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.
Rome Sacked & Falls to Barbarians
I was able to talk to one of the people of Rome during the period of its sacking. Read on...
Q: When did this occur around?
A: The fall of my city happened, umm, around 410 CE. It was just awful, hard to think about.
Q: Are you sure you want to continue the interview, we can stop if this is too hard for you.
A: Oh, that's very sweet of you but don't worry. It's better to tell someone, you know, to get it out.
Q: Okay, what exactly was going on?
A: Well, The Visigoths invaded us in the search for many things. While they were storming the city, they were shouting and looking for food, riches and treasure.
Q: Why were they doing this to you?
A: It was crazy. Those barbarians were trying to get away from those violent huns. Those people are crazy. I really don't blame the visigoths for running, but I am just not such a big fan of them taking it out on the Romans.
Q: They couldn't have done it alone though, right?
A: No! They had a ruthless leader, I believe his name was Alaric. Boy was he a character. He sends shivers down my spine and the look in his eyes will never get out of my head. Not many people got to see him up close. I wish I was one of those people.
Q: I'm sorry. How did they really, um, sack Rome?
A: He took siege upon us. He starved us out until we had to turn to cannibalism! Uggh. I was literally hiding from my own people. Not only was I hiding from the Visigoths, but my Romans! It was crazy! After too long of suffering, we finally opened the doors for those darn Barbarians.
Q: What happened next? How will it affect the future?
A: They found that there was little food to be found! No surprise too, they starved us out! Alaric was in search for something better though. The mother of the world had been starved and he helped to createrd a setback for the whole world, for a really long time. Germanic tribes took over Roman territory and there is no taxation system. Kingdoms are constantly at war with each other and learning and education is not too appealing anymore. They really didn't help us advance in any way and we have a lot of work to do. Hopefully, we will pale by comparison to the future.
Julius Caesar & Fall of Roman Republic
I had the great pleasure of having a little chat with Julius Caesar! What a treat!
Q: What happened in your youth?
A: I had a good childhood. I was born in 100 BCE and captured by pirates at a young age. It was pretty interesting but even at a young age, I knew I wanted to achieve something amazing!
Q: Fascinating! I would like to know about your military styles?
A: Not to tute my own horn, but I was an ambitious military leader! I dominated Rome with my pal, Pompey and everything was going pretty well! In 58 BCE I set out with my army to make new conquests! I happily completed the Conquest of Gaul and crossed the Rubicon River.
Q: Who is this Pompey kid?
A: We started off very good in the beginning but then things turned sour! Pompey told the senate to order me and my army to retreat. Yeah right! We marched farther into northern italy. I crushed Pompey because he was so threatened buy me, ha! I swept through mediterranean and forced the government to make me dictator, of Ruler of Rome.
Q: Can you tell me more about Gaul and crossing the Rubicon?
A: Sure! It was around 55 BCE that I met with those German Barbarians at Gaul. There they stood across the Rubicon! I decided that I would make the first move! There, I built a bridge in merely ten days, ten days! what an accomplishment! When we finally finished and reached the other sides, the barbarians ran for the hills! They knew Julius was coming!
Q: How did it all end?
A: It was actually quite sad and painful. You see, I was stabbed to death in March of 44 BCE. The senate did it, those darn government people. Uggh, and it hurts me because I had too much power at the time of my death. So sad....
Q: How will this affect the future around the 21st century?
A: Wow! You are a far thinker! I created the Julian Calendar, which I expect will continue to be used for over 1600 years! It's based on the Egyptians so I owe them a little credit. Also a big thing, I turned big old Europe into a growing empire. That was tough. The outcome of this was the change into roman and then eventually the conversion to Christianity all throughout Europe
William the Conqueror
Q: How did you come to get your crown?
A: What an interesting story. I wanted to gain the throne in Britain, while being the Duke of Normandy. King Edward died in 1066 without an heir, and I was determined to get the crown. I had fight two other guys to retrieve it though. This was the Battle of Hastings.
Q: The Battle of Hastings? Explain please?
A: I had to fight against Harald of Normandy and Harold Godwinson. They both wanted to taker control of Britain, but I wouldn't let that happen. I actually fought the battle in 1066 and if you knew anything about me... I won. I gained the crown on Christmas Day and man was I happy!
Q: Getting all of this new land, what did you do with all of it?
A: Good question! I brought back my entourage from Normandy, France and granted the a lot. I also gave a great deal to the church and spoiled myself with some.
Q: Could you tell me a little bit about your doomsday book?
A: Sure! I basically created a census book to take count of everything! And between you and me, I did it so I could tax them up!
Q: How could you be sure people were telling the truth?
A: Oh you know I would not tolerate lying. I sent exchequers to collect fees, taxes and other fines. They would check up on you and make sure you weren't lying!
Q: How are you going to affect the future?
A: I definitely think that my doomsday book will help to make an accurate taxing system. But my main accomplishment would be the executive branch. This is dealing with power and enforcing the law. No doubt that it will be used for many years to come!
Constantine the Great
Q: What happened in your younger years?
A: Well I was born in 272 BCE. I received a piece of land during the Diocletian and gained control around 312 BCE. I gradually clawed my way up to the top until I was named emperor of East and West.
Q: Tell me about Constantinople?
A: Oh! How could I forget! One of my favorite accomplishments i fI do say so myself. I created Constantinople in the eastern region. Justinian created one of my favorite features of my city... The Hagia Sophia. Wow is she a beauty! This church is just wonderful and in such a convenient location!
Q: What religion was your empire based on?
A: I had my empire run under Christian rule. I definitely prefer Christian as opposed to Pagan beliefs. This was fabulous to change because it gave my empire more Christian allies, mainly from the powerful Rome. I was all for the freedom of worship and was sure to make that known throughout my empire.
Q: What have you done that you expect will affect the people of the future?
A: I know I have done a lot but I especially appreciate my acceptance of culture and religion. I have allowed for a great increase in cultural horizons. This hasn't just affected my empire but all around Europe. I hope that this will continue to function far into the future!
Alexander The Great
Q: How did you come about all of your success?
A: I was lucky enough to bring Greece under my belt in 338 BCE. I had a great childhood though. My father, Phillip II, and I lived in Thebes. He was very nice and hired someone you may have heard of as my tutor... Aristotle! Wow was he intelligent! I was so fortunate to see my dad conquer the throne on 359 BCE. He showed me the ropes and thank goodness he did! My mother, Olympias, managed to put me in the thrown and I am so glad she did! I was so successful, I wanted to conquer Persia as well but unfortunately ran out of time! Shucks!
Q: What happened with Persia?
A: I wanted to have it so bad! To show our enemies that I can take over anything, but I unfortunately couldn't. In 334 BCE I had ships crossing the Dardanelles on the way to take Persia. A while later, I had taken control of many territories and Persia was next on my list! I wasn't able to make it though because I grew very ill with a fever. I had to fight them in the beginning and boy was that a battle! They had the naval advantage but I lured them onto land and took them down!
Q: What other success have you had?
A: I don't want to brag but I am kind of a baller. In 326 BCE I faced soldier in Northern India with elephants... elephants! It was a amazing! I was determined to take more and advance further into the North but my soldiers grew too weary to go on. We headed home for Babylon... I also took control of Tyre, one of my many little islands. I built a bridge and viciously defeated them after they denied my peaceful way of going about it. Killing my little messenger, that was the last straw. I sure showed them!
Q: What can you tell me about Egypt?
A: That was one of the best moments of my life! I went there to conquer and to my surprise, it happened so peacefully! The egyptians crowned me Pharaoh and claimed I was from the gods! Can you believe that! I made Alexandria the center of culture and learning.
Q: How will you affect the people of the future?
A: I hope that I will greatly help those people. I modernized my territories with markets and shopping malls. What I really hope will live on is all of my improvements. My legacy is the spread of Greek culture. I created Hellenistic culture and achieved many advances in architecture, arts, medicines, mathematics and philosophy. Now that's something to hold on to!
Axis Age/ Golden Age of Greece
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Pericles, leader of Athens during the Golden Age. Enjoy!
Q: I understand that you are were the leader of Greece during the Golden Age? Can you tell me a little bit about that?
A: Sure! This whole Axis Age began around 546- 479 BCE. The golden age was began after we, the Greeks, kicked some Persian behind in the Persian War. It was great, it was flourishing! Drama and festivals are at the top of their game! The Golden Age of Greece ended when we unfortunately lost the Peloponnesian War to Sparta.
Q: Were you doing all of this alone?
A: I had the help of my lady, Aspasia. She was foreign born and helped me through that era. We worked so well together!
Q: Did anything remarkable happen during these times? What was so great?
A: Why of course! Many things did! One that really stuck out for me was Democracy in Athens. I really tried to be the best ruler and to do that, I needed the help of my people! We had great advances in science and philosophy. Women were getting a lot of rights! People were reaching their full potential and we had a lot of different philosophers to help out! Socrates was one of the best! We used a hellenistic culture which was really working with the people.
Q: You are speaking of all these wars. Can you explain a little more?
A: Sure, We had two major events that really defined us. The first were the Persian Wars, and those were not too fun. Darius was out for us Athenians. We both met at Marathon and battled it out. We ended up defeating the Persians and what would come to be known as the beginning of the Golden age so f Greece. Second was the Peloponnesian War. This was around 431 BCE when Sparta launched attack on us. That used our enemies, The Persians, as allies. I just couldn't get over that! We couldn't use our navy and we allowed our citizens to come inside the city walls for protection. The overcrowding led to plague and killed many people. This led to our decline.
Q: Is there anything of yours that you think will continuously affect the distant future?
A: I definitely think that all of the culture and philosophy will survive! This was such a great era with many achievements which i hope will make it for a while. Culture and women's rights, the idea of potential and equality. Hopefully democracy as well. I just want everyone to get to experience what we all did!
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