http://www.ladyjanegrey.org/ Lady Jane Grey
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/maryqueenofscots.htm Mary Queen of Scots
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/punishment.htm Crime and Punishment Elizabeth
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/torture.htm Torture in the Tower
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/luther95.txt 95 Thesis
http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/cheats.html 10 things about Martin Luther
http://wsu.edu/~dee/REFORM/LUTHER.HTM Great Quick Reference to the main people of the Reformation.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/alexanderVI.htm - Nothing but dirt here on Pope Alexander VI
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/launch_gms_spying.shtml Game Mary Queen of Scots
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The eye witness on Pope Alexander VI was very interesting. It was a good review on him. It reminded me that Alexander’s creation of indulgences inspired Martin Luther to stand up against them. A lot of Pope Alexander’s VI corruption started the protestant reformation. Even though Alexander had no direct consequences his corruption did indirectly affected the entire catholic religion forever. If Alexander actually did some good during his reign the reformation might have never happened or at least it would have been delayed.
I enjoyed the "Mary, Queen of Scots" game, the Britons always make fun games. I thought the 10 facts about Luther was well put together but not things I didn't know per se. I liked the eyewitness history sites!
John Gerard in 1597 was a true believer probably comparable to Luther in his dedication. HE was hung by the wrists for a day from the rafters of the london tower until he passed out, when he passed out they brought him to by giving him support to stand on and then hung again. The people were truly committed.
I found the article about Elizabeth's crime and punishment tactics interesting. Her success as a ruler is undoubted but it is interesting to learn about how she dealt with obstacles. I also enjoyed the Mary, Queen of Scots game. Knowing little about her going into it, I appreciated that it gave me a second when my answer was incorrect. It was therefore simple for me to correct my mistake and continue to learn. I also found - in the 10 facts about Luther article - his perspective on taboo, sinful habits quite simple and radical.
The game was fun. Though it scaried me wit that ax thing. Both the stories on Mary and the the spy was good. I thought that it was weird that he had been found out but he didn't go back to Spian. I think that him tring to burn down the capitol is well known in England. Mary seemed to have a fun life. It took Elizabeth 19 years to finally kill her sister. Though the reading did not say anything about why Mary is called Bloody Mary.
So basically, I think it makes perfect sense that Pope Alexander VI was a major cause for a push toward church reform. Hmm... 12 children? He's not even suposed to have one! And wasn't he the guy from that movie we started on the reformation who had orgies? He's a Pope for Christ's sake (pun intended). And talk about karma! I guess you can tell if your a loved pope or not by how long it takes your closest advisors to LOOT YOUR HOUSE! "Oh, the pope is dead, lets take the silver!" Any way... On another note... I liked the Mary Queen of Scotts game. I think that was an interesting way to give the information.
I thought that these sites were very interesting. The 10 facts about Martin Luther were pretty informative even though some things we may not really need to remember in the future, such as how his wife escaped from her convent by hiding in a barrel, or how he practiced gardening and woodworking as a means of bringing in some money. The game was also very good. It allowed you to keep answering without really being punished for it, even though having the axe chop at the wood was pretty intimidating. Although I did not read the entire 95 thesis, it seemed as if about 30 or more were basically his views on indulgences and although he does make good points, it seems as if he is restating himself many times in different ways.
I read the Martin Luther facts, the Death of Alexander VI, and played the Mary game. I could not believe some of the information on the Pope, including twelve children through mistresses, bribery and other corrupt acts. This corruption must have been very inspirational for men like Martin Luther. I didn't think of him as a heavy drinker though, and I don't see why some of the facts about him are overly important. The game was alright, not overly exciting, but a nice way of teaching you some quick facts. I noticed that more of the questions focused on Elizabeth than on Mary though.
I read the Martin Luther facts and the article about Elizabeth's crime and punishment. I found the 10 facts about Martin Luther most interesting because they're facts that I wouldn't have expected from him. For example the fact about his outlook on drinking was pretty funny because I wouldn't have thought of him being the guy to go get drunk if he was upset. Also the fact about his wife was pretty weird too. I also read the Crime and punishment article and thought that some of the punishments were pretty harsh. For example, pressing a man to death for something as simple as robbery is pretty insane.
I read the Torture in the Tower, 10 things about Martin Luther, and I played the Mary Queen of Scots game. While going through all of this information I realized just how crazy life could get back then. I thought that most people's lives were just full of hard work and nothing else but some people just did the craziest things. From being a spy and surviving torture and then escaping the entire country for years, all while writing a book about it, to escaping being a nun in an old barrel used for pickles. Of course we all know that Mary Queen of Scots was a little crazy as well, hence why we call her Bloody Mary. Overall I found all of these articles and the game to be really interesting. I enjoyed being able to read an actual account of the Tower of London and not just a made up story. I also didn't realize how strange and abnormal Martin Luther was when it came to his ideals and what people think were his ideals. Finally the game, it was pretty interesting even though the facts were some that I already knew from basic information but it didn't really have too much on Mary herself which would have made it a little more interesting. They also could have been a little more original on the secret message and code word.
I read about Lady Jane Grey and her 9 day rule as Queen of England. It was interesting to see that even though she was forced, manipulated, and bullied; she still kept her head high and attempted to forge her own way ahead. I also played the game which I got most right, but the axe still managed to pop up and make me jump. The ten facts about Luther were interesting, but not as in depth as I would have liked for some.
One of the pieces that I read was about crime and punishment in Elizabethan society. It was interesting to learn that incarceration was a relatively new form of punishment, but it makes sense if you think about it, because it's a lot less of a burden on your average feudal economy to draw and quarter some guy than to keep him in jail for the rest of his life. The bias towards the prosecution was unsurprising, as was the bias toward the nobility, which just serves to expose the dichotomy between the upper and lower classes and how they were treated in society.
Crime and punishment- Elizabeth
When Queen Elizabeth 1st took power of the throne she also took control of a harsh judicial system from the middle ages. Prisons weren’t to teach the offenders not to offend but to hold them until their day of execution. I found the facts very gruesome but kind of interesting. Especially England’s most horrible death sentence; which is to hang the person till they are half dead, whip them, cut out there bowls and set them on fire. I haven’t ever heard of it being done, but I bet it has. In the author writes also of how the punishment differs from peasants to nobles, which makes sense because the nobles were the ones who wrote them. Also there were weird rituals such as driving a stake through the bodies of the people who committed suicide. I have heard of the cruel punishments of the middle and renaissance age but I never knew it could so random.
When I was playing the BBC Elizabethan spy game, I failed completely, miserably, and repeatedly. In order to answer a question correctly I often chose two wrong answers before finally chancing on the correct one as it was the only answer remaining. When I finally completed the puzzle I was left with a feeling of emptiness at the lameness of the "code word".
Pope Alexander VI was a happening dude. With all of the tricks he was running he calls to mind the image of Jabba the Hut. With all of his wheelings and dealings, Alexander VI was like the fat spider in the center of his corrup net. With all of his vices and rumors of corruption, it surprises me that he was able to remain as pope for so long.
I read the torture in the tower and the main feeling I get is disgust. John Gerard really had something to prove because he was willing to hang from rafters until he passed out. I wonder how many peope in his position would've just given up. To believe in something as strongly as he did involves a lot of faith that really displays the shear amount of belief that people had. Its amazing in its own way.
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