Roderick. -711. Last Visigoth king of Spain. Defeated by Saracens, killed.

Rome. 753BC Legendary founding by Romulus and Remus. 616BC Etruscan. 509BC Roman Republic. 27BC Roman Empire. 248 Empire of the West. 395 Byzantine Empire. 410 Visigoths sack Rome. 476 Romulus Augustulus deposed. 493 Ostrogoth. 535 Byzantine. 774 Charlemagne’s Empire of the West. 962 Holy Roman Empire. 11C Norman. 12C Hohenstaufen. 1848 Republic. 1849 Papal States. 1870 Italy. 1929 -Vatican.

Rothschild, Lionel de. 1808-79. First Jewish member of British Parliament 1858-74.

Rothschild, Meyer. 1744-1812. German banking family patriarch.

Rotten Boroughs. -1832. British rural constituencies with few voters due to urban migration. Reform Bill.

Russell, Taze. 1852-1916. US founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Sachs, Hans. 1494-1576. German shoemaker/poet, composed songs of commonplace.

Sachs, Julius von. 1832-97. German discoverer of chlorophyll action.

Sachs, Nelly. 1891-1970. German poet, Jewish spokesperson.

Schacht, Hjalmar. 1877-1970. German financier. Halted ruinous inflation 1923. President of Reichsbank 1929-39. Minister of Economy 1934-7.

Shou Hsing. Chinese god of longevity.

Sicily. c1100BC Sicans. Sicels. Mycenaean. 7C BC Phoenicia(W)/ Gr(E). 241BC Rome. 5C Ostrogoth. 6C Byzantine. 827 Saracen. 1072 Norman. 1130 +Naples. 1197 Hohenstaufen. 1266-82 France. 1302 Aragon. 1443 +Naples=Two Sicilies. 1860 Italy.

Sighs, Bridge of. c1600. Venice. Connects Doge Palace court to prison.

Sikh States, Confederation of. 1764 Independent from Mogul. 1819 + Kashmir. 1834 + Peshawar. 1849 British. 1948 India.

Sikh Wars. 1845-6 Sikhs invade India, British take Kashmir. 1848-9 Sikh revolt, Britain takes Punjab.

Sirens. Greek sea nymphs, half bird, half woman. Song lured sailors onto rocks.

Smithson, James. 1765-1829. English scientist. Left fortune to found Smithsonian Institution.

Somalia. 1960 Independent union of British Somaliland + Italian Somaliland.

South Sea Bubble. 1711-20. England sold trade monopolies to reduce National Debt. Their resale at speculative prices led to financial ruin for thousands. George I implicated. Walpole.

Spain. c3000BC Iberians. c11C BC Phoenicians. c10C Celts. 6C Basques. c5C Carthage. 3C BC Rome. 5C Vandals, Visigoths. 711 Moslems. 801 Charlemagne. 10C independent kingdoms of Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre. 1031-1492 Reconquista. 1143 Portugal independent. 1479 Aragon, Castile unite. 1492 Moors final defeat. 1512 + Navarre =Spain. 1808 Napoleon. 1898 -Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico. Spanish American War. 1931 Republic. 1936 Civil War. 1939 Franco. 1975 Parliamentary Monarchy. ETA. New Spain.

Spanish Sahara. 1884 Protectorate. 1958 Spanish province. 1976 Mauritania/Morocco. Western Sahara.

Spanish Succession, War. 1701-14. Britain, Holy Roman Empire, Netherlands vs Spain, France. Opposed French Philip V succession to Spanish throne creating power imbalance. Queen Anne’s War.

Sparta. 9C BC-396. A dominant Greek city-state 6-4C BC. Peloponnesian War defeated rival Athens. 396 Visigoths destroy.

Stanislaw I. 1677-1766. Polish king 1704-9, 1733-5. 1733 return sparked War of Polish Succession.

Stilicho , Flavius. c365-408. Roman general. Repulsed Goths, Vandals.

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