Attila and the Huns
Originating in central Asia, the Huns were a Mongolian tribe who invaded southeastern Europe c. AD 370 and managed to build a remarkable empire. In their nomadic endeavors, the Huns crossed paths with the Ostrogoths and Visigoths and were able to maintain their dominance, especially at the Danubian frontier of the Roman empire.
This clan of Asiatic warriors invaded Gaul in 451, which became the unofficial center of their civilization. Although the Huns were seemingly primitive pastoralists, they did maintain a distinct, multifaceted society. The frontier along the Danube became the site for trade, where the Huns obtained silk and wine through annual fairs. Slaves captured in battle helped to define this civilization by bolstering the economy, whether it be through the strong output of their menial labor or through the slave market in Rome. Hunnic art added an interesting dimension to the culture as well. Art was expressed in the forms of bronze cauldrons and vessels. Hunnic women donned the latest in necklaces and bracelets, the jewels being anything from coral, carnelian, mother-of-pearl, quartz, pyrite, lapis and even Egyptian paste, which may have been obtained through their nomadic travels.
It is unquestionable, however, that although the Huns made noteworthy achievements in both the arts and economics, their unparalleled warring strategies remain most remembered. Armed with their signature bow and arrow, the Huns fought the Germans under King Ruglia, whose successors (Atilla and Bleda) ruled together. However, Atilla's aggressive foreign policies (including having issued an ultimatum to the Eastern Roman empire demanding monetary tribute) led to a series of wars that had mixed results.
About 445, Atilla assassinated his brother and took upon himself the challenge of suppressing the Roman advances. There were series of attacks made by both parties. While the Huns were not exactly successful, the expeditions did introduce wealth (through the acquisition of gold), which consequently brought structure to a previously ambiguous governmental system. Now, Atilla adopted autocratic methods and even declared when his people would enter war and remain in peace. Also, the leader had an administration whom he chose (comparable to a political cabinet) and commenced a system of collecting food and tribute from his subjects.
Atilla continued his military undertakings in Gaul (present day France) but was finally defeated at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains by concerted Roman and Visigothic forces. Yet surprisingly, that was his only defeat. In 452 the tribe sacked several Italian cities; however, they left due to the lack of resources needed to feed his people.
Saint Leo the Great was the pope in the fifth century. He served as pope for twenty-one years. This century was the time in history when barbarian armies were ravaging the once mighty Roman Empire. Pope Leo strived to increase the influence of the pope. He had the hard job to defend the church from threat of heresy. When Attila the Hun who had already sacked Northern Italian cities and towns was marching toward Rome, Pope Leo headed north to meet him and try to stop the attack. Pope Leo met up with Attila the Hun in the neighborhood of the river of Mincio. It is said that Pope Leo said this to Attila "The senate and the people of Rome, once conquerors of
Attila and his brother succeeded their uncle as leaders of the Huns in 434, with Attila in the junior position until his brother’s death 12 years later. History has it that Attila killed him or hired someone to do the job. Attila embarked immediately upon a series of wars extending the Hun rule from the Rhine, across the north of the Black Sea as far as the Caspian Sea. From that base he soon began a long series of negotiations with the capital of the Roman Empire at Constantinople in the East and Ravenna in the West.
The principals of human nature force people to fight for what they believe in; therefore, defending religion is not objective to that principle in the case of the crusades. In the case of the First Crrusade many people did just that, volunteered knowing that many of them would die defending their religious beliefs. In the days of the Byzantine Empire, a person’s faith or religion determined how they would live their life. It is the nature of people to fight for what they believe in; therefore, defending ones religion is not objective to that principle as in the First Crusade. A crusade is characterized as any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to win the Holy Land from Muslims. The First Crusade played a vital role in Late Antiquity (Middle Ages) Europe; consequently, setting the stage for future events in European history and the preface for the Crusades to follow. The reason for the initiation of the First Crusade, how it was fought and who were involved, notable battles and generals, and how upon its finale it reshaped the Byzantine Empire.
Spanning from 1095 to 1212 C.E, the Crusades were an effort made by medieval Christians to regain their holy lands back from the Muslims. There were five crusades in total going in order from the First Crusade to the Children's Crusade. A few were effective in their own respects although these Crusades proved costly to the European Kingdoms as a result of large losses of life. This paper will explore these crusades and explain why some succeeded whereas others failed.
“The Crusades: series of wars by Western European Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims.” (Encarta “Crusades”) The Crusades first began in 1096 and ended in the late 13th century. The term Crusade originally meant that the European’s would use all their efforts to regain the power from the Muslims. They wanted to retake the city of Jerusalem, which was holy to Christians because that’s where the crucifixion of Jesus Christ occurred. Europeans later used it to allocate any military efforts against non-Christians. The Crusaders also created feudal states in the Near East. The Crusades played an important role of European expansion and colonialism. “They mark the first time Western Christendom undertook a military initiative far from home, the first time significant numbers left to carry their culture and religion abroad.”
Fierce warriors that pillaged and destroyed hundreds and thousands of villages. Brave men and women that crossed seas into the unknown. These superhero-like beings were Vikings. Many people thought of the Vikings to be savages that destroyed anything they touched, had no care for anything, and were beasts of humans. However, the Vikings had goals. They wanted prosperous farmland, a successful life, travel the world, and to know that someone of a higher power was looking out for them. Vikings believed in a polytheism or the worship of more than one god. These gods and goddesses were all “in charge” of a certain job that varies like knowledge, war, or fertility. The stories the Vikings told spoke from how the world was created to the many different gods and goddesses and how they worship them, so that they can be protected or saved.
The Crusades occured because the Christians wanted to regain their Holy Land, in doing so many knights risked their lives. During the Middle Ages a series of events lead up to the Crusades that were fought between the 11th and 13th century. The Crusades began when the Byzantine emperor, Alexius I Komnenos, asked Pope Urban II for help because the Seljuk Turks were gaining more power and land. As a result, the pope sent Christian knights to help regain the Holy Land. After some time the Christian knights captured Jerusalem from the Muslims, gaining back the land for them. Although some people may think that the knights fought in the Crusades in order to gain wealth, but in the long run it was because they wanted to protect Christian territory. Christian knights were greatly driven by their religious beliefs to fight in the Crusades.
The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were two grand empires that rose out of preexisting territories and provided relative peace over wide areas. The collapse of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), which was the first great land-based empire in East Asia, came after a period of war, confusion, and tyrannical rule. Due to the political disorder that stemmed from the early dynastic activity, the emergence of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 228 CE) sprung to focus on restoring order. On the other hand, the rise of the Roman Empire (44 BCE- 476 CE) originated from consolidating authority over aristocratic landlords and overriding the democratic elements of the earlier Republic. Instead, the Roman Empire redefined the concept of “citizen” as subjects to the Roman emperor. Both empires shared similar agendas to exploit their vast territories and resources, which helped them expand their political dominance; however, despite having similar political goals and foundations, their government system, cultural ideologies and imperial expansionist natures diverged.
The books of I and II Thessalonians, which are in the New Testament, are both letters to a church that Paul the apostle helped establish in the city of Thessalonica. First Thessalonians is agreed by biblical scholars to be written by Paul. The author of II Thessalonians, however, is still being debated about.
In the movie Thor the title character is cast out of Asgaurd by his father and returns by proving himself worthy of his power and his father’s thrown. Similarly, the Odyssey is about Odysseus’ long journey back to his kingdom after the Trojan War. Thor and the Odyssey are very alike; but great hardship and historical literature reveals a contrast.
Hu is a man who followed the Far Eastern tradition, always dedicated to his family with whom he lived. At the time he had the opportunity to work for Foucquet he decided to put aside his religious thoughts and convert to a completely different ideology with which he could open more possibilities abroad. He started in China as a translator, until he went with his mentor to Europe.
Roberts starts the book out with his Author's notes here he describes how he came about the topic of the book and where he got his information. He then moves on the preface where he explains a little about leadership and how it is incorporated throughout the book in relation to Attila the Hun. The next part of the book Roberts calls the introduction. Here he gives you some history about the Huns and how they rose to power. Roberts also tells the reader about the life that Attila the Hun and how he led the Hunnish army through many conquests. This part of the book proved to be very interesting, especially for those who are not al that familiar with the Huns. This part of the book is necessary to read in order to understand how the book was written.
Vikings were both savage and civilised. John Bareham stated this idea. They lived savagely in a civilised way. They raided and plundered as a career, to provide wealth for themselves and family. If Vikings did not have a fuse between being savage and civilised, they would not be the people in our history books today.
In 453, Attila planned to attack the Eastern Empire because the Emperor wasn’t paying the money set in previous treaties (author’s note: Don’t these emperors ever learn anything?). Nothing ever actually came of these plans because, quite suspiciously, Attila died in his bed the night after his marriage. When Attila was buried, the Huns went through a lot of trouble. They had to kill anyone who was involved with the burial, so that no one would know of the exact place that Attila was buried. Attila was succeeded by his sons, between which the empire was divided. Attila didn’t have a huge impact on history, because the Romans very well could have done without him. He mainly caused trouble for the Romans, and killed a lot of innocent people just to get his way. Attila the Hun was one of the most important kings of the Huns, though, and he definitely has his place in history, as a barbaric, baby-killing, rude leader of a very ruthless group of warriors.
A government was required to lead the people and aid in organizing a city. City governments were far more powerful than the council of elders and local chiefs of farming villages. At first, Priest probably had the greatest. In time, warrior kings came to power as chief political leaders. They soon set themselves up as the chief hereditary ruler and passed their power from father to son. Governments soon became more complex as rulers issued laws, collected taxes, and organizes systems of defense. To enforce order, rulers relied on royal officials. Over time, government bureaucracies evolved. Almost always rulers claimed their power came from god or divine right. These rulers then gained religious power as well.