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In Garci Rodrguez de Montalvos 16th-century novel Las sergas de Esplandin, the character of Calafia is described as a Black warrior queen who rules over the all-women island of California. With her golden armor and armies of griffins, shes a formidable fighter who wages war against Christendom. And shes the likely namesake for the state of California. Public DomainA mural of Queen Calafia at the Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco, which was painted in 1926.Her story contains themes of religion, conquest, gender dynamics, and more. So why was California named after this figure from 16th-century fiction? This is the story of Calafia and the origin of the name California.The Spanish History Behind Calafia, The Black Woman Warrior Of FictionThe story of Calafia comes from Las sergas de Esplandin (The Adventures of Esplandin), which was written by Garci Rodrguez de Montalvo around 1510. It was part of a larger series of chivalric romances (Amads de Gaula) which follow the adventures of King Amads. Las sergas de Esplandin is a sequel to these books, which follow the life of Amads son, Esplandin.Public DomainA cover of Las sergas de Esplandin.Montalvo was a soldier during the Reconquista, the struggle by Christian leaders to push out Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. The Reconquista ended in 1492 with the Christian conquest of Granada, and it seemingly influenced Montalvo as he developed the character of Calafia.In fact, the Los Angeles Times reports that she may even be based on a real Muslim queen: Sayyida al Hurra, who had been driven out of Spain during the Reconquista, and sought revenge through a network of pirates. Indeed, even her name Calafia, may come from the word Khalif or Khalifa which means successor in Arabic and is used to describe a leader of Muslims. That said, its also possible that Montalvo might have gotten the name Calafia and her island California from the 11th-century poem the Song of Roland, which includes a reference to place known as Califerne.But who was Calafia?The Many Adventures Of Queen CalafiaCalafia, Montalvo wrote, lived on an island called California, very near to the region of [the Garden of Eden], which was populated by Black women.According to Montalvo, these women were similar to Amazons. They were of vigorous bodies and strong and ardent hearts and of great strength. They lived on the island with tamed griffins, who were fed male children or any man who happened upon the islands shores. And they were ruled by Queen Calafia, the most beautiful of them all. League of Women Voters of California LWVC/Wikimedia CommonsA mural by Lucile Lloyd which includes Calafia, depicted as a Mayan warrior-priestess. There ruled on that island of California, a queen great of body, very beautiful for her race, at a flourishing age, desirous in her thoughts of achieving great things, valiant in strength, cunning in her brave heart, more than any other who had ruled that kingdom before her Queen Calafia, Montalvo wrote.In his novel, Calafia and her women warriors travel to Constantinople to fight on the side of the Muslims against King Amads and his Christian allies. Calafia releases her griffins, but they attack Christian and Muslim men indiscriminately, forcing her to call them back. Ultimately, the Christian forces prevail. Calafia then converts to Christianity, marries a Christian knight, and returns to California, where men are newly welcome. Montalvos novel, with its themes of conquest and Christianity, was a smash hit. A victim of its own success, Las sergas de Esplandin was even included as one of the books blamed for Don Quixotes madness in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. In the novel, Las sergas de Esplandin is burned. But one of its readers was the Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts. The Naming Of The State Of CaliforniaAs USC Libraries reports, Hernn Corts sought an island rich in pearls and gold populated by women, without a single mate when he set sail in the 1530s. This island sounds an awful lot like Montalvos island of California and, indeed, Corts soon arrived along the coast of Baja California. According to California Frontier, the region thought to be an island until the dawn of the 17th century was widely known as California by the 1540s. That said, its not clear if Corts or one of his men gave it its name. Vinckeboons, Joan; Library Of Congress/Wikimedia CommonsThis early map of California depicts the region as an island.Numerous theories exist as to the origin and meaning of the word California,' a California state legislative document from 2017 states, according to The New York Times. All that is known for certain is that someone, presumably a Spanish navigator, applied the name to the territory that now comprises the State of California sometime before the year 1541.Indeed, it is possible that California was not named for Calafia. The states name may come from the Latin phrase calida fornax, meaning hot furnace or from the Native American phrase kali forno which means high hill or native land. However, as The New York Times notes, scholars largely agree that California state was named for Calafia and her island of California. And her legacy in the state has not been forgotten.The Legacy Of Calafia In California ArtThough the story of the connection between Calafia and the state of California is little known today, it has not been forgotten in the state of California itself. In 1935, muralist Lucile Lloyd painted a mural called Californias Name in the California State Building in Los Angeles. In it, she included Calafia, depicted as a Mayan warrior-priestess. In the early 2000s, Disney also produced an epic film about Californias history called Golden Dreams: A Cinematic California Adventure. The film was narrated by Queen Calafia, as voiced by Whoopi Goldberg.YesterlandA depiction of Queen Calafia at Disneys Yesterland.As such, Calafia remains an important part of California history. Though she was a fictional character, and though historians cant say with 100 percent accuracy that the state was named after her, her story has endured throughout the ages. Tales of this warrior queen, her tamed griffins, and her women warriors, seemingly left an impression among the Spanish conquistadors, who carried her tale all the way to the New World. After reading about Calafia, the Black warrior queen of fiction who may have inspired the name of the state of California, discover the story of Tomyris, the warrior queen who beheaded Cyrus the Great. Or, discover the stories of women warriors from history, from Cleopatra to Joan of Arc. The post How Did California Get Its Name? Inside The Story Of Calafia, The Black Warrior Queen Of Spanish Legend appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Public DomainKate Florence Phillips and her daughter, Ellen.On April 15, 1912, Kate Phillips lost everything. During the sinking of the RMS Titanic, she lost her lover, Henry Morley, who perished, as well as the dream of their new life together in California. But as Phillips boarded a lifeboat, she left the Titanic with two things a child in her womb, and a blue sapphire necklace that Morley had gifted her as a token of his love. For fans of the 1997 film Titanic, this story of lost love may sound familiar. And indeed, Kate Phillips and her sapphire necklace later called the Love of the Sea is believed to have inspired the character of Rose DeWitt Bukater, and her necklace, the Heart of the Ocean. This is the true story of Kate Florence Phillips, the real-life Rose who survived the Titanic. The Love Affair Of Kate Phillips And Henry MorleyBorn in Worcestershire, England, on Jan. 1, 1893, Kate Florence Phillips life changed after she started working as a shop assistant at a local confectionary store. There, she crossed paths with Henry Samuel Morley, a senior partner at L. Morley Confectioners and Phillips boss. Though Morley was married and 20 years older than Phillips the two began an affair. As Titanic Encyclopedia reports, their relationship soon intensified, and Morley decided to abandon his family for Phillips.Public DomainHenry Samuel Morley in an undated photograph.The couple agreed to escape Britain and Morleys marriage and to start anew in Los Angeles. Morley told his family and friends that he needed to travel for his health, then purchased two second-class tickets for himself and Phillips on the RMS Titanic. Kate Phillips and Henry Morley boarded the doomed ship at Southampton on April 10, 1912, traveling under joint ticket number 250655. To escape detection, they used the pseudonyms of Mr. Marshall and Mrs. Marshall.But they would never make it to California. The Sinking Of The Titanic In April 1912Public DomainThe Titanic leaving Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912.At first, Kate Phillips and Henry Morleys voyage went as planned. The Titanic was large, luxurious, and thought to be unsinkable. As second class passengers, Phillips and Morley would have enjoyed meals like baked haddock, chicken and rice, and American ice cream, slightly better fare than the rabbit pie and baked potatoes served to passengers in steerage.As RMS Titanic Inc. reports, the couple enjoyed themselves aboard the ship. They no longer had to hide their love, and could live openly as a couple. During the voyage, Morley gifted Phillips with a beautiful sapphire necklace as a token of their love and to mark the start of their new life together. But on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic catastrophically collided with an iceberg and started to sink. As women and children were ushered into lifeboats, Kate Phillips escaped the sinking wearing only a nightgown. But Morley did not. According to Encyclopedia Titanica, his body was never recovered. Public DomainAn illustration of the sinking of the Titanic, which occured in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.However, in a way, Morley did live on. Not only did Kate Phillips have the necklace hed given her, but she gave birth to a baby, Ellen, in January 1913. For the rest of her life, Phillips would swear that the baby was Morleys.Kate Phillips, The Real Life Rose Of The TitanicAfter the Titanic sinking, Kate Phillips lived an unhappy life. She had a contentious, perhaps even abusive relationship with her daughter Ellen, suffered from deteriorating mental health, may have tried to die by suicide, and was ultimately abandoned by her husband. Phillips died in 1964. She had never been able to prove that her daughter Ellen was Morleys child. Nor could Ellen, who died in 2005, prove it. But in 2020, a DNA test finally established that Ellen was the child of Kate Phillips and Henry Morley. By then, some aspects of Kate Phillips tragic life had allegedly made their way to the silver screen. In the 1997 film Titanic, the character of Rose, played by Kate Winslet, is gifted a sapphire necklace by her cruel fianc, which she later wears while posing nude for the character of Jack, her love interest played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Decades later, Rose drops the necklace into the ocean.Paramount PicturesThe character of Rose in the 1997 film Titanic, played by Kate Winslet, is gifted a sapphire necklace which was purportedly inspired by Kate Phillips necklace.Roses necklace, the Heart of the Ocean, is said to be inspired by Phillips necklace, the Love of the Sea.This pendant is from the Titanic and was the inspiration for [Titanic director] James Cameron to write the love story that he included in his film with Kate Winslet, David Scott-Beddard of the Nomadic Trust told the BBC in 2007, when Phillips necklace went on display in Belfast. Scott-Beddard, who explained that the necklace had been sold by Phillips daughter, Ellen, described it as quite small, only about an inch long, with an oblong sapphire surrounded by diamonds and attached to a very simple thin chain. In other words, Phillips necklace is quite a different piece than Roses enormous sapphire. It has since been displayed around the world.But while the story of Rose and Jack from the Titanic is well-known today, the story of Kate Florence Phillips and Henry Samuel Morley has all but been forgotten. In 1912, the couple took a risk. They tore up their lives, and set out to start over in the United States. Sadly, things took a tragic turn. That said, Phillips left the Titanic with two valuable reminders of her lost lover: their daughter, Ellen, whose paternity was proven in 2020, and Morleys sapphire necklace. Today, the necklace is a valuable Titanic artifact, and an enduring reminder of their doomed romance. After reading about Kate Florence Phillips, the real-life Rose of the Titanic, discover the harrowing stories of other Titanic survivors. Or, go inside the sad story of Ida and Isidor Straus, the couple on the Titanic who chose to die together on the ship rather than be separated.The post Kate Phillips, The Titanic Survivor Whose Story Of Love Aboard The Doomed Ship May Have Helped Inspire The Classic 1997 Film appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Institute of Culture of BarcelonaResearchers study the remains of Queen Elisenda, who was buried in a wooden coffin.In 1326, Queen Elisenda of Montcada founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes in Barcelona. Now, an archaeological project launched to celebrate the monasterys 700th anniversary is revealing more than ever before about the people who once lived and died there.Archaeologists have uncovered eight medieval graves along with the remains of 25 individuals and a trove of burial goods. From a woman who died during pregnancy to the body of Queen Elisenda herself, these discoveries illustrate the internal dynamics of a center of female power in the 14th century.The Story Of Queen Elisenda And The Monastery Of Santa Maria De PedralbesElisenda de Montcada was part of one of medieval Catalonias most powerful families, a legacy that was secured when she married King James II of Aragon in 1322. When Elisenda raised the idea of building a monastery in Barcelona, James agreed to fund it, and construction began in 1326.Because her husbands health was declining, Elisenda also had a small palace constructed next to the monastery. James died in November 1327, and the queen moved into the new residence, where she lived until her own death in 1364.Institute of Culture of BarcelonaThe tomb of Queen Elisenda, the 14th-century founder of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes.She was buried within the monastery, and archaeologists examined her tomb as part of this 700th anniversary project. According to a statement released by Barcelonas Institute of Culture, they discovered that the tomb was divided into two sections by a low wall, indicating a double representation of the queens figure: as a sovereign, next to the church, and as a penitent, next to the cloister, a duality that reinforces her political and spiritual role.Elisenda was seemingly buried in a traditional monastic habit, but her grave also contained bits of silk with metallic thread. Whats more, archaeologists found pieces of rosemary and myrtle that were seemingly part of the queens burial rites.While Elisendas grave revealed a wealth of information about medieval funerary rituals in Catalonia, the other tombs in the monastery held even more fascinating discoveries.Uncovering 25 Medieval Burials In This Barcelona MonasteryElisendas remains matched historical records about the queen, but not all of the tombs at the Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes contained what archaeologists expected to find within them. For instance, a grave that has long been linked to a knight named Artau de Foces held no male remains at all. Instead, researchers found the skeletons of three children and two women one of whom still had a long ponytail attached to her skull, eerily intact after 700 years.Institute of Culture of BarcelonaOne of the most unusual discoveries was a skull with a centuries-old ponytail still attached.The monasterys first abbess, Sobirana dOlzet, was discovered with a facial injury. It was seemingly inflicted with a sharp object like a knife shortly before her death, and archaeologists are still trying to determine what happened and whether it contributed to her demise. Her grave also contained the remains of candles and cords that were initially interpreted as possible disciplines, according to archaeologists.But perhaps the most fascinating burial was that of Francesca Saportella, Elisendas niece and the second abbess of the monastery. The remains of at least nine individuals from various time periods were found in her tomb, suggesting that it was repeatedly reused over the course of many years.These remains included four male skulls with stab wounds, as well as the mummified torso of a woman who was pregnant when she died. The fetus, estimated to be between 20 and 23 weeks of gestation, was lodged in her birth canal.Institute of Culture of BarcelonaThe tomb of Francesca Saportella contained the skulls of four unidentified men with stab wounds.Saportellas tomb also contained various documents and pieces of parchment with handwritten musical notations. Experts hope that these will reveal new information about daily life inside the monastery.In all, archaeologists identified the remains of 11 women, seven children, four men, as well as three bodies that are still awaiting analysis. Some were wrapped in textiles, others were deposited directly into the tombs, while Queen Elisenda herself was buried in a wooden coffin all various forms of burial that had not been studied with this level of detail until now.Institute of Culture of BarcelonaScientists used radiography, 3D scanning, radiocarbon dating, and textile analysis to study the graves and their contents.The archaeological project is expected to continue until 2027. Archaeologists write that the challenge for the coming year will be to transform these first findings into a complete historical reading that allows us to better understand not only who these people were, but also how they lived, how they died, and how they were remembered.So far, theyve found more than they ever could have expected: The first results of the research: a new look at life, death, and rituals in the monastery.After reading about the graves found in a medieval monastery in Barcelona, take a walk through the Meteora Monasteries of Greece. Then, look through 33 stunning photos of Barcelonas Sagrada Familia cathedral.The post Mysteriously Macabre Burials Found At A Spanish Monastery Include A Medieval Queen And A Ponytail Thats Still Intact After 700 Years appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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