..............,.............................January 2012

Last term we studied the question 'How did medieval monarchs keep control?', looking at the English monarchy from 1066 until about 1250, and concentrating on the adventurous reign of Henry II, with his over-energetic wife and sons.
......This term we are looking beyond England, at monarchs in other settings - sometimes extremely different from mediaeval England.
......Each session will begin with a short presentation, using PowerPoint if you like, on specific questions about each monarch, which you will have researched. The class will award you marks for your presentation by vote.

Out in Hawai’i there is a gang of history teachers
who make unforgettable pastiche videos
– History for Music Lovers, they call it.
I've included some of their work (with their own blurbs)
in this purple ink.

......SOME MORE MEDIAEVAL MONARCHS
What did it take to be a good ruler in the Middle Ages?
....vvvv..,,,,,..What qualities led to disaster?
.......vvv..,,,,,,,,.......Could you have done it?

We begin with the most exotic monarch of all. He was a bit younger than Henry II, an almost exact contemporary of King John (who might, alas, have admired him): he was

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,nnnnnnnn,,,,,..,,,,,,,...............................,,..11 January
the destroyer of continents,
GENGHIS KHAN

He changed the planet. His name remains terrifying. He slew forty million people, and had such a huge harem that 8% of the population of Asia now descends from him. He inspired the silliest Hollywood film of all time, The Conqueror (1956), with John Wayne immortally drawling Ah am the lahrd of all MohonGALS.
......There was a much less awful film called Genghis Khan made in 1965, starring Omar Sharif: here is the trailer, and an excerpt.
......The basic story is simple enough. It isn't even unique. Again and again barbarians pour out of northern Asia and wipe out European civilisation. It happened in the fifth century, with the Huns. It happened in the twentieth century with the Muscovites. And it happened in the thirteenth century with the Mongols.
......Temujin was born to a petty tribe of nomads in the absolute middle of nowhere, but by his campaigns united the Mongols, assumed the title Genghis Khan, and led them to conquests which went on for a century, creating the largest land empire in history, covering almost all of Asia and reaching deep into Europe (indeed, to verge of the British International School of Ljubljana)! And on the way he slaughtered just everyone.
......We are going to watch (carefully, making notes) an ambitious documentary made by the B.B.C. in 2005 (I, II, III, IV, V).
......Here's the Secret History of the Mongols in English.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,.nnnnnnnn.....,,..18 January

Discussion of Genghis Khan, followed by a short test.

The most fortunate man in the world:

ABD-AR-RAHMAN III, CALIPH OF CÓRDOBA

The most glittering European monarch of the tenth century was a Muslim - although three of his four grandparents were white Christian Spaniards: he had white skin, blue eyes and attractive face; good looking, although somewhat sturdy and stout. When mounted, he looked tall, but on his feet he was quite short. He dyed his beard black. He was the Emir, then the Caliph, of southern Spain. He was tolerant, cultivated and extremely lucky.
......He wrote: I have now reigned above fifty years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honours, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: they amount to Fourteen: - O man! place not thy confidence in this present world!
......Begin research here, here, here, here, here, and here. Here's a nice animated map.
......Some films: Bettany Hughes' documentary When The Moors Ruled In Europe (2005) is largely about Abd-ar-Rahman III. This PBS documentary The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain (2007) (1'18") is mainly about the Jews of Cordoba. Scenes from Youssef Chahine's sympathetic film about Islamic Spain, al Massir (1997); and the very unsympathetic epic, El Cid (1961).

Evelina: What was a caliph? What was the Moslem empire of Córdoba?
Here is Evelina’s presentation.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,......,,..25 January
The saint:

ST. LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE

It is not easy, combining sainthood with the most powerful throne in Europe.
......Research: read about his family, and his misadventures on the Seventh and Eighth Crusades. Look at this documentary and these images of the royal saint.

JonJon: Why did Louis want to go on Crusade?
Would you want to be St Louis?
Here is ......Jon’s presentation.
A song about ......the Crusades (‘Eyes Without a Face’ by Billy Idol) Scenes from Kingdom of Heaven and a documentary.

The class assignment on Louis IX.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..1 February
The greatest and wickedest Slovene ever:
EMPRESS BARBARA OF CELJE

Well, not as wicked as Edvard Kardelj or Boris Kidrich, perhaps. But more infamous.
......Barbara Celjska, as she was called when she was born, began her life in what is now eastern Slovenia. But by marriage she became Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and Germany, and Holy Roman Empress.
......She was also one of the scariest politicians of her age, known as the Messalina of Germany.
......And, after a spell in prison, she became notorious throughout Europe for pursuing alchemy and the occult.
......She died of the Plague in 1451.
......Research: start here, here, here, here, and here.
......A genealogy of her family, the Counts of Cilli (here in Slovene, with family tree).

Maruša: Who were the Counts of Celje? What was their symbol? Why is it so familiar?
Who was Messalina? What was alchemy?
Here is Maruša’s presentation.

The Hussites: I II.
Sigismund; John Hus.

8 February: Prešeren Day: no class, alas

15 February: midterm: no class, alack

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..22 February

First a class test on Genghis Khan, St Louis, the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman, and the Empress Barbara. Then

the wonder of the world:

EMPEROR FREDERICK II

They called him stupor mundi, the wonder of the world. Popes trembled and sultans obeyed. He unified all the civilisations and tore apart all the kingdoms. There had never been an emperor like him - and there could never be one again, for the moment he died the Empire was wrecked, and European unity vanished for seven hundred years. He was a

man of extraordinary culture, energy, and ability – called by a contemporary chronicler stupor mundi, by Nietzsche the first European, and by many historians the first modern ruler – Frederick established in Sicily and southern Italy something very much like a modern, centrally-governed kingdom ....

What as the Holy Roman Empire exactly? This song explains all: Charlemagne (‘Call Me’ by Blondie) Mrs. B rocks out to the Blondie classic with a crown from Burger King. Documentary footage added for effect
Begin research here, here, here and here.

Luka: What did it mean to be Emperor in the thirteenth century?
Was Frederick a failure? Does he offer us a model for European unity?
Here is Luka’s presentation.

The class assignment on Frederick II.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..29 February

The maker of civilisation:

KING ALFRED THE GREAT OF WESSEX

First, let's have a recap on Henry II and his queen.

Alfred was the greatest Englishman who ever lived; and one of the few people in history to create a nation more-or-less by himself, through pure willpower.
......They're still making songs about him! And so they should.
......Where on earth is Wessex?
......Watch this comic account of England from 410 to 1066 - Horrible Histories: watch it very carefully; and find out.
......Wessex was all that survived of the original seven kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons after the Viking invasion. Most of England was lost to those pagan barbarians; because most of them were Danes, their domain was called the Danelaw.
...... Here is a song about the Vikings (‘Personal Jesus’ by Depeche Mode). We used clips from documentaries to make this one. The song is very Viking-ish anyway.
......Only tiny Wessex, in the south and west of England, survived. And the king of Wessex was a 22 year old youth, more scholar than warrior, named Alfred.
......Here is an excellent documentary on Alfred in three parts: I, II, III
......Here's a scene from the rather good 1969 film, starring David Hemmings (famous for his eyebrows and his eyes) as Alfred.
......Here's a video about the crisis of his reign, in 878. Why didn't Alfred despair at this point? Would you?
......The rest of Alfred's reign was given over to strengthening the realm he had created: he was great patron of learning and education.
......Here's a song about illuminated manuscripts (‘Nowhere Man’ by the Beatles) and the men who made them. Why did manuscripts matter so much in the ninth century? What was Alfred helping to save?
......If you want to read more about him, here's what the B.B.C. says, and the contemporary British monarchy (which after all owes its existence to Alfred!)

................................7 March

Protector of the word:

POPE INNOCENT III

It is hard for us to grasp how important the Christian Church was in the Middle Ages. The Church was the one foundation of culture, of morality, of art, of music; it also dominated economic and to a large extent political life; and it entirely dominated intellectual life.
......The great thinker of the thirteenth century was Thomas Aquinas. Here’s a song about him (‘Venus’ by Bananarama; the stunning trio of Bambi, Vicki, and Angelica sing the popular Bananarama tune with lyrics about the great philosopher Thomas Aquinas. Vicki is the cool one. Angelica is the smart one. Bambi is blonde.) If Bambi doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Aquinas, read this.
......Aquinas was the great brains of the thirteenth-century Church; the great brains was Francis of Assisi. Here is his famous confrontation with Pope Innocent III from Zefferelli’s Brother Son, Sister Moon.
......But the power of the Church lay with Innocent III.
......The medieval church in Western Europe reached the height of its authority during his reign. Had he succeeded in a complete reform of the church, it is possible that the Reformation of the 16th century might have been avoided.
......Lothair of Segni was born in 1160 or 1161, educated in Rome, Paris, and Bologna, and in 1190 made a cardinal deacon by Pope Clement III, although he was not yet a priest. (What is a cardinal? Find out.) When Pope Celestine III died on January 8, 1198, Lothair was immediately elected pope, taking the name Innocent III. He was only 36.
......The medieval popes had accumulated a great deal of political influence in the affairs of Europe, and Innocent was determined to exercise it. He declared:

It is the business of the pope to look after the interests of the Roman Empire, since the empire derives its origin and its final authority from the papacy ....

In this he was not altogether successful. He did manage to assert his control over the city of Rome and to consolidate the power of the church in the Papal States of central Italy. He did not succeed in gaining political control over the Holy Roman Empire. In his last years Innocent deposed the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire and helped his ward, Frederick II, obtain the throne because of his promises never to threaten the power of the papacy - promises Frederick broke after Innocent's death. Nor was he able to end the strife between King Philip II of France and King John of England.
......Within the church Innocent sought to instill the virtues of poverty and kindness in the clergy and was instrumental in founding the Dominicans and Franciscans. The Fourth Lateran Council, in 1215, proclaimed the dogma of transubstantiation, bound all Roman Catholics to confession at least once a year, and instituted other reforms among clergy and laity. In addition, Innocent inspired the Fourth Crusade, which, against his wishes, conquered Constantinople and set up a Latin Empire.
......It was while Innocent III was making preparations for a crusade to conquer the Holy Land that he was stricken with a fever. He died on July 16, 1216, in the city of Perugia.

Ashish: What did it mean to be the Pope in the thirteenth century? Why was Innocent such a great pope?
Here is Ashish’s presentation.

................................14 March

Class assignment on Innocent III.

The scourge of God:

ATTILA THE HUN, part I

Attila was like Genghis Khan, only cleverer and scarier. And he did more damage: he nearly wiped out the Roman Empire ahead of schedule.
.....Here's a great song called Attila the Hun (‘Here Comes the Rain Again’ by Eurythmics; Attila - the original rockstar - fur, women, drunkenness...croaking from a nose bleed after a night of excess. Huns are fun - when you sing about them instead of getting ran....)
.....Research: begin here and here.
.....Meditate on this map, this terrifying charge, and this creepy contemporary coin.

Shivangi: Why exactly was Attila the Hun so terrifying?
Here is Shivangi’s presentation.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..21 March

The scourge of God:

ATTILA THE HUN, part II

We continue admiring the silly but pretty 2001 television miniseries Attila the Hun:
I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII)
(I, II, III, IV).

.....Then: a class test on the term's studies: Genghis Khan, Abd-ar-Rahman, St Louis, the Empress Barbara, Frederick II, Alfred the Great, Innocent III and Attila the Hun.

...N............EASTER HOLIDAYS

11 April.....We finish with Attila, and have a groovy assignment.
Now watch the opera by Verdi, or at least skip to the murder in the last minutes.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..18 April

Lord of the East, Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans:

ALEXIS I COMNENUS, EMPEROR OF BYZANTIUM

The man who stopped the Roman Empire's decline. It was 18 centuries old, and he made it fresh and new. He held back the triumphant hordes of Islam, and launched the crusades.
.....The Emperor was famous making lavish additions to the Great Palace and decorating the throne room with mechanical golden lions that roared and golden birds that sang from gilded boughs, to the astonishment of visitors.
.....He sent a famous embassy to the Western Emperor: The lists of his presents expresses the manners of the age - a radiated crown of gold, a cross set with pearls to hang on the breast, a case of relics, with the names and titles of the saints, a vase of crystal, a vase of sardonyx, some balm, most probably of Mecca, and one hundred pieces of purple. To these he added a more solid present, of one hundred and forty-four thousand byzantines of gold...
.....Begin your research here, here, here here and here.
.....Meditate on these maps of Alexius' empire

Isabella: Was Alexius Comnenus simply a hero?
Here is Isabella’s presentation.

A map of the First Crusade: map.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..25 April

El Bravo:

KING ALFONSO VI OF LEÓN AND CASTILE

He called himself Emperor of all the Spains and Victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia, Most-victorious Kind of Toledo, and of Spain and Galicia. He is the hero of The Lay of the Cid, one of the greatest of mediaeval poems, which describes him as the perfect example of mediaeval kingship. Was he?
......The theme of Spanish history from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries was the Reconquista: the reconquest of the peninsula from the Moors (which is to say Arabs and Berbers), who had overrun it in the first century of Islamic expansion. In 796 the Muslims held almost everything; by 1492 they were gone (here are a few maps, some of them excitingly animated).
......Alfonso was a model of chivalry: a great warrior of the Reconquista, but also famous for his his chivalrous friendship with Almamun of Toledo, caballero aunque moro, A knight although a Moor.
......What was chivalry? Begin with this song: mediaeval knights (‘Friday Night’ by Lily Allen). A quick overview of the life of a typical European knight during the Middle Ages. Clips from ‘A Knight’s Tale’ with the late Heath Ledger

Jakub: The manuscript illustration at left is labelled ADEFONS REX: PATRI PATRIE, King Alfonso, Father of the Fatherland. Did Alfonso VI in fact create the Spanish nation?
Here is Jakub’s presentation.

Here is the class assignment on Alfonso the Brave.

2 May: a filthy Communist holiday

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A knight without fear or blame

SALADIN, SULTAN OF EGYPT AND SYRIA

Here's some difficult but charming prose by the great eighteenth century historian, Edward Gibbon.
[Saladin’s youth] was addicted to wine and women; hut his aspiring spirit soon renounced the temptations of pleasure, for the graver follies of fame and dominion: the garment of Saladin was of coarse woollen; water was his only drink; and, while he emulated the temperance, he surpassed the chastity, of his Arabian prophet. Both in faith and practice he was a rigid Mussulman; he ever deplored that the defence of religion had not allowed him to accomplish the pilgrimage of Mecca; but at the stated hours, five times each day, the sultan devoutly prayed with his brethren: the involuntary omission of fasting was scrupulously repaid; and his perusal of the Koran on horseback between the approaching armies, maybe quoted as a proof, however ostentatious, of piety and courage. The superstitious doctrine of the sect of Shafei was the only study that he deigned to encourage: the poets were safe in his contempt; but all profane science was the object of his aversion; and a philosopher who had vented some speculative novelties, was seized and strangled by the command of the royal saint. The justice of his divan was accessible to the meanest suppliant against himself and his ministers; and it was only for a kingdom that Saladin would deviate from the rule of equity. While the descendants of Seljuk and Zenghi held his stirrup and smoothed his garments, he was affable and patient with the meanest or his servants. So boundless was his liberality, that he distributed twelve thousand horses at the siege of Acre, and at the tune of his death, no more than forty-seven drachms of silver and one piece of gold coin were found in the treasury; yet in a martial reign, the tributes were diminished, and the wealthy citizens enioyed, without fear or danger, the fruits of their industry. Egypt, Syria, and Arabia, Were adorned by the loyal foundations of hospitals, colleges, and mosques; and Cairo was fortified with a wall and citadel: but his works were consecrated to public use, nor did the sultan indulge himself in a garden or palace of private luxury. In a fanatic age, himself a fanatic, the genuine virtues of Saladin commanded the esteem of the Christians: the emperor of Germany gloried in his friendship: the Greek emperor solicited his alliance; and the conquest of Jerusalem diffused, and perhaps magnified, his fame both in the East and West.
...... When Saladin died he owned a piece of gold and 47 pieces of silver; everything else had been given away to the poor; there was no money for a funeral and he was laid in a wooden sarcophagus in Damascus. Seven hundred years later the preposterous German Emperor Wilhelm II donated a new marble sarcophagus (not actually used) and left a wreath inscribed A Knight without fear or blame who often had to teach his opponents the right way to practice chivalry.

Drake: Was the Kaiser right?
Here is Drake’s presentation.

Saladin had become a figure of global fascination over the last twenty years, as the contest between Islam and Christianity has once more become a theme of world history. Here is an idolising animated film, Saladin (2006); here, in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, Saladin enters Jerusalem after he has captured it. Here are two documentaries about him: The Third Crusade, a 98 minute-long film, and Crusades: Crescent & the Cross (2005), I and II (begin at 39'' for Saladin).

The class assignment on Saladin.

16 May: a nice holiday

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..23 May
End of year class test on mediaeval monarchy.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..30 May

Fairhead:

KING HAROLD I OF NORWAY

Here's a poem, the Haraldskvćđi, which discusses his deeds:

Hlýđi hringberendr,
međan frá Haraldi
segik odda íţróttir
enum afarauđga;
frá mo´lum munk segja,
ţeims ek mey heyrđa,
hvíta, haddbjarta,
es viđ hrafn dśmđi.

What more is there to say?
......Well, try looking here and here and here.

......She wouldn't marry him because he was just the chieftain of a petty kingdom on a fjord. So he swore not to cut or wash his hair until he had conquered all the others. The results were ugly. But he became the first King of Norway, and founder of the Norwegian state. (Hence the postage stamp.)
......Anyway, that's what happened according to the Heimskringla. Her name was Gyda, daughter of Eirik, petty king of Hordaland. It took Harold ten years (866-876, more or less) to unify all the Norwegian kingdoms; during that decade he earned the nickname “Shockhead” or “Tanglehair”, and must have looked pretty bad. At last he did it, trimmed his hair, married Gyda, and became known as “Fairhair”. (Everyone had forgotten he was a blond.)
......All subsequent kings of Norway descend from him. According to the Íslendingabók, Iceland was settled in his lifetime, possibly by Norwegian malcontents who didn't like being ruled by Harold. Vikings were hard to tame, even by the tremendous Fairhair, creator of two modern states.

Mariana: What were Harald's personal strengths? How did he unite Norway?
Here is Mariana’s presentation.

......But who were the Northmen or Vikings, exactly? What were they like?
......Here is a song, The Vikings (a pastiche of ‘Personal Jesus’ by Depeche Mode).
......And here is a documentary, Blood of the Vikings.

That concludes our study of mediaeval monarchy.
For the last three weeks of term,
we’ll be looking at other things.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..6 June

INDIA

First, consider the map. There had never in history been anything quite so magnificent. Here is the Delhi Durbar of 1911: George V is proclaimed Emperor of India. The last great hurrah of the Raj.
2. Glance at the first few minutes of this leftist documentary decline of the Indian Empire
3. A drama, The Far Pavilions (1984)
4. Admire the antique comedy Carry on up the Khyber
5. Finally, a long documentary, The story of India

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..13 June

BARBARIANS

The world ended in the fifth century. The urban civilisation of Western Europe, almost two thousand years old, was obliterated by hairy barbarians from the north. It was a disaster of inconceivable proportions. It may happen again. Keep your eyes on the Finns. Me, I’ve never trusted them.
......Here is an animated map of the Fall: it is scary.
......Shakespeare wrote his most appalling play about the fall of the Empire, Titus Andronicus. Julie Taymor’s 1999 film of it, Titus, imagines the Roman Empire surviving into modern times, and then collapsing in Mussolini-ish decadence and invasion, amidst astonishing fascist kitsch (trailer; I, II - electing an emperor, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX - the Senate, X, XI).
......But today our main work is to study the B.B.C. documentary Barbarians.

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..20 June

BUBONIC PLAGUE

The Black Death
And it happened this week in Oregon!

.........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..,,,,,,,......,,..over the summer

You might like to keep the historian part of your brain ticking over with these:

SOME GOOD HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES

Britain A.D.
Barbarians
The Black Death
Engineering an Empire: Rome
The Dark Ages
The story of India

SOME GREAT HISTORICAL SONGS

Illuminated Manuscripts (‘Nowhere Man’ by the Beatles): a brief overview of medieval illuminated manuscripts and the men who made them.
King Arthur (‘Nature Boy’ by Eden Ahbez) Clips from the movie Excalibur and a haunting tune made famous by Nat King Cole (and sung by David Bowie on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack)
Eleanor of Aquitaine (‘Happy Ever After’ by Julia Fordham). Shot on a cold winter day in Honolulu, with a beautiful tune by Julia Fordham
Black Death (‘Hollaback Girl’ by Gwen Stefani)
Battle of Agincourt (‘As Tears Go By’ by Marianne Faithful). A short song about a long war.
Gutenberg (‘Sunday Girl’ by Blondie) This text-only video is appropriate for the man who gave us text - printed text, anyhow, and lots of it.
William the Conqueror (‘Sexyback’ by Justin Timberlake) You will never, ever forget the date of the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings after watching this. Ever. That is a REAL sword, btw.
Joan of Arc (‘Seven Nation Army’ by the White Stripes). Joan gets the White Stripes treatment with clips from the movie starring Ingrid Bergman.
Beowulf (‘Luftballons’ by Nena)
Copernicus (‘Because’ by the Beatles). Pretty animation (Premiere and After FX) about the sun, and bright, shiny stuff, and Copernicus
The Canterbury Tales (‘California Dreamin’ by The Mamas and The Papas)
Orientis Partibus, the Feast of the Ass.

.....