On Facebook page ‘Frisian Americans‘ the question popped up what role certain Frisians played in the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania in 1794. We checked, and the short answer is: none. The Whiskey Rebellion was a revolt of the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch farmers resisting the taxation of whiskey. It was crushed, without ice, by the youngContinue reading “From Patriot to Insurgent: John Fries and the tax rebellions”
Tag Archives: tax
Pagare il fio
Pagare il fio is Italian for ‘paying the penalty’. More literally, it means ‘paying the fee’. It’s an expression the Italian language inherited from the Barbarians from the North when they toppled the Western Roman Empire. The English word fee originates from Old English feoh, which means ‘cattle’. The Mid-Frisian word for cattle still isContinue reading “Pagare il fio”
With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door
Although the conversion was a slow and cumbersome process, and only succeeded in-depth in the course of the tenth century, Frisia subsequently turned into the richest ecclesiastical area of Europe. Nowhere else in Europe were that many monasteries and churches packed together. Even though nearly all monasteries have been dismantled with the advent of Protestantism,Continue reading “With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door”
Latið meg ei á Frísaland fordervast!
Latið meg ei á Frísaland fordervast! ‘Do not let me perish in Friesland!’ A cry-out of a Faroese young woman when she was being kidnapped by Frisian pirates in the Middle Ages. The question of this post is not about how on earth it was possible that the youth on the Faroes had such aContinue reading “Latið meg ei á Frísaland fordervast!”
Magnus’ Choice. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom
According to medieval legends, around the year 800 Charlemagne and pope Leo came into conflict with the citizens of Rome. The pope was being attacked and fled the city. It was an army of ‘naked’ Frisians headed by Magnus that retook the citadel and the eternal city. In return Charlemagne offered wealth, weapons, treasure andContinue reading “Magnus’ Choice. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom”
The United Frisian Emirates and Black Peat
In this post we’ll explain that the Frisian lands might as well be named the United Frisian Emirates. Of course, there are some differences with the modern United Arab Emirates. The Emirate Arabs have camels and goats, whilst the Frisians have cows and sheep. It’s hot and dry, instead of wet and cold, albeit thingsContinue reading “The United Frisian Emirates and Black Peat”
Foreign Fighters returning from Viking warbands
From the year 2012, around 5,000 foreign fighters from European countries went to the Levant to fight. Six years later, an estimated fifteen percent has died in battle. Others are still in the Middle East, imprisoned or perhaps on the move to centers of conflict elsewhere in the world, now that the terrorist groups areContinue reading “Foreign Fighters returning from Viking warbands”
Terrorist Fighters from the Wadden Sea
When it comes to de-radicalization of foreign terrorist fighters, Frisians (in this context modern regions Ostfriesland and Land Wursten in Germany, and the provinces Groningen and Friesland in the Netherlands) do not have a good track record, and have not much expertise to offer. The only thing they can contribute to today’s challenges of combatingContinue reading “Terrorist Fighters from the Wadden Sea”
Frisia Coast Trail 