Final Project #3

It is hard to imagine what Simon of Montfort thought about the Cathar Wars. He must have encountered many problems when it came to things simply as supplying his army. Supplying soldiers was much more difficult during the Middle Ages than it is now. There was no modern machinery back then to make supply the army fast an efficient. Also, organization would have been much more difficult without modern electronics to virtually store all of the necessary information. Finding out how much you had to pay each individual person, who leaves the army when and all these other small things which aren't too difficult for us to do today would have been extremely difficult to do back then. The most important part of General Montfort's job would have been to successfully lead his troops in battle. Attacking such fortresses such as Carcassone would have been very difficult. He would have to know exactly how to position his troops, where the weak points of the enemy defenses are, and how he could best exploit their weaknesses. He must have been an extremely intelligent person and very good with people in order to really a force such as this. His success as a general can probably be attributed to these things as his background. He also must have had really strong feelings against the Cathars. As we could see as we traveled around France, there had but a huge outcry against the Cathars during this time period. His feelings must have been very anti-Cathar, as he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of them. It also must have been difficult for Montfort to tear about southern France, especially when so much of it was inhabited by law-abiding Christians. Nonetheless, he probably also recognized that this was necessary because it was God's will, he believed, for him to destroy the heretics that were the Cathars.

Final Project #2

I felt most connected to Medieval France in Carcassone. I felt the connection largely because of the architecture of the city. The city seems to be a Medieval town in the modern world. It seems to have been untouched by time. They were so many cool Medieval shops, and there were old historic buildings. The fort was very cool as was the church. In class, we had to read a lot about the the Cathar Wars(also known as the Albigensian Crusade. We learned about how the Christian troops would storm the fortresses of the Cathars, how they would root out the heretics and how the battles were fought. With the great, beautiful walls of Carcassone, I could visualize the battle in my head, as there was a battle fought there as there were in many other locations in southern France. In my head I saw the soldiers climbing over the ancient walls, and troops fighting in hand to hand combat. I could only imagine the horrible slaughter that came from fighting such battles, with so many troops fighting so strongly for what they so fervently believed in. In addition to this, there was an old church in the city. I could imagine a massive service there during the Middle Ages, when Carcassone was a Cathar stronghold. The cathedral, like everything else in the great city, seemed untouched by time. The people bustiling about through the streets also made me think of this crowded medieval city. There was so much to do in the city, I really wish I had had more time to explore it. Overall, this excursion was probably my favorite. The great old buildings, the beautiful view, the old cobblestone city streets, the living history all combined to make this the most enjoyable experience during my time spent in Fanjeaux. Perhaps I will one day return to Carcassone, and spend more time there.

Final Project Part 1

Religion and war are intertwined in the Middle Ages. A good example of this can be seen in the medieval poem, the “Song of Roland”. In this poem, we can see that Roland relies heavily on religion in battle. In laisse 1130, we can see that both Roland and Archbishop Turpin are both relying on God’s help in order to defeat the infidels. In the next laisse, laisse 1135, we can see that those who die are said to be martyrs, who will win life in eternal paradise. I feel this is very revealing as to how religion and war are intertwined in the Middle Ages. As we can see, war can be seen as a way of serving God. Death in the name of God results in eternal life and killing is okay, as long as it is in the name of God. War is based heavily on religion. Nearly every war during the Middle Ages is claimed to be directed by God. The Crusades, the most important wars of the Middle Ages, are said to be God’s will, and his desire to reclaim the holy land from the Muslims and make it a Christian land once again. Later on in “The Song of Roland” we can see more evidence about how war and religion are intertwined. In laisse 2390, we can see that Roland is taken to heaven by angels. Even though he lost his battle, he is going to go to heaven, simply because he was fighting the name of God. This is a very common belief in the Middle Ages. Those who die are martyrs, destined for eternal life. Countless numbers of men die in warfare during the Middle Ages only to go to heaven because of their service to God. Roland is one of the many to be taken to heaven.

Blog Assignment II

Meg Bogin gives many examples of how women were made pawns of men during the Middle Ages. On pages 10 and 11 Bogin talks about how women were simply meant to bear children and nothing else. They were seen as incarnations of Eve, who was the first sinner and therefore all women who followed her were also sinners. If she was sterile or only had daughters, she could be placed in a convent. On page 24, Bogin makes another strong point, showing that women were pawns of men. There, she mentions how women were rarely allowed to appear in court and even where they were(Germany, she mentions here) she says that one man's testimony was equal to three women's testimonies. But perhaps the most disturbing example of masculine domination can be seen on the next page, page 25, where Bogin talks about the regular occurrence of rape during the Middle Ages. She talks about how it was not uncommon for noble women to be raped by guests that were passing through, or how the Lord had a right to the serfs wife on their wedding night. All in all, things have changed for women since then. Today, women are no longer the pawns of men, at least in western society. Women can vote, can appear in court, can serve in government and own property everywhere. However, one could make the argument that in certain areas of the world, particularly in the Islamic Middle East, little has changed for women. In an area such as the Middle East, women are still relegated to a secondary role in society.

Favorite Poem

The first poem by Castelloza on page 119 is my favorite poem. You can feel her pain as she writes, suffering from her lovers indifference and cruelty.

Blog Assignment I

If you go back to the Middle Ages, most Christians believed that dying in the service of Christ was noble and glorious. When the Crusaders headed to the Holy Land, to capture Jerusalem, they may have seen "The Song of Roland" as an inspirational poem. The event that takes place in The Song of Roland are basic to the idea of the Crusades. I think the main reason this poem would have been popular with Crusaders is the simple fact that it could serve to inspire the Crusaders. What is more heroic and inspirational than men dying for their faith against evil pagans? One area which I believe would have been of great inspiration to the Crusaders is Turpin's death. We can see in laisse 166 it says "Against pagans ever a champion. God grant him now his Benediction!" Here it is implied that Turpin died heroically and in the service of God. Similarly, another example of a glorious death would be, of course, the death of Roland. In laisse 176 archangels take Roland's soul, once again implying a glorious and beneficial death. The poem goes far beyond a battle between pagans and Christians in the Pyrenees. The entire poem carries the basic message that it is good to die in the service of God and that divine intervention will occur, allowing Christians to prevail. The most obvious point regarding divine intervention can be seen at the very end of the poem, in lassie 180 when God allows Charlemagne and the Franks to destroy the pagans, getting revenge for the dead Roland.