Fall of the Byzantine Empire

The great city Constantinople has fallen to the Ottoman forces of Mehmed II. Two years before the siege of Constantinople when Mehmed took the throne, the first thing he wanted was the great city. He wanted the center of the world. Mehmed spent two years preparing for the great battle that would happen. His force of thousands of soldiers, hundreds of gunpowder weapons, and a fleet of over seventy ships.

When the massive Ottoman empire arrived at the gates of Constantinople they began firing at the walls with their cannons. The fleet stayed out in the sea unable to move in due to the giant chain that was laid across the harbor. After a few weeks Mehmed made up the most daring plan of the age. He ordered his men to carry 70 ships from the sea up over the chain and into the harbor. Once in the harbor the ships cut off the flow of trade and had a easier way into the city then breaking down the walls

After seven weeks of constant siege A hole appeared in the cities defenses. A massive wave of Ottoman forces poured through the hole and tore apart the city. Constantinople fell. The Ottoman forces were triumphant. The Byzantine Empire was over. Higia Sofia became a mosque. To the west all was lost. To the east the world was now in their hands. What will they do with it next...

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Painted in 1492/94-1498

This painting of Jesus Christ’s “last supper” is depicted with his disciples all around talking to one another and eating. Jesus is in the middle of the table. It is a Christian themed, beautifully painted piece with many moving characters. If you look closely you can see that none of the characters painted are actually in the process of speaking, despite being in the position. This painting was made for the end wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Leonardo’s masterpiece was not painted too well as it began falling apart and flaking before the end of his own life. This was due to the failure of the way he painted it. The painting portrays obvious life like figures and realistic perspective as one can tell my looking at the hills outside the window. One can also see the vibrant colors that Da Vinci used when painting this. The style of this master piece is miles away from the previous Middle ages art work. This piece’s realism is breathtaking even by today’s standards. Comparing this piece to a Middle ages work which was done just two hundred years ago the amount of change is very prominent. Needless to say Leonardo Da Vinci is a genius.


Information gathered from: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm
By Brendan McDonald

A Pitiful Raid

The waves moved and flowed, lapping at the sides of the snekkja. The crew all grunted as they heaved on their oars pushing the ship closer to shore, and cursed as a splinter slid its way into their fingers. I sat at the prow watching the waves run up and retreat at the shoreline. The sun was setting and cast a red look upon the land. Appropriate no? The wind ruffled my white thick beard and the furs of my cloak my woman had made for me last winter. I donned my helm, a simple helmet that covered the top of ones head in a dome shape and then in a half circle covered my upper face with slits for my eyes. I wore chain mail beneath my brown and black tunic and had leather pants to protect me from the autumn cold and sea breeze, another gift from my woman. My ship was no more then ten ship lengths away when I unsheathed my Nordic blade forged in my poor, frozen home lands of Skandia. I smiled as I turned, pulling my scarred wooden round shield off my back as I did so. “For Oden‘s glory!” I roared at the forty-three men, each one like a brother to me, except I didn’t want to slay these ones. They all scream their own homes war cry and unsheathed their own blades: Nordic swords, axes and spears long and short, every weapon had been sharpened to the point where it drew blood just at a touch. Every man grabbed his households shield and hefted it onto their arms. The men roared again and leapt off following my lead. I could hear my ship grounding to a halt on the sand as I feel to the shallow waiting water.

I landed with a spray of white foamy water and ran forward toward a mass of lights illuminating their holders, a small pitiful bunch of levy spearmen, ran down towards the beach to form a shield wall as a means to ward us off. They were pitiful, truly. Stupid Anglos would they ever learn? I alone have raided the British isles more then a dozen times and have yet to be defeated. I roared with laughter as I rammed into the wall splintering the feebly made shield of the man I attacked. He stumbled back his shield arm still faintly trying to protect his body. I kicked him in the shield causing him to fall to his back. I stepped forward on to his shield sniggering as I heard bones break beneath the shattered form of protection that now lay atop of him like a death sentence. I ran my blade through his eye and moved forward quickly past the dying battle behind me. I laughed at the ease of which I slew the man. These men were pitiful. I knew I had won the raid, there was no doubt in my mind. I hacked down a door in a few blows smiling as I heard the dying screams and curses in the odd Anglo Saxon language.

The room was small, smaller then my own home. I crossed it in no more then two steps and grabbed the old sword and shield that hung on the wall. I heard a quiet young warrior dashing up behind me. I swung my blade as I turned and caught a child in the neck. I withdrew my blade from his twisting body and stepped on him as I departed the small home. I grabbed a torch that was sizzling in the grass, and threw it onto the house as I exited. With a fancy shield on my back and a new blade hanging at my side I went to see how the battle was fairing as I could still hear the song of death being played by the mashing of shields, ringing and rasping of blades, and the screams and curses of dying men.

I stepped over another body this one was a woman, good looking too. Blood was crusting on to the sand all around her twisted decaying body. I rounded the corner of a house and saw that the shield wall was still formed. I grabbed my blood drenched blade with a firm determined grip and swept across the distance between me and my men. I thrust my Nordic blade through an enemies back, the tip carving out his chest as it broke chain bone and muscle. I twisted and pulled the soaked blade from his falling body and swung it in an arch towards a turning spearmen. It met the meat  of his neck unopposed and carved a hole through him. I looked up, feeling the warm blood of my enemies drip down my scar covered face and saw that my charge gave the men the momentum it needed. They were breaking the line and ran towards the now open and unprotected homes of the dead and dying pitiful force of half trained men. My men were off to plunder and these dead were of to see whatever God or gods they worshiped. They truly were pitiful.

By
Brendan McDonald

9/11 Effects on Today's World

9/11, the most devastating event in Modern US history. The day is engraved in every (hopefully) Americans mind. The day the United States of America was attacked with out warning, and the attack was on civilians. Planes taken over in mid-flight by terrorist flew themselves and their passengers into many US land marks and major buildings. Of these hit were, The World Trade Center towers one and two as well as the Pentagon. Hundreds died on September eleventh… but what was the impact in the long run?

9/11 itself has been imbedded to some as the start of the War on Terror and to others as the day that a loved one was taken. 9/11 is a completely personal legacy to each individual but it does have some sort to everyone. The events of 9/11 caused a massive negative feeling towards terrorism as countries across the world began to fight terror on their own streets and in foreign towns. While some thought that the attack showed that the massive super power of American can bleed like the rest, but only the terrorist believed this and have never been able to launch another attack like their first one again.

Following 9/11 came ten years of war. This war has spread through countries both big and small and has had lasting effects on all involved. The United States was involved from the beginning and are still fighting this “War on Terror”. After ten years of war they found the one who gave the order to attack the US: Osama Bin laden. This at least shows some progress on the war despite the tension between countries as the US sent troops into their homes and fought on their streets. The war on terror will last until all “organized” terrorist groups have vanished.

The lessons of 9/11 vary are so vast it is not possible to fit them all here. From learning to cherish every second of life to knowing that protection must be taken everywhere. No one should forget 9/11.



By Brendan McDonald

The Dark Ages... Hmm... Dark...

The Dark ages. Is Dark really an appropriate name? In my opinion yes it is, and here is why.
War is the first reason I consider it dark. War was a constant and major element during these times. I don't think a year past by that a war wasn't happening or beginning. War, though many heroic tale came from it, is a very dark subject and is the main reason the Dark ages are dark.
Disease, another causer of death, spread like wild fire during this time due to the lack of cleanliness and amount of filth everywhere. Diseases such as the Black plague, small pox, and smaller outbreaks like polio, caused the living style to plummet to disaster. Ultimately making the mood of the time very dark.
The final and most important reason that this era was dark in my opinion is that there was no real form of government. Sure there was a king but there was no real law, the citizens could live there lives the way they wanted with murder, rape and thievery all very real elements in their daily activities and no one would really stop them. This made the time very dark.
All of these elements combined create one of the darkest times in history, The Dark ages, which really where dark in my personal opinion.

By
Brendan McDonald