Cross-dressing Roman Emperor Elagabalus was Trans?

Cross-dressing Roman Emperor was transgender, woke Hertfordshire museum declares: Elagabalus, the savage teenage hedonist who once set leopards and snakes on dinner guests for a prank, 'must be referred to as she' 

• The North Hertfordshire Museum refers to the 3rd-century AD ruler as 'she' 

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Elagabalus

A Roman emperor has been branded transgender by a British museum provoking uproar among historians.

The North Hertfordshire Museum has decided to refer to the 3rd-century AD ruler Elagabalus as 'she' to be 'sensitive' to their pronoun preferences in a display.

The council-run museum in Hithcin, which consults with the LGBT charity Stonewall, owns a coin minted in the reign and uses it in LGBT-themed displays.

The decision is based off the account of Roman chronicler Cassius Dio, who claims that Elagabalus was 'termed wife, mistress and queen', told one lover 'Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady', and asked for female genitalia to be fashioned for him.

But Dio served the emperor Severus Alexander, who took the throne following the murder of Elagabalus, and historians believe the accounts were simply a character assassination.

The decision is based off the account of Roman chronicler Cassius Dio, who claims that Elagabalus (pictured parading on a chariot pulled by women) was 'termed wife, mistress and queen'

The North Hertfordshire Museum has decided to refer to the 3rd-century AD ruler Elagabalus as 'she' 

Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, a Cambridge classics professor, told the Telegraph: 'The Romans didn't have our idea of 'trans' as a category, but they used accusations of sexual behaviour 'as a woman' as one of the worst insults against men.'

Keith Hoskins, executive member for arts at North Herts Council, said: 'Elagabalus most definitely preferred the 'she' pronoun and as such this is something we reflect when discussing her in contemporary times.'

The boy Emperor Elagabalus, had a monstrous reputation as a ruler and has drawn comparisons from scholars with better-known tyrants such as Caligula and Nero when it came to his wickedness and vice.

At one feast, he had several of his guests lashed to a water-wheel, which turned slowly and drowned them as their horrified fellow diners looked on. In another extraordinarily sadistic prank he released dozens of leopards and lions among his guests once they had finished eating. 

On one occasion, he let poisonous snakes loose among the crowds at the gladiatorial games, causing widespread death and injury. And in still another example of his brutality, he threw gold and silver from a high tower, and watched as a mob of citizens fought to grab them, with many dying in the crush.

Elagabalus was also known to dress entirely in precious silks and draped himself with gems. The boy Emperor also apparently dreamt of surrounding himself with a new Roman senate composed entirely of women. 

He was made an Emporer only thanks to the machinations of his grandmother, Julia Maesa, whose nephew Caracalla had been Emperor for eight years until he was stabbed to death by an army commander.

Determined that Rome should once again be ruled by a member of her family, Julia turned to her 14-year-old grandson Elagabalus, who was raised in the Syrian town of Emesa, a remote outpost of the Empire. 

The boy Emperor Elagabalus , had a monstrous reputation as a ruler and has drawn comparisons from scholars with better-known tyrants such as Caligula and Nero when it came to his wickedness and vice

The North Hertfordshire Museum, owns a coin minted in Elagabalus's reign and uses it in LGBT-themed displays

He is said to have been an extraordinarily handsome youth, with a short military haircut and bright eyes. Elagabalus had devoted his early years to the worship of the local sun god Elagabal, after whom he had been named.

Elagabalus was rumoured to have consulted his physicians about an early version of a sex-change operation, and he took a series of male lovers. 

He was said to have spent his days in the company of women in his palace, singing, dancing, weaving and wearing a hairnet, eye make-up and rouge.

'The soldiers were revolted at the sight of him,' wrote one ancient historian. 'With his face made up more elaborately than a modest woman, he was effeminately dressed up in golden necklaces and soft clothes, dancing for everyone to see in this state.'

Elagabalus was killed in March 222 AD, just four years into his reign, by his own solder who rebelled against his tyrannical ways. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12772931/Roman-Emperor-Elagabalus-transgender-referred-museum.html

Napoleon's Hat sells for 1.7 Million Pounds

Rare bicorne hat worn by Napoleon Bonaparte before his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo sells for £1.7m at auction in Paris

•  The historic hat was auctioned alongside more of his personal artefacts

One of the rare iconic bicorne hats worn by Napoleon Bonaparte before his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo has sold for £1.7million at an auction in Paris.

The black felt hat, valued between 600,000 and 800,000 euros (£525,000 and £700,000) went up for auction today.

The historic item was auctioned alongside more of his personal artefacts in Fontainebleau, outside Paris, from a collection of memorabilia.

Other history-laden items in the sale of industrialist Jean-Louis Noisiez's collection of Napoleonic items include a silver plate looted from Napoleon's carriage after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. 

It also includes a wooden vanity case he owned, with razors, a silver toothbrush, scissors and other personal belongings.

One of the rare iconic bicorne hats worn by Napoleon Bonaparte before his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo has sold for £1.7million at an auction in Paris

The black felt hat was valued between 600,000 and 800,000 euros (£525,000 and £700,000)

The historic hat was auctioned alongside more of his personal artefacts in Fontainebleau

But the faded black felt hat is the star piece. While other officers customarily wore their hats with the wings facing front to back, Napoleon wore his with the ends pointing toward his shoulders. 

That style – known as 'en bataille,' in battle, in French – made it easier for his troops to spot the military general and statesman in combat.

He owned about 120 bicorne hats over the years, but only 20 are known to remain. 

Jean-Pierre Osenat, head of the Osenat auction house, said: 'For people who are into Napoleonic souvenirs, it's the holy grail to have a hat.

'There's about 20 left that are authentic and about 15 of them are kept in museums, so there's about four or five that are in collectors' hands.'

The hat on sale was first recovered by Col. Pierre Baillon, a quartermaster under Napoleon and one of his comrades in arms in many battles, including Waterloo, according to the auctioneers. 

The hat made it easier for his troops to spot the military general and statesman in combat. Pictured: Digitally restored vector painting of Napoleon Bonaparte on his horse

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The hat then passed through many hands before Noisiez acquired it. The entrepreneur spent more than half a century assembling his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords and coins before his death in 2022.

An engraving on a circular silver plate valued at 20,000 to 30,000 euros (£17,500 to £26,300) says it was taken from Napoleon's carriage at Waterloo.

The auctioneers say it was part of a haul of 400 pounds of silverware that was looted during the French retreat and shared among soldiers on the winning side.

Knife and fork used by Napoleon sold for 11,000 pounds. The cutlery was made by silversmith Martin-Guillaume Biennais in Paris in 1810

The cutlery is emblazoned with the General's initial 'N' in a laurel wreath

A mahogany vanity case bearing Napoleon's imperial coat of arms contains tools he would have needed to keep up appearances while campaigning, including a mirror, combs, tweezers, a shaving brush and other items. 

Its estimated sale price is 40,000 to 60,000 euros (£35,000 to £53,584).

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12767773/napoleon-bonaparte-signature-bicorne-hat-sell-paris-auction.html

Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a Corsican-born French military commander and political leader

Marie Antoinette was executed in 1793 after a trial in which she was accused of incest with her son. Later Napoleon came to power.

Napoleon

Napoleon was responsible for thousands of executions

Napoleon Bonaparte at the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, watching the great fire of Moscow

When the Russians refused to surrender, Napoleon and his starving men were forced to retreat West amidst the country's fierce winter

It was one of the greatest military catastrophes in history. Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 cost France more than 500,000 men and left the French emperor facing the beginning of the end of his reign. Above: A depiction of Napoleon at the head of the French army as it retreats from Moscow

Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo in 1815

Men dressed as soldiers fight in a recreation of the battle of Waterloo

A portrait of Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, in military uniform. He served as Prime Minister twice, was a skilled horseman, spoke at least three languages and read avidly

More than two centuries after his death, the French still worship Napoleon. Parisian streets and stations are still named after his battles, while the Arc de Triomphe (pictured), built to celebrate his victory at Austerlitz, remains one of the great symbols of French patriotism.

Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821 on the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he had been in exile for six years following his surrender to the British navy