The Middle Ages: The Crusades

The Middle Ages – The Crusades
By Madison Nef
The Crusades were a series of religious wars during the Middle Ages where the Christians of Europe tried to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims.
Jerusalem was an important religious capital for many religions during the Middle Ages. It was important to Jewish people as it was the site of the original temple to God built by King Solomon; it was important to the Muslims because it was where they believe Muhammad ascended to heaven; and it was important to Christians as it is where Christ was crucified and rose again.

Therefore, the Crusades were between the armies of the Europe, mostly the Holy Roman Empire, and the Arabs that had control of Jerusalem. In the first Crusade, the Seljuk Turks had control of Jerusalem. There were roughly 30,000 soldiers from Europe who fought in the first Crusade- and not just professional soldiers. Everyone came out to fight, from royal knights all the way down to peasants and commoners. Many saw the army as a way to earn money while trying their hand at fighting, and others saw it as a righteous way into heaven.

This first Crusade between the Turks and the Europeans was the start to 200 years more of many religious wars and Crusades, with many more occurring in the years that followed. The Byzantine Emperor of the time, Alexius I, called for help from the Pope himself to help him defend his empire from the invading Turks and help to drive them out of the Holy Land. The Pope actually managed to give a good-sized army to Alexius, mainly with the help of the Roman Empire.

Starting in 1095, the Crusades continued for over 200 years (as mentioned above)…
• The First Crusade (1095-1099): The First Crusade was extremely successful- in fact, the most successful Crusade of them all. The European armies were able to drive the Turks out of Jerusalem and reclaim it.
• The Second Crusade (1147-1149): In 1146 the city of Edessa was conquered by the Turks (again), though the fighting didn’t start until the following year, after the Turks killed the whole population and sold many of the women and children as slaves. When the second Crusade WAS finally launched, it was really too late for redemption and it failed miserably.
• The Third Crusade (1187-1192): In the year 1187 Saladin was the ruler (or sultan) of Egypt. He recaptured Jerusalem from the Christians, causing a third Crusade. This war was started by the then-kings of France and England and the current Emperor of Germany. Richard the Lionheart (King of England) fought Saladin for several long years, but was un-triumphant in the end.  He did, however, win the rights for pilgrims to visit the Holy Land once again.
• The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204): The Fourth Crusade was started by Pope Innocent III, who hoped to reclaim the Jerusalem from the Egyptians. Unfortunately, the army of crusaders got overly greedy and instead of following the original plan, they sacked and conquered Constantinople, which had been left undefended, instead.
• Children's Crusade (1212): This Crusade began with two children, a French child by the name of Stephen of Cloyes and a German child named Nicholas, led thousands of young children toward the Holy Land… in a demented band of crusaders. The children never made it to Jerusalem, and many were never seen again… two popular theories, each equally horrifying, are that the children died of natural causes OR that they were captured and sold into slavery. This Crusade is thought to have been what inspired the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
• Crusades Five-Nine (1217 - 1272): Over the next several decades, 5 more Crusades took place… None, however, were very important and all were unsuccessful at reclaiming Jerusalem.
In my opinion? The Crusades were a disgusting and un-necessary waste of good human life and talent… as are all wars. If Jerusalem was so important to so many different religions, then why couldn’t they all visit it in peace and harmony? It wouldn’t have been that hard; especially since each religion had a different belief system… and it would have saved so many lives.
What is your opinion on the Crusades? Let me know in the comments OR in a reply email.
Maddie

Feudalism in the Middle Ages

Feudalism in The Middle Ages

By Madison Nef

The basic government and society in Europe during the middle ages was based around something call the feudal system. This system worked like this: Small communities were formed around the local lord and his manor in which he lived. The lord owned the land that the community lived on and everything in it, including his manor. He would keep the community (typically made up of peasants) safe in return for their services. The lord, in return, would provide the king with soldiers and often times, taxes.

Service for Land
Under the feudal system, land was granted to the people of the community for services. It started at the top with the king granting his land to a baron for soldiers, all the way down to peasants being given land in which to grow crops. Any land granted had to benefit the community in one way or another.

The Manor
The center of life in these communities in the Middle Ages was the manor. The manor was run by the local lord. This lord often lived in a large house or castle, where people in the community would gather for celebrations OR for protection if the community was attacked. A small village would often be built around the castle which would include the local church and some stores. Farms would then spread out from the outskirts of this town which would be worked by the peasants.

Chain of command in the Middle Ages

King – The main ruler in a land was the king. The king could not control all of the land he possessed by himself, so he divided it up among different Barons. In return, the Barons had to pledge their loyalty AND all of their soldiers to the king. Not a bad deal, if you think about it… all that land and you still pretty much get to do whatever you want. When a king died, his firstborn son would inherit the throne. When one family stayed in power for a long time, this was called a dynasty. The kings believed that they had been given the right to rule by God. This was called “divine right”. All Barons AND their Lords under the king had to swear their fealty to him and him alone.

Bishop - The Bishop was the top church leader in the kingdom and managed an area called a diocese. The Catholic Church was extremely powerful in most parts of Medieval Europe and this made the Bishop very powerful as well. Not only that, but the church received a payment of 10 percent from all people living in communities under the king- making some Bishops extremely rich.

Baron – The Barons ruled large areas of land called fiefs. They reported directly to the king and were very powerful- almost as powerful as the kind himself due to how much control they possessed. They divided up their land among Lords who ran individual manors and communities for them. Their job was to maintain an army that would always be at the king’s disposal, should the kingdom be attacked. If these Barons had no army, they would have to pay the king a tax instead. This tax was called shield money.

Lord - The lords ran the local manors. They also were the knights and could be called into battle at any moment by their Baron. The lords owned everything on their land including the peasants, crops, and village. These lords also controlled the fief and manor, AND had the right to decide punishments in court orders.

Peasants or Serfs
Most of the people living in the Middle Ages were peasants. They had an extremely difficult and rough life. A small fraction of these peasants were considered free, and could open and run their own businesses within communities. Some such examples are carpenters, bakers, and blacksmiths. However, many peasants weren’t so fortunate and were treated like slaves. They owned nothing and were pledged to their local lord. They worked long days, 6 days a week, and often barely had enough food to survive. 90% of people living in communities were peasants- and many of these slaves worked extremely hard and died young. In these times, it was considered lucky if you lived to be older than 30.

Wow. After learning all of this… I can soundly say that I am glad I didn’t live in this time period! For one, no internet or electricity… but the system of how things were run seems like it was royally MESSED UP. I’m glad to be living in the time period I am. I hope you learned something from this… and if you’re one of those people who says “Oh I wish I could have lived back then”… I hope you have been awakened to the harsh reality of what life was REALLY like.

Maddie

My Manifesto

My Manifesto

By Madison Nef

A manifesto is essentially a list of rules that each person follows in their own life… whether you are conscious of yours or not, everyone has one. Here is mine.

Maddie’s Manifesto

1). Laugh and laugh often. I think that laughing is an important part of life. As children, we laugh about 1000 times a day on average… and as we get older, our “laugh count” decreases. I love to laugh and to make others laugh and hope to never lose this aspect of myself.

2). Treat others as equals until they give you a reason to treat them as anything more or anything less. Everyone should be treated with the same amount of kindness and respect unless they do something to you that proves they shouldn’t be given the average amount.

3). Enjoy the little things. Little joys in life are too often taken for granted. Small things, like taking time to notice nature or enjoying a walk on your own can make a big difference if you’re having a bad day- always take time to smell the roses.

4). Smile. Simple as it is- smile! It releases dopamine into the brain every time you smile, triggering your mind to think and be happier.

5). Be yourself. Always be who YOU are, not what someone wants you to be. Don’t fake it for anyone- if someone can’t take you as you are, they aren’t a good friend or companion to keep around.

6). Don’t change for anyone. This ties into my 5^th rule- if someone wants you to change for them, that isn’t good. Unless this change can and will benefit you mentally or physically, or if you’re just being a real moron… okay, correction. IF someone tries to force you to be more like them… don’t trust them and don’t change who you really are for anyone.

7). Peace over power. Never initiate fights, both verbal and physical. Keep at peace with someone. However, if someone attacks you in either way… rip them to shreds. You shouldn’t take that bull from anyone.

8). Let your feelings be known. If you love someone, let them know. Never mask your true feelings from anyone… never be fake. If you don’t like someone, don’t associate with them. It’s as simple as that. If you love someone, tell them. You never know what day will be your last… or someone else’s for that matter.

9). Take time for yourself. Give yourself at least 30 minutes of down-time each day. This means no communication with ANYONE- just drop off the face of the earth for a bit. Turn of any and all electronics and go do something- hike, sleep, read that book, or maybe even cook and clean. Do something that YOU find relaxing.

10). Love yourself. This is my last rule of life and to me, it is the most important one. Before you expect others to love you, you must first learn to love yourself. Accept yourself for who you are- flaws and imperfections included. NOBODY is perfect, and everyone is going through life in the same confused way as the rest of us. Love your body and mind and don’t let ANYONE’S negativity delude you. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Well… those are my rules for life. Hopefully, you can take them and apply them to your own life! Leave me YOUR manifesto in the comments below, or email me a reply.

Maddie

The Art of Worldly Wisdom

The Art Of Worldly Wisdom

By Madison Nef

Over the past 2 days, I read a wonderful and very inspiring book given to me by my Dad. It is not only one of his favorite books, but now- also one of mine. It’s called ‘The Art of Worldly Wisdom’, and it was written by a man named Baltasar Gracian. The book is essentially a wide-spread collection of life lessons: very, very powerful life lessons.

While there are countless things to be learned from this amazing book, I wouldn’t be able to fit them all into this simple 2-page paper, so I just want to touch on some of the lessons that really struck me and that I’d like to apply to my life.

#140 – Find the good in a thing at once.
This is the advantage of good taste. The bee goes to the honey for her comb, the serpent to the gall for its venom. So with taste- some seek the good, others the ill. There is nothing that has no good in it, especially in books, as giving food for thought. But many have such a scent that amid a thousand excellences they fix upon a single defect, and single it out for blame as if they were scavengers of people’s hearts and minds. So they draw up a balance sheet of defects, which does more credit to their bad taste than to their intelligence. They lead a sad life, nourishing themselves on bitters and fattening on garbage. They have the luckier taste who amid a thousand defects seize upon a single beauty they may have hit upon by chance.

I think this lesson is one that everyone in the world needs to learn at one point or another. As children, we are often very happy about small and care-free things, and quite oblivious to the negativity going on in the world around us. At one point or another, however, reality gives us a cruel slap in the face and makes us aware to everything- mainly, negativity. As negativity seeps into our lives, we tend to forget about the small joys we once loved and cheered about; taking these as insignificant compared to the trauma we now can see.

Just because we recognize something for what it is does NOT mean we need to disregard small and simple little joys. Gracian is very correct in saying that there is happiness to be found in everything- even something that at the time can seem appalling and sorrowful. My mother’s death is an excellent example of this. At the time of her death, my family was struggling to pay bills and keep a steady flow of money coming in- and since my parents were divorced, alimony checks were draining what little money we had left (due to the divorce and the division of profits and money).

When my mom died, we found a lot of money that we had never known about- enough to keep us going long enough for my Dad to get a solid job and figure everything out. It was a horrible experience for our whole family, her death- but looking back in hindsight, we may not have been able to survive without the extra money. In fact, we almost certainly would have lost our house under the crippling expense of my mom’s medical bills- which thankfully disappeared after her death due to a malfunction in the hospital she was in.

As one of my favorite quotes says- “Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain- but you can’t have a rainbow, without a little rain.”

#147 – Do not be inaccessible.
None is so perfect that he does not need at times the advice of others. He is an in-corrigible ass who will never listen to any one. Even the most surpassing intellect should find a place for friendly counsel. Sovereignty itself must learn to learn. There are some that are incorrigible simply because they are inaccessible: they fall to ruin because none dares to extricate them. The highest should have the door open for friendship; it may prove the gate of help. A friend must be free to advise, and even to upbraid, without feeling embarrassed. Our satisfaction in him and our trust in his steadfast faith give him that power. One need not pay respect or give credit to everyone, but in the innermost of his precaution man has a true mirror of a confidant to whom he owes the correction of his errors, and has to thank for it.

I think that this too is a lesson everyone should learn- and early on in life, too. I will admit, I have trouble abiding by this lesson myself- I am too often headstrong and not looking for the advice of others. However, it is just a matter of pride I think; the thought of not being right is to some extent terrifying. When you put up an argument about something only to realize halfway through that the person you are debating against is correct, and that you’re just being irrational, it can be embarrassing admitting your defeat after such fighting and pressing your opinion.

This is why we should learn to look at things from another’s point of view, and to LISTEN to people if they offer us advice. Anyone who is willing to teach you, you should learn from… and you should also learn to not be afraid to ask for help. My issue lies in the fact that I want to be seen as being able to remember everything, know everything and be able to do things independently- but sometimes, I WILL need help. A great example of this is in karate- I’m very stubborn and I fight like a southpaw, DESPITE my teacher, who has done karate his entire life, telling me not to.

I am just adamant that my own technique will work, and so I completely disregard centuries of fighting technique. That will be stopping… after reading this book, I have learned my lesson and I am going to be more open to help and advice from others. If my dad wants to teach me something or give me a certain book to read? I will read it without question…. Because I struggled and put up a fight about reading this book, and look what I could’ve missed. I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I think it is an excellent read and that a lot is to be learned from it. Take my  advice now, and give it a shot.

Maddie

Chipmunks

All About Chipmunks

By Madison Nef

Chipmunks are a type of ground squirrel. There are 25 species of chipmunks- 24 of them originate from North America, and the remaining one from Asia. Chipmunks live in deciduous forests, woodlands, shrubs and in gardens. They are considered to be pests and nuisances to farmers, as they dig burrows in the ground, eat crops and ruin farmland.

Chipmunks are threatened by habitat loss due to trees being cut down all over to make way for housing, factories and many other public structures. Palmer's chipmunk is on the list of vulnerable species, with a high risk of becoming endangered in the near future.

Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family. The smallest species has 1.1 to 1.8 ounces of weight and reaches 7.2 to 8.5 inches in length, while the largest species can reach 4.4 ounces of weight and 11 inches in length. They are covered with red or grayish-brown fur with light and dark stripes on their back, sides and head. Their defining features are their long fluffy tails, which can reach anywhere from 3-5 inches in length depending on the breed of chipmunk.

Unlike other squirrels, chipmunks live mainly in the underground burrows. These burrows can be up to 30 feet long and 3 feet wide. All burrows are divided in several sections: nursery, food storing chamber and a resting area. The burrows are always tidy, as chipmunks are orderly animals, and the entrance to these burrows are always well hidden under stumps, leaves, and other wildlife. Chipmunks spend the coldest parts of the year in these burrows, eating from their stores of food. They only leave if they have to.

Because of their tiny size, chipmunks have a lot of predators. Some such predators include hawks, owls, weasels, bobcats, raccoons and coyotes. Chipmunks themselves are omnivores, eating both animal and plant based food. Often they will eat seeds, nuts, berries, fruit and fungi; but they will also eat insects, frogs and eggs. Plant-based food is their normal choice, however.

Chipmunks are solitary creatures that spend majority of time in collecting and storing the food for the upcoming winter. They use their large cheek pouches to collect, transport and store food in their burrows. These pouches can increase to 3 times larger than the chipmunk’s head, providing a lot of storage space. One chipmunk alone can collect up to 8 pounds of food per year by scavenging in the warmer months.

Chipmunks are also very territorial animals. They require territory of up to ½ acre to live and hunt comfortably. In the case of intruders, chipmunks will fiercely defend territory around their burrows- mainly because collecting food is hard and they barely get enough to make it through winter to begin with. Losing food AND  a home to a predator would be a shame.

They are very vocal animals. They produce bird-like noises that can be heard in the case of near danger and during the mating season, when female wants to attract males. The chipmunk’s mating season lasts from February to April. Females attract males using their mating call (as mentioned above) and can give birth to anywhere from 2 to 6 babies. At birth, baby chipmunks are the size of bumblebees. They are blind, completely stripped of fur and dependent on the care of their parents.

Both parents take care of the babies. Young chipmunks mature quickly and are almost fully grown and ready to leave the burrow at the age of 6 weeks. While they can scavenge, make homes and essentially fend for themselves at this young age, they do not reach their reproductive age until they are one year old. In the wild, a chipmunk usually only lives for about 2-3 years. 

Poetry Analysis

Whirlpool

My mind is becoming a whirlpool,

My emotions spinning round and round,

Logic becoming unimportant,

Memories lost and found.

Deeper I find myself going,

I’m beginning to lose control,

The water beneath is drowning me,

I’m struggling to save my soul.

The current is keeping tight hold of me,

It’s pulling me down where I don’t want to go,

I’m trying to swim, but it’s hurting me,

I’ll stay in the confusion even so.

My head is just above the water,

I’m fighting and inside I’m so sore,

It’s so cold, the waves are cutting me,

But still I go back under for more.

I know that voices are calling me,

But under water how could I hear,

My heart is saving me from hatred,

My strength is saving me from fear.

Within me  I am crying,

I’m scared that you don’t know,

Can’t let go, I’m drowning,

The words would hurt me even more.

The poem I chose to analyze was one that my mom wrote, titled ‘Whirlpool’. Right after reading it, I am going to automatically say that the poem is about depression. Here are my reasons:

Depression is often described as a drowning feeling- drowning in your own sadness and emotions while no one else can see you. “What is depression like?” “It’s like drowning, and being able to see everyone else breathing.” So why a whirlpool? When you get depressed, most times you feel confused and very misunderstood. Confusion can also be the CAUSE of the depression itself. If we are still relating to water, then a whirlpool is a very good representative of this.

Stanza 1

Simply the beginning of the poem describing what your mind literally feels like when you are depressed. Logic DOES become unimportant because you get so stressed out that you don’t think things through. Memories do trigger depression, and if you remember something while you are depressed, it makes things considerably worse depending on the memory.

Stanza 2-3

If you can’t pull yourself out of depression quickly, it does kind of control you and how you act towards others. You tend to be more cranky and distant. The water represents the depression- the drowning sensation, as I explained above, is how you feel. Suicidal thoughts sometimes follow depression- so if my mom ever reached that point, she may have literally been struggling to save herself.

Depression will drag you down and isolate you from those you love, because you are far more withdrawn, trying often times to hide your sadness. No one WANTS to be depressed, it’s just a mental disorder that some have no control over.

Stanza 4

When you fight depression, you can “surface” a few times and think you are out of the water before another wave hits and you’re “back under” again. You do get tired easily when fighting depression, and often times you’ll end up shutting down. However, since depression can’t be controlled, you have no choice but to get dragged back down along with your feelings and emotions.

Stanza 5-6

“Voices calling” could be a reference to friends and family reaching out to her to try to help her. Often times, you will ignore everyone around you when you are depressed because you feel that they don’t understand and also don’t want to burden them with your problems as well. Therefore, you must rely on saving yourself. In the end, this results in hidden emotions… and as the poem ends with drowning, it closes out on not wanting to be comforted because almost anything can trigger someone who is already depressed.

Emily Bronte Poetry Analysis

Often rebuked, yet always back returning
To those first feelings that were born with me,
And leaving busy chase of wealth and learning
For idle dreams of things which cannot be:

To-day, I will seek not the shadowy region;
Its unsustaining vastness waxes drear;
And visions rising, legion after legion,
Bring the unreal world too strangely near.

I'll walk, but not in old heroic traces,
And not in paths of high morality,
And not among the half-distinguished faces,
The clouded forms of long-past history.

I'll walk where my own nature would be leading:
It vexes me to choose another guide:
Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding;
Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side

What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?
More glory and more grief than I can tell:
The earth that wakes one human heart to feeling
Can centre both the worlds of Heaven and Hell.

The poem above is titled “Often rebuked, yet always back returning” and it was written by Emily Bronte. Many critics call it her finest poem… I’d like to share my thoughts about it.

The first stanza I think is about how Bronte has an urge to let go of her fame as an author and go back to much smaller, simpler goals… maybe dreams she once had before discovering her affinity for writing. “Often rebuked, yet always back returning” means she often is criticized for her other dreams, but always goes back to them regardless.

The second stanza is her searching for happiness. “Today, I will seek not the shadowy region” could be her way of saying that she isn’t going to look for the negativity in things… instead; she’s going to be much more positive. “Unsustaining vastness” could be a reference to how sadness and grumpiness are so easy to fall into, and so hard to get out of. Also, when you are down, things DO seem like they are never enough and you lose hope in just about everything.

The third stanza is her way of saying that she wants to be different in whatever she does- not like everyone else who has gone before her. She wants to leave her own mark on history, not just follow along in the path set by another. To incorporate the words of another famous poet- she wants to “take the path less traveled by”.

Stanzas four and five are still talking about being free, and walking her own path in life- not letting others define her or who she is or tell her how to live her life.

I think that all in all, the poem is about her trying to break free from depression and sadness that were taking over her life. I feel that she wasn’t happy with the way her life was headed, and she wanted to be free and live her own life HAPPILY regardless of what other thought. The poem is very powerful… I can see why critics called it her best poem.

About Smedley Butler

 About Smedley Butler
By Madison Nef
Smedley Butler was born July 30, 1881, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the eldest of three sons. His parents, Thomas and Maud Butler, were descended from local Quaker families. His father was a lawyer, a judge and a Congressman and chair of the House Naval Affairs Committee during the Harding and Coolidge administrations.
After being raised by Quaker parents, when Butler dropped out of highschool at 17 to join the marines, it was a large defiance to his culture AND to his family. He served in Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Haiti-e arning his Medals of Honor in Mexico and Haiti. Butler was known for his leadership and commitment to the welfare of the men under his command. He rose quickly through the ranks to become, at age 48, one of the youngest major generals of his time.
At the time of his death, he was actually the most decorated Marine in US history and he was the only person to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor for two separate military actions. He had also become an unrelenting voice against the business of war… being well known for his book ‘War is a Racket’, his opinions about warfare and how it was influenced on an industrial level.
Prior to World War II, Butler spoke out against what he saw as admiration for Fascism and for Italy´s leader Benito Mussolini. He was punished for telling an unfavorable story about Mussolini, but avoided court-martial by accepting a reprimand. Because of his rank already, he was able to write his own reprimand and completely dodged the bullet, never apologizing to Mussolini.
Butler retired from the military in 1931. By then, he had begun to question US involvement in foreign conflicts. He had come to believe that war, particularly WWI, was really a profitable business for many industries at the expense of thousands of lives. He thought of himself as a cog in the imperialist war machine, and so he left despite being a highly respected and ranked general.
In his book, War is a Racket, Butler wrote, “In the World War a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War….How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle?....The general public shoulders the bill. And what is this bill? …Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds…For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.”
War is a Racket grew out of a series of speeches Butler gave to whatever group wanted to hear his views. Though he faced criticism, Butler was steadfast in his beliefs about war, US imperialism, and a growing Pro-Fascist movement. He spoke frankly and honestly about his experiences and opinions, and was very popular with the American public.
In 1934, Butler went before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to expose a conspiracy against the government. He had been recruited by a group of wealthy Pro-Fascists who had hoped to use him in a plan to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He went along, gathering intelligence about the plot, and took it to Congress. However, many people lied about what they knew, leading to Butler’s assertions not being investigated properly. The matter ended up being largely dismissed… even though an internal report to Congress from HUAC confirmed the likelihood of the plot being real.
Smedley Butler died in 1940…  but his presence is still very much alive. The Boston, Massachusetts chapter of Veterans For Peace is named the “Smedley D. Butler Brigade”, and he is featured in the documentary The Corporation. It’s sad to say that not very many people know about Butler, as his story is not one taught in schools… but it is well worth knowing.

Maddie