http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/history/golden-age.html
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Great Schism
I had the great opportunity to interview a person who was alive to experience the Great Schism. Elizabeth, the floor is yours...
Q: What caused the Great Schism?
A: Many people were fighting over the use of icons. It was a dispute about holy images if you will.
Q: Who was the dispute between?
A: The East and The West. What else is new? More specifically, it was the byzantines vs. the Pope in the West.
Q: When did all of this occur?
A: In 1054, more problems arose and caused a divide. The split separated eastern and western Christianity. This is what came to be known as the Great Schism, and boy was a it a little extreme.
Q: If Christianity was split, was was formed from it?
A: Two religions came out of the divide. The first religion was Greek Orthodox. The second religion that was born from the Schism was Roman Catholic. The Byzantines were Greek Orthodox and the Western became Roman Catholic.
Q: Did anything else major change during the Schism?
A: Why yes! It was the strangest thing. It was now The Pope vs. The Patriarch. They were now rivals as opposed to having something in common. They weren't believers in the same fate anymore. They became so different. Marriage was a big deal as well. They both excommunicated each other and it was also becoming about language, Greek vs. Latin.
Q: How do you think this will affect the distant future?
A: This will greatly affect the future because it creates the two new major religions in Europe. These didn't exist before and now, rather than one common religion... there is a great difference and two completely different sides now. It's quite the change and is sure to stick for a while.
Columbus Leaves Spain
I had the chance to have a little chat with Christopher Columbus and here is what we discussed...
Q: So Chris, tell me about yourself?
A: Sure. I was born in October 1451 and have dreamed of exploring the world. I finally got the chance to and left Spain in August of 1492.
Q: How did you get this opportunity?
A: After trying for quite some time, I finally received funding for my trip from Spanish Rulers, Ferdinand and Isabella. They were hoping for wealth and authority to come out of this trip.
Q: Tell me about your trip?
A: Of course! It was quite the voyage. We spotted land for the first time on October 12th. We stumbled upon a group of people, The Indians we called them because they lived in the Indies. Upon returning, I realized that it wasn't the Indies we discovered, but the name stuck. We sailed on my three ships... The Santa María, The Niña and La Pinta. I returned to Spain in 1493.
Q: What happened when you returned?
A: I got so much praise! It was amazing! I received the highest honors upon my arrival back. It was just wonderful.
Q: I heard you made many trips! Can you tell me about those?
A: Sure. In 1948, I discovered the South American Mainland. In 1502, The Gulf of Mexico. America in 1492, and many more territories as well.
Q: How do you think you will affect the people of the future?
A: I just told you! I charted new land and people. I discovered America for goodness sake! I have opened up opportunities for conquest and discovery, created new navigation techniques and tools. Unfortunately, I also contributed to the spread of disease. Well at least the good outweighs the bad!
Charlemagne
I was thankfully able to interview Charlemagne. Here's what he had to say...
Q: So Charlemagne, how did you come about the thrown?
A: I was crowned December 25th 800 CE as King of the Franks and Emperor of Rome by Pope Leo II. I am the grandson of Charles the Hammer Martel. When my father passed, the empire was split between my brother and I. We unfortunately were not on the best terms and only communicated through my mother. The empire came under my control when my brother passed from a cause completely unrelated to me.
Q: People were big fans of you, why was this?
A: I was a pretty good leader. I accomplished a unified christian empire and was known for being the greatest king of and "illuminating" the Dark Ages. I never lost a battle with over 50 military fleets. I established educational and economic stability within my empire.
Q: Can you tell me about one of your proudest achievements?
A: It's so hard to pick. Oh! One of my favorites was the Bloody Verdict of Verdun. In 782, I defeated the Saxons and punished people for worshipping false pagan gods. I also converted many barbarians into christianity and helped to spread the Christian faith. No wonder I was the first emperor of The Holy Roman Empire.
Q: How did you end up declining?
A: Vikings came in and absolutely sacked England. The took monasteries and they were so gosh darn unpredictable with their naval skills! They destroyed my empire and charged people protection fees so that they wouldn't slaughter them. They were business man. My empire ended up broke without a currency in 814 around the time of my death.
Q: How will this affect people in the future?
A: Hmmm... I think my strong belief in Christianity will definitely play a large role in the future. My territory will hopefully stay Christian, but could sprinkle some other faiths in there as well. I really hope that people continue to spread and share my beliefs
Crusades
I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing one of the Christian soldiers who fought in the crusades...
Q: In a nutshell, what exactly were the Crusades?
A: I would say that the Crusades were Holy Wars that were launched by Christians and targeted the Muslims.
Q: What was the purpose of these wars?
A: The main object was Jerusalem. It was constantly getting passed back and forth between us and the Muslims. Neither one of us wanted to give it up to the other.
Q: When were the crusades?
A: There were so many and I only got to fight in a couple. They started in 1096 when Emperor Alexius asked Pope Urban II for help with muslims. Jerusalem was captured in 1099. The last one was around 1271- 1272 led by Prince Edward.
Q: What will some of the effects of the Crusades, and how will they impact the future?
A: There are so many! Let's see if I can remember. The Crusades helped break down the Feudal System by decreasing the power of the king. Many technological advances were achieved due to the exposure to muslim culture, trade and different religions were brought together and the spread of christianity. There was a great exchange of spices, art, literature and ideas and weakened the Byzantine empire. Europeans weren't farming anymore but reading, writing, and painting. The Crusades also brought in money to help the European Economy and gave power to the Church and the Pope. Most importantly, The Crusades are responsible for lifting Europe out of the Dark Ages and that will live on forever.
Magna Carta
I was able to catch a few answers from King John. Here's what was discussed...
Q: How well did you do as king?
A: It really depends who you ask but most people are not in my favor. Oh well. They are just a bunch of babies and need to learn to man up a little.
Q: Why would people think this?
A: I made a few mistakes, so what? I'm human. I lost some territory to the Franks and got into a little of a scuff with the pope, not my best decisions. I am not very popular among the nobles either. But whatever, what are you gonna do? I tried to knock some sense into them but they weren't too fond of that.
Q: Would you mind telling me what happened?
A: I guess so. The pope and I had a minor disagreement about who had the power to name the bishop. Hoo Ha, what a big deal. The noble got a little angry when I taxed 'em up a little too much. Refusing too pay, I threw them in the slammer. Is that such a bad thing?
Q: Uhh, It's not really my business I guess. So what did the nobles do?
A: Those little buggers had the nerve to rebel. Uggh. They forced me to sign, apparently one of the most important documents in history, The Magna Carta.
Q: What's The Magan Carta?
A: It's a document that does two major things...
- States the rights of nobles and landowners
- Tells King that he must obey laws
Q: What effects will this have on the future?
A: Are you kidding, it's going to change the world! It establishes a basis of Due Process of Law and a basis of Parliament. Both of these things will be used far into the future and will definitely help out the government of that time period.
Q: What are those things?
A: The Due Process of Law is the rules the government must follow to get you in trouble, for a fair trial. It also states that the king can't raise taxes without consultation. Parliament is the legislative branch, two houses that controls the distribution of money.
Battle of Tours
I recently was able to have a chat with Charles Martel....
Q: So Chuck, tell me a little bit about this battle?
A: No problem. This battle was between me and Abdul Rak Man. I, Commander of the Franks, went head to head with the Muslim moors when they tried to advance into my territory.
Q: When did this all take place?
A: I remember it all going down around October 10th 732 CE. Oh what a day. I was waiting, and ready to slam those moors when then tried to enter into France.
Q: How did it kick off?
A: Underestimating me and my frank forces, the Muslim were quite surprised when they saw me waiting for them. We both stayed ready to fight for six days. Man, it felt like much longer than that though. On the seventh day, Abdul Rak Man attacked.
Q: What happened next?
A: We were ready. We invaded Muslim camps from behind. We scared the armor right off of those cowards. They retreated and surrendered overnight.
Q: How did you earn the nickname, "Charles The Hammer"?
A: Hahaha. I slammed those moors like a hammer hitting the nail straight on the head. That will teach him not to mess with me.
Q: How do you think this will affect the people of the 21st century and on?
A: You're a far thinker, I like that. Obviously I changed the world. Who knows what could have happened to this planet if the Muslims had actually taken control of France. Not many fans of Abdul roam this land and I hope to keep it that way for a long time.
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