Slavery and Chains in the Middle Ages

Slavery and Chains in the Middle Ages When the Western Roman Empire fell in the 15th century, slavery, which had been such an integral part of the empires economy, began to be replaced by serfdom (an integral part of a feudal economy). Much attention is focused on the serf. His plight was not much better than the slaves had been, as he was bound to the land instead of to an individual owner, and could not be sold to another estate. However, slavery didnt go away. How Slaves Were Captured and Sold In the earliest part of the Middle Ages, slaves could be found in many societies, among them the Cymry in Wales and the Anglo-Saxons in England. The Slavs of central Europe were often captured and sold into slavery, usually by rival Slavonic tribes. Moors were known to keep slaves and believed that setting a slave free was an act of great piety. Christians also owned, bought, and sold slaves, as evidenced by the following: When the Bishop of Le Mans transferred a large estate to the Abbey of St. Vincent in 572, 10 slaves went with it.In the seventh century, the wealthy Saint Eloi bought British and Saxon slaves in batches of 50 and 100 so that he could set them free.A transaction between Ermedruda of Milan, and a gentleman by the name of Totone, recorded the price of 12 new gold solidi for a slave boy (referred to as it in the record). Twelve solidi were much less than the cost of a horse.In the early 9th century, the Abbey of St. Germain des Prà ©s listed 25 of their 278 householders as slaves.In the turmoil at the end of the Avignon Papacy, the Florentines engaged in insurrection against the pope. Gregory XI excommunicated the Florentines and ordered them enslaved wherever taken.In 1488, King Ferdinand sent 100 Moorish slaves to Pope Innocent VIII, who presented them as gifts to his cardinals and other court notables.Women slaves taken after the fall of Capua in 1501 were put up for sale in Rome. Motivations Behind Slavery in the Middle Ages The ethics of the Catholic Church concerning slavery throughout the Middle Ages seem difficult to comprehend today. While the Church succeeded in protecting the rights and well-being of slaves, no attempt was made to outlaw the institution. One reason is economic. Slavery had been the basis of a sound economy for centuries in Rome, and it declined as serfdom slowly rose. However, it rose again when the Black Death swept Europe, dramatically reducing the population of serfs and creating a need for more forced labor. Another reason is that slavery had been a fact of life for centuries, as well. Abolishing something so deeply entrenched in all of the society would be about as likely as abolishing the use of horses for transportation. Christianity and the Ethics of Slavery Christianity had spread like wildfire partly because it offered life after death in paradise with a heavenly Father. The philosophy was that life was terrible, injustice was everywhere, disease killed indiscriminately, and the good died young while the evil thrived. Life on earth simply wasnt fair, but life after death was ultimately fair: the good were rewarded in Heaven and the evil were punished in Hell. This philosophy could sometimes lead to a laissez-faire attitude toward social injustice, although, as in the case of good Saint Eloi, certainly not always. Christianity had an ameliorating effect on slavery. Western Civilization and Being Born Into a Class Perhaps the world-view of the medieval mind can explain a great deal. Freedom and liberty are fundamental rights in 21st-century Western civilization. Upward mobility is a possibility for everyone in America today. These rights were only won after years of struggle, bloodshed, and outright war. They were foreign concepts to medieval Europeans, who were accustomed to their highly-structured society. Each individual was born into a particular class and that class, whether powerful nobility or largely impotent peasantry, offered limited options and strongly-ingrained duties. Men could become knights, farmers, or craftsmen like their fathers or join the Church as monks or priests. Women could marry and become the property of their husbands, instead of the property of their fathers, or they could become nuns. There was a certain amount of flexibility in each class and some personal choice. Occasionally, an accident of birth or an extraordinary will would help someone deviate from the course medieval society had set. Most medieval people would not see this situation as restrictive as we do today. Source Slavery and Serfdom in the Middle Ages by Marc Bloch; translated by W.R. BeerSlavery in Germanic Society During the Middle Ages by Agnes Mathilde WergelandLife in Medieval Times by Marjorie RowlingThe Encyclopedia AmericanaThe History Medren, Melissa Snell, 1998-2017

Acting Adrenaline Essays - Concession Stand Food, Free Essays

Acting Adrenaline Essays - Concession Stand Food, Free Essays Acting Adrenaline The thrill of being on stage, the thrill of making people laugh, the thrill of giving joy to the audience member waiting in their seat for the show to start. Acting on stage is like being able to be a whole new person without having to worry about anything for a while. Sometimes I can hardly contain myself when I'm on stage doing what I love most. When the spot light is on me my eyes shimmer like diamonds. The lights are blinding but beautiful. The smell of concession stand food is enlightening. The night before the show is like having the weight of the world on your back. When I first get on stage my hands start shaking, my heart starts pounding, I start blinking repeatedly. Acting is the art of being a performer and acting is truly that an art form. A life without the ability to act would not be a life worthwhile. The thrill I get when I am on stage is un-imaginable by an outsider. The feeling of being on stage brings more adrenaline to your body then a heart patient waiting for the shot he must get to save his life. Acting brings me what I need to feel alive and make me feel normal. Acting brings a feeling me a feeling of happiness. I may not have been blessed with the ability to play sports, or the ability to be a successful billionaire at the age of 17 but one thing I was sure blessed with is the ability to act. Acting is my adrenaline rush that makes me feel like I can walk on water without any complications. Acting is my bridge to terabithia that lets my mind and body wonder all over the place in front of hundreds of people without feeling like I am being laughed at. The feeling I get before I get on stage is the same feeling of having a 15 pound baby kick me in the stomach. That all goes away as soon as I get on stage, the feeling just drops. I am now able to be myself in an environment I am use to. There are no bullies to torture me to laugh at me for being different; everyone is now laughing with me for being funny and me being me. There is no other feeling in the world that can compare to the way I feel when I am acting on stage. The way I feel for acting has no comparison.

Strengths and Weakness as a writer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strengths and Weakness as a writer - Essay Example Currently, writing in college begins when you had an assignment and instructed to research on a particular topic (Wyrick, 2013). Alternatively, you may perform an experiment in the lab and be required to analyze, discuss and offer a conclusion about the information you obtain from the analysis. It is during the study/research, or after the experiment that you start writing. It happens when you are combining information from different sources such as journal article, books. In the end, you have to document your sources to avoid plagiarism. Such tasks are usually longer and necessitate the combination of multiple writing strategies in unique ways to address the task thoroughly, objective, and audience. Difficulties emerge when I cannot find the information that I need from other sources to assist me in comparing or learning something new, which usually happens when the topic I am studying is unique or has received little research in the academic world. During such periods, I am regularly compelled to utilize whatever source and combine it with my knowledge to develop a meaningful conclusion. My strengths lie in being able to analyze information and coming up with a good end. I can compare numerous sources, and derive the required data. My limitation is being slow during writing. I can enhance my writing experience by reading different books to gain a wider understanding of the relationship between biology and the world and by practicing writing articles in blogs regarding issues and topics that touch biology.