title: John E. Sweeney

texts:
 fundraising consultant on monthly retainer since June 2004, who is paid $8,583 a month. Ford also works for Powers & Company, the lobbying firm of former state GOP Chairman William Powers, <mask>'s longtime political ally and onetime boss. Publicly funded ski trips
The Winter Challenge was started in 1998 by <mask>'s House predecessor, Gerald Solomon, with the declared purpose of showcasing the Olympic facilities at Lake Placid, New York to congressmen and their staffers in hopes of getting federal funds; <mask> has hosted the annual event since 1999.In January 2006, <mask>, his wife, and about 60 other people spent a four-day weekend at the facilities, competing against each other in skating, downhill skiing and bobsledding events. The group included Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX), a close friend of <mask> and his wife; and aides to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Representative Randy Kuhl (R-NY), and Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI). The weekend cost the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) $27,500, plus in-kind services it provided and the costs of operating the Olympic venues for the competition (exact figures for the latter two were unavailable). ORDA is a part of the New York State government. In the fall of 2005, the House ethics panel told <mask> in a letter that he should be careful to let the Olympics groups invite guests to avoid the appearance of an endorsement by the House. "Once the ORDA and the U.S. Olympic Committee — without your involvement — have issued an initial invitation to House members and staff to take part in the trip, you may send a follow-up to that invitation", the ethics panel, known formally as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, wrote to <mask>.Invitations to the event officially come from ORDA and the U.S. Olympic Committee, a nonprofit group chartered by Congress. ORDA says the impetus for the event comes from the U.S. Olympic Committee. The U.S. Olympic Committee said it's really <mask>'s event. Three committees of the NY State Assembly have launched investigations of the Challenge, focusing on whether public money was put to good use. ORDA President Ted Blazer, speaking at one such hearing, said <mask>'s office helped assemble lists of possible invitees to the event. Documents show that at least eight members of Congress, all Republicans, were also invited to attend the 2006 event but declined. The official invitation for the event read: "While this trip has proven itself to be an enjoyable one for delegation members in the past, it is, nevertheless, an official trip authorized by the House and Senate Ethics Committees .. . intended to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress and Congressional staff to inspect and evaluate the manner in which federal funds have been used to strengthen the area's tourism industry." Despite the House ethics rule requiring all travel paid by others to relate to members' official duties, and the ethics panel's letter that said that recreational activities must be "merely incidental to the trip", <mask> has said that the panel said "it's perfectly appropriate for me to promote the event." The group attending the event included at least 15 registered lobbyists, including Pete Card, a former staffer of <mask>'s and the brother of former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, and Lisi Kaufman, a lobbyist for United Technologies Corporation, the sister of Andrew and Pete. In his request to the House ethics committee, <mask> did not ask about lobbyists. A spokesman for ORDA said he does not know why the lobbyists were invited. Seven of the lobbyists had contributed a total of $12,400 to <mask>'s campaign in 2005. Ties to Allen Stanford
<mask> was part of a group of lawmakers known as the Caribbean Caucus, sponsored by disgraced financier Allen Stanford.The group, formed to promote relations with Caribbean nations, took 11 trips to places like St. Croix, Montego Bay and Key Biscayne. The meetings, which included receptions with lobster, caviar and wine, cost $311,307 and were paid for by the Inter-American Economic Council, a non-profit funded by Stanford. Other members of the Caucus included convicted influence peddler Rep. Bob Ney and close <mask> friend Rep. Pete Sessions. In 2004, Stanford hosted a wedding reception for <mask> and wife at the Pavilion Restaurant, owned by Stanford. At the time, <mask> told the Antigua Sun "If it wasn't for Allen, I certainly would not be here today." Disputed domestic violence report
On October 31, 2006, the Albany Times Union reported on a 9-1-1 call made by <mask>'s wife in December 2005, in which she complained that her husband had been "'knocking her around' during a late-night argument at the couple's home." The responding officers filed a domestic incident report, which states that <mask> allegedly grabbed his wife "by the neck" and pushed her around the house.<mask> and Gaia <mask> subsequently said they would give the New York State Police permission to release a report about the incident. They said that the report was inaccurate but have not disputed its contents. On November 17, 2006, the Times Union reported that there were two versions of the domestic violence report that had been prepared by the State Police, one that was sent to them, doctored and lacking details, and the original report. On July 22, 2007, the Albany Times Union reported that Gaia <mask>, who was contesting a divorce action by her husband, said that he was often verbally abusive and at times physically abused her during their marriage. She also said that a statement she made on the eve of last fall's election, denying marital abuse, was "coerced". <mask> denied that he had been abusive; he had recently obtained a judicial order of protection against his wife. <mask>'s first wife, <mask>, of Schaghticoke, told the Times-Union that she had "never observed any kind of behavior like that towards me or anybody else."The State Police moved to demote a State Police captain weeks after the November 2006 election, alleging that he had leaked the police report on <mask>. The captain denied leaking the report, saying he was wrongly accused, and the captain was supported by the New York State Police Benevolent Association (PBA),Don Lehman, Union: Captain is the scapegoat in <mask> probe, Post Star (November 17, 2006). who called the captain a scapegoat. The officer was ultimately not demoted, but was transferred to a different role that resulted in lower pay. Alcohol issues
Attendance at college fraternity party
In April 2006, news outlets reported that <mask> had attended a party at Union College's Alpha Delta Phi house in Schenectady; photographs surfaced of the congressman at the party, and the student newspaper Concordiensis'' cited witnesses stating that he was visibly intoxicated. Democrats ridiculed <mask> over the embarrassing photos; <mask> said through a spokeswoman that he had briefly spoken to students and posed for photos before departing, and that he was not drinking during the event. DWI convictions in 2007 and 2009
<mask> was charged with aggravated DWI when he was arrested by New York State Police at 1:19 a.m. on November 11, 2007, on the Adirondack Northway, a stretch of Interstate 87.<mask>'s car had reportedly been swerving and a 24-year-old woman was seated partially on his lap when spotted by a state trooper. <mask>'s blood alcohol content registered at .18 percent, more than double the legal limit. <mask> issued an apology, and on November 14, 2007, <mask> pleaded guilty to drunk driving after his attorney vocally and publicly denied he had even been drinking that evening. <mask> paid a US$1,000 fine, but avoided jail time. His license was suspended for six months and had to attend a victim impact panel for drunken drivers. Early on the morning of April 5, 2009, <mask> was pulled over by state police for speeding. He refused a breathalyzer test ordered by the officer, and according to a newspaper report, "<mask> allegedly told the officers he would not pass the sobriety test, adding he was in 'big trouble.'"<mask> was charged with felony DWI (since he had a prior DWI conviction within the past 10 years). in a February 2010 plea deal, <mask> admitted to driving drunk and pleaded guilty to lesser charges, specifically a misdemeanor count. The agreement allowed <mask> to avoid a felony conviction and thus avoid disbarment. He was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, and was released in April 2010 after serving 17 days. In addition to jail, <mask> was also sentenced to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and surcharges. His driver's license was revoked, and <mask> also had to wear an ankle bracelet to detect alcohol consumption. Recovery from alcoholism
In 2011, <mask> told a reporter that he had been sober since April 6, 2009.He stated that others had spoken to him about his drinking since the late 1990s and that he had been a "highly functional alcoholic" during his career in elected office. He described making amends with his family, describing his biggest loss from drinking as not the loss of his seat in Congress, but "the loss of myself and the loss of everything that went with it, the harm and hurt I created for people around me who I love and love me." Personal life
<mask> has three adult children from his first marriage. He lives in Clifton Park, New York. He has two young children with his wife, <mask>, and two step-children from her prior marriage. <mask>'s father was the leader of a shirt-cutter's union in Troy, NY. Notes

External links

 Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
 On the Issues record of <mask>'s votes.1955 births
American people of Armenian descent
American politicians of Armenian descent
Living people
Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
New York (state) Republicans
People associated with the 2000 United States presidential election
State cabinet secretaries of New York (state)
Sage College of Albany alumni
Western New England University alumni
Politicians from Troy, New York
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes
21st-century American

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title: Minkhaung I

type: original

texts:
<mask> of Ava ( ; also spelled Mingaung; 1373–1421) was king of Ava from 1400 to 1421. He is best remembered in Burmese history for his epic struggles against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu in the Forty Years' War (1385–1424). As king, <mask> continued his father Swa Saw Ke's policy to restore the Pagan Empire. Under the military leadership of his eldest son Minye Kyawswa, Ava nearly succeeded. While he ultimately failed to conquer Hanthawaddy and Launggyet Arakan, he was able to bring in most of cis-Salween Shan states to the Ava orbit. Early life

The future king was born in a small village called Gazun-Nyeint (present-day northern Sagaing Region) on 13 September 1373. His father King Swa Saw Ke of Ava had met his commoner mother Saw Beza earlier in the year during a military campaign against Mohnyin.Chronicles say that after giving birth to the child, Beza showed up at the Ava palace to present the male son, as instructed to by the king. The child was named Min Swe ( ). The king made Beza a junior queen, and had two more children with her: Theiddat and Thupaba Dewi. Min Swe grew up in Ava (Inwa) until he was eight. His life at the palace was not all well. Their older half-brother Tarabya, who was born to a senior queen, constantly bullied both Swe and Theiddat. The bullying became a serious problem, and in 1381/82, the king had to send away Swe and Theiddat to a small monastery near Pinle to study under the chief primate (Thinga-Yaza).The two princes studied under the learned monk, and traveled around the region, including Taungdwingyi, Minbu, Ngape and Padein, with their attendants. Governor of Pyinzi
Circa April 1385, Swa appointed Tarabya his heir-apparent. The king kept Swe out of Tarabya's reach, and appointed his 11-year-old son governor of Pyinzi, a small town about 85 km southwest of Ava. He also gave Swe command of the 33-member Pyinzi cavalry. Swe would rule Pyinzi for the next 15 years. Chronicles have little information about Swe's period as governor except that his rivalry with Tarabya continued, and that the rivalry may have cost Ava's best chance of defeating Hanthawaddy Pegu. In 1385, the king ordered his two eldest sons to lead a two-pronged invasion of the southern kingdom in what would become known as the Forty Years' War.Tarabya commanded the First Army (7000 infantry, 500 cavalry, 20 elephants) while Swe led the Second Army (6000 infantry, 500 cavalry, 20 elephants). The two princes were advised by Ava's best commanders, including Thilawa of Yamethin and Theinkhathu Saw Hnaung. The Ava command expected an easy victory over an overpowered opponent. But Ava forces could not break through well-organized Peguan defenses for five months. Then, King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy made a tactical error by coming out of his fortified capital to attack Ava positions near Pankyaw. Tarabya's army pounced, driving back and pursuing Razadarit's army. Meanwhile Swe's army had positioned in the path of retreat of the Hanthawaddy army.Tarabya, the overall commander-in-chief, sent a messenger, ordering Swe to hold his position and not to engage Razadarit until his army could reach the scene. But Swe ignored the order and the advice of his seasoned commanders, and ordered his troops to engage. Razadarit's army defeated Swe's premature attack, and got back inside Pegu. Five days later, with the rainy season approaching, the invasion was called off. Ava would come to rue the missed opportunity. Swa kept Swe from the next invasion in the following dry season. Swe was assigned to guard the capital while Swa and Tarabya invaded the southern country again.The second invasion fared no better. Razadarit committed no more errors, and hunkered down. Ava troops could not break through Pegu's defenses and had to retreat before the rainy season arrived. Swe was to get his chance again to go to the front in the 1390–91 campaign. But this time, he commanded just a regiment, and was directly under the command of Tarabya. At any rate, their army could not break through the Pegu defenses at Pankyaw although the campaign ended in a truce. Marriage

In 1389/90, Swe was married to Princess Shin Mi-Nauk, daughter of the chief of Mohnyin, in a marriage of state.The marriage was part of the effort by Ava and Mohnyin to mend their fences after the 1387–88 war between the two states. On the advice of Chief Minister Min Yaza, King Swa selected Swe to marry Mi-Nauk. While the peace with Mohnyin did not last—Ava and Mohnyin were to fight another war just three years later—the marriage between Swe and Mi-Nauk lasted. The couple had four children at Pyinzi: Minye Kyawswa, Saw Pyei Chantha, Minye Thihathu and Minye Kyawhtin. Accession
In April 1400, King Swa Saw Ke died and Tarabya ascended the throne. The new king kept his two half brothers at an arm's length. Neither Swe nor Theiddat controlled a sizable army.When Tarabya became mentally unstable about five months into his reign, and other pretenders began circling the throne, Swe was not in a strong-enough position to challenge them. In November, Gov. Thihapate of Tagaung assassinated Tarabya, and tried to seize the throne. But the court executed the usurper, and offered the throne to Min Swe. But Swe was concerned about Gov. Maha Pyauk of Yamethin, who controlled a sizable army, and told the court to offer the throne to Pyauk instead. Theiddat implored Swe to reconsider.When his brother still refused, Theiddat took matters into his own hand. Theiddat and his small band of men ambushed Pyauk's much bigger army near Ava while Pyauk was not expecting. Pyauk was killed. On 25 November 1400, Min Swe became king of Ava. He assumed the title of Minkhaung (မင်းခေါင်; "Foremost Lord" or "Paramount Lord"). Early reign

Consolidation of power
Minkhaung spent his first year consolidating his power. He kept Min Yaza as chief minister, and appointed Yaza's son Pauk Hla governor Yamethin, and Yaza's son-in-law Thado Theinkhathu governor of Badon and Tabayin.He also appointed Theiddat governor of Sagaing with the title of Thiri Zeya Thura but stopped short of declaring him his heir-apparent. While Sagaing was a sizable province that used to be an independent kingdom, the younger brother was never satisfied with the reward, and held a "lingering resentment that would later rear its ugly head". Invasion by Pegu (1401–03)
The succession crisis at Ava did not go unnoticed. The Arakanese raided western Irrawaddy towns. In Pegu, King Razadarit assessed that Minkhaung's hold on power was still weak, and planned to place a nominee of his own. It would be payback for Ava's attempts to dislodge him early in his reign. Throughout 1401, Razadarit prepared an invasion river-borne fleet that could transport not only troops but even horses and elephants.When the dry season began, Hanthawaddy forces invaded by the Irrawaddy river, attacking all the riverside towns and cities, including their main targets, Prome (Pyay) and Ava (Inwa). The Forty Year's War had resumed after a 10-year hiatus. Initially, Hanthawaddy held the advantage. Ava did not have a navy that could challenge Pegu's massive flotilla. Ava forces had to defend inside the fortified towns along the river: Prome, Myede, Sagu, Salin, Pakhan Nge, Salay, Pagan (Bagan), Talok, Pakhan Gyi, Sagaing and Ava. The Pegu navy held complete control of the Irrawaddy (as far north as Tagaung) but the blockades were not enough to force a surrender. Pegu's attempt to storm the ancient capital of Pagan failed.Minkhaung bought time by asking the monks to broker a truce. Protracted truce negotiations went on from April to  June/July of 1402 but the start of rainy season forced Razadarit's hand, and the Hanthawaddy fleet retreated from Ava. Minkhaung's vassals now rallied around him. He was able to assemble a sizable force, which he sent after the rainy season to relieve Prome. The Ava army decisively defeated the invaders south of Prome on 26 December 1402, forcing Pegu to ask for terms about ten days after the battle. Minkhaung sent an embassy led by Min Yaza to Pegu to negotiate a treaty. He wanted to exact a price from Pegu.After five months of negotiations, the two sides signed a peace treaty. The boundary of their kingdoms was fixed a little to the south of Prome. Pegu agreed to share the customs revenue of Bassein (Pathein), and supply 30 elephants annually. In return, Minkhaung sent his only sister Thupaba Dewi to be queen of Razadarit in a marriage alliance. Expansion

Cis-Salween Shan states (1404–1406)
Minkhaung had come out far stronger from the war. What began as an existential threat to his rule had turned to an agreement that was largely in his favor. In the following years, the king, with the advice of Min Yaza, resumed the expansionist policy of his father in order to restore the Pagan Empire.His first targets were the nearer (cis-Salween) Shan states. According to the Burmese chronicles, the acquisition drive was largely peaceful, and accomplished through diplomatic missions led by Min Yaza to Onbaung (Hsipaw) in 1404/05, Nyaungshwe in 1405/06 and Mohnyin in 1406. But the Ming records say that Ava's missions were in fact military expeditions, and that the Ming court became especially concerned after Ava's capture of Mohnyin in 1406 that killed the sawbwa of Mohnyin and his son. On 25 August 1406, the Ming court sent an embassy to Ava to end the "aggression" against the Shan states. Minkhaung initially brushed off the Chinese concerns. It was not until 1408 when he was about to resume the war with Pegu that he sent an embassy to Nanjing. The Ming records say that the Ava representative offered a formal apology to the emperor for "having occupied" the Ming vassals "without authority" on 28 May 1408; but despite the promise, Ava was encouraging Hsenwi to rebel against the Ming in 1408–1409.By September 1409, the Ming court was considering a punitive action against Ava. The simmering tensions would lead to war between Ava and Ming China between 1412 and 1415. Arakan (1406)
Despite Chinese concerns, by August 1406, Ava had gained allegiance of all of its surrounding Shan states. Minkhaung now eyed Arakan. The western kingdom was a tributary of Ava between 1373/74 and 1385/86 during his father's reign but escaped Ava's orbit at the start of the Forty Years' War. Using alleged Arakanese raids on Ava's western districts, he sent a 10,000-strong army led by his eldest son Minye Kyawswa to Arakan. On 29 November 1406, Ava forces took the Arakanese capital Launggyet, and Min Saw Mon fled to Bengal.Minkhaung appointed Gov. Anawrahta of Kalay king of Arakan. Heir-apparent selection and its fallout
After Arakan, Minkhaung was riding high. He was greatly impressed by his son's performance, and wanted to make him his heir apparent. With the advice of Min Yaza, he sent away Tarabya's eldest son and potential rival to the throne Prince Min Nyo to Kalay, a frontier state by the Manipur border, as governor. He tried to appease his brother Theiddat, governor of Sagaing, by giving him command of the Northern Cavalry. The king then appointed Minye Kyawswa his heir apparent, and married him to Saw Min Hla, a cousin of the groom.Theiddat felt totally betrayed. The younger brother bitterly complained that Minkhaung would not have become king were it not for him. Min Yaza tried to but could not mollify Theiddat. Minkhaung had Theiddat arrested but later released him after Min Yaza intervened. Shortly after, Theiddat fled to Pegu in 1407. Middle reign

Deterioration of relations with Pegu
Far more than Ming China, Pegu viewed Ava's acquisition spree with great alarm. Realizing that Pegu was now Ava's only remaining target, Razadarit decided to

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Minkhaung I
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title: Minkhaung I

texts:
 act.He readily gave shelter to Theiddat although he knew such an action would be regarded as a declaration of war against Ava. He broke the 1403 agreement: Pegu stopped sending the annual shipment of 30 elephants and Ava's share of customs revenue of the Bassein port. Meanwhile, Minkhaung tried to solidify his hold over Arakan by sending his eldest daughter Saw Pyei Chantha to be the wife of Anawrahta as well as a senior minister to aid the vassal king. He also sent an embassy to Chiang Mai, and a long overdue mission to China in early 1408. According to the Razadarit Ayedawbon chronicle, Razadarit viewed Ava's mission to Chiang Mai as an attempt by Ava to secure its rear, and decided that war was inevitable. Resumption of war with Pegu (1408–1410)
In March 1408, Razadarit sent in an invasion force to Arakan, catching Ava completely by surprise. Its forces had been deployed in the north.The Ava court had not expected Pegu to act first, or an attack on Arakan. Before Ava could send any help, Pegu forces took Launggyet by late March/early April 1408. Razadarit had Minkhaung's son-in-law Anawrahta executed, and raised Minkhaung's daughter Pyei Chantha as his queen. Minkhaung was furious. Although the rainy season was just a month away, the king ordered an immediate invasion of the south, overruling his ministers' suggestion to wait until the dry season. In May 1408, Minkhaung himself led two armies (26,000 men, 2200 horses, 100 elephants), and invaded the southern country. What ensued was a complete disaster.Predictably, Ava forces got bogged down in the swamps of Lower Burma. Three months into the invasion, Ava's troops were running out of supplies due to bad weather as well as Hanthawaddy ambushes on supply lines. For his part, Razadarit could not match Ava's manpower, and ordered two attempts on Minkhaung's life. The first attempt by Hanthawaddy special forces to ambush Minkhaung's small contingent was broken up on the warning by Theiddat who was with the Peguan forces. It turned out that Theiddat could not betray his elder brother. Razadarit had Theiddat executed for the warning. The second attempt nearly succeeded.Razadarit sent a team of commandos led by his top general Lagun Ein to infiltrate the enemy camp. Lagun Ein got inside Minkhaung's tent but refused to kill a sleeping Minkhaung. At any rate, Ava forces retreated  August 1408. Razadarit came out and attacked the retreating troops. Ava forces were routed, and Minkhaung's queen Mi-Nauk was captured. Razadarit now had both the mother and the daughter in his harem. Razadarit attempted to pick off Prome by launching an attack on the city on 22 November 1408 but the attack faltered.Minkhaung was forced to regroup. In December 1409, he again invaded with two armies (14,000 men, 1400 horses, 100 elephants). His armies again could not break through. Five months into the invasion  May 1410, Razadarit counterattacked. Near Tharrawaddy, Razadarit and Minkhaung faced in battle over elephants, and the Hanthawaddy king drove back Minkhaung. The remaining Ava army was routed; several infantry, cavalry and elephants were captured. Multi-front war (1410–1415)
After the two consecutive disastrous defeats, a dejected Minkhaung handed over the military leadership to Minye Kyawswa.His eldest son was eager to have a chance to take on Razadarit who held both his mother and sister in his harem. Over the next five years, <mask> would call on Minye Kyawswa to wage war against his enemies on multiple fronts: against Hanthawaddy in both Lower Burma and Arakan, and against Ming China and its vassal states in the north. His son proved a gifted commander, and Ava would come closest to reassembling the Pagan Empire. Lower Burma and Arakan (1410–1412)
Minye Kyawswa brought a fresh thinking to Ava's battle plan. Instead of directly attacking the well-defended Pegu capital region, he would attack what he believed were less defended regions. In late 1410, the prince invaded the Irrawaddy delta by river and land with an army (7000 men, 600 horses, and 40 elephants) and a navy that transported 7000 men. Combined Ava forces proceeded to attack the key delta cities of Myaungmya and Bassein (Pathein).But the prince found that the key delta cities were well fortified and prepared for long sieges. He pulled back his forces to Prome, and invaded Arakan in early 1411. There, he successfully drove out Pegu-installed vassals, and appointed Ava's commanders as governor-generals. Meanwhile, Razadarit sought an alliance with Hsenwi in an attempt to open a second front. After the rainy season of 1411, the Hanthawaddy king sent two armies to Arakan. The Ava garrison at Sandoway fell before Ava reinforcements (8000 troops, 300 horses, 30 elephants) led by Minye Kyawswa arrived. Ava forces laid siege to the city for the next three months.But Hsenwi opened a new front by invading Ava territory in the north. The invasion was considered serious enough that Minkhaung recalled Minye Kyawswa from Arakan. After the withdrawal, reinforced Hanthawaddy troops went on to drive out the Ava garrison at Launggyet in 1412. (According to the Arakanese chronicle Rakhine Razawin Thit, Ava retained a toehold at the Khway-thin-taung garrison in northern Arakan until 1416/17. But Ava would not send a major force to Arakan, and the western state would remain a Hanthawaddy vassal at least until Razadarit's death.) Hsenwi (1412)
Hsenwi's invasion was not just due to Hanthawaddy's urging. The powerful Shan state had been ordered by the Ming court to retaliate against Ava's annexation of Mohnyin six years earlier.It is unclear if Minkhaung and his court realized the gravity of the situation. Even if they did, their actions show they were not concerned about an escalating war against Ming-backed states in their northern border. Minkhaung was determined to teach Hsenwi a lesson. After Minye Kyawswa decisively defeated the Hsenwi force near Wetwin (present-day Pyin Oo Lwin), the king agreed to a plan to attack Hsenwi itself. Minye Kyawswa went on to lay siege to the city of Hsenwi throughout the rainy season of 1412. The Yunnan government sent an army (20,000 men and 2000 cavalry) to relieve the siege. The Ava army then ambushed the larger Chinese army as they came out of the forest.The Chinese army was driven back. Five Chinese commanders, 2000 troops and 1000 horses were taken prisoner. Ava wanted to finish off Hsenwi and the siege went on for one more month until  November 1412. But Pegu came to Hsenwi's aid this time by launching a massive attack on Prome after the rainy season. The attack was serious enough that <mask> himself marched with his army to relieve Prome, and ordered Minye Kyawswa to join him on the southern front. Lower Burma (1412–1413)
Over the next four months the father-son team tried to break the Hanthawaddy siege of Prome. They made no meaningful progress until when the Hanthawaddy command suddenly lost its two most senior generals: Gen. Byat Za (natural causes) and Gen. Lagun Ein (KIA).Shaken by the deaths, Razadarit hastily retreated. Minye Kyawswa proposed an immediate invasion of the south. Minkhaung was weary but allowed his son to carry out the plan. In April 1413, Minye Kyawswa took eastern delta towns of Dala–Twante and Dagon. But the Ava advance was halted at the battle of Hmawbi in which Gen. Letya Pyanchi of Prome was mortally wounded. Minkhaung ordered a pause as it was just a month away from the rainy season and the army did not have enough strength. The crown prince ignored his father's order, and resumed the march to Pegu in May 1413.But the Hanthawaddy defenses stopped Ava forces outside Dala and at Syriam. The fighting paused during the rainy season of 1413. Razadarit again sent emissaries to northern Shan states and Lan Na in search of alliances. Northern Burma and Maw (1413–1414)
Ava's northern front was never quiet after the siege of Hsenwi. According to the Ming Shilu, the Yongle Emperor ordered another attack on Ava. In 1413, while the main Ava armies were in the south, Chinese-backed Hsenwi forces raided Ava's northern territories, destroying "over 20 cities and stockades". The captured elephants, horses, and other goods were presented at the Chinese capital in September 1413.According to the Burmese chronicles, the attack on Myedu was carried out by another Shan state, Maw (Mong Mao/Mawdon Mawke). As usual, Minkhaung recalled Minye Kyawswa to Ava, and sent his middle son Minye Thihathu to Prome to take over the southern command. At Ava, Minye Kyawswa marched north to take on the Maw forces. His forces defeated Maw forces at Myedu, and chased the enemy to the Chinese border. Lower Burma (1414–1415)
The Ava command apparently considered the victory in the north decisive. Although the Chinese would be back later, Minkhaung and the court now blithely planned a full scale invasion of the south. Ava had collected a large invasion force: an army consisted of 8000 men, 200 horses and 80 elephants, and a navy consisting of 13,000 men, and over 1800 ships of all sizes.In October 1414, Minye Kyawswa launched the invasion of the western Irrawaddy delta. Although Hanthawaddy forces put up a spirited defense, Ava forces had gained complete control of the delta by the end of December. Razadarit evacuated Pegu, and moved to Martaban (Mottama). The Ava command planned a pincer movement on Pegu from Toungoo and from Dala. But the attack on Pegu would be delayed as the Chinese forces invaded from the north. Minkhaung managed to send an army which forced the Chinese army to retreat. The Chinese attack provided a much-needed breathing room for Razadarit.He was back in Pegu and planning counterattack by February 1415. On 2 March 1415, Razadarit himself led the army to the Dala front. On 13 March 1415, the two armies fought at Dala–Twante in one of the most famous battles in Burmese military history. Minye Kyawswa was mortally wounded in the battle. <mask> immediately came down with an army, and exhumed his son's body from where Razadarit had given it honorable burial. The remains were solemnly dropped into the waters near Twante. After rampaging through the delta, Minkhaung called off the invasion and left.Late reign
Minkhaung was totally heartbroken by his eldest son's death. He recalled Thihathu from Prome, and appointed him heir apparent. The war went on languidly for two more campaigns. In 1416–1417, Razadarit tried to pick off Toungoo (Taungoo) but was defeated. In the following dry season, Minkhaung ordered a retaliatory invasion. Ava forces led by Thihathu took the delta, and again forced Razadarit to move to Martaban. They remained in the south for nearly a year.But they could not break through towards Pegu, and had to retreat. It was the last campaign during Minkhaung's reign. The king spent his last years in piety. He died  October 1421. His nemesis Razadarit is said to have lamented when he heard the news of Minkhaung's death. Razadarit died about two months later. Administration
Minkhaung heavily relied on the advice of his court led by Chief Minister Min Yaza.He continued to employ Pagan's administrative model of solar polities in which the high king ruled the core while semi-independent tributaries, autonomous viceroys, and governors actually controlled day-to-day administration and manpower. Family
Chronicles state that Minkhaung had five senior queens. One of his concubines, Saw Pan-Gon, gave birth to a daughter named Saw Nant-Tha, who was later married to his nephew Prince Min Nyo of Kale Kye-Taung. Historiography

Notes

References

Bibliography

Burmese monarchs
Ava dynasty
1373 births
1421 deaths
15th-century Burmese

masks: Minkhaung Minkhaung Minkhaung


title: Rose of Viterbo

texts:
<mask> of Viterbo, T.O.S.F. (; c. 1233 – March 6, 1251), was a young woman born in Viterbo, then a contested commune of the Papal States. She spent her brief life as a recluse, who was outspoken in her support of the papacy. Otherwise leading an unremarkable life, she later became known for her mystical gifts of prophecy and having miraculous powers. She is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. Life
The chronology of her life remains uncertain, as the acts of her canonization, the chief historical sources, record no dates. Most scholars agree she was probably born around the year 1233.Born of poor and pious parents, even as a child <mask> had a great desire to pray and to aid the poor. She prayed much for the conversion of sinners. <mask> was not yet 10 years old when the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have instructed her to take the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis and to preach penance in Viterbo, at that time under the rule of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. <mask> was soon admitted to the Franciscan Third Order and adopted its religious habit, a simple tunic with a cord around her waist. While walking the streets with a crucifix in her hand, she would exhort others to be faithful to the Catholic Church. She lived a life of prayer, penance and solitude in her father's home. Every now and then she would emerge from her solitude to entreat the people to do penance.Her mission seems to have lasted for about two years. In January 1250, Viterbo, her native city, was then in revolt against the pope. When she was 12, she began preaching in the streets against Frederick's occupation of Viterbo. She and her family were exiled from the city and took refuge in Soriano nel Cimino. When the pope's side won in Viterbo, <mask> was allowed to return. On December 5, 1250, <mask> allegedly foretold the speedy death of the emperor, a prophecy fulfilled on December 13. Soon afterwards she went to Vitorchiano, whose inhabitants, according to surviving reports, were affected by a supposed sorceress.<mask> secured the conversion of all, even of the sorceress, reportedly by standing unscathed for three hours in the flames of a burning pyre. <mask> wished to enter the Poor Clare Monastery of St. Mary in the city, but was refused because of her poverty, as she was not able to provide the dowry required for admission. She accepted her rejection, nonetheless foretelling her admission to the monastery after her death. <mask> died on March 6, 1251, in her father's home. It was long believed that <mask> had died of tuberculosis. In 2010, however, researchers examining her remains concluded that she had died of complications due to Pentalogy of Cantrell. Veneration

The process of <mask>'s canonization was opened in the year of her death by Pope Innocent IV, but was not definitively undertaken until 1457.Originally buried at the parish church of Santa Maria in Poggio, in 1257 Pope Alexander IV ordered it moved to the monastery she had desired to enter, at which time it was renamed in her honor. When the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church was reformed after the Second Vatican Council, her feast day was transferred to the date of her death. September 4 is the date of the translation of her relics to the Monastery of St. Damian. It is this latter date on which her feast is celebrated in Viterbo and by the Franciscans. On September 3, the eve of the feast of St. <mask>, the people of Viterbo follow the transportation of La Macchina ("the Machine of St. Rose") a massive  tower, illuminated with 3,000 tiny electric lights and 880 candles, and topped off with a statue of her, which is carried for 1,200 metres through the darkened streets of the old medieval town on the backs of around 100 volunteers called "facchini". The tradition goes all the way back to September 4, 1258, when the body of the saint was exhumed and transported to the Monastery of Saint Damian; but it was not until 1664, following seven years of plague in the city, that a "machine" first appeared. In gratitude for having survived such a terrible pestilence the citizens voted to renew the veneration of their saint every year.St. <mask> of Viterbo Convent, named for her, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The convent is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Viterbo University is a Catholic, Franciscan university in the liberal arts tradition, founded by these Franciscan Sisters, also located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. <mask> of Viterbo is one of the religious figures featured in the award-winning series of saint plays by Erik Ehn. The play celebrating her life premiered in October 2008 at Goshen College. See also
 <mask> of Viterbo, patron saint archive

Notes

Sources
 ANDREUCCI, Andrea Girolano. Notizie Critico-Istoriche Dell'Ammirabile S. Rosa Virgine Viterbese.Stamperie di Antorio di Rosse. Roma, 1750. (e-book). BEAUFAYS, P. Ignace (O.F.M). Sante <mask> Viterbe: Propagandiste de L’A.C.. Bruxelles, Ed, du Chant D’Oiseau, 1937. CENCI, Paolo. Rosa: Eroica, Giovanetta, Santa.Agnesotti, Viterbo, 1981. DE KERVAL, Leon. Saint Rose: sa vie et son temps. Impr. Franciscaine Missionnaire (Vanves), Paris, 1896. PELLEGRINI, P. Stefano. Santa Rosa e Suo Monastero.Grafiche Messaggero di S. Antonio. Padova, 1967. Pizzi, Storia della Città di Viterbo. (Roma, 1887). PIACENTINI, Ernesto (O.F.M). Il libro dei Miracoli di Santa Rosa da Viterbo. Union Printing S.p.A., Roma, 1991.PLENS, Frei Urbano. Santa Rosa de Viterbo. Cadernos Franciscanos: ano VI, n. 1, fascículo 29. Belo Horizonte, 1980. External links

 SAINTE ROSE of VITERBO
 ROSA da Viterbo, santa

1230s births
1251 deaths
13th-century Christian saints
Christian female saints of the Middle Ages
Deaths from genetic disorders
Franciscan saints
Incorrupt saints
Italian children
Italian Roman Catholic saints
Marian visionaries
Members of the Third Order of Saint Francis
People from Viterbo
Roman Catholic child saints
13th-century Italian women
Wonderworkers

masks:
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Rose
Saint Rose
Rose de


title: Ruslan Zhiganshin

texts:
<mask> (; born 25 September 1992) is a retired Russian ice dancer. With partner Elena Ilinykh, he is the 2015 Russian national champion. With former partner Victoria Sinitsina, he is the 2012 World Junior champion and won bronze medals at the 2013 Winter Universiade, 2012 Rostelecom Cup, and 2014 Russian Championships. They placed seventh at the 2014 World Championships. Personal life
<mask> was born on 25 September 1992 in Moscow. He is the brother of <mask>a, a competitive ice dancer for Germany. Early years on the ice
<mask> became interested in skating after his mother took him along to his sister's practices.Having taken up ice dancing at age nine, he had one partner before becoming partnerless for a year. Partnership with Sinitsina
<mask> and Victoria Sinitsina met in a group led by Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh but soon joined Elena Kustarova and Svetlana Alexeeva. They trained mostly in Moscow. From 2010 to 2012, they also went to summer training camps in Ventspils, Latvia. Junior
Sinitsina/<mask> debuted on the Junior Grand Prix circuit at the 2008 Merano Cup where they finished sixth. The following JGP season, they placed fifth at both of their events. They won a pair of silver medals during the 2010–11 JGP season and qualified for the JGP Final.At the Final, they won the short dance and placed second in the free dance to take the silver behind Ksenia Monko / Kirill Khaliavin. They withdrew from the 2011 Russian Junior Championships due to Sinitsina's illness. In the 2011–12 season, Sinitsina/<mask> won gold at the Junior Grand Prix event in Poland, their first JGP title. They won another title in Austria to qualify for their second JGP Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, they placed first in both segments and won the title. They then took gold at the 2012 Russian Junior Championships. Sinitsina/<mask> won the 2012 World Junior title.They were first in both the short and free dance and scored their season's best, 153.81 points. Senior
In the 2012–13 season, Sinitsina/<mask> debuted on the senior Grand Prix series. After finishing 6th at the 2012 Cup of China, they then won their first senior GP medal, bronze, at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup. The duo finished 5th in their senior national debut at the 2013 Russian Championships. In 2013–14, Sinitsina/<mask> started their season at the Ice Star in Minsk, Belarus, winning the silver medal behind Bobrova/Soloviev. At their sole Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 NHK Trophy, they had a bad fall while practicing a lift. They finished eighth at the event.After taking the bronze medal at the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy, they stepped onto the senior national podium for the first time at the 2014 Russian Championships. Competing against Riazanova/Tkachenko for Russia's third Olympic spot, Sinitsina/<mask> finished ahead at nationals and then at the 2014 European Championships in Budapest. They came in fourth at the latter event, their senior ISU Championship debut. Along with Ilinykh/Katsalapov and Bobrova/Soloviev, Sinitsina/<mask> were selected to represent Russia at the Winter Olympics, held in February 2014 in Sochi. They finished 16th at the Olympics, behind a number of teams they had surpassed at Europeans, but rebounded the next month at the 2014 World Championships. They placed eighth in both segments and finished seventh overall in Saitama, Japan. In early April 2014, Sinitsina left to skate with Nikita Katsalapov.Partnership with Ilinykh
Soon after, in early April 2014, <mask>'s coaches invited Katsalapov's former partner, Elena Ilinykh, to try out with their student. Coached by Elena Kustarova in Moscow, Ilinykh/<mask> began training together in an unofficial partnership — the Russian federation having decided to give Ilinykh/Katsalapov time to reconcile — and received approval at the end of May. 2014–15 season
For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, Ilinykh/<mask> were assigned to Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup. Making their international debut, they placed fourth at Cup of China and then won the silver medal behind Americans Madison Chock / Evan Bates at Rostelecom Cup. They qualified for the Grand Prix Final in their first season as a team. At the GPF in Barcelona, they placed sixth in the short dance, fourth in the free dance, and sixth overall. At the 2015 Russian Championships, Ilinykh/Ziganshin won their first national title.2015–16 season
Ilinykh/Zhiganshin began their season at the Mordovian Ornament, which they won with new personal bests in all segments. For the 2015–16 Grand Prix season, they were once again assigned to Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup. They won the bronze at Cup of China behind Italians Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte and Americans Madison Chock / Evan Bates. Their next competition they finished 5th at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup. On December 24-27, Ilinykh/Zhiganshin competed at the 2016 Russian Championships, where they finished 4th behind Alexandra Stepanova / Ivan Bukin after placing fourth in the short dance and second in the free dance. Ilinykh/Zhiganshin decided to fly to Michigan on 27 February 2016 to work with Igor Shpilband. 2016–17 season
They finished fourth at the 2017 Russian Championships, losing the bronze to Sinisina/Katsalapov by 0.17.They had a one-point deduction after part of their costume fell onto the ice. <mask> decided to retire from competition due to a spinal injury. Programs

With Ilinykh

With Sinitsina

Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Ilinykh

With Sinitsina

Detailed results
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. With Ilinykh

With Sinitsina

References

External links

Russian male ice dancers
1992 births
Living people
Figure skaters from Moscow
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters of Russia
Tatar people of Russia
Universiade medalists in figure skating
Universiade bronze medalists for Russia
Competitors at the 2013 Winter Universiade

masks:
Ruslan Nailevich Zhiganshin
Ruslan Zhiganshin
Nelli Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin
Zhiganshin


title: Rollie Massimino

texts:
<mask> (November 13, 1934 – August 30, 2017) was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1992–1994), Cleveland State University (1996–2003), and at Northwood University's Florida campus, which was sold in 2014 to Keiser University (2006–2017). At Villanova, he led his 1984–85 team to the NCAA championship. Entering the 1985 NCAA Tournament as an eight seed, Villanova defeated their heavily favored Big East Conference foe, the Georgetown Hoyas, in the title game. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history. Education
<mask> graduated in 1952 from Hillside High School in Hillside, New Jersey. In 1956, he earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Vermont (UVM), where he played varsity basketball for three years.He earned a master's degree equivalent in health and physical education from Rutgers University in 1959. While he was a student at UVM, he became a member of the Alpha-Lambda chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Coaching career

High school
After graduating from UVM, <mask> entered the coaching ranks, where he coached varsity baseball and freshman and JV basketball at Cranford High School in Cranford, New Jersey. In 1959, he began a four-year tenure as head varsity basketball coach at Hillside High School in Hillside, New Jersey, the town in which he had grown up. In his second year as head basketball coach at Hillside, he led his team to the finals of the State Group III Championship. They lost a tightly contested final game to Burlington High School from Burlington, New Jersey. The Hillside team was led by Frank Checorski, a unanimous Top-Five All-State Selection throughout The Garden State.In 1963, with the support of high school All-American Bill Schutsky—who later captained the Army Cadets basketball team—<mask> led the Comets to the state Group IV finals. In both seasons, Hillside was defeated in the final playoff game by Newark's Central High School. The Comets lost during both years to a team composed of taller players, despite pushing the thrilling 1963 championship game into double-overtime. For the 1963–64 season, <mask> moved to Lexington High School in Massachusetts. In 1965, he led the Lexington squad to a state championship and later led another to a 20–1 record. Along the way, Massimino was laying the foundation for an elite scholastic program which later dominated the Middlesex League, winning state titles in 1971, 1972, and 1978 along with league championships in 16 of the past 30 years. In ten seasons as a high school coach, Massimino compiled a 160–61 record.College
<mask>'s collegiate debut came in 1969 as head coach of the Stony Brook University. In his first season the Patriots (now Seawolves) won the conference championship after going 19–6, earning a berth in the NCAA small college tournament. <mask>'s next stop was as an assistant coach under Chuck Daly at the University of Pennsylvania. <mask> left Penn in March 1973, succeeding Jack Kraft as head coach of Villanova and leading the 1984-85 Wildcats team to one of the greatest upsets in NCAA tournament history by knocking off top-seeded Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) in the 1985 NCAA Tournament Championship Game. The road to the finals proved an even greater challenge, kicking off with a win on #9-seed Dayton's home court, followed by victories over #1-seed Michigan, #4-seed Maryland, #2-seed North Carolina, before culminating in a Final Four victory over #2-seeded Memphis State. After Villanova's unexpected championship run, <mask> was offered the head coaching position of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. At the last minute, he declined the offer to stay at Villanova and devote more time to his family.After a few sub-par years, <mask> left Villanova in 1992 to assume the head coaching job at UNLV. The initial hope was that he could restore the success and credibility of the UNLV program after the basketball team's 1991–92 probation and the forced resignation of long-time coach Jerry Tarkanian. Two years later, <mask> was himself forced out when it was revealed that he and UNLV president Robert Maxson had cut a side deal to lift <mask>'s salary above the figure being reported to the state of Nevada and the state commission ruled that this had violated both state ethics laws, as well as UNLV rules. Moving on to Cleveland State University in 1996, <mask>'s teams recorded a 90–113 record in his seven seasons as coach. <mask>'s contract was bought out following a series of off-court issues. These included several players with drug and alcohol problems, other players arrested for serious crimes, and allegations of academic fraud. <mask> was the head coach of the men's basketball team at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida, members in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).<mask> continued his role as coach when Northwood University sold its Florida campus to Keiser University. The 2005-06 Northwood team coached by <mask> was its inaugural season in The Sun Conference. In his first four seasons with the Seahawks, <mask> led Northwood to four FSC regular season titles, four appearances in the NAIA National tournament, and the Seahawks reached the Elite Eight in 2008. <mask> and the Seahawks have received bids to the NAIA tournament in all of his eight seasons at Northwood, with the team's best finishes a place in the national semifinals in 2011 and a national runner-up finish in 2012. Through the end of the 2013–14 season, <mask>'s overall record at Northwood stands at 227–48 ( winning percentage). On November 1, 2012, <mask> returned to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky for the first time since his 1985 championship triumph, playing a preseason exhibition game against reigning NCAA Division I champions Kentucky. The game was played at the request of Massimino after indicating to Kentucky head coach John Calipari that the 2012–13 season could be his last in coaching.In a later interview, <mask> hedged somewhat, saying, "I don't know if it's my last [season]. I hope I can go another year or so." Kentucky introduced <mask> with a video montage of the final minutes of Villanova's 1985 victory. On December 14, 2016, <mask> at 82 years old, reached coaching win number 800 when Keiser University defeated Trinity Baptist 77–47. Fox Sports released a 2018 television documentary titled The Maestro: The <mask> <mask> Story, written and directed by Bill Raftery, which chronicles <mask>'s final season (2016–17) coaching Keiser University. <mask> coached the season, against his doctors' recommendation, while battling terminal cancer. Death
Massimino was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and brain cancer in April 2016 and given one year to live.Coincidentally, he was at NRG Stadium in Houston in April 2016 to see Villanova win the NCAA tournament. <mask> died sixteen months later on August 30, 2017. To honor <mask>'s memory, Villanova wore throwback uniforms throughout 2017–18 in the style of those the Wildcats did during their 1984–85 championship season. Head coaching record

See also
 List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
 List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach

References

External links
 Northwood profile
 Cleveland State profile

1934 births
2017 deaths
American men's basketball players
American people of Italian descent
Basketball coaches from New Jersey
Basketball players from New Jersey
Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Florida
Deaths from lung cancer
Hillside High School (New Jersey) alumni
High school basketball coaches in the United States
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Northwood Seahawks men's basketball coaches
Penn Quakers men's basketball coaches
People from Hillside, New Jersey
Rutgers University alumni
Sportspeople from Union County, New Jersey
Stony Brook Seawolves men's basketball coaches
UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball coaches
Vermont Catamounts men's basketball players
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball coaches

masks:
Roland Vincent Massimino
Roland Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Rollie
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino
Massimino


title: Itzam Kʼan Ahk II

texts:
<mask> II (, November 18, 701November 26, 757), also known as Ruler 4, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 729 to 757 AD. <mask> II ascended to the throne following the death of <mask> II. <mask> II may have fathered the following three kings of Piedras Negras: <mask>, Haʼ Kʼin Xook, and <mask> II. Following <mask> II's demise, he was succeeded by <mask> in 757 AD. <mask> II left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a large mortuary temple now known as Pyramid O-13. In addition, the details of his life and his Kʼatun-jubilee were commemorated on Panel 3, raised by <mask> II several years following <mask> II's death.Biography

Lineage

<mask> <mask> <mask> II, also known as Ruler 4, was born on November 18, 701 AD (9.13.9.14.15 7 Men 18 Kʼankʼin  in the Long Count). Of the three extant references to <mask> Kʼan Ahk's birth, not a single one mentions his line of descent, suggesting that <mask> <mask> Ahk was not Kʼinich Yoʼnal <mask> II's son. With this said, Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube note that in one carving, the ajaw is shown with a turtle ornament on his belt, suggesting that one of his ancestors had the word auk ("turtle") in their name and was thus of royal blood. Additionally, Stela 40 shows what could be <mask> Kʼan Ahk's mother in Teotihuacano garb, suggesting that Itzam Kʼan Ahk was emphasizing maternal connections to Teotihuacan. Martin and Grube also note that this stela was erected exactly 83 Tzolkʼin, or about 59 years, following the death of <mask> Kʼan <mask> I (a former ajaw of Piedras Negras whose Itzam Kʼan Ahk II appropriated), which could suggest the existence of some "special link" between the two. Reign

<mask> <mask> <mask> II ascended to power on November 9, 729 AD (9.14.18.3.13 7 Ben 16 Kʼankʼin). In 749 AD, the ajaw celebrated his one Kʼatun, an event that was attended by many dignitaries, including a bʼaah sajal ("first ruler") named Kʼan Moʼ Teʼ who had served Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk II.The events of this banquet were later recorded by the final ajaw of Piedras Negras, Kʼinich Yat <mask> II on Panel 3; this artifact shows <mask> <mask> <mask> II lecturing the interim ruler of Yaxchilan, Yopaat Bahlam II, about Piedras Negras's local dominance. (This panel has lent support to the argument that during <mask> <mask> <mask> II's rule, Piedras Negras had eclipsed Yaxchilan in power.) The Kʼatun celebration was followed by another event a few days later, at which <mask> <mask> <mask> II "performed a 'descending macaw' dance" and then had a drink made from fermented cacao beans passed around to his guests. <mask> <mask> <mask> II likely engaged in war, as a pyrite disc found in his tomb depicts the severed head of a leader from Hix Witz. Houston et al. argue that Hix Witz was under Piedras Negras's control, largely based on the disk and because the Maya center is identified on Panel 7, erected earlier by Itzam Kʼan <mask> I, as a "tributary bearing plumes and textiles" to Piedras Negras. Death

<mask> <mask> <mask> II's reign was one marked by "hegemony over neighboring kingdoms".The ruler died on November 26, 757 AD (9.16.6.11.17 7 Kaban 0 Pax) and was buried three days later. According to Panel 3, the burial took place at the mythical "'mountain' of ho janaab witz", which in this context referred to Pyramid O-13. <mask> <mask> <mask> II was succeeded by Yoʼnal <mask> III on March 10, 758 AD. <mask> <mask> <mask> II's burial site was venerated by the succeeding kings of Piedras Negras, which has led some to hypothesize that <mask> <mask> <mask> II produced a new ruling dynasty, and that the following three kings—Yoʼnal <mask> <mask>, Haʼ Kʼin Xook, and Kʼinich Yat <mask> II—were his sons. Monuments

Stelae

Itzam Kʼan <mask> II erected at least five stelae: 9, 10, 11, 22, and 40, of which Stelae 9, 10, and 11 were raised in front of or near Structure J-3. Stela 11, constructed in August of 731 AD, is of the niche variety (meaning it depicts the ruler seated in a small hollow, or niche) and commemorates <mask> <mask> <mask> II's ascension to power. This monument depicts the ajaw flanked by witnesses to the ceremonies explored on the stela itself.The expanse in front of the stone slab "designates the space ... as one of offering and supplication", given the depiction of human sacrifice near the monument's bottom. The monument was discovered by Teoberto Maler in two pieces on the ground; the front was well-preserved (even retaining some of its pigment), although the glyphs on the upper right were weathered. Sometime in the 1960s, looters broke up the fallen monument so they would have an easier time smuggling it out of the site. The top portion is currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), whereas the bottom half is in a private collection in Switzerland. Stela 9 had long been broken into thirds when it was discovered in 1899 by Maler. While these fragments had eroded slightly, the base was later found in situ by the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum. In the 1960s, looters carted off parts of the monument, namely a portion depicting a captive.Stela 10 is highly eroded, resulting in a loss of detail. In addition to this decay, the head ornament has presumably been lost. Stela 22 was dedicated on the East Group Plaza, located in front of Structure O-12, thereby "initiat[ing]" the East Group Plaza as a locus for sculpture and stelae. While previous stelae had faced other directions, Stela 22 faced northwest towards the site's acropolis, creating "a new axis of dialogue across the site." Stela 40 contains the depiction of the aforementioned woman dressed in Teotihuacano garb; it shows <mask> Kʼan <mask> II dispersing somethinghypothesized to be either blood or incenseinto a "psychoduct" (that is, "a vent leading into a subplaza tomb"). Simon and Grube argue that "the connection between the living and the dead is manifested [on this stela] as a 'knotted cord' or breath which travels down to enter the nose of the deceased". The female on the stela, denoted only by an "upside down vase" glyph, is likely <mask> <mask> <mask> II's mother; Pitts argues that the monument "offers an interesting vignette of <mask> Kʼan <mask> II and his loyalty to a female ancestor, probably his mother."Pyramid O-13

Pyramid O-13 is the name given to the hypothesized mortuary temple of Kʼinich Yat <mask> II. According to Stephen Houston et al., it was nearly "twice as large" as any of Piedras Negras's previous structures. The pyramid was modified substantially following <mask> <mask> <mask> II's demise: Kʼinich Yat <mask> II, for instance, reset the older Panel 2 and installed Panel 1 and the now-famous Panel 3. Megan O'Neil argues that these changes were made in order for the ruling ajaw to "engag[e] with the past". Given that the last known rulers of Piedras Negras erected their stelae on or near this pyramid and all three of these leaders also revered the site as some sort of dynastic shrine, it is possible that they were Kʼinich Yat <mask> II's sons. In 1997, Héctor Escobedo discovered a tomb (Burial 13) containing the bodies of an adult and two adolescents underneath the plaza floor at the front of the pyramid's frontal stairs. While some believe this to have been the resting place for <mask> <mask> <mask> II, Stephen D. Houston cautions that this has not been conclusively proven.Among the artifacts found within (including pieces of jade and ornaments), archaeologists uncovered evidence that the tomb had been reentered after it was sealed: many bones were missing from the three bodies, and it appeared that the skeletons had been charred by fire sometime after their initial entombment. Scholars eventually concluded that this apparent desecration was actually part of a ritual described on Panel 3 called el naah umukil (the "house-burning at the burial"), and that it was carried out by Kʼinich Yat <mask> II. In terms of architecture, the O-13 Pyramid and the Late Classic Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque are very similar: both have the same number of substructure terraces, both pyramids' substructures have exactly five doors, and both were built into the sides of hills. Damien Marken and Kirk Straight, use this similarity—as well as inscriptions on stelae at Palenque—to argue that there existed some sort of relationship between Piedras Negras and Palenque. References

Bibliography

Kings of Piedras Negras
8th century in the Maya civilization
8th-century monarchs in North America
8th century in Guatemala

masks:
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Yoʼnal Ahk III
Kʼinich Yat Ahk
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Yoʼnal Ahk III
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Kʼinich Yat Ahk
Itzam Kʼan Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Itzam
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk
III
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Itzam
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk
Ahk
Itzam
Kʼan
Ahk
Ahk


title: Alexandre Benois

texts:
<mask>ich <mask> (; , Saint Petersburg9 February 1960, Paris) was a Russian artist, art critic, historian, preservationist and founding member of Mir iskusstva (World of Art), an art movement and magazine. As a designer for the Ballets Russes under Sergei Diaghilev, Benois exerted what is considered a seminal influence on the modern ballet and stage design. Early life and education
<mask> was born into the artistic and intellectual <mask> family, prominent members of the 19th- and early 20th-century Russian intelligentsia. His mother Camilla (Russian: Камилла Альбертовна Кавос, and then Бенуа) was the granddaughter of Catterino Cavos. His father was <mask>, a noted Russian architect. His brothers included Albert, a painter, and Leon, also a notable architect. His sister, Maria, married the composer and conductor Nikolai Tcherepnin (with whom <mask> would work).Not planning a career in the arts, <mask> graduated from the Faculty of Law, Saint Petersburg Imperial University, in 1894. Entry into art career

Three years later while in Versailles, <mask> painted a series of watercolors depicting Last Promenades of Louis XIV. When exhibited by Pavel Tretyakov in 1897, they brought him to attention of Sergei Diaghilev and the artist Léon Bakst. Together the three men founded the art magazine and movement Mir iskusstva (World of Art), which promoted the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau in Russia. During the first decade of the new century, <mask> continued to edit Mir iskusstva, but also pursued his scholarly and artistic interests. He wrote and published several monographs on 19th-century Russian art and Tsarskoye Selo. In 1903, <mask> printed his illustrations to Pushkin's poem The Bronze Horseman, a work since recognized as one of the landmarks in the genre.In 1904, he published his "Alphabet in Pictures", at once a children's primer and elaborate art book, copies of which fetch as much as $10,000US at auction. Illustrations from this volume were featured at a video presentation during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. In 1901, <mask> was appointed scenic director of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, the performance space for the Imperial Russian Ballet. He moved to Paris in 1905 and thereafter devoted most of his time to stage design and decor. During these years, his work with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes was groundbreaking. His sets and costumes for the productions of Les Sylphides (1909), Giselle (1910), and Petrushka (1911), are counted among his greatest triumphs. Although <mask> worked primarily with the Ballets Russes, he also collaborated with the Moscow Art Theatre and other notable theatres of Europe.Surviving the upheaval of the Russian Revolution of 1917, <mask> achieved recognition for his scholarship; he was selected as curator of the gallery of Old Masters in the Hermitage Museum at Leningrad, where he served from 1918 to 1926. During this time he secured his brother's heirloom Leonardo da Vinci painting of the Madonna for the museum. It became known as the Madonna Benois. <mask> published his Memoirs in two volumes in 1955. In 1927 he left Russia and settled in Paris. He worked primarily as a set designer after settling in France. Family

In 1894, <mask> married  from a renowned Russian music family.They first met in 1876 when <mask> was learning music from the family patriarch, Karl Ivanovich Kind (who came to Russia in 1850s by the invitation of Nicholas I of Russia to be the royal court's first string violinist). Anna and <mask> were married for 60 years and are buried together at Batignolles Cemetery in Paris. <mask> played a central role in the Russian artistic community both before and after the Revolution. Anna was always by his side. Her presence was positively remembered in the artistic circles with several mentions by artist like Mstislav Dobuzhinsky. She was a model painted by Léon Bakst, Valentin Serov, Zinaida Serebriakova, and others. Notable family members include:

 <mask>'s son, Nicola Alexandrovich <mask> (also known as <mask>), was born in 1901, and went on to become a celebrated opera designer, creating costumes and sets for opera companies all over the world.<mask>'s nephew, Nikolai Albertovich <mask>, married the opera singer Maria Nikolaevna Kuznetsova. <mask> was also the uncle of Eugene Lanceray and Zinaida Serebriakova, who became recognized Russian artists, and one of the great-uncles of the British actor Sir Peter Ustinov. <mask> was the cousin of Hans von Bartels, of the Alsace Lorraine Bartels. Benois biography contains an entire chapter dedicated to Hans von Bartels. He has a great-great granddaughter living in Moscow, called Maria. See also
Benois family

Works

Cultural depictions
 Anna Pavlova, film by Emil Loteanu; portrayed by Anatoli Romashin (1983). See also

 List of Russian artists

References

Bibliography
Katerina Clark, Petersburg: Crucible of the Cultural Revolution (Cambridge, MA, 1995).John E. Bowlt, The Silver Age: Russian Art of the Early Twentieth Century and the 'World of Art' Group (Newtonville, MA, 1982). Janet Kennedy, The Mir Iskusstva Group and Russian Art, 1898-1912 (New York, 1978). Sergei Makovskii, Stranitsy khudozhestvennoi kritiki – Kniga vtoraia: Sovremennye Russkie khudozhniki (Saint Petersburg, 1909). Gregory Stroud, Retrospective Revolution: A History of Time and Memory in Urban Russia, 1903-1923 (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006). External links

This <mask>ich <mask> collection contains a skechbook with costume and set designs for Giselle by Adolphe Adam (1924) held by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University Libraries. 1870 births
1960 deaths
Alexandre
20th-century Russian painters
Art Nouveau painters
Ballet librettists
Ballet designers
Artists of the Russian Empire
Painters of the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
Painters from Saint Petersburg
People from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg State University alumni
White Russian emigrants to France
Burials at Batignolles Cemetery
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France
Russian people of French descent

masks:
Alexandre Nikolayev
Benois
Alexandre
Benois
Nicholas Benois
Alexandre
Alexandre
Benois
Benois
Benois
Benois
Benois
Benois
Benois
Alexandre
Alexandre
Alexandre
Alexandre
Alexandre
Benois
Nikolai Benois
Alexandre
Benois
Alexandre
Alexandre
Alexandre Nikolayev
Benois


title: Russell J. Howard

texts:
<mask><mask> is an Australian-born executive, entrepreneur and scientist. He was a pioneer in the fields of molecular parasitology, especially malaria, and in leading the commercialisation of one of the most important methods used widely today in molecular biology today called “DNA shuffling" or "Molecular breeding", a form of "Directed evolution". His contributions to malaria research over an 18-year period began in Australia at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, then continued as a tenured Principal Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, USA, and continued at the biotechnology companies DNAX (now Schering-Plough Biopharma) and Affymax in California. Thirteen years of his group's malaria research on antigenic variation in malaria  culminated in the first molecular cloning of the malarial antigen PfEMP1, a parasite protein that this human malaria parasite expresses on the surface of malaria-infected red cells This antigen represents critical biological functions for the parasite including immune evasion and adherence to microvascular endothelial cells. During this time <mask> served on the World Health Organization's Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases and the USAID program for research and vaccine development in malaria. While <mask> was President and Scientific Director at Affymax Research Institute, Willem 'Pim' Stemmer conceived and developed DNA shuffling Technology. This revolutionary technology for improving the expressed phenotype of genes, pathways, plasmids, viruses and genomes gave birth to the creation and spinout of Maxygen Inc. where <mask> was CEO for 12 years (1997-2009).He took the company public in 1999 and led its growth with 10's of corporate partnerships and technology application programs that led ultimately to the development and commercialisation worldwide of 10's of Life Science products in diverse fields. Maxygen exploited DNA Shuffling technology across the entire Life Sciences spectrum, creating new companies dedicated to Agricultural Products (Verdia) and Industrial Chemical opportunities (Codexis) as well as a Protein Pharmaceuticals Business (Perseid). In 2008, <mask> left Maxygen to found Oakbio Inc. in 2009. He remains Chairman of Oakbio Inc. (doing business as NovoNutrients Inc.), in Sunnyvale, California, USA. NovoNutrients uses proprietary microbes for CO2 capture from industrial processes. Industrial CO2 emissions are used as sole carbon source and H2 gas as sole energy source to manufacture bacterial biomass, or single cell protein, a source of high quality protein for aquaculture and in future, for human foods . Upon taking up residence in 2012 in Sydney, Australia, <mask> became Executive Chairman of NeuClone Pty.Ltd., a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to development of biosimilars of monoclonal antibody drugs. In 2013 <mask> joined Prima Biomed Pty. Ltd., based in Sydney, Berlin and Paris, later renamed Immutep Pty. Ltd., as Non-Executive Director. In 2017 he took the role of Non-Executive Chairman and continues today in this role. Immutep develops novel immuno-oncology and autoimmune drugs based on its LAG3 patent estate. He was Commercial Strategy Advisor at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research's Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics in Sydney, 2015-2018.<mask> has published over 145 scientific publications in refereed journals and is an inventor on nine issued patents. Education
<mask> graduated from Box Hill High School in Melbourne, Australia and later majored in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Melbourne, culminating in a PhD in 1975 where he studied the carbohydrate and central metabolism of Caulerpa simpliciuscula, a marine green alga. Employment
He spent his first postdoctoral studies from 1976–1979 at the Immunoparasitology Laboratory at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, with frequent visits and collaborative work on sialic acids at the Biochemisches Institut at Christian Albrechts Universitat in Kiel, Germany. He started working as a Research Associate in the Malaria Section of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland before earning his tenure in the same institution in 1987. From 1988 to 1992, he worked at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases of the DNAX Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Palo Alto, California, USA, with dual roles, studying cytokine genes for Schering Plough, the parent organisation of DNAX Research Institute, and leading his Infectious Diseases laboratory there on malaria work funded by DNAX and USAID. In 1994, he was named President and Scientific Director of Affymax, Inc. where he managed teams working on small molecule drug lead discovery using combinatorial chemistry and high throughput target screening. His independent malaria work continued at Affymax with support from USAID and Affymax, leading to cloning of the PfEMP1 gene while at Affymax.After Affymax was purchased by GlaxoWellcome, <mask> led technology transfer and interchange in combinatorial chemistry, drug discovery and optimisation between Affymax and GlaxoWellcome worldwide. During this time, Molecular breeding or DNA shuffling Technology was conceived and the nascent company Maxygen Inc. incubated for later spun out from Affymax-GlaxoWellcome. From 1997 to 2009, <mask> worked as Maxygen's CEO, focusing on human, including, protein pharmaceutical drugs and vaccine discovery, as core business. Non-core businesses were successively incubated, nurtured and spun-out (Codexis) or sold (Verdia). In 2008, he left Maxygen with $200MM in cash, no debt, on-going clinical stage drug development programs and multiple partnerships and licenses with other parties. Following his departure, <mask> started Oakbio, Inc., doing business as NovoNutrients Inc , a privately held Clean Technology company in Sunnyvale, California, USA. NovoNutrients captures CO2 from industrial waste gas streams and uses microbial chemosynthetic systems to capture and convert this carbon resource to protein-rich microbial biomass and valuable chemicals, sequestering a Green House Gas from accumulation in the atmosphere.In 2012 <mask> moved residency from Silicon Valley, California, where he had worked for 25 years, to Sydney, Australia. From Sydney, <mask> acts as Executive Chairman of NeuClone, Non-Executive Chairman of Immutep and Chairman of NovoNutrients. Financing leadership
With <mask> as CEO, Maxygen, Inc. completed its initial public offering of $110MM in 1999, just two years after its spinout from Affymax-GlaxoWellcome. In March 2000, Maxygen raised another $150MM in a Secondary Public Offering. More recently, <mask> and colleagues at NeuClone, Pty. Ltd. raised >$10 MM (AUS) from private investors in Sydney to support development of a portfolio of 10 biosimilar monoclonal antibodies. Recognition & research
<mask> has been awarded three Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degrees, one from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia in 2004, one from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia in 2008 and the third from the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia in 2014.He was awarded the inaugural Grimwade Medal for Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, in 2016. <mask>'s >145 publications tackle topics ranging from the metabolism of the algae Caulerpa simpliciuscula, to the molecular pathogenesis of human cerebral malaria and the role of parasite antigenic variation and infected cell adherence in disease virulence. His papers reflect successful use of the tools of biochemistry, protein chemistry and structure-function, molecular biology, cell biology, large animal studies, and field studies with humans. Patents
<mask> is an inventor on nine patents. At the NIH he patented discovery, characterisation and cloning of a novel gene encoding a soluble malarial antigen, called PfHRP2 that the most lethal human malaria releases into the blood. This discovery led to a rapid, sensitive, inexpensive and reliable diagnostic test for malaria infection that the NIH licensed commercially. This test has been used worldwide for over 15 years.In 1990 and 1995, he and his colleagues at Affymax applied for the patents of antigenic determinants obtained using a pathogenic agent or a derivative that presents a restricted set of antigens, and recombinant DNA clone from Plasmodium falciparum. While working at Maxygen Inc., he and his colleagues developed three patents for the following technologies: antigen library immunisation using polynucleotides encoding flavivirus and alphavirus; multivalent antigenic polypeptides; and optimisation of immunomodulatory properties of genetic vaccines

Selected references and publications

External links
 Affymax Research Institute
 Maxygen, Inc.
 Oakbio, Inc.
 NeuClone Pty. Ltd.
 Prima Biomed Pty. Ltd
 Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, The Garvan Institute

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Australian scientists
Australian businesspeople
Garvan Institute of Medical Research alumni
Malariologists
WEHI alumni

masks:
Russell J
. Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard
Howard


title: Abul Fateh

texts:
<mask>nagar administration as well as in peacetime. A former Carnegie Fellow in International Peace and Rockefeller Foundation Scholar and Research Fellow, he has been described as "soft-spoken and scholarly" and "a lesson for all diplomats". Exceptionally for a Bengali-born diplomat, he rose to the most senior ranks of public service in Pakistan. Then at the time Bangladesh began seeking independence, he spectacularly defected and changed sides to support the fledgling country of Bangladesh – a major propaganda coup and morale boost for the cause of Bangladeshi liberation given his stature in Pakistan's hierarchy. <mask> was automatically the highest-ranked and most senior foreign service officer in the new country. His story was later documented in a National Geographic documentary, Running for Freedom.Following his death he was described by a former colleague and successor Foreign Secretary as "a great and brave freedom fighter" who was at the same time "remarkably reticent about his contributions", a "soft-spoken and scholarly diplomat" whose service to the Bangladeshi independence cause at a critical period was "invaluable" and "a lesson for all diplomats. His outstanding professional skill and deep sense of patriotism should be a shining example". The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dipu Moni talked about his "contribution to self-right movements of people, country's independence struggle and managing assistance to war-ravaged country after independence." She also cited his "outstanding career", stating that he would be "always remembered for his contribution to the country's liberation" war. Although rarely in the public eye, Fateh was a distinguished figure in the history of post-Second World War, post-colonial diplomacy, a public servant who was a leading light behind the scenes within the Developing World and Non Aligned Conference, including the Commonwealth, with a significant tour of duty in Washington D.C. at the height of the Cold War. In the West too <mask> came to be held in the highest regard, a rare joint U.S./U.K. intelligence assessment remarking in 1977 that he was: "very able, highly intelligent, moderate, easy to deal with, and well informed".At the launch of his university's South Asia Centre in 2015, the President and Director of the London School of Economics Professor Craig Calhoun included Fateh in a list of a dozen public figures of the 20th century who he felt represented "the greatest fruits" of the "close mutual relations between South Asia and the LSE". Biography

Early life and education
Fateh was born in Kishoreganj on 16 May 1924 in a landowning family, to Abdul Gafur and his second wife Zohra Khatun. Fateh was a middle child, in a large family of a dozen children who survived to adulthood, while two other siblings died young. His father Abdul Gafur had attended Presidency College, Calcutta, and was one of the first Muslim daroga (sheriffs) in British India. Fateh's mother Zohra was the daughter of a local nobleman. Fateh passed his matriculation exams from Ramkrishna High English School in Kishorganj in 1941. After passing his Intermediate exams from Ananda Mohan College in Mymensingh in 1943, he undertook higher studies in English Literature at Dhaka University (BA Honours in 1946 and MA in 1947) where he also excelled in sport, for a time captaining the cricket team and becoming the table tennis champion.Pakistani diplomat
While teaching English Literature at Brindaban College in Sylhet, he took the first Foreign Service exams of Pakistan (1948), before teaching English Literature for a few months at Michael Madhusudhan Datta College in Jessore. He joined the first batch of Pakistan Foreign Service trainees in 1949, moving to Karachi. Soon after he left for training in London, which included taking a special course at the London School of Economics, before he moved in 1950 to Paris to complete his training. Returning briefly to Karachi, he was sent back (1951) to Paris as Third Secretary in the Pakistan Embassy. A further posting as Third Secretary followed in Calcutta (1953–1956). During this time he married, at Rangpur on 5 January 1956, Mahfuza Banu of Dhubri, Assam daughter of Shahabuddin Ahmed, a respected lawyer and Mashudaa Banu a well known social campaigner. Then promoted to Second Secretary, he served in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 1956 to 1960, during which time he and his wife had their two sons, one of whom, Aladin, is a strategy consultant, academic, artist and Editor Emeritus of the Bangladeshi news organisation Bdnews24.<mask> was a Director attached to the Foreign Ministry in Karachi from 1960 to 1963, during which time he was founding Director of Pakistan's Foreign Service Academy in Lahore and also went for a year and a half (1962–1963) to Geneva as a Fellow of the Graduate Institute of International Studies (Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales) under a Carnegie fellowship. Further foreign postings followed. He was First Secretary (and latterly acting chief of mission) in Prague from 1965 to 1966, Counsellor in New Delhi from 1966 to 1967, and Deputy High Commissioner in Calcutta from 1968 to 1970. He received his first posting as ambassador, at the Pakistan Embassy in Baghdad, in 1970. Bangladeshi independence

After the Pakistani military crackdown in March 1971, Fateh received a request from a former university dormitory mate, Syed Nazrul Islam, now Acting President in the Bangladesh government-in-exile, to join the liberation struggle. At about the same time, in July 1971, <mask> received a summons from the Pakistan Foreign Ministry to attend a conference in Tehran of regional Pakistani ambassadors. He chose to take his official car ostensibly to drive to Tehran but, as he and his driver approached the Iran–Iraq border, he feigned chest pains and ordered the driver to return him home, where he arrived that evening.Saying that he would take a plane the next day, he dismissed the driver. That night, he fled with his wife and sons across the border into Kuwait, where they were assisted by officials attached to the local Indian Embassy to take a plane to London. The announcement of <mask>'s defection to the Bangladesh cause marked the first time a full ambassador had joined the fledgling Bangladesh diplomatic service. The news was received with fury by the military regime in Islamabad, duped by what was later described as a "cool and calculated James Bond-type adventure" and a calculated plunge into danger. It was a dramatic defection which created sensation in diplomatic circles and greatly boosted the morale of those engaged in the war of liberation. The Yahya Khan military regime in Pakistan was furious and requested the British Government to extradite Fateh from London, but the requests were rebuffed by the British Government. These events were chronicled in a 2003 National Geographic Channel television documentary, Running for Freedom.The Mujibnagar government made him ambassador-at-large, followed in August 1971 by the concurrent position of Advisor to the Acting President, a position he was to resign in January 1972 after the return to Bangladesh of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He had a key role managing relations with the United States and India whilst heading the nascent country's diplomatic service. As the senior-most diplomat of the Bangladesh movement in the United Nations delegation under Justice Abu Sayed Choudhury which was in New York in September 1971 to lobby for the Bangladesh cause at the General Assembly, he played a vital role in the delegation's lobbying efforts. He was also in communication with other governments, such as the Nixon administration in the United States and also with Senators, Congressmen, and high officials in the US Administration, World Bank, and IMF; he had the advantage as well of being familiar with decision-makers and the decision-making process having served as a diplomat in Washington 20 years earlier. Former colleague Syed Muazzem Ali described him as a "soft-spoken and scholarly diplomat" who was exceptional in articulating the cause and whose contributions were invaluable. He was one of the first high officials to reach Dhaka after its liberation, and was quartered with other senior officials in Bangabhaban until January 1972. He was also the highest Bangladeshi official in Dhaka until the acting president and cabinet arrived after independence; on his arrival in Dhaka he was driven under escort from the airport, becoming the first civilian official to lay a wreath at the ruins of the Shaheed Minar, an act planned to mark the first presence of the government in Dhaka.Already the effective head of the incipient foreign service, he became Foreign Secretary at the end of 1971, playing a key role in formulating Bangladesh's foreign policy. Bangladeshi ambassador
He then took up the position of Bangladesh's first Ambassador in Paris (1972–1976). The early part of this posting involved extensive travel in Africa to persuade African governments to recognise the independence of Bangladesh. In 1973 he represented Bangladesh at a Commonwealth conference for Youth Ministers in Lusaka. In 1975 he went to Morocco and, at a time of a shortage in supply of phosphates, managed to secure a substantial phosphate shipment for Bangladesh. In mid-1975 he was selected to be High Commissioner in the UK, which post he took up in early 1976. His two years in London (1976–1977) saw him Chairing the Commonwealth Conference on Human Ecology and Development and the Bangladesh government approved his recommendation that dual citizenship be permitted.Many people from Bangladesh were settled in the UK, whose remittances into Bangladesh were an important source of foreign exchange. He pointed out that to oblige them to forgo Bangladesh citizenship if they took up the benefits of British nationality was not conducive to the continued maintenance of their ties to the mother country. His last post was as ambassador in Algiers (1977–1982). He represented the Bangladesh government at conferences on Namibia in Algiers of the United Nations (1980) and the Non Aligned Conference (1981). He retired from that post in 1982. Fateh became a casualty of Bangladesh's complex and shifting political landscape towards the end of his career. As he was closely identified with Bangladesh's initial, Liberation War era administration Fateh was not favoured by the military-backed regimes which followed it.Contemporary historians have characterised his Ambassadorial assignment to Algeria as a premature transfer and a virtual exile in a diplomatic post which was a relative back-water. One commentator voicing the widely held belief that <mask> was "a victim of conspiracy hatched against him by anti-liberation forces. Retirement
Retiring in 1982, he lived with his wife Mahfuza <mask> in Dhaka for ten years before they settled in London to be near their sons. Death and honours at funeral
<mask> died in London of natural causes at 0745 on 4 December 2010. A Sufi, he once cited a few of the axioms according to which he led his life: "Do not speak anything that you do not yourself know to be true." "Speak in the spirit of offering, without the need to draw attention to yourself." "You should stand up when it matters."Fateh was buried with Bangladesh State Honours at Hendon Cemetery, London on 7 December 2010

The Bangladesh Government was represented by His Excellency the Bangladesh High Commissioner Professor Mohammad Sayeedur Rahman Khan Khan who delivered a homily which spoke of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's devastation at the news of Ambassador <mask>'s death, conveyed the condolences of Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and spoke of the highest standard of public service that Mr. Fateh's conduct and career represented. In consideration of the esteem of the Bangladesh government and its people for Ambassador Fateh, the High Commissioner had personally brought the flag of Bangladesh to be draped over the coffin so that Mr. Fateh could briefly lie in state before his interring. Justice of the Supreme Court the Right Honorable Syed Refaat Ahmed also spoke at the event about Fateh's humility and self-effacement in all contexts, against the backdrop of an enormous contribution to the public and civic life of the country. A few days later at the Qul Khwani and non-denominational Sufi service on 11 December 2010, Murad Qureshi, Member of the London Assembly at London's City Hall, spoke, reminding those gathered that Fateh father chose to stand and be counted during the 1971 war in quite fraught circumstances. The Sufi Order established by Inayat Khan, whose son Vilayat Inayat Khan was a friend of <mask>, arranged a non-denominational Sufi Service. Pir Vilayat Khan's son Pir Zia Khan sent a personal message, which also stated: "<mask> <mask> Sahib has lived a life of honour and service and is a mystic in spirit"

All media in Bangladesh carried extensive notices about the death of the country's most distinguished diplomat. Honours
Carnegie Foundation Fellow in International Peace.Rockefeller Foundation Scholar
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal, 1975
Bangladesh Government State Honours at Funeral

See also

 History of Bangladesh
 List of Bangladeshis
 British Bangladeshi
 List of British Bangladeshis

References

1924 births
2010 deaths
Bangladeshi Muslims
Sunni Sufis
Bangladeshi diplomats
Ambassadors of Pakistan to Iraq
Ambassadors of Bangladesh to France
Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Algeria
High Commissioners of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom
Bangladeshi emigrants to England
University of Dhaka alumni
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni
Foreign Secretaries of Bangladesh
Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan
People from Kishoreganj District

masks:
Abul Fatehb
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Fateh
Abul
Abul
Fateh