Last west civ class

     Today, sadly, was our last west civ class which means this is the last blog I will write. I am going to miss this class because it was my favorite one. I'm really going to miss Mr. Schick the most as a teacher because he was probably the best teacher I have ever had. He motivated me to study more and do better in his class which no other teacher has really helped me do. Mr. Schick, I hope I have you in tv production next year because youre the best teacher ever.

Final Test

     Today in western civ, we took the final test of the year. I totally bombed the test which i was really disappointed about. I didn't have that good of a class today because of that. I was most scared about my grade because i have an 82 in this class and i definitely do not want it to be a C. Western civ today was disappointing, but i can get over it.

Weird Class

     Today in west civ, we reviewed for the test tomorrow. It was a pretty weird class, but it was probably one of the best classes. Apparently, Sarah and Paula thought i had a boyfriend and Mr. Schick somehow turned it into talking about kangaroos. So, Sarah, for the rest of the class, looked up kangaroo facts and pictures.

Notes

     Today in west civ, we went back over the power point we were discussing for the test. This is a really good review for the test i think. We also had a shadow that im pretty sure Mr. Schick scared but it's okay she had a good time. 

Germanic kingdoms under charlemagne

Middle ages= medieval period
The new society has roots in-
classical heritage of Rome
Beliefs of the Roman catholic church
Customs of Germanic tribes

causing
- disruption of trade
- downfall of cities
- population shifts to rural areas

D. A European Empire Evolves

• Franks control largest European kingdom
• The Roman province formerly known as Gaul
• Ruled by Clovis - the Merovingian Dynasty

• Major domo - mayor of the palace - ruled the kingdom
• Charles Martel - Charles the Hammer
• extended the Franks' region to the north, south, east
• Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 - historic battle

• Charles the Hammer's son - Pepin the Short
• Possibly named for his unusual short haircut
• Working for and with the Pope, Pepin fought the Lombard
• Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751-987 AD

(So, a Pope can actually name someone "king")

• Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
• Carolman died leaving...

E. Charlemagne takes center stage

• Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great
• Six foot four
• Built the greatest empire since Rome
• Fought the Muslims in Spain
• Fought Germanic tribes
• Spread Christianity
• Reunited Western Europe
• Became the most powerful king in western Europe
• Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
• This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

• Charlemagne's Government
• He limited the authority of the nobles
• He regularly visited every part of his kingdom
• Kept close watch on his estates

• Cultural revival
• Encouraged learning
• Ordered monasteries to open schools

• But, his heirs were weenies...
• His son - Louis the Pious - was ineffective
• Louis' three sons - Lothario, Charles the Bald, & Louis the German - split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD 

not here

     today in west civ, I wasn't here. I don't really know what happened today so that's really all that I can write.

Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne- Notes 5/20

MAIN IDEA!
Many Germanic Kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's Empire
WHY IT MATTERS NOW!
Charlemagne spread Christian Civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us came from

SETTING THE STAGE
Middle ages= medieval period
500-1500 AD
Medieval Europe is Fragmented

A. Invasions trigger changes in Western Europe
  1. Invasions and constant warfare speak new trends
     a. Disruption of trade
           i. Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
           ii. Money is scarce
     b. Downfall of cities
           i. Cities are no longer centers of administration
     c. Population shifts
           i.  nobles retreat to the rural areas
           ii. Cities don't have strong leaders
   2. Decline of learning
      a. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
      b. Only priests and church officials could read and write
      c. Knowledge of Greek and literature, science, philosophy is almost lost
  3. Loss of a common language
     a. Dialects develop in different regions
     b. By the 800's, French, Spanish, and other Roman- based languages are evolving from Latin
B. Germanic Kingdoms emerge
   1. The concept of government changes
     a Roman Society: Loyal to Family
            i. Germanic Chief led warriors
            ii. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall)
            iii. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
    b. The king? Whos that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?
    c. Franks live in the roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
   2. The Franks under Clovis
    a. another battlefield conversion just like Constantine
    b. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
    c. The church in Rome approves of this alliance
    d. Clovis and the church begin to work together
Clovis military expertise + The church's support and money = A strategic alliance between 2 powerful forces
 C. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
    1. 511 ad- 
    

Notes

• Combination of Christianity and Kingdom= Christendom
• Taxes/tithe tithing 10%
• Eastern Roman Empire known as Byzantine empire
• Became more Greek and Roman

Power Point

• Feudalism- A political, military and economic system based on land holding and protective alliances
• In other words: the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you
• RICH DUDE (LORD): "I own land; i need people to help me work it and defend it
• Tough dudes (vassals): There are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold onto their land
• PYRAMID (top to bottom)
• King
• The most powerful vassals (nobles and bishops)
• Knights- mounted warriors who received fiefs for defending their lords land
• Peasants (mostly serfs) Landless, powerless, money less, rights less Just working the land for "The man" (Their Lord)
• MANOR- The lord's estate
• The lord's manor house
• A church
• Some work shops
• 15-30 families
• All on a few square miles
• Good news- It's a self sufficient community
• Bad news- it's harsh if you're a peasant
• PEASANTS ARE POOR AND PAY HIGH TAXES
• Tax on grain
• Tax on marriage
• Church Tax (Tithe= 10% of their income)
• They live in crowded cottages
• Live with animals and insects
• Eat very simply
• But don't worry- the church says this is your lot in life
• God determines your place in society- so chill
• 
  

Tests Back

     Today in west civ, we didn't do anything really. First, we went over the tests. I was really happy because i got a 92 on it. I was super happy about that because i usually don't do well on the tests. After we went over what people got, we could just to homework . West civ today was boring, but at least i got most of my work done.

Notes

“The upheaval of the early middle ages ended not in a collapse of civilization but in its renewal. And the first two early medieval centuries set the patterns for how this renewal would later take place in western and Eastern Europe.”

Chronology

486 AD- Clovis leads Frankish confederacy against Romans and rival Germanic invaders in Gaul
527-565 AD- Reign of Emperor Justinian in the Eastern empire
542 AD- Plague hits Egypt, then spreads throughout the Mediterranean area and much of western Europe
568 AD- Lombard's conquer most of northern Italy
570-632 AD- Life of Muhammad
595 AD- Missionaries sent by the people begin to convert the pagans of England
711 AD- Muslim invasion of Spain
800 AD- Slaves occupy almost all of eastern Europe

Rome Fades Away

2 Emperors

DIOCLETIAN

- he rules from 284 - 303

- it's cool to persecute Christians

- Rome needs a big army (400,000 strong)

- Rome needs a big government (20,000 officials)

CONSTANTINE

- rules from 306 - 337

- it's 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 a new capital in the East

- Byzantium, soon to be known as Constantinople

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 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-breaking work (such a deal!)

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

 foreshadowing feudalism

THE 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's 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 - the 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 Notes

Decline of the Roman Empire

• RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
• Jesus spends 3 years preaching, is killed by Roman leaders
• Jesus' followers believe he is the Messiah and Savior who has risen from the dead
• Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelist), spreading Jesus' message (one true God, not Roman gods)
• Christianity evolves from cult status to established, official structure
• Priests, bishops, pope (Bishop of Rome)
• RISE OF CHRISTIANITY (2)
• Christians and Jews were monotheistic (Believing in one God)
• This conflicted with Roman Beliefs
• Persecution against both was common
• Christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor, their numbers grew
• as it grew, even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity
• (can you see the tide beginning to turn..?)
• RISE OF CHRISTIANITY (3)
• AD 313: Constantine had a battlefield conversion
• He issues Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• The Roman empire and Christianity are now linked in power and influence
• DECLINE OF ROMAN EMPIRE
• AD 180: Rome has problems
• economic  (trade becomes risky; taxes were too high; food supply was dropping)
• military (frontiers were hard to patrol; Roman generals fought for control; soldiers' loyalty declined and mercenaries appeared)
• Diocletian divided the empire in two
• Greek- speaking East (had more resources)
• Latin- speaking West (Rome, tradition)
• DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (2)
• AD 324- Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (Renamed 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 Empire's frontiers
• That's it for the Roman Empire (AD 476)

Chapter 8- 123

     " Instead of dying, The Mediterranean civilization of Greece  and Rome began to spread among many still- Barbarian Northern peoples, until it became the Christian Europe of the Middle ages"

- Christ Victorious- This mosaic in a chapel in the Italian city of Ravenna dates from about A.D. 500, when Rome was beset by invaders and Christians were bitterly  divided over belief.

- The new religion began as a group within Judaism at a time of division and uncertainty among the Jews arising out of their encounter

- The Romans became a huge threat and they took over

- The empire was strong enough to bring about the last and greatest changes in civilization that took place under its rule

-  Christianity had grown and spread rapidly

- 

Test

     Today in west civ, we took a big test on Rome. I studied super hard for hours so i hope i did good. Currently we are waiting for Mr. Schick to put the scan trons through so we know our grade. I'm really anxious to know my grade because I worked really hard studying, but the last part of the test was a little hard. I'm almost positive i got everything on the first part right, but the second part was really challenging to me. I really hope Mr. Schick grades our tests soon.

Notes for tomorrow

- First emperor- Caesar Augustus

Caligula (bad finish)

• • He began to fight with the Senate
  • He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (sacrilege!)
  • Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what his critics said)
  • Assassinated by his own aides. AD 41 (aged 28)

  
  

  Claudius

  • Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment - thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
  • He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
  • He had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup - so Claudius had them killed

  
  

  Religious troubles

  • Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
  • Romans had many gods, plus at times 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

  
  

  Persecution of Christians

  • 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 for "entertainment" purpose in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)
  • Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians

Notes

 P. 101- Assassination and another Caesar

• In 44 BC, Caesar secured a vote from the senate making him dictator for life
• He became a Greek style tyrant
• March 15th, 44 B.C., Caesar appeared in the senate house and a crowd of senators struck him down with their daggers
• Mark Antony and Octavian were rival loyalists of Caesar
• Marcus Lepidus defeated Cassius and Brutus in the battle of Greece 
• Antony's love affair with Cleopatra made him unpopular in Rome
• Rome was divided into 2 parts
• In 31 B.C., the rulers of the two halves of Rome went to war
• Antony and Cleopatra both went back to Egypt
• They both committed suicide

Chapter 7- Page 103

• " The Era of the Roman peace was one of massive social, religious, and cultural changes that would form a new pattern of Western civilization"
• Augustus' new system of government kept many features of the Roman Republic , allowed subject peoples  good deal for self rule, and brought Rome's destabilizing expansion to a halt
• The result was 200 years of stability that modern scholars call the Roman peace
• The Roman version of Greco- Roman civilization prevailed in the western territories, and the Greek version was dominant in the East
• all of the roman art was inspired my Greek models
• Hadrian's wall was constructed at the order of the emperor Hadrian between ad 122 and 128
•  it was originally 10 feet or more high and ran for 70 miles across the island of Britain
• Romans called the barbarian territory the barbaricum 

Page 104- 107

• Princeps- "First citizen", a traditional Roman name for prominent leaders who were considered indispensable to the Republic that came to be used by Augustus and other early emperors
• CHRONOLOGY
• 29-19 B.C.- Vigil composes the Aeneid
• 27 B.C.- End of Roman republic and beginning of Roman Emperors
• A.D. 14- Augustus dies and Tiberius takes over without challenge
• A.D. 62-70 Jewish revolt against Rome
• A.D. 117- Under Emperor Trajan, the Roman empire reaches its greatest extent
• A.D. 126- Pantheon built in Rome
• A.D. 212- All free inhabitants of the Roman Empire are declared Roman citizens
• A.D. 529- Justinian's law code begins to be published, systematizing the laws of Rome
• "Augustus and his successors broke with the Roman tradition of citizen- soldiers to create the world's first professional standing army
• The advent of monarchy brought five centuries of Roman expansion to an end
• A military disaster prompted a new thinking on expansion
• In a.d. 9, recently conquered peoples on central Europe and Germany beyond the Rhine rebelled against the Romans, and an entire Roman army was destroyed by German barbarian insurgents
• This loss forced Augustus to realize that his army had been overstretched by conquests and that a still larger army would be so expensive and so uncontrollable as to endanger his power 
• Augustus advised his successors not to expand
• after his death in a.d. 14, Augustus' will was found to contain a recently added clause advising the senate and his successors that the empire should be confined within its existing boundaries
• Most of Augustus' successors followed his advice because they, too, found expansion too risky and destabilizing. In the next century, only a few large independent territories were permanently added to the empire 
• The army's mission was changed from conquest to defense
• The army's 30,000 men were stationed in hundreds of permanent encampments along what came to be thought of as the permanent frontiers of the empire
• Though Roman forces often campaigned beyond the frontiers, it was nearly always to deter or punish attackers from the other side
• Marcus Caelius was the first centurion 
• He served for thirty years and his body was never found
• Augustus adopted Tiberius as his own son
• Caesar- The imperial title given to the designated successor of a reigning empire 
• Augustus- The imperial title given to a reigning empire 
• Roman Peace- (Pax Romana) A term used to refer to the relative stability and prosperity that Roman rule brought to the Mediterranean world and much of western Europe during the first and second centuries a.d.

Movie

     Today in west civ, we did the same exact thing as yesterday. We watched the Rome video. This movie to me is very disgusting and horrible. Nero is a very creepy and weird man, worse than Hitler. He ruined Rome. We just about finished the video so i guess it ends with him still being the leader. There's not much left to say because we didn't do anything really, but overall, west civ was pretty relaxing.