title: Sea captain

text: Furthermore, in the United States, there have been a few contradictory legal precedents: courts did not recognize a shipboard marriage in California's 1898 "Norman v. Norman" but did in New York's 1929 "Fisher v. Fisher" (notwithstanding the absence of municipal laws so carried) and in 1933's "Johnson v. Baker", an Oregon court ordered the payment of death benefits to a widow because she had established that her marriage at sea was lawful. However, in "Fisher v. Fisher" the involvement of the ship's captain was irrelevant to the outcome. New Jersey's 1919 "Bolmer v. Edsall" said a shipboard marriage ceremony is governed by the laws of the nation where ownership of the vessel lies.


title: Sea captain

text: In the United Kingdom, the captain of a merchant ship has never been permitted to perform marriages, although from 1854 any which took place had to be reported in the ship's log. A ship's master can, however, conduct a church service, regardless of any clergy aboard.


title: Sea captain

text: Spanish and Filipino law, as narrow exceptions, recognise a marriage "in articulo mortis" (on the point of death) solemnized by the captain of a ship or chief of an aeroplane during a voyage, or by the commanding officer of a military unit.


title: Sea captain

text: Japan allows ship captains to perform a marriage ceremony at sea, but only for Japanese citizens. Malta, Bermuda and the Bahamas permit captains of ships registered in their jurisdictions to perform marriages at sea. Princess Cruises, whose ships are registered in Bermuda, has used this as a selling point for their cruises, while Cunard moved the registration of its ships "Queen Mary 2", "Queen Victoria" and "Queen Elizabeth" from Southampton to Bermuda in 2011 to allow marriages to be conducted on their ships.


title: Sea captain

text: Some captains obtain other credentials (such as ordination as ministers of religion or accreditation as notaries public), which allow them to perform marriages in some jurisdictions where they would otherwise not be permitted to do so. Another possibility is a wedding on a ship in port, under the authority of an official from that port.


title: Sea captain

text: In works of fiction, ship captains have performed marriages in various media, including the 1951 film "The African Queen", and episodes of "The Love Boat", "How I Met Your Mother, The Office" and various "Star Trek" series.


title: Sea captain

text: As of 2008, the U.K. Learning and Skills Council lists annual salaries for senior deck officers as ranging from £22,000 to over £50,000 per year. The Council characterizes job opportunities for senior deck officers as "generally good" and expects a "considerable increase" in the job market over the next few years.


title: Sea captain

text: As of 2013, captains of U.S.-flagged deep sea vessels make up to US$1,500 per day, or US$80,000 to US$300,000 per year. Captains of smaller vessels in the inland and coastal trade earn between US$350 and US$700 per day, or US$65,000 to $180,000 per year. Captains of large ferries average US$56,794 annually.


title: Sea captain

text: In 2005, 3,393 mariners held active unlimited master's licenses. 87 held near-coastal licenses with unlimited tonnage, 291 held unlimited tonnage master's licenses on inland and Great Lakes waters, while 1,044 held unlimited licenses upon inland waters only. Some 47,163 active masters licenses that year had tonnage restrictions, well over half of those being for near-coastal vessels of up to 100 tons gross tonnage.


title: Sea captain

text: As of 2006, some 34,000 people were employed as captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% growth in this occupation, expecting demand for 40,000 shipmasters in 2016.


title: Sea captain

text: Uniforms are worn aboard many ships, or aboard any vessels of traditional and organized navigation companies, and are required by company regulation on passenger and cruise vessels.


title: Sea captain

text: In the passenger-carrying trade a unified corporate image is often desired and it is useful for those unfamiliar with the vessel to be able to identify members of the crew and their function. Some companies and some countries use an executive curl similar to that of the Royal Navy.


title: Sea captain

text: In the United States, and in numerous other maritime countries, captains and officers of shipping companies may wear a merchant navy or merchant marine regular uniform in conjunction with their employment.


title: Sea captain

text: In a few countries, such as UK, USA and Italy, some captains with particular experience in navigation and command at sea, may be named commodore or senior captain or "captain senior grade".


title: Sea captain

text: The term "master" is descended from the Latin "magister navis", used during the imperial Roman age to designate the nobleman (patrician) who was in ultimate authority on board a vessel. The "magister navis" had the right to wear the "laurus" or "corona laurèa" and the "corona navalis". Carrying on this tradition, the modern-day shipmaster of some nations wears golden laurel leaves or golden oak leaves on the visor of his cap.


title: Sea captain

text: A skipper (sometimes also serving as the helmansperson, helmsman, or driver) is a person who has command of a boat or watercraft or tug, more or less equivalent to "captain in charge aboard ship." At sea, or upon lakes and rivers, the skipper as shipmaster or captain has command over the whole crew. The skipper may or may not be the owner of the boat.


title: Sea captain

text: The word is derived from the Dutch word "schipper"; "schip" is Dutch for "ship". In Dutch "sch-" is pronounced and English-speakers rendered this as .


title: Sea captain

text: It is also more frequently used than captain with privately owned noncommercial or semi-commercial vessels, such as small yachts and other recreational boats, mostly in cases where the person in command of the boat may not be a licensed or professional captain, suggesting the term is less formal. In the U.S., a "skipper" who is in command of a charter vessel that carries paying passengers must be licensed by a state or the USCG. If the vessel carries over six paying passengers, it must be an "inspected vessel" and a higher class license must be obtained by the skipper/master depending on the vessel's gross tons.


title: Sea captain

text: In the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and merchant naval slang, it is a term used in reference to the commanding officer of any ship, base, or other command regardless of rank. It is generally only applied to someone who has earned the speaker's respect, and only used with the permission of the commander/commanding officer in question.


title: Sea captain

text: Skipper RNR was an actual rank used in the British Royal Naval Reserve for skippers of fishing boats who were members of the service. It was equivalent to Warrant Officer. Skippers could also be promoted to Chief Skipper RNR (equivalent to Commissioned Warrant Officer) and Skipper Lieutenant RNR.


title: When My Love Blooms

text: When My Love Blooms () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Bo-young, Park Jinyoung, and Jeon So-nee. It aired on tvN every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST) time slot from April 25 to June 14, 2020.


title: When My Love Blooms

text: Han Jae-hyun (Yoo Ji-tae) and Yoon Ji-soo (Lee Bo-young) met and fell in love when they were university students. Twenty years later, they cross paths once again: Jae-hyun has become a successful businessman who pursues wealth and honor, while Ji-soo is a mother and a contract worker living a difficult life.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Ghost Town is a 2008 American fantasy comedy film directed by David Koepp, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Kamps. It stars English comedian Ricky Gervais in his first leading feature-film role, as a dentist who can see and talk with ghosts, along with Téa Leoni as a young widow and Greg Kinnear as her recently deceased husband. Gavin Polone produced the film for Spyglass Entertainment and Pariah, and it was distributed by Paramount Pictures under the DreamWorks Pictures label.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: In New York City, Frank Herlihy is accidentally killed by getting hit by a bus while trying to buy an apartment for his mistress. A short time later, anti-social dentist Bertram Pincus is dead for seven minutes under general anesthesia during a colonoscopy.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Afterwards, Bertram can see and communicate with ghosts, who pester him to help them with unfinished personal business. Frank promises to keep the other ghosts away if Bertram breaks up an engagement between his widow Gwen, a professional Egyptologist, and Richard, a human-rights lawyer who Frank says is dishonest. Bertram eventually agrees, trying to woo Gwen away from Richard. His past cold-hearted behavior towards Gwen makes it difficult, but he attracts her interest by analyzing the teeth of a mummified Egyptian Pharaoh she has been studying.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Bertram has dinner with Gwen and Richard, deciding that he is not so bad, but he himself begins to fall in love with her, and she enjoys his sense of humor. As Richard has a work emergency, Bertram and Gwen walk her dog and go for a drink. They share their sad stories of their last relationships, and Gwen reveals that she learned of Frank's mistress the day he died.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: When Richard visits Bertram for some dental work, he learns Gwen has broken their engagement. Frank doesn't understand why he is still on Earth if his "unfinished business" was to break up Richard and Gwen. Gwen, no longer engaged to Richard, accepts work at an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings for six months. As a going-away present, Bertram gets her a key chain from a fancy jeweler's, but he mistakenly reveals information about her that only Frank could have known. Gwen demands the truth, and Bertram tells her the whole story about the ghosts. She doesn't believe him and demands to know what Frank's worst nightmare was, and Frank lies to Bertram, leading Gwen to cut him off.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Bertram sinks into a deep depression and his colleague Dr. Prashar convinces him that his life would be better if he decided to stop being cynical and start helping people. Bertram begins helping the ghosts around him with their "unfinished business" on Earth, bringing comfort to people they left behind and enabling the ghosts to depart. As he does this he realizes that the ghosts were still on Earth not because they had unfinished business, but because the people they were close to were not finished with them.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Realizing Frank cannot leave because Gwen has not let him go, Bertram confronts her and while trying to persuade her to believe him about the ghosts, gets hit by a bus. Now a ghost, he watches with Frank as a crowd forms and Gwen sobs over him, and Richard arrives to perform CPR. Seeing how upset Gwen is and realizing she cares about Bertram, Frank gives him a piece of advice and finally leaves earth.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Some time later, Gwen comes into Bertram's office for an appointment with Dr. Prashar but finds Bertram's office. He tells her of Frank's real nightmare—that of losing his way home, which was the advice Frank told him. He then assures her that Frank has "found his way home".


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Filming took place on the Upper East Side of New York City. Regarding his character, lead actor Ricky Gervais said, "Just what America wants: a fat, British, middle-aged comedian trying to be a semi-romantic lead."


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Reviews of "Ghost Town" were mostly positive. The film holds a score of 85% from 184 reviews collected by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus states: "Ricky Gervais' consistently sharp performance and beautifully dry execution transform this otherwise mainstream comedy into an endearing, funny, and altogether snappy romantic comedy. With ghosts." Rotten Tomatoes gave it a Golden Tomato for Best Romance Film of 2008. The film received a rating of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic from 30 reviews.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars in the "Chicago Sun-Times", calling it a "lightweight rom-com elevated by its performances" and a "reminder that the funniest people are often not comedians, but actors playing straight in funny roles."


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Cosmo Landesman of "The Sunday Times" gave the film three stars (from five), calling it a "light comedy full of dark people" that's "never quite as funny as it needs to be" but which features a "fine performance" from Gervais.


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: Upon the film's March 2009 DVD release in the United Kingdom, Mark Kermode said "comparing "Ghost Town" with Woody Allen's 'early funny ones' may seem brash, but the gentle blend of absurdist fantasy, bittersweet romcom and deadpan physical humour evokes a string of enjoyable Allen escapades from the sci-fi slapstick of "Sleeper" to the ghostly charms of "Alice"."


title: Ghost Town (2008 film)

text: "Ghost Town" was released in the United States on standard DVD and Blu-ray formats on December 27, 2008.


title: Gloomhaven

text: Gloomhaven is a cooperative board game for one to four players designed by Isaac Childres and published by Cephalofair Games in 2017. It is a campaign-based dungeon crawl game including a narrative campaign, 95 unique playable scenarios, and 17 playable classes. Since its introduction the game has been acclaimed by reviewers, and has been described as one of the best board games ever made.


title: Gloomhaven

text: "Gloomhaven" is a fantasy-themed, campaign-based tactical skirmish game, in which players try to triumph in combat-based scenarios which scale in difficulty depending on the number of players. The game is cooperative and campaign driven, with one to four players working their way through a branching story consisting of 95 scenarios. The campaign develops in a legacy format, with stickers that are placed on the board and cards and sealed envelopes that are opened when certain criteria are met.


title: Gloomhaven

text: While it has drawn comparisons to role-playing games such as "Dungeons & Dragons" and other dungeon crawl board games, "Gloomhaven" uses game mechanics similar to modern eurogames.


title: Gloomhaven

text: Characters and monsters move about on hex tiles representing dungeons and cellars. Players simultaneously choose two cards to play each turn, each of which has a top and a bottom half, and choose the top half of one card and the bottom of the other to allow their characters to take actions such as moving, healing and attacking monsters. Randomization is not provided by dice, as is usually the case with such games, but is handled by a deck of cards.


title: Gloomhaven

text: The game was originally sold via a 2015 Kickstarter campaign which raised $386,104 from 4,904 backers. After strong early reviews, a second Kickstarter campaign was launched on April 4, 2017, and delivered in November 2017 which raised about $4 million from over 40,000 backers. The game was released shortly thereafter to retail for a suggested price of $140.


title: Gloomhaven

text: "Gloomhaven" has received critical acclaim, culminating in the game reaching the spot as the top rated board game on leading website BoardGameGeek in 2017. it has retained that spot since. It also won six Golden Geek awards from the site, including for the best overall game of 2017, best strategy game, best cooperative game, most innovative game, best solo game, and best thematic game. Gaming website Geek & Sundry described "Gloomhaven" as "a masterful design" and suggested "it belongs in a museum". Matt Thrower called it one of the best fantasy board games available, while noting that ""Gloomhaven" was the critical hit of the year." Ars Technica similarly praised the game's strategy, action system, gameplay and solitare mode. Games Radar awarded the game five stars and dubbed it as "the ultimate tabletop dungeon crawler", and Board Games Land has described the game as "truly a masterpiece". The game was also commercially successful, and sold approximately 120,000 copies as of August 2018.


title: Gloomhaven

text: Gloomhaven: Forgotten Circles, the game's first expansion, was released in Q2 2019. It includes a new character class, the Aesther Diviner, 20 new scenarios that are primarily focused on that class, and new items and monsters. Its story is set after Gloomhaven's campaign.


title: Gloomhaven

text: "Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion", a smaller, standalone version of the game, which was released in July 2020, initially as a Target exclusive. Designed to appeal to more casual gaming fans, the story in this version is set before the events of the original "Gloomhaven", and has players investigate a series of disappearances in the city. The game features 25 new scenarios, five of which comprise a tutorial designed to ease new players into the game. Some, but not all, of the game components are compatible with the basic Gloomhaven game.


title: Gloomhaven

text: In 2020, Frosthaven was launched as a standalone sequel sold initially via a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign raised almost $13 million, making it the highest ever funded campaign for a game on the platform, from over 83,000 backers. The game is set in a small northern outpost that mercenaries are struggling to protect. Childres changed several aspects of the game's story and setting to address cultural bias.


title: Gloomhaven

text: Asmodee and Flaming Fowl Studios released a digital edition of "Gloomhaven" for Microsoft Windows, initially on July 17, 2019. The game was released for macOS on November 25, 2021. It was offered as an early access model, featuring a subset of the characters, and a single-player Adventure mode that uses procedural generation like a roguelike to create encounters. As of 2021, Asmodee and Flaming Fowl have added support for all 17 characters and the full set of 95 missions from the core board game, along with support for multiplayer.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Paulo Alexandre Rodrigues Fonseca (born 5 March 1973) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who played as a central defender. He is the current head coach of French Ligue 1 club Lille.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 111 matches and three goals over seven seasons, representing Leça, Belenenses, Marítimo, Vitória de Guimarães and Estrela da Amadora.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca became a manager in 2005, notably winning the 2015–16 Taça de Portugal with Braga as well as three editions of the Ukrainian Premier League with Shakhtar Donetsk. He also coached Paços de Ferreira to a best-ever third place in the 2012–13 Primeira Liga, qualifying the club for the UEFA Champions League.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Born in Nampula, Portuguese Mozambique to a military father, Fonseca was a year old when his family relocated to Barreiro following the Carnation Revolution. He played 14 years as a senior, beginning with his adopted hometown's Barreirense in the third division and moving straight to the Primeira Liga with Leça in the 1995–96 season, starting in 21 of his league appearances as the club finished 14th and narrowly avoided relegation. In the following five years he continued in the latter competition, being first choice with Belenenses and Marítimo but only a backup with Vitória de Guimarães and Estrela da Amadora.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca retired in June 2005 at the age of 32 after a further four campaigns with Estrela, three of those spent in the Segunda Liga. In the 2003–04 campaign he participated in 15 games as the Lisbon side ranked last in the top tier, with the subsequent relegation.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca started coaching immediately after retiring, remaining two years at the helm of Estrela da Amadora's youths. From 2007 to 2011 he was in charge of several modest teams, notably Pinhalnovense which he led to the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal in both the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: In 2011–12, Fonseca was appointed at Aves in division two for his first job in the professionals, and he led the team to the third position, just two points shy of promotion.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: In his first season in charge of a top-flight team, Fonseca led Paços de Ferreira to a third-place finish after signing a two-year contract on 28 May 2012. The club consequently qualified for the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League for the first and only time in its history; in the domestic league, they only lost to champions Porto and runners-up Benfica, notably winning both games against Braga (2–0 at home, 3–2 away) and Sporting CP (1–0 on both occasions).


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Paços also reached the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup that campaign, being knocked out by Benfica.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca succeeded Vítor Pereira at Porto – winners of the last three league titles – when he joined on a two-year deal on 10 June 2013. He started his spell on a high note, winning the year's Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira after a 3–0 victory over Vitória de Guimarães which marked his first honour as a coach.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: However, on 5 March 2014, following a string of poor results that left the club in the third position in the league, nine points behind leaders Benfica, Fonseca was relieved of his duties. Previously, on 12 January, he had stated that Porto would be champions in the last matchday against that opponent.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: On 11 June 2014, Fonseca returned to Paços de Ferreira. His one season back at the Estádio da Mata Real resulted in an eighth-place finish, missing out on qualification to the UEFA Europa League on the final day.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca agreed to a two-year contract with Braga on 1 July 2015. He led them to fourth position, also winning the domestic cup for the first time in 50 years with a penalty shootout victory over Porto in the final. In the Europa League, they reached the last-eight stage.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca moved abroad for the first time in his career on 31 May 2016, replacing legendary Mircea Lucescu (12 seasons) at the helm of Shakhtar Donetsk and signing a two-year contract at the Ukrainian Premier League side. He won the double in all three seasons of his spell– which earned him the distinction as the league's best coach in 2016–17.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca's side reached the round of 16 of the 2017–18 Champions League, after finishing second in the group stage following a 2–1 home defeat of Premier League club Manchester City. Having inflicted a first defeat in 29 matches of Pep Guardiola's side, he kept a promise to do his next press conference dressed as the fictional hero Zorro.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: On 11 June 2019, Fonseca was appointed manager of Roma. He led the side to the fifth place in the Serie A in his first season, as well as the semi-finals of the subsequent Europa League. He announced his departure in May 2021.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Immediately after leaving Roma, Fonseca was director Fabio Paratici's top choice to be manager of Tottenham Hotspur, but the advanced negotiations were scrapped on 17 June 2021, allegedly due to tax issues. However, in an interview with "The Daily Telegraph" in September, the former revealed that the main reason for this was that the latter wanted to hire a more defensive-minded coach. In October, he was interviewed by Newcastle United following their Saudi-led takeover, before the interest shifted to Unai Emery and Eddie Howe; his name was then linked to a third English club, Aston Villa.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: On 29 June 2022, Fonseca signed a two-year contract with French Ligue 1 club Lille. He made his debut on 7 August in a 4–1 home win over Auxerre. On 9 October, his team defeated Derby du Nord rivals Lens 1–0 also at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. One of the best attacking sides in the first half of that season, they were praised for their stylish and slick passing game, playing in an open 4–2–3–1 formation with Angel Gomes being deployed as a central midfielder behind playmaker Rémy Cabella and lone striker Jonathan David. Following a 4–3 home victory against Monaco on 23 October, only Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain had more possession in the domestic league.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: At Shakhtar and Roma, Fonseca preferred a 4–2–3–1 formation and an emphasis on dominating possession. At both teams, the player behind the centre forward played as a second striker; Henrikh Mkhitaryan achieved 13 goals in 2020–21 from that position.


title: Paulo Fonseca

text: Fonseca had a son and a daughter with his first wife. On 29 May 2018, he married Ukrainian television personality and producer Katerina Ostroushko (born 1991) at Lake Como, Italy; their son was born the same year. The family escaped Kyiv after the 2022 Russian invasion, travelling for 30 hours to Moldova.


title: Heroes Are Hard to Find

text: Heroes Are Hard to Find is the ninth studio album by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 September 1974. This is the last album recorded with Bob Welch, who left the band at the end of 1974, and who was replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. It was the first Fleetwood Mac studio album recorded in the US (in Los Angeles) as well as their first to enter the top 40 of the "Billboard" 200 album chart. The title track was edited and issued as a single but it failed to chart. "Cash Box" said of the title song that "tight sweet harmonies back [lead singer Christine McVie] up with some excellent instrumentation."


title: Heroes Are Hard to Find

text: Without a successful single to support the album, it still managed to peak at No. 34 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, which at the time was the highest Billboard placing for any Fleetwood Mac album. It also reached No. 5 on the Billboard FM Action chart.


title: Heroes Are Hard to Find

text: Bob Welch later re-recorded “Angel”, “Bermuda Triangle” and “Silver Heels” for His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond (2003). A re-write of “Silver Heels”, titled “Hustler”, with explicit lyrics appeared on "Bob Welch Looks at Bop" (1999).


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: Back to Life is a British dark comedy-drama co-written by Laura Solon and Daisy Haggard and starring Haggard and Adeel Akhtar that premiered on BBC One on 15 April 2019. On 10 November 2019, the series premiered in the United States on Showtime. The first series received critical acclaim with many reviews highly praising the performance and writing of Haggard. On 19 November 2019, "Back to Life" was renewed for a second series; it premiered on 31 August 2021 to similar positive reviews.


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: Miri Matteson has just returned home to Hythe, Kent, after serving an 18-year prison sentence. As Miri attempts to rebuild her life, she forms a friendship with Billy, who cares for the elderly woman next door.


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: Harry and Jack Williams are the executive producers of "Back to Life" with Sarah Hammond. They previously produced the BBC show "Fleabag".


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: Various scenes for both series were filmed in Hythe and Lydd-on-Sea in Kent. Dungeness features in Series One and Folkestone Harbour Arm doubles as the Pier and Lighthouse in Series Two. The Abbot's Cliff sound mirror in Dover, on top of the White Cliffs of Dover, feature in both series.


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: "Back to Life" was launched as a boxset on BBC iPlayer on 15 April 2019, and was shown weekly on BBC One from 15 April 2019.


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: The show has received critical acclaim. For the first series, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.4/10, based on 26 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Driven by the marvelous Daisy Haggard, "Back to Life" questions what it means to be a person with humor, heart, and a genuine sense of surprise." The first series was also compared positively to critically acclaimed tragicomedy "Fleabag" with which it shares producers. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 88 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Back to Life (TV series)

text: For the second series, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.8/10, based on 5 critic reviews. Metacritic assigned a score of 87 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II (; ; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler of the Ottonian line. As Duke of Bavaria, appointed in 995, Henry became King of the Romans ("Rex Romanorum") following the sudden death of his second cousin, Emperor Otto III in 1002, was made King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") in 1004, and crowned emperor by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, and his wife Gisela of Burgundy, Emperor Henry II was a great-grandson of German king Henry the Fowler and a member of the Bavarian branch of the Ottonian dynasty. Since his father had rebelled against two previous emperors, the younger Henry spent long periods of time in exile, where he turned to Christianity at an early age, first finding refuge with the Bishop of Freising and later during his education at the cathedral school in Hildesheim. He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria in 995 as "Henry IV". As duke, he attempted to join his second-cousin, Emperor Otto III, in suppressing a revolt against imperial rule in Italy in 1002. Before Henry II could arrive, however, Otto III died of fever, leaving no heir. After defeating several contenders to the throne, Henry II was crowned King of Germany on 9 July 1002 as the first in a line of kings to adopt the title "Rex Romanorum", an allusion to his perceived prerogative to the future appointment of "Imperator Romanorum". On 15 May 1004, he was anointed King of Italy ("Rex Italiae"). In that same year, Henry II joined Duke Jaromír of Bohemia in his struggle against the Poles, thus effectively incorporating the Duchy of Bohemia into the Holy Roman Empire.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Unlike his predecessor Otto III, who had imposed plans on sovereign administration and active political involvement in Italy, Henry spent most of his reign concerned with the "renovation" of the imperial territories north of the Alps, a policy summed up on his seal as "Renovatio regni Francorum", which replaced Otto's "Renovatio imperii Romanorum". A series of conflicts with the Polish Duke Bolesław I, who had already conquered a number of countries surrounding him, required Henry II's full attention and years of political and military maneuvering. Henry did, however, lead three expeditions into Italy to enforce his feudal claim ("Honor Imperii"): twice to suppress secessionist revolts and once to address Byzantine attempts to obtain dominance over southern Italy. On 14 February 1014, Pope Benedict VIII crowned Henry Holy Roman Emperor in Rome.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The rule of Henry II has been characterized as a period of centralized authority throughout the Holy Roman Empire. He consolidated his power by cultivating personal and political ties with the Catholic Church. He greatly expanded the Ottonian dynasty's custom of employing clerics as counter-weights against secular nobles. Through donations to the Church and the establishment of new dioceses, Henry strengthened imperial rule across the Empire and increased control over ecclesiastical affairs. He stressed service to the Church and promoted monastic reform. For his remarkable personal piety and enthusiastic promotion of the Church, he was canonized by Pope Eugene III in 1146. He is the only medieval German monarch to ever have been honoured a saint. Henry II's wife was the equally pious Empress Cunigunde, who was canonized in 1200 by Pope Innocent III. As the union produced no children, the German nobles elected Conrad II, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Otto I, to succeed him after his death in 1024. Conrad was the first of the Salian dynasty of emperors.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry was born in May 973, the son of Duke Henry II of Bavaria, and Gisela of Burgundy. Through his father, he was the grandson of Duke Henry I of Bavaria, and the great-grandson of King Henry I of Germany. By his mother, he was the grandson of King Conrad I of Burgundy, and the great-grandson of King Rudolf II of Burgundy.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The elder Henry came into conflict with his cousin Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, in 974. The elder Henry and Otto II disputed each other's claims to authority over the Duchy of Swabia: Henry claimed the duchy as his birthright while Otto II maintained his right to name a duke of his choosing. After an initial failed revolt, Otto II imprisoned the elder Henry in Ingelheim. After escaping, Henry again revolted against Otto II. When this second revolt failed, Otto II deposed Henry as Duke of Bavaria and sent him into exile under the custody of the Bishop of Utrecht in April 978. As a consequence of his revolt, the Emperor stripped the Duchy of Bavaria of its southeastern territories bordering Italy and formed the Duchy of Carinthia.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: During his father's exile, the younger Henry lived in Hildesheim. As a child he was educated in the Christian faith by Bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg, and then studied at the Hildesheim Cathedral. The Emperor himself ensured the younger Henry received an ecclesiastical education in order that by becoming a religious official he would be prevented from participating in the Imperial government.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The death of Otto II in 983 allowed the elder Henry to be released from custody and to return from exile. The elder Henry claimed regency over Otto III, the three-year-old child of Otto II. After a failed attempt to claim the German throne for himself in 985, the elder Henry relinquished the regency to the child's mother Theophanu. In return for his submission to the child king, Henry was restored as Duke of Bavaria. The younger Henry, now thirteen years old, was named his regent over Bavaria. When the elder Henry died in 995, the younger Henry was elected by the Bavarian nobles as the new duke to succeed his father.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 999 Henry married Cunigunde of Luxembourg, a daughter of Count Siegfried of Luxembourg. This marriage granted him an extensive network of contacts in Germany's western territories.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1001, Emperor Otto III experienced a revolt against his reign in Italy. The Emperor sent word for Henry II to join him with reinforcements from Germany, but then died unexpectedly in January 1002. Otto was only 21 at the time of his death and had left no children and no instructions for the Imperial succession. In the Ottonian dynasty, succession to the throne had belonged to the Saxon branch, not the Bavarian line of which Henry was a member. Rival candidates for the throne, including Count Ezzo of Lotharingia, Margrave Eckard I of Meissen, and Duke Herman II of Swabia, strongly contested Henry's right to succeed Otto III.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: As the funeral procession moved through the Duchy of Bavaria in February 1002, Henry met the procession in Polling, just north of the Alps. To legitimize his claims, Henry demanded Archbishop Heribert of Cologne give him the Imperial Regalia, chief among them being the Holy Lance. Heribert, however, had sent these ahead of the procession, possibly out of distrust of Henry and possibly because he favored the succession of his relative Duke Herman II of Swabia as the next king. In order to force Herman II to relinquish the Holy Lance to him, Henry imprisoned the Archbishop and his brother the Bishop of Würzburg. With neither the symbols of imperial authority, the crown jewels, nor the cooperation of Heribert, Henry was unable to convince the nobles attending Otto III's funeral procession to elect him as king. A few weeks later, at Otto III's funeral in Aachen Cathedral, Henry again attempted to gain the support of the kingdom's nobles and was again rejected.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: So it was without the support of the kingdom's nobility that Henry took the radical action of having himself anointed and crowned King of Germany ("Rex Romanorum") by Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz on 9 July 1002 at Mainz, in present-day Germany. Henry's action marked the first time a German king was not crowned in Aachen Cathedral since Emperor Otto I began the tradition in 936 and the first time a German king assumed the throne without election by the German nobility. Under the regal name of "King Henry II", he appeared before the Saxons in mid-July in full regal apparel. There, Henry convinced Bernard I, Duke of Saxony, to support his claims to the throne. In return for his support, Henry guaranteed Bernard's right to rule the Saxons and to represent their interests before him.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Shortly after gaining the support of the Saxons, Henry arranged for Archbishop Willigis to crown his wife, Cunigunde of Luxembourg as Queen of Germany on 10 August 1002 in Paderborn, in present-day Germany.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II spent the next several years consolidating his political power within his borders. Herman II, Duke of Swabia, in particular fiercely contested Henry II's right to the throne. The Swabian Duke believed he was Otto III's true successor, as he had married a daughter of Liudof, eldest son of Emperor Otto I. Armed conflicts between Henry II and Herman II broke out but proved to be inconclusive. This forced the two men to fight each other politically for the support of the Swabian nobles.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Unable to decisively defeat Herman in Swabia, Henry II attempted to legitimize his seizing the throne by traveling throughout the various duchies of his kingdom – Saxony, Bavaria, Swabia, Upper Lorraine, Lower Lorraine, Franconia. This was done in order to obtain the general consent of his subjects as opposed to traditional election. Henry II's familial ties to the Ottonian dynasty eventually caused the kingdom's nobles to accept him as king. After being defeated at a battle near Strasburg, Herman II submitted to Henry II's authority on 1 October 1002. In exchange for this surrender, Henry II allowed Herman II to remain Duke of Swabia until his death the following year, after which, although recognizing the minor Hermann III as his father's titular successor, Henry II effectively assumed all power over the Duchy himself.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1003 Henry of Schweinfurt, Margrave of Nordgau in Bavaria, revolted against Henry II's rule. Henry II had promised to install the Margrave as his successor to the Duchy of Bavaria in exchange for supporting his claim to the German crown. Upon assuming the throne, however, Henry II refused to honour his promise and instead supported the rights of the Bavarians to elect their own duke. With Henry II's support, Count Henry I of Luxembourg became the Duke of Bavaria as Henry V. Betrayed by the King, Margrave Henry allied with Bolesław I of Poland against him. However, his rebellion was soon quashed and the Nordgauian Margrave was deposed in 1004. Henry II then abolished the March of Nordgau, established the Diocese of Bamberg in 1007, and transferred secular authority over the March's former territory to the Diocese in order to prevent further uprisings.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The death of Otto III in 1002 and the resulting political turmoil over his successor allowed Italy to fall from German control. Margrave Arduin of Ivrea proclaimed himself King of Italy at Pavia soon after the Emperor's death. Accompanied by Archbishop Arnulf II of Milan, Arduin won the support of the Italian territorial magnates. Arduin, however, had been excommunicated in 997 for the murder of the Bishop of Vercelli. This allowed Arduin's enemies in the Church, led by Archbishop Frederick of Ravenna, to side with the German King Henry II as the rightful ruler of Italy. Henry II sent Duke Otto I of Carinthia, over the March of Verona to face Arduin, but Arduin successfully defeated Otto's troops at the Battle of Fabrica in 1003.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1004 Henry II responded to calls for aid from Italian bishops and led an invasion into Italy against Arduin. Henry II gathered his troops at Augsburg and marched through the Brenner Pass to Trento, Italy. After initial military successes, much of the Italian clergy and some noble families swore allegiance to Henry II, including Archbishop Arnulf II. Joining Henry II in Bergamo, Arnulf II crowned him as King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") on 14 May 1004 in Pavia, in the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore. Unlike his predecessors, after gaining the Kingdom of Italy Henry II wore two crowns, one for Germany and one for Italy, instead of a common crown representing both realms.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: After the coronation a dispute arose between some of the residents and Henry's people. It escalated to where the residents attacked the palace where the king was dining. The army encamped outside the city swiftly moved to protect the king, and in the onslaught the city caught fire and many residents were killed.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: After receiving the homage of the remaining Italian nobles, Henry returned to Germany in the early summer of 1004 without first traveling to Rome to claim the Imperial crown. This is most likely due to opposition from Pope John XVIII. Henry would not return to Italy for a decade, leaving the Kingdom to govern itself. Henry returned to Germany to take military action against the rebellious Boleslaw I of Poland.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The untimely death of Emperor Otto III at age 21 in 1002 upset the young Emperor's ambitious "renovatio" plans, which were never fully implemented. Henry II reversed Otto III's eastern policies, damaging the excellent relationship Germany and Bolesław I of Poland had enjoyed during Otto III's reign. Bolesław I had been a loyal supporter of Otto III, but Henry II's actions caused Bolesław I to seek new German allies. Of the major candidates seeking to succeed to the German throne, Bolesław I supported Margrave Eckard I of Meissen over Henry. Only after Eckard was assassinated by Saxon nobles in April 1002 did Bolesław I lend his support to Henry II.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Bolesław I traveled to Merseburg on 25 July 1002 and paid homage to the new German king. Bolesław I had taken advantage of Germany's internal strife following Otto III's death, occupying important German territories west of the Oder River: the March of Meissen and the March of Lusatia. Bolesław I took control of these territories following the assassination of Margrave Eckard I. Henry II accepted Bolesław I's gains, allowing the Polish Duke to keep Lusatia as a fief, with Bolesław I recognizing Henry II as his overlord. Henry II refused to allow Bolesław I to keep possession of Meissen, however. Shortly after Bolesław I's departure from Merseburg, an assassination attempt was made against him. Though the attempt failed, Bolesław I was seriously injured. The Polish Duke accused Henry II of instituting the attack, and relations between the two countries were severed. Bolesław I also refused to pay tribute to Germany.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Prior to open rebellion in 1004, Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia, was ousted in a revolt in 1002. Bolesław I intervened in the Bohemian affair and reinstalled Boleslaus III upon the Bohemian throne in 1003. Boleslaus III soon undermined his own position, however, by ordering a massacre of his leading nobles. Bohemian nobles secretly sent a messenger to Bolesław I, requesting his direct intervention in the crisis. The Polish duke willingly agreed and invited the Bohemian duke to Poland. There, Boleslaus III was captured, blinded, and imprisoned, where he would remain until his death some thirty years later. Claiming dominion over Bohemia for himself, Bolesław I invaded Bohemia in 1003 and conquered the duchy without any serious opposition. Bohemia had previously been under the influence and protection of Germany, with the Polish invasion further increasing tension between Germany and Poland.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Bolesław I openly rebelled against Henry II's rule in 1004, burning down the castle in Meissen in an act of war. Returning from Italy after reclaiming the Italian throne, Henry II launched a military campaign against Poland in 1004 that would last until 1018, spanning three wars and several smaller campaigns.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Returning from his first expedition to Italy, in 1004 Henry II gathered an army to march against Poland. The previous year in 1003, Henry II had formed an alliance with the pagan Slavic Lutici tribe. As a consequence of their military alliance, Henry II halted Christianization efforts among the Slavic peoples. The new alliance with the Western Slavs against Poland was controversial, however. Many German nobles had hoped for continued missionary work and the direct submission of the Elbe Slavs. In addition, many German nobles opposed the war because they had developed family ties with Poland during Otto III's reign. Similarly, members of the clergy, including Bishop Bruno of Querfurt, saw future tithe payments and Polish support for missionary work in Prussia evaporating due to the war.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In preparation for Henry II's coming military invasion, Bolesław I developed a similar alliance with other Slavic peoples. With his conquest west of the Oder River in 1002, his domain stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathian Mountains. Furthermore, the Polish Duke was connected by kinship to numerous princes of Scandinavia.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II answered Bolesław I's rebellion by invading in the summer of 1004, reaching the Ore Mountains in northern Bohemia. He then conquered the castle at Žatec and wiped out the Polish army left there. At the same time, Jaromir (the younger brother of the deposed Bohemian Duke Boleslaus III) invaded Bohemia with German military support. At Merseburg, Jaromír promised to hold Bohemia as a vassal under Henry II, definitively incorporating Bohemia into the Holy Roman Empire. Forcing Bolesław I to flee, Jaromír occupied Prague with a German army and proclaimed himself Duke. The state he regained was a small one, however, as Polish forces would hold Moravia, Silesia, and Lusatia until 1018.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: During the next part of the offensive, Henry II retook Meissen and, in summer 1005, his army advanced deep into Poland, suffering significant losses along the way. At the Polish city of Poznań, the German forces were ambushed by the Polish army and suffered significant losses. Meeting in Poznań, Henry II and Bolesław I signed a peace treaty. According to its terms, Bolesław I lost Lusatia and Meissen and was forced to give up his claim to the Bohemian throne. The peace lasted only two years as neither party recognized the claims of the other.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1007, Henry II denounced the Peace of Poznań, resulting in Bolesław I's attack on the Archbishopric of Magdeburg as well as his re-occupation of the marches of Lusatia and Meissen, including the city of Bautzen. The German counter-offensive began three years later in 1010. It was of no significant consequence, beyond some pillaging in Silesia. In 1012, a second peace treaty between Germany and Poland was signed. Bolesław I quickly broke the peace, however, and once again invaded Lusatia. Bolesław I's forces pillaged and burned the city of Lubusz. In 1013, a third peace treaty was signed at Merseburg, requiring in part that Bolesław I recognize Henry II as his overlord in exchange for receiving the March of Lusatia and the March of Meissen as fiefs. To seal their peace, Bolesław I's son Mieszko II married Richeza of Lotharingia, daughter of the Count Palatine Ezzo of Lotharingia, granddaughter of Emperor Otto II.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: John XVIII reigned as pope from 1003 until 1009. He was succeeded by Sergius IV from 1009 to 1012. Both John XVIII and Sergius IV, though the nominal Pope, were subservient to the power John Crescentius. As leader of the Crescentii clan and "Patrician of Rome", John Crescentius was the effective ruler of the city. John Crescentius' influence prevented Henry II from meeting the Pope on numerous occasions, preventing him from claiming the imperial title. Following Sergius IV's death in 1012, Benedict VIII was elected to succeed him. Upon assuming the chair of St. Peter, however, Benedict VIII was forced to flee Rome by Gregory VI, an antipope, whom John Crescentius installed as the new head of the Catholic Church. Fleeing across the Alps to Germany, Benedict VIII appealed to Henry II for protection. Henry II agreed to restore Benedict VIII to his papal throne in return for his coronation as emperor.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Near the end of 1013, Henry II gathered his army at Augsburg to march into Italy. Earlier in 1013, Henry signed a peace treaty with Duke Bolesław of Poland at Merseburg. The peace with Poland gave Henry opportunity to address affairs in Italy. On the march across the Alps, Henry was accompanied by his wife, Queen Cunigunde, and a number of clerics. Upon reaching Pavia other bishops and abbots joined him. Henry's forces trapped the King of Italy Arduin in his capital of Ivrea, where he remained until 1015.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II arrived in Rome in early 1014, restoring Benedict VIII as pope. On 14 February 1014, the Pope crowned Henry II as Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") in St. Peter's Basilica. Then, under the presidency of the Emperor and Pope, the two held a synod in Rome, appointed five bishops, issued decrees against simony and promoting chastity within the clergy, and ordered the restitution of Church property. Shortly afterwards, the Emperor moved north again where he established the Diocese of Bobbio. Celebrating Easter in Pavia, Italy, Henry then returned to Germany in mid-May 1014. He left the rule of Rome to the Pope and thereafter rarely intervened in the politics of Italy or the Papal States.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1015 the conflict with Arduin came to a close when Arduin became ill and sought peace with Henry II. He resigned the office of Margrave of Ivrea to become a monk in a monastery at Fruttuaria. He died on 14 December 1015. His brief "reign" as King of Italy would be the last time a native Italian would reign over Italy until its unification under Victor Emmanuel II in 1861. After Arduin's death Henry ordered the Margraviate of Ivrea, which had given the Ottonian Emperors so much trouble, dissolved.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The peace agreement of 1013 between Henry II and Bolesław I of Poland quickly deteriorated. In 1014, with Henry II absent from Germany, Bolesław I sent his son Mieszko II Lambert to the Duchy of Bohemia in order to persuade the new Bohemian Duke Oldřich into an alliance against Henry II. The mission failed and Oldřich imprisoned Mieszko II. He was released only after the intervention of the Emperor, who, despite the planned invasion of Poland, loyally acted on behalf of his nominal vassal Bolesław I. As a result, Mieszko II was sent to Henry II's imperial court in Merseburg as a hostage. Henry II probably wanted to force the presence of Bolesław I in Merseburg and make him explain his actions. The plan failed, however, because, under pressure from his relatives, the Emperor soon agreed to release Mieszko II.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: At the same time, Henry II entertained Yaroslav, the pretender to the throne of the Kievan Rus'. A son of Kievan Grand Duke Vladimir the Great, he was vice-regent of the Principality of Novgorod at the time of his father's death in 1015. Yaroslav's eldest surviving brother, Sviatopolk I of Kiev, killed three of his other brothers and seized power in Kiev. Henry II's support of Yaroslav was in direct opposition to not only Sviatopolk but to Bolesław I as well. Years before, Bolesław I had married one of his daughters to Sviatopolk, making the new Kievan Grand Duke a son-in-law to the Polish Duke.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II returned to Germany in 1015 after being crowned Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII and prepared for a third invasion of Poland. With three armies at his command, the largest contingent since the beginning of the conflict in 1004, the Imperial army simultaneously marched in a pincer movement from the German north, south, and center. Henry II himself commanded the center army, supported by allied Slavic tribes, and moved from Magdeburg to cross the Oder river into Poland. Henry II was soon joined from the south by Bohemian Duke Oldřich and from the north by Duke Bernard II of Saxony.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: As the Imperial army crossed the Oder river and marched across Poland, Henry II's forces killed or captured several thousand Poles, including women and children. But the Imperial army suffered heavy losses throughout the campaign. Bolesław I sent a detachment of Moravian knights under the command of Mieszko II in a diversionary attack against the Empire's Eastern March. The Imperial army retreated from Poland to Merseburg in order to address the assault without making any permanent territorial gains east of the Oder River. During the retreat to Germany, Gero II, margrave of the Eastern March, was ambushed by Polish forces and killed late in 1015. Following the attack on the Eastern March, Bolesław I's forces took the offensive. Bolesław I sent Mieszko II to besiege Meissen in 1017, then under the command of Mieszko II's brother-in-law Margrave Herman I. His attempt at conquering the city failed, however, and he was forced to retreat back to Poland.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II and Bolesław I then opened peace negotiations and a ceasefire was declared in summer 1017. As negotiations failed by autumn 1017, Henry II again marched his army into Poland. His army reached Głogów, where Bolesław I was entrenched, but it was unable to take the city. Henry II then besieged Niemcza, but was likewise unable to capture the city. As his army besieged Niemcza, disease brought about from the winter cold devastated the Imperial forces. His attacks unsuccessful, Henry II was forced to retreat back to Merseburg in Germany. With this defeat, Henry II was ready to end the war and begin serious peace negotiations with Bolesław I.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: On 30 January 1018, Henry II and Bolesław I signed a fourth peace treaty, known as the Peace of Bautzen. The Polish duke was able to keep the contested marches of Lusatia and Meissen on purely nominal terms of vassalage, with Bolesław I recognizing Henry II as his feudal lord. Henry II also promised to support Bolesław I in the Polish ruler's expedition to Kiev to ensure his son-in-law, Sviatopolk, claimed the Kievan throne. To seal the peace, Bolesław I, then a widower, reinforced his dynastic bonds with the German nobility by marrying Oda of Meissen, daughter of the Saxon Margrave Eckard I of Meissen.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II's involvement in Italian politics and his coronation as emperor inevitably brought him into conflict with the Byzantine Empire. In 969, Emperor Otto I entered into an alliance with Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes in which both Eastern and Western Empires would jointly-govern southern Italy. Otto I's death in 973 and John I's death in 976 caused this alliance to deteriorate. Otto I's successor in the West, his son Emperor Otto II, and John I's successor in the East, his nephew Basil II, brought the two empires once again into conflict over control of southern Italy.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Under Otto I and Otto II, the Lombard leader Pandulf Ironhead expanded Western imperial control over central and southern Italy. Originally appointed by Otto I as Prince of Benevento and Capua in 961, Pandulf waged war against the Byzantines as a loyal lieutenant of Otto II. By 978, Pandulf had incorporated all three of the southern Lombard principalities – Benevento, Capua, and Salerno – into the Holy Roman Empire. Pandulf's death in 981, however, weakened Western dominance over the Byzantine Empire in southern Italy. By 982, the entire area once ruled by Pandulf had collapsed. The Byzantines still claimed sovereignty over the Lombard principalities, and the lack of single leader to prevent their advances into Lombard territory allowed the Byzantines to make inroads further north. While in Byzantine territory, Otto II encountered a large Muslim army brought into the region by Abu al-Qasim, Emir of Sicily, and was soundly defeated in the ensuing battle of Stilo on 14 July 982. The defeat shifted the balance of power in southern Italy into Byzantine favor. While preparing to counterattack the Byzantine advance, Otto II suddenly died while in Rome, with his infant son Otto III succeeding him. With an infant as ruler and a political crisis to address, the Western Empire was unable to challenge Byzantine dominance. This allowed Basil II to build of his defense forces in preparation for a future Western counterattack.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1017, aided by Norman mercenaries, the Lombard noble Melus of Bari led a successful rebellion against Byzantine control of Apulia. The Byzantine Empire struck back in 1018 under Catepan of Italy Basil Boioannes, delivering a devastating defeat to the joint Lombard-Norman force at the Battle of Cannae. Melus fled to the Papal States following the defeat. With the Byzantine successes in southern Italy, Pope Benedict VIII took an unusual step in 1020, traveling north across the Alps into Germany to discusses the state of affairs in southern Italy with the Emperor. Meeting Henry II in Bamberg, the Pope was accompanied by a large number of Italian secular and ecclesiastical leaders, including Melus. Henry II granted Melus the empty title "Duke of Apulia" for his actions against the Byzantines. But Melus died just a few days later, on 23 April 1020. After settling some controversies with the bishops of Mainz and Würzburg, the Pope convinced Henry II to return to Italy for a third campaign to counter the growing power of the Byzantine Empire.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1022, Henry II set out down the Adriatic coast for southern Italy commanding a large force. He sent Archbishop Pilgrim of Cologne ahead with a slightly smaller army along the Tyrrhenian littoral with the objective of subjugating the Principality of Capua. A third army, smaller still, under the command of Patriarch Poppo of Aquileia went through the Apennines to join Henry II in besieging the Byzantine fortress of Troia. Though Patriarch Pilgrim captured Pandulf IV of Capua and extracted oaths of allegiance from both Capua and the Principality of Salerno, all three of Henry II's armies failed to take Troia. The Byzantine troops could not be forced into a pitched battle, and Henry II was forced to turn back, his army weakened by diseases and suffering heavy losses. Henry II almost executed the treacherous prince of Capua, but he relented at the last moment at Pilgrim's pleading. Instead, Henry II sent him off to Germany in chains and appointed Pandulf V to replace him as prince of Capua. The expedition ultimately achieved little, and Pandulf IV would be reinstated as Prince of Capua as a Byzantine ally in 1026.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Upon assuming the German throne, Henry II revised many policies of his predecessor, Emperor Otto III. Whereas Otto III had promoted a policy of "Restoration of the Roman Empire" ("Renovatio imperii Romanorum"), Henry II sought a policy of "Restoration of the Frankish Kingdom" ("Renovatio regni Francorum"). Compared to the other members of the Ottonian dynasty, Henry II spent relatively little time in Italy, only traveling south of the Alps three times during his twenty-two year reign. He was absent from the Italian peninsula for over a decade between his expulsion of Margrave Arduin of Ivrea in 1004 and his return in 1014 to claim the imperial title, allowing the kingdom to mostly govern itself.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II's absence from Italy was primarily due to his continued conflict with Bolesław I Chrobry of Poland. During the reign of Otto III, Bolesław I had been a loyal ally of the Empire. However, the protracted German-Polish wars brought the two nations into open warfare for over sixteen years.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II inherited several unresolved ecclesiastical disputes from his predecessor Otto III. Issues of particular importance were the reestablishment of the Diocese of Merseburg and the settlement of the "Gandersheim Conflict".


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In May 1017, Empress Cunigunde became seriously ill, while staying at the imperial estates in Kaufungen. Henry II vowed to found a monastery on the site if she recovered. Upon her recovery in 1018, Henry ordered the construction of the Kaufungen Abbey. After Henry II's death in 1024, Cunigunde retreated to the Abbey, where she remained until her own death in 1040.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Sincerely religious, Henry II supported service to the Church (he was celibate) and promoted various monastic reforms. He also strongly enforced clerical celibacy, perhaps partly in order that the public land and offices he granted to clerics would not be devised to heirs. He encouraged the reform of the Church, fostered missionary activity, and made several charitable foundations for the poor.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II wished to become a monk, and in virtue of his imperial power he ordered the Abbot of Verdun to accept him in his monastery. Thereupon, the Abbot ordered him, in virtue of the vows he had professed, to continue the administration of the empire. Henry II fulfilled his duties in the spirit of humility and service, being convinced that temporal power was given by God for the good of the people.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II succeeded in persuading Pope Benedict VIII to include the word "Filioque" in the Nicene Creed. The addition of the term provided that the Holy Spirit emanated from both God the Father and God the Son. Together with the concept of Papal primacy, dispute over this doctrine was one of the primary causes of the Great Schism of the Church in 1054.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: The Ottonian dynasty's traditional policy of investing celibate clerics in the secular governance of the empire - the Imperial Church System - reached its climax under Henry II. Introduced by Emperor Otto I, the Ottonians appointed and integrated the higher clergy into the imperial administration, seeking to establish a non-hereditary counter-balance to the fiercely independent and powerful German Stem duchies. The dukes have always preferred political particularism, looking to the interests of their respective duchies above the interests of the Empire as a whole. In an effort to unify the Empire under their leadership, the Ottonians increasingly associated themselves with the Church, claiming "divine right" to rule the Empire and presenting themselves as the protectors of Christendom. A key element of this policy was to grant land and bestow the title of "Prince of the Empire" ("Reichsfürst") to appointed bishops and abbots at the expense of the secular nobility. Unlike the dukes, these ecclesiastic figureheads would not be able to pass titles and privileges down a dynastic line. The Ottonian monarchs reserved the right to appointment and investiture of bishops of the empire's proprietary churches for themselves and commanded loyalty, but this contradicted canon law, which demanded absolute dedication to the universal Church.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Under Henry II, an increasing number of counties were assigned to secular rulership by bishops. He granted numerous and lavish donations of imperial regalia and land to the monasteries and dioceses of the Empire; in fact, no other Holy Roman sovereign was named as often in the memorial records. With these extensive donations and the expanded powers of the emperor, the Catholic church gradually lost its autonomy. The imperial monasteries and other clerical institutions became so numerous, donations and secular privileges granted them so regular, that they eventually developed into an imperial bureaucracy. The chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg states that the cooperation of Henry II and the bishops of the empire was more intense than any other ruler of the Middle Ages, as the dividing lines between secular and ecclesiastical affairs were blurred beyond recognition. The clergy increasingly viewed Henry II as their feudal lord, particularly with regards to military matters. The cleric princes came to make up a large part of Henry II's imperial army. For most of Henry II's campaigns against Poland and the Byzantine Empire, the cleric princes constituted the largest contingent. Henry II thus strengthened his control over the empire through the clergy, while gaining a greater control over the Church's spiritual policies.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1003, Henry of Schweinfurt, Margrave of the Nordgau in Bavaria, revolted against Henry II's rule. Henry II had promised to install the margrave as his successor to the Duchy of Bavaria in exchange for supporting his claim to the German crown. Upon assuming the throne, however, Henry II refused to honour his promise. Instead, Henry II deposed Margrave Henry in 1004 and abolished the March outright. To assume secular authority over the March's former territory, in 1007, Henry II announced his desire to establish a new diocese in Germany: the Diocese of Bamberg. Growing up in the Duchy of Bavaria, Henry II was fond of Bamberg, even giving his estates there to his wife Cunigunde of Luxembourg as her dower upon their marriage. Mission work among the Slavs of the region had previously been conducted by the Imperial Abbey at Fulda as part of the Diocese of Würzburg. To establish his diocese, Henry II needed to overcome the considerable resistance of the Bishop of Würzburg, as the new diocese would comprise about one-fourth of the former's territory. Henry II desired the new Diocese to aid in the final conquest of the pagan Slavs in the area around Bamberg.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II held a synod in Frankfurt on 1 November 1007, to build consensus among the bishops of the Empire on the establishment of the Diocese of Bamberg. The Bishop of Würzburg, who hoped that the loss of territory from the formation of the new Diocese would result in his elevation to the rank of Archbishop, was not in attendance. Henry II also assigned a portion of the territory from the Diocese of Eichstätt to his planned Diocese. At the synod, Henry II obtained permission for the foundation of the Diocese. It was also decided that Eberhard, Henry II's Imperial Chancellor, would be ordained by Willigis, the Archbishop of Mainz and Primate of Germany, to head the new Diocese. Henry II made many wide-ranging gifts to the new Diocese to ensure its solid foundation. Henry II assigned many counties in the Duchy of Franconia, the Duchy of Saxony, the Duchy of Carinthia, and the Duchy of Swabia.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: As under his predecessors Otto II and Otto III, the various German dukes of the Empire grew increasingly independent from Henry II. A "German" identity had begun to develop. South of the Alps, Italy also saw the various regional lords grow independent. Increasingly, the Empire's duchies were becoming personal possessions of their respective ducal families as opposed to component parts of the Empire.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II's policy towards the nobles was focused on overcoming these family structures within the duchies in order to restore imperial dominance. Henry II, as well as the other Ottonians, relied upon his connection with the Church to justify his power over the dukes. However, unlike under Otto I and Otto II, the various German dukes were no longer bound to Henry II by close family ties. While the Duchy of Franconia and the Duchy of Saxony formed the core imperial support, the Duchy of Swabia and the Duchy of Bavaria had grown increasingly rebellious.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Unlike his predecessors, Henry II was unwilling to show clemency to those dukes who had rebelled against his authority. This caused a sharp rise in conflict with the secular nobility, which forced Henry II to reinforce the position the clergy enjoyed in the governance of the Empire. It was only through the support of the clergy that Henry II survived the numerous noble revolts against his rule during the first decade of his reign. Even his relatives, such as his brothers-in-law Duke Henry V of Bavaria, and Count Frederick of Moselle, rebelled. As a result, Henry II systematically reduced the internal power structures of the Bavarian and Swabian dukes. Henry II's lack of sensitivity to the secular nobility also resulted in the series of wars against Poland. Under Otto III, Polish Duke Bolesław I Chrobry had been viewed as a valued ally; Henry II, however, saw him only as a subject.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In 1019, the once loyal Duke Bernard II of Saxony, grandson of Emperor Otto I's trusted lieutenant Hermann Billung, rebelled against Henry II, having grown frustrated at his lack of respect for the secular nobility.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Returning to Magdeburg, Germany from southern Italy to celebrate Easter, Henry II fell ill in Bamberg. After celebrating Easter, Henry retired to his imperial palace in Göttingen. He died there on 13 July 1024 at the age of 51, after suffering from a chronic, painful urinary infection. Henry had been working with the Pope to convene a Church council to confirm his new system of imperial-ecclesiastical relations before he died, leaving this effort unfinished.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Empress Cunigunde arranged for Henry to be interred at Bamberg Cathedral. Though he left the Empire without significant problems, Henry II also left the Empire without an heir. Some speculate that both he and Cunigunde had taken mutual vows of chastity, because of their piety and the fact that they had no royal issue, but this is disputed. Their marriage being childless, the Saxon dynasty of the Ottonians died with Henry.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: In early September 1024 the German nobles gathered in Kamba and began negotiations for selecting a new king. The nobles elected the Franconian noble Conrad II as Henry II's successor, who became the first member of the Salian dynasty.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II was canonized in July 1147 by Pope Eugenius III; his spouse, Cunigunde was canonized on 29 March 1200 by Pope Innocent III. His relics were carried on campaigns against heretics in the 1160s. He is the patron saint of the city of Basel, Switzerland, and of St Henry's Marist Brothers' College in Durban, South Africa.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry's name, which does not appear in the Tridentine Calendar, was inserted in 1631 in the Roman Calendar as a commemoration within the celebration of Saint Anacletus on 13 July, the day of his death and the traditional day for his celebration on a local level. In 1668, it was moved to 15 July for celebration as a Semidouble. This rank was changed by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to that of Simple, and by Pope John XXIII in 1960 to that of Third-Class Feast. In 1969, it was returned to its original date of 13 July as an optional Memorial.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: During his lifetime, Henry II became an oblate of the Benedictine Order, and today is venerated within the Order as the patron saint of all oblates, along with St. Frances of Rome.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Some online sources suggest that Henry is venerated as a Confessor in the Eastern Orthodox Church (either on 13 July or 15 July). However, Henry II does not appear in any Orthodox synaxaria, and was only canonised in the West almost a century after the East–West Schism; indeed, he is perhaps best known in most Orthodox circles for his introduction of the "filioque" to Rome.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Henry II was a member of the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emperors who ruled the Holy Roman Empire (previously Germany) from 919 to 1024. In relation to the other members of his dynasty, Henry II was the great-grandson of Henry I, great-nephew of Otto I, first-cousin once removed of Otto II, and a second-cousin to Otto III.


title: Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Between 1012 and 1018 Thietmar of Merseburg wrote a "Chronicon", or "Chronicle", in eight books, which deals with the period between 908 and 1018. For the earlier part he used Widukind's "Res gestae Saxonicae", the "Annales Quedlinburgenses" and other sources; the latter part is the result of personal knowledge. The chronicle is nevertheless an excellent authority for the history of Saxony during the reigns of the emperors Otto III and Henry II. No kind of information is excluded, but the fullest details refer to the bishopric of Merseburg, and to the wars against the Wends and the Poles.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International () is a Persian language news television channel headquartered in London, UK, aimed at Iranian viewers, and broadcasting free-to-air by satellite. Iran International was established in 2017 and is available online, via radio and via every satellite broadcasting to Iran.


title: Iran International

text: The channel has received media attention for its reporting on human rights violations, separatism in Iran, political developments, LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights in Iran and has twice been nominated for International Channel of the Year by the Association for International Broadcasting. It is also known that the channel has ties with the Saudi Arabian royal family, with some funding for the channel coming from people closely associated with the same.


title: Iran International

text: In 2022, an independent survey carried out by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) and reported by the AIB found that Iran International is the most influential source of independent news in Iran with 33% of the daily audience. More than half of the 27,000 participants surveyed also reported that they trusted Iran International "a lot" or "to some extent". On 9 November 2022, among the Mahsa Amini protests, Iran International was declared a terrorist organization by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. over the declared charges among them "deliberate actions in support of terrorism" and "incitement of violence."


title: Iran International

text: Iran International was launched on 18 May 2017, with the aim of serving the 80 million people that live in Iran and the Iranian diaspora around the world, in addition to informing and educating a global audience on the latest news and developments in Iran and across the Middle East.


title: Iran International

text: The channel is headquartered in London and broadcasts internationally, with a team of journalists that have joined Iran International from other Persian-language news channels including Manoto, Radio Farda, BBC Persian Service and Voice of America. It has bureaus in Istanbul, Paris and Washington D.C.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International broadcasts via the TürkmenÄlem 52°E / MonacoSAT satellite to a wide region of Europe and Asia (including Iran), and also transmits an audio relay of it receivable in Iran via shortwave radio (SW). It also broadcasts worldwide via online streaming through its website or streaming apps.


title: Iran International

text: According to Middle East Eye, Iran International is a media platform for the Iranian opposition. Kourosh Ziabari of Al-Monitor wrote it "does not shy away from presenting itself as an opposition media organization" and frequently gives the microphone to guests who criticize the Iranian government. The channel has been referred to as an "Iranian exile news outlet" by Borzou Daragahi of "The Independent".


title: Iran International

text: The channel is known for raising the profile of Reza Pahlavi, the last heir apparent to the former Iranian throne, by constant coverage and repeatedly interviewing him. It also airs extensive coverage of People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a group recognised as terrorists by Iran, Iraq and by UN and a cult by critics, including live broadcast of their rallies. The claim of responsibility for the Ahvaz military parade attack was made through Iran International.


title: Iran International

text: In 2020, the TV broadcast performance of Iranian singers who were flown in from the United States to the Winter at Tantora Festival.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International relies on a team of journalists around the world and reports on current affairs, health, technology, human rights violations, LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights and more. The channel has reported extensively on the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the Iran Nuclear Deal and global politics.


title: Iran International

text: The channel also airs television shows on sport, culture and politics and has produced documentaries that have been nominated for awards by the Association for International Broadcasters.


title: Iran International

text: The channel has been the first to report on several exclusive news stories and has access to a network of whistleblowers and sources inside Iran.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International reported exclusively on the extension of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's furlough, and her partner Richard Ratcliffe has been a guest on the channel multiple times. The channel was also the first to report that Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo was facing deportation back to Iran from Turkey, and the sentencing of The Salesman star Taraneh Alidoosti.


title: Iran International

text: During the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran, the channel published exclusive documents pertaining to high level government corruption concerning Covid-19 medical supplies, with The Independent writing that the documents "purported to show how Iran regime figures intervened in the procurement of medical supplies to steer South Korean contracts for Covid-19 test-kits through shell companies towards conservative foundations controlled by cronies".


title: Iran International

text: Reporting on the execution of Navid Afkari, Iran International exclusively interviewed Amnesty International’s Iran Researcher and human rights lawyer Raha Bahreini, who told the channel that “with the secret and previously unannounced execution of Navid Afkari, the Islamic Republic authorities once again showed the ruthless and merciless of Iran’s judiciary system at the international level,”.


title: Iran International

text: On 25 April 2021, Iran International obtained a leaked audio file of Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif criticising the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and claiming that the deceased commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani had taken Iran into the Syrian Civil War because Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted Iranian forces on the ground to complement the Russian air campaign in support of the Syrian Government.


title: Iran International

text: Zarif also mentioned that Russia had wanted to stop the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and keep Iran at odds with the West.


title: Iran International

text: Elements of the recording also prompted US Republicans to call for the resignation of John Kerry from US President Joe Biden's National Security Council after Zarif revealed during the recording that Kerry had informed him of Israeli operations in Syria.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International has reported on notable human rights violations across Iran, including the execution of Navid Afkari, the killing of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi, the arrest and imprisonment of British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert and the amputation of four men in Iran for theft.


title: Iran International

text: Lesbian activist and journalist at Iran International, Aram Bolandpaz has produced several documentaries on the LGBTQ+ community inside Iran and has been a vocal critic of human rights violations against the community.


title: Iran International

text: In June 2020, Iran International reported on a series of honour killings and gender-based violence that took place in Iran, with legal analyst and journalist at Iran International Nargess Tavalossian, the daughter of Nobel Prize winning activist Shirin Ebadi, speaking publicly to global media outlets about the increase in violence against women in the country.


title: Iran International

text: In addition to the execution of Navid Afkari, the channel has reported extensively on the arrest of political prisoners in Iran. The channel has reported on the arrest and possible execution of Iranian-Swedish medical doctor Ahmad Reza Djalali, reports that 85 children face execution in the country, and the arrest of award-winning film director Mohammed Rouslouf


title: Iran International

text: The head of TV is Mahmood Enayat, and the Director of News is Aliasghar Ramezanpour, who was the deputy Minister of Culture of Iran under former president Mohammad Khatami.


title: Iran International

text: In July 2019, Iranian media reporter Mazdak Mirzaei, a football commentator and TV host joined Iran International. Mirzaei had worked for IRIB on the weekly TV sports program Navad, that was suspended by the new head of IRIB 3 in March 2019.


title: Iran International

text: In May 2020, Iran International senior journalist Omid Habibinia joined the team to start a new show called Titre Aval.


title: Iran International

text: In September 2021, Iran International journalist Tajuden Soroush published several reports on Afghanistan following the 15 August 2021 Fall of Kabul.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International is owned by Volant Media UK Ltd. It is licensed in the United Kingdom to Global Media Circulating Ltd as an editorial news service based in London and is managed by DMA Media Ltd, which has bureaus in Paris, Istanbul, Kabul and Washington. Volant Media UK launched a sister channel in 2021, Afghanistan International.


title: Iran International

text: Corporate documents for Volant Media shows that another Saudi national, Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither, was the major shareholder of Volant Media before Adel Abdukarim. Aldeghither owned over 75% of the shares of Volant Media from May 2016 to May 2018. Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither was the chairman of Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia (Zain) from March 2013 to February 2016. Zain Saudi is the third-largest telecoms provider in Saudi Arabia.


title: Iran International

text: Iran International's news and analysis has been cited in Western media publications including BBC News, "The Guardian", "The Sydney Morning Herald", "The Telegraph", Fox News, and "The Independent" Staff at Iran International have also appeared as experts on BBC Radio 4, Sky News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation networks and ITN.


title: Iran International

text: In 2018 Iran's ambassador to the UK lodged a complaint to the media regulator because of Iran International's interview with a separatist group spokesman after they claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province, killing 25 civilians and military. The channel aired an interview with Yaqoub Hor Altostari, presented as a spokesman for the group, indirectly claiming responsibility for the attack and calling it "resistance against legitimate targets". After a long investigation Ofcom ruled that Iran International did not breach any rules.


title: Iran International

text: Though the TV station states that it "adheres to strict international standards of impartiality, balance and accountability", questions has been raised regarding its editorial independence.


title: Iran International

text: In October 2018, a report in "The Guardian" linked Iran International's funding to Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It also interviewed an unnamed insider who said that the editorial content had been influenced by its investors. A source was reported by the Guardian as saying that Iran International received $250m from Saudi Arabia for launching the channel. The insider and an unnamed ex-employee expressed dismay that Saudi funding had been concealed from the employees. Iran International denied "The Guardian's" report.


title: Iran International

text: According to "The Wall Street Journal", "[some] journalists at Iran International have complained that management is pushing a pro-Saudi, anti-Islamic Republic line". WSJ quoted a former correspondent at the TV station commenting that "a systematic and very persistent push" was made during her time there.


title: Iran International

text: Azadeh Moaveni of New York University has charged the channel is an arm of Saudi Arabia: "I would not describe Iran International as pro-reform, or organically Iranian in any manner".


title: Iran International

text: Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) told "Press Gazette" "[o]ur members at Iran International have faced intimidation and harassment for their work as journalists —that their rights of freedom of association should be trampled on in this way is a grave injustice and one that the NUJ will do all it can to rectify".


title: Iran International

text: On 10 July 2020, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a statement and condemned union busting efforts made by Iran International, its refusal to engage with the UK government's non-departmental public body Acas to recognize a NUJ chapel, as well as what it called a "breach of international labour standards". Iran International had signed a recognition deal with the British Association of Journalists (BAJ), which IFJ describes as a "sweetheart deal" with an "obscure journalists' union", and appointed a senior manager to represent staff while pressuring them to join BAJ. NUJ stated that BAJ had no members there before the deal was made. As of July 2020, BAJ claimed 20 members working at Iran International while NUJ said an "overwhelming majority" of the 140 workers are its members.


title: Iran International

text: On 15 July 2020, it was reported that Labour peer Lord John Hendy submitted a complaint to International Labour Organization (ILO) against the BAJ and Iran International.


title: Iran International

text: In December 2019, Shanti Das of "The Times" reported that Iran is waging an "intimidation campaign" against personnel of the TV station, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs". Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had previously named the employees of Iran International as "enemy of the state", writing on its website that those who "serve foreigners" and "betray the country" will be punished. The same publication wrote in May 2020 that Iran International is thought to be target of a state-sponsored programme that "has sought to discredit its reporting and trace its followers" by creating replicas of its social media accounts. Instagram was criticized for hosting the fake accounts.


title: Iran International

text: On 9 November 2022, among the Mahsa Amini protests, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence Ismail Khatib announced that Iran International has been declared a terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic of Iran for supposedly inciting the anti-government riots. Any cooperation with the channel will be considered an act of cooperation with terrorists and a threat to national security.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave wētā, cave crickets, camelback crickets, camel crickets, Hogan bugs, spider crickets (sometimes shortened to "criders", or "land shrimp" or "sprickets",) and sand treaders. Those occurring in New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania are typically referred to as jumping or cave wētā. Most are found in forest environments or within caves, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments. All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long antennae and legs. More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: The well-known field crickets are from a different superfamily (Grylloidea) and only look vaguely similar, while members of the family Tettigoniidae may look superficially similar in body form.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: Most cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femora and equally long, thin tibiae, and long, slender antennae. The antennae arise closely and next to each other on the head. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance, always wingless, and up to long in body and for the legs. The bodies of early instars may appear translucent.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: As their name suggests, cave crickets are commonly found in caves or old mines. However, species are also known to inhabit other cool, damp environments such as rotten logs, stumps and hollow trees, and under damp leaves, stones, boards, and logs. Occasionally, they prove to be a nuisance in the basements of homes in suburban areas, drains, sewers, wells, and firewood stacks. One has become a tramp species from Asia and is now found in hothouses in Europe and North America. Some reach into alpine areas and live close to permanent ice, such as the Mount Cook "flea" ("Pharmacus montanus") and its relatives in New Zealand.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: An as-yet-unnamed genus was discovered within a cave in Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, on the Utah/Arizona border, in 2005. Its most distinctive characteristic is that it has functional grasping cerci on its posterior.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: Their distinctive limbs and antennae serve a double purpose. Typically living in a lightless environment, or active at night, they rely heavily on their sense of touch, which is limited by reach. While they have been known to take up residence in the basements of buildings, many cave crickets live out their entire lives deep inside caves. In those habitats, they sometimes face long spans of time with insufficient access to nutrients. Given their limited vision, cave crickets often jump to avoid predation. Those species of Rhaphidophoridae that have been studied are primarily scavengers, eating plant, animal, and fungi material. Although they look intimidating, they are completely harmless.


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: The group is known as "sand treaders" is restricted to sand dunes, and are adapted to live in this environment. They are active only at night, and spend the day burrowed into the sand, to minimize water loss. In the large sand dunes of California and Utah, they serve as food for scorpions and at least one specialized bird, LeConte's thrasher ("Toxostoma lecontei"). The thrasher roams the dunes looking for the tell-tale debris of the diurnal hiding place and excavates the sand treaders (range of bird is in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in U.S.).


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: Cave and camel crickets are of little economic importance except as a nuisance in buildings and homes, especially basements. They are usually "accidental invaders" that wander in from adjacent areas. They may reproduce indoors, seen in dark, moist conditions, such as a basement, shower, or laundry area, as well as organic debris (e.g. compost heaps) to serve as food. They are fairly common invaders of homes in Hokkaido and other chilly regions in Japan. They are called "kamado-uma" or colloquially "benjo korogi" (literally "toilet cricket").


title: Rhaphidophoridae

text: A representation of a female from the "Troglophilus" genus has been found engraved on a bison bone in the Cave of the Trois-Frères, showing that they were likely already present around humans, maybe as pets or pests, in caves inhabited by prehistoric populations in the Magdalenian.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: Kanda was born in Chiyoda, Tokyo. She was the only child of actor Masaki Kanda and Seiko Matsuda. Her paternal grandmother Teruko Asahi (1924–2001) was a former actress.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: In 1999, while a student at a Japanese school in Los Angeles, she appeared in "Bean Cake", a short film that won the Palme d'Or du court métrage at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. She was quite active as an actress in movies and mostly on stage since her debut. She also wrote some lyrics for her mother Seiko Matsuda's songs.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: Kanda made her "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" debut in December 2011 singing "Ue o Muite Arukō" alongside her mother, Seiko Matsuda.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: In July 2012, Kanda debuted as a voice actress on TV animation "Good Luck Girl!", which led her to be cast as Anna in the Japanese language dub of Disney's animated film "Frozen". She won the Best Lead Actress award for the role in the 9th Seiyu Awards. In 2019, she voiced as Anna once again for "Kingdom Hearts III".


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: In April 2014, she formed the duo Trustrick with guitarist Billy. They released their debut album, "Eternity", on June 25 of the same year. They disbanded on 17 December 2016.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: Kanda appeared as a special guest in the Alan Symphony Concert from December 20, 2014 alongside Tibetan Chinese diva Alan Dawa Dolma, and together, they sang a music piece originally performed by Alan titled .


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: In May 2017, Kanda married actor Mitsu Murata. Kanda announced their divorce in December 2019. Up until her death, Kanda was in a relationship with actor Takahisa Maeyama after co-starring in the stage adaptation of "Crest of the Royal Family" in August 2021. Kanda and Maeyama had planned to marry.


title: Sayaka Kanda

text: On December 18, 2021, Kanda was found unconscious in the outer garden on the fourteenth floor of a hotel in Chūō ward, Sapporo. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The cause of death was determined to be traumatic shock by the Sapporo Central Police Station, which also said that she had fallen from her room in the upper floors of the hotel. Kanda's remains were cremated and her family kept her ashes at home. A report from "Shūkan Bunshun" claimed she committed suicide following vocal cord issues as well as issues with her relationship with Maeyama.


title: Untitled (Skull)

text: Untitled is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981. An X-ray-like vision of the head's exposed upper and lower jaw accounts for its misinterpretation as a skull. The painting was acquired by Eli and Edythe Broad in 1982, and is now housed at The Broad museum in Los Angeles.


title: Untitled (Skull)

text: Basquiat began working on "Untitled" in early 1981. Unlike most of his pieces which were completed exuberantly within a few days, "Untitled" remained unfinished for several months as Basquiat stalled its completion. Art historian Fred Hoffman's description alludes to a vision Basquiat may have conjured in the studio: "One can only speculate about the reasons for this hesitation, but several individuals close to the artist—including myself and Annina Nosei, the artist’s dealer at the time—suspect that this young, unseasoned artist hesitated to complete the work because he was caught off guard, possibly even frightened, by the power and energy emanating from this unexpected image."


title: Untitled (Skull)

text: "Untitled" depicts both inside and outside dimensions of a head, existing between life and death. The eyes are listless as if the head was lobotomized. The subdued facial expression is a contrast to the vibrant colors that suggest an abundance of internal activity. Basquiat's use of heads and skulls are deeply rooted in his identity as a Black American and are evocative of African masks. "He developed a unique style, which combined expressive and at times violent brushstrokes with words, symbols, and a variety of materials, to confront social issues."


title: Untitled (Skull)

text: The painting was presented as "Untitled" at Basquiat's debut American solo exhibition at the Annina Nosei Gallery in 1982. When it was purchased some months later, the word "Skull" was added to the title and has accompanied the painting ever since, through numerous exhibitions. Hoffman suggests the change in title was "the result of confusing the work with the more traditional iconography of the memento mori, in which a skull implies death."