Great Schism

Pope Urban VI, what's the story behind the Great Schism?
On April 8, 1378 A.D. I was elected the Pope.  I made an attempt to reform the papal court, and then I was accused of being corrupt and assuming too much authority during the papacy's long stay in Avignon.  The cardinals said I couldn't be the Pope and that the Frenchman Clement VII would be the Pope.  I refused to step down, and we excommunicated one another.

Could you describe the split for me?
The split resulted in two lines of Popes between 1378 A.D. and 1417 A.D.. There were two papal courts, a Roman and a Avignon one.

Why was the Great Schism important?
The Schism caused lots of damage to the prestige of the papacy.  On a positive note, it also remained and helped set the stage for the dramatic reform movements of the next century.

"Great Schism." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Columbus Leaves Spain

Columbus, when did you leave Spain?
First of all, I couldn't have left Spain unless on April 1492, King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I of Spain had agreed to sponsor my expedition.

What ships did you use, and can you tell me the story of your voyage?
 I had three ships in my fleet which were the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña. My ships departed on August 3, 1492 from Palos, Spain.  On my first expedition I discovered San Salvador in the Bahamas.  On the second trip, I came back and helped establish colonies there.  On the third one I found South America.  During my fourth and final trip, I set up a colony in Panama.


 Would you call these discoveries important?
Of course.  My discovery of the Western Hemisphere led to the rapid and lasting European settlement there.





"Christopher Columbus." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne, how did you come to power?
When my father, who was the son of Charles Martel, died, my brother and I took over.  Three years later my brother died and I took over.  On Christmas day, 800 A.D., I became the emperor.

What was your main goal as emperor?
During my time in power, which was 768  A.D. to 814 A.D,  my goal was to try to recreate Rome.  I set the country up with 350 counties, each with one Count in charge creating a unified Christian Empire. I also set up a school system, and even I learned to read and write.

Do you believe you will be remembered in the annals of history?
Yes, I believe I will.  I personally led over 50 military campaigns, going to battle with the aim of unifying war torn Western Europe.  Also, I was a Christian King and for that I believe I will be remembered.

"Charlemagne." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

Crusades

Who issued the Crusades?
During 1095 A.D. Pope Urban the 2nd declared it was the will of God to spread Christianity. 

What were the Crusades?
Our Christian troops went on conquests to spread our religion.  We are holding the Holy Land now, but I'm not sure how long we will prevail.  There were many Crusades that took place over almost 200 years.

What was the best thing that came out of the Crusades?
We obtained long-lost knowledge.  Using it, we got out of the Dark Ages.

Why was the Crusades significant?
The three main reasons the Crusades were significant is because there was no permanent conquest, Europe obtained knowledge from the Muslims, and they ended the Dark Ages in Europe.

"The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

Magna Carta

King John, when was the Magna Carta signed?
On 1215 A.D. they forced me to sign the Magna Carta because I wanted to raise taxes. 

What did the Magna Carta do?
The Magna Carta gave rights to the Barons.  It also set up Due Process of Law.  These are rules that must be followed such as a fair impartial trial, and search and seizure.  Also, the King cannot raise new taxes without consulting his Parliament.

King John, do you think the Magna Carta is an important document in history?
Yes, very much so.  The Magna Carta set up an established system that certainly will last.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/ 

Battle of Tours

Charles, when was the Battle of Tours?
It was on October 25, 732 A.D..  The Muslims would have waited longer, but the winter cold was beginning to come in.

What caused the battle?
The Muslims wanted to spread their religion. 

How exactly did you prepare for it?
There were a lot of citizens that worked as soldiers during the slow farming times.  I gathered as many citizens as I could to fight.  I also requested money from the Church to finance my army.  After much hesitance, the Church accepted.

Can you give me a quick summery of what happened?
Certainly.  Our armies stood deadlocked for six days, on the seventh, the Muslims launched their attack.  During the fighting, my troops flanked the Muslim camp and ravaged it.  Some Muslims fell back to protect their camp, and that led to confusion.  We destroyed them thanks to me, Charles the Hammer Martel.

Do you think you are somebody to be remembered?
Yes, for I changed the world.  Without me, the West and Europe would be Muslin.  That's a pretty big change.

"Battle of Tours." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

William the Conqueror

How exactly did you gain power, William?
It all started back in 1066 A.D. when Edward the Confessor died without an heir.  Harold Godwinson was going to take over, but I wouldn't allow it.  I let him tire his army out by fighting Harald of Norway.  Then, at the Battle of Hastings, I invaded England and won.  On Christmas Day, I was crowned King. 

How did you hold your power?
I had a Doomsday book made, you might know it as a Census.  It let me keep track of everything in my kingdom so I could tax efficiently and control castle building. 

Do you think you are somebody to be remembered?
Yes, I believe I will be found to be very significant to history.  My organization of the army was important, but the Doomsday book was what allowed me to keep a watchful eye over my kingdom.  My idea will go down in history.

"William the Conqueror." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Rome sacked/falls to Barbarians

How was Rome defeated?
In 410 A.D. the Visigoths conquered the capital.  Allerik, the Visigoth leader, had his army surround the city for two years.  Eventually Rome was suffering so much from smallpox and starvation, the Aristocrats decided to open the gates.  The Visigoths stormed in and ravaged Rome.  Finding little food, the hungry invaders moved on, leaving the "Mother of the World" destroyed.

What happened after the Roman fell?
Europe suffered from famine, plague, persecution and constant warfare between enemies and themselves.

Why is Rome's being destroyed important and significant to Europe?
It set the continent of Europe way back.  During the Dark Ages people tried to stay alive, so there really weren't technological improvements.

Zosimus: New History (1982) translated by Ronald T. Ridley; The Gothic History of Jordanes (1915) translated by Charles Christopher Mierow.

Constantine the Great

Constantine, how long did your Empire last?
The Byzantine Empire lasted from 33 A.D. to 1453 A.D.


What was the capital?
Funny you should ask, for it is named after me. Constantinople was created in 330 A.D. by yours truly.  I won the Battle of Milvian Bridge because of God, so I established free religion.  I also had the wall around the city built.  Constantinople was secured and had lots of trade.  The walls managed to keep out the Huns.

What did you trade for?
From South East Asia, we traded for spices.  We also traded for gems, wheat, and silk from India, Egypt, and China.

Do you think you were important in history?
Yes, I was extremely significant to the world.  My empire lasted an incredibly long time, and I spread Christianity to the people.  My building of the Hagia Sophia in 532 A.D. created a major landmark for religion.

"Constantine the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Julius Caeser/Fall of the Roman Republic

Julius, how did you take over?

Simple, I forced the Senate to make me the dictator. 

How did the Roman Republic fall?  What's the story?

Well, it's a sad one.  From 88 BCE to 30 BCE, there were 26 Emperors.  Only one died of natural causes.  There were high taxes and slave labor. 

Who was your nephew and what did he do?

My nephew was Octavian, he took over after the fall of the Roman Republic.  He set up a tax system, civil service, and public work for the unemployed.  By the end, he was known as Augustus.

"Roman Civil Wars of 88–30 BCE." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2010.

Alexander the Great

 What was your childhood like?
I was born in Macedonia to to Philip II.  Luckily, I had the great Aristotle as my teacher. 

So how did you take over?
My father was assassinated in 336 B.C., so I took over as king.

What did you do to the places you conquered, Alexander?  
 I instituted Hellenism.  Under this, we took the good things about societies we defeated and spread our culture into their cities. There would always be a grid plan that included an Agora  and a Theatre in every city.

Can you give details on your successful campaign?
I defeated Persia at Arbela on 331 B.C..  I also waged war on Tyre.  After my victory, I went to Egypt and they declared me Pharaoh.  

Do you think that you deserve to be remembered?
I do.  My tactical genius and conquest is possibly the greatest one in history. 

"Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.