Citations

www.wikipedia.org/

http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Authentication/LogOn?returnUrl=%2FHome

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/

http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/goldenage.htm

Great Schism

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Charles Caspian, who lived during the time of the Great Schism.

Katie: How did this all start out?
Charles: Since early Christian times, differences had emerged over Church leadership. Although the Byzantine emperor was not a priest, he controlled Church affairs and appointed the patriarch, which is the highest Church official in Constantinople. Byzantine Christians rejected the pope's claim to authority over all Christians. 
Katie: Can you explain what happened when the Church divided?
Charles: Well during the Middle Ages, the two branches of Christianity drew farther apart. A dispute over a use of icons, or holy images, contributed to the split. Many Byzantine Christians used images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints in their worship. In the 700s, a Byznantine emperor outlawd the veneration of icons, saying it violated God's commandment against worshiping "graven images."
Katie: Obivously, the ban set off violent battles within the empire. How did the empire reach to this?

Charles: From the west, the pope joined in the dispute by condemning the Byzantine emperor. Although a later empress eventually restored the use of icons, the conflict left a great resentment against the pope in the Byzantine empire.

Katie: What happened in 1054?

Charles: Other controversies provoked a schism, or split between eastern and western Christianity, known as the Great Schism. The Byzantine church became known as the Eastern, or Greek, Orothodox Church. The western branch became known as the Roman Catholic Church. The pope and patriarch excommunicated each other. After this, contacts between the two churches were guarded and distant. They treated each other as rivals rather than as branches of the same faith.

Columbus Leaves Spain

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Christopher Columbus.

Katie: Why did you decided to take a journey and leave Spain?
Christopher: Well, once i heard about Portugal's success, I decided that I wanted to find another sea route to Asia.
Katie: What was your goal for this expedition?
Christopher: I wanted to reach the East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic.
Katie: Unlike many Europeans, you knew that Earth was in fact a sphere. So how did you figure out how to map out your journey?
Christopher: Well, I would bring the ship to eastern Asia. My plan did make sense, but I underestimated Earth's size.
Katie: Well, what happened from there.

Christopher: Portugal refused to sponsor me, but I persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to finance my voyage. So, to increase their authority, the Spanish rulers had taken radical measures, including expelling Jews from Spain. They hoped their actions would strengthen Catholicsim. But, the loss of some of Spain's most affluent and cultured people weakened the nation. The rulers hoped that my voyage would bring wealth and prestige back to Spain.

Katie: What day did you set sail for your voyage?

Christopher: On August 3, 1492, Columbus sailed west with three small ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. And on October 12, we spotted land. But, since I thought we reached the Indies, we returned home to Spain where you got a hero's welcome. And in three later voyages, I remained convinced that I reached the coast of East Asia. Not long after this, Europeans realized that I had found a route to previously unknown continents.

Charlemagne

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Charlemagne.

Katie: What year did you become king?

Charlemagne: I became King of the Franks in 768.

Katie: What happened in between you and Pope Leo III in 799?

Charlemagne: Well, Pope Leo III asked me for help against the rebellious nobles in Rome. So, I sent a delegation to Rome that arrested Leo's opponents. Then, on Christmas Day, the pope showed his gratitude by placing a crown on my head and proclaiming me Emperor of the Romans.

Katie: Why did the ceremony have enormous significance?

Charlemagne: Well, a Christian pope had crowned me, a Germanic king, successor to the Roman emperors. In doing so, Pope Leo III revived the ideal of a united Christian community, which came to be called Christendom.

Katie: What was one of the main things you focused on as king?

Charlemagne: Well, I strove to create a unified Christian Europe. I worked close with the Church and helped spread Christianity to the conquered peoples on the fringes of my empire.

Katie: Did you have any ideas on how to unify your kingdom other than by religion?

Charlemagne: Yes, I did. I also had the idea of education to unify the kingdom. Even though I could only read and not write, I still saw the need for the officials to keep accurate records and write clear reports. So, I set out to revive Latin learning throughout my empire and encouraged the creation of local schools. I also wanted to revive the glory of Rome at my court at Aachen. I brought many of the best scholars of Europe to the Palace School there.

Crusades

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Pope Urban II about the Crusades.

Katie: Can you explain what the Crusades were?

Pope Urban II: The Crusades were a series of military campaigns during the time of medievel England against the Muslims of the Middle East. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291.The Crusades were fought mainly by Roman Catholic forces against Muslims who had occupied the near east since the time of the Rashidun Caliphate, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and and political enemies of the various popes.

Katie: What was the main goal of the Crusades?

Pope Urban II: The Crusades originally had the goal of recapturing Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule and their campaigns were launched in response to a call from the Christian Byzantine Empire for help against the expansion of the Muslim Turks.

Katie: What is something that we might not know about the Crusades?

Pope Urban II: Well, the Crusades had far-reaching political, economic, and social impacts, some of which have lasted into contemporary times. Because of other conflicts between Christian kingdoms and political powers, some of the crusade expeditions were diverted from their original aim, such as the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the sack of Christian Constantinople.

Magna Carta

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing King John about the Magna Carta.

Katie: King John, can you explain what the magna carta is?

King John: The Magna Carta is and English legal document written in 1215 which had a huge influence on the developing legal system of England. The proper name for the Magna Carta is the Magna Carta Libertatum, the Great Charter of Freedoms. The document is usually abbreviated as the Magna Carta, or Great Charter. It could be considered a bill of rights for medievel England, although it was not heavily enforced for several centuries. But more importantly, it set a precedent which changed the face of England forever, by establishing that the I was not above the law.

Katie: Why did you sign the Magna Carta?

King John: I signed the Magna Carta after an immense amount of pressure from the Church and my barons. I often lived above the law, violating both feudal and common law. I was also heavily criticized for my foreign policy actions within England.

Katie: What happened after this?

King John: Well, the Barons, with the support of the Church, pressured me to spell out a list of their rights and guarantee that those rights would be enforced. Then they provided a draft, and after some negotiation, I put my seal to the Magna Carta in Runnymede in June of 1215.

Katie: What happened after the signing of the Magna Carta?

King John: Later I abadoned the Magna Carta, triggering a war which lasted until my death in 1216. My son, Henry III, took the throne, and reissued the Magna Carta in 1225.

Battle of Tours

Hello, I'm Katie and today I willing be interviewing Charles "The Hammer" Martel about the Battle of Tours.

Katie: So when was this battle?

Charles: This battle was fought by the Frankish against invading Muslims from Spain on October 25, 732.

Katie: What was the reason for this battle?
Charles: Well, a Muslim army, in a crusading search for land at the end of  Christianity, after the conquest Syria, Egypt, and North Africa, had began to invade Western Europe under the leadership of Abd-er Rahman, governer of Spain. Abd-er led an infantry of 60,000 to 400,000 soldiers across the Western Pyrenees and toward the Loire River, but we met the right outside the city of Tours.
Katie: What happened from there?
Charles: Well, I gathered my forces directly in the path of oncoming Muslim army and prepared to defend ourselves using a phalanx style of combat. The invading Muslims then rushed toward us, relying on the slashing tactics and overwhelming number of horsemen that had brought them victories in the past. However, my army and I, composed of foot soldiers armed only with swords, shields, axes, javelins, and daggers, were well trained.
Katie: What was the strength of the Muslim army?

Charles: The strength of the Muslim army was their cavalry. They were armed with large swords and lances, which along with their baggage mules, limited their mobility.

Katie: How did this battle end?

Charles: The battle ended when we captured and killed Abd-er Rahman. Then the Muslims withdrew peacefully.

Katie: What happened to the Muslims after the battle?

Charles: For the Muslims, the death of their leader caused a sharp setback and they had no choice but to retreat back across the Pyrenees, never to return again.

William the Conqueror

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing William of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror.

Katie: How old were you when you became the Duke of Normandy?

William: I was seven years old when I became Duke. From that day on my life was in constant danger, mostly from jealous relatives.

Katie: After you were knighted at the age of 15, what happened from there?
William: Well I got help from my liege lord, Henry I of France, to put down rebellions by my barons. Then was I was 20, I led an army to defeat my cousin, King Edward.
Katie: What happened after this?
William: Well, I raised an army and won the backing of the pope. I then sailed across the English Channel to England. At the Battle of Hastings, my army and I triumped over Harold. I then become king of England on Christmas Day in 1066.

Katie: Now that you have conquered England, what else did you do?

William: I set out to impose control over the land. I granted fiefs to the Church and to my Norman lords, or barons but I also kept a large amount of land for myself. I monitored who built castles and where. I required every vassal to swear first allegiance to him rather than to any other feudal lord.

Katie: Well that's all the time we have for today. Thank you William for being here.

Rome sacked/falls to Barbarians

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Henry Smith, a Roman citizen at the time Rome was taken over.

Katie: So in 378, when a Roman army tried to turn back the Visigoths at Adrianople, it suffered a stunning defeat. Roman power was fading. What else was going on at the time?

Henry: Well, new waves of invaders were soon hammering at Rome's borders, especially in the west. And in 410, the Visigoth general Alaric overran Italy and plundered the city of Rome.
Katie: I also heard that during this time that a Germanic people called the Vandals moved through Gaul and Spain into North Africa. What happened from there?
Henry: Gradually, Germanic groups occupied more and more of the western Roman empire. But, the worst is yet to come. Starting in 434, the Hun leader Attlia embarked on a savage campaign of conquest across much of Europe.
Katie: I heard that Christians called Attila by another name, what was this name?
Henry: Yes, Christians called him the "scourge of God" because they believed his attacks were a punishment for the sins of humankind.
Katie: As you know, the Hun invasion sent still more Germanic peoples fleeing into the lands of Roman empire. What was the last act that ended the Roman empire for good?

Henry: Finally, in 476, Ocdoacer, a Germanic leader, ousted the emperor in Rome. The Roman empire had already lost many of its territories, and Roman power in the west had ended. 

Constantine the Great

 Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interview Constantine the Great.

Katie: So in 312, you gained the throne. As emperor what did you do?

Constantine: Well, I continued Diocletian's reforms. And in addition, I took two steps that changed the course of European history.

Katie: How did you change European history.

Constantine: First, I granted toleration to Christians. Second, I established a new capital at the centuries-old city of Byzantium, which I renamed Constantinople. With this "New Rome", Constantine made the eastern empire the center of power.

Katie: The reforms of Diocletian and Constantine had mixed results. What is your opinon on the results?

Constantine: Well, they revived teh economy, and by increasing the power of government, they helped hold the empire together for another century. Still, these reforms failed to stop the long-term decline. In the end, internal problems combined with attacks from outside to bring the empire down.

Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Roman Republic

 Hi, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Julius Caesar, a previous dictator of Rome.

Katie: So, in 58 B.C. you and your army set out to make new conquests. What happened from there?
Julius: Well, after nine years of fighting, I completed the conquest of Gaul. But, Pompey was fearful of my rising fame, so he persuaded teh senate to order me to disband my army and return to Rome.
Katie: How did you react to this order?
Julius: Well of course I defied the order. So, very secretly, I led my army across the Rubicon River into northen Italy and headed toward Rome. Once again, civil war began across the Roman world.
Katie: What happened during 44 and 48 B.C.
Julius: Well Katie, I pushed through a number of reforms intended to deal with Rome's many problems. I launched a program of public works to employ the jobless and gave public land to the poor. I also reorganized the government of the provinces and granted Roman citizienship to more people.
Katie: What do you think is your biggest accomplishment?
Julius: My biggest accomplishment would have to be the introduction of a new calendar based on the Egyptians. This calendar was used in Europe for more than 1,600 years.
Katie: Wow, that is a big accomplishment. I heard there was a big worry around this time too. What was going on?

Julius: Well, some of my enemies were worried that I planned to make myself king of Rome. So, in March of 44 B.C., as I arrived in the senate, my enemies stabbed me to death. After my death, Rome plunged into a new round of civil wars.

Alexander the Great

Hi, I am Katie and today I will be interviewing my good friend Alexander the Great.

Katie: So Alexander, is it true you were only 20 years old when you became king?
Alexander: Yes, my father Philip II was assassinated at his daugther's wedding, so I then became king.
Katie: What was your first accomplishment as king?
Alexander: My first accomplishment as king was when I conquer Persia. At the time, Persia was no longer the great power it had once been. The emperor Darius III was weak, and the provinces were often in rebellion against him. Still, the Persian empire stretched more than 2,000 miles from Egypt to India.
Katie: So, what happened next?
Alexander: We then won are first victory against the Persians at the Granicus River.
Katie: Did everything go well after this victory?
Alexander: Yes, actually we moved from victory to victory, marching through Asia Minor into Palestine and south to Egypt before turning east again to take Babylon in 331 B.C. But, before I could capture Darius, the Persian emperor was murdered.
Katie: So, with much of the Persian empire under your control, did things get easier?

Alexander: Yes, I guess you could say that. But, fighting for your country, your people, and your own life, never gets easy. In 326 B.C., my troops and I for the first time faced soldiers mounted on war elephants.

Katie: Wow war elephants! That sounds diffitcult! How did you handle that?

Alexander: Well, my soldiers were tired of the long campaign and refused to go farther east. So I agreed to turn back. So, after a long and diffitcult march, we reached Babylon, where I began planning a new campaign.

Katie: That must of been terrible to have to turn around and march all the way back home. What happened once you returned home?

Alexander: Well, before I could even set out again, I suddenly developed a fever and later passed away. And following my death, my empire crumbled and will never be the same as it once was  before.

Golden Age of Greece

Hello, I am Katie and today I today I will be interviewing Plato.

Katie: Ok Plato, lets start from the beginning. How do you feel about democracy?

Plato: After the execution of Socrates, I have had a lifelong distrust with democracy.

Katie: So how what was the result of this distrust?

Plato: Well, I actually fled Athens for 10 years.

Katie: Wow! Ten years that's crazy! What did you do when you returned?

Plato: I set up a school called the Academy. There, I taught and wrote about my own ideas.

Katie: I also heard that you wrote a book. Is this true?

Plato: Yes, I wrote a book called the Republic which describes my vision of and ideal state.

Katie: That's very interesting. What do you think your biggest accomplishment is?

Plato: Well, I rejected the Athenian democracy and instead I argued that the state should regulate every aspect of its citizens' lives in order to provide their best interests.Then I divided the society into three classes: workers to produce the necessities of life, soldiers to defend the state, and philosophers to rule. This elite class of leaders would be specially trained to ensure order and justice. The wisest of them, a philosopher-king, would have the ultimate authority.

Katie: Wow! That's incredible! Well, Plato thank you for allowing me to interview you.

Plato: Thank you for having me.