West European Studies

The Magna Carta was introduced on June 15, 1215 by King John. There is no evidence that it was signed, but after King John approved of it, the royal chancery produced many copies that had his seal. Up to date, only four copies were able to survive. Two of them are in the British library, another in Lincoln Cathedral, and the last one in Salisbury Cathedral. This document was created due to the harsh conditions to which the King subjected his people, making them pay high taxes so that he could finance...

Released in 2009, The Secret of Kells follows the story of a boy who lived during medieval times and how he succeeded an important quest to complete a famous, historically-significant book. Brendan was a young, ordinary orphan who was living with his strict uncle, Abbot Cellach, in a remote abbey at Kells. His village was on the verge of threat to the Viking invaders. One day, Aidan, a famous illustrator from Scots, arrived at the abbey and he was carrying with him an ancient yet unfinished book....

Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) is a renowned Italian political and military figure who significantly contributed to the liberation of southern Italy. In his early twenties, Giuseppe Garibaldi joined patriot revolutionaries of Italy but was later forced to flee from his country following a failed insurrection. He was a key figure during the Farrapos War as well as Uruguayan civil conflict, which led to Italian Legion. He later went back to his country as served as a commander during the Risorgimento...

In the middle and late 18th century the United Kingdom was no doubt an economic giant in the western world compared to other countries. According to scholars a number of changes in the industrial and agricultural sector, gave her tremendous economic advantage. Historians agree that England was the first industrial nation. A number of reasons are therefore attributable to the emergence of England as an economic powerhouse. Firstly the agrarian revolution attributed to England, propelled her to the...

The medieval period refers to the middle age period. Germany is one of the oldest European country and its history dates back many centuries ago. There are a couple of aspects that characterized the medieval period in Germany. One of these aspects is the presence of Jews. Although Jews were in Germany way before this period, they however played a great role in making the history of Germany as a country during this time. This discussion focuses on the Jews of Medieval Germany. Medieval Germany The...

To an observer and participant in events in Renaissance Italy, how was a nation to conduct the very serious business of war, from recruiting an army to leading in it the field To Florence and other city-states, the question was more than academic and an answer reaching back through time was to emerge in the early part of the 16th century. The Italy of Niccolo Machiavelli was a land divided into principalities or even kingdoms, some stretching far beyond the Italian peninsula in terms of influence...

Introduction The life of Marie Antoinette was, undeniably, a tragic one. It was a time of when the people were frustrated with poverty, and sought for  revenge on the aristocrats, and on the injustice that they have experienced. It is sad to say that Marie Antoinette was not able to escape the same fate that most aristocrats suffered during the French Revolution. While it is, of course, arguable that most accounts regarding Marie Antoinettes life have shown that she was often referred to...

How have changes in warfare helped to shape political and social institutions in Western society Throughout history, humans have found the need to wage wars. Waris characterized by intentional violence on the part of large bodies of individuals trained for that purpose. Some wars are fought internally between rival political factions while others may be fought against external enemies in the name of religion, self-defense or to acquire resources or territory.Warfare refers to the tactics used by...

Dating back to 340 BC, the Persian Empire and Macedonia had an inevitable clash between them. The Macedonian king during that year, King Philip laid blockade to Perinthus, posing a threat to the fundamental interests of Persia and Greece. Persia sent out troops to Europe as response. It was Persias first time after Xerxes to intercede in the west and the Macedonians regarded it to be an unwarrantable act of hostility and aggression. King Philip aggravated the Fourth Sacred War and overpowered the...

Out of the ruins of the Roman Empire came the Western Civilizationone civilization whose uniqueness has stayed until the modern century today. It has affected not only its concerned countries but as well as their neighboring countries. Today, third world countries continue to feel the effect of the rich history of the Western Civilization. Before we examine the effects of the environmental, social and material challenges to this particular civilization, one should remember that it was formed in...

The rise of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC is shrouded in mist of antiquity. It sprang in the region encompassing present day southern Iran and Iraq.  A disparate group of tribes of Indo-European origin serving as vassals to the Medes controlled the region east of Tigris from their capital Ecbatana (near Hamadan). Here, around 650 BC the religion of Zoroastrianism was founded uniting the populace as an enlightened people into a political force. In 559 BC a devout Zoroastrian, Cyrus...

Western civilization began in western and southern Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was a classical type of civilization which was unique as compared to the other great civilizations in the past. Every civilization has significance with respect to organization of a person in relation to the way he or she lives in the universe. It includes the behavior, moral values and the material environment. The modern civilization in the West that has been seen for quite a long time is not a new...

In the late 1800s the world was changing rapidly. The scientific and Industrial Revolutions fostered more urban, nationalistic societies. The continual thirst for resources led some European nations to establish colonies, far from the home country, that could be exploited relentlessly. This was one factor that led to conflict and militarization across Europe. Germany, as one united nation, was at the forefront of European empire-building. Meanwhile, increasingly lethal weapons of war were being...