STORIES
The First Family of Crime
The Borgias ruled Renaissance Italy with an iron fist
By David Cocksedge
SHACKLED TOGETHER, the twelve ragged prisoners were forced into the centre of St Peter’s Square in The Vatican by papal guards. These man were condemned murderers and rapists, but nevertheless hoped for some measure of mercy by being taken to this most holy place. They stumbled against each other, and some of them prayed for deliverance as their guards formed a phalanx at the broad entrance to the famous square, sealing off any chance of escape.
Pope Alexander VI (formerly Rodrigo Borgia) stood on a balcony by one of the Vatican windows looking down on them. Beside him was his daughter Lucrezia Borgia (20), famed as one of the most beautiful women in Italy. On another balcony to their right stood Cesare Borgia, captain general of the Papal Army, dressed completely in black velvet with the upper half of his face masked to cover holes and sores from the French Pox that marred his handsome face. A loyal servant, also dressed in black, stood beside him holding a crossbow.
The Pope raised his right arm, and the prisoners waited hopefully to hear some kind words, perhaps a generous dispensation for their crimes. But this was to be an exhibition of the wrath of The Holy Mother Church; not a display of mercy. The Pope’s arm came down.
Suddenly, one of the prisoners fell to the cobblestones screaming in agony as a crossbow bolt slammed into his chest. He pulled the men on either side of him down just before another deadly bolt flew into the press of bodies from the balcony where Cesare stood. The black-clad papal general carefully aimed each shot before putting down the crossbow and taking another weapon, fully primed, from his servant. With each shot another prisoner fell, amid screams of pain. Shackled together and thus pinned down, there was no escape from the whirring missiles which cut them down from above. Within minutes all of them were dead, and the square fell silent.
Pope Alexander waved to his eldest child. “Fine aim, my son!” He shouted. Cesare waved back.
Down in the square, four men, pulling a cart, began to remove the corpses, tossing them in like limp sacks of grain. Cesare’s grim harvest was wheeled away. The skull of each victim was smashed in before all dozen of them were tossed into a blazing fire well away from the square.
Johannes Burchard, the papal master of ceremonies and loyal servant to his master, Pope Alexander VI, faithfully recorded this scene in his diary, dated 11 August 1500 exactly eight years after Rodrigo Borgia had been elected God’s official Vicar on earth, head of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
The years of the greatest influence of the Borgia family (1435 to 1520) correspond to one of the most important periods in European history. This was the age of the Renaissance, of some of the greatest discoveries in exploration, and when famous artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo de Vinci flourished in Italy.
The Borgias were indeed a strange and bewildering family: at different times they comprised a Saint, three Popes, a Queen of England and eleven Cardinals. They were a family with long tentacles, beginning in 14th century Spain, and reaching through the history of 15 and 16th century Italy, Spain and France. The Borgias were slaves to greed, lust, murder, incest and (oddly enough) piety. Such is the legacy of this family that established itself during one of Italy’s most glorious periods, and dominated the Renaissance with power and intrigue for over fifty years. Many historians consider them to be the world’s first criminal family, a forerunner of the Mafia (Cosa Nostra).
Unlike the mad ‘Caligula’ (Giaus), emperor of Rome from 37 to 41 AD, who murdered many around him for his own insane pleasure, the Borgias killed mainly for political gain and personal wealth, and rarely for pleasure. They were a crime family bound together not by blood ritual, but by genes.
Alexander VI is the most notorious Pope in history, conducting a pontificate of nepotism, greed, ruthlessness, murder and unbridled sensuality. He became the leading figure in the saga of the infamous Borgia family, both as a perpetrator of political intrigue and a facilitator of the activities of his two most famous children, Cesare (1475-1507) and Lucrezia (1480-1519). His enemies have successfully blackened his name, but Alexander was not without compassion: he refused to persecute Jews in Italy when requested to by King Ferdinand of Spain; and was quite candid in his view of the Spanish Inquisition as “a cruel abomination which has nothing to do with God’s merciful love.”
He was born in 1431 near Valencia and christened Rodrigo Borgia, a nephew of Pope Callixtus, who made him a Cardinal in 1456 and Vice-Chancellor of the Holy See in 1457. Rodrigo considered himself a devout Catholic, but never let that interfere with his lust for women, power and wealth. He lived an openly promiscuous life, fathering at least seven children during his lifetime. Pius II, who had succeeded Callixtus and continued to support Rodrigo’s rapid rise in the church hierarchy, often had to warn his Cardinal to refrain from participating in orgies which he said were ‘unseemly’.
Rodrigo literally bought his pontificate, handsomely bribing 17 of the 22 voting Cardinals in August 1492. He took the name of Alexander VI, and ruled the Vatican for 11 years. Somehow hypocrisy within the upper reaches of the church was never much of an issue in those days. The Papacy was an important political position, backed by force: the Papal Army was well equipped with mercenary troops to keep Italy’s city states loyal and the Vatican in wealth from financial tributes.
But one of the six cardinals who could not be bought off was Giuliano della Rovere. He was a formidable enemy of the Borgia clan and became Pope Julius II after the sickly Pope Pius III, following Alexander’s death, himself died after only 27 days in office.
Rodrigo’s one-time favourite mistress, Vannozza de Catanei, bore him four children, Cesare, Juan, Lucrezia and Jofre. By 1492, he had cast Vannozza off and taken up with the young and beautiful Guilia Farenese with whom he sired three additional children. Whatever Alexander lacked, it was not virility.
Cesare was primed for a career in the church from an early age, even though he was a natural warrior who favoured military skills. He studied law and the humanities at Perugia and theology at Pisa University before being made a Cardinal by his father. Meantime his younger brother Juan (the Second Duke of Gandia), was being groomed for service in the Papal Army, which enflamed Cesare’s jealousy. The two brothers hated each other from boyhood. Juan once taunted Cesare with a sarcastic ‘toast’ to his ‘cowardice’, which was a dangerous move.
The Pope’s enemies spread rumours that Alexander had an incestuous relationship with his daughter. There is no evidence to support this, though Lucrezia certainly enjoyed a torrid sexual relationship with her elder brother Cesare. A child of their union (Giovanni) was brought up as a legitimate son of Alfonso of Aragon, Lucrezia’s second husband, who was later strangled on the orders of Cesare. (Alfonso had made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Cesare). Lucrezia’s first marriage (at age 14) to Giovanni Zorfa in 1494 was annulled for political reasons.
Soon after making his sarcastic toast, Juan went missing. His body was discovered floating in the Tiber days later, punctured with stab wounds. Cesare has been blamed for this murder, but a more likely suspect is Jofre, the youngest of the three Borgia brothers. Jofre was enraged when he discovered that Juan had been bedding his young wife Sancia of Aragon, and may have taken action. But Juan’s death freed Cesare from his ecclesiastical duties and in 1498 he became Captain General of the Papal Army. He quickly set about bringing several disloyal city states to heel by force of arms, and proved himself to be a shrewd military leader, assisted by his loyal friend Duarte Brandao, (rumoured to be Sir Edward Brampton who had fled from England and changed his name to avoid Tudor vengeance).
Alexander had arranged for Cesare (now Duke of Valentois) to marry Carlotta, daughter of the King of Naples; but when this expedient political alliance fell through, Cesare instead married Charlotte d’Albert, daughter of the Duke of Guyenne. The dowry was a huge financial gain for the Borgia family. Though a notorious womaniser and whoremonger, Cesare always cherished his wife (‘Lottie’) with whom he fathered six children.
The Jubilee year of 1500 began the period of greatest decadence by Alexander and Cesare. In addition to the callous shooting of criminals, Cesare also fought and killed six large bulls in a special enclosure in the Piazza San Pietro, where thousands of watching citizens hailed him as a hero of Rome. From then on, his standard displayed a charging red bull against a white background with a flash of yellow flame.
Now an ally of the French King Louis XII, Cesare led the Papal Army to victory in the Romagna, an adjacent city state. In February 1500, he returned to Rome in triumph, displaying the cruel and despotic Queen Caterina Sforza shackled in gold chains. Sforza had put up stern resistance to his siege of her castles. When he threatened to kill two of her captured children, she called his bluff, laughing down at him from the battlements, “I still have the mold, Cesare! I can make more children, so do your worst, you son of a Spanish whore!”
The Borgia prince was horrified. “My God, you are no mother, you loathsome witch!” he shouted back. Cesare’s ruthlessness did not extend to butchering innocent children. He gave the order, and the Papal Army took Sforza’s castle by storm. Caterina was later freed through her alliance with France, and claimed that the child she bore afterwards had been sired by Cesare who had raped her during her captivity.
Two years after the eleventh anniversary of his accession to the papacy, Alexander fell ill, along with Cesare. The two of them had dined with Cardinal Adrian Corneto at his villa. It was rumoured that the Borgias had intended to make Corneto their next victim, but he skillfully switched drinking cups just before the toasting began. Both Borgias then drank poisoned wine without realising what had happened.
After a few days of agony, Alexander died on 18 August 1503 as Cesare slowly recovered. Predictably, Vatican servants plundered his rooms as he lay dying. The fiercely loyal Burchard moved his body to a small chapel, where it remained unattended, rotting in the humid August weather. When Burchard returned days later with other servants to pre
pare Alexander’s corpse for burial, it was hugely bloated and discoloured. Reeling from the foul stench, they had a mighty struggle to get the bloated body into the coffin. The Borgia Pope Alexander VI had succeeded in becoming larger in death than he had ever been in life.
Cesare’s empire collapsed soon after his father’s death. When Pius III died inconveniently less than a month later and it became certain that Cardinal Rovere would become the next Pope, Cesare sought aid from his old friend Niccolo Machiavelli of Florence. But this man, one of history’s most famous conspirators, knew that Cesare was now doomed, and advised the Signoria, “Excellencies, Cesare Borgia is slipping into his grave. Florence must not slip with him.” Without the Papal Army behind him, the masked Borgia Prince had become a political liability.
Cesare fled to Naples, at that time controlled by the Spanish under Gonsalvo de Cordoba, where he was duly betrayed, arrested and shipped to Spain. The galleon docked at Villanueva del Grao, ironically the same Valencian port from which Cesare’s great-uncle Alonso Borgia (later Pope Calixtus) had left Spain for Italy sixty years before.
The Black Prince languished in prison there for a few months until his old friend Duarte Brandao helped him escape by drugging his guards and stealing the key to his cell. The two old friends then embraced tearfully for the last time. Brandao returned to his native England and Cesare rode away to Navarre on the Iberian peninsular, where in October 1506 he gratefully returned to his true calling, serving as a mercenary soldier for his brother-in-law, King Jean of Navarre.
That winter Cesare busied himself reforming Jean’s army before laying siege the following spring to the castle of Viana belonging to Count Louis de Beaumonte, whose soldiers had pillaged one of Jean’s villages. Cesare directed the artillery to bombard the weakest section of the walls. Knowing that his infantry was not up to the task, he planned to lead a cavalry charge into the castle once the wall was breached. When a section of the wall duly collapsed, Cesare lowered his visor, spurred his horse to a gallop and ordered the 500 mounted soldiers behind him to charge.
But again he was betrayed. As he charged, he suddenly found himself alone. Count de Beaumonte had bribed Navarre’s entire cavalry unit, knowing their prowess. These men would not fight for Cesare Borgia. Cursing them as cowards, Cesare levelled his lance and raced his charger into the castle breach….alone. He rode full tilt into a pack of defenders, killing two of them with his lance and then slashing about with his mace and sword as the enemy surrounded him. By the time they brought him down, Cesare had slain eight of them before he was hacked to death. He was just 32 years old when he died fighting bravely in a forgotten campaign at Viana on 12 March 1507.
History has been unkind to the radiant, golden-haired Lucrezia. Enemies of the Borgias have depicted her as an evil, scheming woman who poisoned a succession of husbands for their wealth. In fact there is little historical evidence to support this. When Cesare had her second husband murdered, she fled to a convent for several months before agreeing to marry her third husband, Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara in 1501. She was a dutiful daughter, always obliging her father in politically expedient marriages, and she also lovingly brought up her incestuous son by Cesare. One of her other sons, Ercole, succeeded his father as Duke of Ferrara and another, (Ippolito) later became a much respected Cardinal.
Lucrezia d’Este became a patron of the arts and her court at Ferrara was a venue where poets, painters and artists were made welcome. Shortly after the birth of her fifth child Lucrezia contracted puerperal fever and died on 24 June 1519. On her deathbed, she confessed that the only man she had truly loved had been her brother Cesare, the infamous Black Prince of the Borgias. And she begged God’s forgiveness for this incestuous relationship.
True Crimes Listing
True Crime stories published in the Observer:
2002
April –The Green Bicycle case; May – The Craig/Bentley Case; June – The A6 Murder Case; July – Murder of the Earl of Errol; August – The O J Simpson Murder Trial; September – Aileen Wuornos, female serial killer; October – Ronald Opus; November – Madame X; December – The Spree Killer (Wilder)
2003
January – Shootout at Smiths’ Club; February – The Christine Dryland Case; March – poisoned pie Case; April – Massacre at Lidice; May – The Diana Davidson Murder Case; June – The death of Alkibiades; July – The Headsman of Colmar; August – Ruth Ellis; September – The Mel Jones Murder Case; October – George Smith, the bath murderer; November – Murder in a combat zone - Vietnam 1966; December – The Barn Restaurant Case
2004
January – The assassination of JFK; February – Judge Falcone and the Mafia; March – Gilles de Rais/Bluebeard; April – The hand in the sand case (New Zealand); May – The Hong Kong drugs murder Case; June and July – Jack the Ripper parts 1 & 2; August – Murder at Farleigh Court; September – London’s Bonnie & Clyde; October – Ruth Snyder Case; November – Death of a rock star (Jim Morrison); December – Torso in the Thames
2005
January – Assassination of JFK; February – Gangland double cross; March – Fatal Attraction in Ulster; April – Guernica; May – Bonnie & Clyde (USA); June – Murder of Jill Dando; July – Pedro Lopez, Monster of the Andes; August – Deadly Aperitif; September – Henry VIII & his wives; October – Sid & Nancy; November – The real Dracula; December – Poolan Devi, India’s Bandit Queen
2006
January and February – Charles Sobhraj (parts 1& 2); March – Marilyn Monroe; April – The Yorkshire Ripper (Peter Sutcliffe); May – Mass murderer Ted Bundy; June – 10 Rillington Place (Reg Christie); July – Son of Sam (David Berkowitz); August – Tasmania’s Aborigines; September – The Nuremberg Trials; October – Watergate; November – Charlie Manson & his Angels; December – Assassination of Heydrich
2007
January – Betty Broderick Case; February – Fred & Rosemary West; March – Murder in the Red Barn; April – Ned Kelly; May – Assassination of Anwar Sadat; June – Assassination of Robert Kennedy; July – Assassination of Gandhi; August - Halabja; September - Amritsar; October – Trials of Oscar Wilde; November – The Dreyfus Affair; December – Trial of Stephen Ward
2008
January – John Stonehouse; February – Rinkagate; March – Sir Walter Raleigh; April – Abraham Lincoln; May – King Charles I; June – Wild Bill Hickok; July – Gary Powers; August – Terror at the Games; September – The Borgias; October 20 – Ted Kennedy; November – Guy Fawkes; December – Charles Starkweather, natural born killer
The ceremony held on a Sunday at the palace premises, in which caretaker Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala hoisted Nepal’s national flag to replace the royal standard, does not offer any dependable clue that the country will have a proper government any time soon.
Sensing that existing confusion and uncertainty could create bigger national challenges, the Nepal army chief swiftly moved to the forefront with a public pledge that the army will remain a key promoter and defender of democracy. “The army will remain as the ground on which nascent democracy can take roots and flourish in the days ahead,” General Rookmangud Katawal told an audience a day after the king vacated the palace, marking an occasion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nepal’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities worldwide. The other pithy message he put across was to remind politicians that the army will carry out orders as long as these emanate from the legitimate government mandated by the people. The army, he also added, will never compromise on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation. While he offered to promote and defend democracy in these transitional times, Katawal also utilised the opportunity to deliver a warning to all possible stakeholders: “... we strongly believe that in the name of democratisation the army’s purity, sanctity and integrity should not be compromised.”
In a commentary published on Sunday, the newsmagazine Nepal described the army chief’s remarks as an indicator that the incumbent civilian authority is, from the army’s point of view, negligent on the issues of its own legitimacy as well as on the growing threat on the country’s sovereignty. Analysts also attach considerable significance to the timing of Katawal’s statement. Firstly, it came immediately after the ouster of the king, who was traditionally the supreme commander-in-chief; secondly, the views have been aired ahead of the election of a new head of state who also has to perform the duties of the supreme commander. Switching allegiance from one institution to another obviously entails changes in processes and procedures. And if the ongoing political negotiations make way for a Maoist to occupy the office of the president, the subject will be even more sensitive.
Since 10 April elections did not produce a clear winner from among the parties chosen to form the country’s first Constituent Assembly (CA), the political party consisting of former Maoist rebels staked a claim, as the largest group, to head a coalition government which is expected to oversee the writing of a new constitution within two years. Rival parties do not have a legitimate basis to reject this Maoist claim, but their leaders are apprehensive about a possible Maoist takeover of Nepal. It is against this background that they placed a set of pre-conditions before the Maoist leadership, officially known as the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Important among them are issues related to what they call the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), numbering 20,000, and the Young Communist League (YCL) which is said to have half a million members scattered over the country. Former militias were renamed as YCL shortly after the Maoists entered a peace accord with the government in November 2006. PLA members are sheltered in government-run cantonments which arebeing supervised by a United Nations field mission. Their weapons are stored in designated containers.
The Maoists now want these combatants to be integrated with the national army, as per the provisions of the peace accord and interim constitution. Leaders of other major parties, however, contend that the Maoist leadership must not be allowed to lead any kind of government as long as the PLA remains intact. It deserved to be dissolved forthwith because the objectives of declaring Nepal a republic and electing an assembly which would write a new constitution have already been accomplished. How can a country have two competing armies simultaneously? The Maoists allude to the reference made in the interim statute where there is an undertaking to look after PLA members, and their subsequent ‘adjustment and rehabilitation’. It is on this basis they are demanding that the PLA be integrated with the Nepal army. One counter argument is that adjustment or rehabilitation must not be understood as something strictly associated with the army alone. Once the PLA is dismantled, some of its members could be recruited for the civil police or the armed police forces. As individuals, some of them could join the army if they met the physical and educational qualifications. The main consideration is that a politically indoctrinated group like the PLA cannot be allowed, en bloc, to join an army maintained for professional soldiering. This is where the army chief‘s observations look relevant. That the Maoists must not be encouraged or facilitated to head a new government in haste is not a view shared by non-communist groups such as the Koirala-led Nepali Congress and the Terai-based regional party Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF). The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist Leninist), for example, has made a gloomy prediction that conflict might escalate anew if a new government is set up without resolving the issue of the Maoist army and its arms. “Power cannot be handed over to the rebel force unless the issues ... are settled,” said Chandra Prakash Mainali, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist Leninist), in a Sunday newspaper interview. His party is the sixth-largest among 25 parties with representation in the 601-strong assembly. But Maoist leader Prachanda feels these preconditions are nothing but a part of a bigger conspiracy to stop his party from taking the lead in forming a viable government. “Some international powers do not want to see us in power,” the Maoist leader told an audience in Kathmandu. He did not specify who those powers are, but it appeared directed at the US, because India (and the Chinese) seem eager to see the Maoists in power as early as possible. Indian envoy Rakesh Sood’s high-profile parleys with Nepal’s top leaders have drawn considerable media attention. That his activities have not been criticised by the Maoists is striking proof that Indian support, at least on the surface, has been towards the newly elected revolutionaries. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress, with centrist credentials, and the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), a party of moderate communists, have described Sood’s initiatives as interference in Nepal’s domestic politics. One section of the Indian establishment appears to believe that by helping the Maoists Delhi can reap two distinct benefits. One, to get the Maoists to agree to a sensitive security pact and two, to convince Maoists in India that it would be expedient for them to follow the Nepali example of joining mainstream politics and assume power through elections. However, media reports originating from New Delhi show that some influential writers and commentators consider the present Indian policy on Nepal to be flawed. Kanwal Sibal, a former foreign secretary, is one of them. “The underlying factors complicating our relations have not changed for the better with recent developments; some have changed for the worse,” Sibal said in an Indian Express article published on June 11. He mentioned the ‘China factor’ and suggests that it could embolden the Maoists to be tough in their dealings with India. Prachanda has lately been saying that his future government will maintain a policy of “equidistance” towards India and China. And he has already indicated his wish to visit Beijing soon. POWER PLAYS: Political players are now locked in a debate that is expected to produce power-sharing arrangements, based mainly on the number of seats their parties have won. Efforts are ostensibly underway to allocate three top posts to the leaders of the three main parties: the ceremonial presidency to Koirala, prime ministership with full executive authority to Maoist leader Prachanda and chairmanship of the newly elected Constituent Assembly to former speaker Subas Nembang of UML. The posts of their deputies could then be distributed to other prominent parties. They all talk about the April 10 electoral mandate which requires them to work together, at least until the time the new constitution is drawn up.
But should octogenarian Koirala, who is not in good health, be burdened with the responsibility of head of the state? This question continues to exercise the minds of several party leaders. Most of Koirala’s supporters, however, think he deserves the honour and respect for his contributions to the democratic process made over a period of 60 years. But there are others in the Koirala-led Nepali Congress who tend to suspect that the Maoists will find plausible pretexts to remove him from the presidency once their regime acquires legitimacy, and recognition and support from the international community.
Koirala is not bothered by such considerations, and his lust for power is well known. “His love for the chair is so intense that he would not know even if the earth under it was swept by floods, sliding the entire area into the Bay of Bengal,” said an influential government functionary who has been a regular visitor to the official residence of since Koirala headed the present transitional setup in May 2006. But whether the leadership of Nepal’s army will take a back seat, essentially overseeing the Maoists’ rise to power under the nominal supervision of Koirala, is another matter.
Obscure Tour
This month our obscure tour becomes more focused and takes you to a small hidden gem on the coast of devon in england. so for all you hardened travellers who think you have been everywhere and seen everything let us introduce you to brixham, the quay to a great holiday We’ve all heard the saying the grass is always greener on the other side. I for one believed it; so much so that I spent many years travelling and working in some of the most exotic and exciting locations in the far east looking for it; only to find myself pining for the green, green grass of home. It all started when I was on a trip to the south islands of New Zealand with my wife, who was understandably impressed with the magnificent scenery. I was too, only I kept hearing myself saying “Yes, darling it’s beautiful but there are many places in the UK that are just as beautiful.” It was then that I resolved to go back to England to prove it to her.
There are so many places in England (not to mention Scotland, Wales, and Ireland) that are well worth seeing but for me one of the most beautiful was a little fishing village in Devon that my mother and father liked to take me and my brother to when we were children.
I was a little worried that my infantile, romanticised memories of Brixham and the passage of time may well have resulted in it not living up to my expectations. Though the Google images helped dispel some of my apprehension, you can still never be quite sure of something until you see it for your self. Brixham is located on the lower south west of England and it takes about an hour by taxi from the nearest airport in Exeter to get there. If you don’t live in the UK, are traveling as a couple and don’t have a rail pass, you’ll find it only marginally more expensive to go by taxi which is much quicker and more convenient. Taxi Cabs in the UK are governed by much stricter rules than in Thailand and it is extremely unlikely that you’ll be cheated: the cost from Exeter to Brixham by taxi is around 6,000 baht.
It was quite a chilly morning when we arrived but the sun was shining, and when we stepped out of the cab, the crystal clear morning air caught my breath. In our excitement we quickly unloaded our luggage, paid the cab driver and skipped across the road to admire the view. Our accommodation was perfectly situated; about mid way up the hill, with a park bench and table in a little, fenced alcove just in front of We’ve all heard the saying the grass is always greener on the other side. I for one believed it; so much so that I spent many years travelling and working in some of the most exotic and exciting locations in the far east looking for it; only to find myself pining for the green, green grass of home. It all started when I was on a trip to the south islands of New Zealand with my wife, who was understandably impressed with the magnificent scenery. I was too, only I kept hearing myself saying “Yes, darling it’s beautiful but there are many places in the UK that are just as beautiful.” It was then that I resolved to go back to England to prove it to her. There are so many places in England (not to mention Scotland, Wales, and Ireland) that are well worth seeing but for me one of the most beautiful was a little fishing village in Devon that my mother and father liked to take me and my brother to when we were children. I was a little worried that my infantile, romanticised memories of Brixham and the passage of time may well have resulted in it not living up to my expectations. Though the Google images helped dispel some of my apprehension, you can still never be quite sure of something until you see it for your self. Brixham is located on the lower south west of England and it takes about an hour by taxi from the nearest airport in Exeter to get there. If you don’t live in the UK, are traveling as a couple and don’t have a rail pass, you’ll find it only marginally more expensive to go by taxi which is much quicker and more convenient. Taxi Cabs in the UK are governed by much stricter rules than in Thailand and it is extremely unlikely that you’ll be cheated: the cost from Exeter to Brixham by taxi is around 6,000 baht.
It was quite a chilly morning when we arrived but the sun was shining, and when we stepped out of the cab, the crystal clear morning air caught my breath. In our excitement we quickly unloaded our luggage, paid the cab driver and skipped across the road to admire the view. Our accommodation was perfectly situated; about mid way up the hill, with a park bench and table in a little, fenced alcove just in front of perched precariously on the cliff face. As they munched on the green grasses, we munched on scones with thick strawberry jam made from a 100 year old recipe. These were smothered in clotted cream and washed down with an assortment of local wines, made from the flora and fauna of the fields; Elderberry, Rhubarb, Blackberry, and…Dandelions, all from a small family run shop, just above Brixham harbor near All Saints Church. Now it has to be said that the surroundings and the wine may have played a part in the taste of the scones and jam with clotted cream but both my wife and I couldn’t get enough of them. Cream Teas, as they are known, are a famous Cornish treat and a must-have; but avoid the tourist coffee shops on the harbour and check out the back street shops instead. And whilst we’re on the topic of food, no trip to England would be complete without having tried traditional English fish and chips, right out of the newspaper wrapping and there’s no where better than a fishing village to do that. Just pop into the chip shop directly opposite the statue of William of Orange and order fish and chips to go. Then sit by the quay side and enjoy; but don’t forget to put lots of salt and vinegar on them first. If you feel more adventures you can go on a fishing trip - there are lots of little kiosks round the harbour that do such trips, and even if you don’t catch anything it’s a great way to relax. Enjoy the surroundings as you bob gently up and down on the ocean. Brixham also has an array of restaurants catering to all tastes - even a Thai food place. If you like a night out there are many pubs in the area and every one is different. So if you fancy a pup crawl you could go to as many as 10 or 12 pubs without leaving the key side. But be warned even on a Saturday night the pubs close at 11pm and the streets are deserted by 11.30. Before I finish there are a few places just outside Brixham that are well worth a visit. There’s Lyme Bay, just around from the harbour, where American troops rehearsed for the ‘D Day’ landings, or you could take the Great Western Railway steam train to Dartmouth, which is worth it just for the train ride it’self. Then there’s Churston Ferrers with its beautiful church and next to it Churston Court, once a manor house and now a hotel, restaurant and bar, steeped in history. This place dates back 400 years and boasts many illustrious guests, such as Sir Walter Raleigh, the great sea captain in the reign (1588-1603) of Queen Elizabeth I; Author Agatha Christie and even Bruce Reynolds who used the hotel as a hide-out after his part in the Great Train Robbery in 1963. (By the way, the police didn’t find him). Churston Court even boasts it’s own ghost. Brixham is quite a busy tourist area in season but we went in April and the weather was (for the most part) pleasant, if a little cold for Thai tastes. However, the lack of tourists compensated for the cold. We stayed at Sampford Guest House, which we can thoroughly recommend. For more info contact David and Tracy; E-mail info@sampfordhouse.co.uk The chip shop is Nick’s, and there is also a great sea food restaurant with a wonderful view of the harbour called Poopdeck ‘cheffed’ by Tony Butler. And the family-run Deli with the best cream teas is called Culinaria on Middle Street
Nine Eleven Seven Years On
The attack that spawned the ‘War on Terror’
WHERE were you that Tuesday seven years ago this month? It was one of those days that everyone vividly remembers. In Thailand, it all started happening around 9 pm that evening. Americans refer to it as ‘nine-eleven’.
On the morning of 11 September 2001, the United States of America got clobbered. It happened right out of the blue. In an attack of breath-taking audacity and brutality, 19 hijackers on a joint suicide mission took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston, Newark and Washington.
Starting at 8.46 am local time, the attackers flew two of the aircraft, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Centre (WTC). The terrorists were members of al-Qaeda; an organisation of fanatical Islamists determined to destroy the USA’s bastions of power.
Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines 77 into the Pentagon building, and a fourth, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shankesville, Pennsylvania just after 10 am when the crew and passengers fought back.
During the hijacking, the attackers used box cutters to capture or kill air crew and resisting passengers before flying the aircraft themselves. Some passengers were able to make telephone calls using the cabin air-phone service and personal cell phones, alerting authorities to the emerging crisis. On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the aircraft from hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had crashed into buildings earlier.
According to the transcript of Flight 93’s recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the aircraft once it became evident that they would lose control to the crew and passengers. Minutes later, the plane crashed into a field near Shan
ksville in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania at 10:03 am local time (14:03 UTC). Just as with the other suicide flights aimed at New York and Washington, there were no survivors.
Al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed mentioned in a 2002 interview with Qatar’s al Jazeera TV organisation that the target of Flight 93 had been the United States Capitol, given the code name ‘The Faculty of Law.’
Three buildings in the World Trade Centre complex collapsed due to structural failure. In New York, the South Tower fell at approximately 9:59 am, after burning fiercely for 56 minutes in a fire caused by the impact of United Airlines Flight 175. The North Tower then collapsed, falling straight down, at 10.28 am, after burning for approximately 102 minutes. When the North Tower fell, debris heavily damaged the nearby 7 World Trade Centre (7 WTC) building. Its structural integrity was further compromised by raging fires, and that building also collapsed that afternoon.
The attacks created widespread confusion among news organisations and air traffic controllers across the USA. All international civilian air traffic was banned from landing on US soil for three days, and aircraft already in flight were either turned back or redirected to airports in Canada or Mexico.
The final death toll came to 2,974, excluding the 19 hijackers. The breakdown was 246 on the four aircraft, 2,603 in the WTC at New York in the towers and on the ground, and 125 dead at the Pentagon building. An additional 24 people remain listed as missing. Over 6,300 people were injured. All of the fatalities in the co-ordinated attack were civilians except for 55 military personnel at the Pentagon, and over 90 countries lost citizens in the attack on the World Trade Centre.
Turnstile counts from the Port Authority indicate that 14,154 people were in the World Trade Centre by 8.45 am that fateful morning. The vast majority of workers below the impact zones safely evacuated the buildings, along with 18 people who were in the impact zone in the South Tower. But 1,366 people died who were at or above the floors of impact in the North Tower. According to the Commission Report, hundreds were killed instantly by the impact, while the rest were trapped and died after the Tower collapsed. As many as 600 were killed instantly or were trapped at or above the floors of impact in the South Tower.
To the horror of onlookers, at least 200 people jumped to their deaths from the burning towers, landing on the streets and rooftops of adjacent buildings hundreds of feet below. Some of the occupants of each tower above the impact points made their way upwards to the roof in hopes of a helicopter rescue, but the roof access doors were locked. There was no plan for helicopter rescues, and anyway the intense heat would have prevented helicopters from conducting rescue operations.
A total of 411 emergency workers who responded to the crisis also died as they attempted to implement rescue and fire-suppression efforts. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lost 341 brave firefighters and two paramedics. The New York Police Department (NYPD) lost 23 officers and 37 men of the Port Authority Police Department were killed. Rescue and recovery efforts took months to complete.
The biggest loser among companies at the WTC was Cantor Fitzgerald LP, an investment bank on the 101st-105th floors of One World Trade Centre, where 658 employees tragically died in the inferno.
Weeks after the attack, the estimated death toll was over 6,000. City officials were only able to identify remains of approximately 1,600 victims of the attack on the WTC. When the devastated area in NYC was finally cleared in 2002, it was declared ‘Ground Zero’. New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani proclaimed, “We will rebuild. We’re going to come out of this stronger than before; politically stronger, economically stronger. The skyline will be made whole again.”
Millions of Americans were understandably enraged by this unprovoked attack and demanded retribution. But first those responsible had to be identified.
The terrorist action was the brain-child of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who first presented the idea to his leader, the Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden, back in 1996. The latter, with his deputy Mohammed Atef, met with Khalid to organise financial support and training for the suicide mission.
American intelligence services later found out that 27 members of al-Qaeda entered the USA to lay the groundwork for the attack months before the fateful day. Fifteen of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.
The FBI investigation into the attacks involved over 7,000 agents and was the largest and most complex investigation in the bureau’s history. A piece of luggage belonging to one of the hijackers which did not make it onto his connecting (hijacked) flight revealed the identity of all 19 terrorists with clues to their plans, motives and backgrounds.
The ‘nine-eleven’ attack led directly to President George W Bush announcing his ‘War on Terror’ in an address to the US Congress, and the world, on 20 September 2001. The first target was Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban cadre in Kabul was swiftly defeated by American-led coalition forces. If bin Laden really was hiding there under the protection of the Taliban, he was never found. But he was now the most wanted man on earth.
Hamid Khazi was installed as the political leader in Afghanistan, backed by US and British troops, and Kabul saw some advancement in terms of western-style democracy: women were allowed to work again, and schools re-opened. But in seven years of bitter urban conflict, Taliban forces have re-established themselves in many areas of Afghanistan, which has been ‘bandit country’ for centuries. Historians will recall that a British army under Lord Elphinstone was cut to ribbons during a disastrous retreat from Kabul through the Khyber Pass in 1842; and a doomed Russian invasion in 1979 was also turned back eight years later.
President Bush, encouraged by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, began to openly push for an invasion of Iraq in September 2002, even though there was no hard evidence that Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime had played any role in the 9/11 attack. Secretary of State Colin Powell also joined the fray in September 2003, announcing that, “We have learned that Iraq has trained al-Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases. And we know that after 11 September 2001, Saddam Hussein’s regime gleefully celebrated the terrorist attacks on America.”
There is evidence that British and American intelligence services fabricated reports that Saddam possessed ‘weapons of mass destruction’ (WMD) in order to justify an attack on Iraq. In 2002, Congress passed the Authorisation for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, giving the President permission to launch an invasion ‘to fight anti-United States terrorism’. Bush then made a series of public warnings for Saddam to ‘disarm’.
Under what became known as ‘a coalition of the willing’, Iraq was invaded on 20 March 2003 by troops of US, British, Australian, Spanish, and Danish forces plus Kurdish militia under the code name ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’. French and German premiers openly opposed the invasion; whilst Russia’s then President Vladimir Putin carefully kept his nation on the sidelines.
The enormous firepower of the coalition (known as ‘shock and awe’) soon smashed Saddam’s military with a pivotal moment on 9 April when a large statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Fidros Square in Baghdad. But it very soon became clear that coalition forces under Secretary Rumsfeld had no follow-up plan to secure the country and contain any insurgency after military victory. Rumsfeld arrogantly ignored advice from the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon regarding troop requirements to police the country. The Iraqi army was disbanded without being disarmed, and the Baathist Party disenfranchised whilst the all-important oil installations were seized.
Large areas of Iraq quickly descended into violence and chaos as militant Shiites and Sunni tribesmen fought each other as well as the occupying forces in major cities. Baghdad quickly became the most dangerous city on earth in the following years.
The military occupation of Iraq, mainly by US and British forces, became a very expensive business, costing around 4 billion dollars a month as over 3 million refugees fled the violence, flooding into Syria, Jordan and Iran, severely stretching the humanitarian resources of those countries.
When it became certain that Saddam had abandoned his WMD programme in 1991 (after the ‘Desert Storm’ operation ordered by President George H W Bush senior), Bush Junior declared that ‘regime change’ in Iraq had been his aim all along, and Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair hastily concurred. Having bombed Iraq into liberation, western leaders sought to bring democracy to the Iraqi people at gunpoint.
Saddam was arrested in late 2003 and put on trial by his own countrymen. Found guilty of war crimes, he was convicted and executed on 30 December 2006 in Baghdad, shouting insults and defiance at his hooded executioners. He was surely an evil and detestable man, but this squalid display of vengeance, caught on a camera-phone, had little to do with justice.
Terrorism, fuelled by Islamic fanatics, quickly spread into Asia and Europe: On 12 October 2002 a suicide bomber blew up a nightclub on Kuta Beach on the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 people (mainly Australians) and injuring another 209. Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted for this crime, including three individuals who were sentenced to death.
Spain was next. In Madrid on 11 March 2004, three days before a general election, 191 people were killed and 1,755 injured when several commuter trains were bombed.
Spanish police discovered that the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda terrorist cell although no direct al-Qaeda participation could be established. Claims that the Basque ETA movement was responsible proved to be unfounded.
On 15 July 2005, 54 civilians were killed and many more maimed by bombs placed on London trains and buses during the commuter ‘rush hour’ in the English capital city.
Security authorities in London became so jumpy after this that a tragic mistake was made two weeks later: an innocent Brazilian student was gunned down at Stockwell Underground Station in south London by members of Metropolitan Police Special Branch who had been stalking the man for some time, wrongly believing him to be a dangerous terrorist.
Seven years on from ‘nine-eleven’, the world remains a dangerous place. Some stability has been restored to Iraq following a ‘troop surge’ and the intelligent leadership of the American General David Petraeus; but fresh Taliban militants, funded and armed by al-Qaeda, are currently causing grave problems for American and British forces in Afghanistan. And what of Osama bin Laden? He remains free, almost certainly plotting more terrorist attacks on the west as he hides out somewhere known only to his faithful and fanatical followers. All the vast intelligence resources of western countries have somehow been unable to locate him.
Travel Bishop
Thailand’s leap forward in the decade since the Asian currency crash has provided an adverse effect on the hidden charms of the capital. Adverse in that once, easily accessible beauty spots have been stranded in the city’s obsession with new construction. The sheer growth of the city even with the coming of the Skytrain and Metro system provides an even greater challenge for those in search of Ancient Siam or an alternative to the modern Bangkok. Reminders of the fast-disappearing oriental flavour are still there, but they are literally ‘hidden’ charms. These are accessible for those willing to find them by means other than an air-conditioned tour bus. The day starts early on an ‘Alternative Bangkok’ tour, for monks claim alms early in the day and viewing this event alone provides an impressionable start to a glimpse of old Siam. There are numerous Wats of course, but a particularly overlooked venue is Wat Indrawihan close to Banglampoo. The Wat is dominated by a 180-foot Buddha image overlooking peaceful lawns hidden in the sois of Samsen Road. From nearby Wat Kisut landing stage you can take a southbound Chao Phraya express boat to Memorial Bridge, passing Wat Phra Kheo and Wat Arun en route. At Memorial Bridge near Maha Rat Road is the Pak Khlong Talat flower market. The early morning colour and the bustle is a must for photographers. A variety of freshly cut local blooms steal the show along with some incredible flower-arranging creations. A side trip from Memorial Bridge can be taken by regular service river taxi along Khlong Bang Waek which serves the Thonburi side of the river. Orchid farms, Thai-style houses and local temples allow an insight into canal-side lifestyles of Old Bangkok. Expect to pay 50 baht for this slower, longer boat trip, however.
Alternatively, substitute Klong Bang Waek for a Chao Phraya express trip from Memorial Bridge to the Oriental Hotel. Walk through Assumption College and past the former Customs house of the East Asiatic Company to the Shangri La Hotel. Take a coffee break and board the sky train to Sala Daeng for the short walk to the Pasteur Institute. For the non-squeamish the Pasteur institute on Rama IV road is an interesting aside. The collection of poisonous snakes is an attraction in itself, but the daily demonstration of venom extraction is the highlight of any visit. The snake farm is open from 0830 to 1630 with ‘milking’ at 10.30 am – hence the early start to be there in time. In the search for tradition and the old style of the city, two visits can be made to locations which are conveniently ‘hidden’ by the contrasting new conurbation. Firstly, located at 131 Soi Asoke, off the Sukhumvit corridor, is the headquartersof the Siam Society. Kamthieng House, in the society grounds has a permanent Thai folk art exhibition and a reference library. The main house was originally constructed in Chiang Mai and moved to Bangkok when donated to the society, providing a little visual relief to more recently constructed skyscrapers. The house is literally 50 metres from a metro station exit (Sukhumvit). Secondly, visit the five traditional Thai Style houses of Suan Pakkard Palace conveniently placed at the major intersection of Sri Ayutthaya and Phay Thai Road. Overlooking a beautiful (and peaceful) garden area, the palace houses a collection of Thai art and antique exhibits, collected by the former resident, Princess Chumbhot. The ‘lettuce farm palace’ is open daily except Sunday from 0900-1600. This area is dominated by the Pratunam garment district, an experience in itself. Within this same area is the Bangkok doll museum, housing both factory and exhibits. Well worth a visit if time allows, it is located on Soi Ratchataphan off Soi Ratchaprop. Just ask! If you are in the capital at weekends, the Saturday evening Flea market south of Lard Phrao metro station makes for a good old fashioned barter over some pretty odd selections of goods – from French Army compasses to Elvis vinyl discs and Volkswagens. Residents already know the draw of Chatuchak market, the ‘king of markets’. Situated at the southern end of Chatuchak Park (and now with its own metro exit – Kamphaengphet) the market now covers over 50 acres and provides the city’s biggest market since its move from Sanam Luang over 10 years ago. Merchants sell thousands of items from fruit and vegetables to furniture, antiques, clothing and pets. For the inquisitive there is also a cock-fighting area. Bohemian style coffee corners offer a sense of the European eatery, complementing the many excellent Thai food outlets. If you are looking for a bargain, you will definitely find it at Chatuchak. If you are not looking, you will still find it. A short walk (if you like exercise) to the northern end of Chatuchak Parkwill bring you to the venue of the Thai Railway Museum, a former railway carriage depot. Operated by the Thai Railway fan club as a private non-profit museum, it relies totally on the input of its members. A number of standing exhibits include two ancient steam locomotives. Always ask for Mr Sanpsiri who is always willing to talk ‘trains’. As for a train journey, a trip from Bangkok Wong Wian Yai station on the Thonburi side of the river (not Thonburi station!) will provide a rewarding one hour trip to Samut Songkharm, a fishing and boat-building town located where the River Kwai spills into the Gulf of Thailand. It is easy to find the terminus. From Weong Wian Yai traffic circle, walk through the open air clothes market on the south west corner. Within seconds you will be walking on the train tracks.
The scenery en-route is unrewarding, but for a view of local suburban life, this is the trip to take. Seats are uncomfortable and as the train passes through many local market townships with merchants transporting produce, the train will be fairly dirty at the end of the line. Asia was like this 20 years ago and it is somehow reassuring that it still can be. Finally, ‘The Lung of Bangkok’, the name given to the area of Bangkrachao, lies in the big loop of the Chao Phraya River (take a look at the map). From this swamp and jungle foliage haven, you can glimpse the city skyscrapers in the near distance while watching eight foot water monitors and water birds along the raised concrete walkways provided for the few residents. Most visitors, and many residents, simply do not know of its existence, but it is a great getaway for some fresh air and a Sunday walk in what would have been the farmlands of Bangkok 25 years ago. Now it’s just a 20 minute taxi and boat ride from the heart of Sukhumvit Road.
You may not manage to cover all of these suggested locations in one day, so be selective according to your interests and the day of the week. At the end of a long day, an off-beat tour will be experienced. By visiting just a few of the locations suggested, you will hopefully observe that the flavour of Ancient Bangkok and the charm of Old Siam have not been completely engulfed by the surge taken towards industrialisation. The character is still there, but you need to look just that little bit harder: exactly the challenge relished by the alternative traveller.
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