About Me
History of Koreans (314 – 1598)
When Europe fell into its Dark Age, Korea had been divided into three competing kingdoms: Koguryo to the north, Paekche to the southwest, and Shilla to the southeast. In alliance with China, Shilla conquered the other two kingdoms in the 7th century and then expelled their erstwhile Chinese ally. The central authority of Shilla disintegrated in the 8th-9th centuries, however, under pressure from local lords. Korea was unified once again as Koryo in the 10th century and after that, recovered territory reaching up to the Amnok River border with China in 993. The civilian nobility was thrown out of power by a military coup in 1170 and military rule then lasted for sixty years.
The Mongols invaded in 1231, initiating a 30-year struggle. The Mongols were often distracted by their wars in China and elsewhere but eventually brought enough power to bear that Koryo made peace with the invaders in 1258. Under the Mongols the Koryo maintained their distinct culture and were inspired to demonstrate their superiority to their conquerors through a burst of artistic accomplishment.
Land reform, the rise of a new bureaucracy, the diminishment of Buddhism, and the rise of Confucianism around 1400 were part of the creation of a new kingdom, the Choson, that would rule Korea until the 20th century. China heavily influenced the Choson politically and culturally. Korea became an important center of learning, aided by the invention of movable type and the woodblock technique of publishing around 1234.
The greatest test of the Choson dynasty was invasion by samurai armies from Japan in 1592 that ostensibly planned to conquer China. Although seven years of fighting left much of the Korean peninsula devastated, the Japanese were forced to withdraw because their fleets could not keep open sea lines of supply and reinforcement back to Japan. The great Korean admiral Yi Sun-Shin defeated the Japanese at sea. One key to the Korean naval victories was their innovative turtle ships, the first cannon-bearing armored ships in history. The Japanese had no answer for these slow but powerful weapons.
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
History of Koreans (314 – 1598)
History of Spanish (712)
History of Spanish (712)
The history of Spain in the Middle Ages is written in three principal chapters: the creation of Visigothic Spain, then Muslim Spain, and then Reconquista, the reconquest of Spain by Christians.
The Iberian peninsula was an appendage of the Roman Empire that was discarded as the empire disintegrated because it could not be defended in the face of barbarian invasions that brought devastation to the streets of Rome itself. The peninsula was occupied in large part by one of the migrating barbarian groups, the Visigoths, who had come most recently from the southwestern plains of modern Russia, displaced by the Huns. The Visigoths became Christian and occupied the center of the peninsula for several centuries.
When one of the Visigoth lords appealed to Muslims in North Africa in the 8th century for aid against the king, the door was opened for Muslim expansion across the Straits of Gibraltar. Within 50 years the Muslims had taken most of the peninsula, leaving only small areas in the mountains and to the north outside their control. Muslim, or Moorish, Spain quickly developed into one of the most advanced European civilizations of the Middle Ages. It prospered in relative peace thanks to good agriculture, trade, coinage, and industry. It benefited from the spread of learning throughout the Muslim world. Cordoba became the largest and most sophisticated city in Europe after Constantinople, featuring a population of over 500,000, wonderful architecture, great works of art, a fabulous library, and important centers of learning.
Peace and prosperity were disrupted by internal disruption, however, as important local rulers competed for overall power, and by external attack, both from the Christian north and Muslim North Africa. By the middle of the 13th century, Muslim Spain was reduced to a single kingdom centered on Granada. The Christian kingdoms of the north gradually ate away at Muslim power, though their effort was often dispersed when they fought with each other. Portugal split off and created a separate kingdom. Muslim Granada survived for several centuries thanks to liberal tribute paid to the Christians to its north and to clever diplomacy that played their enemies against each other. In 1469, however, Isabel I of Castile married Fernando II of Aragon, uniting the two competing Christian kingdoms and foreshadowing the end of Muslim Spain.
Spain of the Middle Ages was a world of contrasts. It featured the great advantages of a multi-ethnic society, merging Latin, Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Muslim influences into a unique and rich culture. At the same time, however, many of these same cultural forces clashed violently. When two different cultures clash, the result is often grim. The reconquest dragged on for eight centuries, mirroring the Crusades in the holy land and creating an atmosphere that became increasingly pitiless and intolerant. The Christian warriors who eventually expelled the Muslims earned a reputation for being among the best fighters in Europe.
Granada fell to the forces of Aragon and Castile at the start of 1492, a momentous year, as under the patronage of Queen Isabel, Christopher Columbus subsequently discovered for Europeans the great continents of the New World and their native populations.
History of Teutons (919 to 1250)
History of Teutons (919 to 1250)
The origin of Germany traces back to the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor in 800. Upon his death the empire was split into three parts that gradually coalesced into two: the western Frankish kingdom that became France and the eastern kingdom that became Germany. The title of Holy Roman Emperor remained in Charlemagne's family until the tenth century when they died out. In 919 Henry, Duke of Saxony, was elected king of Germany by his fellow dukes. His son Otto became emperor in 962.
The Holy Roman Empire that Otto I controlled extended over the German plain north to the Baltic, eastward into parts of modern Poland, and southward through modern Switzerland, modern Austria, and northern Italy. From the outset, the emperors had a difficult problem keeping control of two disparate regions-Germany and Italy-that were separated by the Alps.
The Holy Roman Empire was successful at first because it benefited the principal members, Germany and Italy. The Germans were not far removed from the barbarian condition. They had been conquered by Charlemagne only a century earlier. They benefited greatly from Italian culture, technology, and trade. The Italians welcomed the relative peace and stability the empire ensured. Italy had been invaded time and again for the previous 500 years. The protection of the empire defended the papacy and allowed the city-states of Italy to begin their growth.
The imperial armies were manned partially by tenants of church lands who owed service to the emperor. A second important contingent were the ministriales, a corps of serfs who received the best training and equipment as knights but who were not free men. These armies were used to put down revolts or interference by local nobles and peasants or to defend against raids by Vikings from the north and Magyars from the east.
Because Germany remained a collection of independent principalities in competition, German warriors became very skilled. The most renowned German soldiers were the Teutonic Knights, a religious order of warriors inspired by the Crusades. The Teutonic Knights spread Christianity into the Baltic region by conquest but were eventually halted by Alexander Nevsky at the battle on frozen Lake Peipus.
A confrontation between the emperors and the church over investiture of bishops weakened the emperors in both Germany and Italy. During periods of temporary excommunication of the emperor and outright war against Rome, imperial authority lapsed. The local German princes solidified their holdings or fought off the Vikings with no interference or help from the emperor. In Italy, the rising city-states combined to form the Lombard League and refused to recognize the emperor.
Political power in both Germany and Italy shifted from the emperor to the local princes and cities. The ministriales rebelled, taking control of the cities and castles they garrisoned and declaring themselves free. During desperate attempts to regain Italy, more concessions were given to the local princes in Germany. By the middle of the thirteenth century, the Holy Roman Empire existed in name only. The throne remained empty for 20 years. The German princes cared only about their own holdings. The Italian city-states did not want a German ruler and were strong enough to defend themselves.
Future emperors in the Middle Ages were elected by the German princes but they ruled in name only, controlling little more than their own family estates. Germany remained a minor power in Europe for centuries to come.
kenangan lamaku
Saat ku begitu sedih
Untuk pertama kalinya
Kau datang tuk menghiburku
Kau memberiku sesuatu
Yang tlah lama kurindukan
Siraman kasih sayangmu
Begitu hangat dihatiku
Tlah lama kita berpisah
Baru kusadari betapa berharganya dirimu
Saat bersama,tertawa,menangis
Kau slalu ada disisiku
Hilang smua mimpi dan kebahagiaanku
Ku hanya bisa menyesali smua ini
hilang tlah hilang
kebahagiaan di hatiku
harus kemana ku mengadu atas semua ini
apa kubuang begitu saja kenangan manis pahit ini
atau ku teriak kencang untuk melampiaskan semua ini
seperti inikah tali pemisah
yang tak bias kulihat tapi begitu berat kujalani
jika memang kami tidak bisa disatukan
mengapa dia beri hamba cobaan yang begitu berat
sekarang,aku serahkan smua ini pada yang maha kuasa
mungkin dia lebih tau segalanya
kubuat puisi ini tuk mengenangnya
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KARYA:M.SYARWANI
KELAS:IX.1
History of Crusades
History of Crusades
Making pilgrimages to holy sites had been a popular activity for European Christians for centuries. There were important religious centers in Europe but the most important site was the Holy Land in Palestine. The rise of the Seljuk Turks made travel to Jerusalem and other Middle Eastern locales suddenly much more dangerous. The Turks had little use for non-Muslims and ended the relatively peaceful relations between the Arabs and Christians. At the same time, the Turks put tremendous pressure on the Byzantines by capturing the valuable lands in Asia Minor. As a result, Pope Urban called for a Crusade by Christian warriors to recapture Palestine from the Muslims.
The call for a Crusade electrified the knights of Europe. They were strong believers, and the pope promised a heavenly reward for those who died in the cause. Of equal or greater importance was the opportunity to grab land and wealth abroad, rather than continuing to squabble with relatives and neighbors at home.
By 1097, an army of 30,000, including many pilgrims and camp followers, had crossed into Asia Minor from Constantinople. Despite feuding among the leaders and broken promises between the Crusaders and their Byzantine supporters, the Crusade stumbled forward. The Turks were just as disorganized, or more so. The Frankish heavy knights and infantry had no experience fighting the Arab light cavalry and archers, and vice versa. The endurance and strength of the knights won the campaign over a series of often very close victories. Antioch was captured through treachery in 1098 and Jerusalem in 1099 by assault against a weak garrison. The Christians debased themselves after both victories by slaughtering many of the residents regardless of age, faith, or gender. Many of the Crusaders returned home, but a hardy band remained to set up feudal kingdoms similar to those in Europe.
The Crusader rulers of Palestine were greatly outnumbered by the Muslim population they attempted to control, so they built castles and hired mercenary troops to hold them. The culture and religion of the Franks was too alien to win over the residents of the area, however. From their secure castle bases, the Crusaders struck out to intercept raiding Arabs. For about a century the two sides engaged in a classic guerrilla war. The Frankish knights were powerful but slow. The Arabs could not stand up to charges by the heavy cavalry but could ride circles around them, hoping to disable their units and catch them in ambushes in the desert. The Crusader kingdoms kept mainly to the coast, from which they could get supplies and reinforcements, but the constant raids and unhappy populace meant they were not an economic success.
Orders of Christian warrior monks were formed to fight for the Holy Lands. The Knights Templar and Hospitillar were mainly Frankish. The Teutonic Knights were German. These were the fiercest and most determined of the Crusaders, but there were never enough of them to make the region secure.
The Crusader kingdoms survived for a while in part because they learned to negotiate, compromise, and play the different Arab groups off against each other. A great Arab leader appeared, however, who united the various Islamic groups. Saladin became Sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1174. In 1187 he won a great victory over the Crusaders in the desert and recaptured Jerusalem.
For another century the Europeans made several attempts to reassert control over the Holy Land and Jerusalem, with only a rare temporary success. Eight more Crusades followed and most failed to do more than get ashore and make some progress inland before being pushed back. The Fourth Crusade did not even reach Palestine. Under the guidance of the Doge of Venice, they sacked Constantinople instead, a blow from which the Byzantines never recovered. One of the worst Crusades was a Children's Crusade launched in 1212. Several thousand European children got as far as Alexandria in Egypt, where they were sold into slavery.
The legacy of the Crusades included a new hostility between Christians and Muslims, a deterioration of the feudal system, and exposure to new cultures. Feudalism declined because many lords went bankrupt, leaving their lands to their kings. Many serfs became Crusaders and never returned. New words entered the European languages, such as cotton, muslin, divan, and bazaar. Europeans brought back new textiles, foods, and spices. Demand back home for these new goods increased trade and contributed to the growth of the Italian trading city-states, especially Genoa and Venice. This demand was also the impetus for the great age of discovery that began in fourteenth century. Treasure brought home increased the local money supplies, aiding economic growth.
