History of Europe

Alexander the Great

Me: Hey Alexander.  Before we start today, why don't you tell us a little about yourself and your family?

Alexander: Well, I was born in 356 BC to King Philip ll of Macedon and Queen Olympias.  My little sister was born a year after me, and we grew up together at the royal court in Pella.

Me: What was your education like?

Alexander:  One of my first teachers was Leonidas, a relative of my mother's.  My father had hired him to train me in arithmetic, horsemanship, and archery.  Although he was a good teacher, my favorite was Acarnian Lysimachus.  He had created a game where I impersonated my ancester, Achilles.  But by 343 BC, my father had already hired yet another teacher.  He was a philosopher and scientist named Aristotle.  He taught some of my friends and I philosophy, government, politics, poetry, drama, and the sciences.  He was a great teacher, but my education ended in 340 BC when my father campaigned against Byzantium.

Me:  Isn't that when you first became a sodier? How did you go from being a sodier in 340 BC to a King in 336 BC?

Alexander:  My sister was getting married to my uncle, Alexander, when Philip was assasinated.  My mother immediatly took action to secure my right as the next king of Macedon.

Me:  When and where did you conquer Persia?
Alexander:  In September 331 I defeated the Persians at Arbela, in the Battle of Gaugsamela.
Me: Why do you think your rule is so important in history?
Alexander:  I used my army to subdue and unite the Greeks and reestablish the Corinthian League after almost a century of warfare between the Greek city-states. I also spread Greek culture from the Balkans to the Himalayas, most of the Eastern Mediterranean countires, Mesopatamia, and Persia.

The Crusades

Me:  When and how did the crusades start?
Knight:  In 1095, Pope Urban ll asked the bishops and nobles to help the emperor, Alxias, fight the muslim Turks.
Me:  Were the crusades successful?
Knight:  Only the first crusade came close to achieving its goal.  Christaiin knights captured Jerusalem in 1099.  The crusades continued off and on for the next 200 years.
Me:  Why was this important?
Knight:  It brought back books and spices and more economic goods.  This increased trade and brought us out of the Dark Ages.

Magna Carta

Me:  What did King John do to anger the nobles?
Noble:  He used opressive taxes and abused his power.

Me:  What did you do to stop him?

Noble:  A group of rebellious barons forced hiom to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

Me:  Why was this important?

Noble:  It helped shape the English government by first giving nobles certain rigths and then eventually citizens. 

Charlemagna

Me:  When were you crowned emperpor?

Charlemagne:  On Christmas Day in 800 AD, I entered St. Peters in Rome.  Pope Leo III then crowned me Emperor of the West.

Me:  What did you do before you were crowned emperor?

Charlemagne:  I was King of the Franks.

Me:  What were your conquests like?

Charlemagne:  I extended my rule over most of central and western Europe.  East of Rhina, Alamannia, Thuringia, and Bavaria were quickly defeated.  Further north, Saxon, too, was eventually conquered in 804, but only after 30 years of resistance.  South of the Alps, the entire Lombard kingdom was conquered in 774, and in central Europe the Avar Empire was dismantled in the 790s.  By 800, my fiat extended from the Atlantic to Elbe, and from Baltic to Rome. 

Me:  Why do you think you are so important in history?

Charlemagne:  I was trying to recreate the Roman Empire by bringing in Roman education and architecture.  However, after my death in 843 AD, the collapse of old Rome central authority, along with the barbarian invasions, led to a decline in urban living.  People then turned to Feudalism.