Have you heard about one of the most notorious and controversial rulers in history? He ascended the throne at the age of fourteen to lead a powerful empire, but he turned power into a farce. He appointed officials to sensitive positions based on the size of their genitals. In his palace, he used to hold bizarre banquets, inviting only the fat, the short, and the bald. He tied women to chariots like horses and whipped them while they were dragged through the streets. The ruler released enormous, venomous snakes into the audience stands and delighted in watching people suffer from the bites. He enjoyed throwing gold from the top of his towering turret and watching people fight over it. He disguised himself as a woman and frequented brothels, where he openly committed lewd acts with men. He built temples and colossal statues of himself, then claimed divinity and ordered the people to worship him. The people could not bear his rule, and he was assassinated at the age of eighteen, after four years of reign, upon the orders of his grandmother, who had brought him to power. That ruler was Elagabalus, the Roman emperor of Syrian origin.
French women and their husbands
In the Middle Ages, in a certain French town, women used to put doses of diluted poison in their husbands’ breakfast. When the husbands returned home at night, the wives used to give them the antidote at the beginning of the night, so the poison would have no effect. If the husband did not return home or stayed elsewhere, he would miss the antidote, and he would suffer from headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, depression, and pain. The longer the man was away from home, the stronger the poison’s effect. Upon his return, his wife would give him the antidote without his knowledge, and his condition would improve within minutes. The man was deceived by this trick, thinking that being away from home caused him pain, depression, and nausea, thus increasing his attachment to his home and wife.
In the Middle Ages, in a certain French town, women used to put doses of diluted poison in their husbands’ breakfast. When the husbands returned home at night, the wives used to give them the antidote at the beginning of the night, so the poison would have no effect. If the husband did not return home or stayed elsewhere, he would miss the antidote, and he would suffer from headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, depression, and pain. The longer the man was away from home, the stronger the poison’s effect. Upon his return, his wife would give him the antidote without his knowledge, and his condition would improve within minutes. The man was deceived by this trick, thinking that being away from home caused him pain, depression, and nausea, thus increasing his attachment to his home and wife.
Saladin’s liberation of Jerusalem
As soon as news of Saladin’s recapture of Jerusalem reached the Vatican, the Pope called for a new crusade campaign. It was the most dangerous and violent yet - the Third Crusade. The greatest kings of Europe - Emperor of Germany Frederick Barbarossa, King of England Richard the Lionheart, and King of France Philip Augustus - set out at the head of massive armies that crossed land and sea. However, the journey was not safe, as Barbarossa drowned before reaching Syria. Richard and Philip quarreled, and Philip returned to his homeland, leaving Richard the Lionheart to face Saladin alone. Richard managed to defeat Saladin in several battles and succeeded in capturing some cities, such as Jaffa, Ascalon, and Acre, where he carried out a massacre of Muslims after their surrender. However, Jerusalem remained unconquered, and the Crusaders failed to recapture the holy city. The campaign ended with the Treaty of Ramla in 588 AH (1180 CE), which confirmed Jerusalem in Muslim hands, and the Crusaders were confined to a limited coastal strip. The outcome of the campaign was unsatisfactory for both the Europeans, who failed to recapture Jerusalem, and the Muslims, who lost some important coastal cities. Saladin died shortly afterward, and the Crusaders rose up again. The story was not yet over.
As soon as news of Saladin’s recapture of Jerusalem reached the Vatican, the Pope called for a new crusade campaign. It was the most dangerous and violent yet - the Third Crusade. The greatest kings of Europe - Emperor of Germany Frederick Barbarossa, King of England Richard the Lionheart, and King of France Philip Augustus - set out at the head of massive armies that crossed land and sea. However, the journey was not safe, as Barbarossa drowned before reaching Syria. Richard and Philip quarreled, and Philip returned to his homeland, leaving Richard the Lionheart to face Saladin alone. Richard managed to defeat Saladin in several battles and succeeded in capturing some cities, such as Jaffa, Ascalon, and Acre, where he carried out a massacre of Muslims after their surrender. However, Jerusalem remained unconquered, and the Crusaders failed to recapture the holy city. The campaign ended with the Treaty of Ramla in 588 AH (1180 CE), which confirmed Jerusalem in Muslim hands, and the Crusaders were confined to a limited coastal strip. The outcome of the campaign was unsatisfactory for both the Europeans, who failed to recapture Jerusalem, and the Muslims, who lost some important coastal cities. Saladin died shortly afterward, and the Crusaders rose up again. The story was not yet over.
The teacher and the student
The teacher summoned the mother of one of the students to the school to discuss her son’s situation. The teacher said, “I want you to understand that your son needs a sedative. It is medication for those who have difficulty concentrating and are hyperactive. He is disruptive during class, often interrupts the lesson, and does not learn.” The mother agreed to the teacher’s suggestion, but the student said he was embarrassed to take the medication in front of his classmates. The teacher suggested that the student go to the teachers’ room to take the pill, get her coffee, and then return to class. The student agreed, and things went as planned for a month. The teacher called the mother in again and praised her son’s behavior, noting how much he had improved, become calmer, and was learning. The mother was pleased to hear the teacher’s words. Smiling, she said to her son, “It is wonderful that you are learning so much better now. Tell me about the changes you have experienced and your success.” The child told his mother, “It is very simple, Mom. I would go to the teachers’ room, make coffee for the teacher, and put the sedative in her cup. That way, the teacher became calmer, and I could learn properly.”
The teacher summoned the mother of one of the students to the school to discuss her son’s situation. The teacher said, “I want you to understand that your son needs a sedative. It is medication for those who have difficulty concentrating and are hyperactive. He is disruptive during class, often interrupts the lesson, and does not learn.” The mother agreed to the teacher’s suggestion, but the student said he was embarrassed to take the medication in front of his classmates. The teacher suggested that the student go to the teachers’ room to take the pill, get her coffee, and then return to class. The student agreed, and things went as planned for a month. The teacher called the mother in again and praised her son’s behavior, noting how much he had improved, become calmer, and was learning. The mother was pleased to hear the teacher’s words. Smiling, she said to her son, “It is wonderful that you are learning so much better now. Tell me about the changes you have experienced and your success.” The child told his mother, “It is very simple, Mom. I would go to the teachers’ room, make coffee for the teacher, and put the sedative in her cup. That way, the teacher became calmer, and I could learn properly.”
