Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 October 31

= October 31 =

Thinking or speaking of Borgia
According to our article Pope Julius II said "I forbid under the pain of excommunication anyone to speak or think of Borgia again". Does this still apply to Roman Catholics? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 00:43, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * How many Catholics even know who Borgia is? Speaking of which... who is Borgia? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:27, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I suspect the clue is in the third paragraph of the lede of the Pope Julius article where Cesare Borgia's exile to Spain is mentioned. Some info about his ups and downs with various Popes is mentioned here Cesare Borgia. I'll be interested to see if anyone can find whether J II's edict is still in effect. Now there have been two different TV serties The Borgias (1981 TV series) and The Borgias (2011 TV series) where C featured. There were Catholics in front and behind the camera and, as far as I know, none were excommunicated so, even if it is still on the books, it isn't being enforced. MarnetteD&#124;Talk 08:44, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Excommunication was threatened right and left in those days (for example, look at the number of times it is mentioned in this biography of Cesare Borgia ). This was a case of Pope Julius being angry, not some fundamental matter of religious doctrine. By the time the Pope died in 1513, Cesare Borgia had been dead for six years himself, and I expect that was the end of that, as no Pope deigned to raise the matter again. So no, Cesare Borgia was not expunged from the history books and any Catholics who worked on the television series almost five centuries later were not risking eternal damnation by doing so. Xuxl (talk) 18:57, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks . I woke up this morning and had a notion that J II's might have been blowing off steam rather than imparting an official edict. I appreciate the time you took in researching this and typing out your reply. MarnetteD&#124;Talk 19:46, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Which law professors are experts on Florida election law?
Which law professors are experts on Florida election law? Futurist110 (talk) 03:29, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I expect we'll find out which ones think they are, or which ones Fox wants you to think are, in a few days. DuncanHill (talk) 23:38, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I find many such examples here, including professors at Florida State University, University of Florida and Florida International University, all listed in the first 10 hits of that Google Search. -- Jayron 32 16:54, 2 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Futurist110 (talk) 07:21, 6 November 2020 (UTC)

Venezuelan love letters
According to "in Venezuela the post office permits love letters to go through the post at half rate, provided they are sent in bright red envelopes". Was there any truth in this? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 19:27, 31 October 2020 (UTC)


 * Sounds believable, but that's just my hunch and based on no actual hard evidence. Futurist110 (talk) 19:46, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * We're not here for hunches or other vacuous forms of commentary. Come back only if you have some actual hard evidence. --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  21:10, 1 November 2020 (UTC)


 * Much the same news titbit about Venezuela was going the rounds in 1939, except that the envelopes had to be pink.   Doesn't necessarily make it true though. -- Antiquary (talk) 22:25, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Battle of Verdun
A recent television programme on BBC1 (Who do you think you are?) referred to a British soldier being present at the Battle of Verdun (1916). He later fought at Passchendael in 1917. Were any British unis involved with Verdun. They are not mentioned in the WP article on Verdun although it is said that part of the German object in the barttle was to take the French attention away from the French and British attacks on the Somme. I have never read of them being at Verdun in any book or article. Spinney Hill (talk) 23:18, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I think the programme said he wasn't in fact at Verdun, it was a family legend resulting from a child being given the name Verdun. As far as I am aware there were no British troops at Verdun. DuncanHill (talk) 23:35, 31 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Agreed: see What happens in Jodie Whittaker’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are?. Alansplodge (talk) 08:43, 2 November 2020 (UTC)

I don't remember the family legend being disproved.The commentary seemed to accept it.Spinney Hill (talk) 09:48, 2 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes she went to the Hussars museum in Winchester where the archivist confirmed that there were no British troops at Verdun. It turns out that Verdun was a trendy girl's name in 1916, inspired by the heroic French resistance during the battle. Alansplodge (talk) 09:02, 4 November 2020 (UTC)

Thanks. I must have left the room to make some coffee at that pointSpinney Hill (talk) 11:52, 4 November 2020 (UTC)


 * "There once was a man from Verdun." --Lambiam 11:01, 1 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Ah, one of my favourite variations, though it makes little sense without the Peru version first. Matt Deres (talk) 14:33, 1 November 2020 (UTC)