Cynegils was the grandson of Cutha. He was the son of Ceol of Wessex and probably the nephew of Ceolwulf. He ruled jointly with his son Cwichelm. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 614 says Cynegils and Cwichelm fought together at a place named Beandun. The account said they slew two thousand sixty-five Welsh. This was a major victory for the West Saxons. Cynegils had some however during the middle of his reign. His son Cwichelm sent someone to try to kill King Edwin of Northumbria. When Edwin attacked Wessex in five Kings of Wessex were killed. The Northumbrian attack weakened the West Saxon army. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 628 says that Cyngils, king of Wessex, and Cwichelm his son 'fought with Penda at Cirencester and came to an agreement with him there'. The 'agreement' seems to have been to give Cirencester to Penda. So this was a defeat for Cynegils and his son Cwichelm and a permanent loss of Cirencester.
In 634 Pope Honorius I sent Bishop Birinus to England. When he reached the territory of the Gewisse (Wessex) he found them almost completely pagan. He began to convert the West Saxons to Christianity. In 635 Cynegils was baptized by Birinus and King Oswald of Northumbria stood as his Godfather. This may have been a condition of the marriage between Oswald and Cynegils's daughter, Cyneburh. He gave Bishop Birinus the city of Dorchester and several churches so he could convert the pagans in Wessex. The conversion took some time to complete and several kings who followed were either pagan or converted to Christianity later in their reigns.
Cwichelm, his son, ruling as either co-king or , died in 636. From that time on Cynegils seems to have ruled Wessex by himself until his death in 643. He was succeeded by his son Cenwalh. Cynegils's reign marked the turning point for Wessex from bands of warriors to the beginnings of a united kingdom.
Cynegils had the following children:
Stingy Jack
Stingy Jack is a character in Irish folklore. He was a poor, dirty man who was often drunk. He outsmarted the devil at least three times.
He invited the devil to have a drink with him. Jack did not want to pay for the drink. He persuaded the devil to change himself into a coin. The devil did so, and Jack put the coin in his pocket. There was a silver cross in his pocket that made it impossible for the devil to return to his original shape. Jack eventually allowed the devil to resume his shape, but only after he promised not to bother Jack for a whole year and to not try to claim his soul when he died.
On another occasion, Jack persuaded the devil to climb an apple tree to gather apples. Jack quickly carved crosses into the trunk of the tree, making it impossible for the devil to come down. Jack allowed the devil to come down, but only after he promised not to bother Jack for ten years and not to claim his soul when he died.
On the third occasion, Jack died before the ten-year time limit. God did not want Jack in Heaven, so he was sent to Hell. The devil could not claim his soul, so Jack was sent back into the world. The devil gave him a glowing coal to light his way in the darkness. Jack put the coal into a hollowed-out turnip. He is said to still walk the earth with his lantern, and can be seen around All Saints Day November 1.
Jack became known as "Jack of the lantern". This name was shortened to "Jack-o'-lantern". In the United States, his lantern became a pumpkin rather than a turnip. Pumpkins were common in the U.S. and easier to carve. The story of Jack is little known, perhaps because he was an unsuitable role model for entertaining children.
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle Hoffa (February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975) was an American labor union leader. He was the President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union from 1958 until 1971. He disappeared in late July 1975, aged 62.
Jimmy Hoffa was born in Brazil, Indiana, on February 14, 1913. His family moved to Detroit in 1924. Hoffa lived in the Detroit area for the rest of his life. His first job was in a grocery store. He worked under an abusive boss, which is what gave him the idea of working with labor unions.
Hoffa left his job in 1932 and was soon working for the Teamsters union. This was mainly a union for truck drivers, though Hoffa never worked as a truck driver himself. He helped grow and manage the union in the Detroit area. In those years, the union was growing quickly.
The Teamsters union had always had links to organized crime, especially the American Mafia. These links grew as the union grew. As Hoffa became more important in the union, he began making agreements with the Mafia.
Hoffa became the head of the Detroit branch of the Teamsters union in 1946. In 1952, he became vice president of the Teamsters Union. In 1957, he then became its president. He would be re-elected in 1961 and 1966.
Under Hoffa, the Teamsters Union continued to grow. In 1964, he helped strike a contract that could cover all truck drivers in the United States. However, both the Teamsters Union and Hoffa were facing investigation for their links to organized crime. Soon after Hoffa became its president, this led to the Teamsters union being forced to leave the AFL-CIO (the main national organization of labor unions).
Hoffa was taken to jail in 1967 for fraud and jury tampering, and sentenced to 13 years. His vice president Frank Fitzsimmons began to run the union instead. In 1971, Fitzsimmons replaced Hoffa as president.
President of the United States Richard Nixon pardoned Hoffa in 1971, but in return, Hoffa could not work for a labor union again until 1980. Despite this, Hoffa began planning to return to leading the Teamsters union. However, he had many opponents, including some members of the Mafia who had once been his friends.
He was married to Josephine Poszywak from 1936 until his disappearance in 1975. They had two children. His daughter Barbara worked as a judge. His son James P. Hoffa has been the leader of the Teamsters union since 1999.
Hoffa vanished on 30 July 1975. He had gone to meet two members of the Mafia at a restaurant near Detroit. He was last seen waiting for them in the restaurant's parking lot.
He was declared legally dead in 1982. His disappearance gave rise to many theories as to what happened to him. Most theories believe that Hoffa was lured away and murdered by his enemies in the Mafia, who then found a way to get rid of his body. Examples of how this could have been done include taking it to a crematorium the Mafia owned or burying it in a hidden place. James Buccellato, an expert on crime, says it is unlikely the body was moved a long distance.
In 2013, the FBI searched a place north of Detroit after hearing news that Hoffa might have been buried there, but they did not find him.
Foreign relations of Bangladesh
The foreign relations of Bangladesh are the Bangladeshi government's policies in its relations with other countries. Since independence in 1971, Bangladesh has officially followed a principle of being friendly with all nations and not being enemies with any. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the Cold War, the country has pursued better relations with its neighbours. It has strong relations with other Muslim countries. It does not recognise Israel.
Myanmar is Bangladesh's eastern neighbour. Bilateral ties with Myanmar are generally good, but some tensions exist between the two countries. This is due to border disputes and the presence of over 270,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh from mainly-Buddhist Myanmar. As a result of bilateral discussions, and with the cooperation and assistance of the UNHCR, most of the Rohingya refugees have now returned to Burma. As of 2000, about 22,000 refugees remain in camps in southern Bangladesh.