Giovanni Boccaccio

The demise of feudalism has several parts, with the first one being increased food production. Food has been established as a critical element of any society that seeks to advance (Appleby 2011, 51). Food production was allowed to be increased because of the innovation in the harnesses that were used for the horses and the iron plough share (White 1940, 154-155). Under a feudal system, agriculture was a labor intensive industry because the capital was an effective means of substitution. That…

Dante Alighieri (Dante) was born in May 1265. His family had involvement in the Florentine politics. Due to his family’s political duties, Dante was able to meet and befriend many aristocrats such as Guido Cavalcanti, who is later found in Dante’s Inferno. Dante married into the Donati family, yet his true love was a woman named Bice, although he called her Beatrice. Bice, to most scholars, was the daughter of Folco Portinari, a wealthy banker at the time, and later the wife of another banker,…

The Emblem of the Knights The emblem of the Knights of the Round Table worn round the necks of all the Knights was given to them by King Arthur as part of the ceremony of their being made a knight. The Order's dominant idea was the love of God, men, and noble deeds. The cross in the emblem was to remind them that they were to live pure and stainless lives, to strive after perfection and thus attaining the Holy Grail. The Red Dragon of King Arthur represented their allegiance to the King. The…

Cosmopolitan Education: Attainable or simply unrealistic Did you realize that the currency of Indonesia is known as the Rupiah? If not, then perhaps the idea of learning about other countries and cultures is for you. Martha Nussbaum argues in her article Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism that the population should be educated in all things, not just things that happen on American soil. Nussbaum believes in the importance of knowing and understanding other cultures in order truly understand one’s…

COPING WITH THE BLACK DEATH Name Ola Taji Student number: 999188383 “Religion, turned out of doors, will grieve. The treacherous and maleficent fellowship of priests and clergy, imperilled by their own failings, will be destroyed. No one will be given rest, poisoned arrows will strike everyone, fevers will throw down the proud, and incurable disease will strike like lightning” [Gaberial de’Mussis] Coping with the Black Death Our world has faced and coped with many different plagues…

The Black Plague’s Influence on the Fine Arts. The Black Plague was a catastrophe that shook humanity to its core. This disease was one of the most impactful epidemics in human history wiping out approximately one third of Europe’s population between 1347-1350 (Johnston 566). The Black Plague, or known by as its medical name, the Bubonic Plague, was a deadly disease tied to poor sanitation, and was extremely contagious. As explained in The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, “Humans became infected…