The Great Schism

I have here a bishop of a Catholic church in the year of 1054.  I am going to interview him about the Great Schism.  He has chosen to leave his name anonymous.

Henry:  When did the Great Schism occur?

Bishop: The Great Schism happened in 1054 CE.

Henry:  Where did it take place, and what happened?

Bishop:  It took place in Europe.  The Great Schism was the splitting of the Eastern and Western Christian Churches.  The West became the Catholics, and the East became the Orthodox Christians.

Henry:  Why did this happen?

Bishop:  There was a dispute between the East and West traditions, both sides decided to split apart into their own religions.

Henry:  Why was this event important?

Bishop:  This Schism led to the development of Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity.

Henry:  Thank you for your time, sir.

Columbus leaves Spain

Now I am going to interview Christopher Columbus about his famous explorations:

Henry:  Tell me a little about yourself Chris.

Christopher Columbus:  Well, 16 years after I was born on an Italian port in  1451, I traveled to Iceland with my family.  By that time I had a major knack for exploration and I knew it was my life long fate.  Later in life after having my first wife die, I began a career as a map maker settling down in a little city in Spain, and came up with a plan for a fast trade route with the Indies.  I got rejected many times by numerous Kings, including Henry VII of England.  Finally, in 1492, with the help of a Priest, the Queen and King of Spain gave me the money and ships for exploration.

Henry:  What happened then?

Christopher Columbus:  I left Spain in September of 1492 to search for the Indies on a ship called the Santa Maria.  Two more ships accompanied me; the Nina and the Pinta.  The three ships carried a total of 120 men.

Henry:  Did anything go wrong during the voyage?

Christopher Columbus:  Well, you see, I had tricked the men to go on this trip; I made them believe the voyage was much shorter than it actually was.  So in mid October of 1492 I nearly got a mutiny on my hands.  But the following day, land was spotted.  It happened to be an Island in the Bahamas, West Indies.

Henry:  So the mission was a success?  And if it was, why?

Christopher Columbus:  It was a huge success.  We named the island San Salvador; I had found the passage to India and China!  Later, after the Santa Maria tragically sunk off the Coast of Hispaniola, I established the first Spanish settlement in the New World.  I did it! I discovered the New World!  In January of 1493 I journeyed back to Spain to live the rest of my life.

Henry:  Thank you so much for your time.

Charlemagne

Henry:  Thanks for coming in to get interviewed today, I have some questions to throw at you if you don't mind.

Charlemagne:  Throw 'em at me.

Henry:  Okay, When did your rule as King start?

Charlemagne:  I was crowned King of the Franks in 800 AD because I was the grandson of Charles the Hammer Martell.   And at 24 years old, I was named single ruler of the Kingdom of Europe.

Henry:  Why are you considered the greatest ruler of the Dark Ages?

Charlemagne:  I tried to bring us out of the Dark Ages by going on military conquests to expand our territory.  In my 46 year reign I went on 50 military campaigns, and I never lost a military conquest.  Also, I tried to bring education back to Europe by instituting schools for people to get an education; I built schools for all children.  I even tried to lead by example, learning to read and write.

Henry:  Why are you known for spreading Christianity?

Charlemagne:  When I conquered a town, I would make all the folk convert to Christianity.  If the people were worshiping many Gods, I would murder them.  This came to be known as The Bloody Verdict of Verdun.

Henry:  What was your style of rule?

Charlemagne:  I like to think of it as "managing by walking around".  I divided Rome into 350 countries, and monitered every one of them by going to the areas every so often.

Henry: Why and when did your rule end?

Charlemagne:  In 793 the Vikings came in and sacked cities and, most importantly, churches for treasure.  This marked the decline of my life, and in 814 CE, I died at the age of 72.

Henry:  Why was your rule important?

Charlemagne:  I brought Rome out of the Dark Ages for a little, and I spread Christianity.  Those are the two main points of my rule.

The Crusades

Today I interviewed Pope Urban II, a big name in the Crusades:

Henry:  Why and when did the Crusades come about, and when was this in relation to the Dark Ages of Rome?

Pope:  The first Crusade was launched in 1095; these wars happened because us Romans, the Christians, thought that we should be the rulers of the Holy Land, or Jerusalem.  After we defeated the Vikings, there were a ton of soldiers with nothing to do, so we decided to launch the Crusades.  The Crusades took place at the end of the Dark Ages.

Henry:  How many Crusades did it take to settle the outcome, and who ended up victorious?

Pope:  There were 9 Crusades all together.  Really, there was no winner of the Crusades if you're reffering to dominance, but in the long run the Romans won.

Henry:  Who called for the Crusades?

Pope:  I did.  I strongly believed that Christians should rule the Holy Land because we were the only correct religion.

Henry:  Why would you say the Romans prospered from the Crusades, and what was important about that?

Pope: Well, even though we returned with no conquest, we came back with knowledge, books, languages, medicine, and much more.  This knowledge and those resources helped lift Rome out of the Dark Ages; we became cultured, and our economy and government totally changed, along with all of Europe.

Henry:  The Crusades ended with no winner; how did they stop?

Pope:  The Church intervened and told the soldiers that if they attacked, the spirits of the Earth would attack them; the Church made the soldiers not attack anyone who wasn't defenseless.  That's how the Crusades ended.

Henry:  Thank you for your time, Pope, you've been a big help to my project.

The Magna Carta

Henry:  What were the reasons of the Magna Carta coming about?

King John:  Well, I gotta tell ya, I wasn't being the best ruler of England.  I had lost land, had a struggle of power with the pope, and because of that the churches went on strike.

Henry:  When and how was the Magna Carta formed?

King John:  The Barons of England rebelled against my taxes and violation of their rights, so they forced me to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, which stated three things: I must obey the law (I am not above it), I shall not raise new taxes without consulting the Grand Council of Lords, or parliament, and that the government must go through due process of law.  This means that the government must follow a set of rules for a fair trial.

Henry:  What were the effects of the Magna Carta?

King John:  It established parliament, or in other words, congress.  These people have the power to decide where money goes.  Also, due process of law is a huge attribute to trials today.

Battle of Tours

I am now going to ask Charles "The Hammer" Martell a few questions:

Henry:  How did you establish yourself as the famous person you are today?

The Hammer:  I stopped the Moores from invading France, and probably all of Europe, in the Battle of Tours.

Henry:  Please explain the Battle of Tours. 

The Hammer:  Well, in 732 AD, the Moores, an army of 50,000 men who were Muslim, tried to invade France and the rest of Europe.  I led an army to stop them and we called ourselves the Franks.  We were Christian.  You could say that this matchup was the Muslims against the Christians.

Henry:  Who won the battle?

The Hammer:  After 6 days of the two armies standing around, the Moores attacked- we took them from behind and invaded their bases, and won the war, stopping the Muslims from invading.  I had taken money from the churches to supply weapons and training for my army, and that definitely contributed to our victory.

Henry:  Why was this victory so important for Europe?

The Hammer:  Well, it simply saved Christianity from being eliminated from Europe.

William the Conquerer

Here's William the Conquerer. He's going to answer a few of my questions:

Henry:  How did you come to be the ruler of Britian?

William:  Well, when King Edward of England died in 1066, their was no heir to the throne.  The nobles then picked Harold Godwinson as King of England in the beginning of 1066.  I thought that I deserved the throne over Harold, so later that year I, Duke of Normandy, took my army and fought in the Battle of Hastings.  My army and I won the battle, and on Christmas day of that year I was crowned King of England.

Henry:  What actions did you take at the beginning of your rule?

William:  I immediately changed the rule of the land sections; I split the sections up between Normans, churches, and left some for myself.  I wanted to get on the good side of the churches early, because they have critical power.  Another act I did was creating the Doomsday Book.

Henry:  What exactly is the Doomsday Book?

William:  It is a census of the Kingdom; messangers went around gathering the number of cattle, people, and other resources around the whole territory.  The Doomsday Book helped me accurately tax people.  This served to be the basis for the English tax system.

Henry:  Last question: What branch of the current United States government would you compare your rule to?

William:  I'm going to have to say the Executive Branch, comparing myself to the President.

Rome sacked/falls to Barbarians

I am now going to interview Aleric, the leader of the Vizagoths, about the fall of Rome:

Henry:  Who destroyed Rome, and when?

Aleric:  I led the Vizagoths, a group of Vikings, into Rome in 410 AD; it took two years to penetrate the walls of Rome that had kept out defenders for 800 years.  We surrounded the walls of Rome, and simply starved them out, until 410 AD when it took us 3 days to destroy and sack Rome because they were defenseless.

Henry:  Did you stay in Rome once you sacked it?

Aleric:  No, we went in, took everything, and got out.

Henry:  Why was this sacking of Rome important to the future?

Aleric:  It started the Dark Ages of Rome for the next 700 years.  In the next 50 years after we destroyed the city, Rome had 24 rulers; this really started the downfall of Rome.

Constantine the Great

I now have the priveledge of talking to the great Constantine, founder of Constantinople.

Henry:  When did you come into the Roman picture?

Constantine:  I was always in the counsel of Rome, but I took sole control over the entire Roman Empire in 324 CE.  Immediately i founded the city of Constantinople and made that the capital of Rome.

Henry:  What is the biggest aspect of your rule?

Constantine:  Well, I legalized christianity in 313 CE.

Henry:  Would this effect anyone?

Constantine:  Oh yes, definitely.  In fact, it would spread christianity throughout Rome and eventually throughout all of Europe.  Legalizing Christianity would make Christianity a religious superpower in years to come.

Henry:  And Constantinople? Did it prove to be a worthy city?

Constantine:  Yes.  It became the center of everything in Rome, but in 410, it would serve to be a major problem.

Julius Caesar/Fall of the Roman Republic

Now Im going to interview Julius Caesar:

Henry:  Tell me a little about how you came into sole Roman power.

Julius:  Well, in 49 BC my army and I (I was on the consul of Rome at that time) crossed the Rubicon River and defeated Pompey for the control of Rome.  At that time there was not one sole ruler, but I, wanting complete power, forced the Senate to make him the one dictator of Rome. And in 44 BC, I declared myself dictator for life.

Henry:  What would you say was one significant thing you did during your rule?

Julius:  I developed the Julian Calender.

Henry:  Why was your rule so short?

Julius: Well, sadly enough, on March 14th in 44 BC, I got assassinated by my own Senate members.  I guess they really didn't like me.

Henry:  And when was the fall of the Roman Republic?

Julius:  The Roman Republic fell in 476 CE, after slowly declining.  There were 26 emperors
in 50 years, taxes got too high, we were too reliant on slaves, and outsiders like Barbarians invaded.

Alexander the Great

I am now going to interview one of the warriors and personal friends of Alexander the Great:

Henry:  When did Alexander the Great start his rule over the Greeks and why?

Warrior:  Alexander was a Macedonian who came in to power in 356 BC because his father, Phillip II, died at age 32.

Henry:  Who taught Alex the Great?

Warrior:  Aristotle.

Henry:  Explain to me "Hellenistic Culture".

Warrior:  Well, once Alexander the Great conquered a city, he made them adopt to Greece culture and basically transform themselves into a Greek city.  The city developed theaters, aquaducts, agoras (market places), and other Greek characteristics.

Henry:  Can you tell me how Alexander the Great prospered in Egypt?

Warrior: Of course; after defeating Persia, Alex took his army to Egypt, looking for expansion, but more importantly food.  The Egyptians looked up to him so much that in 331 BC Alex was declared Pharoah.

Henry:  Would you say Alex rightfuly earned his title "Alexander the Great"?

Warrior:  Oh definitely.  By 325 BC, the Greek Empire under Alex the Great spread 3,000 miles.  Alex concluded his rule in 323 BC having been a great ruler.

The Axis Age, or the Golden Age in Greece

Today I interviewed Aristotle about the Golden Age of Greece.  Here's a few questions I asked:

Henry: When, roughly, did the Golden Age start and end for Greece?

Aristotle:  The Golden Age started around 460 BC to 429 BC, basically the time during which Pericles was the leader of Greece.

Henry: What marked the true beginning of Greece's Golden Age?

Aristotle: Right after the Greeks defeated the Persians in 479 BC

Henry: Why is this time considered the Golden Age of Greece?

Aristotle: Well, Henry, after Greece had temporarilly beaten their armies, their trade flourished and they had an abudant source of goods like water from aquaducts.  This gave the Greeks time to express themselves.  They advanced greatly in philosophy, creating the idea of humanism, which means people should reach their full potential.  Also, the governmental system of democracy was created- this means that the people vote to make the rules.  Theatre also became a huge part of Greece because people were able to express themselves; the stories were mainly based around morals.  A man named Socrates came up with a way of learning called the Socratic method.  This method states that one should ask questions.  Another man named Plato (one of my contemporaries) came up with Republic, or rule by philosophers.

Henry: Why was the Golden Age of Greece so important?

Arostotle: For one thing, democracy, a creation from this time, is still used today for current country's government systems, including the United States of America.  Also, Plato, Socrates, and my ideas expanded across the world and are used widely today, a specific example being the Socratic Method I explained earlier.

Confucius is becoming more and more intriguing

My name is Yao and I'm going through a troubling state in my career right now- it could just be mid-life crisis, but I think it has something to do with this man named Confucius, who has been exposed to poverty.  I have worked for the government of China for 15 years now, since 535 BC.  Now it's 520 BC and this new guy in government Confucius is talking about this new idea of life, and he sums it up by basically one word: goodness.  He thinks if the ruler is good, then everyone else will be.  Also he came up with 5 traditions The government doesn't like this, but the people do, and the thing is, it's becoming more and more intruiging to me, but I don't want to admit it.  The Government is going to kick him out tomorrow, but Confucius claims he'll become a wanding teacher.  I think in about 300 years, the government has to give in and develop this idea that everyone doesn't have to be perfect.
                            

Citation:

Richey, Jeff. "Confucius (551-479 BCE)." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 07/14/2005. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/confuciu/>.

Lao Zi Taoism

Hi im Chang Lo, and I go to the Chinese  public school of learning.  I'm eight years old and lately there's been a lot of talk in my family and at school about this concept called "taoism".  Today is march 5th, 500 BC and my mom read me an article in the local newspaper explaining what this new concept of "Taoism" is.  This guy Lao Zi is going around teaching different things that make of the "way" of living; there's also this weird symbol in the middle of the article- it's a circle that's half black and half white.  My teacher told me it symbolizes peace.
                           

Citation:

Malik, Prerna. "A Brief Introduction of Taoism History." suite101. N.p., 10/03/2009. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.suite101.com/content/a-brief-introduction-to-taoism-history-a153869>.

Great Wall of China

Hi this is Lee.  It's the year 1394 and right now China is controlled by the Ming Dynasty.  I have been working on the Great Wall for 10 years now, and man is it tiring.  And I mean the worst conditions possible- disease, starvation, and even the penalty of death if a worker makes even the slightest mistake.  What I've been doing is modifying the wall, buliding a second layer and strengthening the interior, but the wall started way back in 220 BC during the first emperor's reign as both a military fortress and a way to keep China in.  The military fortress aspect was a way to keep invadors out, specifically the Mongols from the North.  After  years of building, the wall extended 3,000 miles.  In 206 BC the wall got extended west and signal towers got added.  Now, the end of construction is scheduled in 15 years, and by that time it will stretch 6,000 miles.  Man, what an architectural feat!
                                 

Citation:  Rosenberg, Matt. "The Great Wall of China." about.com:geography. about.com, n.d. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/greatwall.htm

Buddhism comes to China

It is the year 523 BC and I am a very troubled man.  My name is Mao and I am a Hindu King.  I'll tell you why I'm very troubled and have been for the past 10 years.  In 563 BC I had a son and named him Siddhartha Guatama.  Now, I tried to keep him away from all the bad things in life because of a prophecy fortold of him when he was born- it stated that he would either become a great ruler, or a savior of the world.  I, of course, wanted him to follow in my footsteps and become a great ruler.  To do this I had many men try to shield Sid of the badness of life.  For years I succeeded at this but then one day Sid saw four bad parts of life, which have now become known as the 4 noble truths.  Then my boy ran off at 29, and spent 6 years wandering in a nearby forest.  One day, he came to a tree and decided to sit under that one tree until he was enlightened.  Well, to my distress, he finally succeded, changing his title to the Buddha, and has spent the last 10 years as a wandering teacher trying to enlighten at least one other person.  Oh Sid, if only you had become a King.  Now there's this new concept called Buddhism and it's really spreading fast.
                                             

Citation: 

Boeree, Dr. C. George. "The Life of Siddhartha Gautama." Webspace. N.p., 1999. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/siddhartha.html>.

Han Dynasty

Hi, Ping here; I'm a blacksmith in China which is currently under the rule of the Han Dynasty.  I'll tell ya, the Han Dynasty is really making some history.  What has really stood out so far during the reign of the Han is the extension of the Great Wall of China.  About 380 years ago in 206 BC an engineer named Liu Bang really planned to make progress on the Wall and has.  The Wall has been extended west a considerable amount and signal towers have been placed closer and closer in regards to eachother, upping our military communication and efficiency.  Also, under the Han dynasty the population of China has grown to 50 million people!  But there is a new power growing, and is planning to take over the Han Dynasty in 184 CE- I think they'll successfully overthrow them. 

Check back with you later,
Ping
 
                          

Citation:  "Han Dynasty." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 10/2000. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hand/hd_hand.htm

Mongols take China

Hi this is Marco Polo, and I just came back home to Venice, Italy from my 25 year long exploration of China which is currently controlled by the Mongols.  It is the year 1295 and I was there so long because the Mogols are arguably the most interesting group I have ever known; let me tell you a bit about them and how they came into power over China.  In about 1200 the Mongols, who were essentialy nomads, came out of Central Asia, their native homeland, in search of conquest.  They succeded ruthlessly and conquered an area stretching across Asia to Europe.  During this process, they overran Sung China, or Northern China.  Once captured, they imposed their Mongol Rule on the remaining people.  Their ruthless and tremendous ruler Genghis Khan was one of the greatest men I will ever know.  Born in 1162, Genghis led the Mongols everywhere and ruled with such power, but sadly at the age of 73 he died in 1227 during a conquest.  The Mongols were good to the people they ruled once they brutally conquered them- they let them practice their religion and respected you none-the-less.  The grandson of Genghis, Kublai Kahn, took over in 1279 and conquered the Southern Sung, or Southern China.  Kublai named his dynasty the Yuan Dynasty- the Yuan Dynasty took over the Silk Road, a huge trading route, and extended the Grand Canal.  Sadly, earlier this year, Kublai died this year and the Yan declined.  That sums up the Mongols.  Thanks.
                          

Citation:  Carr, Dr. Karen. "Yuan Dynasty- Mongol Invasion." Kidipede. Portland State University, 10/20/2010. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/history/mongol.htm

The Tang Dynasty

Hello, I am the Buddha.  Suprisingly, I live in China- Buddhism has spread in China during the period when there was no dynasty ruling China, after the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 AD.  It is now 907 CE and China has been ruled for the Tang Dynasty since 618 AD.  After 600 years with no ruler, the Tang came in and reunited China, with Li Yuan being the first emporer.  Soon, the Tang expanded the empire across Vietnam, Tibet, and Korea.  The Tang dynasty also brought back Confucianism; the govenment here is chosen from the best, most qualified people trained in Confucian philosophy- these Confucian ideas brought back many things, one important aspect being increased revenue.  The Tang dynasty is marked as a Golden Age of China, but for the past few years Arabs have taken control of some Chinese territories, and there has been chaos in China from rebellions to corruption.  So sadly, earlier this year, the Tang Dynasty fell.  Well, I gotta go preach enlightenment somewhere- see ya later.
                                          

Citation:  "T'ang Dynasty." Emuseum@msu. Minnesota State University, 5/21/2002. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/classical_imperial_china/tang.html

The Sung Dynasty

Hi my name is Cunxin, I'm 30 years old, and it is the year 1024 CE.  Right now China is ruled by the Sung Dynasty, and has been ruled by them since 907 CE when T'ai-tsu first ruled.  Everyone says that it's so far the best and most brilliant dynasty ever in China.  My Great Grandfather was there and he told me everything about how T'ai-tsu had civilians basically control the provinces of China instead of military, and how he established schools resulting in the education growing.  Also, how all the hospitals in China now were made because of the Sung.  This year, there's this new type of currency that was introduced sometime in January called paper money.  They say it will revolutionize China's economy.  My friend in Southern Sung says that their family is coming to celebrate the new coal mining success of China- China is split into two parts; Northern Sung and Southern Sung.  Although this is a happy time, everyone is in a little fear because of a prophecy told about the Sung Dynasty: they Say that in 1279 CE the Mongols are going to take them over and that will be the end of the Sung.

                           

Citation:  http://www.ford.utexas.edu/museum/exhibits/China_exhibit/sung.htm

Unification of China

Hi my name is Kenji and my family and I are part of the Qin Dynasty.  My father tells me that for the past 250 years since 475 BC the many states of China have been fighting eachother for supreme power.  Now it is the year 221 BC and my dad has gone off to fight for the Qin army to try to unify all of China- the army is using something no one has used before- horses. 

Good news! My dad came home this week.  The Qin Dynasty has successfuly united China! This means now we can become a powerful country and compete with all the others around the world.
                  
Citation:

"The First Emperor: Tyrant who Unified China." The Independent. idependent.co.uk, 8/25/2007. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-first-emperor-tyrant-who-unified-china-462928.html>.

Zheng He

Hi my name is Zheng He and I am currently in India exploring right now.  It is the December 25, 1432 CE and I am a very well-respected Admiral.  I have come from China where it is in the Ming Dynasty and someone told me I should briefly sum up my life up to this point so here it is: I was born in 1371 CE and at 11 my home was conquered and I was brought to the Ming palace as a toy for a Ming boy.  Later, I became a Chief Lieutenant and I am most known for my voyages around the world.  I had 30,000 men build huge ships, actually the largest ships ever, and I had them build 337 of them.  Then, in 1405, I set sail with the largest fleet of ships ever and visited 37 countries, in which I gave China complete control of the Sea.  These voyages are still going on and have been for the past 27 years and we should be arriving in India on New Year's Day.  But I gotta say, I'm am feeling very sick lately, and I'm afraid my time is coming, possibly very soon.  And to top off the bad feelings, if I die then China will stop all Sea expeditions and keep to themselves- I think this is a bad idea because it could lead to foreign invasion.  Well, that pretty much sums up my life so far; talk to you later. 

One of Zheng He's ships

Citation: 

"Zheng Hi." Chinaculture.org. Ministry of Culture, 2003. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22644.htm>.