KeiKei Baugh

In class today, I made up my Middle Ages test I missed from last week. The test was pretty easy and I ended up getting a 97 on it. Later on, we all took notes on the Renaissance in Europe. Renaissance means rebirth of learning and culture. The artists in these cities were inspired by the Romans and Greeks.  Merchants dominated politics and t he Medici were a powerful banking family. They paid artists, writers, and musicians to create beautiful works of art, t hey were patrons. In the Renaissance time period, classical writings were important to them, worldly (secular) values were essential, and christian values were still important, but separate from secular values.

I'm absent today because I am currently in the airport on my way back to Maryland :(

I'm still in Minnesota for Memorial Day Vacay...

I am absent today because I'm currently on a plane flying to Minnesota :)

In class today, we took notes on the Crusades and reviewed for our upcoming test on Friday. The Crusades  was a military campaign launched by Christian Europeans to win back the Holy Land occupied by the Muslims. In 1095 AD, Pope Urban II started the crusades by writing a letter/speech and it lasted for 200 years. The purpose of the Crusades was to win back the Holy Land conquered by the Muslim's . The holy land was a small area on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea known as Jerusalem, it was sacred to the Christians because Jesus was said to have lived and taught there. Then, we started talking about what  may be on the test on Friday. It was said there will be questions on Clovis, when the Middle Ages took place, lords, germanic invaders, the church, Charles Martel's lineage, and much more.  

In class today, we took notes from the powerpoint on Charlemagne and his family tree. We also learned about Clovis ruling the Franks (Germanic people of Gaul). In 496, he has a battlefield conversion- he and 3,000 of his warriors became christians... similarly like Constantine and his soldiers. By 511, the Franks and Church are united in one kingdom w/ Clovis and the church working as partners. The spread of christianity occurred because of the Church and Frankish rulers, in 520, Benedict writes rulers for monks such as vows of poverty, Chasity, and obedience. His sister Scholastica wrote similar rules for nuns. Pope Gregory the first or Gregory the Great went secular (worldly power) by making sure the church revenues were used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies (an theocracy). Clovis' descendants included Charles Martel who defeated a muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732. Charles Martel's son, Pepin the Short who worked with the church and...

In today's class, we took notes from Mr. Schick's powerpoint on Charlemagne and the Church's power. Then, for the last half of class we took notes from the textbook on The Power of the Church. I took notes on how the bishops supervised the priests (lowest ranked), the pope's had a spiritual sword, and the emperors had a political sword. The popes and emperors would often compete for power instead of sharing their power in harmony. Religion provided the christians with a sense of security and belonging to a religious community. The textbook also stated that when Charlemagne was crowned emperor, the stage would be set for future conflicts between popes and emperors. These conflicts were mostly struggles for more power than the other. For example, the lay investiture which is the appointment of religious officials by kings or nobles, was banned because it gave the kings/nobles more power than the church. Otto the Great also formed a close alliance with the Church and sough...

In class today, we took notes from the textbook on Feudalism in Europe. I took extensive notes on the vocabulary in the chapter and important events that occurred. Once finishing the notes and chapter's question, Mr. Schick asked all of us a question that related to the chapter. I had to define a fief- land that was granted, knight- mounted horsemen who pledged to defend their lord's land in exchange for fiefs, serf- servants who could not lawfully leave their birth place, lord- landowner, vassal- person receiving the land grant, manor- lord's estate, and tithe- church tax that equaled one-tenth of their income. The three social classes were those who fought (knights and nobles), those who prayed (men and women of the church), and those who worked (peasants). I also took note of the groups that invaded Europe in the 800s. These groups included the Vikings from the north, and the Maygars and Muslims from the east and south. On Friday, we may have a powerpoint to take notes f...

In class today, we reviewed our Rome test and Mr. Schick made a mistake on question 3 so we got four extra points put onto our original test score. I ended up getting an 84 instead of an 80. Yesterday, when we took notes on Charlemagne Unites Germanic Kingdoms and the questions that I completed were checked for completion, giving me a another point added onto my grade. On the Rome test, I got the government questions wrong and the question about Julius Caesar wrong. In the next class, we will probably be moving onto the next chapter which is Feudalism in Europe and taking notes on the recent chapters from a powerpoint.

In class today, we took a test all about Rome and for the rest of the class we took notes on Charlemagne. I thought I failed the test but I ended up getting an 80. Here are my notes on Charlemagne/ European Middle Ages: Empire building: the western Roman Empire breaks into many small kingdoms - Charlemagne and Otto the Great attempted to revive the empire and both were allied with the Church Power and authority: - weak rulers and a decline in central authority leads to a feudal system where local lords assume power, leading to struggle with the Church Religions and Ethical System: - the Church is a force that shapes people's beliefs and guides their daily lives. Most Europeans shared a common bond of faith pg 357: 1. Middle Ages- the gradual decline of the Roman Empire ushered an era of European history Franks- Germanic people who held power in the Roman province of Gaul - monastery: religious communities - secular: worldly power involved in politics - Carolingia...

In class today, we took notes on the Germanic kingdoms of Western Europe and the Eastern Empire. The Germanic Barbarians: - barbarian warlords and their families who assimilated into roman culture became the "nobles" or aristocrats of Roman medieval Europe. - germanic tribes who ruled former roman lands sought to conquer and assimilate other barbarian peoples who lived beyond the frontiers and were still pagans more on germanic kingdoms... - the angles and the Saxons (from Denmark and northwestern Germany) invaded Britain and assimilated the native Britains - most of the anglo-saxons were converted to christianity in the seventh century - the most powerful germanic tribe was the franks - but the real power lay with the "mayors of the palace" who were royal officials and nobles themselves meanwhile, back in the eastern empire... from "eastern empire" to "Byzantium" - the eastern Roman Empire continued on while the west was now divided ...

In class today we finally finished our notes on the downfall of the Roman Empire... we will have a test early next week. The Decline of the Roman Empire: rise of christianity - Jesus spends three years preaching, is killed by roman leaders - Jesus' followers believe he's the Messiah and savior who has risen from the dead - Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelist), spreading Jesus' message (one true god, not roman gods) - christianity evolves from cult status to established, official structure - priest, bishops, pope (Bishop of Rome) - christians & Jews were monotheistic (believing in one god) - this conflicted w/ roman beliefs - persecution against both was common - christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor, their numbers grew - the Roman Empire and christianity are now linked in power and influence decline of the Roman Empire: - food supply was dropping - roman generals fought for control; soldiers' loyalty decline...

In class today, we finished the powerpoint and taking notes. My notes from today are the following: Conversion of Constantine (AD 312) - Roman emperor Constantine has a vision before the Battle at Milvian Bridge - Sees an image in the sky of a cross and the words 'Ev Toútw Níka ("In this sign, conquer") - Orders troops to put a cross on shields - then they win! Edict of Milan in AD 313: - christianity becomes a religion which is recognized/ approved by the emperor - it continues to gain strength - by 380, it becomes the empire's official religion - Chi- Rho (first two letters of "Christ" in Greek) Decline of the Roman Empire: while christianity strengthens, Rome weakens - military: too weak to defend huge area - economy: taxes too high; widening gap between rich and poor; trade disrupted - social: who cares about public affairs?; disloyalty; population decreases - political: division of the empire (Constantine moved the capital to Byzanti...

In class today, we continued to take notes from the powerpoint... Here are my notes: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" - both Jews and Christians were monotheistic - they refused to worship Roman Gods - early in the Pax Romana, it was easy to travel and to spread ideas (Paul wasn't the only one who did so) - Poor, desperate Romans were a receptive audience The "problem" with monotheism: - But, Jews and christians were sometimes persecuted by roman authorities since monotheism contradicted Roman rule - they could be exiled, imprisoned, executed, crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals - this would happen as things began to go wrong for the Roman Empire, and scapegoats were "needed" - scapegoat: Aaron confessed israelites' sins over a goat then sent the goat to carry the sins away symbolically The appeal of Christianity:' - embraced all people - men and women - enslaved people - the poor (and nobles) ...

In class today, we took notes on Christianity from the powerpoint. Christianity in the Pax Romana: A new religion in the empire Christianity- Roots It all begins with Jesus... - Most of what we know of Jesus comes from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - "Gospel" means "good news" Who's Jesus? - Jesus was a Jewish itinerant preacher in Judea who set himself apart from other "Messiahs" - Jesus taught God's personal relationship to each human being - Message of love More roots: - Jesus' followers believed he was the "Messiah" who had come to end the world and bring the truly faithful into the Kingdom of God - Jesus was believed to be both man and the Son of God; both human and divine - Jesus was deemed a threat to Roman rule and was crucified, though his followers believed he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven - The 12 followers of Jesus who attempted to spread the word of his teachings were known as Apo...

In class today you were not here so we were instructed to take notes on the textbook pages. We had Mr. Vierheller as our substitute. My notes from today: Marcus Aurelius (161 AD - 180 AD) - End of Pax Romana -Economy Weakens -Tribes and Pirates disrupt trade, lack of new resources  -Inflation, Raise Taxes -Agriculture: Land is overused and destroyed by military; lead to famine and disease -Military Weakens -Military Weakens -Less loyalty to Rome not just in soldiers but citizens Diocletian's Reforms (284 AD -  305 AD) -Strong leader, Iron-fist, few personal freedoms Diocletian's Reforms (284 AD -  305 AD) -Strong leader, Iron-fist, few personal freedoms -Doubled army, made set price for goods -Claimed godly descent -Empire too large for one leader - split it and appointed co-ruler -Retired in 305 AD - 4 people fight for throne Constantine Wins Fight For Throne -Regains the east Constantine Wins Fight For Throne -Regains the east -Renamed Constantinople W/ Constant...