Bison
How do astronomers organize a party?
They planet
My teacher: how good are you with PowerPoint?
Me: I Excel at it
My teacher: was that a Office pun?
Me: Word
Monday, September 24, 2018
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Spanish Naval Wars against England
Due to the effects of the Naval Wars between England and Spain, England was saved from Spanish invasion and more fighting. The causes of the war started when Queen Elizabeth I came into power. In 1533, Queen Elizabeth I took power in
England. While she was ruling, she allowed English pirates to attack Spanish ships, stealing money and other goods for England. This caused king Philip of Spain to take action. He assembled a fleet of about
130 ships or more and put the duke of Medina Sidonia in charge as the commander. Elizabeth was a good strategist, and a good leader. However, even with a strong leader, the English had less than 100 ships, which put them at a major disadvantage. However, even though they had less ships, they had smaller and faster ships. This made it so that they could move around the battlefield much more easily. The Spanish had larger and slower ships. The English fleet was led by Charles Howard. Both of these leaders were fairly inexperienced, however, had enough knowledge that they could easily lead a group of ships to victory. The Spanish and English fought from a long range for a while, neither doing
heavy damage to each other. At midnight, on August 7, 1533, the English rushed boats
towards the Armada, and the battle continued, with both armies now at a closer range.
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English ships launch against the Spanish and begin firing
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/11755.html
During the fight, a storm formed, either destroying or
throwing most Spanish ships off course. This made it so that the Spanish had trouble both communicating and grouping up with each other. Later, the people of England thought that this was God destroying the Spanish armada. The chaos formed made it so that the English now had the advantage. They moved in and forced the Spanish back towards the shallows. This made it so that the Spanish were now even more limited in maneuvering their way around the English. The victor of the battle was the
English. Because of this, England was saved from Spanish invasion. Due to this, the Spanish would not be able to attack England for a while, as their armada was in wreckage. It would take the Spanish a while to recover from a lose like this.
Defeat of the Spanish
Armada, 8 August 1588
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/11756.html
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Reformation Questions Answered
Due to the efforts of revolutionists in old England, the reformation occurred in most of the churches in the entire land of Europe. Most of the effects of the reformation can all be traced back to a man named Martin Luther. Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. As he got older, he was going to go to college for law, however, he decided that he would go into monastery work. He said that, during a large thunderstorm, he prayed and said that he would be a monk if he survived, which he did. After this, he became a doctor of theology. His whole life so far would be leading up to an event that would trigger a huge change in Europe: the indulgence argument. Indulgences were payments that you made to the church for forgiveness of sins. A friar by the name of Johann Tetzel was having people pay indulgences all of the time. Luther took action, posting his ideas on the church door, which would be known as the 95-theses. After this, Luther went through many different changes, eventually formed his own follower group known as Lutherans, and would change Europe and world religiously. Because of the efforts of Martin Luther, the modern church has been changed permanently. For me, it has changed both the ideas that I have personally about God and my faith, and also has made me friends that are from churches that originated from the reformation period. Later after the events of Martin Luther, the ecumenical movement occurred. This was an effort to bring people back to the Catholic Church and to restore their faith in the church. The movement was caused because Luther divided people, forcing them to decide what they believe in. This made it so that the leaders of the Catholic Church had less followers, and wanted to get them back. Around this time, the idea of Judeo-Christianity arrived. This idea made it so that the Christian religion now replaced the Jewish one, and that Christianity brought its roots from Judaism. Because of this, new churches could form, like the Lutherans and the Calvinists. Today, Judeo-Christianity is believed in because the reformation created many new opportunities for churches to form, so that today we can worship our own way. I think that the reformation was an extremely important event, because it changed the way that we would worship God, while also giving us the freedom to decide for ourselves what we believe in.
Answer these two questions:
1: Why was it unlikely that the English would win the battle? While fighting with the Spanish, what helped them win?
2: Because of the causes of the war, should Elizabeth be punished for her actions? Were her actions justified in any way?
Due to the efforts of revolutionists in old England, the reformation occurred in most of the churches in the entire land of Europe. Most of the effects of the reformation can all be traced back to a man named Martin Luther. Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. As he got older, he was going to go to college for law, however, he decided that he would go into monastery work. He said that, during a large thunderstorm, he prayed and said that he would be a monk if he survived, which he did. After this, he became a doctor of theology. His whole life so far would be leading up to an event that would trigger a huge change in Europe: the indulgence argument. Indulgences were payments that you made to the church for forgiveness of sins. A friar by the name of Johann Tetzel was having people pay indulgences all of the time. Luther took action, posting his ideas on the church door, which would be known as the 95-theses. After this, Luther went through many different changes, eventually formed his own follower group known as Lutherans, and would change Europe and world religiously. Because of the efforts of Martin Luther, the modern church has been changed permanently. For me, it has changed both the ideas that I have personally about God and my faith, and also has made me friends that are from churches that originated from the reformation period. Later after the events of Martin Luther, the ecumenical movement occurred. This was an effort to bring people back to the Catholic Church and to restore their faith in the church. The movement was caused because Luther divided people, forcing them to decide what they believe in. This made it so that the leaders of the Catholic Church had less followers, and wanted to get them back. Around this time, the idea of Judeo-Christianity arrived. This idea made it so that the Christian religion now replaced the Jewish one, and that Christianity brought its roots from Judaism. Because of this, new churches could form, like the Lutherans and the Calvinists. Today, Judeo-Christianity is believed in because the reformation created many new opportunities for churches to form, so that today we can worship our own way. I think that the reformation was an extremely important event, because it changed the way that we would worship God, while also giving us the freedom to decide for ourselves what we believe in.
Answer these two questions:
1: Why was it unlikely that the English would win the battle? While fighting with the Spanish, what helped them win?
2: Because of the causes of the war, should Elizabeth be punished for her actions? Were her actions justified in any way?
Work Cited:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Spanish
Armada." Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica,
Inc., 14 June 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Armada-Spanish-naval-fleet.
Loutherbourg, Philippe J. Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 8 August 1588. 1796. London. Royal
Museums Greenwitch. http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/11756.html.
"Martin Luther." Biography.com,
A&E Networks Television, 8 Aug. 2017, www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-9389238
Netherlandish School, Launch
of Fireships against the Spanish Armada, 1590, National Maritime Museum, http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/11755.html.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The Peloponnesian Wars
In ancient Greece, the empire was divided up into multiple city-states. Two of these powerful city-states were Athens and Sparta. But when two different groups rise to power, it is nearly inevitable that these two groups will go to war, with Athens and Sparta being no exception. The Peloponnesian war was a war that broke out between the two city-states. I will be trying to show you, the reader, how the war affected Greece as a whole. The war was started by a series of events, including the reformation of Cleishtenes in Athens and the Delian league gaining much more power. However, the last straw was when Athens signed a peace treaty with a fellow navy based city-state, which the Spartans took as an act of violence. This is how the war began, but what happened during the war? One of the first moves that the Spartans made was to build up their army more. They combined their Helots, (servants that stayed on the land that they worked on) and their hoplites, (soldiers that would go into battle in a phalanx formation). This made Sparta's ground force very powerful. Athens, on the other hand, went with a very different approach. Instead of focusing on their ground troops, Athens built up their navy much more. Eventually, Sparta would win most of the land battles, while Athens would win the navy battles. This picture depicts a map of the land that the two armies fought in:
https://www.ancient.eu/Peloponnesian_War/
As you can see, Athens would try and control the water facing portions of the empire, while the Spartans would try and take more inland. This is because they wanted to take land where they were strongest: Athens in the water, and Sparta more inland. Another thing of note is that they are indeed sections of the map labeled "neutral city-states." These are sections of Greece that didn't want to get involved in the war, either because they didn't want the violence to come to them, or because they didn't have the manpower to get involved.
We are now partway through the war. Athens and Sparta have been warring for a while now. It seems like it is anyone's game at this point. However, just as Athens is doing well, disaster strikes. The plague. One of, or even the most feared disease in the world. There are many instances where the plague attacks throughout history, and this is one of the most infamous. The plague hits Athens hard, killing about a half of their population. Someone that was also killed was one of Athens main generals, Pericles. This seriously put Athens at a disadvantage, since they now had a much smaller fighting force. This then resulted in Athens total defeat. Sparta had won. However, the fighting wasn't over yet. Philip II of Macedonia to the north saw the divided empire as a chance to invade. Successfully and with little resistance, Macedonia takes over Athens.
As a whole, the Greek people were affected by the fighting in the sense that they now had a new ruler, the Macedonians. This changed their way of life greatly compared to before. But could the war have been avoided if the Spartans had tried to talk to the Athenians before the attacks? Maybe, but we would never be sure unless we had lived back then.
Note: to comment on this blog, you click on where it says "No Comments."
Work Cited
Copywright, Mark. "Peloponnesian War." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History
Encyclopedia, 01 Jun 2013. Web. 13 Dec 2017.
History.com Staff. "Peloponnesian War." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/peloponnesian-war.
"The Reasons for the Peloponnesian War." PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,
www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/backgrond/37_p1.html
https://www.ancient.eu/Peloponnesian_War/
As you can see, Athens would try and control the water facing portions of the empire, while the Spartans would try and take more inland. This is because they wanted to take land where they were strongest: Athens in the water, and Sparta more inland. Another thing of note is that they are indeed sections of the map labeled "neutral city-states." These are sections of Greece that didn't want to get involved in the war, either because they didn't want the violence to come to them, or because they didn't have the manpower to get involved.
We are now partway through the war. Athens and Sparta have been warring for a while now. It seems like it is anyone's game at this point. However, just as Athens is doing well, disaster strikes. The plague. One of, or even the most feared disease in the world. There are many instances where the plague attacks throughout history, and this is one of the most infamous. The plague hits Athens hard, killing about a half of their population. Someone that was also killed was one of Athens main generals, Pericles. This seriously put Athens at a disadvantage, since they now had a much smaller fighting force. This then resulted in Athens total defeat. Sparta had won. However, the fighting wasn't over yet. Philip II of Macedonia to the north saw the divided empire as a chance to invade. Successfully and with little resistance, Macedonia takes over Athens.
As a whole, the Greek people were affected by the fighting in the sense that they now had a new ruler, the Macedonians. This changed their way of life greatly compared to before. But could the war have been avoided if the Spartans had tried to talk to the Athenians before the attacks? Maybe, but we would never be sure unless we had lived back then.
Note: to comment on this blog, you click on where it says "No Comments."
Work Cited
Copywright, Mark. "Peloponnesian War." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History
Encyclopedia, 01 Jun 2013. Web. 13 Dec 2017.
History.com Staff. "Peloponnesian War." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/peloponnesian-war.
"The Reasons for the Peloponnesian War." PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,
www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/backgrond/37_p1.html
Monday, November 20, 2017
The First Age of Empires
When an empire is formed, there are certain things that are needed for it to flourish. Food and water supplies. A strong central government with a good leader to direct that government. Relations with other empires. Another thing is the military. Without a military, the empire can't grow and expand. So how can the empire do well in the world without a military, or with a weak military? Well, firstly, the empire would stay how it is. In other words, it would not expand, especially if there were neighboring empires near it. Another danger of having a weak military is the danger of a rebellion. A civil war is the last thing that you want when you have a weak military. The main government would most likely be attacked, and would have nobody to defend them. However, an empire could also have a strong military. They could have a strong one that protects them from the other empires nearby, but also stops the people inside from starting a rebellion. This flow chart should help you visualize what I am talking about:
So, lets go a little bit more in depth about what we are talking about here to give you a better idea of how important a military is to a growing empire.
Firstly, lets go in depth about how a military would affect an economy and affect an empire's relations with other empires. So lets make a hypothetical scenario here. Lets call the empire in question, "empire X." Empire X has just gotten a strong leader, has a constant source of food and water, and even has a nearby source of minerals and ores. Empire X is doing great, until one day, the people of this empire decide that they want to expand their land more so that overpopulation can't become a possibility one day. The government of Empire X sends out scouts to the north, south, east, and west, to see how the land is in each direction. All four scouting parties come back, and have the same report. "There are already people there, living in their own communities and empires." Empire X can attempt to expand peacefully, however, this would make it so that there is a risk that the parties sent to have peaceful relations with the people could be killed. So what do the people living in Empire X doe? Empire X made one mistake, and that is that they didn't have a military. If they had a military, then they could have taken the chance that these new people didn't want to or wanted to fight.
So lets start a new scenario. Empire X is once again trying to expand, but this time, they have a small army beginning to form. They have a bunch of soldiers, with camps throughout their empire. Once again, they sound out the scouts, and the scouts say, "There are already people there." Empire X can now send out scouts to the new empire, with the reassurance that they have a small army ready in case of violence. Lets call this new empire, "empire Z." Empire Z sees the scouts and soldiers coming, take it as a threat, and attack. Empire Z, unlike Empire X, has a large army, which took many years to make. They then raid the capital of Empire X and take over. (If you are having a hard time finding what is happening, here are a few images to help):
So, lets start a third, final scenario. In this time, Empire X has built up a military more, and has a very large army ready. They have many soldiers, ready to die for their empire. So, once again, the scouts go, the scouts return, the soldiers and scouts go. But this time, Empire Z does not realize that Empire X has a large army. Empire X attacks, takes over most of Empire Z, and this is where the our final battle scenario ends.
So. Empire X has now grown to a great size. But what we haven't talked about is how this all relates back to the economics of the empire, like we said before the battle scenarios. Economics are something that are of great importance to most people, so how do these two important things, economics and military, get intertwined? Well, it starts with how Empire X deals with Empire Z back in the scenarios. They have three choices:
1: Kick the people that are in Empire Z out of the land that they took
2: Make the people that Empire X took from Empire Z into slaves and have them work for Empire X
3: Live with the people of Empire Z and combine cultures with them.
Looking at these three, its hard to tell which one would benefit the economics of our growing empire. But if you think about it, all three of these have promising benefits. Lets start with option one. Option one states that the people of Empire Z will be kicked out of the land that was taken. This will cause only the inhabitants of Empire X to live there. At first glance, this seems like a good choice, but then you realize that this causes no change in economics, and only gets rid of the risk of overpopulation. Option two states that the people of Empire Z will be slaves for Empire X. This looks like it would be the best, and it would benefit Empire X by not having to worry about spying in option three. On top of that, it is free labor for the people of Empire X. However, if Empire X goes with option three, they will have more people in their empire, and while they will have to pay for the labor occurring, there are two more things happening. There is cultural diffusion, or the spread of ideas, and there is also new trade routes being opened to Empire X. They now know the trade routes that Empire Z had, and can interact better with other empires.
So there you have it. Empire X's land is bigger, they have more people, and more trade routes. And it all leads back to the fact that they had a better army. But how could Empire X have improved their empire more? Could it be an even greater military? Or could it be a better education? Or even a better government system? Some of these things we may never find out the answer to. But one thing is for sure. A better military can lead to the rise of great empires, and lead to them doing amazing things.
Firstly, lets go in depth about how a military would affect an economy and affect an empire's relations with other empires. So lets make a hypothetical scenario here. Lets call the empire in question, "empire X." Empire X has just gotten a strong leader, has a constant source of food and water, and even has a nearby source of minerals and ores. Empire X is doing great, until one day, the people of this empire decide that they want to expand their land more so that overpopulation can't become a possibility one day. The government of Empire X sends out scouts to the north, south, east, and west, to see how the land is in each direction. All four scouting parties come back, and have the same report. "There are already people there, living in their own communities and empires." Empire X can attempt to expand peacefully, however, this would make it so that there is a risk that the parties sent to have peaceful relations with the people could be killed. So what do the people living in Empire X doe? Empire X made one mistake, and that is that they didn't have a military. If they had a military, then they could have taken the chance that these new people didn't want to or wanted to fight.
So lets start a new scenario. Empire X is once again trying to expand, but this time, they have a small army beginning to form. They have a bunch of soldiers, with camps throughout their empire. Once again, they sound out the scouts, and the scouts say, "There are already people there." Empire X can now send out scouts to the new empire, with the reassurance that they have a small army ready in case of violence. Lets call this new empire, "empire Z." Empire Z sees the scouts and soldiers coming, take it as a threat, and attack. Empire Z, unlike Empire X, has a large army, which took many years to make. They then raid the capital of Empire X and take over. (If you are having a hard time finding what is happening, here are a few images to help):
1: Kick the people that are in Empire Z out of the land that they took
2: Make the people that Empire X took from Empire Z into slaves and have them work for Empire X
3: Live with the people of Empire Z and combine cultures with them.
Looking at these three, its hard to tell which one would benefit the economics of our growing empire. But if you think about it, all three of these have promising benefits. Lets start with option one. Option one states that the people of Empire Z will be kicked out of the land that was taken. This will cause only the inhabitants of Empire X to live there. At first glance, this seems like a good choice, but then you realize that this causes no change in economics, and only gets rid of the risk of overpopulation. Option two states that the people of Empire Z will be slaves for Empire X. This looks like it would be the best, and it would benefit Empire X by not having to worry about spying in option three. On top of that, it is free labor for the people of Empire X. However, if Empire X goes with option three, they will have more people in their empire, and while they will have to pay for the labor occurring, there are two more things happening. There is cultural diffusion, or the spread of ideas, and there is also new trade routes being opened to Empire X. They now know the trade routes that Empire Z had, and can interact better with other empires.
So there you have it. Empire X's land is bigger, they have more people, and more trade routes. And it all leads back to the fact that they had a better army. But how could Empire X have improved their empire more? Could it be an even greater military? Or could it be a better education? Or even a better government system? Some of these things we may never find out the answer to. But one thing is for sure. A better military can lead to the rise of great empires, and lead to them doing amazing things.
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