Canadian politicians asked the queen not once but three times since 1840 to chose the location of the capital. Locating the seat of government in Canada was a 17-year process. At the same time, this is very much a national story, relevant to all Canadians. The stories of the many communities that comprise Ottawa have been overshadowed by its identity as the nation’s capital. As one of the oldest and the fourth largest municipality in Canada, the City of Ottawa has a story to tell that encompasses but is also distinct from its role as the national capital. One hundred and fifty years ago Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of the United Province of Canada. The history of Ottawa can be interpreted through such types of primary sources as newspapers, photographs and personal papers of contemporary witnesses, as well through by-laws and minutes books. We strive for accuracy and fairness.Primary sources are important places to start when connecting with History. In Rome, in 2010, an exhibition of his work that marked the 400th anniversary of his death attracted more than 580,000 visitors. His work greatly influenced so many future masters, from Diego Velazquez to Rembrandt. InfluenceĮven though Caravaggio was shunned after his death, he eventually came to be recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern painting. Lead poisoning is also suspected of having killed Francisco Goya. But in 2010, a team of scientists who studied Caravaggio's remains discovered that his bones contained high levels of lead-levels high enough, they suspect, to have driven the painter mad. Upon his release, he resumed his journey and eventually arrived at Port'Ercole, where he died just a few days later, on July 18, 1610.įor many years the exact cause of Caravaggio's death had been shrouded in mystery. Sailing from Naples, he was arrested in Palo, where his boat had made a stop. Most likely informed that friends were working on his behalf to secure his pardon, in 1610, Caravaggio began to make his way back to Rome. In order to avoid punishment for murder, Caravaggio's only salvation could come from the pope, who had the power to pardon him. His vision and brushwork suffered from the assault, as evidenced by two of his later paintings, "The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula" and "The Denial of Saint Peter." The attack had a profound impact on Caravaggio's mental and physical state. In 1609, he followed Caravaggio to Naples and assaulted the painter outside a tavern, disfiguring his face. Caravaggio was arrested and jailed for the assault but managed to escape just one month later.Īccording to Andrew Graham-Dixon's research, Roero did not put the attack behind him. In July 1608, he attacked Fra Giovanni Rodomonte Roero, one of the most senior knights in the Order of St. The murder that Caravaggio committed in 1606 was not the end of his violence. By this time, Caravaggio had become a nervous wreck, always on the run and in constant fear for his life, so much so that he slept with his clothes on and with a dagger at his side. This scene was no doubt inspired by events in Caravaggio's own life. One of Caravaggio's more shocking paintings from this period is "Resurrection," in which the painter revealed a less saintly, more bedraggled Jesus Christ escaping from his tomb in the middle of the night. In Messina, his work included "The Resurrection of Lazarus" and "The Adoration of the Shepherds," while in Palermo he painted the "Adoration with St. John the Baptist" for the cathedral in Valletta. In Naples, he painted "Madonna of the Rosary" for a fellow painter, and later "The Seven Works of Mercy" for the church of Pio Chapel of Monte della Misericordia. However, even as he fled, Caravaggio continued to work. In Malta, he was received into the Order of Malta as a Knight of Justice, an award that he was soon stripped of when the Order learned of the crime he had committed. But even as he fled from punishment for his crime, fame followed Caravaggio. Immediately following the murder, Caravaggio fled Rome and sought refuge in a host of other locations: Naples, Malta and Sicily, among others.