Melisende ruled Jerusalem from 1131 to 1152 as its first female ruler, a crusader queen who outmanoeuvred her husband

historyWikipedia1131–1152 · Kingdom of Jerusalem

Melisende ruled Jerusalem from 1131 to 1152 as its first female ruler, a crusader queen who outmanoeuvred her husband

the gist

Melisende was queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1152 and the first female ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. She was the eldest daughter of King Baldwin II, and after her father had no son she was named heir. When her husband Fulk tried to rule without her, she grew powerful enough to force him to share government with her. After Fulk died in 1143 she held full power, and after the fall of Edessa she urged a European intervention that led to the Second Crusade. Her later clash with her son Baldwin III ended with her retiring to Nablus.

so what

Her reign shows that women could hold real political power in the crusader states, even in a deeply militarised society. Historians still debate how to assess her.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗