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.