History

Trade and craft were the economic basis of medieval cities. For a large part of the population this was the main occupation. In the XI-XV centuries. foreign, as well as transit, trade, which concentrated primarily in the two main European regions, developed significantly. One was the area of ​​the Mediterranean, where the trade routes that … Read more

The Middle Ages is closer to us in time than antiquity, and therefore there are more historical sources left from it. In particular, many buildings, tools, weapons, works of art, etc., have been preserved from the Middle Ages. Some of them were discovered by archaeologists during excavations, some of them carefully preserved by descendants as … Read more

On the third place in the medieval theory of the three classes are “those who work”, that is, the peasants. At the turn of the X-XI centuries. The land was already cultivated by mostly dependent peasants. There are several ways that peasants turned out depending on the feudal lord. With the development of feudal society, … Read more

Food in the Middle Ages was fairly monotonous. Simple people – peasants and artisans – often ate rye bread, porridge, beans, turnips, cabbage or cereals, seasoned with onion and garlic. Traditional daily drinks were tinctures of forest berries, herbs, beer and wine. Meat spruce is rare, mainly for holidays. Occasionally used and dairy products. Quite … Read more

During the Great Migration of Nations, the most powerful barbarian state in Western Europe created the Germanic tribes of the Franks. The first of their kings was the Merovingians. The origin of this dynasty is covered with legends, its founder, Merovey, was considered the son of two parents – the usual king and sea monster. … Read more

In 1348, the English people experienced an epidemic of plague – “black death”, which claimed almost a third of the country’s population. Feudal lords, rich merchants and craftsmen faced the problem of shortage of workers and preservation of old wages. To satisfy their interests, royal power in the second half of the XIV century. issued … Read more

The Byzantines skillfully spent their leisure time. They celebrated Christian holidays, especially Easter, but they did not renounce “devil’s play” – pagan holidays and rituals. So, on the night of January 1, Calendas were celebrated, and a few days earlier – Brumalii, the shortest days of the year. Men dressed as women, women as men, … Read more

Despite the overthrow of the Mongol yoke, the struggle lasted another 20 years. The unification of the country was completed only in 1387 after the subordination of Liaotung. With the coming to power Zhu Yuanzhang conducted a number of reforms. The possessions of the Mongols were confiscated. All the lands that were captured by the … Read more

A bold attempt to identify the true meaning of the Great Patriotic War in the history of a great country from the Bug to the Kuriles, the poet Alexei Surkov was probably the first to assess the greatness of the people’s achievement. Back in 1942, from a high rostrum, he said: “The war in our … Read more

After the death of Philip IV the Beautiful, the French throne belonged to three of his sons for 15 years. However, none of them left their heirs, and in 1328 the rule of the Capetian dynasty ceased. On the throne, the representative of her younger branch, Philip VI Valois, ascended. The British King Edward III … Read more

At the beginning of the XIV century. the political situation in Western Europe has radically changed. The process of centralization has become more active. National states began to form. The royal power subordinated to itself feudal nobility – secular and ecclesiastical. But the papacy, contrary to new tendencies, tried to defend and even strengthen its … Read more

In XIII – XV centuries. noble people in Russia lived for the most part in the mansion – two or three-story buildings, first wooden, and later – stone, with porches and teremami. They were surrounded by tall wooden fences with gates and wickets. In the center of the courtyard, apart from the choir itself, there … Read more

Princes and boyars lived in mansions, townspeople – in houses of wooden logs. The poor were huddled in shacks without windows. In the house there was certainly a massive stove, often painted. She baked bread and cooked food. Glass windows first appeared in the XIV-XV centuries. in Moscow and Novgorod, and then only in the … Read more

The barbarous peoples who settled in the territory of the former Roman Empire preserved their legal customs. They were transmitted orally, from generation to generation, and changed very slowly. With the emergence of barbarous states, it became necessary to fix their customs in writing. This was prompted by the immediate neighborhood with the Romans, who … Read more

King John, as a result of the unsuccessful war for England with Philip II August, lost in France most of the patrimonial possessions of the Plantagenets. Therefore, contemporaries called John a derogatory nickname Landless. Military defeat, the constant extortion of “shield money” caused the subjects genuine hatred for the king. The situation was aggravated by … Read more

1. How do geographic names preserve the memory of past generations? Exploring past times, historians time and again come across names of cities and towns, villages, rivers, lakes, tracts, etc. Some names have an ancient origin and have survived until now, others have disappeared forever in the maelstrom of historical events, leaving traces in legends … Read more

1. What are the famous Reims and Peresopnytsia gospels? The Gospel is one of the most important parts of the Holy Letter, in which we are talking about the earthly life of Jesus Christ. The glory of the oldest Ukrainian book belongs to the Reims gospel. The title of this book, made almost 1000 years … Read more

1. When did Ukraine become independent? August 24, 1991 The Act of proclaiming the independence of Ukraine was adopted. Therefore, this day is considered a public holiday. And on December 1, 1991, this document received popular support: during the Referendum Over 90 percent of the population who participated in the poll voted for it. On … Read more

Medieval Europe was quite clearly divided into two agricultural zones: 1) southern, Mediterranean, where the ancient traditions of ancient farming remained, and 2) a temperate climate zone located north of the Alpine mountains. In the south, the main grain crop was wheat. They also sowed barley, grew legumes, grapes, olives. Bread sowed under the winter: … Read more

At the end of the IV century. the emperors Constantine I and Theodosius I turned the Roman Empire into Christianity. At the same time, some barbarian tribes on the territory of the empire became Christians. At the end of the 5th c. baptized Francs, later – Visigoths, tribes of the Iberian Peninsula, Lombards, separate tribes … Read more

V. V. Stasov, a famous music critic, wrote: “Glinka thought he creates only Russian opera, but he was wrong He created the whole Russian music, the whole Russian music school, a whole new system.”. “The sun of Russian poetry” is called Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. His beautiful genius illuminated the whole subsequent path of Russian literature. … Read more

The worldview of a medieval man was religious, he perceived the world through religious images and concepts. Few doubted that the beginning and end of all there is God. They argued only about how to learn it – by faith or by the mind? Some thought: by faith and only by it! Say, God gave … Read more

Medieval man was deeply convinced that the most important thing in his life was a relationship with God, and care for the salvation of the souls of Christians was just the responsibility of the clergy. Therefore, an exceptionally important, much more weighty, than fulfilling any other duties, was God’s belonging to a spiritual dignity. The … Read more

Prominent in the medieval literature of Europe was the heroic Epos, which originated in the era of the Great Migration of Nations. For a long time, in the depths of the bygone years, A living song was composed by the poet About the wise, kind kings And about their artful enemies, About the knights, who … Read more

In the folk festivals – for example, noisy processions of mummers – children took part. But there were boys and girls and their children’s games and entertainment, which are partly preserved to this day. The girls played with dolls. The boys preferred mobile games, especially the game of knights and squires. So they prepared themselves … Read more

Novgorod was founded among forests on the banks of the Volkhov River. With the formation of the Kiev state Novgorod land was included in its composition. At the end of the X century. Novgorod became the second largest city in Russia after Kiev. Through it was a well-known trade route “from the Varangians to the … Read more

In 330, Emperor Constantine made the capital of the Roman Empire the city of Byzantium, located on the picturesque shores of the Bosphorus. The new capital was first called New Rome, and later – Constantinople, that is, “the city of Constantine.” VI Art. From the report of the medieval historian Jordan about the visit to … Read more

Until the XIII century. Europeans drew knowledge mainly from the Bible and ordinary observations. This knowledge was not backed by experience, so it was often fantastic. For example, the world was represented to man in the form of three whales, which hold the Earth, inhabited by pesigolovtsami and other monsters. We thought that the “heavenly … Read more

At the beginning of our era, Buddhism in India is declining. During the VIII-XII centuries. Hinduism comes to replace it, That has established itself as a state religion. Among the many gods in Hinduism, the most respected are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They constitute the “Trimurti” – the triad of the main gods. In the … Read more

In the X-XIII centuries. in Europe, like mushrooms after the rain, cities grew – special, not similar to the Roman, or, even more so, modern. First they appeared in Italy, later – in Southern France, even later – in the north of France, in the Netherlands, England, Germany, the countries of Scandinavia, Ireland, Hungary, the … Read more

Until the end of VIII – beginning of IX centuries. Western Europe knew nothing about the Normans. When she faced them face to face, she became desperate, as she was the victim of their devastating raids that lasted throughout the 9th-11th centuries. It was these invaders that Western Europeans called Vikings. Vikings were brave warriors. … Read more

Where do Russian printers prepare? There was once the Moscow Polygraphic Institute for this, but now you can not find it in the list of Russian universities. Its place was taken by the Moscow State Academy of Press, but it is not on this list either. But since 1997 you will find in the list … Read more

The historical fate of Southern Italy and Sicily was different. These areas in the XI century. conquered the Normans, who formed the Sicilian kingdom there. The feudal nobility in the kingdom existed, but the kings held it under their control. At the beginning of the XIII century. The Sicilian kingdom was given to Frederick II, … Read more

Today we will have a fascinating excursion to a wonderful city: we will go to Rome. Rome – the capital of Italy – is located in the central part of the Apennine peninsula on the banks of the Tiber River, 27 kilometers from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. One of the oldest cities in … Read more

At the dawn of the Middle Ages, India was divided into many small countries of the most diverse type. The boundaries between them changed even faster than the dynasties and ruling rajas. In North India, a large state association, Magadha, was formed. It occupied the middle reaches of the Ganges River. The rise of the … Read more

Of course, it was not the flowers that caused the terrible bloodshed in England at the end of the Middle Ages. In the Civil War of 1455-1485. The country was involved in two influential noble families – York and Lancaster. The coat of arms of York was adorned with a white rose, the coat of … Read more

1. How do written historical sources help historians in recreating the past? Among historical sources, the most important are the written ones. After all, only with the advent of writing, people were able to talk in detail about what, where, when and how it happened. Written sources are texts on paper or other materials. Annals, … Read more

The Chinese have achieved certain successes in their economic life. They used vodochnepalnye devices for watering garden crops on the hills, collected two crops a year, learned how to grow tea bushes, sugar cane. Chinese peasants have mastered the valley of the Yangtze River, cutting down the local jungle and draining the swamps. But they … Read more

At the end of the old – the beginning of a new era, India was repeatedly conquered by strangers. A huge country was inhabited by a great many peoples and tribes, so it was difficult to unite it to repel invaders. Political fragmentation contributed to the fact that the local nobility cared more for their … Read more

Townspeople had in the city and its district fields and gardens, gardens and vineyards, kept cows and pigs, engaged in beekeeping and fishing. But unlike the peasants, they were primarily artisans: blacksmiths, co-workers, cobblers, barbers, bakers, brewers, weavers, tailors, carpenters, masons, etc. From the peasants, they were also distinguished by the fact that they produced … Read more

At the end of the XI century. Crusades began. It would seem that this disaster will not affect the Byzantine capital – the center of Orthodoxy. But the organization of the Fourth Crusade was interrupted by a cunning old man – blind Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo. He conceived the hands of the Crusaders to destroy … Read more

The era of the Middle Ages is long gone. However, it should not be forgotten that it was in the Middle Ages that the foundation of the modern world was laid. The Middle Ages largely changed the map of Europe, since most European and Asian states arose. European nations were formed and languages ​​were formed, … Read more

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, construction was so launched that the then masters were forced to study the architectural achievements of the ancient Romans. As a consequence, in the X century. Romanian architectural style begins to form in Western Europe. This was the first pan-European style that spread in the 11th-12th centuries. Christians … Read more

The basis of the economy of medieval China was agriculture, mainly – arable farming. At first the Chinese raised wheat and millet, but gradually they preferred rice. In the paddy rice fields, the Chinese bred fish, which was valued more meat. The development of rice growing and related laborious work in the fields formed the … Read more

Western Slavs – Czechs, Poles, Slovaks – come from the Slavic tribes who settled north of the Danube to the Baltic and Elbe. The Slavic community of the Balkan Peninsula became the basis for the formation of the southern Slavs: Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, etc. The first state of the Western Slavs was formed to … Read more

In English society, there have been some changes. There was an increasing interest in trade, especially overseas, so shipbuilding flourished. Most of the nobles no longer considered entrepreneurship something shameful, they learned how to manage the economy in a new way and increasingly became like the bourgeoisie of cities. But there were also “old” noblemen … Read more

Among the Moscow theaters, the Bolshoi Theater, the Moscow Art Theater, the Small Theater, the operetta theaters, satires, Sovremennik and others are especially popular. Theater art in Moscow began to develop at the end of the XVI century. The first theatrical performances are connected with performances of buffoons, jesters. In 1672, the first Russian court … Read more

Prior to the emergence of writing, people stored the experience in an oral word: tales, legends, legends, songs, riddles, proverbs and sayings. All this variety of works is called Oral folk art, or Folklore. From folklore works, historians learn first of all about what life was like in ancient times, what people believed in, what … Read more

In the 11th-13th centuries, as a result of the population increase, new territories are being developed in Europe. The peasants cleared the forest, raised the virgin land, and won the land from the sea. In the valleys of large rivers, the swamps began to drain and build protective dams. Such changes are usually called internal … Read more

In the Middle Ages, the population depended entirely on the natural and climatic conditions. The peculiarities of nature prompted which dwellings and settlements should be built, which transport – water or land – to use, which tools to produce. From the landscape and climate depended even the character of the man himself. Medieval Europe was … Read more