James Blake Wiener

James Blake Wiener is a world historian, Co-Founder of World History Encyclopedia, writer, and PR specialist, who has taught as a professor in Europe and North America.

Website: worldhistory.org

Swiss on the Final Voyage of the Empress of Ireland

James Blake Wiener 29.05.2025 On May 29, 1914, the RMS Empress of Ireland met a tragic fate in the freezing waters of Canada's St. Lawrence River. A heavy fog obscured visibility, leading to a catastrophic collision with the Norwegian collier Storstad. The disaster claimed 1,012 lives. Among those aboard were four Swiss citizens en route to Liverpool from Quebec City.

Illustration of the shipwreck from the Christian Herald, June 11, 1914. Expanded with AI.

The Battle of Bicocca

James Blake Wiener 24.04.2025 The Battle of Bicocca marked a turning point during the long Italian Wars (1494-1559). The inability of the French to control their Swiss mercenaries contributed to their loss, while the success of Spanish arquebusiers signaled the rise of Spain as a major European power. The battle additionally heralds the end of the era in which Swiss pikemen were the scourge of the medieval European battlefield.

A visionary of medieval architecture: James of St. George

James Blake Wiener 03.12.2024 Master James of St. George (c. 1230-1309) was a prolific mason and military architect who lived during the High Middle Ages. Responsible in part for the construction and refortification of imposing castles across what is now Switzerland, France, Italy, Wales, and Scotland, James of St. George is undoubtedly the greatest mason in Swiss history.

Chillon Castle is just one of the magnificent structures shaped by the hands of the visionary medieval architect James of St. George.

The Saracen Raids of Early Medieval Switzerland

James Blake Wiener 10.10.2024 During the tenth century, barbarian raids affected large parts of what is now Switzerland. Seizing control of the western alpine passes, Saracens from the Emirate of Fraxinetum dominated the crucial arteries of trade and pilgrimage between France, Italy, and Switzerland for nearly a century. Much of Switzerland fell under their sway.

The capture of Syracuse (877-878), the Byzantine capital of Sicily, miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes.

The Battle of Malplaquet

James Blake Wiener 12.09.2024 The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on September 11, 1709 in what is present-day Belgium at the height of the War of the Spanish Succession, was the bloodiest battle of the eighteenth century with over 22,000 dead and wounded. Swiss mercenaries faced each other on the battlefield; 8,000 lost their lives.

Johan Ludwig Burckhardt: An Intrepid Swiss Explorer

James Blake Wiener 22.08.2024 In 1812, the Swiss adventurer and explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1817) traversed the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. He was the first European to set his eyes upon the ruins since the time of the Crusades. His life is a curious story of research and unexpected high adventure.

Portrait of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, also known as Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdallah, 1830.

The celestial event over Basel in 1566

James Blake Wiener 30.07.2024 A dazzling array of celestial phenomena occurred over the skies of Basel in July and August 1566. The spectacle was so unusual that it precipitated much public discussion and the publication of a leaflet which reflects a Switzerland grappling with deep social unease and tensions.

The celestial event over Basel on 7 August 1566. Pamphlet by Samuel Apiarius and Samuel Coccius.

The Battle of Murten

James Blake Wiener 21.06.2024 In the Battle of Murten on 22 June 1476, the Swiss Confederate army defeated that of Charles the Bold of Burgundy. The battle marked the beginning of the end of Burgundy as a major European power and became a cornerstone of national pride in traditional Swiss historiography.

Battle of Murten. The illustration (detail) from the Lucerne Schilling Chronicle is based on the large battle depiction from 1480 in Fribourg Town Hall.