Axis Age Of Greece

Me: Hi, Micheala.  I’m here to interview you about the Golden Age of Greece.  I was wondering when the Golden Age started?

Micheala: It started around 460. It was right after Greece won a battle against the Persians.

Me: Do you know anyone who contributed to the Golden Age or the Axis Age of Greece?

Micheala: Yes, Socrates contributed a lot to Greece’s Golden Age!  He was the first westerner to start asking questions about government.

Me: Are there any major city-states during the Golden Age?

Micheala: Yes.  Athens and Sparta are two major city-states but they are complete opposites.  Athens made its government a democracy and is all about the arts and government.  Sparta is the complete opposite.  They don’t care about the arts at all. They only care about their army which is very powerful. They are both very great city-states!  Athens is by far the biggest influence to the Golden Age of Greece.

Me:  What do you think is important about the Golden Age or Axis Age of Greece?

Micheala: I think the Golden Age is important because it achieved many things. It made a powerful government, great art, philosophy (humanism and individualism), poetry, and drama. We also made the theater which I believe will change entertainment forever. The Golden Age is a great time for Greece and its people, and I am very proud to be living during it.

This era declined after the Peloponnesian War.

"Golden Age of Greece." World Map, Map of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/history/golden

Alexander the Great

Me: Hi Alexander, I was asked to interview you today to find out all about you and your accomplishments!  So I was wondering what do people in Greece call you?

Alexander: In Greece and in a lot of other places in the world people call me Alexander the Great or the Golden Boy

Me: So tell me some things about yourself.

Alexander: I started ruling around 336 as the king, after my dad, Phillip II, died. I had a great childhood and wanted to do anything I could to honor my father.  I took my dad’s army and in 334 I started fighting Persia and finally broke Persia’s power! This was my father’s dream and it only took three battles to beat them! From there I started having a lot of victories against many city states.  I also went to Alexandria in Egypt, and I found that the Egyptians didn’t like having the Persian rule. After that the Egyptians started thinking I am a god and pharaoh.  I made a Hellenistic culture for my people and my people think I am a great ruler!

Me: Wow that’s very impressive!

Alexander: Thank you.

Me: Why do you think your reign was important?

Alexander: I think I am important because I am a great ruler and I am a great military leader.  I think my reign was important because I was believed to have created a New Greek world.  I gave women more rights and I made public market places.  I also expanded the arts in Greece.   I think the most important part of that was keeping the theater important to the Greeks.

Alexander the Great died of natural causes, but he left behind a huge legacy. He founded many new cities and he filled these cities with Greek statues and temples.  People that lived in the cities absorbed Greek ideas and Alexander made the Greek culture spread.

 Carelton, Mr. "Alexander the Great." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton. World History, Beverly Hills . 28 Oct. 2010. Lecture.

Julius Caesar

Me: Hi, Julius Caesar I am here today to ask you all about your rule and why it was important.  So why did the Roman Republic decline?

Julius: The Roman Republic fell because the people could not agree on who should have power and civil wars started.

Me: So, how did you start ruling?

Julius:  My army and I crossed the Rubicon River, and we went into Rome and defeated King Pompey.  After that I declared myself dictator in 58 B.C.  

Me:  What, in your opinion, are your major accomplishments?

Julius: Well, I really tried to help the Roman Empire.  I helped the poor and the jobless quite a lot, and I tried to get them the things that they needed. I tried very hard to get the Roman Republic back on track.

Me: What do you think is the most important thing about your reign?

Julius: I tried to employ the poor, and I gave Roman citizenship to more people.  I think the most important thing that I did was make the Julian calendar which was a new calendar for the Romans.

 

Julius Ceaser was the first Roman dictator for life. Julius’ enemies were worried that he was going to make himself king, so they decided to kill him. Julius Caesar was assinated in 44 BC. He changed the Roman Republic forever. It changed because for a while the Roman Republic had been run by a series of rulers. All the Roman Republic needed was someone like Julius Ceaser because it forced the Roman Republic to change the way it was run, and the Roman Republic became an empire.

Ellis/Esler. Prentice Hall World History (Michigan Edition). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

Constantine The Great

Me: Hi, Constantine I was asked to ask you all about your rule. When did you start ruling the Roman Empire?

Constantine: I started ruling in 306 A.D.

Me: A lot of people have said that you are a great Christian. Is that true?

Constantine: I believe that I am.  I became a Christian after the Battle of Milvian. During that time, Christianity was on the rise and I was the first Roman emperor to become Christian.

Me: What is the Edict of Milan?

Constantine: It granted religious freedom to all citizens in the Roman Empire.

Me: What would you say is your major achievement and what is so important about your rule?

Constantine: I think my major achievement was building the city Constantinople because it really was a great city that helped raise Christianity. I made Constantinople and declared it the capital of the Roman Byzantine Empire. I also think my rule was important because I made a great city that I know will last for a very long time! It really made the Byzantine Empire great and it helped a lot with trading culture and goods.  I opened up the Roman Empire to more and better things, and helped it move forward.

After Constantine died, Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, and the religion grew from then on.

Carelton, Mr. "Constantine." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton. World History, Beverly Hills . 28 Oct. 2010. Lecture.

Rome Sacked/Falls to the Barbarians

Me: Hi Mark. I’m here to ask you about the fall of Rome to the Barbarians. So when did the barbarians take the city of Rome?

Mark:  476 was the actual fall of Rome.  The Germanic leader came and ousted the emperor of Rome, but a lot of bad stuff started before that.

Me: Can you explain what happened in Rome with the Barbarians?

Mark: Sure, around 378 a Roman army was trying to defeat the Visigoths, but suffered a horrible defeat! Rome and its army were losing control and were fading.   In 410 the Visigoths came to Rome.

Me: Oh No! What exactly happened?

Mark: Well, the Visigoths came, led by Alaric, and all they wanted was food, power, and wealth. They decided that they would siege the city of Rome. They kept food from coming in, or going out of the city.

Me: So, what happened??

Mark: Everyone in the city went crazy. Everyone was starving and some people started to result to cannibalism. The Visigoths sieged our city for two whole years, and they were the worst years of my life.  A nobleman made the decision to let the Visigoths in Rome.

Me: What happened once the Visigoths were in the city?

Mark: They came and took a lot of our treasures, destroyed some of our city, but found that there wasn’t any food, so they left quickly.

Me: Why do you think the fall of Rome is important in history?

Mark: I think it is important because after Rome was conquered, the Roman Empire was falling because Rome was the core of the empire.  It protected the Roman Empire and with Rome gone, it would change everything.  That’s when we entered the dark ages.

Carelton, Mr. "The Fall of Rome to the Barbians." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton. World History, Beverly Hills 3 Nov. 2010. Lecture.

The Battle of Tours

Me: Hi Michael, I’m here to ask you, a solider during the Battle of Tours, all about the Battle of Tours.  So when did the Battle of Tours take place?

Michael:   It took place in 732 AD.

Me: So what was the Battle of Tours?

Michael: The Battle of Tours was when The Hammer (Charles Martel) the leader of the Franks, and the Moors (a Muslim group) had a war.  The Muslims were trying to push their religion and culture into Europe. They wanted to rule a lot of land in Europe. The Hammer knew he couldn’t let that happen so he fought the Moors and gave them a very hard fight.  He is said to have saved Christianity because he did so.

Me: What happened during the battle?

Michael: Well, Charles got his armies to go to the Moor encampment and take back all the things that they had stolen from us.  We took back things like gold, and items that had been stolen from our homes and churches. We wanted to show the Moors who was boss. The Moors were very confused because they underestimated us so much! We surrounded the Moors and defeated them!

Me: Wow that’s very impressive! Why do you think the Battle of Tours was so important?

Michael: I think it was important because we gave hope to the Roman Empire during the Dark Ages which was needed because almost all the hope was gone. We made the people in Rome hope again. I think the most important thing the battle did was save Christianity.  If we didn’t win the Battle of Tours, the Muslim religion and culture would have taken over Europe and Christianity would probably be gone forever.

Carelton, Mr. Battle of Tours." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton . Seaholm High School, Brimingham High School. 3 Nov. 2010. Lecture.

Charlemagne

Me: Hi Charlemagne.  I’m here to ask you today about your rule and what happened during it. So when did you start ruling?

Charlemagne:  I started ruling in 768 AD.

Me: So how did you get on throne?

Charlemagne: Well, my grandpa was Charles the Hammer, who was the leader of the Franks when they were in a war against the Moors and they won.  He was one of the best army men, in my opinion, and he was said to have saved Christianity.

Me: So what was your reign like?

Charlemagne: I was the first emperor of the Dark Ages in 3 centuries, and I have never lost a military battle so far. I am very proud of that. Now let me remind you that the Roman Empire was not the best during this time.  We were not the same as we used to be, so it was very hard for me to get the empire going again.

Me: What did you do to get it to keep going?

Charlemagne: I tried to reinforce education, and I made royal schools, so people would hopefully learn to write and read and get back into the arts. I even learned how to read and write myself.  I believe strongly in God and for anyone who doesn’t believe in God, I will execute.  I also divided the Roman Empire into 350 counties.

Me: Why do you think your reign is so important?

Charlemagne: My reign is important because I expanded the Roman Empire and I have unified the Christian Empire.

Carelton, Mr. "Charlemagne." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton . Seaholm High School, Brimingham High School. 2 Nov. 2010. Lecture.

The Great Schism

Me: Hi Romulus, I’m here to ask you, a peasant during the time of the Great Schism, all about the Great Schism.  So, when was the Great Schism?

Romulus: The Great Schism took place in 1054.

Me: What was the Great Schism and who did it involve?

Romulus: The Great Schism was the excommunication between two branches of Christianity, the East and the West. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Micheal Cerularius, who was the leader of the Orthodox Church, and Pope Leo IX were not agreeing on a lot of things at the time.

Me: What were they not agreeing on?

Romulus: They argued a lot about who should have higher authority; the Pope or the Patriarch. They had trouble with the use of icons in the church. They also argued about the language of Christianity at this time; Greek or Latin?  They also had arguments about marriage in the church.

Me: So did this affect you?

Romulus: Yes, this affected my family, my friends and me a lot because it was a hard time when the two churches were fighting.  A lot of people didn’t really know where to go or which religion to believe in during this time.

 

I think the Great Schism was important because it led to the Eastern Orthodox and The Roman Catholic churches in our time now. 

"The Great Schism." Middle Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. <http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/the-great-schism.htm>.

William The Conqueror

Me: Hi, William I’m here to ask you all about your rule in England. So how did you become the ruler?

William: Well, in England, King Edward had died without an heir to the throne. They appointed a ruler named Harold Godwinson who should not have been on the throne in England.  At the time, I was a duke in Normandy and I believed that I was supposed to be the ruler of England. So I fought Harold and I won in the Battle of Hastings. I was crowned King in 1066.

Me: What did you do for the government in England?

William: I did many things. I granted fiefs (land) to lords and the church.  I thought it was a good idea because I thought the church would like me if I gave them land to put their churches on, and they would have more money if they had more land.

Me: Did you do anything else that you thought was important to the English government?

William: Yes.  I made a lot of castles and I watched over a lot of castles to make sure that England was fine.  I made all vassals swear to have an allegiance to me, and I made the Doomsday book. The Doomsday Book was the census of the kingdom.  I used it to tax people on what they should be taxed on.  People didn’t really like this, but it helped the government.

William the Conqueror made the Executive branch in today’s government.  His rule and what he did with the government is very important for us today.

Carelton, Mr. "William the Conquerer." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton . Seaholm High School, Brimingham High School. 3 Nov. 2010. Lecture.

The Crusades

Crusades – Hi Alexandria, I’m here to ask you today all about the Crusades. When did the Crusades take place?

Alexandria: They took place in 1095. They were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christians states of Europe into the Middle East. Pope Urban called the first Crusade, and from then on the Crusade battles started.  There were a total of eight crusade battles.

Me: So what caused the Crusades?

Alexandria:  The Crusades started when the Turks were heading into Constantinople.  The Pope called people and told them to go on a Crusade into Jerusalem to capture the city for Christianity.  He wanted them to then go to Constantinople. The thing was the Pope said that if you were going on this Crusade then you would be saved, so everyone went on this Crusade.  10,000 people ended up dying.

Me: So why do you think the Crusades were important?

Alexandria: The Crusades were important because before the Crusades we were in the Dark Ages, and it was a horrible time for Europe.  Europe was falling apart. Even though we lost the Crusades we brought back many things from the Middle East, but the most important was knowledge.  We brought back religion, culture, technology, and science. This really made Europe get back into its glory days, and it started the Renaissance. People in Europe believed in themselves again, and they started making great art once again.

"The Crusades." University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. <http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/westtech/xcrusade.htm>.

Magna Carta

Me:  I’m here to ask you all about the Magna Carta. So what is the Magna Carta and how you were involved with it?

John: Well, the government was in a very bad place at the time. France had lost a lot of land and we had lost a power struggle with the pope.  We were losing a lot of respect with the nobles.

Me: Why were you the nobles and the pope getting in fights?

John: Well the nobles were not paying their taxes, so I put them in jail. The Pope and I got in a fight because we both wanted to name the next bishop. Then Barons started to rebel against me, and they made me sign the Magna Carta in 1215.  The Magna Carta limited my powers and protected the privileges of the people.

Me: What was the Magna Carta?

John: The Magna Carta in Latin means the “great charter”.  The Magna Carta was a document that granted basic rights and privileges.  It said that the king must obey the Magna Carta.

Me: Why do you think the signing of the Magna Carta was so important?

John: I think that the signing of the Magna Carta was important because it led to a new government that people still use and it helped make the Due Process of Law.  It helped put together a better government. I think it will be viewed as one of the most important legal documents of all time.

The Magna Carta influenced the legal systems of our time, and it is very important to us!

Carelton, Mr. "Magna Carta." Seaholm High School. Mr. Carelton . Seaholm High School, Brimingham High School. 3 Nov. 2010. Lecture.

Columbus Leaves Spain

Me: Hi Columbus, I’m here to ask you about your expedition after leaving Spain. When did you leave Spain?

Columbus: Well, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain finally gave me money and ships to go on my expedition.  I got three ships:  the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina. On August 4, 1492, I finally left and we started heading west.

Me: What did you find on your expedition?

Columbus: First I found San Salavdor.  Then I sailed to China, which I thought at the time was Cuba at the time. Then I found what I thought was the best place ever. It was the New World (America).  Once I got there I saw the Indians.

Me: Why do you think that your journey was important?

Christopher: My journey was important because I found a whole new land for people to live in. I also made a route for people to travel to this new land. I acquired a great deal of knowledge about the Atlantic world, and I made maps for people to follow in the future.  I made a relationship with the Indian people even though it may have not been a good one.  I started a whole different country (America) and I started its great new culture.  Some people even say that I organized Christianity in America!

"Christopher Columbus Discovers America." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.