exam weekend

So its that time of year again. Exam weekend. I have a lot of studying to do, so I will keep it brief. Hopefully our west civ exam wont be too difficult. I am going to look over all of our past tests and combine them to make a study guide. Hopefully studying goes well this weekend.

Last test!

So we took our last test today and I did decent. I got an 87% which is pretty good considering out class average was a 70%. Hopefully I can pull my grade up 1 point and get it up to a 90 to have another A on my report card. Now that all of the tests are over it is time for exams, and I am really looking forward for everything to be done.

Final test notes and Exam review

So for today's class we are going over some of the important notes for our test tomorrow. DING!

• middle ages were from AD 476 - AD 1453 
• (this is a new society) The new society has roots in:
• classical heritage of Rome 
• Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
• customs of various Germanic tribes. 
• 5th century Germanic invaders overrun the western half of the Roman Empire. Causing:
• Disruption of trade
• downfall of cities
• population shifts to rural areas. 
• Effects of invasion
• Tribes had oral tradition, songs. but couldn't read Greek or Latin.
• Romance languages evolve. (French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)
• Few besides priests were literate.
• Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor, he provides them with food, weapons, treasure.
• Result: 
• no orderly government for large areas
• small communities. 
• Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (Which is where "France comes from) 
• in 496 AD he had a battle field conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
• In 520 AD, Benedict writes rules for monks. Rules are on power point
• Scholastica wrote similar rules for nuns. 
• They operate schools, maintained libraries and copied books. 
• Church revenues are used to help poor, build roads, and raise armies. 
• This is a Theocracy. (know definition)
• Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany.
• a descendant of Clovis, Charles Martel was also known as Charles the Hammer. 
• Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the battle of tours in 732 (if he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim empire) 
• Charles Martel's son is Pepin the short. 
• Pepin the Short's son was Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great (a great warrior, 6'4")
• Charlemagne 
• fought Muslims in Spain, and Germanic tribes
• was the most powerful king in western Europe. 
• His heirs did a terrible job. 
• Louis the Pious was ineffective. 
• he had three sons. they split up the kingdom into three different parts. (Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD)

Weekend blog

So I had a very nice extended weekend. Friday night I did not do a whole lot, but I had my aunt in town and she stayed with us for the night. The next day, I was invited by my friend to go to the NCAA Mens Lacrosse final 4 at M&T bank stadium because he had extra tickets. So I went to that all day Saturday, and he ended up spending the night at my house. We opened up the pool that night and had the first swim of the year. The next day, my uncle Tom was in town and we had a 2v2 competition all day long. My dad and my uncle, vs me and my friend. Monday was a pretty relaxed day, I hung out around the house, and did some homework. I was pretty content with my weekend.

Because I don't have enough notes.

1. Main Idea
1. Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
2. Why it matters
1. Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of use came from
3. Setting the Stage
1. Middle Ages = Medieval period
2. 500-1500 AD
3. Medieval Europe is fragmented

1. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
1. Disruption of trade
1. Europe cities are no longer economic centers
2. Money is scarce
2. Downfall of cities
1. Cities are no longer centers of administration
3. Population shifts
1. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
2. Cities don't have strong leadership
2. Decline of Learning
1. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
2. Only priests and church officials could read and write
3. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of a common language
1. Dialects develop in different regions
2. By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
2. Germanic kingdoms emerge
1. The concept of government changes
1. Roman society: loyal to public gov't
2. Germanic society: loyal to family
1. Germanic chief led warriors
2. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
3. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
3. "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
4. Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. The franks under Clovis
1. Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine!)
2. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
3. The church in Rome approves of the "alliance"
4. Clovis and the Church begin to work together
3. Clovis military expertise + the church's support and money = strategic alliances between two powerful forces!
3. Germanic people adopt Christianity
1. (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
1. Papacy = pope's office
2. Secular power = worldly power
3. So..under Gregory the great….
2. Papal Power (power of the pope) is political power presented from the Pope's palace
3. The church can use money to:
1. Raise armies
2. Repair roads
3. Help the poor
4. Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)
5. 511AD - Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
6. 600AD - Church and Frankish rulers convert many
7. Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
8. Monasteries and convents
1. 520 AD - Benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
1. Poverty, chastity, obedience, study
2. His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
3. 731 AD - the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
4. Monks opened schools, maintains libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greek texts)
4. A European Empire Evolves
1. Franks control largest European kingdom
1. The roman province formerly known as Gaul
2. Ruled b Clovis - the Merovinigan Dynasty
2. Major domo- mayor of the palace - ruled the kingdom
3. Charles Martel - Charles the Hammer
1. Extended the Franks reign to the north south and east
2. Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Yours in 732 - historic battle
4. Charles the Hammer's son - Pepin the Short
1. Possibly named for his unusual short haircut
2. Working for and with the pope, Pepin fought the Lombards
3. Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751 -987 AD
5. The pope can name someone "king"
6. Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
1. Carolman dies
7. Charlemagne takes center stage
1. Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great
2. Six foot four
3. Built the greatest empire since Rome
4. Fought the Muslims in Spain
5. Fought Germanic tribes
6. Spread Christianity
7. Reunited Western Europe
8. Became the most powerful king in Western Europe
9. Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
10. This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

Germanic Kingdoms Unite under Charlemagne

1. Main Idea
1. Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
2. Why it matters
1. Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of use came from
3. Setting the Stage
1. Middle Ages = Medieval period
2. 500-1500 AD
3. Medieval Europe is fragmented

1. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
1. Disruption of trade
1. Europe cities are no longer economic centers
2. Money is scarce
2. Downfall of cities
1. Cities are no longer centers of administration
3. Population shifts
1. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
2. Cities don't have strong leadership
2. Decline of Learning
1. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
2. Only priests and church officials could read and write
3. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of a common language
1. Dialects develop in different regions
2. By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
2. Germanic kingdoms emerge
1. The concept of government changes
1. Roman society: loyal to public gov't
2. Germanic society: loyal to family
1. Germanic chief led warriors
2. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
3. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
3. "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
4. Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. The franks under Clovis
1. Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine!)
2. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
3. The church in Rome approves of the "alliance"
4. Clovis and the Church begin to work together
3. Clovis military expertise + the church's support and money = strategic alliances between two powerful forces!
3. Germanic people adopt Christianity
1. (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
1. Papacy = pope's office
2. Secular power = worldly power
3. So..under Gregory the great….
2. Papal Power (power of the pope) is political power presented from the Pope's palace
3. The church can use money to:
1. Raise armies
2. Repair roads
3. Help the poor
4. Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)(

Weekend Blog

So its Sunday once again and school is starting to wind down. Last week was the last big tests for the year and now its time to start getting ready for exams. Hopefully all goes well and these next couple of weeks go by fast. If I am correct, we only have 9 days of regular school left which is great. I am really looking forward toward the summer.

Test and Notes

I got a 98% on my test so I am very content. Now for more notes....

Feudalism: a political, military and economic system based on land holding and protective alliances
(the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you)

Rich dude (LORD): "I own land; I need people to work and defend it"
Tough Dudes(VASSALS): "There are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land"

Feudal Pyramid

King
Vassals, Nobles, and Bishops
Knights- mounted warriors who received fiefs for defending Lords land
Peasants- mostly serfs - Landless, powerless, moneyless, righ less- just working the land for "the man"(Lord)

Manor: the lords estate

•  the lords manor house
• a church
• some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles

Good news: its a self sufficient community
Bad news: its harsh if your a peasant

Peasants are poor AND pay high taxes

• tax on grain
• tax on marrigage
• church tax (tithe- 10% of their income)

They lived in crowded cottages
live with animals and insects
eat VERY simply
Church says that this is your lot in life
God determines your place in society - so chill

Absent

So I was absent today and did not get to take the big rome test. This kind of upsets me because now I have to restudy all of it still so I do not forget it. I think that I should do well on this test though. I had 4 tests today, and now I have to make all of them up which is pretty annoying. Hopefully they all go well.

test tomorrow!

Last test I took caught me by surprise and I ended up getting a C. To prepare for this test, I created a quizlet of all of things that I was not comfortable with. I then quizzed my self until I got a 100%. I think that I should do well on this next test. For some reason, I never do well on the tests, even though I know the material.

Notes on notes on notes on notes

AD: 180 Rome Had problems

• economic problems - trade became risky, taxes were high, food supply was dropping
• military problems- frontiers were hard to patrol, Roman generals fought for control, soldiers loyalty declines and mercenaries appeared.

Diocletian divided into two

• Greek-speaking East ) had more resources)
• Latin-speaking West (Rome, tradition)

Diocletian

• born in Illyria - a territory to the south of the middle stretch of the Danube
• became the main recruiting ground for the empire's overstretched armies
• Named emperor by his own men
• Son of freed slave
• At the end of his reign, he persecuted the Christians

• AD 324 - Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed to Constantinople), where Asia met Europe ( now Turkey)
• after his death, empire is divided again
• this time "barbarian invaders" (Huns, Vandals, Visigoths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) overrun the empires frontiers
• that's it for the Roman Empire (AD 476)

Rome Fades Away

Two Emperors

- Diocletian

• rules 284-303
• its cool to persecute Christians
• Rome needs a big army (400,00 strong)
• Rome needs a big government (20,000)

Constantine

• rules from 306-337
• its cool to BE a christian
• conversion to Christianity via a cross in the sky (conquer by this)
• 313 - his Edict of Milan proclaims freedom of worship
• built new capital in the East
• Byzantium, soon to be known as Constantinople

Edict of Milan

• the ending of persecution to Christians, claims that Christianity is good

struggle of the peasants

• life in the fourth century
• country dwellers are getting bankrupted by endless tax collection
• new farming system: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms
• peasants can avoid pating taxes, but they are getting hit to hard by landlords
• paying of debts and being "allowed" to live on the land, in exchange for endless back breaking work
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power than the faraway empire
• foreshadowing feudalism

the western empire crumbles

• Romes power is decreasing, while nomadic barbarians gain power
• Western Empire is too poor, neglected
• Huns migrate from China to eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and even capture and loot Rome itself in 410
• Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean
• Other barbarian tribes
• Ostrogoths in Italy
• Franks in Gaul
• Angles and Saxons in Britain

  End of an era

From the beginings...

• 500 BC - the monarchy is aboloshed
• 450 BC- twelve tables are established

through the glory days....

• 44 BC - end of the line for Julius Caesar
• 27 BC-180 AD - the Roman Peace (Pax Romana)

to the bitter end...

• constant fifth century invasions by barbarian 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

More and more and more notes

•  Christians and Jews were monotheistic, conflicted with Roman beliefs
• Christianity appealed to the poor
• Roman leaders began to embrace Christianity
•  AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• He issues the Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but the approval of Christianity
• Christianity becomes the official religion of Rome
• Edict of Milan

•  200 BC- 600 AD
• Christianity kept on spreading throughout Europe to barbarians in middle ages
• Catholic Church became a powerful force
• Emperor vs. Christianityt

Surprise Test

So I completely forgot that we had a test today, but I think I still did well. I was not here yesterday, and that was the main study day where we went over everything. I just studied with Cameron the first ten minutes of class and I think I actually may have gotten an A. The only part that tripped me up was the last section of matching the different Roman rulers. I probably messed up on two or three of the matching, and possibly one of the multiple choice. That means that the lowest grade I will probably get is a 90%, which I am fine with. For not knowing we had a test, I think I did pretty darn well.

Not in class

So I was not in class today because I was on a field trip to the Shakespeare folger museum/theatre in Washington D.C. The trip was not bad but the play itself was not entertaining at all. It was aimed towards little kids and just was not meant to be for teenagers. Overall it was still a good trip because we missed school and got Chipotle on the bus ride home.

More Rome Notes

• Octavian - AKA: Caesar Augustus
• Begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity
• Built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• Set up civil service, grain supply, postal service
• Augustus dies at age 76 in AD 14, and passes power
• Jesus was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• Romans planned his execution when Jesus said that his kingdom was not on this Earth
• Paul tells the world about the death resurrection and message of Jesus
• Caligula- Tiberius grandson
• Started off well, getting rid of treason trials, granted bonus money to those in military, made government spending a matter of public record
• First seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful"
• He began to fight with the senate
• Claimed to be a god and had statues displayed of him
• Became cruel and insane
• Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (age 28)
• Next came Claudius
• Was ostracized by his family because of being limp, slightly deaf, and possible speech impediment: was thought to have cerebral palsy or polio
• Was last adult male in his family when Caligula died
• Rose to the occasion: conquered Britain; built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had a bad marriage to Messalina, who was a bad wife- so Claudius killed her and her other lover
• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at time the emperor was viewed as a god
• Ad 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion
• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion: cult
• Often used to entertainment purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christians grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians

Ruler of the Emperors

Assassination and Another Caesar

• Caesar managed to secure a vote from senate to make him dictator for life
• Caesar became too powerful, so they needed to take him down as they did all great tyrants, assassination.
• The senate invited him to the Senate house where they stabbed him with daggers
• The death of Caesar created an outrage and there were new people trying to establish power
• Mark Antony and Octavian
• Marcus Lepidus and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in the battle for Rome
• Julius Caesar was declared a "Divine Being"
• He was not a God, but was far above any mortal
• The land was divided so Octavian was based around Rome, Lepidus in the North Africa, and Antony in Alexandria.
• Octavian pushed Lepidus out of power
• This led to a battle between Octavian and Antony for Greece, where Octavian won and Antony went to Egypt

• Augustus's government system became similar to the popular Roman Republic
• The Romans based their work off of the Greeks, but improved it immensely
• "The era of the Roman Peace was one of massive social, religious, and cultural changes that would form a new pattern of Western civilization"
• Made soldiers volunteer for reform
• Augustus- title given to emperor
• Roman Peace- relative stability and prosperity that Roman rule brought to the Mediterranean