Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine was born 1122 in Bordeaux, France. She died, however, in 1204 at the age of 82. One of the things that she was so well known for was being the tough queen that lead England an France during the Medeival Ages.(source)

"Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful and fascinating personalities of feudal Europe. At age 15 she married Louis VII, King of France, bringing into the union her vast possessions from the River Loire to the Pyrenees. Only a few years later, at age 19, she knelt in the cathedral of Vézelay before the celebrated Abbé Bernard of Clairvaux offering him thousands of her vassals for the Second Crusade. It was said that Queen Eleanor appeared at Vézelay dressed like an Amazon galloping through the crowds on a white horse, urging them to join the crusades."(source)

"From 1147 to 1149 Eleanor accompanied Louis on the Second Crusade to protect the fragile Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, founded after the First Crusade only 50 years before, from Turkish assault. Eleanor's conduct during this expedition, especially at the court of her uncle Raymond of Poitiers at Antioch, aroused Louis's jealousy and marked the beginning of their estrangement. After their return to France and a short-lived reconciliation, their marriage was annulled in March 1152. According to feudal customs, Eleanor then regained possession of Aquitaine, and two months later she married the grandson of Henry I of England, Henry Plantagenet, count of Anjou and duke of Normandy. In 1154 he became, as Henry II, king of England, with the result that England, Normandy, and the west of France were united under his rule. Eleanor had only two daughters by Louis VII; to her new husband she bore five sons and three daughters. The sons were William, who died at the age of three; Henry; Richard, the Lion-Heart; Geoffrey, duke of Brittany; and John, surnamed Lackland until, having outlived all his brothers, he inherited, in 1199, the crown of England. The daughters were Matilda, who married Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria; Eleanor, who married Alfonso VIII, king of Castile; and Joan, who married successively William II, king of Sicily, and Raymond VI, count of Toulouse. Eleanor would well have deserved to be named the 'grandmother of Europe.'"(source)

"During their adventures on the Second Crusade, it became apparent that her marriage with dour, severe King Louis VII of France was ill matched. The marriage was annulled on a technicality, and Eleanor left her two daughters by him to be raised in the French court. Within a short time Eleanor threw herself into a new marriage, a stormy one to Henry of Anjou, an up and coming prince eleven years younger than she. Their temperaments as well as their wealth in land were well matched; her new husband became Henry II king of England in 1154."(source)

"Eleanor had no intention of sitting quietly at home while her husband went off on his adventure. The king's may have been opposed to taking Eleanor and her company of 300women along on the Crusade, but Eleanor was also offering the services of a thousand men from Aquitaine, and the king accepted. When they reached Antioch they were greeted by Eleanor's uncle. Raymond of Poitiers, who had become rulerof the city by marrying its young princess. Raymond entertained the crusaders in grand style, paying special attention to his flirtatious niece."(source)

"Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II had three daughters and five sons. Both sons who survived Henry became kings of England after him: Richard I (the Lionhearted) and John (known as Lackland). In 1173, Henry's sons rebelled against Henry, and Eleanor of Aquitaine supported her sons. Legend says that she did this in part as revenge for Henry's adultery. Henry put down the rebellion and confined Eleanor from 1173 to 1183.From 1185, Eleanor became more active in the ruling of Aquitaine. Henry II died in 1189 and Richard, thought to be Eleanor's favorite among her sons, became king. From 1189-1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine also was active as a ruler in Poitou and Glascony. At the age of almost 70, Eleanor traveled over the Pyrenees to escort Berengaria of Navarre to Cyprus to be married to Richard."(source)

"In 1169, Eleanor became the Duchess of Aquitaine and restored Aquitaine's order. In 1170, she reconciled her relationship with her first-born daughter Marie. When Henry and Eleanor's sons revolted against Henry in 1173, Eleanor backed them fully, and all of them were imprisoned by Henry until the year of his death, 1189. Her son, Richard I (also known as Richard the Lionhearted) became king and followed much of Eleanor's advice while ruling. Eleanor retired in Aquitaine and stayed in the abbey of Fontevraud. She died there in 1204, at 82 years old, very old for her time."(source)

Book 1
Book 2

St. Patrick's Day

"St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling."(source)

"March 17 was not the day St. Patrick was born but the day he died. Even though we don't know the date of his birth, most scholars believe the year was 385 AD and the year of his death was 461 AD. St. Patrick was born in Wales, studied religion to become a priest and then went to Ireland to teach the people about God. There are many wonderful stories about St. Patrick, some true and some not true. The most famous legend is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. This did not happen but the Irish will tell you that you cannot find a snake throughout the whole country of Ireland." (source)

"Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer.He was growing up as naturally as other kids in Britain. However, one day a band of pirates landed in south Wales and kidnapped this boy along with many others. Then they sold him into slavery in Ireland.The was there for 6 years, mostly imprisoned.This was when changes came to him. He dreamed of having seen God.Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship." (source)

"The conversion of Ireland has, as we have seen, its modest place among those manifold changes by which a new Europe was being formed in the fifth century. The beginnings of the work had been noiseless and dateless, due to the play of accident and obscure zeal of nameless pioneers; but it was organised and established, so that it could never be undone, mainly by the efforts of one man, a Roman citizen of Britain, who devoted his life to the task." (source)

"Patrick isn't really a Saint with a capital S, having never been officially canonized by Rome. And Patrick couldn't have driven the snakes out of Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with. He wasn't even the first evangelist to Ireland (Palladius had been sent in 431, about five years before Patrick went). Patrick isn't even Irish. He's from what's now Dumbarton, Scotland (just northwest of Glasgow).
Patrick was 16 years old in about the year 405, when he was captured in a raid and became a slave in what was still radically pagan Ireland. Far from home, he clung to the religion he had ignored as a teenager. Even though his grandfather had been a priest, and his father a town councilor, Patrick "knew not the true God." But forced to tend his master's sheep in Ireland, he spent his six years of bondage mainly in prayer. He escaped at the suggestion of a dream and returned home.
Patrick was in his mid-40s when he returned to Ireland. Palladius had not been very successful in his mission, and the returning former slave replaced him. Intimately familiar with the Irish clan system (his former master, Milchu, had been a chieftain), Patrick's strategy was to convert chiefs first, who would then convert their clans through their influence. Reportedly, Milchu was one of his earliest converts." (source)

"The folk of Ireland used to worship 'si-de' (spirits). They did not believe the true Godhead of the true Trinity. But when St. Patrick was finished, all Ireland believed in the Holy Trinity, believed in Jesus Christ, did not follow nature spirits, and the court at Tara was replaced by the court of Christ at Armagh. In the Confessio, St. Patrick said that he was God's debtor for the great grace of baptism given to so many thousands, for the people reborn in God and then confirmed, and clerics ordained for them everywhere. 'Not wishing to bore his readers,' St. Patrick gives only a small mention of persecution even unto bonds, twelve dangers to his life, and numerous plots against him. For example, St. Odran, a charioteer for St. Patrick (commemorated February 9th) was warned of danger and pretended weariness, so St. Patrick took the reigns, and Odran in the place of honor was killed with a lance meant for St. Patrick.

When St. Patrick became ill, he decided to go to Armagh. He was met by an angel, who took him to see Victor, and Victor, speaking to him out of rushing fire, said, 'Primacy to Armagh; to Christ render thanks. Unto heaven thou shalt go soon. Thy prayers have been granted: the hymn thou hast chosen in thy lifetime shall be a protecting corslet to all. Those men of Ireland that are with thee on the day of doom shall go to judgment.'" (source)

"Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick's Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!" (source)

Book 1

Book 2

William The Conqueror

William was born in Normandy in 1028 to Robert, Duke of Normandy, and Herleva, who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Elaise. William was born before his parents had gotten married so he was refered to as an illegitimate son; though he was the only son of Robert. (source)

"Duke Robert died in 1035 and William became Duke of Normandy at the age of just seven years old. William's mother later married the Viscount of Conteville and produced a half-sister to William called Muriel and two half-brothers - Robert and Odo (Odo later became the Bishop of Bayeux who commissioned the famous Bayeux tapestry). In 1052 William married Matilda of Flanders." (source)

"From 1047 onwards, William successfully dealt with rebellion inside Normandy involving his kinsmen and threats from neighbouring nobles, including attempted invasions by his former ally King Henry I of France in 1054 (the French forces were defeated at the Battle of Mortemer) and 1057. William's military successes and reputation helped him to negotiate his marriage to Mathilda, daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. At the time of his invasion of England, William was a very experienced and ruthless military commander, ruler and administrator who had unified Normandy and inspired fear and respect outside his duchy." (source)

On September 28th, William and his fleet landed near Prevency, which was in Kent. On October 14th Harold and his men marched from York to Kent so that they could battle with William. This was known as the Battle of Hastings. In the battle, Harold had been killed and the Saxons had retreated. The English council elected a man named Edgar Athelton to be Harold's successor but he ended up giving the throne to William. With all this power, William decided to forbid pillaging and he made a promise to the people that he would keep ransoms low. He also pardoned all of the Saxon's that did not fight for Harold. (source 1, source 2)

"There were several revolts in the next five years, which William used as an excuse to confiscate English land and declare it his personal property. He then distributed the land to his Norman followers, who imposed their unique feudal system. Eventually, Normans replaced the entire Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. William, however, retained most of England’s institutions and was intensely interested in learning about his new property. He ordered a detailed consensus to be made of the population and property of England—which was compiled in The Domesday Book (now an invaluable source of historical information and still in the Public Record Office in London)." (source)

"The twenty-four months that elapsed between the autumn of 1085 and William's death in September 1087 saw the revival of a hostile confederation against the Anglo-Norman kingdom in a form reminiscent of earlier decades. They witnessed the continuation of William's previous defence of that kingdom, though this time by exceptional means. And they witnessed, also, the Conqueror's greatest administrative acheivement. these months were all spent by him either in active preparation for war, but they also included the taking of the Domesday survey which was the most noteworthy illistration of what his government involved. Nor can these events be dissociated from each other. Throughout his life, war and struggle for survival had formed the background, and the essential condition, of his constructive acts. They continued to do so until death". (source)

Book 1
Book 2

The reign of Charlamagne

"He was born in eastern Frank land, in the district that is called Moingewi, and it was the monastery of Fulda, in the school of Saint Boniface the Martyr, that his boyhood received its first training." (source)

Charlemagne was born April 2, 742 in Northern Europe, he was the oldest child of Pippin III and Bertrada of Laon. Throughout his education he read little, if any, books; though the few that he did read were extremely intellectual. Even though he read little, he had the ability to speak old Teutonic and literary; he could also understand Greek. (source)

In 768 Charlemagne and his younger brother, Carloman, bequeathed the entire Frankish Kingdom. Though, in 771 when Carloman died, Charlemagne became the head ruler of the kingdom. During that time though, the Franks had begun to fall into barbarianism due to their neglect of religion and education. (source)

Once Charlemagne was head of government, he decided to expand his territory. In getting more land, he overthrew northern Italy, Bavaria, Spain, and Hungary. Though he had garnered up an empire, he did not give himself the title of emperor; instead, he referred to himself as the King of the Franks and the Lombard's. (source)

"An affecionate man, Charlemagne got along very well with his sister, Gisela, and their mother, Bertrada, treating both with great respect. Gisela was a nun, so she live in a convent, but Bertrada lived with Charlemagne. It was Bertrada who arranged for Charlemagne t omarry a daughter of King Desiderius of the Lombards ( a Germanic tribe whose kingdom was in Italy). But it seems this wife was not to Charlemagnes liking, because he soon ended the marriage and took a new wife named Hildegarde, with whom he had six children, according to Einhard. In 783, Charlemagne was twice bereaved when both Hildegarde and Bertrada died. Before long he found a new wife, Fastrada." (source)

"Charles has become known as Charles The Great or Charlemagne for very good reasons. His long reign changed the face of Europe politically and culturally, and he himself would remain fixed in the minds of people in the Middle Ages as the ideal king. In more recent times, many historians have taken his reign to be the beginning of the Middle Ages 'proper'. Yet in terms of territorial expansion and consolidation, of church reform and entanglement with Rome, Charlemagne's reign was merely bringing the policies of his father Pippin to their logical conclusions." (source)

"In 806, at the age of sixty-four, Charlemagne took measures to provide for the succession of his empire. He divided the realm among his three sons—Charles, Pepin, and Louis. But the death of Charles in April 810 was soon followed by that of Pepin. The remaining son, Louis, later called 'the Pious,' the least warlike and aggressive of the three, was left as the sole heir to the empire. He was crowned by his father in 813. The last years of Charlemagne's reign saw difficult times. Civil disorder increased as did disease and famine (drastic food shortages). Additionally, there were troubles on the frontiers. In many respects, the future looked dark. In 811 Charlemagne made his final will, giving a more sizable portion of his treasures to various churches of the realm than to his own heirs. He died on January 28, 814, and was buried at his palace at Aachen." (source)


Book 1
Book 2

Justinian I

"Justinian I (Flavius Anicius Justinianus), the nephew of Justin I, was born at Tauresium in Illyria, the son of a Slavonic peasant, and was originally called Sabbatius. Educated at Constantinople, in 521 Justinian was named consul and in 527 was proclaimed by Justin his colleague in the empire. Justin died the same year and Justinian, who was then proclaimed sole emperor, was crowned along with his wife, Theodora." (source)

When Justinian became ruler of the Byzantine Empire, he ordered to have the preparation of the Corpus Juris Civilis. "These works have become known individually as the Code, which collected the legal pronouncements of the Roman emperors, the Institutes, an elementary student's textbook, and the Digest, by far the largest and most highly prized of the three compilations. The Digest was assembled by a team of sixteen academic lawyers commissioned by Justinian in 533 to cull everything of value from earlier Roman law. It was for centuries the focal point of legal education in the West and remains today an unprecedented collection of the commentaries of Roman jurists on the civil law." (source)

"Justinian reigned at Constantinople from 527 until his death. He recognized that Roman law was in a state of confusion—the no-actresses-for-senators law was a minor problem compared with the obfuscations and contradictions among old laws passed in the republic and early empire, subsequent decrees of the senate, and the writings of jurists who had been given the right to declare what was the law. Justinian therefore commissioned a group of distinguished scholars to come up with an imperial constitution free of contradictions. Following the success of this, he authorized a new commission to bring order into the rest of Roman law, publishing their results in 533. The president of the commission, Tribonian, recognized that an outline of the laws was required whereby future lawyers could learn their first lessons, no longer from ancient fables but from the new vantage point of codified legal learning. The result was the Institutes of Justinan, extracts from which follow. This summary of Roman law in the sixth century provides an insight into the type of humanistic principles that had established themselves in Roman society at this late period of the empire." (source)

"Justinian was anxious to end religious disunity within the empire. The chief theological issue of his day was the persisting Monophysite rejection of the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (451) regarding the natures of Christ. Since the Monophysite religious dissent was linked with regional unrest, especially in Syria-Palestine and Egypt, the problem had wide political implications. Justinian repeatedly sought to end the dissension, either by some compromise formula or device or by arbitrary pressures. His policies alternated between extremes of conciliation and persecution. At Justinian's behest, the Fifth Ecumenical Council met (553) to ratify some of his measures. Yet, for all his exertions, a resolution of the issues seemed even less attainable at the end of his reign than at the beginning." (source)

"Although ecstatic and hopeful early in his reign, the mood at Constantinople had changed by the end of Justinian’s life to one of angry frustration. Justinian’s funeral pall was embroidered with scenes of his military triumphs in the 530s that must have seemed a grim anachronism to the mourners who laid him to rest." (source)

Two main foundational myths for Ancient Rome

The first myth is about Aeneas. Aeneas was the son of Venus and Anchises. He was raised nt nymphs, and he was taught by a centaur. When he got older, he fought in trhe Trojan War along with the Dardanians, they were allies of Troy. When the city was sacked and burned by the Greeks, Aeneas and his father fled. He sailed away with a group of Trojan soldiers; he was now searching for a new home. It has been said that the gods told Aenes to build his city at the place where his soldiers ate their plates. Though, after deing taunted by the wing god, his ship ended up landing in Carthage, Africa. While staying there, Aeneas fell in love with a woman named Dido who was the Queen of Carthage. (source 1, source 2)

"Aeneas was born from the union of a mortal, Anchises 1, and a goddess, Aphrodite. Some say that it was Zeus himself who aroused in Aphrodite the desire to be joined with a mortal man, so to prevent her to say mockingly that she had joined all the gods with mortals. Aphrodite came to Anchises 1 in the form of a beautiful maiden, saying she was a mortal woman and the daughter of one Otreus. She explained to the incredulous Anchises 1 that she talked his language because she had been brought up by a Trojan nurse. Anchises 1 was taken by desire, but after they had made love, Aphrodite revealed her true identity and Anchises 1 feared the gods would destroy him for having slept with a goddess. But Aphrodite, who herself grieved for having laid in the bed of a mortal man, assured him that he was dear to the gods and nothing would happen to him, provided he would say their child was the offspring of a nymph, for Aphrodite disposed that the NYMPHS would rear Aeneas and that, as soon as he was a boy, he would be restored to his father."

The other myth is that "Romulus and Remus were twin brothers. Their father was Mars, the God of War, their mother was Rhea Silvia, a vestal virgin and daughter of the King, Numitor. Numitor's brother, Amulius, had taken the throne from him and had forced Rhea Silvia to become a vestal virgin so that she would not have any children who might try to take back the throne.
When the boys were born, Amulius seized them, put them into a basket and threw them into the river Tiber. He hoped that they would drown. However, the boys were rescued by a she-wolf who fed the babies with her own milk and cared for them.
They grew up and were found by the shepherd Faustulus, who took them home and looked after them until they were grown up.
The two young men discovered who they really were and decided to kill Amulius and Put their grandfather back on the throne. After doing this they decided to build a city of their own but could not agree where to build it. Remus favoured the Aventine Hill but Romulus wanted to use the Palatine Hill. They could not reach an agreement and so each began to build his own city enclosed with walls.
One day, Remus visited Romulus and made fun of his wall by jumping over it and saying how easily it could be breached. Romulus was so annoyed that he killed Remus and said the he would kill anyone who mocked his city or tried to break through the walls of Rome.
The legend says that Romulus became the first King of Rome in 753BC and populated his new city with runaway slaves and convicted criminals. He stole women from the Sabine tribe to provide wives for the slaves and criminals and to populate his new city.
The Sabine tribe were not happy about this and declared war on Rome. The war went on for many years but eventually the Sabine tribe and Romulus reached an agreement and the Sabines became a part of Rome under the Kingship of Romulus.
The legend ends by telling how Romulus was carried up to the heavens by his father, Mars, and was worshipped as the God Quirinus." (source)

Book 1

The Sunni & Shia

"The Shiites (a name derived from the Arabic shiat Ali, "the party of Ali") constitute one of the two major branches of Islam, the other, larger branch being the Sunnites. Following the death of Muhammad, disagreement arose as to the necessary qualifications and exact function of his successors as leaders (Imams) of the Muslim community. The Shiites are those who insisted that only members of the Prophet's clan, specifically, the descendants of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, could qualify. Although Ali became (655) the fourth caliph, he was murdered in 661, and the majority recognized the Umayyad Muawiya I as caliph. The Shiites, however, supported the claims of Ali's sons: Hasan, who died mysteriously c. 669, and Husein, who was killed by Umayyad troops at Kerbala in 680 (Kerbala, in Iraq, became the major pilgrimage center for the Shiites)." (source)

In 632 A.D., after the death of Muhammad, this whole ordeal started to take place. A position became open after his death, it was to rule and catty out the Muslim nation and faith, so it came down to two people; Abu Bakr and Ali. Abu Bakr was Muhammad's father-in-law and friend while Ali was his cousin and con-in law. When the decision was made, Abu Bakr ended up becoming the new Caliphate. Though, he died soon after in 634 A.D. After many Caliphs had come and gone, Ali finally made it. But he wasn't accepted by Muhammad's former wife, Aisha, who was Abu Bakr's daughter. She thought of him to poor in justice, so both Aisha and Ali fought forces at Camel that same year. After Aisha's forces were stopped, she apologized and let Ali rule in peace. Only a few years later Ali was killed by some of his own while on his way seek a compromise with an enemy. ( source 1, source 2)

The reason for the Sunni and Shiite's split is not because of religious differences but because of political ones. The Sunni wanted Abu Bakr to rule and the Shiites wanted Ali to rule. It was a true dispute because the Shia wanted someone of actual blood lineage to rule, though they didn't get the higher vote they still ended up with their ruler in the end. Ali was Muhammad's cousin, Abu Bakr was related through marriage. Today there is still a dispute between the two nations, but it is due to Uthman, a member of the wealthy Ummayad clan. He was also a former Sunni Caliphate that was killed. I can see why they are upset, over and over they continue to kill each other over something that took place a thousand years ago. (source 1, source 2, source 3)

Technically speaking the Sunni and Shia believe in the same thing; they both believe that the Quran is the Holy Book and they follow the Five Pillars of Islam. However, the Shiites are much more dramatic in prayer when it comes to martyrs. They also pray three times a day rather than five. On the topic of Sunni religious leaders, theyin Aisha and Abu Bakr, ect., to have an impact on the Islamic religion, and the Shia's want in accepting them as "ideal members of the faith." (source)

Book 1
Book 2