Author: OwenPitts

The story of the Song of Roland goes like this:

The poem shows the story of Charlemagne attaining gifts from the Muslim King. This, of course, was intended as a trap. Roland sends Ganelon, his stepdad, to negotiate with the Muslims. Ganelon is outraged at this and swears to get revenge at Roland. So, instead of negotiating with the Muslims, Ganelon sides with them and betrays the French. After Ganelon returns to Charlemagne and fools him, roland volunteers to lead Charlemagne’s men into battle. One of these men lead into battle is Oliver, Roland’s best friend. When Oliver sees the Muslim army coming towards them, he tries to convince Roland that Ganelon betrayed them. Roland refuses to believe it, but by the end of the first battle, Roland agrees with Oliver that Ganelon is a traitor. Oliver begs Roland to blow his trumpet for reinforcements from Charlemagne. Three times Roland refuses. Oliver believes that it is dishonorable to be outnumbered and die when there is still a time to call for help. Roland does not believe that. In fact, he believes exactly the opposite. Oliver told him that victory should be their priority, not honor. When the second wave of Muslims came, Roland finally agrees to blow the trumpet. In the end, the two switch sides. Roland dies a martyr, and Oliver dies at the hand hand of a Muslim soldier. Charlemagne hears the trumpet’s call for help and drives of the enemy Muslims.

The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French Literature. According to Wikipedia, “The Song of Roland is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, during the reign of Charlemagne.” According to Cornell College, “Olivier: Roland’s best friend, comrade, and the brother of Aude. He is also referred to as Oliver.” This poem has been twisted from the real historical event of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 into a poem that was romanticized to fit what can be bluntly described as Christian propaganda. The real Battle of Roncevaux Pass was an invasion of Spain by the ruler Charlemagne to help one set of Muslims defeat another set of Muslims. In this battle he attacked a Basque Christian city. In this battle he retreated and his rearguard was ambushed and defeated by the Basques. Europeans liked listening to this poem, despite the fact that there were several changes and was not historically accurate.

This poem was meant as a recitation (according to google, this word means “the action of repeating something aloud from memory”), so it may have been difficult for them to spot some of the discrepancies (according to google, discrepancies means “a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts”), however, there are so many discrepancies that people are likely to spot a few of them. One of them is the numbering of the troops. At the beginning of the poem, Charlemagne’s army had 140,000 troops. Then he fought the Muslims, won, and lost 20,000 troops. Later, Charlemagne numbers his troops and counts 335,000 troops. This is all very inconsistent.

In this essay, I will tell you about three extremely famous early Renaissance artists and one of their masterpieces.

First, theirs’s Leonardo Da Vinci. He lived from 1452-1519, and he was from Italy. One of his most famous paintings (and I think that you know this one), is the Mona Lisa from 1517.

Second is Tintoretto. He lived from 1518-1594, and he was from Italy. His masterpiece is titled The Last Supper depicting Jesus having the Last Supper with his disciples.

Third is Raphael. He lived from 1483-1520, and he was from Italy. His masterpiece is titled The School of Athens from 1511.

The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French Literature. According to Wikipedia, “The Song of Roland is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, during the reign of Charlemagne.” According to Cornell College, “Olivier: Roland’s best friend, comrade, and the brother of Aude. He is also referred to as Oliver.” This poem has been twisted from the real historical event of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 into a poem that was romanticized to fit what can be bluntly described as Christian propaganda. The real Battle of Roncevaux Pass was an invasion of Spain by the ruler Charlemagne to help one set of Muslims defeat another set of Muslims. In this battle he attacked a Basque Christian city. In this battle he retreated and his rearguard was ambushed and defeated by the Basques. Europeans liked listening to this poem, despite the fact that there were several changes and was not historically accurate.

The poem shows the story of Charlemagne attaining gifts from the Muslim King. This, of course, was intended as a trap. Roland sends Ganelon, his stepdad, to negotiate with the Muslims. Ganelon is outraged at this and swears to get revenge at Roland. So, instead of negotiating with the Muslims, Ganelon sides with them and betrays the French. After Ganelon returns to Charlemagne and fools him, roland volunteers to lead Charlemagne’s men into battle. One of these men lead into battle is Oliver, Roland’s best friend. When Oliver sees the Muslim army coming towards them, he tries to convince Roland that Ganelon betrayed them. Roland refuses to believe it, but by the end of the first battle, Roland agrees with Oliver that Ganelon is a traitor. Oliver begs Roland to blow his trumpet for reinforcements from Charlemagne. Three times Roland refuses. Oliver believes that it is dishonorable to be outnumbered and die when there is still a time to call for help. Roland does not believe that. In fact, he believes exactly the opposite. Oliver told him that victory should be their priority, not honor. When the second wave of Muslims came, Roland finally agrees to blow the trumpet. In the end, the two switch sides. Roland dies a martyr, and Oliver dies at the hand hand of a Muslim soldier. Charlemagne hears the trumpet’s call for help and drives away the enemy Muslims.

Describe the differences between Oliver’s view of military goals vs. Roland’s. Oliver was considered the wise one because of his suggestion to call for aid, and Roland was considered valiant because of his courage and determination to end the enemy without backup. However, both of them show marvelous courage. Roland wanted to stay and fight and probably die with honor, however, Oliver wanted to call for backup, telling Roland that their priority should be victory, not honor. The end of the poem was not that one was right and the other was wrong. Rather they each wanted to serve their country and do what’s best for it and died doing it.

The Renaissance (meaning rebirth) was a time of economic rebirth after the Middle Ages. The Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of art, literature, and classical philosophy. In this essay, I will tell you about five main key ideas of the Renaissance.

Classicism. During the Renaissance, there was a sudden interest for classical works. It also translated heavily into Renaissance architecture. They used symmetry, proportion, and geometry because they believed that it was beautiful to have in a public sphere.

Humanism. The study of Humanism was very common then. Humanism put humans at the center of his own universe.

Individualism. This is an idea that the individual is capable of many great things and should aspire to be well-rounded and skillful in many disciplines.

Secularism. This was an idea that you should make your life on Earth as comfortable and special as you possibly can.

Scepticism. This encouraged Renaissance thinkers to ask questions, ponder, consider, and experiment.

In what ways does Petrarch embody the spirit of the Renaissance? Petrarch is considered the father of humanism. According to Lumen, “Petrarch’s rediscovery of Cicero’s letters is often credited for initiating the 14th-century Renaissance. Petrarch is often considered the founder of Humanism. Petrarch’s sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry.”

Who was John Wyclif? There is more than one way to spell Wyclif. Some others are Wycliffe, Wicliffe, Wiclif, and Wycliff. According to Britannica, John Wyclif was an “English theologian, philosopher, church reformer, and promoter of the first complete translation of the Bible into English. He was one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation.“

What was the Great Western Schism, and how was it resolved? The Great Western Schism lasted from 1378-1417. It was a split within the Roman Catholic Church. It was during this time that three men claimed to be the true pope simultaneously. This schism was finally put to an end by the Council of Constance which lasted from 1414-1418.

According to History, “The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.” It was said that the plague was brought to Europe by rats on ships. Hitchhikers. The plague grew in Europe killing one third of Europe’s population over the next five years.

The aftermath of the Black Death was devastating to Europe. Trade was terrible and suffering, wars were abandoned for a time, and devastated families throughout the continent. People everywhere were suffering because of this plague.

The Black Death is still around today, but it is not as widespread as it once was and we have better was to treat it.

The Holy Roman Empire lasted from the year 800, to the year 1806, nearly 10 decades! According to Wikipedia, “Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The history of the papacy from 1046 to 1216 was marked by conflict between popes and the Holy Roman Emperor, most prominently the Investiture Controversy, a dispute over who— pope or emperor— could appoint bishops within the Empire.” So one of the main reasons for the conflicts between the emperors and the popes was an argument over who could appoint bishops within the Empire, and who couldn’t. So technically, it was an issue over who had the power and authority to appoint bishops within the Empire (that stuff can tear people apart).

Major innovations of the Gothic cathedral. According to anthenapub.com, “The two main structural innovations of Gothic architecture were pointed arches and ogival or  (Bony 1983).” A pointed arch is an arch were the crown of the arch is pointed upward. According to people.wou.edu, “Pointed arches were used to direct weight onto load-bearing columns at a sharp angle, thus allowing for much taller vaulted ceilings.” The ribbed vaulting, according to wikipedia, is “an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs.” According to people.wou.edu, “A ribbed vault is an arched form created by the intersection of two or three barrel vaults used to support the weight of walls or a ceiling or roof.“

The significance of the rise of the medieval towns. There were many reasons for the growth of medieval towns. Some of them are the improvement in agriculture, and the revival of trade. Many sellers of products and goods became residents of the towns. Also, towns started to govern themselves with their own government. The rulers of towns were usually just a mayor and a town council.

Early medieval hymns are very old songs. According to Wikipedia, “Medieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries.” In this time, literature was very important, so they said that if the literature was sung in the form of a hymn, then it would be remembered. Many of the hymns focus on God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, heaven, etc. Some hymns even focus on the people in the life of Jesus. Many of the hymns were about Mary the mother of Jesus, the apostles, the angles, etc. Most of these hymns were written by Christian Catholics.

An example of an early medieval hymn is the Song from Chartivel by Marie de France (1155-1189):

Hath any loved you well, down there,

Summer or winter through?
Down there, have you found any fair
Laid in the grave with you?
’s death’s long kiss a richer kiss
Than mine was wont to be–
Or have you gone to some far bliss
And quite forgotten me?

What soft enamoring of sleep

Hath you in some soft way?
What charmed death holdeth you with deep
Strange lure by night and day?
A little space below the grass,
Our of the sun and shade;
But worlds away from me, alas,
Down there where you are laid.

Another one is Hymn to Earth the Mother of All, written by Homer (7th century B.C.):

O universal mother, who dost keep
From everlasting thy foundations deep,
Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee!
All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea,
All things that fly, or on the ground divine
Live, move, and there are nourished–these are thine;
These from thy wealth thou dost sustain; from thee
Fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree
Hang ripe and large, revered Divinity!

Did the literature of Early Medieval Hymns encourage Christians to exercise political leadership? Well, sort of. Of their time, the Church leaders were the political leaders. They were one and the same. That means that the Church leaders were the ones who made the rules, arrested people, tried people, they even put people in jail. Even the pastor of the Church did this. These people were not very good Christ-like people despite the fact that they were in charge of the Church.

Christians put more of an emphasis on politics before the medieval ages. Catholic authors who wrote on civil matters told Christians to listen to the authorities higher in hierarchy and answer than them with respect and goodness, but not to do what they say. They said to do not deny Jesus in order to worship the king, leader, emperor, etc. It was at this time that there has never been any mention of Christians being in politics or having any political leadership. It was also at this time that Christians were being persecuted just before the fall of the Roman Empire.

Nothing relating to politics is in any of these hymns. Therefore, the overall answer to the question, “Did the literature of Early Medieval Hymns encourage Christians to exercise political leadership?”, is no.

The divine attributes. According to Cambridge.org, “The Divine Attributes explores the traditional theistic concept of God as the most perfect being possible.” The Divine Attributes are personhood, transcendence, immanence, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, perfect goodness, unity, simplicity and necessity. According to Wikipedia, “The attributes of God are specific characteristics of God discussed in Christian theology. Christians are not monolithic in their understanding of God’s attributes.”

The just-war theory. According to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Just war theory deals with the justification of how and why wars are fought… The principles of the justice of war are commonly held to be: having just cause, being a last resort, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means used.” So the just-war theory justifies why and how wars were fought, or at least deals with it.