The Most Important Thing I've Learned This Year: The Crusades

The most important thing I learned about this year was the Crusades. I had never really known much about the crusades before this class and never really knew exactly what they were. I never knew how tremendously they failed either. This had to have been one of the most important thing i learned because it was such a big part in history and so many people have a misconception of them.

The biggest failure of the crusades was the attempt to recapture many cities numerous times. After the end of the first crusade the second crusade started and revolved around capturing the city of Edessa. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest failures of the crusades. There were many more to come.

During the second crusade absolutely nothing was accomplished. Saint Bernard called for the second crusade, and it was led by Louis VII (the king of France), and the German emperor, Conrad III. During the second crusade they tried to recapture the city of Edessa and failed miserably.

Saladin, the Muslim leader tried to recapture the holy city Jerusalem in the third crusade. Frederick I (German emperor), Philip Augustus (king of France), and King Richard the Lion Hearted (from France) led the third crusade in order to recapture the city from Saladin. Not only was the second crusade a failure, so was the third.

The fact that there was more than one crusade shows insignificant value of the crusades. All of the crusades, accept for the first, failed miserably. All this failure only caused more. It also caused unnecessary death.

Not only was this the most important thing that I learned this year, but it was one of the most interesting things I've learned as well. Although the crusades were highly unsuccessful, they were not completely worthless. They were very important in history.

English Bill of Rights

The English bill of Rights came out of the Glorious Revolution in 1688. Kind James II fled during the time of the revolution. His daughter, Mary succeeded him, along with her husband(William of Orange, a Dutch prince). Parliament presented a Declaration of Rights and presented it to William and Mary on February 13, 1689.

Mary and William accepted the Declaration on Rights, and Parliament then declared them king and queen of England. Parliament added numerous clauses to the declaration and formally named the bill as the Bill of Rights on December 16, 1689. The Bill of Rights incorporated, not only, the problems caused by the king but also basic civil rights for the people. It didn't allow the monarch to suspend laws or levy taxes without permission from the Parliament.

The Bill of Rights also prohibited the monarch from organizing a standing army during a time of peace. The most important things that the Bill of Rights proclaimed were it fundamental liberties, including freedom of elections, freedom of debate in Parliament, and freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishments. To prevent religious divisions from occurring,as it did under James II, it also banned Roman Catholics from ruling England.

"Along with the 1701 Act of Settlement the Bill of Rights remains, today, one of the main constitutional laws governing the succession to not only the throne of the United Kingdom, but, following British colonialism, the resultant doctrine of reception, and independence, also to those of the other Commonwealth realms, whether by willing deference to the act as a British statute or as a patriated part of the particular realm's constitution. Since the implementation of the Statute of Westminster in each of the Commonwealth realms (on successive dates from 1931 onwards) the Bill of Rights cannot be altered in any realm except by that realm's own parliament, and then, by convention, and as it touches on the succession to the shared throne, only with the consent of all the other realms."(source)

The Bill of Rights became one of the most vital part of parts of the English constitution. It has also had a significant impact on the law of the United States. Many of the provisions of the English Bill of Rights have become part of the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Bill of Rights.

The Thirty Years War

The Thirty Years War lasted from 1618-1648 and was considered one of the most desrtuctive battles in European history. Most of the war was fought in Germany, but in some of the other European countries as well. Historians have an idea as to what caused the war, but are not able to blame it on just one party. The war was inittially fought between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire, although disputes over the politics and power within the Empire played a significant part.

The war gradually progressed and became a more general conflict,this caused all of the European powers to become involved in the war. In 1617 the Holy Roman Emperor, Methias, wanted to place Ferdinand, his heir, on the throne in Bohemia. By doing this "a Catholic succession to the Imperial title" was ensured. Ferdinand's goal was to alienate the Protestant Bohemian's and put a stop to their religious rights.

Many Bohemian Calvinits were shaken up when they found out that Ferdinand was elected because they feared losing their religous rights. The Calvinist revolt began in May 1618, when rebels threw two Catholic members of the Bohemian royal council from a window that was about seventy feet off the ground. The members of the council fell into piles of manure and only suffered from minor injuries.

"So great was the devastation brought about by the war that estimates put the reduction of population in the German states at about 15% to 30%.[42][43] Some regions were affected much more than others.[44] For example, the Württemberg lost three-quarters of its population during the war.[45] In the territory of Brandenburg, the losses had amounted to half, while in some areas an estimated two-thirds of the population died.[46] The male population of the German states was reduced by almost half.[47] The population of the Czech lands declined by a third due to war, disease, famine and the expulsion of Protestant Czechs.[48][49] Much of the destruction of civilian lives and property was caused by the cruelty and greed of mercenary soldiers, many of whom were rich commanders and poor soldiers.[50] The Swedish armies alone may have destroyed up to 2,000 castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns in Germany, one-third of all German towns.[51] The war caused serious dislocations to both the economies and populations of central Europe, but may have done no more than seriously exacerbate changes that had begun earlier." (source)

The war finally ended with the Peace of Westphalia. It was signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648. It was written in French, and ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire (today mostly Germany) and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The treaty involved the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III (Habsburg), the Kingdoms of Spain, France and Sweden, the Netherlands and their allies among the princes and the Holy Roman Empire.

Art of the Renaissance

Art was significantly changed in the Renaissance. The art portrayed human beings as more joyous and beautiful than before. It also portrayed the pleasurable things in life. Renaissance art was done in a more life-like manner. Renaissance artists used perspective in their paintings, causing there to be depth in the images, rather than them being "flat".

Giotto, an Italian artist from Florence, was one of the first artists use the techniques developed in the Renaissance. Giotto was very good at capturing the emotionsof his models. He made the bodies appear to be solid and his use of perspective brings the art to life. The style of art he created set the bar for all Renaissance art to come.

Another great artist of the Renaissance was Leonardo da Vinci. He is thought of by many as a true "Renaissance man". He was not only a painter, but also a sculptor, a scientist, and an inventor. The two paintings the Leonardo is most famous for is the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. He also contributed to the development of Renaissance art.

Another great artist of the Renaissance was Michelangelo. His work was very inspiring to many and he will always be remembered for it. In the 89 years that he lived, Michelangelo created many of the works of art that we think of when we think of the Renaissance. He was a skilled painter who spent many years completing the frescoes that are displayed throughout the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo had trained as a sculptor and created two of the world's greatest, most famous statues-the enormous David and the touching Pieta.

The Renaissance produced many incredible artists that are still acknowledged today. The renaissance was revolutionary for art. Without the development in art in the Renaissance, art may not be the same now. The Renaissance marked a huge turning point for art and will forever be remembered for it.

The Causes of the Protestant Reformation

There were many causes of the Protestant Reformation,however there were three main causes. These three causes were the fallen Catholic church, the influence of Martin Luther's teachings, and the buying and selling of indulgences in order to build Saint Peter's Church. All three of these things contributed greatly to the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther was a German monk who struggle with doubts about his faith. Because of his doubts he was sent to the holy city, Rome. While in Rome, Luther discovered the issues within the church. His ideas and influences had a great effect on the starting of the Reformation. Luther protested the selling of indulgences in the Catholic church. He then wrote, what is known as the 95 thesis, and nailed it to the door of the church. this caused a major uproar among the people of the church.

The fallen Catholic church was one of the greatest causes of the Reformation. the church was fallen in the sense that positions in the church were being sold to whoever would pay the most for them. In this way the church was very corrupted. The church then began to enable people to buy your family member out of Purgatory, pay to see Holy relics, or buy a statue of your favorite saint. The main goal of the church became making money.

The indulgences being sold by the Roman Catholic church were the biggest form of corruption within it. The money made from selling the indulgences paid for the rebuilding of Saint Peter's Church in Rome. If you bought an indulgence it was believed that you could buy a loved one's way out of purgatory and into heaven. Luther strongly disagreed with this idea because it went against what the bible taught.

In conclusion, the teachings and influence of Martin Luther, the fallen church, and the selling of indulgences caused the church to drastically change. The change in the church also caused a change in the course of history. And without the teachings and ideas of Luther, then the whole reformation would most likely never have happened at all.


McKitterick, Rosamond. Times Medieval World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Guy, John. Medieval Life. London: Ticktock Media Limited, 2001

Louis XIV

Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was a very oddman. He was known as the Sun King because of the idea that, just as the planets revolve around the Sun, so too should France and the court revolve around him. He took to his throne at four years old. He was not only the king of France, but he ruled Navarre as well.

He ruled for 72 years, 3months, and 18 days. This is the longest European rule known to date. During his vastly long reign, Louis XIV fought most of the other European countries in only four wars. He also established a court at Versailles and brought absolute monarchy in Europe to its height. He worked to create an absolutist and centralized state. He was ultimately successful.

He wanted to create an absolute centralized state governed from the capital in order to sweep away the remains of feudalism which had persisted in parts of France. When he succeeded in breaking the power of the provincial nobility, much rose in revolt during his minority, and forced many leading nobles to live with him in his lavish Palace of Versailles.

During the rule of King Louis the building and blossoming of the theatre, music, architecture, painting, sculpture, and all the sciences occurred. The Hall of Mirrors is a place in which all of Louis' accomplishments were displayed. This in itself was a huge accomplishment.

In conclusion, Louis XIV did many great things for Europe during his extremely long reign. He showed his artful side by allowing the sciences to flourish. He also showed how talented he was. He also fought many wars and was also effective in the military.

McKitterick, Rosamond. Times Medieval World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Guy, John. Medieval Life. London: Ticktock Media Limited, 2001

Bubonic Plague

During the Middle Ages the greatest number of deaths came from the spreading of plagues. During the Middle Ages many outbreaks of plagues occurred, but the one that caused the most significant amount of deaths was the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague spread throughout France, England, Germany, and Italy. One third of the population of these countries was killed by this plague. People of the Middle Ages did not know how this disease was spread, so they gathered together; this was a big contributor to how quickly this disease spread.

The symptoms of the bubonic plague began with aching limbs, vomiting of blood, and the swelling of the lyphnodes. The lyphnodes in your neck, groin, and armpits began to swell, and would burst with three or four days. The plague was worsened by not only its disgusting appearance, but also the excruciating pain it caused and how rapidly it spread.

The bubonic plague was also called the "Black Death" because the area of infection would usually turn a greyish black color. The disease started in China, where it killed about 35 million people. The disease was brought to Europe from China on the backs of infected rats, that came on the cargo ships of sailors. The fleas were also infected and spread the disease to the people.

Merchant ships from China arrived in Messina, Italy by the Black Sea for trading purposes. Within a year the disease infected people as far as England. The disease spread so quickly because nobody knew how to prevent it. They thought that gathering together for church services and prayer would heal, however this caused the disease spread even more rapidly.

The bubonic plague was so devastating to the people of the Middle Ages because they were so close together so such a long amount of time. One way in which death could have been avoided would be to have not had so much contact with the infected people. There is now a cure for the bubonic plague, but it still claims lives in a very painful and disgusting way.

McKitterick, Rosamond. Times Medieval World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Guy, John. Medieval Life. London: Ticktock Media Limited, 2001.