of Genoa in October 1352, he did not intervene in the Genoese–Venetian War, because his truce of 1349 with Venice was still in force. Louis married Elizabeth of Bosnia, who was the daughter of his vassal, Stephen II, in 1353. Historian Gyula Kristó says that this marriage showed Louis's renewed interest in the affairs of the Balkan Peninsula. While he was hunting in Zólyom County (now in Slovakia) in late November 1353, a brown bear attacked him, inflicting 24 wounds on his legs. Louis's life was saved by a knight of the court, John Besenyő, who killed the beast with his sword.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: According to Matteo Villani, Louis launched an expedition against the Golden Horde at the head of an army of 200,000 horsemen in April 1354. The young Tatar ruler, whom historian Iván Bertényi identified as Jani Beg, did not want to wage war against Hungary and agreed to sign a peace treaty. Although no other primary source mentioned that campaign and treaty, the Tatars made no plundering raids in Transylvania after 1354, which suggests that Villani's report is reliable. In the same year, Louis invaded Serbia, forcing Stefan Dušan to withdraw from the region along the river Sava. Under duress, Dušan initiated negotiations with the Holy See for acknowledgement of the popes' primacy. The following year, Louis sent reinforcements to Casimir III to fight against the Lithuanians, and Hungarian troops supported Albert II, Duke of Austria, against Zürich. The Venetian delegates offered Louis 6–7,000 golden ducats as a compensation for Dalmatia, but Louis refused to give up his plan to reconquer the province. He signed an alliance with Albert II of Austria and Nicolaus of Luxemburg, Patriarch of Aquileia, against Venice. Upon his order, Croatian lords besieged and captured Klis, a Dalmatian fortress that Stefan Dušan's sister, Jelena, had inherited from her husband, Mladen Šubić.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: In summer 1356, Louis invaded Venetian territories without a formal declaration of war. He laid siege to Treviso on 27 July. A local nobleman, Giuliano Baldachino, noticed that Louis sat alone while writing his letters on the banks of Sile River on each morning. Baldachino proposed the Venetians to assassinate him in exchange for 12,000 golden florins and Castelfranco Veneto, but they refused his offer because he did not share the details of his plans with them. Louis returned to Buda in the autumn, but his troops continued the siege. Pope Innocent VI urged the Venetians to make a peace with Hungary. The pope made Louis the "standard-bearer of the Church" and granted him a three-year tithe to fight against Francesco II Ordelaffi and other rebellious lords in the Papal States. Louis sent an army under Nicholas Lackfi's command to support the pope's troops in Italy.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis marched to Dalmatia in July 1357. Split, Trogir, and Šibenik soon got rid of Venetian governors and yielded to Louis. After a short siege, Louis's army also captured Zadar with the assistance of its townspeople. Tvrtko I of Bosnia, who had succeeded Louis's father-in-law in 1353, surrendered western Hum to Louis, who claimed that territory as his wife's dowry. In the Treaty of Zadar, which was signed on 18 February 1358, the Republic of Venice renounced all Dalmatian towns and islands between the Gulf of Kvarner and Durazzo in favor of Louis. The Republic of Ragusa also accepted Louis's suzerainty. The Dalmatian towns remained self-governing communities, owing only a yearly tribute and naval service to Louis, who also abolished all commercial restrictions that had been introduced during the Venetians' rule. The merchants of Ragusa were explicitly entitled to freely trade in Serbia even during a war between Hungary and Serbia.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Serbia started to disintegrate after the death of Stefan Dušan. According to Matteo Villani, an unidentified Serbian lord sought Hungarian assistance against his more powerful (and also unnamed) enemy in the late 1350s. Historians John V. A. Fine and Pál Engel write that the Serbian lord was a member of the Rastislalić family; Gyula Kristó and Iván Bertényi identify him as Lazar Hrebeljanović. Royal charters of 1358 show that Hungarian troops fought in Serbia in October 1358. The next summer Louis also marched to Serbia, but Stefan Uroš V of Serbia avoided battle.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis and the royal army stayed in Transylvania in November 1359 and January 1360, implying that he planned a military expedition against Wallachia or another neighboring territory. A charter of 1360 said that a Romanian voivode, Dragoș of Giulești, restored Louis's suzerainty in Moldavia after a rebellion of local Romanians. According to most Moldavian chronicles, Dragoș, who is sometimes identified with Dragoș of Giulești and sometimes as Dragoș of Bedeu, departed "from the Hungarian country, from Maramureș" at the head of his retinue, crossed the Carpathian Mountains while chasing an aurochs and settled in the valley of the Moldova River in 1359. The same chronicles presented this "dismounting" by Dragoș as a decisive step towards the development of the Principality of Moldavia. Another Romanian voivode, Bogdan, who had rebelled against Louis and plundered the estates of the Romanian landowners loyal to the king already in the 1340s, departed from Hungary and invaded Moldavia in the early 1360s. Bogdan expelled the descendants of Louis's vassal, Dragoș, from the principality. According to John of Küküllő, Louis launched several expeditions against Bogdan, but their dates cannot be determined. Bogdan ruled Moldavia as an independent prince.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Upon the pope's request, Louis sent Hungarian troops to relieve Bologna, which was besieged by Bernabò Visconti's troops. After Visconti lifted the siege, Louis's mercenaries pillaged the region and refused to cooperate with the papal legate; Louis had the commander of the army imprisoned. After a conflict emerged between Emperor Charles IV and Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, rumors spread about a conspiracy to dethrone the emperor in favor of Louis or Rudolf. Charles IV, Rudolf IV and Louis met in Nagyszombat (now Trnava in Slovakia) in May. The emperor and the duke mutually surrendered their claims to the other party's realms. Louis also persuaded the emperor to renounce his suzerainty over the Duchy of Płock in Poland.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis decided to convert the Jews in Hungary to Catholicism around 1360. After experiencing resistance, he expelled them from his realms. Their immovable property was confiscated, but they were allowed to take their personal property with them and also to recover the loans they had made. No pogrom took place, which was unusual in Europe in the 14th century, according to historian Raphael Patai.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Emperor Charles IV and Rudolf IV of Austria signed a treaty of alliance against the patriarch of Aquileia, who was Louis's ally, in August 1361. Fearing the formation of a coalition along the western borders of Hungary, Louis asked his former enemy, Louis of Taranto (Joanna I's husband), to send at least one of his brothers to Buda, and mediated a reconciliation between Rudolph IV and the patriarch. At a meeting with Louis's envoys in Prague, Emperor Charles made an insulting remark about Louis's mother, stating that she "was shameless", according to Jan Długosz's chronicle. Louis demanded an apology, but the emperor did not answer.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: In preparation for a war against Bohemia, Louis ordered the mobilization of the royal army and marched to Trencsén (now Trenčín in Slovakia). However, his supposed allies (Rudolf IV of Austria, Meinhard III of Tyrol and Casimir III of Poland) failed to join him, and the emperor initiated negotiations that lasted for months with the mediation of Casimir III. Louis was finally reconciled with Charles IV at their meeting in Uherské Hradiště on 8 May 1363.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis invaded Bosnia from two directions in the spring of 1363. An army under the command of Palatine Nicholas Kont and Nicholas Apáti, Archbishop of Esztergom, laid siege to Srebrenica, but the fortress did not surrender. As the royal seal was stolen during the siege, a new seal was made and all Louis's former charters were to be confirmed with the new seal. The army under Louis's personal command besieged Sokolac in July, but could not capture it. Hungarian troops returned to Hungary in the same month. Pope Urban V proclaimed a crusade against the Muslim powers of the Mediterraneum upon Peter I of Cyprus's request on 31 March 1363. Urban V urged Louis to join the crusade, emphasizing that he was a powerful monarch, a devout Christian, and "well-placed to help". The next month the pope levied a three-year tithe on the church revenues in Hungary and asked Louis to support the papal officials to collect the tax. However, Louis made every effort to hinder the activities of the papal tax collectors, stating that he needed resources to cover the costs of his future wars against the infidels and the pope's enemies in Italy.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis signed a treaty with Emperor Charles and Rudolf IV of Austria in Brno in early 1364, which put an end to their conflicts. In September, Louis visited Cracow to attend the large congress where Peter I of Cyprus attempted to persuade a dozen European monarchs to join the crusade. Louis was the only monarch to promise assistance, but later failed to fulfill his promise. At the congress, Casimir III of Poland confirmed Louis's right to succeed him in Poland if he died without a male issue. Louis, who had not fathered a son either, invited a distant relative of his, Charles of Durazzo, to Hungary in 1364, but did not make the young prince his official heir. Louis allowed the Jews to return to Hungary in the same year; legal proceedings between the Jews and those who had seized their houses lasted for years.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis assembled his armies in Temesvár (now Timișoara in Romania) in February 1365. According to a royal charter that year, he was planning to invade Wallachia because the new voivode, Vladislav Vlaicu, had refused to obey him. However, he ended up heading a campaign against the Bulgarian Tsardom of Vidin and its ruler Ivan Sratsimir, which suggests that Vladislav Vlaicu had in the meantime yielded to him. Louis seized Vidin and imprisoned Ivan Stratsimir in May or June. Within three months, his troops occupied Ivan Stratsimir's realm, which was organized into a separate border province, or banate, under the command of Hungarian lords.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The Byzantine Emperor, John V Palaiologos visited Louis in Buda in early 1366, seeking his assistance against the Ottoman Turks, who had set foot in Europe. This was the first occasion that a Byzantine Emperor left his empire to plead for a foreign monarch's assistance. According to Louis's physician, Giovanni Conversini, at his first meeting with Louis, the emperor refused to dismount and to take off his hat, which offended Louis. John V pledged that he would promote the union of the Byzantine Church with the Papacy, and Louis promised to send him help, but neither the emperor nor Louis fulfilled their promises. Pope Urban encouraged Louis not to send help to Constantinople before the emperor guaranteed the Church union.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis stayed in Transylvania between June and September 1366, implying that he waged war against Moldavia. He issued a decree authorizing the Transylvanian noblemen to pass judgments against "malefactors belonging to any nation, especially Romanians". He also decreed that testimony of a Romanian knez who had received a royal charter of grant weighed the same as that of a nobleman. In the same year, Louis granted the Banate of Severin and the district of Fogaras to Vladislav Vlaicu of Wallachia, who had accepted his suzerainty. Tvrtko I of Bosnia also accepted Louis's suzerainty after Hungarian troops assisted him in regaining his throne in early 1367.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis made attempts to convert his pagan or "schismatic" subjects to Catholicism, even by force. The conversion of the pagan Cumans who had settled in Hungary a century before was completed during his reign, according to John of Küküllő. After the conquest of Vidin, he sent Franciscan friars to the new banate to convert the local Orthodox population, which caused widespread discontent among the Bulgarians. In 1366, he ordered that all Serbian priests be converted and rebaptised. He also decreed that only Roman Catholic noblemen and knezes were allowed to hold landed property in the district of Sebes in Temes County. Louis supported the religious orders, especially the Franciscans and the Paulines, for whom he and his mother set up dozens of new monasteries. Upon Louis's request, Pope Urban V sanctioned the establishment of a university in Pécs in 1367, with the exception of a faculty of theology. However, Louis did not arrange for sufficient revenues and the university was closed by 1390.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Vladislav Vlaicu of Wallachia made an alliance with Ivan Shishman, a half-brother of the former ruler of Vidin, Ivan Sratsimir. Their united armies imposed a blockade on Vidin. Louis marched to the Lower Danube and ordered Nicholas Lackfi, Voivode of Transylvania, to invade Wallachia in the autumn of 1368. The voivode's army marched through the valley of the Ialomița River, but the Wallachians ambushed it and killed many Hungarian soldiers, including the voivode. However, Louis's campaign against Wallachia from the west was successful and Vladislav Vlaicu yield to him in next summer. Upon his initiative, Louis restored Ivan Stratsimir in Vidin. Ivan Stratsimir swore loyalty to Louis and sent his two daughters as hostages to Hungary.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: From the late 1360s, Louis suffered from a skin disease with symptoms similar to leprosy. Thereafter he became even more zealous and dedicated more time to praying and religious contemplation. After his meeting with Louis in 1372, the papal legate, John de Cardailhac, stated: "I call God as my witness that I have never seen a monarch more majestic and more or one who desires peace and calm as much as he." He also changed the priorities of his foreign policy and began neglecting the Balkan states. Casimir III of Poland and Louis signed a treaty against Emperor Charles IV in Buda in February 1369. At their next meeting in Pressburg (now Bratislava in Slovakia) in September, Albert I of Bavaria, and Rupert I of the Palatinate joined their coalition against the emperor and the Habsburgs. However, Emperor Charles IV persuaded the two Wittelsbachs (Albert I and Rupert I) to break off the coalition in September 1370.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Casimir III of Poland died on 5 November 1370. Louis arrived after his uncle's funeral and ordered the erection of a splendid Gothic marble monument to the deceased king. He was crowned king of Poland in the Cracow Cathedral on 17 November. Casimir III had willed his patrimonyincluding the duchies of Sieradz, Łęczyca and Dobrzyńto his grandson, Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania. However, the Polish prelates and lords were opposed to the disintegration of Poland and Casimir III's testament was declared void. Louis visited Gniezno and made his Polish mother, Elizabeth, regent before returning to Hungary in December. His uncle's two surviving daughters (Anna and Jadwiga) accompanied him, and the Polish Crown Jewels were transferred to Buda, which raised discontent among Louis's new subjects. Louis's wife gave birth to a daughter, Catherine, in 1370, seventeen years after their marriage; a second daughter, Mary, was born in 1371. Thereafter Louis's made several attempts to safeguard his daughters' right to succeed him.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: During a war between Emperor Charles IV and Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria, Louis intervened on the duke's behalf and the Hungarian army invaded Moravia. After the duke and the emperor signed a peace treaty, Louis and the emperor agreed upon the betrothal of their children early the next year. The Ottomans annihilated the Serbian armies in the Battle of Marica on 26 September 1371. Lazar Hrebeljanović, one of the Serbian lords, swore loyalty to Louis. Pope Gregory XI urged Louis to resist the Ottomans but also pleaded with him to send reinforcements to Italy to fight against Bernabò Visconti. A war broke out between the Republic of Venice and Francesco I da Carrara, Lord of Padova, who was an ally of Louis, in the summer of 1372. Louis sent reinforcements to Italy to assist Francesco da Carrara. The Venetians defeated the Hungarian troops at Treviso and captured its commander, Nicholas Lackfi, forcing Louis I to sign a peace treaty on 23 September 1373.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis and the representatives of the Polish nobility started negotiations of Louis's succession in Poland in the autumn of 1373. After a year of negotiations, he issued the so-called Privilege of Koszyce on 17 September 1374, reducing the tax that Polish noblemen paid to the king by about 84% and promising a remuneration to noblemen who participated in foreign military campaigns. In exchange, the Polish lords confirmed the right of Louis's daughters to inherit Poland.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis invaded Wallachia in May 1375, because the new prince of Wallachia, Radu I, had formed an alliance with the Bulgarian ruler, Ivan Shishman, and the Ottoman Sultan Murad I. The Hungarian army routed the united forces of the Wallachians and their allies, and Louis occupied the Banate of Severin, but Radu I did not yield. During the summer, Wallachian troops stormed into Transylvania and Ottomans pillaged the Banat.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: From the middle of the 1370s, the Lackfis' influence diminished and new favorites emerged in the royal court. James Szepesi was appointed judge royal in 1373, and Nicholas Garay became the palatine in 1375. The organization of central government was also modified to create a more centralized power structure. Louis's "secret seal", that he had always taken with him during his wars and journeys, was declared authentic, and Louis entrusted it to the secret chancellor who was always to accompany him. A new high official, the Lord Chancellor were authorized to use the great seal in the king's name in 1376 or 1377. Demetrius, Bishop of Zagreb, who was of humble origin, was the first to hold this new office. The Lord Chancellor became the head of a new central court of justice, called the court of "the king's special presence" in 1377. From around the same time, the royal free towns delegated jurors to assist the master of the treasury, who headed the court of appeal for the towns. A new official, the treasurer, took over the financial duties of the master of the treasury.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The Lithuanians made raids in Halych, Lodomeria, and Poland, almost reaching Cracow in November 1376. A riot broke out in Cracow against the unpopular queen mother, Elizabeth, on 6 December. The rioters slaughtered about 160 servants of the queen-mother, forcing her to flee to Hungary. Taking advantage of the situation, Władysław the White, Duke of Gniewkowo, who was a male member of the royal Piast dynasty, announced his claim to the Polish crown. However, Louis's partisans defeated the pretender, and Louis made him abbot of the Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary. Louis appointed Vladislaus II of Opole his governor in Poland. In summer 1377, Louis invaded the territories held by the Lithuanian prince, George, in Lodomeria. His Polish troops soon captured Chełm, while Louis seized George's seat, Belz, after besieging it for seven weeks. He incorporated the occupied territories in Lodomeria, together with Galicia, into the Kingdom of Hungary. Three Lithuanian princesFedor, Prince of Ratno, and two princes of Podolia, Alexander and Borisaccepted Louis's suzerainty.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Tvrtko I of Bosnia had himself crowned king, adopting the title of "King of Serbia, Bosnia and the Coastland", in 1377. Whether Louis had approved Tvrtko's coronation cannot be decided. A new war broke out between Venice and Genoa in 1378. Louis supported the Genoese and Trogir became the regular base of the Genoese fleet, which transformed Dalmatia into an important theater of war. Louis also sent reinforcements to Francesco I da Carrara to fight against the Venetians.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The cardinals who had turned against Pope Urban VI elected a new pope, Clement VII on 20 September 1378, which gave rise to the Western Schism. Louis acknowledged Urban VI as the legitimate pope and offered him support to fight against his opponents in Italy. As Joanna I of Naples decided to join Clement VII's camp, Pope Urban excommunicated and dethroned her on 17 June 1380. The pope acknowledged Charles of Durazzo, who had lived in Louis's court, as the lawful king of Naples. After Charles of Durazzo promised that he would not claim Hungary against Louis's daughters, Louis dispatched him to invade Southern Italy at the head of a large army. Within a year, Charles of Durazzo occupied the Kingdom of Naples, and forced Queen Joanna to surrender to him on 26 August 1381.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: The envoys of Louis and Venice had meanwhile started negotiations on a new peace treaty, which was signed in Turin on 24 August 1381. According to the treaty, Venice renounced Dalmatia and also promised to pay 7,000 golden florins as an annual tribute to Hungary. Louis also stipulated that Venice was to transfer the relics of St Paul of Thebes to the newly established Pauline monastery at Budaszentlőrinc.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Royal charters referred to military actions in Lodomeria and Wallachia in the first half of 1382, but no further information of those wars was preserved. Louis, whose health was quickly deteriorating, invited the representatives of the Polish prelates and lord for a meeting in Zólyom. Upon his demand, the Poles swore loyalty to his daughter, Mary, and her fiancé, Sigismund of Luxemburg, on 25 July 1382. Louis died in Nagyszombat in the night on 10 or 11 September 1382. He was buried in the Székesfehérvár Cathedral in a chapel that had been built upon his orders.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis's first wife, Margaret, was the oldest child of Charles, Margrave of Moravia, and his first wife, Blanche of Valois. Margaret was born in 1335. The exact date of the marriage of Louis and Margaret is unknown, but it occurred between 1342 and 1345. Margaret died childless on 7 September 1349.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: According to the "Chronicle of Parthénope", the Neapolitan princes whom Louis had imprisoned during his first campaign in Southern Italy proposed him to marry Queen Joanna I's younger sister and heir, Mary. She was the widow of Charles of Durazzo, who had been executed on Louis's orders. During the siege of Aversa in the summer of 1350, Louis met her envoy in the nearby Trentola-Ducenta and the terms of their marriage were accepted. However, Mary was forced to marry Robet of Baux after Louis left Southern Italy.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis married his second wife, Elizabeth, around 20 June 1353. Elizabeth was the daughter of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and Stephen's wife, Elizabeth of Kuyavia. Louis and his new wife were within the prohibited degree of kinship, because Louis's mother and his wife's grandmother were cousins, but they applied for a papal dispensation only about four months after their marriage. Historian Iván Bertényi says that this haste suggests that Elizabeth, who had been living in the court of Louis's mother, was pregnant at the time of the marriage. If this theory is valid, Louis's and his wife's first child was stillborn. Their next child, Catherine, was born in 1370 and died in 1378. The next daughter, Mary, who would succeed Louis in Hungary, was born in 1371. Louis's youngest daughter, Jadwiga, who was born in 1373, became queen regnant of Poland.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: Louis was the only Hungarian monarch to receive the epithet "Great". He was mentioned under this byname not only in Hungarian chronicles in the 14th and 15th centuries, but also in a 17th-century genealogy of the Capetians. Both his chivalrous personality and his successful military campaigns contributed to the development of his fame as a "great king". Louis waged wars in almost each year during his reign. Louis "always desired peace at home and war abroad for neither can be made without the other", according to Antonio Bonfini's late 15th-century chronicle. Historian Enikő Csukovits writes that Louis's military actions show that he continued and accomplished his father's policy through recovering Croatia and Dalmatia and waging wars in Southern Italy, in Lithuania and in the Balkan Peninsula. On the other hand, Pál Engel says that Louis's "expeditions often lacked a realistic goal and sometimes even a reasonable it was war itself that gave him pleasure".


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: In the age of Romantic nationalism, Hungary during Louis's reign was described as an empire "whose shores were washed by three seas" in reference to the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas. For instance, in 1845 the poet Sándor Petőfi referred to Louis's reign as a period when "the falling stars of the north, the east and the south were all extinguished in Hungarian seas". Poland remained an independent country during Louis's reign and its borders did not extend to the Baltic Sea, and Louis's suzerainty along the northwestern shores of the Black Sea was also uncertain.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: In Polish historiography, two contrasting evaluation of Louis's reign in Poland coexisted. The "pessimistic" tradition can be traced back to the views of the late 14th-century Jan of Czarnków, who was banished from Poland during Louis's reign. Czarnków emphasized that "there was no stability in the Kingdom of Poland" and the royal officials "continually pillaged the property of the poor people" during Louis's reign. According to the "optimistic" historiographic tradition, Louis continued Casimir the Great's policy of preserving the unity of Poland against the separatist magnates of Greater Poland with the assistance of lords from Lesser Poland.


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: John of Küküllő emphasized that Louis "ruled neither with passion, nor with arbitrariness, but rather as the guardian of righteousness". Antonio Bonfini also described Louis as a just king wandering among his subjects in disguise to protect them the royal officials' arbitrary acts. Even Jan of Czarnków underlined that Louis "did not rule in an absolute manner; on the contrary, the foundations ... of [the Poles'] freedom were laid by him".


title: Louis I of Hungary

text: New palaces and castles built at Zólyom, Diósgyőr and Louis's other favorite hunting places were "masterpieces of the highest European standards" of his age, according to historian László Kontler. Louis initiated the compellation of the "Illuminated Chronicle", which preserved the text of earlier chronicles. The 147 miniatures decorating the "Illuminated Chronicle" testify the mastery of Hungarian workshops during Louis's reign.


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: Lipinski's rule of five, also known as Pfizer's rule of five or simply the rule of five (RO5), is a rule of thumb to evaluate druglikeness or determine if a chemical compound with a certain pharmacological or biological activity has chemical properties and physical properties that would make it a likely orally active drug in humans. The rule was formulated by Christopher A. Lipinski in 1997, based on the observation that most orally administered drugs are relatively small and moderately lipophilic molecules.


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: The rule describes molecular properties important for a drug's pharmacokinetics in the human body, including their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion ("ADME"). However, the rule does not predict if a compound is pharmacologically active.


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: The rule is important to keep in mind during drug discovery when a pharmacologically active lead structure is optimized step-wise to increase the activity and selectivity of the compound as well as to ensure drug-like physicochemical properties are maintained as described by Lipinski's rule. Candidate drugs that conform to the RO5 tend to have lower attrition rates during clinical trials and hence have an increased chance of reaching the market.


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: Some authors have criticized the rule of five for the implicit assumption that passive diffusion is the only important mechanism for the entry of drugs into cells, ignoring the role of transporters. For example, O'Hagan and co-authors wrote as follows:This famous "rule of 5" has been highly influential in this regard, but only about 50 % of orally administered new chemical entities actually obey it.Studies have also demonstrated that some natural products break the chemical rules used in Lipinski filter such as macrolides and peptides


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: Lipinski's rule states that, in general, an orally active drug has no more than one violation of the following criteria:


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: As with many other rules of thumb, such as Baldwin's rules for ring closure, there are many "exceptions".


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: In an attempt to improve the predictions of druglikeness, the rules have spawned many extensions, for example the Ghose filter:


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: Veber's Rule further questions a 500 molecular weight cutoff. The polar surface area and the number of rotatable bonds has been found to better discriminate between compounds that are orally active and those that are not for a large data set of compounds in the rat. In particular, compounds which meet only the two criteria of:


title: Lipinski's rule of five

text: During drug discovery, lipophilicity and molecular weight are often increased in order to improve the affinity and selectivity of the drug candidate. Hence it is often difficult to maintain drug-likeness (i.e., RO5 compliance) during hit and lead optimization. Hence it has been proposed that members of screening libraries from which hits are discovered should be biased toward lower molecular weight and lipophility so that medicinal chemists will have an easier time in delivering optimized drug development candidates that are also drug-like. Hence the rule of five has been extended to the rule of three (RO3) for defining lead-like compounds.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Monégasque ("munegascu" [mune'gasku]; ; ) is the variety of Ligurian spoken in Monaco. It is closely related to the Ligurian dialects spoken in Ventimiglia and is considered a national language of Monaco, though it is not the official language of the country, which is French. Monégasque has been officially taught in the schools of Monaco since 1972 and was made a compulsory subject in 1976, but is the native language of only a handful of people.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: In 1191, the Republic of Genoa took possession of Monaco and began settling in 1215. These Genoese settlers brought their vernacular language with them which would develop into Monégasque. Prior to the Genoese settlers, the main language of the region was Provençal, as spoken in the nearby localities of Menton and Roquebrune. By 1355, Menton, Roquebrune, and Monaco were under the political union of the Grimaldis, but despite this, there was a linguistic divide as the primary language of Monaco was Ligurian. Overtime Monégasque began to split from the Genoese vernacular as Monaco came under the political influence of foreign powers, namely taking influences from French and Italian, but also briefly from Spanish and Catalan as Monaco had been under Spanish occupation for over a hundred years, ending in 1641.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Afterwards, Monaco would be under French protection and prior to the French Revolution, Italian and Monégasque were the primary languages of the political elite, administration, clergy and natives. French would however begin to become a major influence as France instituted bilingual government. At this time the population of Monaco was mainly made up of immigrants and descendants from Genoa and other parts Liguria, and though Monégasque was not written, it was openly spoken and passed down through families by oral tradition. People coming in from the Italian city-states were considered closer neighbors than those coming in from Grimaldi-led cities of Menton and Roquebrune, who were considered foreigners despite their union with Monaco.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: In 1793, Monaco was annexed by France and by 1805, decrees from the Emperor of France, imposed French language instruction and limited the use of other languages. The Grimaldis reestablished a sovereign principality in 1814, but maintained French as the only official language though Italian and Monégasque remained national languages. In 1815, Prince Honoré IV decreed French and Italian equal status in education, though Italian gradually declined as the nearby regions became more French, noticeably in 1860 with the French annexation of Nice. Monégasque was then demoted to a "patois," and barred from being taught or spoken in public and religious schools until 1976, in a similar manner to that of Occitan in France.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: By 1924, Monégasque was close to extinction if not for the efforts of the National Committee of Monégasque Traditions ("Cumitau Naçiunale d'ë Tradiçiune Munegasche"). In 1927, Louis Noatri published the "A Legenda de Santa Devota," the first literary work in Monégasque. This was soon followed by all kinds of literature, such as poetry, stories, and theatre being written in Monégasque attracting more attention to the language. In 1972, the first class in Monégasque was taught by clergymen, Georges Franzi, with support from the Félibrige, an Occitan language association, and by 1976, Monégasque was made a compulsory subject in public and private primary education thanks to an initiative by the government. This was later expanded in 1979 and 1989 to make it a compulsory subject in secondary education and as an optional subject for the baccalaureate. In 1982, Prince Rainier III created a sovereign ordinance that established the Commission for the Monégasque Language, which is responsible for the education and study of the language.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Monégasque shares many features with the Genoese dialect and is closely related the dialect of Ventimiglia. Despite earlier attempts to link it to Occitan, Monégasque is a Ligurian dialect with Occitan contributions while the nearby Menton dialect is an Occitan dialect with Ligurian features.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Monégasque, like all other Ligurian language variants, is derived directly from the Vulgar Latin of what is now northwestern Italy and southeastern France and has some influence in vocabulary, morphology and syntax from French and related Gallo-Romance languages, but most words are more like Italian.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Before the annexation of the County of Nice to France in 1860, the Niçois spoke a dialect very similar to Monégasque.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: The sole official language of Monaco is French as stated in their Constitution with Monégasque being used informally. As Monégasques are only a minority in Monaco, the language was threatened with extinction in the 1970s. In a nation with other 130 different nationalities, Monégasque struggles in a time of globalization. Despite being compulsory in education, it's not common for students in Monaco to use it outside the classroom or to take their baccalaureates in the Monégasque option. Adult education and lessons to foreign residents are carried out, and yearly there is language competition for schoolchildren that is presided by the Prince.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Monégasque wasn't a written language until 1927, beginning with Louis Notari's "A Legenda de Santa Devota". Prior to that, any semblance of written Monégasque was usually referred to as Ligurian, Genoese, Italian, and sometimes even French.


title: Monégasque dialect

text: The Monégasque alphabet is made up of 23 letters and the orthography generally follows Italian principles, with a few unique graphemes and features borrowed from French:


title: Monégasque dialect

text: Below is an excerpt from the Monégasque national anthem, written by Louis Notari. In addition, there is an older French version of the anthem; its lyrics have a different meaning. The choice between the two forms is generally subject to the occasion and the circumstance.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher (originally titled Dennis the Menace and currently titled "Dennis and Gnasher)" is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic "The Beano", published by DC Thomson, of Dundee, Scotland. The comic stars a boy named Dennis the Menace and his Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound Gnasher.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The strip first appeared in issue 452, dated 17 March 1951, and on sale from 12 March 1951. It is the longest-running strip in the comic. The idea and name of the character emerged when the comic's editor heard a British music hall song with the chorus "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice". The creation of Dennis in the 1950s had sales of "The Beano" soar. From issue 1678 onwards (dated 14 September 1974), Dennis the Menace replaced Biffo the Bear on the front cover, and has been there ever since. Coincidentally, on 12 March 1951, another comic strip named "Dennis the Menace" debuted in the US. As a result of this, the US series has initially been retitled "Dennis" for UK audiences, while the British character's appearances are often titled "Dennis and Gnasher" outside the UK. In 2021, Dennis (and Gnasher) featured on a series of UK postage stamps issued by the Royal Mail to mark 70 years of the character.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis is the archetypal badly behaved schoolboy. The main recurring storyline throughout the years features his campaign of terror against a gang of "softies" (effeminate, well-behaved boys), particularly Walter the Softy. Walter finds himself in unfavourable circumstances on many occasions, although he sometimes gets the last laugh. Author Michael Rosen states, "In most children's books, a bad child gets made good – but the great thing about Dennis is he never gets better".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher" was first drawn by David Law (1951–1970), who gave the mischievous boy his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, outsized shoes, and devilish grin, then David Sutherland (1970–1998). David Parkins took over from 1998 until 2006, although Nigel Parkinson drew the lion's share of the strips after 2002, and Jimmy Hansen alternated with him in 2005–06. Tom Paterson drew some second Dennis strips for the comic's rear pages. Barrie Appleby did the artwork for the "Beano Superstars" series, which, towards the end of its run, resorted mostly to strips based on the TV series. In 2011, he took over as Dennis's main artist. In 2012, Nigel Parkinson was named sole official Dennis artist. Dennis was returned to his previous appearance and personality. Nigel Auchterlounie began writing for Dennis a month later and gave Dennis (and the other characters) wider personalities. Auchterlounie has proven to be a very popular writer since taking over Dennis. Dennis and Gnasher have remained the mascots of "The Beano".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The idea and name of the character emerged when "The Beano" editor George Moonie heard a British music hall song with the chorus "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice". The character of Dennis was initially a struggle for artist Davey Law and then "Beano" chief sub Ian Chisholm to develop. Chisholm described the character to Law but was dissatisfied with every sketch the artist showed him. Out of frustration, Chisholm grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched out his creation to Law in the back of his cigarette packet. The drawing consisted of Dennis's trademark messy haircut, knobbly knees, and menacing scowl. Adapting Chisholm's doodle, Law set to work on the character in the strip, which would appear in the 17 March 1951 issue of "The Beano". Two months later, Law gave the mischievous boy his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, outsized shoes, and devilish grin.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis's first comic-strip appearance consisted of him walking into the park with his father and his dog, where a sign is planted informing visitors that they should 'Keep Off the Grass'. Keeping in with his "world's naughtiest boy" tagline, Dennis makes many attempts to get onto the grass, much to his father's annoyance. Losing his temper, he takes the lead off the dog and puts it on Dennis, thus ending the menace's hijinks. This, like many succeeding it, only made up half a page. Dennis was deemed not popular enough to gain a full-page strip until around 1954. Many of Law's strips ended with Dennis being punished for his troublemaking with corporal punishment, such as a slippering or use of a cane. Throughout the years, Law's Dennis became taller than his debut appearance. Why Law chose to do this is unknown, but many believe it was due to Law's perfectionist nature. In 1954, Dennis replaced Big Eggo as the character next to "The Beano" title, citing one of many changes of the comic during this period. The following year, Dennis became one of a few characters from DC Thomson comics to be featured in his own annual (the 1956 edition), which continued to 2011.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis was also present in the first "Dandy"-"Beano" Summer Special, where he appeared in full colour. This strip featured Dennis begrudgingly selling flags in aid of the dog's home. Bored, he chooses to make this a perfect aid to his menacing. Dennis continued to gain popularity solo as time moved on. His trademark pet, Gnasher, was not introduced until 1968.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: On 31 August, a strip depicted Dennis being informed by his father that many pets look like their owners. Dennis dismisses this as being a load of "rot!" and goes out. However, seeing many different owners looking just like their dogs, he begins to consider that it may be true. Upon being informed of a dog show, Dennis decides to enter but needs a dog to do so. This was when he found the Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound roaming the streets of Beanotown. Menacing the dog show rather than attempting to win it, the duo are eventually caught and punished. Gnasher returned the following week and became a comic favourite, as well as the Menace's best friend.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 1970, Davey Law took ill and retired from the strip, leaving Dennis in need of a new artist. Dave Sutherland, who was already the artist of "Biffo the Bear" and "The Bash Street Kids", was chosen. Dennis made a cameo in a Biffo story in 1972, citing his wish to be on the cover. This dialogue proved to be almost prophetic, as he became the cover star of the comic in 1974 (issue 1678, cover date 14 September 1974), a position he still holds today. His first cover story consisted of him using the issue's free gift, the Happy Howler, to torment people, including his Dad and in an opera house, who gives Dennis's dad a free gift of his own, a slipper.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis's popularity was emphasised in 1976 when he was awarded his own fan club. Members would get a membership card, a club wallet, and two badges. This became the foundation of "The Beano" Club years later. The club was well known for being popular amongst celebrities, as well as "Beano" readers. Phil Lynott, Mark Hamill, and Linford Christie were among many to join. A strip promoting an all-new Dennis T-shirt for club members emerged in 1978. It featured a guest appearance from Minnie the Minx and consisted of the two fighting over to whom the red-and-black jersey image truly belongs.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: "The Beano" turned 40 in 1978. To celebrate, Dennis's weekly comic strip this week featured him celebrating his birthday and his menacing antics with his brand new cowboy outfit.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 1980, "The Beano" reached a landmark 2000th issue. The front cover depicted Dennis offering to show readers the first issue of the comic. Incidentally and fitting well with the character's menacing nature, the comic was at the bottom of the pile. The character was then featured in one of the first "Beano" spin-off comics, "The Beano Comic Libraries". He was one of the first "Beano" characters to get a feature-length story, which in turn was called "King Dennis". Dennis was also a character present in the most successful "Beano" annual to date in 1983.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 1986, one of Dennis's first story arcs appeared. Gnasher, his faithful companion, had gone missing. Distraught, Dennis asked readers to join him on a "Gnational Gnasher Search". At first, Dennis's dad was far happier without the tripehound, but as the week wore on, he found himself missing the dog. The story lasted seven weeks before Gnasher returned by a father with his six daughters and son, Gnipper, who later became a key character.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: On "The Beano"'s 50th anniversary, Dennis's strip consisted of him saving "The Beano"'s birthday cake, which had begun to float away after the rope in which the sailor was pulling it along with was cut by a nearby crab.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: A landmark issue for Dennis appeared in 1991, as "The Beano" announced they were to change his image. The news received much media attention throughout the UK and it was later revealed to be a publicity stunt in the very strip the image was introduced. Dennis's new attire consisted of a blue tracksuit, sunglasses and headphones connected to a walkman. However, the tracksuit bottoms ripped due to Dennis's knobbly knees and he ditched the jacket as his father could catch him easier after he had menaced. The end of the strip showed Dennis returning in his trademark jersey and shorts and pea-shooting his nemesis Walter. Dennis also played a vital role in the storyline in which "The Beano" was turned into colour. The front cover of the famous 2674th issue of the comic depicted Dennis spraying other famous "Beano" characters with a hose of paint.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 1993, "Beano" editor Euan Kerr was becoming concerned at the direction David Sutherland's depiction of the character was taking, with Dennis becoming ever stockier and larger. Kerr, feeling that Dennis was beginning to resemble a thuggish teenager rather than the naughty boy he was intended to be, told Sutherland to make Dennis look younger in appearance. As a result, Dennis was made shorter, with a smaller chin. He retained his familiar outfit but started to wear trainers. These changes were also made with the intention of making the character easier to animate for the forthcoming "Beano Video".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 1996, the first Dennis animated series was released on the UK station CBBC, with a second series following in 1998.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: After "The Beano"'s 60th anniversary issue in 1998, David Sutherland stopped drawing the strip, and was replaced by former Billy Whizz and The Three Bears artist, David Parkins.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Parkins' first Dennis strips featured a storyline that formally introduced Dennis's younger sister Bea into the comic. The story lasted three issues and consisted of Dennis's fear that a younger sister would ruin his reputation as the toughest menace in Beanotown. However, as it turned out Bea was as much of a menace as her older brother and even gained her own spin-off strip drawn by Nigel Parkinson (who would frequently ghost the main strip during 1999–2004), which Dennis would sometimes cameo in.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis kicked off the new millennium with a strip of him charging 50 pence to access the Menace Dome, a more 'menacing' version of the Millennium Dome. He also starred as a villain in a feature-length Bash Street Kids strip in which he, alongside Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, raced against the Bash Street Kids to find the treasure which was apparently buried underneath the Millennium Dome. It ended with Danny, the Bash Street leader, outwitting Dennis and his cronies and Dennis angrily blaming it on Roger. Whilst a rivalry with The Bash Street Kids was touched on before in other strips, it was this story that made the rivalry far more well known. Several succeeding feature-length strips after, usually drawn by Mike Pearse or Kev F. Sutherland, further depicted the rivalry even to the point it would get violent. He also made other appearances in the spin-off Bash Street Kids - Singled Out, where he would take on a similar role.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2000, Dennis became a major mascot for Beanoland at the Chessington World of Adventures theme park. He was featured prominently throughout the land including a large figure atop the shop, a member of the squirting water fountain, a character on the dodgems, a silhouette on the entrance and a cast member in the live show located in his treehouse. Later in the park's history, "Dennis's Madhouse" was introduced which was a foam ball play area. In 2008, the land was changed into Wild Asia.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2001, Dennis turned 50 and celebrated with a house party in which several "Beano" characters were invited. The same issue also showed readers how Dennis received his trademark jersey which, it reveals, was initially owned by a boy called Tufty. After Tufty asks when someone would land on the moon, to which Dennis accurately predicts 20 July 1969, Dennis offers to give him the chance right then. He attaches his granny's homemade soda pop to Tufty, shakes him then removes each of the lids which causes Tufty to blast off and fall into a nearby lake. Dennis then grabs the jersey and puts it on remarking it 'feels right somehow!'.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2003, Dennis appeared as a playable character in the PC game "Beanotown Racing". He was featured in several strips leading up to the game's release depicting how he received his vehicle and the races he got into before the game's events. This includes a rivalry with Minnie the Minx who had got her vehicle before him. Dennis tuned up his Menace-Mobile to make a dune buggy.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: David Parkins' workload meant he was able to draw the strip on an increasingly less frequent basis throughout his time on the strip, and after 2003 he became too busy to continue as a full-time artist. Nigel Parkinson, who had previously been drawing the strip as Parkins' understudy, continued as artist, along with Jimmy Hansen coming in to replace Parkins. The pair drew the vast majority of stories between 2004 and 2007 when Tom Paterson also started drawing the strip. In 2008, Dennis was given an extra strip towards the back of the comic, usually a continuing story across a few weeks. These strips were usually drawn by Tom Paterson. One such story featured the illness of Gnasher's young pup, Gnipper who had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Throughout this story, Dennis and Gnasher called upon the help of various past characters of the strip's history before finally contacting Gnipper's many sisters who successfully managed to get him out of his coma. Walter also changed in the strip as Dennis was given more reason to belittle and menace him. Instead of being camp and frilly, he was quite rude and obnoxious especially towards Dennis and his friends. However, Dennis seemed to be more of a bully than an anti-hero at this age.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2007, Dennis was featured on the front page of a new magazine "BeanoMAX" and was the cover star until 2008 where he was replaced by Max, an exclusive character. Another landmark issue was met in 2008 where "The Beano" turned 70. As a celebration, Dennis was seen on the cover sharing a cake with Wallace and Gromit, whose creator was featured heavily in the issue.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: When the strip was relaunched in 2009, Dennis faced several changes to his character and appearance. It was the first major revamp of the character since his debut over 50 years prior. Parkinson, Hansen and Paterson continued to draw the strips, although Dennis became slightly shorter with a boyish look to him as opposed to the brute, tough guy look the previous artists had established. His behind the nose grin was used far less frequently and most of his menacing was toned down. He also no longer used weapons such as a catapult or peashooter save for a few times, so he became more creative in his mischief. The strip's title was shortened to Dennis and Gnasher during these years, and Dennis rarely used the term 'menacing' to describe his actions. Dennis's idol was revealed to be 'Rat-Bucket', a fictional heavy metal singer introduced in the strip. He was also given more rivals as Athena and Sugar were both introduced to the strip. He was also given a new spin-off called "Sixty Second Dennis". This was a single page strip that featured Dennis in a short story and was usually illustrated by Nigel Parkinson.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The reason behind the re-launch was to promote the new TV series which was just about to hit screens in Britain. It followed Dennis, Curly, Pie-Face and Gnasher as they attempt to brighten up the average day in Beanotown through new ideas, adventures and pranks.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: On 27 November 2010, "The Beano" Club was relaunched into "The Beano" V.I.P. It was officially announced via a Dennis strip where several British celebrities including Ant and Dec, Simon Cowell and Daniel Radcliffe visited Beanotown in an effort to join the club but all failed as they were not deemed tough enough. In the end, Dennis decides it is only the reader who can become a "Beano" V.I.P. This was the first strip in which Dennis seemed to actually do his 'menacing' intentionally since his re-launch in 2009.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In early 2011, Dennis's re-launched character slowly and subtly began returning to his 'menacing' ways. He began using his weapons again and referring to his antics as menacing. He also began to do his menacing more intentionally as he did in all previous eras. Barrie Appleby, who had previously drawn Roger the Dodger, became the artist as the strip was extended to three pages rather than the usual two. Sixty Second Dennis was also dropped, being replaced by a Gnasher spin-off strip called Gnashional Treasure, which was later renamed as Gnasher's Bit(e).


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Although the strip continued to be known as "Dennis and Gnasher", Dennis was once again overtly referred to as 'the menace', and by his 60th birthday, Dennis had returned to his original character although he still has the likeness of his 2009 TV series counterpart. Meanwhile, Nigel Parkinson continued with lengthier "BeanoMAX" stories which would often feature other "Beano" characters.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: By August 2012, Dennis's 2009 re-launch was reverted following yet another re-launch of the comic. His illustrations were more in tone with David Parkins' era and he partook in genuine naughtiness and disruption again. Nigel Parkinson was named sole official Dennis artist and began the weekly strips while Barrie Appleby returned to Roger the Dodger. Like his 2009 re-launch, Dennis faced several new changes mainly due to a new editor. His old behind the nose grin returned and he began to once again refer to himself as a 'menace'. His parents had a make-over, so his traditionally balding father now shared his messy spiked hair and his mother was no longer neatly shaped. Gnasher also returned to normal. A new character called Angel Face was also introduced into the strip, in order to give Dennis more of a rival.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In honour of the 2012 London Olympic Games, gold medalist Jessica Ennis appeared in a strip, much to public attention. Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius also appeared, with the current editor, Stirling citing that 'When people told Oscar he couldn't be an athlete due to his disability, he ignored them and, in that respect, he's just like Dennis, who never does as he is told.' Both strips were extremely well received amongst both the athletes and the public.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: During Series 12 of the BBC's "Mock the Week", host Dara Ó Briain, and comedians Hugh Dennis, Andy Parsons and Chris Addison were drawn by Nigel Parkinson in a one-off pic with Dennis, which was shown in the second episode, whilst they and guest comedians were discussing the appearance of Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles in "The Beano". Each celebrity was drawn holding a weapon – Hugh had a peashooter, Chris had a water gun, Dara had a plunger and bow, and Andy had a catapult, and all four were drawn with Dennis's trademark red and black striped top, shorts, black socks, and brown shoes (except Andy, who had red trainers).


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Starting in November 2012, Dennis was written by former "Dandy" writer, Nigel Auchterlounie, who gave Dennis and the other characters wider personalities. Auchterlounie's strips have been very well received since taking over the strip. Dennis's younger years in Beanotown Preschool were chronicled in a strip called "The BamBeanos".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: For the 75th anniversary, Dennis' parents noticeably changed appearance. His father had become a pot-bellied man with black, spiky hair and similar colour-schemed clothes to him, and his mother had red, shaggy hair. It was later revealed in 2015 that Dennis' father was the original Dennis the Menace from the 1980s in issue 3932 in a featured strip about him campaigning to be mayor, in which his opponent, Walter the Softy's father, starts a hate campaign by showing potential voters videos of Dennis, Sr.'s antics as a child. Although there is no distinct timeline in the comic strip, editor-in-chief Mike Stirling explained that "There's no definable lineage [in "Dennis and Gnasher"], but there can only ever be one Dennis at any time. It serves as a salutary warning that even the coolest kids can become boring grown-ups."


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2021, The Beano celebrated Dennis' 70th anniversary with a special anniversary issue guest-edited by Joe Sugg.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis is an uncontrollable schoolboy who takes pride in causing chaos and mayhem to those around him due to his intolerance for rules and order. Such traits have caused some artists and writers to consider him a villain, as, in such strips, Dennis would often prove himself to be selfish and greedy, tending to disregard his friends in favour of treasures. His misbehaviour stems from what "The Beano" explains as an attempt to add excitement to an otherwise dull day. Additionally, Dennis is often considered to be a loner, seeking no solace in anyone's company aside from his faithful pet dog Gnasher. Feature-length strips in "The Beano" reveal that Dennis actually has a rivalling nature with The Bash Street Kids, often brawling and attempting to outwit them. Most notably, he seems to have a particular dislike for Danny, the leader. He has, however, been shown to have a fairly stable friendship with Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, enough so that the three have been seen to work together often. Dennis has also been shown to be very heroic, having saved his town on occasion from potential disaster. "The Beano" Annual 2001–2002, both exemplified this in their stories in which Dennis defeated a race of 'Beanobots'. Even though many strips depict Dennis as being fairly academically challenged, he is in fact extremely inventive and clever when it comes to mechanics. On occasion, it has been shown that Dennis can make from scratch his very own vehicles including a Menace Dune-Buggy, a working rocket, and other such things.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Talking of the character's longevity and changes over the years, Beano editor Michael Stirling stated: 'I'm sure he'll change again over the years, If kids are going around on hoverboards in 10 years’ time, Dennis will definitely have one. It's really up to kids, and I think it's always been that way, and that's why we’re able to appeal to kids today as well as to their parents. He's a great role model. That might sound counterintuitive because he's naughty, but his mischief nowadays is a lot more driven by positive things, and just making sure kids are really listened to.'


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: May 1951: Dennis got his trademark red-and-black striped jersey, knitted for him by his granny (aka Whentball). He also teamed up with fellow menaces Curly and Pie-Face. The strip appeared in two colours (red and black).


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 1954: David Law's style of drawing Dennis changed dramatically, making the characters tall and thin. Dennis appeared on the back page in full colour for the first time.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 1958: After four years of being drawn this way, characters become more or less back the way they were. Dennis returned inside the comic.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 31 August 1968: Dennis found a dog on the street, Gnasher, on his way to the dog show at the local town hall. Gnasher became a regular from this point onwards.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 1 August 1970: Bash Street Kids artist Dave Sutherland started drawing Dennis, although drawing the strip almost identically to David Law. The strip was renamed "Dennis the Menace & Gnasher" when originally it was just called "Dennis the Menace" as Gnasher had been appearing every week on the strips.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 21 May 1977: Gnasher got his own strip in the comic, called "Gnasher's Tale", also drawn by David Sutherland.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 22 September 1984: Rasher got his own strip in the comic, called simply "Rasher". Again, David Sutherland is the strip's artist.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: May 1986 Gnasher returned, introducing his pups; Gnatasha, Gnanette, Gnancy, Gnaomi, Gnorah and Gnipper. "Gnasher and Gnipper" replaced "Gnasher's Tale".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 1990: Granny's personality was changed drastically. Now, rather than a mean old woman, she became an elderly menace. The slipper was no longer used, partly due to changing attitudes towards child discipline at the time.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: February 1993: David Sutherland, Realising how stocky and bulky he became in recent years, started changing Dennis, making him look young and cute for a few years. The "Gnasher and Gnipper" strip was taken over by Barry Glennard in order to ease Sutherland's workload, though the style remains similar.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Early 1996: Dennis The Menace was looking like he did again, and for the first time ever, the story was drawn in the same style as the Bash Street Kids.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: April 1996: The Dennis the Menace Animated TV series appeared for the first time on BBC and TCC. This year marked the first appearances of The Colonel, Dennis's neighbour, and Sergeant Slipper, the local constable, who had both previously appeared in the television series. From this point onwards the front cover page usually consists of just one frame of the strip rather than several.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: August–September 1998: For the 60th anniversary of "The Beano", David Parkins started drawing Dennis the Menace, creating Bea some issues later.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: October 1998: Bea got her own strip called Beaginnings drawn by Nigel Parkinson. She said her first word (Mud) in this strip.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: February 2001 The Gnasher and Gnipper strip was revamped, now being drawn in Barry Glennard's own style.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: March 2001 Dennis celebrated his 50th Birthday. A special episode drawn by David Parkins (In the style of David Law) was released in the issue, telling the readers how he got his striped jersey.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 2002: Buster By this time, Nigel Parkinson was drawing Dennis as often as David Parkins, and effectively became the main artist the following year. Also in 2002, Jimmy Hansen drew his first Dennis strip.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 2004: David Parkins stopped drawing Dennis altogether, and Jimmy Hansen joined Nigel Parkinson as main artist. Over the next 5 years, they each drew about half of the strips. Walter got revamped when drawn by Jimmy Hansen, and he now bears the appearance of an Elvis impersonator with much bigger glasses.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 2008: Dennis got a comic strip at the back of "The Beano" as well as the front. The second strip was usually drawn by Tom Paterson. It is now clear that Walter has a new personality. Instead of being a gentle, well-behaved boy, he's become camp, considerably meaner, and almost certainly evil.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 2009: A brand new series was released, again on the BBC. For the new series, Dennis and Gnasher were revamped, not just for TV but also in the comic. The second Dennis strip was replaced by Sixty Second Dennis, which takes up just one page as opposed to two. The main Dennis strip is now mainly drawn by Hansen, with Sixty Second Dennis usually by Nigel Parkinson.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: 2011: Barrie Appleby took over as regular Dennis artist. The strip isn't as influenced by the 2009 series now, with Dennis behaving more menacingly, the series-style backgrounds being dropped, Dennis being referred to more often as 'the menace' and the return of several characters who disappeared around the time of the new series, such as Foo-Foo. Also around the same time, Sixty Second Dennis gets replaced by a new Gnasher strip, titled Gnasher's Bit(e), drawn by Jimmy Hansen.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: August 2012: Changes made by the previous relaunch were reverted. Nigel Parkinson, at this point named sole official Dennis artist, begins all regular weekly strips again.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: July 2013: A second season to the 2009 series renamed "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher" and the "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine" have both been released to coincide with the 75th anniversary of "The Beano".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: March 2014: The "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine" was renamed "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher's EPIC Magazine".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: September 2017: Since Curly moved, JJ and Rubi are introduced since they both moved in. Pie-Face has been redesigned.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: December 2021: Curly returns after being absent for 4 years. When he moved back in, he joined Class 3C.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis is the main character of the strip. Badly behaved and visually rebellious, Dennis uses a wide range of pranks and weaponry in order to cause chaos and mayhem to those around him. He is recognised by his scruffy, black hair and red & black jumper.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dad appeared in the first strip. His real name has never been given (although once it was cited as actually being "Dennis's Dad" in a letter by Dennis). He also appears in both "Bea" and "Gnasher and Gnipper". The real name of his wife, Mum, has also never been given (again in the same letter, it was stated that her actual name is "Dennis's Mum", though in the 2020 annual the mayor called her Sandra). In the 2012 revamp, he was redrawn to look more like Dennis. This was explained in 2015 as Dad now being the grown-up version of the 1980s Dennis the Menace, making the original Dad the new Dennis' grandfather.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Bea is Dennis's little sister, born in issue 2931, dated 19 September 1998. She has her own strip ("Bea", originally "Beaginnings") and sometimes appears in "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher". Bea wears a stripy yellow and black vest, this is a pun on her name as the colours are the same as the colours on a Bumble bee.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Granny is Dennis's and Bea's 80-year-old grandmother. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, she got her own strip "Go, Granny, Go!" drawn by Brian Walker. This transformed her from the indulgent Granny who used the Demon Whacker when necessary to a very active elderly lady who enjoyed motorbikes, similar to Cuddles and Dimples's granny, partly because, by this time, characters in "The Beano" were no longer punished with the slipper. She also appeared regularly in the 2009 TV series, where she is married to a man who is presumed to be Dennis's granddad.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Denise is Dennis's cousin, who bears a striking resemblance to Beryl the Peril, although she also wears a red and black striped jumper. She appeared in just a few stories, visiting along with her cat Santa Claws. She generally managed to out-menace Dennis, showing considerable fortitude against the Softies, and at the local boxing club. Santa Claws also appeared in a Roger the Dodger strip in the 2008 Beano Annual.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Gnasher is a black dog (an ""Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound"") who first appeared in issue 1363, dated 31 August 1968. He has extremely strong teeth that can leave teeth marks in seemingly anything and enjoys chasing postmen. His name comes from the British slang for teeth (gnashers), which in turn comes from the French "ganache" meaning "jowl", a word also used in chocolate manufacture. In the first-ever Dennis the Menace strip, the family also had a pet chihuahua, who has not since appeared.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Since 1986, Gnasher has had a son, Gnipper, who appears with him in the separate strip ("Gnasher and Gnipper"). Gnipper is owned by Dennis the Menace. He first appeared in issue 2286, dated 10 May 1986 after a story arc in which Gnasher went missing, this story arc was reprinted in the Dennis the Menace Annual 1990 as a 16-page story entitled "Who's Gnicked Gnasher". Gnipper's name is a pun since 'to nip' something means to give something a small bite, while 'nipper' is a slang term for a young child.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Gnasher also has several daughters: Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, Gnorah and Gnancy, although these are rarely seen. Gnatasha had her own strip in "The Beezer" and "Topper", and appeared in the Beezer Book 1994. Gnasher also used to have another strip, "Gnasher's Tale", which began in 1977 and continued for nine years until the title was changed to Gnasher and Gnipper following Gnipper's introduction.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Rasher is a pig, first seen in issue 1920, dated 5 May 1979. He loves to eat swill and was rescued by Dennis. Rasher also has children: Oink, Snort, Grunt, Squeal, and Squeak. He used to have his own strip called "Rasher", which started in 1984 and appeared regularly for four years before making sporadic appearances until 1995, Rasher's strip also appeared for a few weeks in 2010. He was believed to have been dropped after the strip was revamped in 2009, but he made a surprise return to the strip in 2011. In the 2009 TV series, Rasher and Gnipper are owned by Dennis's Granny.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis has been seen with his pet spider called Dasher. He first appeared in about 1987, as a tool to scare Walter, and was the mascot of the "Beano" website when it launched in 1997. Originally, the spider was all black, but when it reappeared in 1997, it was red and black, matching Dennis's jersey. He appeared a few times from 1997 to 2008 and then reappeared in the 2011 and 2016 Halloween issues.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis has historically had two main friends: Curly (real name Crispin Lee Shepherd), who has a lot of strawberry-blonde, curly hair, was the first to appear, debuting months after the strip started in 1951. Although Curly and Dennis get into many fights, they still remain the best of friends. Then there is Pieface (real name Kevin Peter Shepherd), whose favourite food is pies. Dennis, Gnasher, Curly and Pieface were collectively called "The Menaces"; they were all in a band called Dennis and the Dinmakers. Pieface currently has his own strip in "The Beano" as well as his 'pet' Paul the Potato. They are both by Nigel Auchterlounie and Diego Jourdan.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Since the 2017 revamp of the Dennis feature, Curly moved away and seems to have largely disappeared. In his place as fellow Menaces are two girls, Rubidium von Screwtop (from "The Beano"'s 'Rubi's Screwtop Science' strip) and Jemima Jones (from the comic's 'JJ's Jokes' strip). Despite Dennis' perception of girls as soppy in earlier years, he accepts the tech-minded Rubi and tough, often prankish JJ as his friends. Curly could more recently be seen on the front page of the 2019 Beano annual, which contained every Beano character.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The rival gang to the Menaces is the Softies, a group of kids who rather than being bratty, traditionally enjoy refined things such as teddy bears, dolls and flowers. The most famous Softy—Dennis's greatest sworn enemy—is Walter, sometimes called the "Prince of Softies" in earlier years. He has a pet poodle called Foo-Foo. The two most other frequently seen Softies are Bertie Blenkinsop and Algernon 'Spotty' Perkins. Other Softies, seen less often, have included Bennie Benry, Sweet William, Dudley Nightshirt, Jeremy Snodgrass, Softy Matthew, Softy Pal Erasmus, Lisping Lester, and Nervous Rex, who is scared of everything and everyone.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Matilda, Walter's girlfriend introduced in the 1996 TV series, was presumably a Softy, though her forceful attitude towards Walter actually suggested otherwise. For a brief time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dennis' friend Curly was also presented as a Softy.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The Colonel is an old army colonel, who is often seen with toy soldiers and often makes references to being in battles which happened hundreds of years ago. In an episode of the animated TV series, entitled 'The Trial', his first name was revealed to be Godfrey.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Sergeant Slipper is the police sergeant who is always trying to catch Dennis for menacing. In the 1960s, a well-known police officer was known as Slipper of the Yard, though "slipper" is also a nod to the instrument with which Dennis's father usually chastised him, before attitudes towards corporal punishment against children changed.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Dennis's Teacher often appeared in "Dennis the Menace" strips from the early 1970s and has been replaced, although the character was absent for most of the intervening period, in the 2009 TV Series by another Teacher named Mrs Creecher.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Stanley Livingstone, an explorer with a pet crocodile, Carruthers, who lived next door to Dennis. Seemingly replaced by the Colonel, though the character had disappeared a while before the Colonel first appeared. His name alludes to the explorers David Livingstone and H.M. Stanley.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: BBC News once called Dennis the 'definitive naughty boy'. Matthew Jarron of Dundee University, curator of a "Beano" exhibition, claimed that the strips 'blatant anti-establishment tone' is what keeps children entertained throughout the decades. Children's author and political columnist Michael Rosen said he enjoyed the prospect that 'In most children's books a bad child gets made good. But the great thing about Dennis is he never gets better'. Nick Newman cited his inspiration for a Private Eye strip based on the Menace due to the fact Dennis is 'relentless' and has 'no learning curve'. Jarron also argued that Dennis offers a sense of escapism in a modern cotton wool wrapped world stating 'Parents are so fearful of letting their children roam around. So Dennis can provide that vicarious pleasure of going out and doing anything. And it's menacing of a pretty benign kind'. Express called Dennis 'the child template for every post-war rebel without a cause'. John McShane, a comic historian further praised the strip calling Dennis 'an original looking character. In the early days it was not in full colour but had a red overlay, but Davy Law, the artist, made a virtue out of this necessity by having the red-and-black striped T-shirt. The mantra in design classes is: 'Black and Red will always be read.' And that spiky hair! Unforgettable. Then that cheeky expression. Cartoonists talk about drawings just 'coming right'; that expression is perfect. Dennis is not actually evil ... Dennis just wants fun and is prepared to accept the consequences'.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Alongside praise from the press, Dennis encountered controversy amongst the media in the late 1990s and early 2000s for being 'homophobic' and a 'bully'. On the criticism, Maurice Heggie, a Dandy editor, stated 'I never saw him as a bully because the characters of the softies were so dreadful, they had no redeeming features either.' He went on to explain that 'if Dennis was bullying them, then there was a punishment. There was never a script out of DC Thomson where a bully succeeded – there was always a punishment – however horrible Dennis was with his water pistol, be sure that round the corner there was an elephant with a trunkful of water for him. He's changed over the years, but he's not changed ... He is essentially out for mischief all the time'. John McShane also defended the strip stating firmly that 'Dennis never got away with his pranks'. On whether the stories of Walter's homosexuality were true McShane affirmed that he didn't know but argued' He certainly needed to stand up for himself. Our sympathies were never with him because he didn't stand up to Dennis. Bullies have to be stood up to; another good lesson for any society.' In an article for the Guardian, Dennis is cited as 'Britain's longest surviving comic villain'.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2009, the strip gained negative media publicity after it was announced that new issues would draw inspiration from the TV series that aired the same year. In the series, Dennis did not use any weapons such as catapult, peashooter and water guns and his personality was re-established as naively troublesome rather than intentionally so. Gnasher was also forbidden to bite people. Their image was drastically revamped, in an attempt to make them more accessible to younger viewers. This was all to discourage violence and weaponry among children. Fans spoke out against "The Beano"'s decision citing that 'Dennis is supposed to be a little bit edgy and a bit of a lovable rogue'. Kev F Sutherland, who wrote for "The Beano" in the early noughties, also spoke out against the makeover saying it was a 'bad idea' and argued 'if you pander too much to over-sensitive parents you will end with not very funny comedy'. The daughters of "Dennis the Menace" creator David Law further criticized the makeover, saying their father would be 'horrified' with how he was depicted now and said the new design was 'bland' and 'ordinary'. The change lasted for roughly a year before artist Nigel Parkinson was sought out to return the character to its roots and original design. What's more, the series aired but was considerably altered during its second season to suit the tone of the comics, making Dennis closer to his comic book age and personality.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Darts player Dennis Priestley is known as "The Menace" and wears a shirt with the familiar red and black horizontal bands.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: On stage, grunge star Kurt Cobain occasionally wore a Dennis pullover (jumper/sweater) that Courtney Love bought from a Nirvana fan in Northern Ireland in 1992. In recent years, the satirical magazine Private Eye has carried comic strips featuring a character sometimes called Beano Boris or Boris the Menace, a blond-haired version of Dennis the Menace, parodying the politician Boris Johnson.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: Guitarist Mike Campbell wears a shirt depicting Dennis and Gnasher in the music video for Tom Petty's song "I Won't Back Down".


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: In 2021, on the second series of "RuPaul's Drag Race UK", contestant Ellie Diamond, who is from Dundee, modelled as Dennis the Menace on the runway during the first episode challenge "Queen of Your Hometown". The outfit is now on display at the city's McManus Galleries.


title: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

text: The Alan Moore/Mick Jenkins film "The Show" features a protagonist named Fletcher Dennis, who wears the iconic red and black striped jumper and wields a slingshot as a weapon, implying that he's a grown up Dennis who became a morally scrupulous hitman.


title: Tudor rose

text: The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster.