Running head: HISTORY QUESTIONS 1

History Questions

Name

Institution
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History Questions

1. Discuss Magna Carta Law.

The law [Video file]. (1999). Retrieved December 6, 2017, from

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=10211

Magna Carta Law refers to the legal provision, which establishes that every person is subject

to the law and guarantees individuals their rights including the right to justice and right to a fair

trial. The charter has a long history having been signed in 1215 during the reign of King John,

when the English barons, clergy, and the people united to develop the Great Charter as a

document that reaffirmed the traditional rights and personal liberties of individuals including the

king (Craig et al, 2015). These laws are still relevant in the modern society as they were in the

English law as they serve to confirm the rights and liberties of individuals guaranteeing them the

right to justice and a fair trial during a criminal proceeding.

2. Discuss Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Common Roots

Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire: Christianity in the 7th and 8th centuries [Video file].

(1999). Retrieved December 4, 2017, from

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=9362

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions, which believe in the existence of

only one God. Even though the three religions are different, they are related as they share

common roots. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are based on the belief that Abraham is the

Father of Nations from whom their faith originated (Idel & McGinn, (Eds.), 2016). In Judaism,

the Jews call their God Yahweh, Christians call Him the Sacred one or Emanuel, while Muslims

Call Him Allah. Judaism refers to Abraham as the Father of Israel in as much as the prophetic

and historic traditions of the Jews have been a major influence to other religions especially the
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Christian scriptures. According to Christians, Abraham as the father to the lineage in which Jesus

would be born. The birth of Jesus can be traced back to King David all the way to Isaac and

Abraham, which indicates that God used Abraham as a way of delivering His people. On the

other hand, the Muslims have a high regard for Jesus as a prophet who performed miracles by

healing the sick and freeing those who were possessed by demons. Prophet Muhammad is a

special gift for the Muslims who believe that he is from the lineage of Ishmael, who was the son

of Abraham (Bleimaier, 2017). Thus, there are significant connections between Judaism,

Christianity, and Islam despite the differences that may appear among these religions.

3. Discuss Middle-Ages Life and the Crusades

The Middle Ages [Video file]. (1996). Retrieved December 4, 2017, from

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=7049

The beginning of the middle ages was marked by the fall of the Roman Empire. This was

followed by a period of darkness and absurdity, which led to the reemergence of civilization. This

period had a major influence on our present lifestyle such as leadership and the art that was

established by the middle ages civilization. In the middle Ages, Europe was primarily rural and

agricultural revolution was beginning to take roots as people learnt of better techniques to plough

their land and cultivate more land. The leadership and military began to expand as nations sought to

expand their territories, which led to a continuous period of warfare (Lea, 2016). As people

continued to accumulate wealth, more castles were built, but were regarded to serve better for

military purposes. It was also during this period that Europe began experiencing the growth of

medieval towns where artisans, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and merchants lived.

The Middle ages also saw an increase in the number of pilgrimages to the Christian Shrines such

as Jerusalem. Most people would go to the shrines either for religious devotion or on holiday.
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However, Arab World began experiencing challenges, which made it hard for the people to continue

with their pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Idel & McGinn, (Eds.), 2016). These disturbances led to the

need to rescue the shrines from the infidels in the Arab countries. As a result, the Christian leaders

established a crusading army to help rescue the holy places. During the first crusade, the Saracens

were defeated, which led to re-acquisition of Jerusalem (Lea, 2016).

4. The Crusades

Discuss the following question. Please separate the question

What are the most important legacies of the Crusades? How did they shape the later

history of Europe?

The Crusades during the Middle Ages had many legacies bot to the Arab and European

societies. The fourth crusade led to the disappearance of idealism while most of the crusaders

became involved in the rivalries of Venice and Genoa. This caused them to abandon their fight

against the infidels and instead sacked great Christian City of Constantinople, which was the

capital of Byzantium. The looting led to the destruction of the rich history of the Byzantium art

and civilization that has survived the fall of the Roman Empire. The crusades led to a rapid

growth of the Venetian economy through continued dominance of the eastern Mediterranean

trade. It also led to changes in the Venetian Culture, which became blended into one made of

eastern and western cultures (Lea, 2016). The occurrences during the crusades helped shape the

later years of Europe through the economic prosperity it brought. Trade activities increased in

the region with the exchange of manufactured goods and commodities with the luxury goods

from the Arab countries.

5. Review Questions
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What is the world-historical importance of the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai? Why

was control of the trans-Saharan trade crucial for these kingdoms? What was the

importance of Islamic culture to them? Why did each empire break up?

The empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai have a historical significance to not only these

individual empires but also the world over. These empires played an important role in ensuring

that their people were properly organized in as much as they made it possible to conduct trading

activities among their people. The people in these empires were organized in a hierarchical order

from the lowest being farmers and draftsmen, merchants, and the king, his court, and the

nobility on top. In addition, these empires were a major influence in the spread of Islam

in these regions as their rulers were able to influence the peoples decisions and choices

(Craig et al, 2015). The control of the trans-Saharan trade was a crucial thing for these

kingdoms since the trade was a major source of income for them. Being able to control

the trade routes would enable them to expand their territories. The economic prosperity

brought by the trade would enable the empires to expand their military powers and

conquer their enemies who attack them.

Islamic culture played an important role in influencing the empires of Ghana, Mali, and

Songhai. The kings in these empires either were converted to Islam or established elaborate plans

to ensure that Muslims could be accommodated into the society. Most of the traders were

Muslims while majorities of the people along the trade routes were converted to Muslim (Craig

et al, 2015). In addition, the Muslim culture influenced the system of government and the laws

adopted in these countries since most of them began using Islamic sharia laws. The Ghanaian

Empire broke because of the attack by the Malinke clan and the anti-Muslim Soso, who attacked

the empire in the 12th century. The fall of the Mali Empire began after the death of their King
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Sundiata, as his son was unable to hold the kingdom together, which caused the smaller states

that the king had conquered to break away. As a result, Mali Empire collapsed (Craig et al,

2015). On the other hand, Songhai broke down as invaders stole the riches of gold and salt mines

after they attacked the kingdom. In addition, the empire was weakened by the internal political

struggles, which weakened it making it unable to withstand external attacks.

6. Review Questions

Discuss the diversity of Cape society in South Africa before 1700. Who were the

Trekboers, and what was their conflict with the Khoikhoi? How was the basis for

apartheid formed in this period?

The Cape colony had a diverse settler population made up of Europeans, Indians, slaves,

and the local KhoiKhoi people. By 1662, the population in the Cape Colony was 392 while in

1714 this population had increased to 3,878. The Trekboers were the nomadic white

livestock farmers who moved widely leaving the richer farming lands of the coast

region to move to the drier interior tableland. The conflict between the Trekboers and

Khoikhoi clan began due to the contest for grazing lands. This caused the Trekboers to

develop military techniques that they needed to conquer the Khoikhoi cattle herders

(Craig et al, 2015). The basis of apartheid was formed during this period as the diverse

member of the population played differing roles in the development of a new society.

The social complexity was intensified by the intermarriages and cohabitation of the

masters and slaves while there were laws that barred such mixing in Cape Town.
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References

Bleimaier, J. K. (2017). God, Man, and the Law. The Catholic Lawyer, 39(4), 3.

Craig, A. M., Graham, W. A., Kagan, D., Ozment, S. E., & Turner, F. M. (2015). The heritage of

world civilizations (Vol. 1). Pearson.

Idel, M., & McGinn, B. (Eds.). (2016). Mystical union in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: An

ecumenical dialogue. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lea, H. C. (2016). A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages. Lulu.com.