...managed to live peacefully together until the 5th century, BC. Cultural and political differences between the two cities caused a rivalry to form. The rivalry was eventually quelled after a brutal war which ultimately ended in the demise of both cities and the rise of Macedonia as the dominant power in the region. Eventually, the social structure in the Classical Period became somewhat of a democracy and an open society which we have emulated in the United States (“History of Greece: Classical Greece”, 2014). Many other wars occurred over the course of the Classical Period, and this culture of war contributed to the realism of the art of the time. The brutality of war and the effects it had on Greek society inspired artists to focus on man, rational thinking, and logic (“History of Greece: Classical Greece”, 2014). Greek artists in the 5th century, BC began to realistically imitate humans and animals through art (Boardman, 2012). These Greek artists gained a better understanding of anatomy and the human body’s mechanics, giving them the ability to realistically render the human form in multiple positions without appearing awkward. Logic was valued over emotion in sculptures. This means that facial expressions were typically emotionless, unless the person/deity being portrayed was considered barbaric, in which case, emotional characteristics took over the face of the sculpture (“History of Greece: Classical Greece”, 2014). The Middle Ages The time period of the Middle Ages fell between...
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...The Peasants’ revolt of 1381 was an attempt to break away from a futile system of government and, a fight to stop the never ending injustice and oppression faced by the lower class on a daily basis. During their age of oppression the peasants faced ridiculous taxes and fees which made living more than unbearable , the lack of reforms promised by the king , and the use of god and religion to justify the choices of the church and government. This display of injustice ignited a flame in the hearts of lower class citizens for centuries to come and it would not go unnoticed as both time and people progressed. During the period of time in which the peasants’ revolt of 1381 occurred the Parliament of England levied high and ridiculous taxes on the middle and lower classes of the social pyramid. On top of that pyramid stood the “warrior” class which included royalty, nobles, and knights. These wealthy nobles were unaffected by the taxes hurting the less fortunate citizens because they were the ones establishing the taxes in the first place. A peasant farmer or “villein” was entirely subject to unfair dues which he had to pay to their lord or noble in exchange for a small piece of land. Most of the peasant’s crops were taken, they made no money, and they lived off of the miniscule amount of food left to them by their lord. Since the water at the time was unfit for drinking because of its unsanitary state, ale was the main drink available to the lower and middle classes. There was a tax...
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...medieval Europe. In the dark ages, the residents of Western Europe slowly paced through the dark streets of their town. There was nothing but what seemed a gloomy spell has been fallen over these people. The only thing keeping the Francs in line, the feudal system, In the feudal system, the inhabitants of this time were divided into classes. Peasants and, Knights and lords. At the bottom of the totem pole, lies the peasants and serfs. They are forced into doing the agricultural labor (wikipedia). Peasants are considered “A member of...
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...times.” Charles Dickens’ introduction to his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, describes the lives of the peasantry in Europe between 1300 to 1650. For many peasants, their lives could be depicted as overwhelming, depressing, discouraging, and hopeless; yet, many events during these 350 years opened up opportunities for the peasantry to improve their lives. Events ranging from the Hundred Years War to the Black Death, and up until the beginning years of the Renaissance, changed the lives of the peasantry dramatically, all for the better. Before the Black Death reached Europe, peasants’ lives were very difficult. They usually never left the manor on which they served without the master’s permission. It was illegal for them to even move to another city or manor, if they so desired. They were forced to pay rent to their landlords for the land they cultivated themselves. In addition to the rent that was required of them, “they were also required to provide free labor on the lands used by the lord, known as a demesne.”[1] Although there were rewards to living on a manor, the peasantry had more advantages when the manorial system began to break down at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Even though the nobility still dominated rural Europe, peasants were beginning to move out of their status as servants. The Black Death, striking Italy in 1347, was one of the events that began to shape the lives of the peasantry. It is seen throughout history as one of the worst epidemics to ever...
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...During the Late Middle Ages, the disease later known as The Black Death caused great losses. It is considered to be the worst plague suffered in Europe, but which were the steps that led to it? Historians agree that famines, floods, poor life conditions, overpopulation and ships navigating longer distances were its main causes. The disease attacked many times, and had a great impact on both economy and society. The depression left by the Black Death was only aggravated by the schism of the Church, which lead to confusion and general lack of faith. Below, I will analyse both events in detail, stating both their causes and consequences. The Black Death Causes Before the plague struck England, the economic situation in which the peasants were immerse could be defined as anything but favourable. During the first decade of the fourteenth century, inflation affected the price of grain, livestock, and other essential products. Weather was not on the peasant’s side either. England was suffering what was later called a transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age. The century began with torrential rains, which ruined entire crops of wheat, oat and hay. People could hardly produce enough to keep up with the rising prices, and feeding the animals became an almost impossible task to perform. Transporting food from distant places was both very hard and expensive. To crown it all, peasants had overspecialized in single crops in the previous decades. This system seemed...
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...Although entertainment in the Middle Ages varied greatly between nobles and commoners, both classes enjoyed the holidays and festivals that broke the monotony of everyday life. Noble entertainment consisted mostly of refined, expensive hobbies and lavish feasts. The most popular game was chess, which was played in almost exactly the same way as it is today. Gambling and dice games similar to modern-day craps were prevalent as well. Bets were on a multitude of things, “including the number of soldiers in a company, the winner of a mock combat, or the conclusion of a successful hunt.” In addition, lords enjoyed reading courtly literature such as Arthurian romances that told tales of “classical heroes and knightly bravery.” Those who weren’t...
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...the residents of Italy realised that the people on board were infected, it did not stop the black rats from entering the country. It infected Europeans in 1347 due to the siege of the Port of Caffa where the war strategy was for bodies infected with the plague to be catapulted over into Caffa. The disease affected the water supply and the air and gradually residents began to suffer and die. Caffa was defended by residents from...
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...Surviving Poverty in Medieval Paris was written by Sharon Farmer, who thoroughly analyzes the many differences between the poor and the elite during the High Middle Ages of Paris. Her main purpose was to provide perspective on urban poverty during this era, while also emphasizing the important aspects of an individual that ultimately decided their faith within a society. Farmer analyzes the poverty from an elite’s perspective, while supplying sufficient details on the gender roles among the poor and the social classes among society that separated the poor from the rich. Such factors not only played a major role in forming their social standing and networks available to them, but also affected the altruistic assistance by those in power that...
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...considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman king. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear being played by many of the world's most accomplished actors. King Lear is one of the Shakespear’s achievement talked about a family with three daughters and the father. Father really loved his children however he loved the youngest one the most. In contrast, he got disappointed from the one whom he loved the most because she did not mention how much she loved him back. During his furiousity, he did a judgment about those three daughters. He considered the other two is better so he would love those much more and gave the heritages to those two. His decision was totally wrong because he did not get what he expected to get back. In the story, the three daughters played the most important roles in the context of morality. Actually, the two elder sisters confessed the way and how much they loved their parent. But in the reality, they’re not. It’s just things came from mouth not heart. Refer to the youngest daughter she loved her father beyond what she could say. She could not describe what she had and she wished...
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...Tuscan town of Anchiano came the illegitimate son named Leonardo Da Vinci. Ser Piero, Leonardo’s father, was a notary and Caterina, Leonardo’s mother, was a peasant girl and they never married. When he was five years old, young Leonardo was sent to live at his father’s family estate in the town of Vinci, from which he derives his last name. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, inventor, draftsman and mathematician. He truly epitomized the term, Renaissance Man. (Heydenreich, 2015). Leonardo did not see a divide between art and science and felt they were two disciplines that were intertwined with equal importance. The sketch of “Vitruvian Man” is a perfect example of that belief. (Editors, 2015). The term Renaissance is a French word that means “rebirth”. It was the transitional period in Europe between the “14th and 17th centuries when there was a new interest in science and in the ancient art and literature especially in Italy.” (Simple Definition of Renaissance, 2015). The Renaissance came about after one of the many rounds of Black Plague. It is the belief that the huge death toll in Europe brought about the middle class. In order to understand the effect this had on Leonardo Da Vinci is the need to understand what life was like in his time period. Prior to the Renaissance, people lived as peasants on the lands of Kings and other nobility. They worked the lands and had to give servitude and payment to whomever they owed their fidelity to. When the...
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...during the Crimean War (1855) ▪ Initiated a wide range of reforms (social, economic, administrative and legal) ▪ Earned the title ‘Liberator’ for giving freedom to the peasants BUT did not wish to share political power ▪ Assassinated by the People’s Will in 1881 Answering the key question |Introduction |Use this chart to answer any question on Alex II | | |All questions (whether relating to ‘Liberator’ or not) will require BALANCE | | |Precision of knowledge – “Detail is King!” | | |Yes |No | |Emancipation |Emancipation Committees set up |Redemption Payments (49 years) | |1861 |Peasants were free, could own property, marry, trade and were |Betrayal? “We are yours, but the land is not ours” | | |given a quarter of old land free (no land given to ex-slaves |Peasants lost land, fell by a fifth | | |in the...
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...SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Italian Renaissance (1330-1550).” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. The women of the Renaissance era, like the women of the middle Ages in there time, were denied all political rights and considered legally subject to their husbands. Women of all classes were expected to perform, first and foremost, the duties of housewife. Peasant women worked in the field alongside their husbands and ran the home. The Italian renaissance article shows how the wives of middle class shop owners and merchants often helped run their husbands' businesses as well. Even women of the highest class, though attended by servants, most often engaged in the tasks of the household, sewing, cooking, and entertaining, among others. Women who did not marry were not permitted to live independently. Instead, they lived in the households of their male relatives or, more often, joined a convent. From this article I collected a good bit of information on how and why Lady Macbeth acted the way she did back in the renaissance era BeyondJane , The role of women during the renaissance era , May 20, 2010 Women were often placed in arranged agreements to marry as early as the age of eight years old. A woman in the Renaissance usually got married somewhere between the ages of sixteen and twenty years old. Marriages were arranged not for reasons of romantic love, but for business reasons, in the interest of trade relations, and sometimes to make or maintain...
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...The Roma Versus The World: The Story of the Most Resilient People in the World When you travel to Europe, say Paris for instance, and decide to visit someplace like the Eiffel Tower, chances are you’ll be warned of a group of strange people who may “accidently” bump into you while sneakily taking your wallet, or who may be sitting on the curb with a suspiciously peaceful sleeping dog begging for money. (maybe use a black and white video [like in a silent movie] to depict this) These people may be darker than your average European, and may be dressed in “exotic” clothes. They may be fortune tellers, dancers, musicians, nomads. They are friendly to all they meet. They have a long history and a rich culture. They are the Roma, or gypsies. (show videos or pictures of stereotypical Roma) These people have undoubtedly been subjected to the longest running case of systematic oppression in Europe. From their origins on the Silk Road, to the Holocaust, up until today, the Roma have been treated as an other, as an undesirable race of thieves and vagrants, despite being a peaceful people. (not sure if this will depict images of modern Roma or historical...nothing shocking, I think, but this might change) Why is this? In order to understand, we must take a step back in time to northern India, circa 1000 CE. (map feature to India) India had become a religious battleground, as Islamic Arabs from the West clashed with the local Hindus...
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...ECONOMIC EXPANSION: 1-The Growing Population: The population of Europe began rising and may have doubled by warmer climate. Technology developed. People were living longer and healthier by eating well, beans of protein were grew widely. After that the human impacted strongly to the natural as forest and sea (page 228). 2-Technological Gains: The twelfth century, technology developed in Europe. Innovations occurred in agriculture, transportation, mining, and manufacturing. By the late twelfth century greater crop yield, horses was widely used as cattle, they hauled loads farther and faster than oxen. Plows have been improved and applied widely. The nitrogen-fixing trees were plant as peas and some beans. Transportation was improved with the safer roads and better vehicles. Foodstuff could be moved farther and faster. Seaborne trades were expanded, facilitated sea travel development .Trade road blocked by snow, rain, mud and robbed led to travel difficulties. No one can change the weather.( page 228-229). 3-Forms of Enterprise: Agricultural specialization became common. Cultivation was growing because of suit with condition climate local. In Toulouse, Blue and yellow dyes were made. The central regions of France focused on cereal grains, Bordeaux and Burgundy regions produced wine, Northern Germany specialized in cattle was raising, Northern England favored sheep. Italian wines and olive oil were move from countryside to the city. French wines were prized throughout Europe...
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...discussed the middle ages and how it was marked by the division of Western Christianity in the Reformation. Christianity began to lift Europe from the Dark Ages, during the reign of Clovis. When the Roman Empire ended around 500 A.D., the power of the Catholic Church began to diminish. Christian society was held to have two aspects: the church and the state. Even though the popes and secular rulers had strong ties between each other, there were also conflicts that occurred. For instance, the church felt as if they were responsible for the souls of the people including the emperor. So as a result, the church claimed supremacy over the state as well as the administration of the Catholic Church. This was in conflict with the secular rulers who sought to protect and expand their power within their territory. Next, the church had a difficult time adjusting to the fact that during the Renaissance period, the demands focused on money instead of allegiances. Some church leaders also started to violate the biblical laws that they were supposed to uphold. Instead of the church providing spiritual leadership and direction for the changing society, it became preoccupied with its administration staff and with the collection of revenue. However, although the Catholic Church was weakening, the popularity of religion throughout all parts of Europe began to increase. 2. Describe at least four aspects about the lives of the serfs in medieval society in Europe. Serfs were defined as peasants who worked...
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