Test

Today in class we took a test. I think I did okay but I got a fief and a vassal mixed up. There were only 15 questions, so hopefully that's the only one I got wrong. I only have an 85% in this class, so I really need to do good on this test. It wasn't hard but there was a lot of memorizing to do with the vocab.

Feudalism Project

Feudalism: describes the type of government institutions, as well as the general social and political relationships, that existed among the warrior-landholders in much of Europe during the Middle Agesfeudal compact: An arrangement between a lord and his vassal involving the exchange of property for personal servicefief: a grant of land and accompanying government responsibilities and power vassal: servantknight: warriorhomage: a vassal's act of promising loyalty and obedience to the lordserf: laborersbaron: a great lord who exercised government authority over vast family territorypeasantry: lower end of the common people in the Middle Agesestates: in the Middle Ages, the groups that made up society: often defined as those who pray (clergy), those who fight (nobility), and those who work (peasantry)manor: the principal farming property and social unit of a medieval community, usually belonging to a member of the feudal nobility or to a Church institutionthree-field-system: a method of crop rotation designed to maintain the fertility of the soil and to provide or a regular supply of fall and spring cropsinternal colonization: the process of cultivating and settling in formerly wild landsuburb: outside of the city wallsguild: an organization of craftsman who regulated the activities of their members and set standard pricesmaster: a craftsman who had the right to operate workshops, train others, and vote on guild businessjourneyman: a licensed artisan who had served an apprenticeship and who was employed by a master and paid at a fixed rate per dayapprentice: a learner in the shop of a master, does the jobs nobody wants to domasterpiece: created by a journeymen to become a masterwater mill: iron plow: As the plow moves, the cotter (the vertical blade) slices through the earth; the plowshare then rips the earth up from underneath; and the moldboard (beneath the handles) shoves against the earth, turning it over so that it settles as loose and fertile soil. 

Maxwell & David

Today Maxwell and David taught the class. They didn't do a very good job, since we dont really know that much about the information they were presenting. They pretty much just read off of the slideshow. It was getting really boring and nobody was paying attention so Kelley and I began to act out the information they were saying. But it was hard to act out so it didn't work to well. Holly thought Kelley and I were being annoying but who cares.

Notes from Class from Powerpoint

Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors. Warriors (knights) would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give the warrior land. The lord would grant a fief (property) to the warrior, who would then become the lord's servant (vassal), this was known as "feudal compact." The vassal must fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month. The knight is required to pay homage to his lord. Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight. When a knight died, his fief wold revert to his son, thought his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage,  or if it was a daughter. Some clergy (priests) were also knights. Barons were lord of large territories who usually paid homage to a king. Often a baron's army could outnumber a king's army, keeping a check on the king's power.

Medieval society was divided into three "estates": the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. Usually, the common people farmed on large plantation know as "manors" which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility (or a member of the clergy). Iron plows & water powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production, but the yield was still minuscule by today's standards. They used the three field system- each season switched what fields were plowed. The lord oversaw major agricultural issues but delegated everyday overseeing to his stewards or bailiffs. Most peasants were serfs, they were bound to the land and to their lords for labor service a few days each week.

Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified towns. Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs. Towns were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace. Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town. Townspeople were free, but they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top, skilled craftsman and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices.

Sick

I wasn't in class today. I'm sick.

After Rome (500-700)

The Germanic Barbarians

Barbarian warlords & their families who assimilated into Roman culture became the "nobles" or aristocrats of medieval Europe

Germanic tribes who ruled former Roman lands sought to conquer & assimilate other barbarian peoples who lived beyond the frontiers & were still pagans

the Angles & Saxons invaded Britain & assimilated the native Britons

most of the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity in the 7th century

the most powerful Germanic tribe was the Franks

but the real power lay with the "mayors of the palace" who were royal officials & nobles themselves 

Meanwhile in the Roman Empire (from Eastern Europe to Byzantium)

the Eastern Roman Empire continued on while the wet was now divided by the barbarian tribes

when the emperor Justinian came to power in 527, he decided to reunite the entire Roman Empire by reconquering the western territories

Justinian succeeded for a time, but the land he re-took was soon conquered by new barbarians tribes & a massive plague depopulate much of the west

It's a Christian Empire Now

Greek Byzantine emperors saw themselves as Roman emperors & the heads of the Christian Church

Byzantine preserved Greco-Roman art, architecture, philosophy, & writing despite much of it being non-Christian

Justinian built the massive domed Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, considered to be the most glorious church on Earth at the time (still around today) (third version was built in 537)

Ostrogoths

Later know as the goths.
Kingdom in Italy in the late 5th & 6th centuries
Trade with Romans was highly developed
After the conquer of the Ostrogoths by the Huns, the Ostrogoths disappeared for 80 years then they reappeared in Panonia on the middle Danube River as federates of the Romans.

Notes from Today's Powerpoint

Diocletian

ruled from 284-303

army has 400,000 people

big government- 20,000

Constantine

ruled from 306-337

built a new capital in the East (Byzantium, aka Constantinople)

Life of the Peasants in the 4th Century

country dwellers are becoming bankrupt by endless tax collection

new farming system: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms

peasants can avoid paying taxes but they are getting hit just as hard by the landlords

paying off debts and being "allowed" to live on the land, in exchange for endless back-backing work

landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power than the faraway empire

foreshadowing feudalism 

Western Empire Crumbles

Rome's power is decreasing, while nomadic barbarians gain power

western Empire is too poor, begins to be neglected

Huns migrate from China to Eastern Europe

Visigoths take over Spain, and actually capture and loot Rome itself in 410

Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean

other Barbarian tribes: Ostrogoth in Italy, Franks in Gaul, Angles and Saxons in Britain

End of an Era

from the beginnings: 500 BC (the monarchy is abolished), 450 BC (12 tables are established)

glory days: 44 BC (end if the line for Julius Caesar), 27 BC-180 AD (Pax Romana)

end: constant 5th century invasions by barbarians tribes left the western Roman Empire shattered and crumbling, the last emperor was a teenage boy installed in 475 by his father, barbarians deposed Romulus Augustulus without bothering to kill him

Test!

Today in class we took a test. On almost all of the front page, which was one word answer questions, I didn't know the answers. There was one questions about the government officials and the answer was 20,000 and I had that but I second guessed myself and changed it to 542. I don't know where I got 542 from, it was just a random number that I thought might be correct. But I know am aware that it is not correct. But with most of the essay questions, a total of 35 points, I think I got all the points. I believe I did good with them. With the essay question about Constantines conversion, I even drew a picture so hopefully I'll get the full 20 points. I really need to do well on this test considering I have an 84 and that's horrible. I had a 95 but that dropped because of a bad test so hopefully this test will bring it so up!

Possible Questions for Test Tomorrow

What revelation did Constantine have? The cross above the sun with the words "conquer by this" on it at the Battle Milvian Bridge

What religion where the Christians forced to sacrifice too? Jupiter

Who lit the fire? They never found out

The new government under Diocletian had how many officials? 20,000

What were three to five problems in the Roman empire? Epidemic disease, couldn't defend the frontier against the Barbarians because it was too expensive, emperors lost the power, poverty

Who did Christianity appeal to? poor people because it gave them a second chance at life, appealed to people who are poorer (unlike other religions where God only loves the rich)

What did the Edict of Milan do? Tolerance of all religions declared by Constantine

What is an edict? an official law

Kelley and I taught the class

Today in class Mr. Schick let Kelley & I teach. It was originally just supposed to be me, but I wanted someone else to help me so I chose Kelley. We took up about one mod of the class by our teaching. We started out on Kelley's blog but she didn't have very good information so we switched and taught off of my blog. Mr. Schick said we did a really good job teaching. We covered all four of the edicts and talked about Constantine like how he became a Christian and what he did to help the Christians. I was supposed to bring in food but I forgot to so we didn't have any food.

The Roman Empire Struggles- Christianity

In the third century AD: epidemic disease spreads throughout the Empire, it’s too hard to defend frontier against the barbarians, emperors began to lose their hold in power (stayed in power for an average of two and a half years, due to wars or assignations), maintaining armies is expensive, too many poverty-stricken citizens.

284 AD- Diocletian’s reforms: increases the size of army to 400,000 (1/3 bigger than during Augustus’s time, recruited from the ranks of the barbarians), divided Roman territories into smaller provinces (this new government had 20,000 officials (10x bigger), they were more dedicated at collecting higher taxes-this greater yield provided for a larger army).

300 AD: 60 million people in the Roman empire, several million are Christians, Christianity has quite an appeal to the poor and disenfranchised, more Christians means more face to face contacts meaning more conversions leading to more offspring, some Christians are even gaining positions of power becoming the ruling elite.

Diocletian left Christians alone at first (ruled from 284-305), he undertook the most systematic persecution of all, Constantine ruled at emperor 306-337

Diocletian Persecution & Constantine

Diocletian Persecution

His initial accession in 284 didn't leave an immediate change to Christianity but it caused a gradual change. Diocletian purged the army of Christians and surrounded himself with public opponents of Christianity. 

First edict: February 23, 303, Diocletian ordered that the newly built Christian church at Nicomedia be razed, scriptures burned, and treasures seized. The edict ordered the destruction of Christian scriptures, liturgical books, places of worship across the empire, and prohibit Christians from worshiping. Christians were not allowed to go to court about any of these things happening.  Christian senators, equestrians, decurions, veterans, and soldiers had the positions taken away and imperial freedmen were re-slaved. He requested that no blood would be shed.

Second edict: summer of 303- ordered the arrest and imprisonment of all bishops and priests. There was no logical necessity of this second edict. Diocletian said he did it because the first edict was not working as quickly as wanted. Prisons began to fill.

Third edict: November 20, 303- any imprisoned clergy man could now be freed as long as he agrees to make a sacrifice to the gods. Some people were more willing than others to make a sacrifice sine it was considered unacceptable.

Fourth edict: 304- all persons (men, women, and children) to gather in a public space and offer a collective sacrifice. If you refused, you were executed. This edict was not enforced at all of the domains of Maximian and Constantius.

Constantine

Constantine, son of Constanitius, was against the persecution of the Christians. Constantine became Christian before a war when looked in the sky and he saw the words "Conquer by this" on a sun with a cross above the sun. On July 25, 306, he succeeded his father. He immediately ended all ongoing persecution and returned property that had been stolen. Constantine was seen as a possible liberator of oppressed Christians everywhere. First Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity, over the ago of 40. He issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed tolerance of all religions throughout the empire, got all of your possessions and land back without charge, and rebuilt churches. Throughout his rule, he supported the Church financially, built basilicas, granted privileges to clergy, and promoted Christians to high office. Made a law so that Jews could not have Christian slaves.

an edict is an official law proclaimed by the highest authority

Christianity Notes

When Christianity first began it was somewhat like a cult. Most of what we know comes from the Gospels. Jesus was a Jewish preacher in Judea. Jesus taught that one must strive for perfection since God was perfect and Jesus sought out the imperfect in society. Jesus' followers believed he was the Messiah who had come to end the world and bring the truly faithful into the kingdom of God. Jesus was seen as a threat to Roman rule which caused him to be crucified. Apostles were the people who attempted to spread the word of his teachings. Paul of Tarsus was a Jew who became a follower of Jesus after a miraculous vision on the road to Damascus. Paul talked of "predestination" which meant that God chose who was to be saved & who was to be damned. Paul was well-traveled, he helped found churches in many places, and he kept in touch with these new Christians by letters (Corinth, Thessalonia, Rome, Ephesus).

Christianity Notes

We had a test today that nobody knew about. I think I did horrible. We also turned in our 500 word essay about Pax Romana that we had to do over the weekend. Mr Schick was mad that not very many people had creative titles, but I didn't know we had to have a creative title. After the test we had to read about Chrisitianity in Ancient Time and Jesus and other things about Jewish religion. I read the pages and took notes on them. Predestination is the doctrine that God determines in advance who will and saved and who will be damned. Apostles are Jesus's followers and messengers of his teachings. The gospels were written at a time when there was Jewish majority and believers in Jesus were turning against each other.

Essays

Mr. Schick announced that we are going to write a 500 word essay over the weekend about Roman Peace. We worked on it all day during class. My partner is Julia. We didn't get much work done in class, but that's okay becasue I'm planning to write our essay on Sunday. Julia helped by getting notes online and I got notes from the book. Julia put all of her notes in an outline so all I have to do is finish taking my notes from the book, add them to her notes, then write the final essay. It shouldn't take too long because most of the notes are finished.

Powerpoint Notes

Mr. Schick made a power point and he talked about it. We did this for about the whole class. We talked about Tibersius brother, Gacius a lot. Gacius was killed when Tiberius was killed by the Senate, along with supporters of Tiberius. Proletertians were the poorest thing you could be, you practically had nothing if you were one of these. They had no value and many times didn't even have a place to live because they had to give their farms up.