Today in History: January 4-6

Although it may not seem that way, Foreign Exchanges is still technically on vacation. Normal posting resumes tomorrow!

January 4, 1878: The Battle of Sofia, part of the 1877-1878 Russian-Ottoman War, ends with a Russian victory and the Ottoman loss of the city. In the course of the battle the Ottoman Orkhanie Army was completely destroyed, a loss the empire couldn’t afford. The capture of Sofia and the Russian victory in the war secured the autonomy (and effective independence) of Bulgaria after five centuries under Ottoman control.

January 4, 1948: Under the terms of the Burma Independence Act, which passed the UK parliament the previous December, the Union of Burma becomes an independent state. Commemorated today as Independence Day in Myanmar.

January 5, 1912: The 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party begins in Prague. This otherwise relatively unremarkable event became quite historically significant when, during the multi-day conference, party bigwig Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik supporters broke away to form their own party, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolshevik). That breakaway faction of course eventually became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

January 5, 1957: US President Dwight Eisenhower promulgates his doctrine, calling for US intervention in the Middle East to prevent the region from coming under Soviet domination.

January 6, 1449: Constantine XI Palaiologos is crowned Byzantine Emperor. This also relatively unremarkable event is noteworthy in that Constantine XI was the last Byzantine Emperor, falling in battle (though his body was never identified) during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Legend has it that he was miraculously turned into marble and will return one day as the ruler of a restored Roman Empire.

Constantine (right, on horseback) leading (unsuccessfully) the defense of Constantinople, in a work by 19th-20th century Greek painter Theophilos Hatzimihail (Wikimedia Commons)

January 6, 1809: A joint Portuguese-British army attacks the city of Cayenne, capital of French Guiana. This operation was part of a larger British campaign to attack French colonies all over the Americas, which were being used by French privateers to interfere with British commerce. The mostly Portuguese force succeeded in capturing French Guiana, though the colony was returned to French control after Napoleon’s removal from power.