Columbus Leaves Spain 1492

Interview with Christopher Columbus: 1538 A.D

Why did you leave Spain in 1492?


I really just wanted to sail to the Indies, so in April 1492, King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I of Spain agreed to sponsor my sailing to the Indies.


What did you do on your first voyage?


Well, on my first voyage, I took three ships: the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña, we left in August.  We found this little island in the Bahamas, which I quickly named: San Salvador, and I named it for Spain.  A little later, we landed on Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where I left 40 men to stay, who eventually died.


How about any others?


Queen Isabella told me to sail again, and claim more land.  So, I did, and with 17 ships and 1,000 colonists, I left in September 1493.  I then landed in Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Antigua, and established the first settlement in the Americas.  My third, I discovered South America, and on my fourth venture, I got to Honduras, Panama and finally in Jamaica, where my fleet was stranded.  


Why is this important?


I found much land for Spain, and conquered a lot of land, also I established the first settlement in America.


Sources:  "Christopher Columbus." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.

Magna Carta 1215

Interview with King John of England.  Date: 1371


What is the Magna Carta?


Well it was a document I was forced to sign that said that my power as king is reduced.

What did you do to force them to make this document?


Well, I had land in France, and the French wanted it back.  When they launched a war, and winning, I got sort of mad.  In my anger, I made life harder, by making very high taxes.

Why did you sign this document?


I didn't want to, but in 1215 a group of people were fed up, armed, they captured London in May of 1215. Once they did that, they threatened Civil War, which I didn't want.  So, I told them that we should talk about it, and they made the Magna Carta, then I signed it.

Why is this important?


"Magna Carta became the symbol against oppression... a symbol of freedom under law.  Magna Carta influenced future law and constitution making, such as the Petition of Right,... the Habeas Corpus Act, ... and the Bill of Rights." ("Emerson Kent")


Sources:  "Magna Carta 1215." Emerson Kent. Emerson Kent, 14 Nov 2010. Web. 14 Nov 2010. <http://www.emersonkent.com/historic_documents/magna_carta_1215.htm>

Crusades (1095 A.D.)

Interview with Pope Urban II.   1100 A.D


Why did these Crusades start?


Christians from Western Europe set off to recapture the Holy Land, which was Jerusalem and everything surrounding it, from the Muslims, who already had it.


Why were you involved with this?


When the Muslims captured it a long time ago, they were very mean and they made life hard for Christians.  So, in return to save my fellow Christians, I sent Christian knights to help the Christians and to take Jerusalem back.  In return for doing so, I offered indulgences to whoever fights.


What happened during the first crusade?


Although I hated this idea, many peasants left to take Jerusalem over, heeding my call.  When they arrived in the Byzantine Empire, they were taken out.  Later, in April 1097, the real crusaders got to Constantinople and captured Jerusalem in 1099.


Why is this important?


Well, now Christians were okay after the first crusade. After that, the Muslims took it over and kept it. The West learned to keep everything under their control and don't turn your back on it.


Source:  "The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.

William the Conqueror (1027 - 1087 A.D)

Interview with William the Conqueror: 1048 A.D
Why are you the Conqueror? What makes you so famous?

I am the Conqueror because I conquered lands during my time.  The thing that made me so famous was probably the "Battle of Hastings"

What is the Battle of Hastings?

Well, it all started when King Edward the Confessor died in 1066.  Apparently, on his deathbed, Edward named Harold Godwineson to be his successor.  I decided that this was a perfect time to capture England, so I gathered my army and set off for England.  When I started to move, I was taken aback by bad weather, but this sort of helped me because Harold was ready for the attack, but when I didn't show up, he stopped paying attention to me, and went onto London.  But, there was someone waiting for him there.  King Harald III, the King of Norway, was in the North, ready to attack.  So, Harold fled to the South, where I was waiting and the battle commenced.

What happened? Who won?

Even though I had the weaker army, King Harold wasn't very prepared for this invasion, so I won. 

Why is this important?

Now the West is more united than it was before, and I made the Domesday Book, a book that showed the population and facts of England by a census and land survey.

Sources:"Battle of Hastings." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

"William the Conqueror." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

Great Schism (1054 A.D)

Interview with: (Antonymous; lived through Schism) 1093 A.D
How did this Schism begin?

"The Schism of 1054 ... occurred when a representative of the Roman pope [cut ties with] the patriarch of Constantinople, and the patriarch [cut ties with] the Roman pope in return". (Schism of 1054). So, basically everyone stopped talking to each other.

What happened then?

The Christian church was then split up into two groups: one with the Pope, and one with the patriarch. But, in 1053, Pope Leo IX and the emperor,  Constantine IX, made an alliance because Normans were threatening Churches and Byzantine territories in Southern Italy, "as long as the pope would have ecclesiastical, [ which were things relating to the Church,] [power] over southern Italy and the emperor would have political [power] there."

Why was this important to the West?

Because this split really effected the West, and effected their religious beliefs by wondering who they should side with.


Source: "Schism of 1054." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Charlemagne (742 - 814 A.D)

Interview with Charlemagne 794 A.D
How did you gain power?

Well, my father, Pippin died and he decided to split his power between me and my brother, Carloman.  Some people said that my brother was a better leader and I was. But, the main reason I gained power was because I got land.  Also, my brother died in 771, giving me power to the throne. 

What did you do with your power?

Well, I took land, I stopped the revolts against me, I also started the Christian Leadership for kings and emperors.  In addition, I united Europe for my reign.

Why is all this important to the West?

Because I was one of the most influential kings to Europe, also my leadership ideas were spread to the West.


Source: "Charlemagne." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Battle of Tours (732 A.D)

Interview with Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi: 743 A.D

What was the point of this battle?

Well, what we wanted to do was get France and turn it into a Islamic religion place, because we wanted Islam to be spread.  We heard that if we got this land to be Muslim, that Islam will be spread around the World.

How did you lose?


Well, we thought that with our amount of troops, that we could win the battle, no problem.  I didn't know this at the time, but the French army was very trained.  We got beaten by the brains and tactics of the French army.

Why is this so significant? 


If we, as in Islam, were to win this Battle of Tours, the main religion would have been Islam.  But, because the French won, they became Christians, and followed Christianity, Christian practice will most likely be one of the biggest religions ever.

Sources: Hickman, Kennedy. "Muslim Invasions." Battle of Tours. The New York Times Company, 14 Nov 2010. Web. 14 Nov 2010.

Rome Sacked/Falls to Barbarians (410 A.D.)

Interview with Aleric: 414 A.D


Why in the world did you want to take Rome? Why Rome?

That's a very easy answer: food. We needed it, badly; we were so close to starving we would do anything to get it.  In fact, we took it over, and then we just left because we needed food.

Is there any reason why this sacking of Rome was easy?


Oh yes, of course.  I heard that people didn't like Rome's rule at all.  The Emperors wouldn't even give the Rome people guns.  Plus, when we took it over it literally didn't have any food; we starved Rome out.  Rome was beaten down already, it was very easy to take it over.

Why was your sacking of Rome important?


I think it was important because Rome was an important power, and we took it over within a few years.

Source: Notes and Dark Ages notes

Constantine the Great (A.D. 306 - 337)

Interview with Constantine the Great; date: 310 A.D


Why are you so important? 


Well, in my power, I started to let people have religious diversity.  This is very important because now Christianity was the religion for Europe. This may not seem like much, but during the Dark Ages, Christianity was the only thing that Europe could look to for guidance because they basically gave up on everything else.

What else did you do?


I created the new capital:  Constantinople.

So, why is this so important?

Because now Christianity is a huge religion in the world, and I said that everyone could believe in any religion.

Source  Gill, N.S. "Constantine the Great." Constantine Basics. The New York Times Company, 14 Nov 2010. Web. 14 Nov 2010.




  (Constantine the great statue in New York)

Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Roman Republic (49 B.C.)

Interview with Julius Caesar; 48 B.C.

So how did the Roman Republic fall?

I had much power a long time ago.  The Senate of Rome didn't like this, and they asked me to "resign [my] command and disband [my] army or risk being declared an 'Enemy of the State'" (   ). I now had a very big decision: do what the Senate wanted, or make the Roman Republic go into a war.


So, what did you do?

I started an army to be a rebellion, so that I could gain power.  In 49 B.C, I crossed the Rubicon as a sign of rebellion, then proceeded to lead the army on an invasion of Italy and Rome into a great civil war. Once I got victory, I was named "Dictator For Life", and I ended the Roman Republic.  


Why is this so important?


After my death, in 44 B.C, Constantine the Great came into power, because the Republic was down, and had Christianity be legalized. Basically, the fall of the Roman Republic changed the course and religion of Rome forever.   


Sources:  
"Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon, 49 BC," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2002).

McPhee, Isacc. "A Defining Moment in Western Civilization." Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon. Suite 101, 26 Feb 2008. Web. 14 Nov 2010.

Axis Age/ Golden Age in Greece (500 to 300 BC)

Interview: Pericles Date: 478 B.C.
How did the Golden Age in Greece start?

Don't you mean the "Periclean Age"? Well, it started by the victory of Athens over Persia in the "Persian Wars" (546 to 479 B.C.). Now, with them out of the picture, we didn't have anything to really be worried about, and we achieved great success in government, art, philosophy, drama and poetry.   

Why is this important?

Because now, Greeks can express themselves in more ways, and they can help their culture expand.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greeceancientgreece/a/ClassicalGreece.htm

Alexander the Great (356 B.C. - 323 B.C.)

Interview with Alexander the Great.  Date: 345 B.C


Who are you, Alexander the Great? what did you do? 

I am son of Phillip II, and when Phillip was assassinated, at the age of 20, I took his place.  In 334 B.C, I decided to start a war against Persia, which is something my father wanted to do during his rule.

So, you started wars. Anything else?

Yes, I wanted land.  So I went into Egypt to conquer Tyre and Gaza, and I was treated as a liberator (someone that freed another person).  In fact, when I founded the city Alexandria, Egyptians honored me as a sun-god.  

Why are you so important to Greece; what was the effect?

Well, because I started the war that would begin Greece's Golden Age, and I conquered land, which is always important.  


Sources: "The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.