Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, the legal system within Scotland has remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law.
Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages.
Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland with a population of 46,350, making it the 15th most populated place in Scotland and the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, Kilmarnock is often shortened to Killie, especially when it is referenced in a footballing situation. The first collection of work by Scottish poet Robert Burns, chiefly in the Scottish dialect, was published here in 1786, the internationally distributed whisky brand Johnnie Walker originated in the town in the 19th century. Protest and backing from the Scottish Government took place in 2009, after Diageo, in recent years, Kilmarnock has been used for musical acts and film locations. Rock band Biffy Clyro were formed in the town in a school in the mid-1990s. The 2001 film, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat was shot in the town as was Manhunt, the name Kilmarnock comes from the Gaelic cill, and the name of Saint Marnoch or Mernoc who is remembered in the name of Portmarnock in Ireland and Inchmarnock.
It may come from the three Gaelic elements mo, my, Ernán and the diminutive ag, giving Church of My Little Ernán, according to tradition, the saint founded a church there in the 7th century. There are 12 Church of Scotland congregations in the town, plus other denominations, in 2005, the Reverend David W. Lacy, minister of the towns Henderson Church, was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In 1668 the town was destroyed by an accidental fire. About 120 families lost most of their possessions and were forced to live destitute in the surrounding the town. These tradespeople had no way of making a living and had already been driven to the edge of poverty by having troops stationed with them as part of the anti-Covenanter measures. Parish churches throughout Scotland collected money for the relief of these homeless citizens, added was John Finnie Street, which is regarded as one of the finest Victorian planned streets in Scotland. The Sandbed Street Bridge is the oldest known surviving bridge in the area, the Member of Parliament for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency area in the Westminster parliament is Kilmarnock-born Alan Brown.
Brown defeated Labour candidate Cathy Jamieson with a majority with Brown receiving 30,000 votes with Jamieson only receiving 16,363. The member of the Scottish Parliament for Kilmarnock is Willie Coffey, Kilmarnock is the home of the East Ayrshire Council Chambers and offices situated on the London Road, thus making Kilmarnock the main town within East Ayrshire. In local council elections, Kilmarnock comprises four wards, Kilmarnock North, Kilmarnock East and Hurlford, Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse, the leader in East Ayrshire is Douglas Reid of the SNP party, who has been leader since 2007. The chief executive is Fiona Lees, following the East Ayrshire Council election,2012, the SNP and the Scottish Conservative parties formed a coalition government for East Ayrshire, following the result of a hung council. At present, the Scottish Labour party is the opposition in the East Ayrshire parliament with their leader, kilmarnocks traditional industries were based around textiles and heavy engineering such as locomotives from 1837, and valves, which are still in production
Caorle
Caorle is a coastal town in the province of Venice, Italy, located between the estuaries of the Livenza and Lemene rivers. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea between two other famous tourist towns and Bibione, the ancient name of the city was Caprulae, Caorle was founded in the 1st century BC by Romans. Many archeological findings confirm this attribution, for instance the sacrificial altar called Ara Licovia, a safe zone between the estuaries of the Livenza and Lemene rivers, Caorle gained importance when people from Concordia Sagittaria arrived as refugees during the Barbarian Invasions. In that period was built a Paleo-Christian church, some remains of which are kept in the cathedrals museum. In the 11th century was built the cathedral we see today, no longer a residential bishopric, Caorle/Caprulae is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Caorle was an important strategic location during World War I, until the Italian Army started its counteroffensive from the Piave, since the beginning of the 20th century the territory around Caorle has been deeply modified.
Most of the woods of the Selva Lupanica were cut to give room to fields for cultivation, rivers were embanked and this brought a landscape of wide flat areas, with no trees even along the rivers course. Along the coast and erosion constantly modify the scenery, the landscape is still rather wild, with changing sandbanks and the fishing valleys. The Cathedral of St. Stephen was built in 1038, an example of Romanesque and it contains many masterpieces of the Venetian school of art, the most important of which is The Last Supper, painted by Gregorio Lazzarini. The central apse has the remains of a 17th-century fresco, above the see there is the Pala doro, given by the queen Catherine Cornaro when, after a shipwreck, she found refuge in the Caprulan coasts. It is made up of a set of six panels, two for the Annunciation and the four for the prophets and Christ. From the roof, a 15th-century crucifix hangs above the high altar. Outside, the bell tower, dating to 1048, rises to a height of 48 meters.
It is an example of Romanesque style, but it has a cylindrical structure, and it is surmounted by a cone-shaped cusp. When he became Pope, his servants were two Caprulan brothers, another important piece of the museum is the St Stephen reliquary, which contains the skull of Saint Stephen, Patron of Caorle. The Church of Blessed Virgin of the Angel is built on a promontory on the sea. In ancient times, the church had three naves, but the sea repeatedly destroyed one of them, so in the 18th century the church was rebuilt, with the structure that it has today. The legend says that one day a number of fishermen saw a light on the sea, when they approached it, they found a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child, Caorle is a small city, but is frequented by tourists in all seasons
Alex McLeish
Alexander Alex McLeish is a Scottish football manager and former player. Born in Glasgow, McLeish played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club. He started his career with spells at Motherwell and Hibernian. McLeish spent ten months as manager of the Scotland national team which failed to qualify for the finals of the 2008 UEFA European championship. He resigned this post in November 2007 to become manager of Birmingham City, though Birmingham were relegated at the end of the season, McLeish guided them back to the Premier League in 2009. Birmingham won the 2011 Football League Cup Final, but were relegated again from the Premier League at the end of the 2010–11 season, following this relegation he resigned his post at Birmingham to become manager at their city rivals, Aston Villa. This made him the first manager to move directly from Birmingham City to Aston Villa, having only narrowly avoided relegation in the 2011–12 Premier League season, his contract was terminated by Villa at the end of his first season.
McLeish was appointed manager of Championship club Nottingham Forest in December 2012 and he managed Belgian Pro League club Genk in the 2014–15 season, and Zamalek of the Egyptian Premier League in 2016. In recognition of his service to Scottish sport, in 2008 McLeish was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen. McLeish was born in Duke Street Hospital, Glasgow to parents Alex, a shipyard worker and he has younger siblings Angela and Ian. After living in the Parkhead and Kinning Park districts of the city and he attended Springhill Primary, Barrhead High School, where he was one year below future Aberdeen and Scotland teammate Peter Weir, and John Neilson High School in Paisley. As a juvenile he played for Barrhead Youth Club, alongside Weir, after a local cup final with Glasgow United in 1976 which was watched by a delegation from Aberdeen, including manager Ally MacLeod, McLeish signed for the Pittodrie club the following day. McLeish spent the majority of his first two seasons at Aberdeen in the reserves and had a spell at local Junior side Lewis United.
He made his debut under Billy McNeill in a New Year fixture against Dundee United on 2 January 1978. His first major appearance was under the management of Alex Ferguson as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Rangers in the 1978–79 League Cup. Over the next seven seasons however, he enjoyed great success winning eight domestic, highlights included scoring in a 4–1 victory over Rangers in the 1982 Scottish Cup Final on his 200th Dons appearance and a European Cup Winners Cup win over Real Madrid in 1983. During this period, McLeish formed a formidable defensive triumvirate with Willie Miller, when Ferguson left in 1986 to go to Manchester United, he tried to get McLeish to sign, but it did not work out, he had talks with Tottenham Hotspur. He won the Scottish player of the year in 1990, after a season in which Aberdeen won both domestic cups and he was captain of Aberdeen after the retirement of Willie Miller
Jim Baxter
James Curran Baxter was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half. He is generally regarded as one of the countrys greatest ever players, however, he started drinking heavily during a four-month layoff caused by a leg fracture in December 1964, his fitness suffered, and he was transferred to Sunderland in summer 1965. In two and a half years at Sunderland he played 98 games and scored 12 goals, becoming known for drinking himself unconscious the night before a match and playing well the next day. At the end of 1967 Sunderland transferred him to Nottingham Forest, after a further year with Rangers Baxter retired from football in 1970, at the age of 31. From 1961 to 1967, he was a member of a strong Scottish international team that lost only once to England, in 1965. In the 1967 match against England, who had won the 1966 World Cup, although he was given most of the credit for the 3–2 win, some commentators wished he had made an effort to run up a bigger score. In his prime, Baxter was known for his ability to raise a teams morale, his good vision, precise passing and ability to send opponents the wrong way –.
He broke with Glasgow tradition by becoming friendly with members of their major Glasgow rivals. Although he gained a reputation as a womaniser when he moved to Glasgow, the marriage broke up in 1981, and in 1983 he formed another relationship that lasted the rest of his life. After retiring from football he became manager of a pub, Baxter was addicted to gambling, and is estimated to have lost between £250,000 and £500,000. After he died of cancer in 2001, his funeral was held in Glasgow Cathedral. In 2003, a statue was erected in his honour at his hometown, Baxter was born in Hill of Beath, Fife, on 29 September 1939 and was educated and started his career there. After leaving school he spent eight months as a cabinet maker. His former headmaster James Carmichael took an interest in ex-pupils and encouraged Baxter to join local football team Halbeath Juveniles instead of one of the glamour clubs, Baxter went on to play for the Fife junior team, Crossgates Primrose. Baxter joined Raith Rovers as a part-timer in 1957 and he said of his time with the two Fife clubs, I would never have made it in todays circumstances.
I needed bastards like Carmichael, Ferrier, young players like I was would simply tell them to get stuffed and take their talent elsewhere. Baxter joined Raith Rovers as a part-timer in 1957, in his time at Raith he orchestrated a 3-2 win over Rangers at Ibrox. Scot Symon decided he wanted to him for Rangers from that performance
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a federal republic in the southern half of South America. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2, Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the second largest in Latin America, and the largest Spanish-speaking one. The country is subdivided into provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system, Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The earliest recorded presence in the area of modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century, Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776. The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability, with waves of European immigration radically reshaping its cultural.
The almost-unparalleled increase in prosperity led to Argentina becoming the seventh wealthiest developed nation in the world by the early 20th century, Argentina retains its historic status as a middle power in international affairs, and is a prominent regional power in the Southern Cone and Latin America. Argentina has the second largest economy in South America, the third-largest in Latin America and is a member of the G-15 and it is the country with the second highest Human Development Index in Latin America with a rating of very high. Because of its stability, market size and growing high-tech sector, the description of the country by the word Argentina has to be found on a Venice map in 1536. In English the name Argentina probably comes from the Spanish language, however the naming itself is not Spanish, Argentina means in Italian of silver, silver coloured, probably borrowed from the Old French adjective argentine of silver > silver coloured already mentioned in the 12th century. The French word argentine is the form of argentin and derives of argent silver with the suffix -in.
The Italian naming Argentina for the country implies Argentina Terra land of silver or Argentina costa coast of silver, in Italian, the adjective or the proper noun is often used in an autonomous way as a substantive and replaces it and it is said lArgentina. The name Argentina was probably first given by the Venitian and Genoese navigators, in Spanish and Portuguese, the words for silver are respectively plata and prata and of silver is said plateado and prateado. Argentina was first associated with the silver mountains legend, widespread among the first European explorers of the La Plata Basin. The first written use of the name in Spanish can be traced to La Argentina, a 1602 poem by Martín del Barco Centenera describing the region, the 1826 constitution included the first use of the name Argentine Republic in legal documents. The name Argentine Confederation was used and was formalized in the Argentine Constitution of 1853. In 1860 a presidential decree settled the name as Argentine Republic
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, the headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire. Kilmarnock is the largest town, followed by Cumnock, other main towns are New Cumnock. The area was formed in 1996, from the former Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Cumnock, Kilmarnock is the countys capital and largest town. The former Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council was twinned with Sukhum, following a review of links this link is now considered as a friendship link. Kilmarnock and Loudoun was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996, the district was abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. Act 1994, which replaced the regions and districts with unitary council areas, the districts area was combined with that of Cumnock and Doon Valley to form the East Ayrshire council area.
The name Kilmarnock and Loudoun continues to be used for a constituency of the House of Commons and, covering a similar area, there are many early settlements within East Ayrshire. The Burns Monument Centre and Dick Institute hold local newspapers from 1834 to date, the Burns Monument Centre holds local photographs and postcards. Microfiche/film readers are available within the Burns Monument Centre and the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock Academy, situated in Elmbank Drive area of Kilmarnock is one of only two schools in the world to have educated two Nobel laureates, Alexander Fleming and John Boyd Orr. East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire at DMOZ East Ayrshire Forums - Tenants Portal
Stewarton
Stewarton is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In comparison to the towns of Kilmaurs, Fenwick and Lugton, it is a relatively large town. It is 300 feet above sea level, the town is served by Stewarton railway station. Stewarton lies within Strathannick, with the Annick Water flowing through the town, the community is in a rural part of northern Ayrshire, about 6 miles to the North of Kilmarnock and to the East of Irvine. In the past, Stewarton served as a crossroads between the routes from Kilmarnock and Ayr to the city of Glasgow, though in recent times the M77 motorway has bypassed the town. The old road is known as the auld Glesga road and is used by Stewartonians. Historical records show that Stewarton has existed since at least the 12th century with various references to the town dating to the early 11th century. The most famous of these non-historical references concerns the legend of Máel Coluim III the son of Donnchad I of Scotland who appears as a character in William Shakespeares play Macbeth.
As the legend goes, Mac Bethad had slain Donnchad to enable himself to king of Scotland. When Máel Coluim learned of his fathers death and Mac Bethads intentions to murder him, unfortunately for Máel Coluim, Mac Bethad and his associates had tracked him down and were gaining on him as he entered the estate of Corsehill on the edge of Stewarton. In panic Máel Coluim pleaded for the assistance of a farmer named either Friskine or Máel Coluim who was forking hay on the estate. Friskine/Máel Coluim covered Máel Coluim in hay, allowing him to escape Mac Bethad, the family were originally from Morville in Normandy and had been established in Scotland for at least twenty years when one of the family was involved in the murder of Thomas Becket. Dervorguilla of Galloway, mother of John Balliol, was a daughter of the Morvilles on her mothers side, the Red Comyn, whom Bruce murdered, was a nephew of Balliol. William Cunninghame de Lamberton was Archbishop of St. Andrews and a supporter of Bruce, another significant event from Stewartons history involves the Cunninghame family.
In the 16th century Ayrshire was divided into three regions or bailiaries - Kyle and Cunninghame. Hugh is said to have been on his way to attend the court of King James VI at Stirling when he decided to stop off at Langshaw House to dine with his associates. The lady of the house Lady Montgomery - told several of her Cunninghame associates who lived in the area of the Earls planned visit, the Earls body was placed in Lainshaw Castle until arrangements were made to remove it to Eglintoun Castle. The name Ravenscraig or Reuincraig is derived from Ruin Crag, i. e. ruined castle, godfrey de Ross and his family of Corsehill Castle were Lords of Liddesdale in the Borders and on the Cunninghames became the holders
Billy Bremner
William John Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer and manager known for his strength and compact constitution. A midfielder, he played for Leeds United from 1959 to 1976, and captained the side during this time, with the club he won the First Division, Second Division, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, FA Cup, League Cup, and Charity Shield. The club finished second in numerous competitions, doing so in the five times and ending as runners-up in seven cup finals. He was named as the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1970 and was listed on the PFA Team of the Year in 1973–74 and he has since been voted Leeds Uniteds greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road. He has included in the Football League 100 Legends and is a member of both the English Football Hall of Fame and Scottish Football Hall of Fame. He spent 1976 to 1978 at Hull City, before being appointed player-manager at Doncaster Rovers in November 1978. He spent seven years at the helm, guiding the club to promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1980–81 and 1983–84 and he could not get the club promoted back into the top-flight and left the club in September 1988.
He returned to Doncaster in July 1989, ending his spell in charge in November 1991. He is on the Scotland national football team roll of honour for having won more than 50 caps for Scotland and he captained his country at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where Scotland failed to advance from the group stage despite going unbeaten in the competition. Born in Stirling, Scotland, to James and Bridget Bremner, he attended St Modans High School and he joined along with his friend Tommy Henderson, who would return to Scotland due to homesickness without making a first team debut. A Sunday Times headline dubbed him as 10st of barbed wire due to his tenacity, regular outside-right Chris Crowe was sold to Blackburn Rovers in March 1960, allowing Bremner to take his place on a permanent basis. However, Leeds went on to be relegated from the First Division at the end of the 1959–60 season, taylor resigned in March 1961, and player Don Revie was promoted to manager. Revie rejected an approach of £25,000 from Hibernian for Bremner, one bright spot was the signing of Bobby Collins in March, who helped form the win-at-all-costs attitude that defined Leeds and Bremner throughout the rest of Revies 13 years as manager.
United had a more promising 1962–63 campaign, finishing four points shy of promotion, with Bremner and Giles in midfield, Leeds went on to win promotion as champions in the 1963–64 season. The club won no friends in doing so however, and the summer were labelled by the Football Associations own FA News as the dirtiest in the Football League. A run of victories put the top by the new year. The Manchester club would become a rival, one which intensified after Leeds knocked them out of the FA Cup at the semi-finals after two physical encounters. Revie and Bremner had a bond of trust, which was why the manager gave him the captaincy at such a young age
Dave Mackay
David Craig Mackay was a Scottish football player and manager. Mackay was best known for a successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the Double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961. He represented Scotland 22 times, and was selected for their 1958 FIFA World Cup squad and he was described, by Tottenham Hotspur, as one of their greatest players. His father was a printer who worked for The Scotsman newspaper, as a young footballer, he was a Scottish Schoolboy internationalist. Davie McLeans sudden death on 14 February 1951 saw Tommy Walker promoted to the position of manager, walkers reign was to prove the most successful period in the clubs history. To this established core Walker added the name of Dave Mackay. Mackay supported Hearts as a boy and had been at Tynecastle as a schoolboy before being signing as a professional in 1952, cummings pairing with Mackay at wing half was to become the nucleus of the team in the middle of the pitch. Mackay was a talented all round player of ferocious tackling, endless running.
Cummings Iron Man nickname says much of his fearless determination, despite his commitment he retained control of his temper and was never booked in his career. Cumming was the player to collect medals for all seven of the trophies Hearts won under Walker. It was either a good game or an excellent game. Both went on to become full Scotland internationalists while playing for Hearts, in 1953–54, Wardhaugh became the A Divisions top scorer with 27 goals as Hearts appeared set to win the League championship. However in the Scottish Cup quarter final 3-0 defeat to Aberdeen, Parker broke his jaw, Conn injured his back, to add to this was Bauld was sidelined for weeks with a troublesome back injury. A stuttering end to their season saw Celtic overtake them, the young Mackay was given his first team debut in November of that 1953-54 season. The team was boosted by the signing of Ian Crawford in August 1954, Mackay was given his extended place in the team in the 1954-55 season with Glidden now playing at centre half.
They promptly became a trophy winning force lifting the first of seven trophies over nine seasons between 1954 and 1963, in 1954–55 they won their first trophy since 1906,48 years before. They beat Motherwell 4–2 in the 1954 Scottish League Cup Final, Bauld scored three and Wardhaugh scored one in the final giving the team their break through trophy. Hearts gained some recompense against Celtic from the season before by beating them home, after signing Alex Young and Bobby Kirk, Walker’s side proceeded to win the 1955–56 Scottish Cup
Lecce
It is the main city of the Salentine Peninsula, a sub-peninsula at the heel of the Italian Peninsula and is over 2,000 years old. Because of the rich Baroque architectural monuments found in the city, the city has a long traditional affinity with Greek culture going back to its foundation, the Messapii who founded the city are said to have been Cretans in Greek records. To this day, in the Grecìa Salentina, a group of towns not far from Lecce, in terms of industry, the Lecce stone—a particular kind of limestone—is one of the citys main exports, because it is very soft and workable, thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce is an important agricultural centre, chiefly for its oil and wine production. According to legend, a city called Sybar existed at the time of the Trojan War and it was conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, receiving the new name of Lupiae. Under the emperor Hadrian the city was moved 3 kilometres to the northeast, Lecce had a theater and an amphitheater and was connected to the Hadrian Port.
Orontius of Lecce, locally called SantOronzo, is considered to have served as the citys first Christian bishop and is Lecces patron saint, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Lecce was sacked by the Ostrogoth king Totila in the Gothic Wars. It was restored to Roman rule in 549, and remained part of the Eastern Empire for five centuries, with brief conquests by Saracens, Lombards and Slavs. After the Norman conquest in the 11th century, Lecce regained commercial importance, flourishing in the subsequent Hohenstaufen, the County of Lecce was one of the largest and most important fiefs in the Kingdom of Sicily from 1053 to 1463, when it was annexed directly to the crown. From the 15th century, Lecce was one of the most important cities of southern Italy, to avert invasion by the Ottomans, a new line of walls and a castle were built by Charles V, in the first part of the 16th century. In 1656, a plague broke out in the city, killing a thousand inhabitants, in 1943, fighter aircraft based in Lecce helped support isolated Italian garrisons in the Aegean Sea during World War 2.
Because they were delayed by the Allies, they couldnt prevent a defeat, church of the Holy Cross, Construction of the Chiesa di Santa Croce) was begun in 1353, but work halted until 1549, and it was completed only by 1695. The church has a richly decorated façade with animals, grotesque figures and vegetables, next to the church is the Government Palace, a former convent. San Niccolò and Cataldo The church is an example of Italo-Norman architecture and it was founded by Tancred of Sicily in 1180. In 1716 the façade was rebuilt, with the addition of numerous statues, the walls were frescoed during the 15th-17th centuries. Celestine Convent, Built in Baroque-style by Giuseppe Zimbalo, the courtyard was designed by Gabriele Riccardi. Santa Irene, This church was commissioned in 1591 by the Theatines and it has a large façade showing different styles in the upper and lower parts. Above the portal stands a statue of Ste Irene by Mauro Manieri, the interior is on the Latin cross plan and is rather sober
Denis Law
Denis Law CBE is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City for a fee of £55,000. Law spent one year there before Torino bought him for £110,000, although he played well in Italy, he found it difficult to settle there and signed for Manchester United in 1962, setting another British record transfer fee of £115,000. Law spent 11 years at Manchester United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances and his goals tally places him third in the clubs history, behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton. He was nicknamed The King and The Lawman by supporters, and he is the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon dOr award, doing so in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967. He missed their European Cup triumph in 1968 through injury, Law left Manchester United in 1973 to return to Manchester City for a season, and represented Scotland at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
He retired at the start of the 1974–75 season, Law played for Scotland a total of 55 times and jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals. Law holds a United record for scoring 46 competitive goals in a single season, Law was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, to George Law, a fisherman, and his wife, Robina, he was the youngest of seven children, four boys and three girls. The Law family were not well off and lived in a flat at Printfield Terrace in Aberdeen. He supported Aberdeen and watched them when he had money to do so. His obsession with football led to him turning down a place at Aberdeen Grammar School, instead, he attended Powis Academy in Aberdeen. Despite having a serious squint, he showed great promise once he was moved from full back to inside-left, in the 1954–55 season, he was spotted by Archie Beattie, a scout for Huddersfield Town, who invited 14 year-old Law to go for a trial. When he got there, the said, The boys a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect – weak, however, to Laws surprise, they signed him on 3 April 1955.
While he was at Huddersfield, he had an operation to correct his squint, which greatly enhanced his self-confidence. Huddersfields relegation to what was the Second Division made it easier for Law to get a game, and he made his debut on 24 December 1956, aged only sixteen, in a 2–1 win over Notts County. Manchester Uniteds manager Matt Busby shortly offered Huddersfield £10,000 for Law, an amount of money for a teenage footballer at that time
