Emperor Penguin

Hannibal, originally from Spain and against Carthage led the second Punic War against Rome. His plan to win the battle against Rome in their own territory initially seemed to be working because Rome lost 40,000 members of their army. Determined not to be defeated, the Romans organized another army and gained enough strength to win. In 202 B.C.E. during the Battle of Zama, Hannibal and his army were destroyed which allowed the Romans to further expand their empire. The Ottoman Turks originated…

Introduction Throughout history religion has been an influential factor in the way society and politics have evolved to this day. One of which; Christianity, it has had one of the most noticeable impacts on the world we know today. During the middle ages the Holy Roman Empire which was the embassy for Roman Catholicism was the strongest force of power and politics in the 1400’s . While the church had divine power over Europe it also abused its rule by monetizing faith and spreading it to the…

In actuality, one can predominantly deduce that within the confines of any conflict between nations, lies the failure of international relations. Furthermore, in the late 17th Century, Europe had fashioned itself a tenuous balance of power, as each empire anticipated for the pseudo-armistice to vanish so another attempt for European hegemony (and ultimately) global mastery could begin. Thus, this was the fundamental basis for both the Bourbon Monarchy (France) and the Habsburg Empire (Austria)…

When Martin Luther King said “Against this first wall, we will direct our attack”, he was referring to the Three Walls of Romanists in his Ninety-Five thesis against the Catholic Church, not a physical attack. However, Luther’s thesis would trigger the Protestant Reformation which would come to have violent ramifications all over Europe, which brings us to my thesis. Does religion incite or cause conflict? Both warfare and religion are large and diverse subjects, so this essay will look at…

According to Li Xiu-ying, a bearer of the act of foot binding, “I knew that already because every woman I ever saw had bound feet. Before the Communists came I never even heard of a woman not having bound feet.” Foot binding began in tenth century China and was very popular during the Song and the Qing dynasties. Although it caused many health complications and lifelong disabilities, foot binding became popular by a process of displaying status and also embraced as a symbol of beauty in Chinese…

Pier delle Vigna was inappropriately charged with the attempted murder of Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor and king of Sicily. He was conspired against by envious people who wanted to see an end to his greatness. Once charged, Pier was jailed, beaten, and had his eyes viciously removed from his skull, blinding him. He saw no hope for his future, and therefore ended his life, by bashing his head against the wall until his brain leapt from his cranium. Pier was the victim of political envy, which…

In the mid-1520s, the Peasants ' War in southern Germany rattled both the political and social foundations of central Europe. The German Peasants War was the largest peasant insurrection to take place in European history as well as the most monumental rebellion prior to the French Revolution. There is a key to determining the ties between the Christianity, rebellion, and violence in the Peasants War of 1525. It is to examine the relationship of Martin Luther 's revolt against the papal church…

Boleslaw I of Poland was able to rise in power in the early 1000s due to his father Mieszko I, Christianity, and his military prowess. Boleslaw I became the first king of Poland and was born to Mieszko I, the Duke of Poland, and Dobrava of Bohemia. At the time, Poland was under the Holy Roman Empire’s rule, as were neighboring kingdoms such as Bohemia and Hungary. Boleslaw’s father, Mieszko was part of the governing Piast dynasty, who came to power through a coup against the ruler Popiel in the…

Since the time of John, the Christian view of the apocalypse has changed drastically. From The Book of Revelation casting out the sinners and releasing plagues upon the world, to The Book of Daniel symbolizing the rise of empires that would ultimately wipe out most culture, Christianity has had several ideas of the end of the world. After the death of Jesus, Christianity would really begin to spread again starting around 400CE with the fall of the Roman Empire. Over about a 1000 years span the…

The idea of the ‘Reformation’ can be interpreted in many different ways, and what actually constitutes it can be debated. This essay will focus on the Reformation in what is modern day Germany, with specific reference to Lutheranism. While it would appear obvious that the Reformation was trying to reform religion at its heart, this essay will make the argument that the Reformation was actually part of a wider movement, or change, across the whole of Europe which was not just trying to reform one…