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On this day in 1653 Cromwell became Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Cromwell was the only invader of Scotland to conquer the whole country.

Today in 1263 the Norwegian king, Haakon the Old, died in the Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney.

He had used Kirkwall as a base for his fruitless attempt to maintain Norse rule over the Western Isles. After a crushing defeat at the Battle of Largs on October 2 1263, Haakon's battered fleet returned to Kirkwall where the King, dispirited and fatigued, fell ill and died in the early hours of the morning of the 16th.

Today's recipe: are an aromatic, indulgent treat.