Columbus Leaves Spain

Interviewer: "Can you please tell me about your discovery of America?"

Christopher Columbus: "Yes. In early 1492, I was inspired by Paolo Toscanelli, the book Image of the Worlds, and Marco Polo's ideas about the far east to go explore the Indies in the West.  I hypothesized that the world was mainly land and the trip to Asia was shorter than most thought.  I asked the Kind of Portugal to sponser my mission, but he declined.  He knew I was excited for the adventure, but was mostly going after fame.  I then asked Spain if they would sponser me and they accepted! It was April and I was thrilled! The first voyage I discovered some islands in Latin America, such as Hispaniola.  Foolishly, I thought I was the Far East, which I was far from.  Later, I made three more expeditions looking for this short path to Asia. I found none, of course, but did come to the Caribbean or the 'West Indies'."

Interviewer:  "So you had no idea you were in America?"

Columbus: "None. It was not until Amerigo Vespucci in 1507 discovered I was actually no where near Asia, but on a completely new land."

Interviewer:  "So how did you discover America?"

Columbus:  "Honestly, I was not the first to fully discover or land on America.  It had been done before, except my voyages inspired other Europeans and many began to settle in the new world."

Interviewer:  "And would you say that is your biggest contribution to history?"

Columbus: "Yes, that area becomes the United States of America which then becomes an example for other countries that want to rebel against their ruler.  Also, it becomes a very advanced country, even superpower later in history."

Interviewer: "Also the United States has a very good government"

Columbus: "Yes. It is unique and very successful."

("Christopher Columbus." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
"European exploration." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. )

Magna Carta

Interviewer: "Please tell us the story of the Magna Carta."

King John: "Alright.  It all started with a war in 1205 with Phillip II. I lost the war and lands in Anjou and Normandy.  People were then unhappy that I lost land in France. I also treated myself, because I am king, to many expensive luxuries and made nobels pay lots of money.  After that, I was in a debate with Pope Innocent III about who the new archbishop of Canterbury should be.  I wanted a certain canidate, one the pope didn't want, so he appointed his without my consent. People were on my said when I said that the church should be seperate from the kingdom, so the pope tried to make me eat my words.  He placed England under interdict, or loss of support from the Catholic Church.  Next, the church decides to excommunicate me.  Lucky for England, I was a great leader and we worked throught the years.  I even stole revenue from the church to pay for important things.  I guess this is the time when people started to not enjoy me "taking away there rights" and someone tried to assassinate me in 1212.  With Phillip II on the run, I decided to cave and work with the Pope.  He lifted the exommunication, interdict, and I accepted England as a fief.  Innocent also made me grant liverties to the church.  After that I did some bad stuff with taxes and so on...anyways, a group of barons rebelled and forced me to sign a document called the Magna Carta in 1215." 

Interviewer:  "What did it say?"

John:  "It said that Barons have certain guarenteed rights and that I must too obey laws.  They also established this idea of 'due process of law' or the listed rules that government must follow for trials of citizens."

Interviewer: "And why was the Magna Carta important?"

John: "The Magna Carta had crucial ideas for government that are used presently in the United States. The idea that no one is above the law, even the president (king). Also that  we have a bicambrial legislature and the powers of each, like handeling money and taxes, are kept the same."

A picture of the document.

("King John." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
)

Crusades

Interviewer: "Greetings Crusader, what are the Crusades?"

Crusader: "The Crusades are a series of holy battles between European Christians and Muslims over both of their holy lands, Jerusalem."

Interviewer: "When were they?"

Crusader: "The first crusade was called for in 1096 A.D. and the last ended around 1291."

Interviewer: "Please, tell me more."

Crusader: "Well, in 638 the Arab Muslims took Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire once the borders were weakened from frequent attack. Now during the Middle Ages, European Christians would make religious voyages to the city of Jerusalem and the Muslims were very tolerant of it. Unfortunetly, the Seljuk Turkish Muslims took over in 1071 and was not so tolerant.  The Turks were powerful and even the Byzantine Empire was worried about them, so they called to the Christians for help.  In 1095 Pope Urban II called for the first crusade and Christian nights would go to win their holy city back from the Muslims.   The crusade was first in 1096 when the Peasants' Crusade (a group of peasants) were disorganized and easily defeated by the Muslims.  The real soldiers came in 1097 at Constantinople and were joined by the Byzantines, winning the Crusade in 1099.  After that, there was constant attack from the Muslims and they won one of the four Crusade States, Edessa in 1144.  Wanting to regain the state, King Louis VII of France and Conrad III the Holy Roman emperor, began the second crusade in 1147.  Unfortunetly, we had an epic fail and lost to the Muslims in 1149.  Responding with the second Crusade, the Christians in England, German,  and France went to fight for Jerusalem once more. Gaining lots of land along th e Mediterranean, Richard did not regain the city."

Interviewer: "That's a lot of fighting, how many Crusades were there?"

Crusader: "About nine, but those are stories for another day."

Interviewer: "What is the effect of the Crusades that was significant?"

Crusader: "Well, when the people went to Jerusalem, they recover important knowledge. There was medical information, languages and many others that opened the knowlege to the West.  The Crusades also end the Dark Ages of Europe."



A picture of the third Crusade.

("The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. )

William the Conqueror

Interviewer: "Hello Wiliam, what is your story?"

William the Conqueror: "I was born 1027 A.D. in Falaise, France son of Duke Robert I. At a young age, I inherited my father's land.  Luckily, I had many people that backed me up, like Henry I who protected me when my cousin tried to take my domain from me in 1046.  We defeated my cousin and others at the Battle of Val-es-Duens, but I still had to deal with Count of Anjou in the South.  I then married Matilda, who I love dearly, in 1053.   Not that this was why I married Matilda, but she was very politically linked.  She was the daughter of the Count of Flanders and a decendant of King Alfred the Great.  Meanwhile, I was slowly extending my land claim in Normandy, getting ready to take on England.  My vassal captured Harold II on his way to France in 1064.  Making a few deals with Harold, I conquered much of northern France. After that, I tried to win over the locals of France by strengthening my ties with the Catholic Church- it worked.  Then, in 1066 King Edward died without an heir so the people selected the powerful Harold II.  Fighting for the thrown in the Battle of Hastings, we killed Harold in a day.  10 weeks later I was crowned King of England."

Interviewer: "Is that why you are called the conqueror?"

William: "Yes. Before then, NO ONE defeats England."

Interviewer: "What would you say your impact was on history?"

William: "That would be when I was king.  On the throne, I called for a census of all my people, buildings, proplerty, livestock, etc. that would allow me to tax sufficiently.  People call it the Doomsday Book. I would do work for the people in my land and created a strong executive branch for future government types."

("William the Conqueror." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. )

The Great Schism

Interviewer: "Hello Pope Leo IX, how are you today?"

Pope: "It is a glorious day for the children of God. What can I do for you?"

Interviewer:  "Can you please tell me about the Great Schism?"

Pope:  "What is know as the Great Schism happened in 1054 during the Byzantine Empire in the Christian Church.   As you know, I was the Pope of Rome and Michael Cerularius was the Patriarch of Constantinople. There were many schisms between our regions of West and East, but this one finally seperated the Eastern Orthodox Church and my Western Catholic Church.  We  had started to isolate from each other on these earlier issues, using different languages, rules for priests, use of icons, but from a mid-eleventh century disagreement, our communication would end.  We wanted byzantine liturature practices and those fools wanted Latin. Anyways, I was the first to take some serious action and in 1053 I sent over some of my representatives to Constantinople.   The Patriarch rudely denied my negotiation plans so I...excommunicated him."

Interviewer: "You excommunicated him?"

Pope:  "Well yes! Left the papers on the altar of Hagia Sophia July 16, 1054, even got the emperor's blessing.  The Patriarch then excommunicated me on the 20th and we were completely divided.  Other later emperors tried to reunite us, but with no luck."

Interviewer: "What is the impact or importance of this Schism?"

Pope: "Why, it divided the Christian church between into Orthodox and Catholic.  It also made Constantinople weak without our military support and they were sacked in 1453."

Interviewer: "Thank you for the interview."

Pope: "My pleasure, peace be with you."

("Schism of 1054." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2010. )

Charlemagne

Interviewer: "Greetings Charlemagne, do you mind if I ask you a few questions today?"

Charlemagne: "No, go ahead."

Interviewer: "Well, could you please tell me your life story?"

Charlemagne: "Sure. I was born April 2, 741 son of Pippin the Short and grandson of Charles "The Hammer" Martel.  When my father died in 768,  the realm of the Franks was split between me and my brother, Carloman. My territory was harder to maintain than my brother's and as an early king I had to put down many revolts.  Carloman died in 771 and I got the whole kingdom to myself, I a real Carolingian king.  In 772 we attacked the Saxons and tried to inforce Frankish political authority over them as well as convert the pagans to Christianity.  At my empire's largest, it spanned from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. On Christmas day 800 A.D., I was crowned king of the Franks by the pope and started the holy Roman Empire.  During my entire reign of 46 years, I had over 50 military conquest and never failed."

 Interviewer: "What about the Danes and your invasion of Spain?"

Charlemagne: "Still, that was pretty good. "

Interviewer: "True. What was The Bloody Verdict of Verdun?"

Charlemagne: "It was 782, I had defeated the Saxons and seen them worshiping false gods.  Now you know my policy: Convert to Christianity or I will...kill you.  So, keeping my word I condemned 4,500 of them to death.  I am a strict Christian, as you may know.  As king, I myself have to take care of all aspects of my kingdom: political, social, artistic, and intelictual.  I had royal schools made because before then only education was given to munks. As I was trying to bring Europe out of darkness as the new Emperor of the West, I was hit with a new challange: vikings.  I died on January 28, 814 know as the greatest king in the Dark ages."

Interviewer: "Is it true that you know how to read and write?''

Charlemagne: "Not fully, but I did put in a lot of time towards learning how."

Interviewer: "Impressive.  Well, thank you for this interview."

Charlemagne: "You're welcome"

Charlemagne ruled from 768 to 814.

("Charlemagne." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2010. )

Battle of Tours

Interviewer: "Greetings Charles and may I say, congratulations"

Charles "The Hammer" Martel: "Thank you. The Battle of Tours was an important victory for many of us."

Interviewer: "Yes, it is. Please, tell me about the battle."

Charles:  "The Battle of Tours was a main battle in October 732.  It was my army of barbarian Franks versus the invading Muslims from Spain.  The muslims had been raiding other places in Europe since the 720s and it was time they were stopped.  They had conquered Spain in the early eight century and raided southern Gaul and Aquitaine.  later, the Muslims attacked Autun, towns on the Rhone River, and a now important man's city. Odo was the duke of Aquitaine and after another defeat in 732, he called in for my  assistance.  The islamic group destroyed a monastery in Plitiers and when they were targetting St. Martin of Tours, me and Odo stepped in. When our large army was seen, the Muslims stopped in their tracks; shocked.  We had a standstill for six days, but eventually began fighting."

Interviewer: "And it wasn't a long battle, was it?"

Charles: "We had some small fights, but it only took us about a week to finish off ol' Abd ar-Rahman."

Interviewer: "What is the main importance of this battle?"

Charles: "The importance, my friend, is that I may have just saved Christianity in Europe.  Another way to look at it is that I stopped Muslims from spreading possibly farther into the country."

Interviewer: "Well, thank god you did and thank you for the interview."

Charles: "You're welcome"

The Battle of Tours showed Charles' military akilled and helped strengthen his hold on the kingdom.

("Battle of Tours." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.")

Rome Sacked/ Falls to Barbarians

Interviewer: "Hello sir, can you  tell me what happened here?"

Citizen of Rome: "Rome was...sacked!"

Interviewer: "Please, tell me the story from the beginning."

Citizen: "Alright, I will tell you the story of the Visigoths. It all really started with the Battle of Adrianople 378 A.D.  Rome had an embarrassing lose to the Goths. After that, our emperor Theodosius I put many of them in the Roman Army.  When he died, that's when the barbarians broke Rome's treaty and selected a new leader: Alaric.  Alaric started after Greece, then Italy in 401. He lost, however, and again in 403 so he left Italy.  In 408, Rome was having some power troubles, so Alaric decided to go after Italy.  Lucky for him, the Western Roman emperor, Honorius, had the great Roman general killed resently before.  Honorius also had many other barbarians killed and the remaining actually joined Alaric's troops.  By 409, the Visigoths had surrounded Rome, but Alaric took a tribute and left.  After spending a hard winter away, Alaric demanded more from the Romans.  When Honorius refused, the Visigoths in 410 once again had Rome as a target.  An alli of Alaric opened the gates of Rome on August 24th and the barbarian army raided the empire for three days.  They didn't find any food because us Romans have been starving ourselves, and they left most of our architecture in tact. And now here I stand today, the once great empire of Rome, destroyed."

Interviewer: "Can you please tell me what you think the impact of this event will be?"

Citizen: "Terrible things!  This was the greatest empire ever; our people have no protection!"

Interviewer: "Wow, this might be a great impact on the world just because you all think that you are so vulnerable."

Citizen: "Maybe some of it is in our heads, but this establishment has been in power for almost 800 years!"

Interviewer: "Yes, and who knows what life will be like without any emperor of our society"

Citizen: "Madness"

Interviewer: "Well, thank you for the interview."

Picture of Alaric, the Visigoth's king.  The Fall of Rome unofficially starts what is known as the "Dark Ages' of Europe and the Roman Empire was completely gone by 476.

("sack of Rome." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2010.")

Constantine the Great

Interviewer: "Greetings Constantine, it is a real honor to meet you. Just as Alexander had done, can you please tell me your stroy?"
Constantine the Great: "Indeed.  I was born in Naissus son of Helen, or saint Helen as you may know her.  At the time, the emperor was Diocletian and coemperor was Maximian.  My father, Constantius I later became coemperor when Diocletian and Maximian abdicated in 305 A.D.  My father then died in 306 and with the military's favor, I competed for leadership.  In 312 I defeated Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge and gained control of the Western Romen Empire. When I defeated Licinius in 324, I was left to rule all of the great Roman Empire. "

Interviewer: "Whoa"

Constantine: "Yeah. I made the capital Constantinople in Byzantium, but a more memorable thing had happened to me durring the Battle of Milvian Bridge.  The day before I had had a dream where I had seen our victory and a Christian Cross.  The reason I had won that battle was because of God. Ending the persecution of Christians, I converted. I alowed freedom of religioin, but many other Romans converted too."

Interviewer: "Now, would you say your greatest achievement would be your spread of Christianity?"

Constantine:  "Yes, I also built many monuments like churches, cities, and the Arch Constantine. 
Constantinople was a wonderful city, if I do say so myself, and with a new capital it helped to unify Rome
after the fall of the Latin West"

Interviewer:  "Well thank you for the interview"

Constantine:  "You're welcome"

Interviewer: "What a saint"

("Constantine the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2010.")

Julius Caesar/Fall of Roman Republic

Interviewer: "Greetings Julius, how are you?"

Julius Caesar: "Well"

Interviewer: "Do you think you would mind telling me how you ended the Roman Republic?"

Julius: "No, I would not. Shall I start from the beginning?"

Interviewer: "Sure"

Julius:  "I was born in 100 B.C. in a patrician family, meaning we were of a land-owning upper class that was involved in the Senate.  I spent my childhood in Asia Minor and returned to Greece in 73 B.C.  I was a pontifex, or priest, and climbed from military tribune to quaestor.  When my wife and Aunt died, I broke the tradition of not having women public funerals. With that, people began to notice my political importance.  I later followed the agitation of northern Italian Latin colonies for Roman citizenship and supported Pompey the Great.  Pompey, Marcus Crassus, and I later formed the First Triumvirate.  I gained a lot of respect in that time period, including Cicero and Cato the Younger.  I was then a praetor and, although in some financial troubles, focused my attention on Spain and other tribes. A lot of cash was made after that project.  Eventually, I was elected consulship in 58 B.C."

Interviewer:  "Is that the election that you cheated and used physical force to persuade your followers?"

Julius: "Let me continue my story!  Where was I? Yes, I had just put the First Triumvirate into action and had all my allies-supporters put in their proper position in the government.  Now, by then people were starting to tell that I did not like their republic laws. Some even tried to persecute me! They failed, of course, but I moved onto a more violent stage in my career.  I ran a great Roman army, called legions, in which had the whole country fearful.  Then, in 55 B.C. my old buddies Pompey and Crassus joined me in the consul.  Unfortunately, Crassus died, Pompey was kept away from me, and my five year term was coming to an end.  In 49 B.C., I crossed the Rubicon River, showing that I meant war and no laws were going to stop me.  Many battles and thousand of Romans later, I had finally destroyed the republic.One ironic thing is that the leader of the Republicans was Pompey"

Interviewer: "Hmm, and that was last year, wasn't it?"

Julius:  "Yes, 45 B.C."

Interviewer:  "And here you stand, the current dictator of Rome until you die."

Julius: "Until I die-I guess you could say that."

Interviewer: "So Julius Caesar, why would you say you are important to Rome's history?"

Julius:  "Did you not hear me? I ended the Republic and I was a major political figure."

Interviewer: "Aha well thank you for the interview"

Julius: "You're welcome"

March 14th 44 B.C. Julius Caesar is assassinated by his senate members.

("Julius Caesar." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. )

Alexander the Great

Interviewer: "Good morning Alexander, I have heard many great things about you."
Alexander the Great: "I'm sure you have"
Interviewer: "Yes, well, could you please tell me your story?"
Alex: "Yes, of course.  I was born 356 B.C. in Macedonia, son of the well-known Phillip II.  I was a student to Aristotle, and when my father was assasinated in 336, I became king.  I greatly wanted to defeat Persia, for my father, but would have something else to worry about: Thebes. Fortunately, I easily put down their rebellion and went on to Persia.  In the Battle of the Granicus, my army beat the Persians by the river and my reputation climbed.  Next was the battle of Issus, which was another win for the Macedonians.  I had my army fighting with spears called sarissas, making them beg for mercy.  When they asked, I said nah and headed to Egypt.  The Egyptians loved me! Although I knew it all along, they concluded my destiny: I was a God.  They made me pharaoh.  Later, I defeated Persian Empire at Arbela in 331 B.C. and became king when Darius III was killed by his own court.  After that, victories were piling up as far as the Indus valley in 325 B.C and I began to spread my western culture- Greek culture." 
Interviewer: " And then.."
Alex: "And then what?"
Interviewer: "You went back to Babylonia"
Alex: "Yes, well, when I came to Babylonia in 324, the people were not very pleased. Although I was spreading wonderful Greek culture, I had also adapted many Persian."
Interviewer: "How upset are they?"
Alex: "Any other questions?"
Interviewer: "Yes, Alexander, why would you say you are so important?"
Alex: "Why, I'm inspirational!"
Interviewer: "Who do you think you are inspiring?"
Alex: "Other great rulers, I suppose. Also I concider my spreading of greek culture immensely important and my policies"
Interviewer: "Well, thank you for the interview"
Alex: "Yup"
Alexander the Great inspired Julius Caesar and many other people, even up to modern times. Alexander the Great dies at the age of 32.

Alexander the Great:

("Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. )

Axis Age/ Golden Age of Greece

Interviewer: "Hello sir, what is your name?"
kid: "umm... Demokritos"
Interviewer: "Yasou Demokritos, how are you today?"
Demokritos: "I'm doing great"
Interviewer: "Can you tell me what year it is?"
Demokritos: "yeah, it's 320 B.C."
Interviewer: "And can you tell me how Greece is doing currently?"
Demokritos: "Greece is doing woderful, especially here in Athens"
Interviewer: "People call this the 'Golden Age' of Greece, can you tell me why?"
Demokritos: "Well, it all started at about 500 B.C. This has been a great time of government, art, philosophy, drama and poetry accomplishments. Athens adapted the new government style called democracy and it is when the government is ruled by the people.  This was under the rule of Pericles (460-429 B.C.) who also had major architectural acheivments: The Parthenon and the Acropolis.  The making of a greek theatre inspired wonderful playwriters and philosophers. Some great people that were alive during this age were Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and Pythagrius.  Pythagrius, Hippocrates, Hippias, and Democritusa were all great mathematicians.  Socrate created the Socratic method and Aristotle was a mathematic writer.  There were also improvements in science and medicine."  
Interviewer: "Now I've also heard this been called the Golden Stone age of Greece,why is that?"
Demokritos: "See here, there are wonderful statues and pottery creations right now." 
Interviewer: "Ah. Can you tell me why this time is important?"
Demokritos: "Important?! These ideas are huge! The impact on Greece is colossal, not to mention the rest of the world"
Interviewer: "The rest of the world?"
Demokritos: "Who wouldn't want a democracy?"
Interviewer: "True, and to know more mathmetical facts like a2+b2=c2.  Thank you for this interview."
Demokritos: "You're welcome"
The Golden Age of Greece/ Axis Age ended 300 B.C. and Greek ideas become the basis of Western poitics.


Picture of the Parthenon in present Athens, Greece.

("Golden Age of Greece." Maps of World.com (2009): n. pag. Web. 30 Oct 2010.

"Early Greek Mathematics (650 B.C.-400 B.C.)." Oracle ThinkQuest (2001): n. pag. Web. 30 Oct 2010.)

Zheng He

Dear Online Journal,
It is the year 1437, just two years after Zheng He's death.  China has decided to burn all of his fleet of war ships and not to worry about the outside world.   We decided to focus on China's interior and keep the Chinese in, even banning the building of seagoing ships.  Unfortunately, our old school ways have actually weakened us and we are relatively open to foreign invasion.  You can tell that the other countries, such as the British, want to take us over.   And although his fame is trying to be covered up, Zheng He did great work under the building and sailing of the ships.  He worked as the emperor's admiral and from 1405 to 1433, he completed seven voyages. Before his first voyage, Zheng He created 2,000 vessels for all different purposes, which included the great "treasure ships".  These ships were 400 feet long and 150 feet wide; some of the largest wooden ships ever created.  On this first voyage he ventured to India, but stopped to trade at places like Champa and Java.  They also defeated a major pirate at the time, called Chen Zuyi, and had him killed.  These started many political relationships.  Other voyages took him to the Arabian Peninsula, Africa, and many other far away places.  Zheng He was born in 1371, and served China well.
Chi Fu

"Zheng He Maritime Expeditions (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.

ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Sung Dynasty

Dear Online Journal,
(Sigh) Today is a sad day in China History. It is 1279 and the Mongols just ended the Southern Sung Dynasty, China's Golden Age.  The greatness started in 960 AD, when the great General Zhao Kuangyin reunited China and started the Sung Dynasty.  We purchased a new kind of fast –growing rice which doubled our number of crop seasons!(2) With this surplus in food, China was free to express themselves. Therefore, there was much great advancement made over the past 300 years.  I am a writer and am happy to state that wood blocking for printing become much more popular and therefore made printing easier.  With more available books, more people learned to read and I sold a good number of my books!  Poetry also improved with great poets such as Du Fu and Li-Po. Other culture areas were also visited during this era, like literature and religion.  There were also economic, educational, artistic, and some governmental developments during the past dynasty.  With the invention of paper money, gun powder, and other things such as the mechanical clock, trading boomed!  We were trading with countries such as India, Pakistan, and Arabia.  Manufacturing and commerce also advanced throughout China. The Civil system added more Confucius texts, a great decision, and I hope that China will continue to develop and become a better place. 
~Chung Li     

"Song dynasty." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Tang Dynasty

Dear Blog:

Boy am I living in a great century! I'm practically living in a golden age, in a golden country: China.  It is the Tang Dynasty in the year 900 A.D. and I am a poet by the name of Cho Chang.  The dynasty started way back in 618 A.D. (to 907) when China was reunited under the power of Lui Yuan.  With political and social stability, the Tang has become the golden age of China (So far) and has made many advances in literature, cultural, and artistic traditions.  Some very main things were poetry, which was how I got started rhyming, and painting.  One memorable man was Xuanzong who founded the Hanlin Academy for dance and music.  My personal IDOLS from this time include Du Fu and Li Bo who were possibly the greatest poets ever.  Du Fu writes about his misfortunes of his job after doing bad on the civil service exam, while Li Bo writes about happier times.  The government system is very similar to the Han Dynasty, with Confucianism and a bureaucracy.  Very sadly, I am beginning to feel the dynasty crumbling.  We are losing territory to Arabs, there is corruption, high taxes, drought, famine, and rebellion.  Times are getting rough; we haven't done what we should. Although it is tough, we must look at the good. 
Cho Chang

"Tang Dynasty: Imperial Unity and Cultural Achievement (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Mongols Take China

Dear Blog-
Three words: I. Hate. Mongols.  They ended the Sung dynasty! China's Golden Age! Okay, let me calm down and tell the story.  The Mongols were a group of Nomads form the steppe region, but their military was a large group of very advanced horsemen. They invented the stirrup which allows for the rider to actually stand up on their horse and fire bow and arrow at their enemy.  In the early 1200s the Mongols stopped fighting with each other and were united under the leadership of Genghis Khan.  Genghis was an undeniably great ruler, but was ruthless and cruel in his quest for revenge over his childhood.  With their well-trained men and cannons, they invaded northern China.  They went with a policy of "Surrender now and you will be a slave, if you don't we will kill you". After they gained leadership, the Mongols were relatively just.  They listened to religious ideas, respected artisans, and wouldn't bother you if you paid your taxes.  Later, they conquered Russia under the leadership of Khan's nephew, Batu, in 1240.  And later the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258 during the Abbasid Empire.  Eventually, Genghis' grandson, Kublai Kahn took over and moved the army south. To the time currently of them ending the Sung Dynasty in 1279 and starting the Yuan dynasty.  You can feel the uneasy mix of different cultures and Kublai naming the Dynasty with a Chinese name.  He has told us of plans of wanting to expand the Grand Canal for trade and changing the architecture to something from the Steppe.  I hope that this dynasty ends quickly and China will turn back to Chinese rule once more!
Zheng Tzu

 

Jackson, Peter. "Mongols." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.

ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Han Dynasty

Journal-
The date is 220 A.D. and the Han Dynasty has officially fallen apart and ended.  The empire began in 206 B.C. and was a memorable time in China both economically and culturally.  The Han dynasty was founded by a man called Bang Lui or later Gao Zu. The government was a bureaucracy system and Confucianism became the official philosophy of the empire. The government also kept close watch on food prices and trade. Along with Confucius, Buddhism and Toaism were other religions that became popular during this time. Many things were also invented during the time era, such as paper, astronomical instruments, and the seismograph. Old books were discovered and new books were written.  It was a male dominated society and advancements were made in many artistic areas such as drama, painting, and dance.  There was also construction in bridges, dikes, canals, and roads.  Another memorable thing of the dynasty were the Yellow Turbans who were a group of people that rebelled against taxes in 184 A.D. Well, that about wraps up that wonderful dynasty, I'll keep blogging
Jang Su

"Han dynasty." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

"Imperial China Comes of Age (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Buddhism comes to China

 Dear Diary,

Today has been an interesting day. I have learned all about a man named Siddhartha Guatama, but he goes by a different name. He calls himself “The Buddha” which means the enlightened one. The way I heard about the Buddha was through traveling, as I am a trader.  While I was on the silk road, I met many monks and Buddhist.  They were coming to China to teach and some were even building different temples, statues, and things along the roads.  The Siddhartha man has a very interesting story to tell, and willingly teaches his unusual ideas to anyone who will listen.  He preaches of suffering on earth, desire, and how we must overcome all this to find a greater good.  This is an idea called nirvana.  Buddha said he cannot explain it, but it is a wonderful thing.  He teaches the four noble truths and also the eightfold path.  This means for people to do right actions, such as understanding, speech, mindfulness, and concentration.  It seems to remind me of Hinduism, except that Siddhartha talks against the reincarnation cycle; your goal is even to break out of it. Anyways, the man was alive way back around 600 B.C. and it is presently 210 B.C.  Under the rule of Ashoka, Buddhism was immensely encouraged and now it is the Han Dynasty. 

Love,

Bang Cho

 Today Buddhism is one of the three major religions in China.

"Buddhism." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.
ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Great Wall

Blog 1499-

Ugh today has been a long day, as I have been planning the design and having meetings about the construction of a very large project. We call it the Great Wall of China. As an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, we are repairing and increasing the size of this monument.  It was originally built in 220 B.C during the Qin Dynasty.  The wall was started under the emperor of Shi Huangdi.  He created it for defensive purposes and put a general called Meng Tian under control.  He extended it about 3,000 miles and it was worked on by prisoners, northern frontier laborers, and guarded by soldiers.  Huangdi heavily taxed his people to pay for his wall and this caused much anger throughout the people.  This is a problem I hope to avoid, but am finding it very difficult, as it is a large job and people always seem to work harder when they are physically pushed.  Anyways, in the Han Dynasty Emperor Wudi restored the Qin wall and extended it all the way to the Gobi Desert.  The wall was later worked on by many others such as Guang Wu Di and Ming Yuan.  Improvements and repairs were done in the Sui dynasty, and the Tang had a better military and defensive system so the Great Wall was of less use.  Currently I am redesigning the watchtowers and cannon system.  It keeps unwanted attention out and helps keep the Chinese in.

                                                                                                                                                                    

 Zhū Yòutáng

Today the Wall is over 4,000 miles long and one of the largest structures in the world.

"Great Wall of China." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Lao Zi and Taoism

Greetings Bai!

I have converted! I am officially Taoist, like you and your family.  In the middle of the Era of Warring States (475 to 221 B.C.), I feel closer to finding peace with nature.  I met the man, Lao tzu, who is said to be the actual founder of this religion.  He has created a book called the Tao-Te Ching, which includes all of his teaching.  I have been switching off reading from Li Tang’s copy and asking others about what Lao’s philosophies mean to them.  Nonaction is a confusing idea that Taoism promotes.  It doesn’t quite mean to be lazy and do nothing, but rather to go with both the ying and yang of life.  Taoism is the path and the path I now plan to follow.  I now try to get closer to nature, and not cause conflict if I can possibly avoid it.   Go with the flow is the way I like to look at it, along with balance and harmony, is good for everyone. 

Love,

Biyu

Confucianism is now one of the three major religions in China.

"Taoism." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/> 

Confucius

206 B.C.
Le Chung

Online Journal,
There is starting to be some major changes in our country’s religious structure.  In the Han Dynasty started 206 B.C., the emperor has promoted this idea of “Confucianism”.  The government is now also based upon Confucius principles in bureaucracy form.  Although I have not heard of these ideas, I am testing them out.  Confucius encourages family and I have spent more time with my over these past few months.  We have had many great times and I ponder onto what I have been missing. So I then began reading the Five Classics and learned that the ruler of a nation should set a good example for his subjects.  If he does so, then it is more likely that his people will follow him and respect their country.  Education is another idea that Confucius promotes, and I deeply agree with this.  I always found it good to fill your head with as much knowledge as possible, but Confucius looks at it a little differently.  He says one much be knowledgeable to comprehend the ideas of mortality. Either way I am encouraging my sons to study and also to get them a good job under this new “Civil Service” test.
Later the Yi dynasty and Japan adopted Confucius’ governmental ideas. Is now one of three major religions in China.

"Confucianism." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>

Unification of China

Dear Diary,
Today China is at peace. It is 221 B.C and finally all of China is unified under the Qin Dynasty.  King Zheng has changed his name to Shi Huangdi, becoming the “first emperor” our country.  My family is very pleased that the Warring States Period is over. There has been too much fighting of all the people that should work together.  Zheng and the Qin dynasty finally conquered the Chu and the Zhou Dynasty in the 3^rd century B.C.  He has decided to change the government to bureaucracy, and so far it has worked well. There have been increases in trade, agriculture, and military service.  We were also shown different currency, measuring standards and arrangement of writing.  The emperor is also starting a very large project; he calls it “The Great Wall”.  I’m not sure how great it is going to be, but he sure is gathering a lot of workers to help build.  Finally the nation is together and you can feel the things that are going to be accomplished we no longer have to worry about fighting with each other. 
Biyu Lang

Dear Diary,
I’m sorry I have not written in a while; it is 210 and Shi Huangdi has died and has created a giant grave for himself. They have filled the tomb with thousands of clay soldiers and put plenty of traps so there will not be any thieves. It is a very grand project and I predict that it will not be discovered for a long, long time. 
Biyu Lang
 
"China." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/>