Martin Luther and the Reformation

Martin Luther was a Catholic monk, born in 1483 and died in 1546. Martin Luther was originally discomforted and challenged the Roman Catholic Church because the Church was selling indulgences, or a way to buy yourself into heaven. Martin believed that the Church was wrong in doing this, and sent a letter explaining himself.  “He was troubled by the selling of indulgences so he mailed a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz to explain his position.” He strongly believed, at first, that the message the church was trying to send was not just to gain money, but one of much more spiritual value too. However, once he researched more, and looked into the topic, he realized what the church was really trying to accomplish.

I believe, at first, that his intentions were for the good of the people. At first, he was very polite, almost timid, but after he had gained a following, and after many people were supporting him, he became more powerful, and more strong in his words. He was supported by the people, so he decided to try harder for them and make a lasting impression. I also believe that Martin was more concerned with spiritual reforms in the church than with the peasants. First, Luther was more involved with the church long-term, and that was his life mission. The peasants just became to be a greater issue once he had given that document, the An Admonition to Peace. The peasants decided to revolt against the church, and Luther decided to take care of it quickly, to keep the peace and the church alive. When he issued the Against the Murderous, Thieving Peasants, it became clear where he was placed in the matter.

The Medici and Machiavelli

This week we studied the Medici and Machiavelli. Our essential question was “How did new wealth in Florence contribute to new ideas during the Renaissance?” In class, we discussed the question, watched videos, and read documents on the Medici family and Machiavelli during the Renaissance. We learned about patronage, and how it was artists that were paid to complete works of art in the homes of the families that paid them. We discussed the Medici family, and their rise to be the most powerful and most wealthy family in all of Florence. They sponsored someone who aspired to be pope, and the pope made the Medici bank the head bank of Florence. We also talked about Machiavelli, and how he wrote a book called “The Prince” when he got banished, to try to win back his political career, but it was too late, and it failed.

It is important for a prince to spend all of his time studying the art of war because “it is the sole art that belongs to him who rules”, or, it is the key art of a true ruler. It is not only, as he states, the force that upholds those who are true, born princes, but it allows men to rise up through the ranks. By studying war and knowing it well he could be well-respected, and well at ease knowing these skills. By being lazy and not studying war, you will grow to be despised and even more lazy.

Overall, I don’t agree with Machiavelli’s ideas on leadership. It seems his idea of a good leader is a strong one, who studies war and martial arts. Also, he states that, of the two, it is better to be feared than to be loved. I don’t think many leaders nowadays follow his principle of leadership, because a good leader is loved, not feared. Men during this generation would not follow this, because morals of peace, not war, is being spread around.

Link to the excerpts: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/prince-excerp.asp

The Black Death

     So, during this lesson we learned about the Black Death. We learned what time period it took place during, the effects it had on the millions of people involved, and how we could tell which sources are legitimate and which ones aren't.
     First, I'm going to introduce the Florentine Chronicle article. It is a short passage giving us a bit of information on the horrors of the Black Death. It was written sometime between the 1370's and the 1380's. The author was a man named di Coppo di Stefano Buonaiuti, who lived from 1336 to about 1390. The Chronicle is a reliable source because he was a primary source from the Black Death, so he may have had first-hand experience with it. It may not be reliable because he was only about 2 when the height of the plague was around. I don't know about you, or anyone else, but I remember barely anything from when I was 2 years old, unless an adult has told me something.

    The second article I'm telling you about is the Decameron article. It was written by a man named Boccaccio in 1348, who was alive and witnessed the Black Death. Now, this article may be believable because he was alive during the Black Death, and was an old enough age to be able to remember the horrible accounts that were witnessed. This may not be believable as well because it is a work of fiction; otherwise it is not real. It is a fake documentation of the Black Death based off of this man's witnesses, and it probably contains a lot of false information.

     Now, after reading through and analyzing both articles, I have to conclude that the Florentine Chronicle is the more accurate and believable article. I believe this because, first off, the Decameron is a fictional work. I know it was based off of real witnesses, but non-fictional works are a lot more trustable than a work of fiction. The Chronicle is more trustable because it tells brief instances of the horrors from a primary source.

Welcome!

    Hello! My name is Liam. I am the owner of the blog that you are reading right now. I am a student in 9th grade of high school, so do not expect me to be a high-class historian that will blow your mind with awesome facts. I’m just a normal kid who will enjoy writing blogs!

    First off, let me just say that I have had a lot of teachers. Most of them I have liked, but there have been a few that never were my favorite. So, I do have my own little idea of what the ideal great teacher is. First off, something that makes a teacher great is lots of interaction and activities. I really like a teacher that likes to interact with his/her students almost daily. One of my favorite teachers from the past was really energetic with his students, and he loved to be loud and sometimes crazy. But I like crazy. My other favorite teacher spoke very loudly and clearly so I could hear everything she said. She also taught me a very catchy phrase, and it helps me to remember to speak up when talking. One thing I’d really love this year is lots of time to interact with classmates, and to be able to learn from them as well as the teacher.

    So, on what John Green said about it being our duty to use our education to do great things, I agree, to a certain extent. You should use your education to do great things, but those things shouldn’t be anything that’s required of you; you should choose what great things you want to pursue. I have some goals for myself; however, they’re just short-term goals for this year. I hope to socialize more, to be a larger member of my community. Obviously upholding good grades are a given; I think that’s everybody’s goal. I think I’m going to reach my goals this year by putting myself out there and starting conversations with people I may not even know. I plan to study more, and work hard on completing my homework. So anyway, welcome to my blog, and I hope you like it here!