Still toiling away at my big history book. I don’t mean to disparage it – I’m reading it with some fascination, though it does seem like it’s progressing in real time. But that throws me back on my wits (which seem to be a non-renewable resource) when it comes to blogging fodder.
Well, I nudged myself yesterday. I mentioned the name Rienzi (it’s Italian, so I assume it’s pronounced Ree-EN-zee). Once a familiar name throughout the western world, it’s all but forgotten today.
I first noticed the name when reading about the Civil War. There was a famous episode from the 1864 Shenandoah campaign, where Union Gen. Philip Sheridan rode 20 miles in about two hours, from Winchester, Virginia to his headquarters, to rally his forces to meet a Confederate attack. His timely appearance prevented a disaster, and “Sheridan’s Ride” was widely reported, and celebrated in a popular poem by Thomas Buchanan Read.
When I read accounts of Sheridan’s ride, his horse’s name was given as “Rienzi.” (The horse’s name was later changed to Winchester, and after a long life in horse years, he died and was stuffed. The Smithsonian has him now.)
“Who,” I wondered, “was Rienzi?” (I believe the name showed up somewhere else too, but I forget where. There’s a town called Rienzi in Mississippi. Maybe that was it.)
This was in ancient times, before the internet. I could have consulted an encyclopedia, but I wasn’t that interested. But eventually Joe Biden provided an information superhighway, and I checked it out in an idle moment.
Nicola “Cola” Rienzi (1313-1354) was an Italian politician. He claimed to be the illegitimate son of the Holy Roman Emperor, but actually came from humble origins in Rome. He acquired a good education, though, and grew enamored of the glories of ancient Rome. He despised the Rome of his own day, ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor and dominated by dissolute nobles. (Credit where credit’s due: I’m condensing all this information from Wikipedia. This material isn’t in my own wheelhouse at all.)
Continue reading The phenomenon of Rienzi