Inflation in Sweden

Catherine of Aragon - Marriage to Henry VIII

Catherine of Aragon - Marriage to Henry VIII Continued from: Catherine of Aragon: Early Life and First Marriage The Dowager Princess of Wales When her young husband, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died suddenly in 1502, Catherine of Aragon was left with the title of Dowager Princess of Wales. The marriage had been meant to solidify the alliance of the ruling families of Spain and England. The natural next step was to marry Catherine to Arthurs younger brother, Henry, five years younger than Catherine. The political reasons for the marriage remained. Prince Henry had been promised to Eleanor of Austria. But fairly quickly, Henry VII and Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to pursue the marriage of Prince Henry and Catherine. Arranging Marriage and Fighting Over Dowry The next years were marked by acrimonious conflict between the two families over Catherines dowry. Though the marriage had taken place, the last of Catherines dowry had not been paid, and Henry VII demanded that it be paid. Henry reduced his support for Catherine and her household, to put pressure on her parents to pay the dowry, and Ferdinand and Isaella threatened to have Catherine return to Spain. In 1502, a draft of a treaty between the Spanish and English families was ready, and the final version was signed in June 1503, promising a betrothal within two months, and then, after Catherines second dowry payment was made, and after Henry turned fifteen, the marriage would take place. They were formally betrothed on June 25, 1503. To marry, they would need a papal dispensation because Catherines first marriage to Arthur was defined in church rules as consanguinity. The papers sent to Rome, and the dispensation which was sent from Rome, assumed that Catherines marriage to Arthur was consummated. The English insisted on adding this clause to cover all possible objections in the dispensation. Catherines duenna wrote at that time to Ferdinand and Isabella protesting this clause, saying that the marriage had not been consummated. This disagreement about the consummation of Catherines first marriage was later to become very important. Changing Alliances? The papal bull with the dispensation arrived in 1505. Meanwhile, in late 1504, Isabella had died, leaving no living sons. Catherines sister, Joanna or Juana, and her husband, Archduke Philip, were named Isabellas heirs to Castile. Ferdinand was still ruler of Aragon; Isabellas will had named him to govern Castile. Ferdinand contended for the right to govern, but Henry VII allied himself with Philip, and this led to Ferdinands acceptance of Philips rule. But then Philip died. Joanna, known as Juana the Mad, was not thought fit to rule herself, and Ferdinand stepped in for his mentally incompetent daughter. All this contention in Spain made alliance with Spain no longer quite as valuable to Henry VII and England. He continued to press Ferdinand for payment of Catherines dowry. Catherine, who had after Arthur died lived mostly apart from the royal court with her mostly Spanish household, still barely spoke English, and was often ill during those years. In 1505, with the confusion in Spain, Henry VII saw his chance to have Catherine moved to court, and to reduce his financial support of Catherine and her household. Catherine sold some of her property including jewels in order to raise funds for her expenses. Because Catherines dowry was still not fully paid, Henry VII began planning to end the betrothal and send Catherine home. In 1508, Ferdinand offered to pay the remaining dowry, at last but he and Henry VII still disagreed on how much was to be paid. Catherine asked to go back to Spain and become a nun. Henry VIIs Death The situation changed suddenly when Henry VII died on April 21, 1509, and Prince Henry became King Henry VIII. Henry VIII announced to the Spanish ambassador that he wanted to marry Catherine quickly, claiming that it was his fathers deathbed wish. Many doubt that Henry VII said any such thing, given his long resistance to the marriage. Catherine the Queen Catherine and Henry were married on June 11, 1509, at Greenwich. Catherine was 24 years old and Henry was 19. They had, in an unusual move, a joint coronation ceremony more often, queens were crowned after giving birth to the first heir. Catherine became somewhat involved in politics that first year. She was responsible in 1509 for the Spanish ambassador being recalled. When Ferdinand failed to follow through on a promised joint military action to conquer Guyenne for England, and instead conquered Navarre for himself, Catherine helped to calm the relationship between her father and husband. But when Ferdinand made similar choices to abandon agreements with Henry in 1513 and 1514, Catherine decided to forget Spain and everything Spanish. Pregnancies and Births In January, 1510, Catherine miscarried a daughter. She and Henry quickly conceived again, and with great rejoicing, their son, Prince Henry, was born on January 1 of the next year. He was made prince of Wales and died on February 22. In 1513, Catherine was again pregnant. Henry went to France with his army from June to October, and made Catherine Queen Regent during his absence. On August 22, the forces of James IV of Scotland invaded England; the English defeated the Scots at Flodden, killing James and many others. Catherine had the bloody coat of the Scottish king sent to her husband in France. That Catherine spoke to the English troops to rally them to battle is likely apocryphal. That September or October, Catherine either miscarried or a child was born who died very soon after birth. Sometime between November 1514 and February 1515 (sources differ on the dates), Catherine had another stillborn son. There was a rumor in 1514 that Henry was going to repudiate Catherine, as they still had no living children, but they remained together with no actual moves to separate legally at that time. Changing Alliances and Finally, an Heir In 1515, Henry again allied England with Spain and Ferdinand. The next February, on the 18th, Catherine gave birth to a healthy daughter who they named Mary, who would later rule England as Mary I. Catherines father, Ferdinand, had died on January 23, but that news was kept from Catherine to protect her pregnancy. With Ferdinands death, his grandson, Charles, son of Joanna (Juana) and thus nephew of Catherine, became the ruler of both Castile and Aragon. In 1518, Catherine, 32 years old, was again pregnant. But on the night of November 9-10, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. She was not to become pregnant again. This left Henry VIII with a daughter as his only direct heir. Henry himself had become king only when his brother, Arthur, died, and so he knew how risky it was to have only a single heir. He also knew that the last time a daughter was the heir to the throne of England, Matilda daughter of Henry I, a civil war ensued when much of the nobility did not support a womans rule. Because his own father had come to power only after the long unstable time of family contention over the crown with the War of the Roses, Henry had good reason to be worried about the future of the Tudor dynasty. Some historians have suggested that the failure of so many of Catherines pregnancies was because Henry was infected with syphilis. Today, thats usually thought to be unlikely. In 1519, Henrys mistress, Elizabeth or Bessie Blount, gave birth to a son. Henry acknowledged the boy as his own, to be called Lord Henry FitzRoy (son of the king). For Catherine, this meant that Henry knew that he could produce a healthy male heir with another woman. In 1518, Henry arranged to have their daughter, Mary, betrothed to the French Dauphin, which was not to the liking of Catherine, who wanted Mary to marry her nephew and Marys first cousin, Charles. In 1519, Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor, making him considerably more powerful than he was as just the ruler of Castile and Aragon. Catherine promoted Henrys alliance with Charles when she saw that Henry seemed to be leaning towards the French. The Princess Mary, at age 5, was betrothed to Charles in 1521. But then Charles married someone else, ending that possibility for marriage. Catherines Married Life By most accounts, Henry and Catherines marriage was generally a happy or at least peaceful one, through most of their years together, aside from the tragedies of miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. There were many indications of their devotion to each other. Catherine kept a separate household, with some 140 people in it but separate households was the norm for royal couples. Despite that, Catherine was noted for personally ironing her husbands shirts. Catherine tended to prefer to associate with scholars over participating in the social life of the court. She was known as a generous supporter of learning and also generous to the poor. Among the institutions she supported were Queens College and St. Johns College. Erasmus, who visited England in 1514, praised Catherine highly. Catherine commissioned Juan Luis Vives to come to England to complete one book and then write another which made recommendations for the education of women. Vives became a tutor for the Princess Mary. As her mother had overseen her education, Catherine saw to it that her daughter, Mary, was educated well. Among her religious projects, she supported the Observant Franciscans. That Henry valued Catherine and the marriage in their early years is attested to by the many love knots made up of their initials which decorate several of their homes and were even used to decorate his armor. The Beginning of the End Henry later said that hed stopped having marital relations with Catherine about 1524. On June 18, 1525, Henry made his son by Bessie Blount, Henry FitzRoy, the Duke of Richmond and Somerset and declared him second in line for succession after Mary. There were some rumors later that hed be named King of Ireland. But having an heir born out of wedlock was also risky for the future of the Tudors. In 1525, the French and English signed a peace treaty, and by 1528, Henry and England were at war with Catherines nephew, Charles. Next: The Kings Great Matter About Catherine of Aragon: Catherine of Aragon Facts | Early Life and First Marriage | Marriage to Henry VIII | The Kings Great Matter | Catherine of Aragon Books | Mary I | Anne Boleyn | Women in the Tudor Dynasty

Electronic Surveillance of Employees Research Paper

Electronic Surveillance of Employees - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that to keep personal confidential information of a person intact and should not be disclosed to any other irrelevant person shall come under the purview of Privacy. The disclosure of such information may cause emotional distress to a person whose information is kept in confidence. In order to monitor the activities of a person or place to detect discreet activities through electronic devices like cameras, video cameras, tape recorders, microphones, and wiretaps come under the category of surveillance through electronic means. The identified instruments can be utilized in a competent court of law as evidence against violators. Multinational Corporations and corporations of repute use electronic surveillance system to ensure foolproof security and safety within their administrative jurisdiction. An employee can expect privacy at least in those places where hidden cameras or microphones are not fitted such as kitchen, dining room, washroom, s moking corner or petty stationary stores. Employees should know what is permissible and what is not permissible for them in accordance with employer’s privacy policy. Initially, the employer and the employee must have signed the document of the privacy policy to be complied in letter and spirit by the stakeholders. In fact, the employee has given the liberty or the rights to monitor his/her activities whether his/her activities are purely professional or personal. Non-compliance with privacy policy surely invites the displeasure of the management. In the United States of America, Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA) 1986 has given the rights to the employers to monitor job-related conversations of its employees. By virtue of this act, employers enjoy complete freedom to listen incoming and outgoing calls. It hardly takes a minute or two to decide whether the calls so received or dispatched are personal or job related. With this freedom employer can measure the employee ’s sincerity and integrity with the company besides his/her professional competence. The prerogative to differentiate the incoming and outgoing calls of employees still lies with the employer and not with the employee (Lyon, 1994). 2- In this modern age and time, one cannot deny the benefits of technological advancement to prevent any unpleasant situation. By dint of computer technology, it is easy to monitor the activities of any employee by the employer at his/her workplace even at a remote location. Many of the employers allow their employees to have an access on the social sites of Internet. To keep the company environment friendly, the employer should provide space at work place for a chat where one can not disturb him or their conversation may not come out of the space to invite others attention (Mishra & Crampton, 1998). This will definitely improve the performance of a company since unnecessary strictness on the employees may have an adverse impact on their job relate d activities. We cannot deny the fact that â€Å"Happy laborers work more†.  

International Financial Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International Financial Management - Assignment Example In the case of UVA Company, it can take the same measures (buy futures contract or buy at spot rates) but this time, it should take a long position in the Thai baht since this is the currency of reckoning (revenues and expenses are measured in baht). In the case of Albany Corporation, it should take a long position in Australian dollars by buying this currency either at spot rates or by using the futures contract by which it will lock in the Australian dollar price at a predetermined rate but undertake for its delivery by payment at a later date. Economies of scale pertain to the cost advantages obtained by a business enterprise due to its size, output volume, or scale of operations (using subsidiaries and joint ventures in foreign countries) and a large percentage of its annual revenues are earned from these foreign markets. When a multinational corporation restructures to reduce its economic (or operating) exposure, it will necessarily have to reduce or let go of some of its subsidiaries as these are the sources of its economic exposure mainly from unexpected currency exchange rate risks. Its economies of scale are lost once it draws back from foreign markets (Madura

Merchant of Venice Spot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Merchant of Venice Spot Analysis Essay Although the play’s title leads readers to believe its contents to surround Antonio, rather the play surrounds a hated and despised Shylock the Jew. However, as Shakespeare so often does, several scenes are placed almost haphazardly within the conflict and turmoil building amongst the main characters. Often readers question the scenes appropriateness and necessity to the play’s progression, and struggle to create connections to the play’s main conflict and following resolution. The casket scenes regarding the betrothal of the beautiful Portia in The Merchant of Venice play the role of the sources of confusion. Although the game of caskets seemingly represents Shakespeare’s dynamics on love and marriage, the game is really a lesson in human morality, judgment, and tribulations. The lesson learned through Portia’s three suitors is invaluable to the play as well as human life. Shakespeare’s ability to recognize and understand the true nature of man is seen throughout the works of his career, and The Merchant of Venice is in essence a depiction of men judging one another superficially. The three caskets present three versions of common human rationales. As each suitor presents himself for the game, the audience is led through his thought process and ultimate decision. The first suitor, Morocco, refuses the casket of lead and claims â€Å"[a] gold mind stoops not to shows of dross. / I’ll then [neither] give nor hazard [anything] for lead† (2. 7. 20-21). Morocco will not risk anything for the mere hopes of gaining only as valuable as lead. Morocco, so far, is immensely materialistic. He next contemplates the silver casket. Morocco weighs his â€Å"value with an even hand† and decides his worth â€Å"by thy estimation / [†¦] dost deserve enough† (2. 7. 5, 26-27). Morocco’s own self-affirmation does not allow him to stoop to choose silver. Instead, he moves to the golden casket thus furthering his obvious greedy and materialistic nature. â€Å"Is’t like that lead contains her? ‘Twere damnation / [to] think so base a thought. It [is] too gross / [to] rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave† (2. 7. 49-51). Obviously unbeknownst to Morocco, lead is the metal of choice in burial, and the irony only better proves this suitor unfit. Likewise Morocco did not view silver as more precious than gold, and refuses to settle for anything second best. His vanity and greed leave him â€Å" ‘[c]old indeed, and labor lost’† as he unwisely chooses the golden casket, and a lesson in humility and Christian grace is spent (2. 7. 74). The lessons continue with the second suitor, Aragon. He quickly passes the leaden casket and moves to dismiss any affinity toward the golden casket. â€Å"I will not choose what many men desire, / Because I will not jump with common spirits / And rand me with the barbarous multitudes† (2. 9. 30-32). Wisely, Aragon knows not to simply trust the facts beheld by the eyes. He deciphers the riddle as addressing a throng of fools blinded by beauty and oblivious of anything else. However, Aragon has just all but ignored the lead casket, yet he knows â€Å"[Portia] shall look fairer [if he] give or hazard† (2. 9. 21). Aragon knows a risk begets a better reward, but he does not choose this uncertainty. However, he ascertains his own desert without doubt. The silver casket should â€Å"[let] none presume / to wear an undeserved dignity† and Aragon believes men should only receive what is deserved (2. 9. 38-39). He questions the validity of an idealistic world of rightful desert. He wonders â€Å"who shall go about / [to cheat] fortune, and be honourable / [without] the stamp of merit† (2. 9. 36-37). Aragon’s idealism does not consider the true nature of mankind. His rationality is absurdly naive, and this foolishness is all he keeps upon his departure. Bassanio, the final and probably least sincere suitor, also considers each casket before his decision. Bassanio is well aware how sinful and deceitful mankind behaves. He knows â€Å"the outward shows [appearances] be least themselves† (3. . 73). Now the reader knows outward beauties will not fool Bassanio. â€Å"How many cowards whose hearts are all as false / [as] stairs of sand, wear yet upon their chins / [the] beards of Hercules and fwoning mars, / [who], inward searched, have lives white as milk† (3. 2. 83-86) Bassanio asks himself in debate. The readers know Bassanio has spent his fortunes living an extravagant life. Assumedly, Bassanio encountered a vast variety of people in his travels and adventures, and through these experiences, he has discovered the triviality of appearances. Bassanio knows beauty is often an elaborate mask â€Å"[the] seeming truth [in] cunning times puts on / [to] entrap the wisest† (3. 2. 100-101). Bassanio eliminate his doubt and chooses the lead casket, thus ending the game and winning Portia’s hand. Bassanio’s knowledge of men and their sinfully corrupt hearts leads him to wisely solve the riddle and win the desired prize. However, Bassanio is not meant to serve as the moral winner in this game. Instead, Bassanio provides support toward Aragon’s foolishness. Bassanio is the man who undeservedly gains power and advancement. Shakespeare places these scenes within a play full of the corrupt, yet he is able to humanize and evoke sympathy for these men. Shakespeare utilizes these scenes to relay to the audience that human nature is not black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. The bad can feel the good and be intrinsically good; likewise the good often know the bad and choose the evil in the face of personal gain.

Strong Continental Empire :: essays research papers

There are five key ingredients in building a strong continental empire. A strong continental empire must be able to up-hold these five things to survive. These five important things are: a strong central government; foreign policy, to deal with others countries, manifest destiny, to deal with matters, and the ability to solve internal problems such as social, economic, and political problems. America is a continental empire and runs itself by using these five things. The most important of these is probably the strong central government. A strong central government ensures that the government will be able to run smoothly in a time of crisis and have the capability to make sound decisions that will benefit the American populace. Foreign policy was developed so that America would know where it stood when it came to dealing with other countries. It was important that America dealt with international problems in a uniform manner. Manifest destiny deals with the issue of how America and Am ericans will acquire land. Infrastructure is America working together. America depends on many things to keep it running, when these things cross paths we develop an infrastructure. America must solve internal problems all of the time. What these problems are and how we solve them is what shapes America. America slowly began to build a continental Empire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America developed a strong continental empire by accomplishing the five things needed for a strong continental empire. America started slowly by developing a government that was rusted by the people. Once they accomplished this they started to filling in the pieces of the continental empire puzzle. They developed a strong central government. Then America began to gain land, which led to conflicts with foreign nations. As the United States of America grew, it's infrastructure of money, transportations, and other aspects grew.

China vs. the World: Whose Technology Is It?

China vs. The world: Whose technology is it? Executive summary China, the country with incredible fast-growing speed of development, now is becoming more attractive to Western investing companies than ever. China governments know that and they try to take advantage over that point by forcing the multinational companies to share technology in the exchange of future investing opportunities. This strategy has created a lot of argument and discontent between China government and foreign companies. China government recognized the importance of technologies and investment in R&D in the processing of becoming the world’s top five economies.They developed three-pronged plans to solve this problem, mainly by investing in certain industries, by learning and generating economics scale, and by receiving technologies from foreign partners. Chinese government also know that it is possible to lose their foreign partners’ investment to other emerging countries while they still depend m uch on technology of Western and developed countries( Japan, Korea). Many strategies are processed by government to limit the control of the foreign companies over the domestic market and to support their own players.For instance, multinational companies only could hold 49% of the equity stake of new company or 70% of each system had to be locally. In the software industries, government decreases tax for domestic companies, they require the foreign software has to disclose their source and requires the software version for China. Local banks even give loans with below-market rate to domestic companies. However some certain industries of China are still unable to compete with strong and competitive foreign companies. The conflicts between China and the U. S. have been raised due to China’s policies.The author mentioned that the main reason is because of the basic difference of policy and culture: China focuses on saving for future and U. S. cares about current consumptions. Ho wever in the bright side both of them are pragmatic, operate at the top and both of them want to enhance the trade flow between two countries. Among the interaction between China and the U. S. the multinational companies have to find their own ways to adjust and overcome that tension. For most foreign companies that want to succeed in China market, teaming up the Chinese executive and making themselves indispensible to the Chinese government is essential.Once they have something that China wants and no one else has, they are able to win the bargain with Chinese government. However it is rare exception, mostly they are still learning to protect their intellectual property in China. Personal arguments The article brought up the very interesting topic of China and its role in global economy in the 21st century. It helps us to understand how China government is heading for and how they use their policies to fight in the global market.If China succeeds in these policies to promote the hi gh-technology, we would likely to see a boom technological boom in some years since the market became more competitive, both China and developed countries would be pressed to gain new innovation with faster speed or else they would be able to lose the market share to their competitors. After all, the one who get benefits most is consumers because now we can easily purchase high-tech products with affordable price, it changed the high-tech products from niche product to become mass product.Besides, it looks like Chinese government is trying to learn the lesson from Japan in the past. After the post-war, Japan was successful in buying technology from the west. It started developing high- tech products and production facilities. Lastly, from China’s point of view, China’s current policy is very helpful to meet the urgent requirement of development. However for the long-term, Chinese government need to gain their own resource of technology and innovation. Otherwise in some situation they will lose in bargaining with their foreign partners because they can always shift to other emerging countries.