I think an addition of a map either here or in the first paragraph showing all of the land he was able to conquer using modern day countries ex. Spain, Egypt
What about adding another heading like Alexander the Great's Legacy? Then in there you can talk about the Hellenistic culture that he helped spread throughout the empire.
Rather than talking about the specific battles maybe talk about how he used the spread of Greek culture, along with other cultures to help make hi successful. He was also able to encourage loyalty through his actions towards religion (I don't want to say much here because I think you will find it interesting and I don't want to ruin it for you :)
each for one side of the debate. It was quite obvious that the pile for stopping the use of the boat was a bit larger, so without any counting, everybody declared that the majority ruled.
"At least it's not Sparta. Oligarchies," a small woman nearby talking the elder that I had ran into before whispered.
Only a small group of probably aristocratic people can make decisions.
Starting to think about our representative democracy back in the United States of America, I headed back to my sleeping spot the previous night. The debate had taken so long, it was almost sunset. Direct democracies are much more different than our representative democracy, I thought.
In a direct democracy, there are no separation of powers: citizens create laws, enforce laws, and act as judges, whereas in a representative democracy, some people have more power than others and citizens vote people to create laws, enforce laws, and act as judges. But both direct and representative democracies are different than theocracies or monarchies.
Besides the obvious differences in philosophies, there is a very big difference in geography that cause these differences. Ancient Athens was situated somewhat close to the coast; it was only about five miles to the port city of Piraeus (which became part of Athens with the building of the Long Walls), thus it was no more then a few hours of travel from Athens to the coast line, thus greatly increasing the ability to be a trade center. Ancient Sparta however is located at the shortest distance 40 miles from the coast, however the terrain is somewhat rocky and there is no real straight path to the coast line. This would have greatly impeded the ability for Sparta to become a major trading port
Spartan Government
Typically classified as an "oligarchy" ( rule by the few), but had elements of monarchy, democracy, and aristocracy
Two kings were usually generals who commanded the major Spartan armies. While both were capable military leaders one was usually considered the leader of the army. This was done mainly so that in times of war Sparta would still retain a leader if the other were to die in battle. The most famous example was King Leonidas, who famously was able to hold off the enormous Persian Army at the battle of Thermoplyae.Five overseers (ephors) ran the day-to-day operations of Sparta. These overseers held one year terms and were responsible for the education and conduct of all its citizens (The Essential World History, W. Duiker & J. Spielvogel, Second Edition, 2005, p. 76)Council or Senate (apella) of 28 councilmen. These men had to be over 60 years old and served lifetime terms. They acted as judges and proposed laws to the citizens' assembly.All Spartan males over age 30 could join the Assembly where they could show their support/dissent by shouting.
Athens Government
Typically classified as a “limited democracy.” Also considered the “birthplace of democracy.”
Athens held the first democratic state, developed in 507 BC.Principally made up of elected officials:Council of 500 made most of the main administrative decisionsThe Assembly was open to all citizens. This body passed laws and made policy decisions.Although many nations throughout time have modeled their governments on the principles of Athenian Democracy, it was not perfect. Only men were able to participate in the democratic assemblies, and this was only 10-20% of the population. Women, children, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to participate
oilets, or garderobes as they were called, usually were situated so that they opened over the moat.
An awful lot of life in a castle went on in the great hall. There was a fire and shelter in the hall. People ate and slept in the great hall. Very often, certainly in smaller castles, before sophisticated domestic arrangements evolved, you would have found the lord and lady sleeping at one end of the great hall in a sort of screened-off area. So medieval men and women didn't have much privacy.
medieval men didn't really bathe terribly often. People might have wiped their hands and faces from time to time.
lords and ladies would have been slightly cleaner and sweeter-smelling than most of their subordinates.
If you were a lord or lady, if you were the constable or the constable's lady, then you would have had a private room.
Very often in the great hall there was a central fire. Later on there were proper fireplaces, but a central fire with a hole in the roof was standard.
He had a number of people who worked beneath him. There was the garrison, whose members vary in status, including knights, men-at-arms, archers, and engineers. You also had grooms, watchmen, porters, cooks, and scullions, who did all the washing up in the kitchen.
So the constable was the person whose job it was to look after the castle in the lord's absence.
private fortress. Most of the time the castle operated as a small, large, or medium-sized household.
All Medieval people – be they village peasants or towns people – believed that God, Heaven and Hell all existed. From the very earliest of ages, the people were taught that the only way they could get to Heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church let them. Everybody would have been terrified of Hell and the people would have been told of the sheer horrors awaiting for them in Hell in the weekly services they attended.
The control the Church had over the people was total.
They paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the Church (this tax was called tithes)
What the Church got in tithes was kept in huge tithe barns;
You also had to pay for baptisms (if you were not baptised you could not go to Heaven when you died), marriages (there were no couples living together in Medieval times as the Church taught that this equaled sin) and burials – you had to be buried on holy land if your soul was to get to heaven. Whichever way you looked, the Church received money.
The Church also did not have to pay taxes.
most simply collapsed after a while as they were so poorly built.
Important cities would have cathedrals in them.
Their sheer size meant that people would see them from miles around, and remind them of the huge power of the Catholic Church in Medieval England.
However, if you were killed in an accident while working in a cathedral or a church, you were guaranteed a place in Heaven – or so the workers were told.
On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of "Deus vult!" or "God wills it!"
By the end of the 11th century, the Holy Land—the area now commonly referred to as the Middle East—had become a point of conflict for European Christians. Since the 6th century, Christians frequently made pilgrimages to the birthplace of their religion, but when the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem, Christians were barred from the Holy City. When the Turks then threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I made a special appeal to Urban for help. This was not the first appeal of its kind, but it came at an important time for Urban. Wanting to reinforce the power of the papacy, Urban seized the opportunity to unite Christian Europe under him as he fought to take back the Holy Land from the Turks.
Urban delivered a rousing speech summoning rich and poor alike to stop their in-fighting and embark on a righteous war to help their fellow Christians in the East and take back Jerusalem. Urban denigrated the Muslims, exaggerating stories of their anti-Christian acts, and promised absolution and remission of sins for all who died in the service of Christ.
European nobles were tempted by the prospect of increased land holdings and riches to be gained from the conquest. These nobles were responsible for the death of a great many innocents both on the way to and in the Holy Land, absorbing the riches and estates of those they conveniently deemed opponents to their cause. Adding to the death toll was the inexperience and lack of discipline of the Christian peasants against the trained, professional armies of the Muslims. As a result, the Christians were initially beaten back, and only through sheer force of numbers were they eventually able to triumph
So Jews, Christians and Muslims all "share" the holy land. But the Muslim Turks closed the pilgrimage route and said they were going to attack their neighbors, so Byzantine Emperor asks for help and Pope URBAN II sees a way to gain more power. And The crusades begin.
Urban asks rich (Kings/Nobles) and poor (peasants) alike to travel and free the holy land. He did not tell the whole truth, but added a little to make it sound worse. Then he promised "A FREE PASS TO HEAVEN" for all who go and destroy Muslims. The words Absolution (forgiveness) and Remission (take away) all sins=your free pass.
People did not just go to "Serve G-D" but to gain wealth and power. Christians only win one time and then lose the next six Crusades, but the impact of these events changed history forever.
To make each cathedral and each little church in
the land unique, each had its own holy relic. A holy relic is
something that belonged to or was touched by Jesus or a saint. A
treasured relic might be bone fragment or a tiny piece of the cross.
Renaissance
Reformation
History >>
Renaissance for Kids
The Reformation occurred during Renaissance times. It was a split in the Catholic Church where a new type of Christianity called Protestantism was born.
More People Reading the Bible
During the Middle Ages, few people other than monks and priests knew how to read and write. However, with the Renaissance, more and more people became educated and learned how to read. At the same time, the printing press was invented allowing for new ideas, as well as scriptures of the Bible, to be easily printed and distributed. People were able to read the Bible for themselves for the first time.
Martin Luther
Between 1347 and 1350, the Black Death raged through Medieval Europe. Historians and biologists have traced the origins of this deadly pandemic to the remote steppes of Central Asia. Plague had certainly erupted there by 1331 but how exactly did it spread from East to West?
After ravaging Central Asia, the plague descended on China, India and Persia. In China alone, the plague killed around half of the human population. Despite such destruction, commercial activities continued unabated. This meant that the traders, their vessels and the rats aboard became the agents of infection. As they travelled along the established trade routes of the medieval world, they unwittingly carried the plague with them.
For several years, the Mongols had allowed a group of merchants from Genoa to control Kaffa, a bustling seaport on the Crimean Peninsula. This was highly advantageous for the Mongols as it provided a direct link to Italy’s largest commercial centre and encouraged trade across all corners of their vast empire. Tensions and disagreements, however, were a common feature of this commercial relationship, arising primarily from their religious differences; the Italians were devoutly Christian and the Mongols had been practising Muslims since the 1200s.
“Whereupon the Tartars (Mongols), worn out by this pestilential disease, and falling on all sides as if thunderstruck, and seeing that they were perishing hopelessly, ordered the corpses to be placed upon their engines and thrown into the city of Kaffa. Accordingly were the bodies of the dead hurled over the walls, so that the Christians were not able to hide or protect themselves from this danger, although they carried away as many as possible and threw them into the sea.”
summer of 1347, the Italian merchants headed to their ships and the fled the city of Kaffa. En route, however, the Italians stopped at Constantinople, inadvertently infecting the city. Thousands of people were killed, including Andronikos, the son of the Greek Emperor, John VI Cantacuzenos. Those who were able fled the city, many not realising that they were already infected. By the autumn, the western coast of Asia Minor was experiencing the full force of the Black Death and it would not be long before returned home to infect their native Italy.
Knights might have been professional soldiers but that didn't mean they had to act like one. In the early days of feudalism, knights often ate at the same table as the lords and ladies of the manor
They often belched, spit, and put their feet directly on the dinner table. The refined ladies and lords were appalled. So, a code of honor was drawn up that we now call Chivalry.
There were at least 17 rules to the knights code of chivalry and vows of knighthood. The most important were to serve God, serve their liege lord (the King), be courteous to all women (though what they meant was all women of the noble class), and to defend the weak. Other rules included to fight for the welfare of all, to live by honor and glory, and to refrain from the wanton giving of offence; basically, don’t act like ye olde arse.
this was meant to defend the elderly, women and children, but of the upper class. Knights were often brutal to peasants and it was considered acceptable because of the low social status of the peasants.
From this, came rules like if a woman was of equal or higher status, he should stand when she enters a room and sit only after she does, the best foods at a meal should be offered to her, and when walking on the sidewalk, the man should walk closest to the street. This was to protect the woman from getting spattered with mud and the contents of chamber pots (buckets that were used as toilets) that were thrown out windows. It was a way to show that the gentleman honored the woman to have the poop hit him instead.
nights kept their skills sharp by competing in tournaments known as jousts where two heavily armored horseman race at another at high speed
Medieval tournaments brought knights and lords together in friendly competitions to show off their skills at hand to hand combat, horse back riding, and of course, jousting
A head shot for example was the most damaging but also the most difficult target, and therefore was awarded the most points.
Cash prizes, called a purse, would be given to the winners and this was the best way to move up the social ladder if you didn't get a chance to show off your skills on the battle field.
sent to live in the castle with his Lord where his training would begin around the age of seven
road to knighthood he was known as a page. A page's training involved learning to ride a horse and receiving religious instruction from the priest of the manor. And, when he wasn't riding or praying, a page spent his days running errands and serving the ladies of the manor. He would also be taught to dance, sing, and play a musical instrument which were considered honorable qualities for a knight to have.
a page would be promoted to the role of squire. A squire worked directly with his knight. The squire learned skills from his knight (who was also his Lord) such as sword fighting and hand to hand combat. The squire pretty much acted as personal assistant to his knight, polishing his armor, caring for his horse, and even waiting on him at meal times. During times of battle, it was the job of the squire to help his Lord into the armor and look after him if he was wounded. He also had the awful task of cleaning out the armor which, after a long day on the battle field would be covered in all sorts of bodily fluids.
"I promise on my faith that I will in the future be faithful to the lord, never cause him harm and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit."
-A Typical Oath of Fealty
Even before the plague, what is amazing really is that anyone
lived. The
truth is, only the very strong survived. But the strong had no defense against
the Black Death. No one was safe. And millions of people died.
People handled cattle and
then directly handled food.
he peasants slept and
worked in the same clothes for days and even weeks at a time without washing
themselves or their clothes. The nobles were not much better. Soap was made of
lye, which was very rough on the skin. There was no toothpaste or
toothbrushes. People used watered spices on their lips and teeth, but all that
did was briefly hide the smell of rotting teeth. Peasants died young from malnutrition and the simplest of
diseases.
This dearth of biographical information is due primarily to his station in life; he was not a noble, but the son of John Shakespeare, a leather trader and the town bailiff. The events of William Shakespeare’s early life can only be gleaned from official records, such as baptism and marriage records.
He probably attended the grammar school in Stratford, where he would have studied Latin and read classical literature.
18 married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years his senior and pregnant at the time of the marriage.
but unfounded stories have him stealing deer, joining a group of traveling players, becoming a schoolteacher, or serving as a soldier in the Low Countries.
wrote derogatorily of him on his deathbed.
In 1594, having probably composed, among other plays, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, and The Taming of the Shrew, he became an actor and playwright for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which became the King’s Men after James I’s ascension in 1603. The company grew into England’s finest, in no small part because of Shakespeare, who was its principal dramatist.
and the best theater, the Globe, which was located on the Thames’ south bank.
By 1596, the company had performed the classic Shakespeare plays Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That year, John Shakespeare was granted a coat of arms, a testament to his son’s growing wealth and fame.
he became a partner in the ownership of the Globe Theatre.
In a million words written over 20 years, he captured the full range of human emotions and conflicts with a precision that remains sharp today. As his great contemporary the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson said, “He was not of an age, but for all time.”
Definition of
a Pilgrimage
Definition of a Pilgrimage: A
Pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place or shrine undertaken as
a spiritual quest to obtain supernatural help or as a form of
penance for sins. A pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage.
The word 'pilgrimage' is derived from the Latin word peregrinus
meaning foreignerand peregri meaning abroad translated as a
traveller in foreign lands. The word 'peregrinatio' was used by
Augustine of Hippo 354-430AD , who was considered to be the
writer of some of greatest theological works of all time, to
describe a Christian spiritual journey as a kind of estrangement
and exile - a wanderer. The earliest surviving references to
Christian pilgrimage date back to the 4th century.
The Concept of Pilgrimage
Augustine of Hippo wrote about the
concept of the pilgrimage and other religious leaders such as
Saint Jerome also encouraged it in their religious writings. The
idea or the concept of Pilgrimage was eagerly accepted by Medieval
people from all walks of life, young or old, wealthy or poor. The
concept of pilgrimage was and important religious belief in the Middle
Ages both in terms of religious activity and as a way of Medieval life.
Soon it became common for Medieval
people to make a pilgrimage closer to home visiting sites associated
with Christian Saints and martyrs, holy relics and to places where there
had been apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Pilgrimages were the first
holidays enjoyed by Medieval people. Groups of Christians would set off
together on a spiritual journey to visit a holy place or shrine where
they would pray together.
Pilgrimage - the
Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
was written c. 1390. It tells stories about a group pilgrims who had
undertaken a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Each pilgrim had their own
'Canterbury Tale'. The route of the pilgrimage was along Watling Street
and the Old Kent Road in London which led to the ancient "Pilgrim's way"
from Rochester to Canterbury.
The popular statement, " From here to
Timbuktu." conjures up images of remote, isolated and distant parts
of this earth. Very few people are aware of this ancient city's location,
and fewer still ascribe any kind of civilization to this historic area.
Timbuktu is located in the western African nation of Mali at the edge
of the sahara.
The historic town of Timbuktu is located at the precise point where the
Niger flows northward into the southern edge of the desert. As a result
of its unique geographical position, Timbuktu has been a natural meeting
point of Songhai, Wangara,Fulani, Tuareg and Arabs. According to the inhabitants
of Timbuku, gold came from the south, the salt from the north and the
Divine knowledge, from Timbuktu. Timbuktu is also the cross-road where
"the camel met the canoe." It is to this privilege position
that the city owes much of its historical dynamism. From the 11th century
and onward, Timbuktu became an important port where goods from West Africa
and North Africa were traded.
Goods coming the Mediterranean shores and salt were traded in Timbuktu
for gold. The prosperity of the city attracted both black scholars, blacks
merchants and Arabs traders from North Africa. Salt, books and gold were
very much in demand at that time.
he first constructions in Timbuktu were designed by African architects
from Djenne and later on by Muslim architects from North Africa. Trade
and knowledge were at their height.
Timbuktu became a celebrated center of Islamic learning
and a commercial establishment. Timbuktu had three universities and 180
Quranic schools. These universities were the Sankore University, Jingaray
Ber University and Sidi Yahya University. This was the golden
age of Africa. Books were not only written in Timbuktu, but they were
also imported and copied there. There was an advanced local book copying
industry in the city. The universities and private libraries contained
unparalleled scholarly works. The famous scholar of Timbuktu Ahmad Baba
who was among those forcibly exiled in Morocco claimed that his library
of 1600 books had been plundered, and that his library, according to him,
was one of the smaller in the city.
The booming economy of Timbuktu attracted the attention of the Emperor
of Mali, Mansa Mussa (1307-1332) also known as “Kan Kan Mussa.”
He captured the city in 1325. As a Muslim, Mansa Mussa was impressed with
the Islamic legacy of Timbuktu. On his return from Mecca, Mansa Mussa
brought with him an Egyptian architect by the name of Abu Es Haq Es Saheli.
The Emperor also brought Arabs scholars to Timbuktu. To his great surprise,
the Emperor has found that these scholars are underqualified compared
to the black scholars of Timbuktu
Mansa Mussa's pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 had made Mali known worldwide.
The great rulertook 60,000 porters with him. Each porter carried 3 kilograms
of pure gold, that is, 180,000 kilograms or at least 180 tons of gold
(Reference: Volume IV UNESCO General History of Africa, pages 197-200).
He had so much gold with him that when he stopped in Egypt, the Egyptian
currency lost its value and as result, the name of Mali and Timbuktu appeared
on the 14th century world map.