Klas Eriksson was the name I gave to the preacher that met me after our successful landing. He thanked me most graciously for coming to the aide of protestants facing the boot of Ferdinand II of the house Hapsburg. He asked about my origins and the impact god had made on my life. I began to recite my rugged religious and military past in response. Speaking of my past, I told him about my Lutheran beginnings growing up. Although my father was a deeply religious man, I enlisted myself as a mercenary at the passing of my sixteenth birthday. I felt destined to make my own way and while god had a place within my life; this conflict felt much the same as the wars in Poland in years past in this regard. I hadn’t been back at my estate for some time …show more content…
My motivations aren’t as noble as I would lead the preacher to know. Religious authority and power are the motivating forces behind this conflict and while I may respect King Gustav II Adolf for his prowess and skill on the battlefield; he’s motivated by the same concepts. My aristocratic background may have come out a bit in my handling of the preacher but he seems more fixated on congratulating my companions than learning anything particular about us. In truth, it’s the financial means that Sweden supplies me with that spurns me across the Baltic Sea into Ferdinand II’s domain. I can’t say it isn’t satisfying to fight on the supposedly protestant side but alas it’s the financial obligations that dictate my path. The cries of protestants have called our King Gustav II Adolf into arms and with it we have followed to the Holy Roman Empire, scourge of the continent and figurehead for Hapsburg power. This is the means for my conquest into the Holy Roman Empire and this war that is beginning to threaten all of Europe. Denmark was weak and folded before our entangling conflict in Poland concluded bringing us
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
...tin Luther, who castigated the peasants (Doc 7). He saw the revolt as little use and recommended to the peasants that they quit revolting, and instead begin obeying their authoritative leaders. In addition, the Holy Roman Empire’s diet in 1526 gave lords and noblemen the right to restore their estate to the environment from before the revolts. This including restoring their serfs and do with them what they, the rich, wished. This uncooperative and hostile reaction by many to the German peasant revolts from 1524-1526 was a common occurrence and reaction many individuals of the time showed.
This translation tells a wonderful tale and it is amazing that it has been preserved for this amount of time. Byock does a fantastic job of editing and telling his story. His introduction sets the stage very well, as it gives historical and cultural insight into his work. Several important lessons can be taken from the work and applied to the study of medieval Norse peoples. One of the most important aspects is the role that fate and divine intervention have on the lives of everyday man and that nothing happens by accident. The guidance of Odin and the reliance on fate are echoed throughout the work and serve as the backdrop for each characters action. This insight allows historians to dig into the narrative and extract special significance from the text.
...Hagen committed a disgraceful murder and perished in a way unbecoming of knight: at the hands of a woman. In contrast, Njal’s death was a sacrifice, for the good of others. He welcomed his death and surrendered his family in order to prevent an endless civil war in Iceland. Njal went against Icelandic custom of avenging one’s kin. Instead, he adopted a new Christian principle of absolution, accepting insult and assault by his enemies. He proclaimed before he laid down to die, “Bear this bravely and don’t express any fear for its only a brief storm... Have faith that God is merciful, and that he will not let us burn both in this world and in the next” (Cook 220). Njal trusted in God that his martyrdom was for the good all people and would end the blood feud. His acceptance of death and ultimate sacrifice liberated Iceland from self-destruction and damnation.
Both the Crusaders and the Muslims wanted power. In contradiction the church wanted to reunite Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire with the Roman Catholic Empire giving the Church extra power. Baldwin of Boulogne is a key example in portraying the Crusader’s quest for power; splitting off from the rest of the army and traveling east until he reached Armenian where he would establish himself as ruler. Like Boulogne, Bohemond of Taranto also abandoned the majority to better his own personal status—he took over as Prince of Antioch. Through these two prominent figures we see that power was a necessity to the leaders of this era; and unfortunately the people look up to their leaders and do likewise. However, if these Crusaders were fighting for “religious factors” then they would recognize that God holds the ultimate power and they are nothing without him. But these power hungry individuals obviously lacked humility...
Since this paper is my reflection, I will be honest by stating that I am nineteen years old, white, a male, and have been raised in a Catholic family just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Now why is this important? This is important because the only viewpoint of the crusades that I have studied, prior to my experience with Maalouf, has been from the Christian point of view. Until now, I have yet to place myself in the shoes of those on the opposite end of the sword, shields, and Jihad. History is a touchy subject for me because I have come to learn there is always another side of the story to learn from. This fact leads to the first main thesis of Maalouf’s adventure.
Erik Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. According to his obituary that appeared in The New York Times, his parents were separated before he was born due to the fact that he was the result of an affair. He never met his birth father. His mother was young when she had him and raised him all by herself. She eventually married physician Dr. Theodor Homberger. For many years Erikson had no idea that Dr. Homberger was not his actual father. When the truth did come out, Erikson was left with confusion about who he really was as an individual. This is what led to his interest in how one’s identity is formed. This interest continued to grow throughout his school experience. He would often get teased at his temple school for not being like the others in terms of ancestry, and because he was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. He was also rejected in grammar school due to his Jewish background. Those negative experiences motivated him even more to figure out how exactly one forms their identity and continued to influence his work the rest of his life (Cherry, 2014).
"So,” begins poem. “The Spear-Danes in days gone by/ and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness./ We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns” (1-3). What follows is a brief history lesson, the story of “Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,/ a ...
The poem The Seafarer which belongs to the sea elegies found in the Exter Book and, can be read as an allegorial voyage poem, such allegories of journeys were richly explored in later religious poems. [L. Sikorska: 2005, p. 25] This work is divided into two parts. In the first one we can notice the story of seafarer who describes hardships of life on the sea, whereas in the second one we can find some christian elements. He approves of honest living and higher values as friendship and love.
Crusading, much like Imperialism in the 20th century, was all about expansion. During the middle ages however, it was more about the expansion of religion rather then power, or at least that’s the way it was preached. Crusading by definition is; “ a holy war authorized by the pope, who proclaimed it in the name of god of Christ. It was believed to be Christ’s own enterprise, legitimized by his personal mandate” (1). This essay examines the background of the crusades to offer a better understanding as to why they occurred. It also examines the effects that the crusades had on the world. It is easy to look at the crusades as a violent meaningless act, but one must understand the type of setting this movement occurred during. This was a time when if you took part in the crusades, you were seen as a warrior of god, recruited by the pope. Any man who fought in the name of god would be rewarded in heaven. Popular belief in the 10th and 11th centuries was that the more you did for god, the less accountable you were for you’re past sins. The more deeds you did, the better your credit in the ‘Treasury of God’ (2). The Treasury of God is a summarization of the good deed outweighing the bad deed principle of the time. Acts of violence in the name of god are far less common in the world today. But, as seen with September 11th, jihad or holy war is still occurring. This essay gives a basic timeline and underlying principles behind the crusading missions. Justification for these acts remains unclear and is simply opinion based.
Luther: Man between God and the Devil. Translated by Eileen Walliser-Schwarzbart. New York: Image Books, Doubleday: 1982.
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell, p.35-36)).
Martin Luther is an educated man and a pious one too; however, his recent attacks on the Catholic church are injurious. He has written a letter to the German princes in hopes of a rebellion or spiritual revolution, if you will, against the you, Your Holiness, and your church. He calls the ruling of the Pope destructive and his teachings false. This man, is a self-proclaimed heretic and he is trying to ally Christians to fight with him. Not only is he a joke, Your Holiness Leo x, but a danger to the power you hold and the word of the Lord.
...es as the universal Church of Western Europe, it had undergone both a loss of positive vitality and a diminishing strength in comparison with new emerging forces.” The Renaissance had caused people to call into question the veracity of Church statements. Slowly, the populace as a whole began to shy away from the Church, believing it to be corrupt. Additionally, the national monarchy would receive lucrative new opportunities, the biggest of which being state control over the Church, if the Reformation occurred. Not wanting to lose their chance at newfound wealth, the territorial princes of Germany made a grab at power. The Catholic Church simply fell apart, not knowing how to maintain its international character and simultaneously deal with threats.