western civilization- final essay

                                                                                                               Matt Kramer

                                                                                                                                 12-18-12

                                                                                                            Western Civilization I

                                                                                                                             Final Essay

            At the heart of western freedom and democracy is the belief that the individual man... is the touchstone of value, and all society, groups, the state, exist for his benefit. Therefore the enlargement of liberty for individual human beings must be the supreme goal and abiding practice of any western society.”  - (Robert Kennedy) It is the common thought that the purpose of any government is to serve the people and all that come with it. When the government loses touch with this necessary reality the country as a whole begins to crumble at its foundation. The idea of Democracy is based on everyone’s opinion being heard and respected thus every citizen having a say in the countries affairs. In the literature to follow the successes of Democracy will be laid out and upon further reading one will realize the greatness and ideals of western civilizations. The core of western democracy and freedom is the practice of honoring the individual man as most important and all society, groups, and the state exist for his/her benefit.

            In the article “ Greatness of Western Civilization” by Edwin A. Locke, three fundamental aspects of western culture are objectively analyzed. Locke asserts that it is not an ethnocentric view of how the western civilization is better, rather an objective analysis. He points out how many intellectuals claim no culture is superior then another and that every culture has their brilliance and intellectuals, Locke disagrees. He outlines the three fundamental respects of western culture: reason, individual rights, and Science and technology. These points give sight into how Western culture is superior.  Philosophically knowledge is gained through reason and logic rather than mysticism. This belief came to its full practice during the age of enlightenment in the 18^th century. The respect for reason became the mark of an entire culture. Individual rights were another one of western cultures great achievements, which happened to give birth to America. The individual does not exist to serve their government; government exists to serve the individual.  The development of reason and peoples rights made possible the full potential of science and technology. The industrial revolution was the first technological advance of western culture. Freedom eased the minds of men to embark on alternate endeavors bringing with it the growth of industry. The ball kept rolling- with the change from horse and buggies to cars, wagon tracks to train tracks, and candles to electricity. Exponentially advances in science and technology seem to grow due to the culture of western culture. We experience a grand lifestyle with wealth, comfort, and health. Life expectancy in turn is higher than it ever was and is in other cultures giving the individual a longer opportunity to fulfill his/her pursuit of happiness. Locke describes an inevitable end to these freedoms due to attacks from all angles, which will lead to the dead end of nihilism.

            I agree with Locke that western culture is superior to others in these respects. Not in a complete ethnocentric view, even though I can’t help being somewhat biased, but rather in terms of progress. With the laws and morals that are the framework of our culture we are able to focus less on our next meal and more on intellectual properties. Without these ideals of John Locke and other philosophers of the age of enlightenment America and it’s greatness would not exist. Although I do not agree that western culture is absolutely superior. Many cultures have their superior qualities that are redeeming and superior to western culture.

In the article “ Why Western Civilization” by William Bennett, Bennett stresses the importance of learning about western civilization. He outlines the reason in three main points. It is our society that we live in or “ It is the water and we are the fish,” It is good, and because it is under attack. In his first point he conveys the importance of learning about western civilization because it is the culture in which we live. It is from the western civilizations that we can attribute to our institutions, communities, governments, churches, schools and universities. Most of the achievements we have seen in our culture are due to western civilizations triumphant ideas. But not all can be. The east had its fair share of achievements that influenced the west in one way or another. The west is ours – culturally, socially, morally, and legally.

The second reason Bennett presses is  “ It is good.” With humbleness he follows, “ It is not all good”. What can this mean? Nothing is untarnished with a spotless record from imperfections. He compares this history of America and it’s injustices with other civilizations and theirs. When looking at America’s dealings with inhumanity and misery it seems as if western civilization is far from flawed. Bennett uses these examples as a tool to express how far we have come in those respects. The misery and inhumanity in western civilization is considerably low compared to other civilizations throughout history. This is due to the representative democracy that is a product of western Civilization. The best insight into this way of life is the U.S Constitution, the most imitated political document in the world. Besides this document other western literature offer guidance with life’s important questions: What can I know? What should I do? What is good? What is man? How should I live?

The third reason Bennett expresses is that we are under attack from abroad and from within. Under attack from those hostile towards western progress and western principles. “Theirs is not an America that, despite its imperfections, its weaknesses, its sins, has served as a beacon to the world; instead, theirs is an America corrupt with a host of unholy "isms," such as racism, elitism, and imperialism.”(Bennett) Sexism is one of the grand injustices of our day but the scale of the treatment of women throughout history compared to America’s treatment of women, we don’t stack up. More so than in any culture women are treated far better off in America. These freedoms exist in few other societies and we are blessed to be a product of western civilization.

I adamantly agree with Bennett on all his points; we are under attack, democracy is good, and it is important to defend western culture because it is our own. Many peoples throughout the world are against any western progress and who have an unrequited and unsolicited hatred for our way of life. They find it absolutely necessary for the destruction of our principles and way of life. Western culture stands for justice, and under the constitution, growth- with modern times is only inevitable. Our history is not pure. It is marked with bloodshed and injustice. But on the grand scale that is time our negative moments are but a grain of sand in comparison.

To really take from history is to realize that its’ existence is not just that of the past but in the present and future. With this realization one will be able to make more just and accurate judgments, as well as choices. The realization of history’s presence is not the mark of intelligence yet the mark of wisdom. An example is when you know the outcome of certain military or political strategies from the past, you can use these as ‘‘context clues’’ for what choices and moves to make. Realizing that history surrounds that and us when something terrible or great happens that the pages of history are being written.

The discovery of Penicillin was one of the greatest of the 20^th century. The lives that were saved and the well being that was preserved is insurmountable. Alexander Fleming’s discovery of this fungi changed medical history and it’s practices. The discovery was truly a revolution in the medical field. Penicillin antibiotics were the first drugs that were affective against serious diseases. The penicillin antibiotic is now prescribed for 26 conditions including syphilis, lyme disease, and gangrene to name a few.

The Wright brothers did more than invent a device that flies- they instilled hope for mankind. In 1903 their invention expanded the realm of human exploration. The Wright brother’s airplane gave hope to man. Seeing the once thought impossible done, surely must have been awe-striking. Space exploration was the next step in exploratory growth.

The same hopefully inspiring feeling from the Wright brothers that were induced was once again administered by the 1969 lunar expedition. Apollo 11 manned by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins was the first manned lunar landing ever. This was a huge feat for mankind and a pivotal period in the history of human beings. When Neil Armstrong took those first steps on the moon man had found their place throughout the billions of years prior that the earth existed.

            The world would be a much different place not to mention our country if there had not been the advances in the science, medical, and exploration. Without the landing on the moon the it’s presence in history would be vacant and we would have no accurate information to draw upon for the moon and for other explorations. Our technological advances would be linear and hope would run dry. This can be said about the Wright brothers as well.  If the Penicillin antibiotic was not discovered many people would have lived much shorter lives and died of diseases that we find trivial today. Realizing the presence of such things is inspiring and gives me pride in the democracy that I live in.

            At the heart of western freedom and democracy is the belief that the individual man... is the touchstone of value, and all society, groups, the state, exist for his benefit. Therefore the enlargement of liberty for individual human beings must be the supreme goal and abiding practice of any western society.”  - (Robert Kennedy) This theme is ever more important today than ever. With American’s faltering trust in the government and politicians it is important to remember that we are the country and the government exists to serve us. This is a great theme to guide this generation into the future. From looking at the counter culture of the 60’s we see a failure of protests and opposition towards authority. The best way to go about change is not on the opposition rather within the institution. It is important to remember the fundamental ideas of Robert Kennedy’s quote. We are the country and anything else is unacceptable. The core of western democracy and freedom is the practice of honoring the individual man as most important and all society, groups, and the state exist for his/her benefit.

western civilization- renaissance terms

Renaissance & Reformation – Term Sheet

Person/Place/Event      What Came Before, Describe, What Came After?

Renaissance	The rebirth of interest in knowledge and antiquity in Europe during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Expansion of Trade	By 1500 north German coastal towns established the Hanseatic League growing to more than eighty towns. The league established many settlements and commercial bases across Northern Europe. The Hanseatic league had a monopoly over Northern European trade for over two hunder years with Bruges as the major port. Italy, especially Venice, began to grow in trade with the Ottoman empire.
Banking and the Medici	The banking grew in Florence thanks to the Medici family. They expanded from cloth production to commerce, real estate, and banking. The Medici family was the biggest bank in Europe at the time with branches all across Europe. The bank began to experience troubles near the end of the 15th century from bad loans, bad leadership, and uncollectible loans.
Machiavelli	In 1498 Machiavelli entered the service of the Florence republic as secretary of the Florence council of ten. In 1512 french invasion and Spanish defeat led to the reestablishment of the Medici family and staunch republicans, including Machiavelli, were exiled and forced to not participate in politics. Having to give up his great love of politics, Machiavelli he now reflected on politics and wrote books. His most famous being “The Prince”. His political views came from his knowledge of ancient Rome and Italy’s political problems. In the prince he outlines human nature and how a prince should behave in accordance.
Emergence of Humanism	Petrarch is known as the father of humanism in the renaissance. Humanism was the intellectual movement on the study of classical literary works of Greece and Rome. Humanities encompassed rhetoric, poetry, grammar, and moral and ethical philosophy. Petrarch led a conquest for forgotten Latin manuscripts and raided monastic libraries throughout Europe.
Impact of Printing	The invention of the printing press was the most significant invention of the western civilization. Before they would use wood block system of printing. But in part thanks to Johannes Gutenberg there was now a quicker more ideal way of printing that used metal movable letters. The bible was the first actual book printed and the printing press would soon be widespread throughout Europe. Along with the spread of the printing press the reemergence of classical antiquity literature was seen. This caused an influx of the desire of knowledge, cooperation between scholars, and standardized texts. The reformation can be attributed to printing as well.
Michelangelo	“Giant” of the high renaissance who was a painter, sculpture, and architect.  He was a feverishly energetic worker with a drive to create. Neo-Platonism inspired him, which can be seen in his most famous work the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. Another famous work of Michelangelo was his David. A fourteen foot tall sculpture that shows the beauty of the human body and the glory of human beings.
Leonardo da Vinci	Da vinci studied everything even dissecting human bodies to see how nature worked. He stressed the a need to go beyond realism and brought in the high renaissance view of idealized nature. He was an inventor, painter, and a advocate of anatomy among other things.
The Hapsburgs	The Habsburg dynasty ruled the holy Roman empire. The Habsburg success was not due to military achievements but well executed dynastic marriages. The inter Marrying of the bold of Burgundy and the Emperors daughter, for example, brought much land into the possession of the Empire. Due to unexpected deaths of royals Charles, son of Ferdinand and Isabella, came in direct inheritance of three lines: Habsburg, Burgundian , and Spanish. This made him the leading monarch of the time.
Ottoman Turks Defeat Byzantines	Beginning in the thirteenth century the Ottoman Turks began to spread rapidly through lands of the Seljuk Turks and the Byzantine empire. After taking over Serbia and Bosnia the Ottoman empire laid siege upon Constantinople laying waste to the Byzantine empire.
Protestant Reformation	Reforms of the catholic church led by Martin luther and 95 theses of Christian reforms.
Erasmus	The most influential of the northern Renaissance humanists.he sought to restore Christianity to the early simplicity that was found in the teachings of Jesus himself. His reform did not achieve what he wanted in the church. His work did pave the way for the Reformation.
Thomas More	More was Lord chancellor of England. His political career did not keep him from his other spiritual and intellectual endeavors. In 1516 more wrote the famous novel, “utopia”. The novel outlined the idea life and perfect institutions of the community. He served under king Henry VIII where his views in “Utopia”, were contradicted but he covered his tracks in the novel by rationalizing his service to the king.
Early Luther	Born in germany he studied law at Erfurt receiving a bachelors degree and soon gaining his master in arts. After, Luther entered a monastery to become a monk. He grew doubtful of some of the practices of the church including confession.
Justification	The act of someone being made deserving of salvation. This was the primary doctrine of the protestant reformation.
Indulgence Controversy	Luther did not see himself as a heretic as many did. Nor did he see himself as a innovator. He was forced to see the theological implications of the justification system due to his confrontation with church officials. Angered by the indulgences of the church martin Luther wrote his 95 theses.
Quickening Rebellion	The debate of Leipzig with Martin Luther and John Eck of the Catholic church was the turning point in the reformations validity. The catholic church saw him as a heretic but Luther saw himself as doing God’s work.
95 Theses	95 theses mark the beginning of the reformation. They were Luther’s response of Johann Tetzel’s abuses in selling indulgences. Among some of his points in this was his doubt of the Popes power, disdain for confession, and indulgences with the church money.
Rise of Lutheranism	In 1522 Luther returned to Wittenberg and started his reformed church.  His translation of the new testament into German was one of his foremost achievements. Because only 4-5% of Germans were literate the Luther’s word was spread through sermons. More and more preachers were spreading Luther’s reforms from city to city.
Spread of Luther’s Ideas	With the growing amount of preachers spreading the reforms of Luther from city to city these new ideals were growing more popular. It Started to spread from the northern and central states in Germany and encompassing two thirds of the free imperial cities, especially in the southern areas. Nuremburg was the first of these cities to convert in 1525.
Peasants’ War	Dissatisfaction of the peasants with several aspects led to this short-lived war. Peasants did not see the economic improvement touch them, abuse from their lords, and new taxes and services were required. The peasants also grew unsatisfied with the religious social aspect and looked to Martin Luther for leadership. But Luther was against the peasants because he knew how much his reformation relied on the Princes and Magistrates of Germany.
Reformation in England and Henry VIII	Initiated by king Henry VIII because he wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the pope would not allow it. The pope being subservient to the Holy Roman Emperor who was Catherines nephew denied the king his request of annulment. This was important because king Henry VIII was in love with Anne Boleyn whom was with child and it was pertinent that the marriage be legitimate so that his son was as well. So with the help of Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell who advised him to have the annulment in the courts of England. After doing so he had made the act of supremacy, which declared Henry the only head of the church of England. In 1536 over 400 religious houses were closed and possessions confiscated by the king. Also that year Henry was tired of Anne Boleyn and had her beheaded on the grounds of adultery. He married jane Seymour who finally produced him a male heir but she died twelve days later. His fourth wife Anne of Cleves, a German Princess was a political marriage but he was unpleased with her looks and divorced her. His fifth wife Catherine Howard was more attractive but soon committed adultery and was beheaded. His last wife Catherine Parr outlived him and his son from his third wife took the throne but was only nine years old. The church of England then began to move in a protestant direction.
John Calvin	The second generation of protestant reformers. He believed in the inner guidance of god. After being chased out of France from the threat of the king he wrote the “Institutes of Christian Religion” a synthesis of protestant thought.
Predestination	Calvin’s idea that God had predestined some people to be saved and some people were to be damned. This was derived from his idea of God’s absolute sovereignty.
The Catholic Reformation	Due to the reforms the Catholic church needed to make some reforms for themselves. There was a revival of the old ways of the church that dated back to days of the Medieval Catholicism.
Council of Trent	The council of cardinals, bishops, and other papal authorities was created to resolve issues created from the protestant revolts. But due to outbreak of the plague, war between France and Spain, and constant changing of popes there were not regular annual meetings. The catholic church hoped that compromises could be made for the protestants to return to the church.  The catholic church was successful in reinstating the supreme power of the pope which would remain unchanged for four hundred years.

Summarize Luther’s Main Points        The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons. Therefore by “full remission of all penalties” the pope means not actually “of all,” but only of those imposed by himself. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, which say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved; They preach man who says that so soon as the penny jingles into the moneybox, the soul flies out of purgatory. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the moneybox, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter’s church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity. To wit: “Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial.” “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?” To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell; And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

Which do you think are his most powerful and why? I feel that Luther’s theses that are the most powerful are those regarding the Pope. Luther indicts the Pope for his actions and politely calls him a fraud. These statements must have been a huge blow to Catholicism and Catholics who put their faith in the Pope as the messenger of God.

When comparing Roman Catholic and Protestant churches today, what evidence is found here that may explain differing viewpoints on Christianity? Some aspects of the bible are rejected by protestants where as Catholics accept. In Catholicism priesthood is a special vocation where as in the protestant church priests are all believers. Good deeds receive merit in catholic church where they do not in the Protestant church.

Connecting History

How does the theme, “The importance of history is realizing its presence” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. The people who lived to see the renaissance without any doubt realized history’s presence. They knew they were witnessing something great; a grand social revolution. Also a raised awareness in people knowledge of antiquity rose and was studied more.

How does the theme, “The same conditions always produce the same results” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. In a geographical/agricultural sense when the climate changed from colder to warmer the renaissance came along. Before the previous climate change to cold the warm period brought surplus and prosperity to the Roman empire.

How does the theme “The only thing new in the world is the history you didn’t know” connect to people and/or themes in this module? Provide examples. With Machiavelli’s novel “the Prince” He was describing the ways of human nature and how princes should act to maintain control. This was not a new concept nor was it new to Machiavelli. It was indeed a new concept and history that most readers did not know.

western civilization- medieval film connections

Western Civilization I

-       Monty Python & the Holy Grail (comedy- Knights of the Round Table 1975)

The story follows king Arthur as he recruits his knights of the round table on his way to comelot. They reach Camelot but decide not to enter. They are then instructed by god to search for the holy grail. Thus they begin their quest for the holy grail.

King Arthur- Graham Chapman Sir Bedevere the Wise- Terry Jones Sir Lancelot the Brave- John Cleese Sir Robin the Not quite so brave as sir lancelot- Eric Idle Sir Galahad- Michael Palin

The movie takes place during the Medieval time period. The plague was running through Europe and chivalry amongst knights was the surviving moral compass of the day. The church was the supreme authority.

Apply any event or person in the film that can use the theme, “The same conditions always produce the same results” to connect this event or person to today and/or the future. In the scene at the French Castle the knights of the round table construct a wooden bunny, much like the Trojan horse, to offer the French to gain access into the Castle. This is the same condition and result as the Trojan horse in Greece hundreds of years before.

Apply any event or person in the film that can use the theme, “The only thing new in the world is the history you didn’t know” to connect this event or person to today and/or the future. Not knowing about the history of the Trojan horse and the battle of troy would have helped the French out in this situation by not falling for this trick.

Apply any event or person in the film that can use the theme, “The importance of history is realizing its presence” to connect this event or person to today and/or the future. In one scene there is a historian reading the events of history as they are unfolding. Kind of playing upon the theme of realizing the presence of history.

western civilization- medieval europe terms

4Medieval Europe – Term Sheet

Person/Place/Event                What Came Before, Describe, What Came After?

Ostrogothic Kingdom	Recovering from a defeat from the Huns in the late fourth century the Ostrogoths under their king Theodoric marched on Constantinople and killed The emperor Odoacer and took rule of Italy. The Ostrogothic kingdom maintained Roman culture and morals more than any other Germanic state. This included mainting the Imperialistic Roman government. Theodoric set up a “dual approach” law policy where, Roman’s and Germanic peoples had different laws and own officials. After Theodoric’s death the Ostrogothic empire began to fall apart. The Byzantine empire conquered Italy under Justinian laying waste to much of Italy along with the culture and Rome as one of the great urban areas in the Mediterranean.
Visgothic Kingdom	The Visgothic empire in Spain was short lived marked by constant fighting for the throne. There was no hereditary monarchy in place and no system in appointing a new king. This caused fragility and in the year 711 muslim invaders destroyed the Visgothic Empire.
Frankish Kingdom	The leader Clovis brought the Franks, the longest lasting Germanic kingdom to rule, to the continent. Arian Christians being seen as heretics by Roman-Catholics, Clovis converted to Roman-Catholicism to gain support of the people. This paved the way for his expansion of modern day France and Western Germany. Clovis Created the Merovingian Dynasty and spent his last days making sure his dynasty survive by killing off his family members who were leaders of other groups of Franks. After the death of Clovis his three sons split up the Kingdom. Neustria in norther Gaul, Austria on both side of the Rhine river, and the former kingdom of Burgundy.  In the eight century, Charles Martel who served as mayor of the palace of Austria and defeated the muslims in 741 became virtual leader of the whole Frankish kingdom at the time of his death.
Germanic Law	Germanic law differed from Roman government. German law was more personal. Often blood feuds would result from a wrong doing of a person by the opposites family. This got out of control and led to a monetary compensation for the “crime”. Wergeld, was put in place to quell this mayhem caused by killing a family member by issuing compensation for the crime against the family member. The value of the “Wergeld” was determined by social status.
The Church Fathers	The group of intellectuals who wrote in Latin and profoundly influenced the development of Christianity throughout the West.  Of these men were Saint Augustine and Jerome.
Power of the Pope	Churches had a considerable rule over administration in larger cities. The bishops of those cities executed a large amount of power. With the doctrine of Petrine supremacy, Roman bishops held a preeminent position in the church and over all other positions.
Byzantine Empire - Justinian	Justinian’s goal was to revive the Roman empire in the entire Mediterranean. With the general Belisarius The Byzantine Empire conquered the Vandals in North Africa and later the Ostrogoths which devastated Italy. Justinian was thought to have bankrupted the nations by achieving his goals, which he accomplished. But, It is now thought that a plague entered the empire causing much devastation.
Charlemagne	The son of Peppin, Charlemagne was a great ruler. Decisive, intelligent, inquisitive, a great warrior, and renowned statesmen. In the tradition of Germanic kings he was a a great warrior and undertook over fifty military campaigns. He overthrew the Lombards in Italy and took control. Charlemagne became the most powerful Christian leader. Pope Leo III declared Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day 800. Charlemagne’s coronation as Emperor marked the fusion of Roman, Christian, and Germanic Elements. He is seen as the father of Europe.
Invasions – Muslims, Magyars, Vikings	The Ninth and Tenth centuries were marked by invasions. The Muslims came first. The gathered sea bases from their territories in North Africa, Spain, and southern Gaul. The Magyars, a Western Asian group, raided western Europe under the pressure of the Pechenegs. The Magyars were crushed in 955 and went on to settle down and establish the kingdom of Hungary. The Vikings were the most destructive invaders. The Vikings hailing from Scandinavia were a Germanic people. The Vikings were great warriors and great ship builders/ sailors. This made them candidates to become invaders. The Norwegian Vikings moved into Ireland and western England. The Danes attacked eastern England, Frisia, and Rhineland. The Swedish Vikings dominated the Baltic sea.
Vassal	Warriors took an oath of loyalty, known as Vassalage, to their leader. They fought for their chief and in return he took care of the warriors needs.
Fief	This was a type of income; mostly land, which was paid to a vassal by his leader for military service.
Manorial System	Manor was agricultural estate overseen by land holing noble militarily elite. Peasants gave up their freedom and worked the land for their lords. These peasants were known as serfs and were subservient to their lords. They could not be bought or sold.
Three-field system	This agricultural system was a circle of rotation fields for the spring, summer and fall. This system was used to maintain the virility of the soil throughout the year.
Castles	Castles were huge fortification to ward off and protect from invasion and attack. Also outside of the castles were long open fields for visibility. The nobles and higher class would reside within the walls of the castle and was the place of the authority and law.
Way of the Warrior	Young boys were sent into military training to learn how to become a warrior. Jousting, horse riding, and weapon handling were among these teachings. They were taught the basic elements of reading and writing. At the age of 21 they young man would be knighted with the acknowledgment of his sponsor.
Move To Tyranny – Chivalry	An ideal of civilized behavior among the nobility. Chivalry involved a code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold.
Revival of Trade	In the early middle ages trade had declined dramatically. Italy lead the revival of trade among Europe due to the contact with the Byzantine empire. Western cities such as Venice had close trading ties with the Byzantine empire and lead other western cities to trade. The crusades opened way for more trading opportunity and revamped trade throughout Europe.  Soon commercial capitalism would rise and people would start to invest in goods and trade to make profit.
Growth of Cities	With the revival of trade came the growth of cities. With a need for more land for warehouses for products merchants began to move into old roman cities and thus began the repopulation of these old cities. As well as old cities new cities were founded. Usually near a castle or stonghold because of its location near a major trade route.
Guilds	A system much like unions where standards for a particular trade were set. Guild became prevalent in every trade and added to the rising commercial capitalism. Different from unions was the learning system in place. Guilds served as a learning place where specific trades were taught.
Origins of Universities	Guilds gave way for universities. A more structured and centralized learning environment where trades could be learned. Universities coincided with revival of Roman law. The first university in bologna Italy is much of what modern Universities are.
Revival of Classical Antiquity	Along with the resurgence of higher learning was a peaked interest in the works of the Greeks and Romans. Greek and Roman science, philosophy, literature, and art were revamped and studied. Little Greek and Roman works had survived and the works that did were difficult to obtain. In the middle ages many Greek and Roman works were destroyed and/or neglected leaving them to waste.
Scholasticism	The medieval system of philosophical theological study. The primary preoccupation was to reconcile faith with reason. In other words, was to demonstrate that religion was harmonious with what could be learned by reason.
Revival of Roman Law	Europeans were looking for a more orderly world. Studying roman law was very enticing to the collegiate. The disarray of Germanic codes, feudal customs, and urban regulations intensified the need for order. Roman law had a huge impact on the European learning and law system.
Romanesque	The roman churches influenced Romanesque architecture. Square almost cross like structures. Instead of a flat ceiling they build a high curved ceiling, which was aesthetically pleasing and also had tremendous acoustics. The churches were characterized by darkness, solidity, and had tiny slits for windows.
Gothic	Reaching up towards the heavens the ribbed celestial ceiling was a trademark of the gothic period. Giving insight into the peoples feelings about god at the time.
William of Normandy	After defeating the Anglo-Saxons William took over control of England and treated it as a royal possession. The Norman royal family took possession of one fifth of the land in England and nobles, churches, or fiefs held the rest from the king. The oath of Salisbury in 1086 required all sub vassals to swear loyalty to him thus creating a strong centralized government. William was also the vassal to the king of France at the same time as being king of England.
Magna Carta	Signed by king John, the Magna Carta regulated the relationships between kings and his vassals. Often referred to as the great charter of feudal liberties it was initially a feudal document but was used later to strengthen the concept of limited monarchy. The magna Carta enacted many laws: made the church free, made owed money from the deceased a necessity of payment for the deceased heir(s) as long as of age, no taxes toward the government for aid unless listed, all cities and boroughs enabled to maintain their customs, and set up a fare judicial system of peers.
Investiture Controversy	The controversy was caused by a disputed election of bishopric of Milan in northern Italy. The bishopric was important to maintain German influence in northern Italy. The pope threatened king Henry IV with excommunication to get him to back his candidate. To counter this threat the king called for an assembly of German bishops. The pope then had the king excommunicated and relinquished all of his subjects and their allegiance to him. This conflict went on for three more years until a new king and pope reached an agreement called the concordat of worms. This agreement gave way to the separation of church in state. The church had be dependent on the “emperor” up to this point. Not only was the Pope now free to rule over all bishops and papal happenings but they could dispose a king under certain circumstances.
Importance of Saints	Saints were extremely important in regards to hope. Hope for the common man to be ushered into heaven with a godly role, like saint Peter and the gates of heaven. The belief that anyone could become a saint through good nature and care for poor souls was inspiring to the common man.
Use of Relics	Relics were closely tied with the emphasis of saints. Saints bones or other objects that were intimately connected to the saint would be used as relics, believing them worthy of veneration. The holiness of saints was believed to be inherent in the relics.
Indulgences	The relics were used as a tool by papal authorities to push for people to be charitable or do good deeds in forgiveness for their indulgences. They assured the people that by doing such deeds they would be able to view such relics, which would reduce, there time spent in purgatory before being accepted into heaven.
Persecution of the Jews	The Jews were the only religious minority in Europe that was allowed to carry on their practices. With the religious enthusiasm of the high middle ages intolerance of other religions grew. Any non-Christian religion was seen as enemies of Christianity. When the crusades began away from home a persecution at home began. Any non-Christian practicing religion like the Jews and Pagans were plundered in every way. Any protection given to the Jews was seen has heresy and soon the Jews were abandoned by all.
The Crusades	Holy war against the Christians and Muslims exhibiting warfare and religion, the two main aspects of life of the time.
Background to the Crusades	With the growing world and increased trade and world view Europe and the east began to clash. The most important aspect of life, religion, sparked a holy war lasting years. This crusade was over the holy land of Jerusalem, the absolute religious land of Jesus’ and Mohammad.
First Crusade	From the initial enticement of from the pope to redeem all sins by fighting in the crusades, many flocked for the opportunity. Besides the former initiative the crusaders were seduced by the promise of land, wealth, prestige, and power. Thousands flocked to Jerusalem in hopes to defend god. After defeating the Muslims in a five week blood bath and killing many innocent women and children the crusaders moved further east to the Byzantine empire. They set up three crusader states and, surrounded by Muslims, looked to Italy for supplies. In the process Italian cities, especially Venice, became rich.
Second Crusade	By 1144 the Muslims began to fight back and soon took Jerusalem back. This renewed interest in the crusade and thus began the second crusade. Inspired by Bernard of Clairvoux and under the kings Henry VII of France and Emperor Conrad III of Germany the crusaders marched once again only to fail. The Muslim forces led by Saladin in 1187 crushed the crusaders.
Third Crusade	After the defeat by Saladin yet another call for a crusade ensued. Three empires lead their armies to the holy land. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, King Richard I the lion heart of England, and Phillip II Augustus of France. Their attempts were futile but Richard the lion heart made a treaty with Saladin to let Christian visitors to visit the city.
Effects of the Crusades	It is debatable whether the crusades had much of an impact on Europe. It had little effect on the Muslim world besides the castles that were built. Some historians think that it was a great way for monarchs to retain their power by sending their citizens to fight this war instead of fighting over rule of European kingdoms. One negative effect was the persecution and slaughter of the Jews at home in Europe.
The Black Death	By the end of the third century over climate change, famine, and over population made medieval Europe a Petri dish for disease. After centuries of warm weather and favorable agricultural conditions Europe slumped into what is referred to as the little ice age marked by severe storms and constant rain. Due to constant rain many crops were destroyed leading to famine and a rise in poor. Malnutrition caused by the famine made people more susceptible to disease killing ten percent of the population in the early 13th century. The disease was the bacterium Yersinia Pestis that infected fleas that infested rats, which infested areas of human population. The disease was marked by fever, joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and blotches on the skin due to bleeding underneath the dermis and killed 50-60 percent of its victims.
Spread of the Plague	The plague was spread from Asia to Europe by black rats carrying fleas that were hosts to the disease. The Mongols spread the disease into central china. it is reported that 90 percent of people near Beijing died. By the 1400s Mongols controlled much of the Eurasian continent and trade routes. This rule contributed to the spread of the black death from Asia to Europe. The plague reached Europe in October 1347 brought from Caffa to Sicily by merchants. Urban areas lost about 50-60 percent of their population and farming rural areas lost 30 percent of their population.
The Great Schism	When pope Gregory XI died the cardinals were set to elect a new pope. Citizens of Rome Feared that the cardinals, majority of French, would elect a French pope and bring the papal state to Avignon. The Romans threatened the cardinals by if they elected a French Pope they would no leave Rome alive. The cardinals elected Pope Urban VI in fear of the Romans and returned to France. Their the French cardinals, after being replaced by other non-French cardinals, stated that they elected Urban VI out of fear and the election was null and void. They then elected a Frenchman Pope Clement VII. There were now two popes thus creating the great schism. The church was split with Europe divided on their support for the pope. England, Germany, Scandinavia, and most of Italy supported Pope Urban VI. France, Spain, Scotland and Southern Italy supported Pope Clement VII. This divide was between France and England due to the hundred years war and their allies support their respective Popes.

Connecting History

How does the theme, “The importance of history is realizing its presence” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. Realizing that any division within an empire or within the church leads to conflict. Realizing these patterns from history show the outcome of these splits. In the Ostrogothic Kingdom there is a division of the German people and Roman people. From everything down to different laws for each even including a restriction of intermarriage. The split in the church did nothing, and was mostly political; besides weaken people’s belief in Christianity and the Pope himself.

How does the theme, “The same conditions always produce the same results” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. The crusades are a perfect example of similar conditions producing the same results. With several crusades only a few being somewhat successful the Christians kept persisting. They did not take into account the past crusades failure was due to the holy land being surrounded by Muslim land and Muslim people. They could not secure Jerusalem for long being in the heartland of Muslim territory. They were too far away from their supply from the homeland and outnumbered by the Muslims in their home.

How does the theme “The only thing new in the world is the history you didn’t know” connect to people and/or themes in this module? Provide examples. This applies to the Great Schism. The division of leaders is as old as time. With the Roman empire being divided in rule we can see that this division only weakens the state and the peoples faith in the people or issues at hand. Not knowing the past mistakes of leaders such as these leads to new experiences that have happened over and over again.