The Saxons

Normally when you hear the word England, you think about Queen Elizabeth, or Big Ben. But really you should think about a people called the Saxons.

The Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who settled in England in the early middle ages. They invaded Great Britain and were eventually allowed to settle there as farmers. After this they sort of started taking over South-Eastern Britain (modern day England) and they split up into four separate realms:

The East Saxons created the Kingdom of Essex.

The Middle Saxons created the Province of Middlesex.

The South Saxons created the Kingdom of Sussex.

Finally the West Saxons created the Kingdom of Wessex.

During the period of the reigns of Egbert to Alfred the Great, the kings of Wessex were basically the ruler of all four realms, unifying the country. They eventually organized it as the Kingdom of England when they were threatened by Viking invasions.

Their first religion was paganism, and they worshiped gods like Woden and Thunor. Eventually they were converted to Christianity under the influence of the neighboring Jutes of Kent in the seventh century.

The main division in Saxon society was between slave and free. Both groups hierarchically structured, with several classes of freemen and many types of slaves. The most prominent ranks within free society were the king, the nobleman or thane, and the ordinary freeman. Women though, were in some ways better off than they would be in later times. A woman could own her own property, she could even take over as a leader for her husband if he died. Also marriage was consensual between the man and the women.  

The occupations of the Saxons consisted of mainly farming, but metal working and sculpting were also popular jobs. 

Genghis Khan: Creator of the Mongol Empire

Genghis Khan who was born in 1162, to a Mongol chieftain, Yesugei, and his wife. His birth name is really Temujin, which means “iron worker.” When Temujin was born he was clinching his fist  around a blood clot which was declared an omen that he was destined to become a heroic warrior. Temujin ended up the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of, the Great Mongol Empire which became the largest empire ever.

Temüjin began his aim at power by offering himself as an ally to his father's "Blood brother," Toghrul, who was Khan of the Khereids, and is better known by the Chinese title "Wang Khan”. This was first reinforced when Temujin’s wife, Borte, was captured by the Merkits. Temüjin turned to Toghrul for support. He finally came to power when he united the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. After this he founded the Mongol Empire and was proclaimed "Genghis Khan," Emperor of Mongolia! Genghis Khan means “Universal Ruler.” The reason the people gave him this name is because they thought he was supposed to be the ruler of the universe.  After being named Khan of Mongolia, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China.

By the end of his life, in 1227, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China. His descendants expanded the empire even further, advancing to such far-off places as Poland, Vietnam, Syria and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million square miles! An area about the size of Africa! Kublai Khan, Genghis’s grandson, even defeated all of China and united China with the Mongol empire. 

Alaric the Visigoth

Alaric was king of the Visigoths from 395-410 A.D. Although his reign was fairly short he made those 15 years count. 

He started off his reign by having a dream that he was driving through the Roman streets in a golden chariot. Alaric thought and thought about this dream and came to the conclusion of wanting to capture Rome and become Emperor. He gathered all his chiefs and told them what he was going to do. They were delighted at what he said. 

First he sieged Constantinople but decided to pull out and captured the city of Athens instead.  Not only did he capture Athens he also annihilated, Sparta, Corinth, Megara, and Argos. Then in 401 Alaric raided Italy but he was defeated by Stilicho. He raided Italy one more time but he was defeated again at the Battle of Verona. Although Alaric did force the Roman Senate to pay a large payment to the Visigoths. In 408 Alaric sieged Rome and he sacked the city and caused the Rome to, eventually, grant him a substantial payment. In addition, Alaric forced the Senate to liberate all 40,000 Gothic slaves in Rome, but the Senate did not grant him Emperor. As an answer he sacked the city for three whole days. After the Visigoths were done with Rome they started marching home in 410, and during that march Alaric died. No one really knows for sure how he died, but most people think it was a fever. 

So Alaric’s reign might not have been the longest but he did do a lot of great things for the Visigoths. He set free 40,000 slaves, and he defeated Rome.  Although he never really captured Rome, or became Emperor, he did defeat one of the greatest armies ever. 

Leif Erikson: The Second European to Set Foot on North America?

When you hear the word Viking you think of two things, the Minnesota Vikings and Leif Erikson.  Who is Leif Erikson, and why do we think of Him when we hear the word Viking?  Well two reasons; 

One: He's said to have been the first European to set foot on North America,  

Two: The U.S passed a bill for "Leif Erikson day" (happens every October 9th). But is he really the first one to set foot on North America?

Erikson was most likely born in Iceland around 970 A.D.  His father was Erik the Red also a well known Viking.  After Erikson was converted to Christianity in Norway, he was ordained to bring the good news to Greenland.  But when his ship was blown off course he encountered a new land.  He had landed in North America.  He explored the area and found a lot of grape vines and called the newly discovered place, Vinland.  After he had finished exploring he stumbled upon two shipwrecked Icelandic people.
So the people who Erikson saved were the first Europeans to set foot on North America.  But Erikson was the first to explore and settle in North America. In 1960 Helge and Anne Ingstad were searching for archaeological evidence of Vikings in Newfoundland. In the small village of L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland they met a fisherman who showed them sod foundations that had the shape of Viking longhouses. More than a decade of archaeological investigation at this site has proved conclusively that Vikings had built a settlement in North America 500 years before Columbus.  After excavations they uncovered Viking artifacts including a ringed pin, a soapstone spindle whorl, a bone pin, a whetstone, iron boat rivets, worked wood and other objects. There was evidence of iron-smelting and forging, and hearth charcoal is dated to A.D. 1000.

Erikson did make his way back to Greenland and spread Christianity.  He even built a church in Vinland.  His father was a pagan and did not support Leif at all.  And when Erik's wife converted, I can only imagine how angry he was.

So Leif Erikson might not have been the first, but he did have an influence on modern day North America.  He has statues all over North America.  And he has a holiday named after him!       

Medieval Castles

If you’re like me you might think that medieval castles were big and elaborate, but that's not really the case. They did have motes and draw bridges, but they weren't huge stone structures with four towers. It's kind of obvious that there weren't dragons, but knights wouldn't have been roaming around either. They would have been at battle or in a hunting tournament, or something of that sort.

No, castles were not as elaborate as we think. Yes they were big, but they basically were a big stone wall surrounding a main building called a keep. The wall was thick enough to make rooms inside, so there were indoor facilities other than the keep, which is where the king lived.

The most famous medieval castle has to be the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror after defeating London in battle. Because of this it was seen by the people of England as a symbol of oppression. But now it is a landmark, their pride and joy.

King Arthur: Fact Or Fiction

King Arthur is a legendary British leader from the 5th and early 6th centuries.  But was he real, or a made up story by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his book, The History of the Early Kings of Britain, describing his magic sword Excalibur, and the magician Merlin.  It was written in the 11th century, that's 500 years after the time of Arthur.  This book is based on an "ancient Celtic manuscript" that only Geoffrey was able to examine.  Celtic monk Gildas wrote of the Saxon invasion in his book The Ruin and Conquest of Britain.  He wrote about the conflict at Badon hills, and no warrior named Arthur is even mentioned.  He gives someone else's name as the leader of the Brits.  But he does mention an unnamed leader and king of the Britons.  Could this be referring to King Arthur?  He probably did exist but maybe not with all the magic and the holy grail.  He was more likely a successful warrior for the Britons than a king with a magic sword.  England's whole history pretty much has Arthur written all over it.  Why would a country have a mythological history.

But if you think different, comment under this post.

Why It's Important to Study Islam

It's important to study Islam because it's not just a religion it was also a thriving empire.  Even if you’re not a Muslim you should know who Muhammad was and what the Ottoman Empire was. (The Turkish Empire)

The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1299–1923 that's over 600 years!  The majority of the land was the Middle East. But in 1683, the peak of the empire, they covered a lot of Europe! 

The religion of the empire was Islam. They are monotheistic, so they have one god, Allah, which literally translates into, god. Islam has some things that tie in with Christianity. For example, the Muslims claim that the father of their religion is Abraham.  And one of the Muslim’s shrines is said to have been built by Abraham. Also some of the prophets of Islam are the same, like Noah, Enoch, and Abraham. Islam teaches that Jesus was one of the most important prophets of God and was a human being. Muslims do not believe that he was the Son of God. In Islam, Jesus was a human prophet who, like all the other prophets, tried to bring the children of Israel to the worship of One God. Muslims believe that Jesus was miraculously born of the Virgin Mary. Muslims believe the creation of Jesus was similar to the creation of Adam (the first prophet of God); they were both created by God without human fathers. Muslims believe that Jesus was condemned to crucifixion and then miraculously saved from execution. They believe Allah created the world with his commands. The job of every Muslim is to spend a life worshiping Allah. They want to be favorably judged by Allah in the afterlife.

To be clear I am not supporting Islam. But you can’t study European history without studying Islam and the Ottoman Empire.