World History Homework Six Answers - Student Thirteen
Michelle F-almost done
1. Identify the time period of the Middle Ages, and when the Crusades occurred within that period.
The Middle Ages was the time period from A.D. 500-1500. The Crusades occurred at several different intervals during this time period. 1st Crusade A.D. 1097-99 2nd Crusade A.D. 1147-49 3rd Crusade A.D.1189-92 4th Crusade (never reached the Holy Lands) 1202-04 Children’s Crusade 1212
2. Who conquered the largest contiguous region in world history, and when?
Genghis Khan conquered the largest region from 1206-1227
3. Which of these modern countries were able to establish nation-states in the Middle Ages, and which were not: Germany, France, England and Italy?
France and England were successful in their attempts to establishing nation-states, while Germany and Italy failed and were subject to in-fighting.
4. Pick your favorite medieval architecture and describe something about it.
I like the stained glass windows of Gothic architecture. The skill that was shown in making them beautiful and durable (to have lasted until now, they must have been durable), is impressive.
5. Pick one of the African kingdoms described in the lecture, and explain it.
The Kingdom of Kongo contained Congo and Angola. They were a Bantu-speaking society and existed from A.D. 1000-1500s, when the Portuguese invaded Africa and introduced Catholicism.
6. Pick your favorite aspect of Scholasticism, and describe something about it, or your view of it.
I think the “proofs” of Gods existence sounded rather like circular reasoning. I think that it was a wise idea to bring logic and reasoning into the Church, but I think the existence of God is something that is difficult to understand, and even harder to “prove”. Attempting to “prove” something that cannot be proven sets the reasoner up for ridicule and makes him look like a fool. Another downfall of Scholasticism is that it is humans doing the reasoning, and, being imperfect, are liable to make mistakes. All things considered, however, I think it was a move the Church should have made years before.
7. Current events: What was the biggest effect of the Crusades in the Middle Ages, and why do people avoid using the term "Crusade" today?
It was your typical Middle Ages war: long periods of fighting, lots of bloodshed on both sides, sometimes it was hard to tell which side was the winner, and it was done in the name of religion. But there was one key twist. This war had been ordered by the Church authorities; it wasn’t just rulers deciding to use their religion as an excuse to expand their territory. It was something like Vietnam; nations engaged in war, yet unwilling to do what it took to win. It was something that was out of character for how Christians were supposed to behave, and it is something that would never be considered today. If any religious group stated their intention to retake the land that their religion was founded in, land that now belonged to another nation, the civilized world would be up in arms, appalled at the thought! The determination shown by the Crusaders was something else that would be foreign to today’s society. If we can’t get what we want instantly, it must not be worth having.