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Did the Little Flowers provide the common man with confidence about his own life beyond the grave? Yes and no. If a common man read Little Flowers he could think two things.

1# “Oh no. I’m not going to Heaven which means I’m doomed in hell and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

2# ” I’m not perfect, so I need a priest to ask me into Heaven. This will save me.”

Both of these options are wrong. You can only go to Heaven be believing that Jesus died for your sins and changing your life skills to ways that please God. 

Some of the key ideas of the Renaissance. According to Wikipedia The Renaissance is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas and achievements of classical antiquity. Five main keys of the renaissance are Classicism, Humanism, Individualism, Secularism, and Scepticism. 

Classicism was the sudden interest of classical art. 

Humanism was the idea the you are the center of you’re universe. 

Individualism is the idea that each individual is capable of great things, and should work to accomplish those things. 

Secularism was the idea that you should have the best time you can while you’re on earth. You can do whatever you want.

Scepticism was the idea that made the Renaissance scientists think about their experiments. 

In what ways does Petrarch embody the spirit of the Renaissance? According to Lumen, “Petrarch’s rediscovery of Cicero’s letters is often credited for initiating the 14th-century Renaissance. Petrarch is often considered the founder of Humanism. Petrarch’s sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry.”

If you had been listening to the stories in Little Flowers in 1300, what would you have concluded from them is the way to gain eternal life? The author of this story is unknown, but many believe it to have been written by Father Ugolino da Santa Maria. According to Wikipedia, “Most scholars are now agreed that Ugolino was the author of the Fioretti, or Little Flowers of St. Francis, in their original form. Ugolino was probably one of several collectors of traditions in the Marches. The Fioretti appears to have been written sometime between 1322 and 1328.” The book has 53 small chapters and it was based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The author of this book made it clear that if you wanted to have everlasting life in Heaven then you would need to live your life in complete poverty. Poverty means that your really poor. You wouldn’t have a house, a job, or money. You would have to do this your whole life if you wanted to get into Heaven. This is not true. The only way to make it to Heaven is to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins. Many people think that good deeds do this, but they don’t. Other people think that you need to believe in God, but you don’t need to change your life. You need to Believe in God and change your life skill to ways that are pleasing to God. 

If you had been listening to the stories in Little Flowers in 1300, what would you have concluded from them is the way to gain eternal life? I probably would have concluded that St. Francis was right. 

Who was John Wyclif? John Wyclif can be spelled multiple ways like Wycliff, Wicliffe, or Wiclif. According to Britannica John Wyclif was an “English theologian, philosopher, church reformer, and promoter of the first complete translation of the Bible into English.” 

What was the Great Western Schism, and how was it resolved? The Great Western Schism was a confusion in the Roman catholic church. The problem was three men claimed to be the pope. It was resolved when the counsel degraded the popes and made the real one. 

Do you think the typical listener to a recitation of the Song of Roland would have spotted the discrepancies? Basically in this story Charlemagne receives gifts from the Muslim King, which is a trap. So Roland sends his stepdad ,Ganelon, to negotiate with the Muslims. Ganelon becomes so mad because of this that he swears to get revenge on the French, so he betrayed them.  Ganelon returns to Charlemagne and lies to him. Ganelon leads Charlemagne’s men to war. Roland and his best friend Oliver are two of these men. Oliver sees Muslims coming so he tries to convince Roland that his dad betrayed them. Roland does not believe him until the end of the first battle then agrees. Oliver then pleads with Roland to blow his trumpet for reinforcements, but he refuses this three times. Roland doesn’t blow his trumpet because he believes that honor is more important that winning. Oliver believes that winning is more important than honor. So when the second wave of Muslims came Roland finally blows his trumpet. Both of them die, but Charlemagne hears the trumpet and comes to the rescue. 

According to Wikipedia “The Song of Roland  is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on ]the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux in AD 778, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne.” According to Cornell College, “Olivier: Roland’s best friend, comrade, and the brother of Aude. He is also referred to as Oliver.” According to Cornell College “Roland: Charlemagne’s nephew and leader of the French army’s rear guard.” This poem twisted the historical event of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778. In the poem there was an invasion of Spain by the ruler Charlemagne to help a set of Muslims to defeat another set of Muslims. Even though this poem twisted the real event in so many ways to the point it made no sense, the Europeans still liked it. 

According to Google recitation is “the action of repeating something aloud from memory.” According to Google discrepancies means “a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts.” Do you think the typical listener to a recitation of the Song of Roland would have spotted the discrepancies? Yes. There are a few discrepancies and some of them are obvious. For example the troops. At first Charlemagne had 140,000 troops. After he fought with the Muslims he lost 20,000 troops. Later he had 335,000 troops. 

The effects on Europe of the Black Death. According to History, “The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.” The black death was most likely brought to Europe from rat hitchhikers aboard traders ships. The black death affected Europe in many ways like there were many deaths, trade was horrible, and wars were pauses in that area. The black death is still here today, but it’s not as fatal. 

The differences between Oliver’s view of military goals vs. Roland’s. According to Wikipedia “The Song of Roland  is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on ]the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux in AD 778, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne.” According to Cornell College, “Olivier: Roland’s best friend, comrade, and the brother of Aude. He is also referred to as Oliver.” According to Cornell College “Roland: Charlemagne’s nephew and leader of the French army’s rear guard.” This poem twisted the historical event of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778. In the poem there was an invasion of Spain by the ruler Charlemagne to help a set of Muslims to defeat another set of Muslims. Even though this poem twisted the real event in so many ways to the point it made no sense, the Europeans still liked it. 

Basically in this story Charlemagne receives gifts from the Muslim King, which is a trap. So Roland sends his stepdad ,Ganelon, to negotiate with the Muslims. Ganelon becomes so mad because of this that he swears to get revenge on the French, so he betrayed them.  Ganelon returns to Charlemagne and lies to him. Ganelon leads Charlemagne’s men to war. Roland and his best friend Oliver are two of these men. Oliver sees Muslims coming so he tries to convince Roland that his dad betrayed them. Roland does not believe him until the end of the first battle then agrees. Oliver then pleads with Roland to blow his trumpet for reinforcements, but he refuses this three times. Roland doesn’t blow his trumpet because he believes that honor is more important that winning. Oliver believes that winning is more important than honor. So when the second wave of Muslims came Roland finally blows his trumpet. Both of them die, but Charlemagne hears the trumpet and comes to the rescue. 

Describe the differences between Oliver’s view of military goals vs. Roland’s. Oliver’s opinion was definitely better because he wanted backup which might have saved their lives. Roland just wanted honor when he died. 

 The reasons behind the conflicts between the emperors and the popes during the period of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire lasted about ten decades, from the year 800 to the year 1806. Well probably the biggest conflict was who could appoint bishops. The emperors thought that they could appoint bishops because they were in charge, but the bishops said that they couldn’t. 

Did the literature of Early Medieval Hymns encourage Christians to exercise political leadership? According to Wikipedia, “Medieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries.” Back then music was important and hymns were some common music. Many hymns were focuses on God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, Mary, and John the Baptist. In the past week my teacher has been reading me hymns. One of these is called “Hymn to the Archangel Michael”.

Thee the Father’s power and splendor,
Jesus, thee we praise in song,
Bless thy name, O Shepherd tender,
Joining with the angel throng.

‘Mid the myriad host before thee,
Ranged along the radiant sky,
Michael holds the cross of glory,
Our salvation’s hope, on high.

By that sign he drives in terror
Satan and his godless powers,
All the rebel ranks of error,
Headlong from the heavenly towers.

Blessed Michael, be our leader,
In our war on sin and pride;
Be with Christ our interceder,
That the crown be not denied.

Glory to the Father ever,
Glory to the sole-born Son,
Glory to the Spirit; never
Cease the song while ages run.

Another one is “Hymn for the Apostles”.

Let all the world exult in song,
Let praises through the heavens ring,
Let earth and skies the hymn prolong,
The great apostles’ glory sing.

Ye judges of the centuries,
And beacons of the world, we dare
Appeal to you on bended knees,
Oh, heed and hear our suppliant prayer.

O ye, whose word may close or ope
The sacred temple of the Lord,
Restore our souls with heavenly hope,
And break the chain of sin abhorred.

Both life and death your will obey,
At your command all evils fly;
From our frail hearts take guilt away,
And frame our lives with love on high.

So when at last the Christ shall come
To judge the world, our deeds may be
Worthy to make his heaven our home,
Co-heirs with you eternally.

Unto the Father glory be,
And equal glory to the Son,
The same, O Paraclete to thee,
One God, while endless ages run.

Did the literature of Early Medieval Hymns encourage Christians to exercise political leadership? Well the answer is no, because the hymns had nothing to do with politics. They were about praising different people. 

The significance of the rise of the medieval towns.  The rise of the medieval towns was significant for multiple reasons. One of them was the people were annoyed that the government never got anything done, so they made their own government. Also some of the traders started to live in the towns. 

Major innovations of the Gothic cathedral. According to anthenapub.com, “The two main structural innovations of Gothic architecture were pointed arches and ogival or  (Bony 1983).” According to Wikipedia “A pointed arch is an arch with a pointed crown, whose two curving sides meet at a relatively sharp angle at the top of the arch.” According to Wikipedia ““A ribbed vault is an arched form created by the intersection of two or three barrel vaults used to support the weight of walls or a ceiling or roof.“