Antiochus IV Epiphanes

A new era in world history can usually be marked by some event that causes great social or political upheaval. In England between 1455 and 1487, a dynastic power struggle between two houses of the Plantagenet royal family marks the beginning of the English early modern period. This contention for the throne was known as the Wars of the Roses, and was a large factor in the end of feudalism in England. While most other major powers in Europe had already begun the transition into modernity, England…

This chronicle of the third crusade is controversial, despite its accuracy and the many details it contains. There is indeed a dispute over who wrote it and when. Nonetheless, the depiction of Richard I in the text is absolutely laudatory. Richard is presented as the perfect knight, from the most noble birth, with a perfect complexion, outstanding military skills and a genuine piety. Next to this model of perfection, the French king, Philip II, is almost invisible. This chronicle is thus an…

reader a sign of immaturity within Henry. Henry seen as immature has a negative affect on how he is viewed as a leader. If Henry’s people, see him as immature it can lead to suspicions he has not grown out of his old ways. (His old ways being in “Henry IV”, where henry is seen often drunk, sleeping around, along with being a theft and a liar). Shakespeare strategically uses Henry consistent need to assign blame as a symbol for immaturity. Henry not being full mature gives an impression to the…

Man's Folly Shakespeare keenly describes the paradigm of English rule during the middle ages up to the renaissance. John of Gaunt describes England as a garden, this I believe was a statement that was directed toward the monarchy and the current "status" of the king, having soiled the kingship of many kings before him. The great folly of man has always been him seeing himself as "God" on earth, and thusly acting in the, "interest of God", when in reality he is justifying his own gain by…

This war was the first between these two countries that has happened throughout history. This war was one that would help shape the history of Europe. This war as the name entails was a war that lasted near a hundred years between England and France. The war was the start of a revolution in where the combat superiority of the knight was beginning to give way to infantry Since this war was one that took over the course of such a long period of time it is impossible to see how the two countries…

One of most drawn out themes underlying Shakespeare’s second tetralogy is the idea of authenticity; who is authentic, who is not, what is means to be authentic. On the flip side is the opposite notion—the idea of a counterfeit, an inauthentic imitation, sometimes able to fool, sometimes not. However, Shakespeare’s second tetralogy seems to blur this supposed line between what is authentic and what is counterfeit, and in doing so reveals not simply what makes an “authentic” king, but also how…

The Tudor Dynasty reigned over England after the War of the Roses, a bloody succession crisis ending with Henry VII, the first Tudor, becoming King of England. The Tudors reigned from 1485 to 1603, and despite their long reign the time in English History was rife with dramatic change and disorder that shaped the British Isles for centuries to come, with no small part owed to the Tudors. However, the Tudors reign or socio-economic causes for change and subsequent disorder must be evaluated. For…

Before Henry VII of England came into power, England was coming out of a fragmented feudal society and was in need of a strong ruler and government system. Rule was shifting from an oligarchy of nobles to a monarchy hungry for power and successors. The church was steadily losing its power as everything became increasingly more secular. As the church lost power rulers such as Henry were gaining. There was a need to sustain and increase this power. Niccoló Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513…

Kloss asserts that Diego Velázquez was “one of the greatest painters in a European century”. Perhaps the most famous painting by Velazquez is his Maids of Honor, Las Meninas, painted about 1656. It has the distinction of being probably the first painting in which a living King and a painter at work are seen together in a studio” (L36, 20:11). The subject is multifaceted; the painting is entitled Maids of Honor, referring to the princess’ maids who are attending to her, but are not the focus…

I think Velazquez was trying to portray a beautiful young girl and her hardworking maids. In the picture Velazquez was trying to portray royalty at it’s finest. A king who would only settle for the best for his daughter. She is waited on hand and foot by her hardworking maids and caretakers. This painting also shows how Velazquez wanted to emphasize how fragile this young girl was. This painting seemed to scream vulnerability. This girl looks no older than eight years old and looks like she…