I'm going to re-tell a relatively little-known (at least on this side of the Atlantic) bit of history that I read about back in my college days, and that I was reminded of early this morning when I happened to catch part of a show about it on the History Channel. It's been stuck in my head all day.
Please note that I'm not going for precise historical accuracy here, so I may get a detail or two wrong. I beg your indulgence.