1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: I think we can all agree that college students can 7 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: be a bit rowdy. Long day studying can lead to 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: even longer nights partying. Now, this isn't limited to modern 9 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: daytailgates and frat parties. Even as far back as the 10 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: thirteen hundreds, college students at Oxford University were known to 11 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: get unruly when they blew off steam, and much like now, 12 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: back then, the citizens of Oxford Town didn't love putting 13 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: up with the scholar antics. By thirteen fifty five, Oxford 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: University had been an education center for over two hundred 15 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: and fifty years, and for nearly all of that time, 16 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: the citizens and the scholars town and gown had been 17 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: at odds. A few times already the tension had broken 18 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: out into violence. Students and the townspeople had been accused 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: of killing each other, and tavern brawls were common events. 20 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: Perhaps the worst instance was back in twelve oh nine, 21 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: when a woman was murdered and two scholars were accused. 22 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: A group of townspeople captured the two and they hanged them. 23 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 1: A group of students then fled Oxford in response, ended 24 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 1: up in Cambridge and founded a whole new university there 25 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: to avoid the violence. So it's fair to say that 26 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: town and gown skirmishes had become a yearly occurrence by 27 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: thirteen fifty five, but all of them would pale in 28 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: comparison to what happened that year. On February tenth, otherwise 29 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: known as Saint Scholastica's Holy Day. That evening, a group 30 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: of university students arrived at the Swindlestock Tavern in the 31 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: center of town looking for a drink. The bartender, John Croydon, 32 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: quickly poured them wine and then moved on to his 33 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: next patrons. A few minutes later, one of the students 34 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: waved down Croydon. He complained that the bartender had given 35 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: them bad wine and that he should serve them something 36 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: else free of charge. Tensions between the townspeople and the 37 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: scholars were already high, so it wasn't long before Croydon 38 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: and the scholars were arguing with each other, and finally 39 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: Croydon hurled an insult and the scholar hurled his drink. 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: The fight was on, and students and townspeople alike began brawling. 41 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: The mass of people quickly spilled out into the street, 42 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: and the fight became a riot that spread throughout the 43 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: town and the university. For the next three whole days, 44 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: violence raged in Oxford. Although both university officials and town 45 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: leaders tried to stop the fighting, they couldn't get their 46 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: sides to listen to them. When the university chancellor tried 47 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: to calm the fighters down, he was forced to flee 48 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: when someone fired arrows at him. On February eleventh, a 49 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: day after the riot broke out, a crowd of townspeople 50 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: swept through Oxford looking for scholars. The lucky ones fled 51 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: to the university and barricaded themselves in libraries and lecture halls. 52 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: The unlucky ones were killed by the mob. Even King 53 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: Edward the Third, who was staying in the nearby village 54 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: of Woodstock, couldn't quell the fighting, although he issued a 55 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: royal proclamation. The mob raged on until finally on the 56 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: evening of February twelfth, it died out. When the dust cleared, 57 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: Oxford town had lost about thirty people, the university closer 58 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: to sixty. King Edward immediately put the town under his 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: direct control. The Oxford mayor and town bailiffs were sent 60 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: to prison, The university was given power to tax goods 61 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: on the town, and judges were appointed to oversee a 62 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: trial of the rioters. Finally, the local bishop assigned the 63 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: town of Oxford and annual pennants. Every year, on Saint 64 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: Scholastica's Day, the mayor and at least sixty townspeople had 65 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: to attend a mass for those slain in the riot, 66 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: and every year the town had to pay the university 67 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: one penny for each scholar killed. The pennance continued to 68 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: be paid for nearly five hundred years until the punishment 69 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: was dropped in eighteen twenty five, and in nineteen fifty five, 70 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: six hundred years after the riot, the mayor of Oxford 71 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: and the vice chancellor of the university exchanged honors to 72 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: finally put the conflict to bed. Normally, in college, a 73 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: bad bottle of wine might just cause a six hour hangover. 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 1: In this case, it seems to have caused a six 75 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: hundred year feud, and I'd call that curious. Antonio Lopez 76 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: de Santa Anna, or Santa Anna for short, is a 77 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: rather villainous figure in most American history books. He is 78 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: best known for leading the Mexican assault on the Alamo 79 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: in Texas and killing several American folk heroes, such as 80 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: Davy Cross. It's a story that has spawned eight just 81 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: Okay movies and at least two pretty great songs, But 82 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: there's a real life sequel that not many people actually 83 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: know about. The story doesn't follow any of the Americans. 84 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: It follows Santa Anna, who returned to Mexico after he 85 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: was defeated just a month after the Alamo at the 86 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: Battle of San Jacinto. His further exploits are just as violent, 87 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: but a bit more curious. You see, in eighteen twenty one, 88 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: Mexico gained independence from Spain, although that doesn't mean everything 89 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: went smoothly for the country after that. What followed were 90 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: a few decades of civil strife with no effective central government. 91 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: What government there was ruled Mexico City and the surrounding 92 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: provinces fell under the jurisdiction of various territorial factions. Within 93 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: the first twenty years of Mexican independence, ten different presidents 94 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: were either killed or driven from power. Amidst all this strife, 95 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: a renowned French pastry chef who history now only knows 96 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: as Monsieur Remontel, was just doing his best to prepare 97 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: the finest he could for whatever president was in power. 98 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: You can imagine how hard it would be if your 99 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: primary client kept dying or fleeing the country. But Rementel 100 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,239 Speaker 1: did keep his shop open to other customers as well. 101 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: There just weren't many, and one day in eighteen thirty eight, 102 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: he served his last declare to a group of drunken 103 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: Mexican military officers who trashed his business. Furious, Rementel sent 104 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: word to the French government demanding that they hold the 105 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: Mexicans accountable for their destruction of a French business. Remontel 106 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: was one of potentially hundreds of French citizens in Mexico 107 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: with similar complaints, and so the French responded, sending ships 108 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: to blockade and bombard the Mexico port of Vera Cruz, 109 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 1: and with that an episode in Mexican history known as 110 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: the Pastry War had begun. The Mexicans now had a 111 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: common enemy to unite against, and so they rallied their army. 112 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: But they needed a leader. As it so happened, Santa 113 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: Ana was extremely available for the job. He had lost 114 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: the respect of the military after the Battle of San 115 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: Jacinto and had since retired to his ranch, But his 116 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: ranch was just outside of Vera Cruz, and so he 117 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: was the nearest available military leader. He got on his 118 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: horse and rode as fast as he could to lead 119 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: the army. By the time he rallied his men, the 120 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: French had already occupied a fort in the region. He 121 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: led an assault on that fort, eventually overcoming the European invaders. Unfortunately, 122 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: things were never that easy for Santa Anna. During the 123 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: course of the battle, his horse was hit by a 124 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 1: cannon and Santa Anna's leg was mangled. He had to 125 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: have it amputated. To make matters worse, the French immediately 126 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: retook the fort and forced Mexico to pay six hundred 127 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: thousand pesos, putting an end to the Pastry war in 128 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: March of eighteen thirty nine, just a few months after 129 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: it started. However, all of Mexico now saw Santa Anna 130 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: as a hero. He had stood up for their nation 131 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: and even given a limb in the process. Heck, that 132 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: leg was paraded through Mexico City and given an honorable burial, 133 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: and Santa Anna was eventually made president in eighteen forty two. 134 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: Talk about failing up, but he should have known better 135 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: than to take the job. By eighteen forty four, the 136 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: people had grown sick of him and they exhumed the leg. 137 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: They paraded it through the streets again, but this time, 138 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: instead of chanting Santa Anna's name, they screamed death to 139 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: the cripple. It was just impossible to keep his people happy. Nevertheless, 140 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: Santa Anna's story was destined to become a trilogy. He 141 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: was called into action to defend his country one more time. 142 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: In eighteen forty seven, when the Mexican American War was 143 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: in full swing. Santa Anna prepared to defend Vera Cruz 144 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: for the second time, but victory was just not in 145 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: the cards. The Americans trounced his army and he famously 146 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: fled the battle, leaving his prosthetic leg behind for the 147 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: Americans to take as a trophy. That leg, by the way, 148 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: is on display in Indiana right now. Santa Anna was 149 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: forced to give up a huge amount of Mexican territory, 150 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: eventually the entire American Southwest, and once again went into exile. 151 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: That wasn't the end of his story, but will leave 152 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: the rest for another day. If nothing else, Santana's career 153 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: and the Pastry War shows us that even the smallest, 154 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: most seemingly insignificant moments in history can be filled with 155 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: curious detail. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of 156 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 157 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 158 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 159 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 160 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 161 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 162 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 163 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: stay curious.