Francis Bacon

Freddi: Hey Francis, when were you born?

Francis: January 22^nd 1561.

Freddi: Then what happened?

Francis: Well I went to Trinity College Cambridge when I was 12. And sadly, my father died when I was 18. So with all of my siblings, and me being the youngest, I didn’t get much money. I was basically penniless.

Freddi: That’s so sad, I’m sorry.

Francis: Its okay, I quickly turned to law. When I was 23, I was already in the House of Commons. My career didn’t really go anywhere until James the first became king. Then, once he did, I sky rocketed. But then there was a struggle between the King and the Parliament. Rumors went around and I was accuses of taking a bribe while I was a judge. I never did. But everyone else was convinced otherwise. I was tried, found guilty, I lost all of my honor, my fortune and my place in the court was gone. I could never get that back.

Freddi: That’s an awful end to your career, sorry Francis.

Francis: Then, on April 9^th, 1626, I died.

Freddi: Thank you for everything, and really, sorry about the end.

Francis: No problem Freddi.

Voltaire

Vicky: Hey Voltaire. Can I ask you some questions?

Voltaire: Sure thing.

Vicky: When were you born?

Voltaire: Nov 21^st 1694, in paris to a wealthy family.

Vicky: Then what?

Voltaire: Well in 1704 I went to College Louis- le- Grand. It was a Jesuit place that had normal education as well as more of the artsy side. Then in 1711 I moved back home. My father wanted me to study law. I really didn’t want to, but I gave in for a little bit, but I soon gave up law.

Vicky: Mean Daddy hahah.

Voltaire: Hah I guess. Then in 1713 I was sent to Holland. Then I returned to paris and worked briefly in a law office. And then in 1714 my poems get me in trouble so I was sent away again. 1715 I returned to paris, and my father introduced to a better crowd.

Vicky: You moved around a lot hah.

Voltaire: Oh theres more. In 1716 I was sent to Tulle then Sully. And then in 1717 I returned yet again to paris. But then I was accused of writing two poems that I didn’t write, so I was sent to the Bastille for eleven months. That’s when I began Henriade. And then in 1722, as a “secret diplomat”, I went to Dubois.

Vicky: Geez! How many times did you move!?

Voltaire: Hah lost count. And then in 1723, Henriade is published. Then there was 1726. I had a fight, and I was sent to Bastille, again. I was released two weeks later, but then I was sent to England. I stayed there for 3 years, learned English, I took an interest in Shakespeare too. Then in 1733 I published letters on the English nation, more trouble again hah, so I fled to Lorraine.  I spent my next 15 years there.

Vicky: Wow! Your busy!!

Voltaire: Hah I’m almost done. Then in 1745 I was appointed royal historiographer of france. Then finally in 1778, I returned to paris as a hero, and died in my sleep.

Vicky: Thank you for all of that! Hah farewell Voltaire.

Voltaire: Farewell Vicky.

Denis Diderot

Lisa: Hey there Denis.

Denis: Hi Lisa. What do you need?

Lisa: Can I ask you a few things?

Denis: Sure thing.

Lisa: Okay, one. When were you born?

Denis: October 5^th, 1713. I was born at Langres. And I was schooled by Jesuits. Then I attended the University of Paris. I got my masters of art degree there. That was a little more than you asked sorry.

Lisa: It’s okay, so what was so big about your life?

Denis:  I was the general editor of the encyclopedia. I guess that’s the biggest part. That was from  1750 to 1772.

Lisa: Wow, that must have been a stressful job.

Denis: Yeah, it was. I kinda….sorta… attacked the morality of the day…

Lisa: Hah good job Denis.

Denis: Yeah, hah I was sent to jail for three months. Then, on July 31^st of 1784, I died of emphysema in paris.

Lisa: Awh, I’m sorry.

Denis: It’s okay. Is that all you need to know?

Lisa: I think so, thanks Denis.

William Harvey

Rose: Hey William.

William: Hello Rose. You wanted to ask me a few questions?

Rose: Oh, yes. First one, birthday?

William: Born in England in 1578

Rose: What about your life? Tell me anything you feel I should know.

William: Well, when I was 20, I earned a degree at Cambridge University. Then I went to Italy to study medicine at University of Padua. In 1602, I graduated with honors. Then I went back to England, and got another medical degree from Cambridge. I then began practicing medicine. I was completely fascinated by blood flow. To the point where it was almost an obsession.

Rose: An obsession?

William: Hah, yes. In 1628, I published a book on blood flow.

Rose: Oh, wow.

William: A lot of the views were controversial, so I lost many of my patients unfortunately. But it did become basis for research of heart and blood vessels which was nice. Then in 1651, I wrote another book. That became the basis of modern embryology.

Rose: Wow, were you known for anything in your day?

William: Actually yes, I was known as a Medical leader. I was actually King Charles I’s medic.

Rose: What happened when you died?

William: Well, when I died, people were celebrating my “medical brilliance”. Does that count?

Rose: Yes, hah. Thank you William.

William: Sure thing Rose.

John Locke

Cal: Hey there John. Can I ask you a few quick questions?

John: Sure thing Cal. Knock yourself out.

Cal: Can you tell me a little about your life?

John: Well I loved from  1632 to 1704. I was an Oxford scholar, medical researcher and physician, political operative, economist and ideologue. I wrote a lot. But there was one main essay. It was concerning human understanding. I tried to determine the limits of human understanding, it was very, very difficult.

Cal: Sure sounds like it.

John: I also wanted more of a separation between church and state, it was too interlocked to me. I thought it made the government very limited. I liked to write about government and morals as well.

Cal: You sure were active with government and writing weren’t you?

John: Very much so. In one of my essays, I said we only can know the appearances not the underlying realities of natural substances. I still truly believe that too.

Cal: Alright, well I think that’s all I need. Thank you John.

John: Sure thing Cal.

Adam Smith

Alyse: Hello Adam.

Adam: Hello Alyse.

Alyse: Could I ask you a few things?

Adam: If you would like.

Alyse: One, when were you born?

Adam: June 5^th 1723.

Alyse: Cool. What about your life? Anything important?

Adam: Well, it was a very uneventful life. Very sheltered as well. Besides my mother, bless her heart, really no women played any sort of significant role in my life.

Alyse: Well that’s boring.

Adam: I told you it was uneventful. I was a philosopher. And a professor at Edinburgh from 1748- 1751. Then a professor at Glasgow from 1751- 1763. I did write some. Two books became quite popular. One was the Theory of Moral Sentiments, published 1759, and then the Wealth of Nations, published 1776.

Alyse: That sounds cool. Were you known for anything? Like before you died.

Adam: I was called the father of modern capitalism.

Alyse: Cool beans. When did you die?

Adam: July 17^th 1790.

Alyse: Kay. Gotta go. Bye.

William Shakespeare

Jane: William! Im so honored to be here with you!

William: The feelings are mutual Jane.

Jane: Oh wow! Could I ask you some questions?

William: Shoot for the starts darling.

Jane: Alright you were born April 23^rd, 1564 right? And In Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

William: Yes mam, that is right, well kind of. No one knows the exact date but pretty close to that day.

Jane: SO then when were you baptized?

William: April 26^th.

Jane: Well that was quick!

William: Yes it was. That is usually how it was back then.

Jane:  When did you marry Ann Hathwey?

William: Nov 28^th, 1582. And we had three darling children.

Jane: What did you do in your spare time?

William: Wrote many plays and poems, that’s mainly it. I was fascinated by them.

Jane: Cool!

William: Yes. I was extremely well known in the theatrical world in England by 1592. My plays had become very well known. My plays and word choice greatly influenced the ways that books and poems were written. Some are still popular today I assume, like Romeo and Juliet.

Jane: Yes! That is very well known!

William: But I died, April 23^rd of 1616. When I died, nothing was mentioned about my writings in the will, but that’s because I didn’t own them, but group I belonged to called the King’s men did.

Jane: That’s fascinating! But I have to be off, class soon! Farewell William!

William: Farewell Jane dear. 

Rene Descartes

Mary-Kate: Hey Rene!

Rene: Hello Mary-Kate. What a beautiful name you have.

Mary-Kate: Oh, thank you! Could you tell me a few things about you?

Rene: Anything. Ask away.

Mary-Kate: Alright well one, what about the day you were born?

Rene: March 31^st, 1596. I was born in La Haye

Mary-Kate: Alright. What about your life?

Rene: Just anything?

Mary-Kate: Whatever you feel is important.

Rene: Well, I went to college from 1606 to 1614. Then in 1618 I joined the army. And with that army, I went to germany. November 10^th, I had a series of weird dreams. I thought of them as signs that I would found a universal science. November of 1628, I was in paris. People were talking awful about Euclid, a man of which I honored. Within the same year, I moved to Holland. I produced The World, a science book. But when I was about to publish it in 1634, I learned of how Galileo had just been condemned by the church for talking about similar things. I quickly decided to hold off on the publishing.

Mary-Kate: That was probably a good choice on your part.

Rene: Yes indeed. Then in 1638, I published a book on math and science. It was actually written in French. Then in 1641 I published yet another book.

Mary-Kate: You were awfully busy writing weren’t you?

Rene: Terribly. I started more thoughts and ideas about the solar system, and they became more popular as the years went on. When I died on February 11^th of 1650, people remembered me as a famous French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher.

Mary-Kate: That doesn’t sound too bad.

Rene: It really was. Just a lot of work, but I enjoyed it.

Mary-Kate: Well thank you for everything Rene.

Nicolas Copernicus

Sean: Hey Nicolas!

Nicolas: Hello Sean. How are you? And uhm..why exactly am I here?

Sean: Im great thanks. And your here cause I needed to ask you some things. Im awfully confused about you.

Nicolas: Feel free to ask what youd like.

Sean: Alright, what is your birthday?

Nicolas: February 19^th, 1473. And my real name is Nikolus Koppernik. You know me by my English name. But that’s okay.

Sean: Oh, cool. What about when you grew up? What was that like?

Nicolas: Well, my father died when I was young. So my siblings and I moved in with my uncle. That’s about the most eventful thing in my childhood.

Sean: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. SO then what about later in your life?

Nicolas: Well, in 1543, I wrote a book called “On the Revolution of Celestial Spheres”. It had a lot of information on heliocentric system or the sun centered system which I invented. I also explained the retrograde motion. How planets moved and things like that.

Sean: Wow, you are really smart!

Nicolas: Hah why thank you Sean. But sadly, the church hated everything I said. They said the book is anti-common sense. I don’t know how that’s possible but oh well. I tried to explain how the earth moves 18 mps and it rotates on its axis at 8/10mps. The Church tried to argue that we would feel it, and I tried to explain, but they cut me off.

Sean: Well they sound nice hah.

Nicolas: Oh yes, they were truly angles. They also said it was anti- scholasticism, anti- bible, and they were completely against me. Doesn’t that sound joyous?

Sean: Completely and 100%.

Nicolas: It turns out that I had the whole set up of the solar system right except that I had perfect circles for orbits, not ellipses. I was pretty close though. I was the closest to the right answer in my time.

Sean: Well that’s cool. But I must go. That was very helpful. Thank you!

Martin Luther

Hannah: So Martin, could you answer some questions for my history project please?

Martin: Of course, ask away Hannah.

Hannah: Alright, easy one. When were you born?

Martin: November 10^th, 1483. And I was named after St. Martin.

Hannah: What about your childhood? How was that?

Martin: Busy. I studied latin, music, reading and writing. But my hardest subject was by far latin. I was much younger than my fellow classmates at school. Im not sure why, but I was. I went to church pretty regularly, and the bible was all in latin. Something I could understand for the most part. But the priests, when they spoke, it was different than the bible. They said that God was a tough judge, and that they had to pay the church to have their sins forgiven. But since the people couldn’t understand latin, they trusted the priests.

Hannah: That’s awful! Especially for priests!

Martin: Isnt it? I soon became a monk. I really started to study the bible then. I found that God was rather forgiving. He wasn’t what the priests were saying at all. I was furious at the church. They needed to be honest to the peasants. It wasn’t fair to them. I tried to let people know that just being a truly good human and believing meant that God would forgive you for your sins. I soon became known as the “ Father of the Protestant Reformation”. That began on October 31^st of 1517. I wrote the bible in german so that all of the peasants could understand it, without lies. Then they could read it themselves. It really began to catch on. A lot of the new churches started to follow the true bible. I had a dream that I could change the world. But my end came sooner than I expected, I died in 1546. My dream did come true, just not in my lifetime.

Hannah: That’s great of you to care so much about the peasants. I bet the really appreciated that.

Martin: It felt good and right. But I must be off. Farewell dearest Hannah.

Hannah: Bye Martin!

Galileo Galilei

Karl: Why hello there Galileo. Im Kevin.

Galileo: How do you do Kevin? May I ask as to why I’m here?

Karl: I’m fine thanks. And I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me.

Galileo: Of course you can.

Karl: Okay, so what year were you born?

Galileo: 1564.

Karl: Okay, question two. Can you tell me a little about your life?

Galileo: Let’s see, well I was the oldest of seven children. In 1581, I entered the University of Pisa were I studied medicine. After one year, I discovered the isochronal movement of pendulums. But I soon realized that my sights were set on the mathematics rather than medicine.

Karl: Wow…I don’t even know what the iso-chro…the pendulum thing is hahah.

Galileo: It’s alright, I get that a lot. In 1586, I withdrew from the university, not having gotten my degree, and moved back home.

Karl: Was that a good thing?

Galileo: Yes, it was a very good thing. In 1597, I made the military compass. Then in 1609 I built a telescope, although I was not the first to make such a thing.

Karl: You were awfully busy.

Galileo: Yes, but with things I enjoyed. What else? Hm…oh, the telescope I made enabled me to see crates upon the moon. I discovered four moon around Jupiter, and I could observe Venus. Then in 1610 I published a book. It was about how the sun was the center of the universe. My mistake, it seemed to have slipped my mind that that was against religion.

Karl: Gee, what didn’t you do?

Galileo: Sing. Anyway, in 1623, I published another book. This again was about a sun centered universe as well as free scientific questioning. Then my last book, published in 1632, was about characters arguing about the earth centered and sun centered ideas. The one who that earth centered was right was a fool. But, with the publishing of it, I was placed under house arrest for the remainder of my life.

Karl: That seems a little harsh.

Galileo: I know it. Then I died in 1642. Still under house arrest.

Karl: That’s a sad ending, sorry about that. But I must go, till next time Galileo.

Galileo: It was my pleasure talking with you.

Isaac Newton

Jake: So, Sir Isaac, how are you?

Isaac: I’m alright Jake. And just Isaac please.

Jake: Sure thing. So can I ask you a little about your life?

Isaac: Go right ahead.

Jake: Alright, so when were you born?

Isaac: Christmas day of 1647. I was born in Woolsthrope.

Jake: That’s an interesting name for a town.

Isaac: Yes it is.

Jake: So what was your childhood like?

Isaac: Well, first off, random tidbit. When I was little, Lincolnshire was the battle ground for civil wars. Just a little after I was born, my father passed away. Then when I was three, my mother married again. I was left in my grandmother’s care at that point.

Jake: Sorry to hear about your father.

Isaac: Don’t worry about it Jake. Then I was sent to King’s school in Grantham when I was 12. I stayed at Clark’s apothecary and was quite fond of his daughter actually. She ended up marrying…I never did though.

Jake: Oh…uhm…

Isaac: You don’t have to say anything. Then I was supposed to get my share of the family land, but I wasn’t a good farmer. At all. So I was never given it. But I did go to college instead. I left for Trinity College in 1661, I was 19 at the time. Then in 1665, I had achieved my bachelors degree.

Jake: Wow!

Isaac: Yes, it went quick, those years. But the first summer, a terrible illness broke out. I left the campus and returned home. During that time I invented a few things in my spare time like a new telescope, calculus, and the laws of motion.

Jake: You must be brilliant!

Isaac: Oh, why thank you Jake. I also publish a book called the Magnum Opus in 1687. But that’s about then end of my story.

Jake: Thank you for your time Isaac.

Great Schism

Tim: Hey Jane.

Jane: Hey Tim. What do you need?

Tim: Could you tell me about the Great Schism?

Jane: Sure. It started right before the Crusades. Around 1056.

Tim: 1056, got it.

Jane: It split the Catholic Church between the Latin Church in Rome, and the Eastern Orthodox Church that was in Constantinople.

Tim: What do you mean split?

Jane: Well like they became two different kinds of churches.

Tim: Like Baptist and Methodist?

Jane: Kind of yeah.  Anyway, Even though they split, Venice remained with the Latin Church.

Tim: In Rome?

Jane: Yeah. Why?

Tim: That just confuses me, that’s all. Go on.

Jane: Well the whole splitting of the church thing lead to a huge fight with the people.

Tim: Weird..

Jane: Hah, they were up in arms with it all. Then it led to the Holy Roman empire fight, but that’s a different story.

Tim: Okay, thanks Jane!

Charlemagne

Michael: Hey there Lauren.

Lauren: Hey Michael. What do you need?

Michael: Could you tell me about Charlemagne? Im still confused on him.

Lauren: Sure thing. There’s not too much on him that I know, but Ill tell you what I can. He was also known as Charles the Great, and he was 6’4’’.

Michael: Geez! He was a big boy!

Lauren: I know hahah. In 800, he was crowned the king of Rome. And he was Christian. His land was divided into three parts. One part for each of his grandsons.

Michael: Oh..he was one of those, “no work, free pay” people?

Lauren: Hahah, yeah. You don’t like that do you?

Michael: No, not exactly.

Lauren: Well, anyway hah, that was known as the treaty of Verdun.

Michael: Hahah…Verdun…that’s a funny name.

Lauren: I knew you were going to say that hah. His three grandsons names were Charles the Bald, Lothair and Louis the German. Charles the Bald had the French part, and Louis, well he obviously had the German part.

Michael: Hah well durr.

Lauren:….Anyway, Charles and Louis had a secret alliance. They were going to take over Lothair’s land.

Michael: Meanies.

Lauren: Hah yeah. They eventually did.

Michael: No fair. So is that why France and Germany aren’t the same country then?

Lauren: I think so, I mean if it wasn’t split up among the grandsons, it would have stayed as one big empire I guess.

Michael: Okay, thanks. Bye.

Magna Carta

John: Hey Jen. Can I ask you some things about the Magna Carta?

Jen: Sure thing.

John: Okay, what did it state?

Jen: Mainly the rights of Barons, the 4^th and 5^th amendments, and Miranda rights.

John: Is there anything else?

Jen: Oh, hah yes there is actually now that I think about it. It talks about how the king must obey the laws too.

John: That’s a good thing hahah.

Jen: Hah, yes it is. And it talks about due process of law. That’s a biggy. That’s all about the rules the government must follow for a fair and impartial trial.

John: Meaning?

Jen: Like trial by jury, you must face your accuser, and like I said earlier, The 4^th and 5^th amendments and the Miranda rights.

John: Ohhh, okay. Anything else I need to know?

Jen: Well the king agrees to not raise new taxes without going to the Grand Consul of Lords.

John: Cool. Is that basically it?

Jen: Pretty much, unless you want to know all the people that signed it. Hahah.

John: Nah, Im good. Thanks though.

Jen: No problem!

Crusades

Kally: Hi Pope Urban, can I ask you a few things about the crusades?

Pope: Of course dear.

Kally: Okay, so why did they even start?

Pope: Well, I kind of started them. Us Christians wanted to take back Jerusalem.

Kally: When did you call them?

Pope: In 1095.

Kally: Okay, next question. Why did you start them?

Pope: Well Alexius, of the Byzantine, wrote me saying that he needed knights. That the Turks were pushing in. So he needed help to keep the empire together.

Kally: And you sent them?

Pope: Yes.

Kally: Okay, them what?

Pope: Well a band of Radicals tried to take over the church. In 1056, it lead to the great Schism, and a huge fight. Then it finally led to the crusades. I told the people that if you die in a crusade battle, you will be saved in God’s eyes.

Kally: But that’s not true….

Pope: But it worked didn’t it? Tons of people went, but a lot of them died before they even got there…The first people they attacked were the non-believers, or the Jews. They stole what they could from them too.

Kally: Then…?

Pope: A little while later, Alexius wanted 300 elite men. But…I gave in 60,00 Catholic men. In 1097, they reached Nicia. They tried to attack but gave up and ended up moving on. Then there was the battle of Dorelaen. Theres not much to say there….And then finally they took Jerusalem! They held it for a while, and there were more crusades too. Not really an exact number, but the happened over 200 years. Knowledge that was lost there was found again, as well as wealth and trade.

Kally: So it actually was a good thing? We rediscovered knowledge and trade?

Pope: Yes mam.

Kally: Okay, thank you!

Columbus Leaves Spain

Emily: Hi Chris!

Chris: I would prefer it if you called me Christopher.

Emily: Oh…Im sorry Christopher.

Chris: No, its okay hah. I was just kidding. Call me Chris.

Emily: Oh, okay hahah. So tell me a little about yourself.

Chris:  In 1451 I was born in Genona. I am Italian by birth, but I taught myself to read and speak Spanish. I also taught myself to read Latin. I later adopted Spanish as my first language.  In 1466, at the age of 14, I first went to sea.

Emily: That’s cool, Im 14 now!

Chris: That’s interesting. I later settled in Portugal, and married my wife there. But sadly she died in 1485.

Emily: Oh, im sorry to hear that.

Chris: Its okay, she left me with my son Diego. We moved to Spain together. I had wanted to go exploring for a while. But the King and Queen would not fund my expedition. Then,  finally, they agreed. I had wanted to spread Christianity and establish a better trade with China. August 8^th, 1492, I set out on my journey. I set sail from Palos, Spain. Then, Oct 12^th, around 2 am, I sighted the Bahamas which, at the time, I thought was Japan.

Emily: That must have been a surprise!

Chris: Yes it was. I traveled from one island to the next down there. On Jan 16^th- 1493, we took off again, but only with two ships, one sank down there. When we were back in Spain, I was appointed admiral of the sea!

Emily: That must have made you happy!

Chris: It really did. Then, six months later, I set out for china again. I set out a few more times, but only found Hispaniola.

Emily: That’s disappointing.

Chris: I guess so, but on May 20, 1506, I died due to an awful illness. I was 54 at the time. I died without ever knowing I discovered a new continent.

Emily: Well now you know!

Chris: That’s true I guess. But I really must be off now.

Emily: That’s okay, thanks for your time!

Battle of Tours

Kevin: Hey there Hammer!

Charles: Hello Kevin.

Kevin: Can I ask you some things for my history assignment?

Charles: If you must.

Kevin: That battle, in 732, what happened then?

Charles: Oh, that one. Oh was that a great battle. So nice. What I did in the beginning was I positioned my army in a defensive way in an empty field. The Muslims weren’t expecting an army to be waiting for them, so they were caught off guard when they found out we were there.

Kevin: Niceeee, then what?

Charles: Well, we mini fought for several days.

Kevin: Mini fought?

Charles: Yes, it wasn’t a full on battle, but it wasn’t like “eh! *throws stick*”.

Kevin: Oh, I understand now.

Charles: Yes. Then when our European winter started to move in, the Muslims made the first move. They couldn’t handle being there in our cold. They needed to get this started and over with. But, I put my troops on a hill, with clumps of trees surrounding them. They were hidden quite well if I do say so myself.

Kevin: Nice! Smart tactics there, I’ll remember that next time in paintball!

Charles: Paint-ball?

Kevin: Oh…nevermind.

Charles: Okay, well that made it difficult for the Muslims to break through the defenses. They couldn’t tell where to go or where we were. And at some point during the battle, rumors spread. They were saying that the Frankish forces were attacking and raiding the Muslim’s villages and freeing their slaves. Hah, gullible. I don’t know who started the rumor, but Im glad they did. We weren’t doing that.

Kevin: Luckyyy.

Charles: Several left to go and protect their homes and families. Trying to stop the retreat, Abd-ar-Rahman was killed. Some brave man got him. When I find out who, I will be forever grateful to him. Some point during the night, we both retired from battle, and we went back to a defensive position. We found out later in the night that the Muslims had retreated!

Kevin: Easy battle!

Charles: It really was. I got the name, Charles “The Hammer” Martel, kept Western Europe Christian, anddddd Secured the Christian religion in western Europe.

Kevin: That’s pretty nice! Good job! That’s all I need! Thank you, bye Charles!

Charles: No problem, goodbye Kevin.

William the Conqueror

Cece: Well howdie there William!

William: Hello there…..?

Cece: Oh, Im Cece.

William: Hello there Cece. How do you do?

Cece: Well Im dandy, thank ya’ for askin’. And youself?

William: Well I am alive again, so I mustn’t complain.

Cece: Darn true. Can I interview ya’? Its agonna be for this history thingy I gots to do.

William: Why of course Cece.

Cece: Alrighty, here we go. When were ya’ born?

William: Around 1027 or 1028. No one really knew for sure.

Cece: Cool beans. Now what about that there kidhood of yours? You got one?

William: Yes, I had a childhood. In 1035, my father died, so I became the king of Normandy. And just like my early years of life, the first few years I ruled, there was a lot of conflict for Normandy.

Cece: Whadaya’ mean?

William: Well from 1046- 1054, there was constant war. But in 1054, I won. I beat my enemies.

Cece: Well that’s good now aint it?

William: Well, yes indeed. It was good. Then, in 1066, there was the conquest of England.

Cece: Meanin’….?

William: Long story short, I reigned over England from 1066-1087.

Cece: Whyd ya’ stop?

William: I died…

Cece: Oh… Well could ya’ explain that other part a bit more for me?

William: Of course. I kept the peace between the Normandy side of the empire and the English. That was quite a difficult task. I reformed the English church as a promise to Alexander II in turn for papal sanction. That was not a bad deal actually.

Cece: Whad else ya’ do?

William: I laid the successful foundations for a new medieval monarchy.

Cece: Cool…I think.

William: Hah, yes it was quite “cool” indeed.

Cece: Anything else?

William: I built castles, made large forests for the deer. I really disliked the killing of animals. They have hearts and families just like us.

Cece: Ohkeeyy….?

William: I did have my stern and wrathful rules as well. I favored those who loved god, and I was harsh to those who didn’t. I also oppressed the poor. Some said I was a very wise man, but I just thought of things most didn’t. I only wore my crown 3 times each year. I wore it on Easter, Pentecost and Christmas.

Cece: Ya’ was a very….interestin’ fella.

William: Yes I was, and I still am. But then in 1066-1154, there was the age of Anglo- Norman institutions.

Cece: Was that good or bad?

William: I thought it was quite good. After all, I introduced them.

Cece: Oh, well I think that’s all I needa get from ya’. Thanya’ Will!

William: No problem Cece.

Rome Sacked/Falls to Barbarians

Tammy: Hi there, whats your name?

Carl: Im Carl, and you?

Tammy: Im Tammy. Now that we have gotten to know each other, may I ask you some questions about when Rome fell to the Barbarians?

Carl: Sure thing, ask away.

Tammy: Okay, so Carl, first off, who were the Barbarians?

Carl: They were Germanic people. Most of them came from the north.

Tammy:  Was there a certain croup that attacked?

Carl: Actually, there was. They were the Visigoths. The leaders name was King Alaric.

Tammy: Interesting. When did they attack Rome?

Carl: In 410 ce. They left it in awful shape. It was completely unorganized for about 1,000 years.

Tammy: Wow! That’s a long time! What was it like?

Carl: Well, it was called the dark ages, so like its name, it was a dark era. There was disease and famine everywhere. One of the main diseases was the Plague. It infected many, and they usually died. The ones that survived it once usually died soon due to immense system damage. The ones that never got it had to deal with all of the others. People died so quickly that they couldn’t burry them all in time. There were dead bodies around the streets.

Tammy: That’s awful!

Carl: It really is. But the Visigoths were smart, when they attacked, the cut off ALL of Rome’s food supply. Nothing was imported, so they had to survive on what they already had in the city. That didn’t last long.

Tammy: That must have been horrible. Im glad I wasn’t born then.

Carl: So am I. Basically, they took over Rome because once most of the people died, it was easy to conquer. They really just took Rome out of the picture for a while.

Tammy: Wow, thank you for answering my questions. Bye Carl!

Carl: Bye Tammy.

Constantine the Great

Ashley: Hi Constantine! I’ve heard so much about you! I just wanted to make sure it was true. Could I ask you a couple things?

Constantine: Erm…sure? But I must ask, what is your name young one?

Ashley: Oh! I almost forgot! Hah, silly me. I’m Lily!

Constantine: Hello there Lily, you are an excited one aren’t you?

Ashley: Yes I am! So first question! When did you become emperor?

Constantine: 312 bc.

Ashley: Yepp, that one was right. Next, what did you make your new capital?

Constantine: Constantinople.

Ashley: Your good at this! Now, trick question, who was it named after? Huh, huh?

Constantine: ……Myself….

Ashley: Gee, you are good! What new thing did you allow?

Constantine: *sigh* Freedom of worship, otherwise known as the-

Ashley: Edict of Milan! Heheh, I knew that one!

Constantine: Yes you did…Joy…..(thinking: death is better than this)

Ashley: What kind of empire did you make Rome huhhhhh?

Constantine: A Christian one.

Ashley: Yessir! And last but not least, what religion did you convert to?

Constantine: Christianity.

Ashley: Goodness, you got all of them right! But I have to go, dinner time! Bye!

Constantine: Thank Goodness, finally.

Ashley: (from a distance) What was that?

Constantine: Oh, nothing dear. Nothing at all…

Julius Caesar/ Fall of the Roman Republic

Tony: Why hello there Julius. My name is Tony, would you mind if I asked a few questions of you?

Julius: Well helloooo there Tooonnnyyyy. That is quite a strange name that you have. Tooonnnnnyyyyy.

Tony: Oh, well, erm…yes. I suppose it is…Anyway, may I ask those few questions. I mean I do have a deadline and I need-

Julius: Good lord TO-NY! No need for explanations, be on with it child!

Tony: Oh. Uhm, okay..First one. What led to the fall of the republic?

Julius: Do you know anything child? It’s quite obvious, is it not? I dieedddd.

Tony: Oh, well that is quite…..unfortunate…

Julius: You do know you are an awful, unnatural liar, do you not?

Tony: I do…

Julius: Good. Since we have that settled, I will go into more detail for you uneducated child. Basically, it was my fault. I was very good at taking over, which brought me to my death. Let us see…Well, first, my sweet, angelic daughter married god awful Pompey. Quite an ungrateful one he was. He was the (snooty voice) king of Roma. I disliked him, very much so. I knew how to fix that hahah.

Tony: Good lord, you killed him, didn’t you Julius?

Julius: You really are a spoiler in yourself aren’t you? Yes. I killed the boy. I went to fight at the Rubicon River. My army and I crossed the river and attacked. Eventually, I killed the child. The ungrateful, idiotic…well, nevermind that. But, yes. I did kill him. What a sweet, sweet day.

Tony: Oh….kay….

Julius: Well, being the person I am, I forced his senate to make me their dictator. I was doing a fine job, or so I thought. Apparently, they thought different. Sadly, I was only the ruler for a short period of time. On March 14^th, 44bc, they came and murdered me.

Tony: Sorry…who are they?

Julius: Goodness boy! Do you know anything? The senate. They is the senate. They each got one stab at me. That was such a painful experience. And good lord, my own best friend stabbed me. Not only that, he got the LAST stab. Just to make sure I knew he did it. Some best friend he was for me.

Tony: I would say I am sorry, but you know I would be lying…

Julius: Don’t bother. Save the air, more for me. Well, when I died, so did the Republic. That’s about all. It did keep Rome from being a Republic though, too bad for them

Tony: Alright then…Well, erm, I have my story. So…I guess I will be off then..Farewell Julius.

Julius: Yes, farewell Tonnyyy

Alexander the Great

Kate: Hi Alexander, how has your rest been?

Alexander: Oh, much too long Kate, much too long.

Kate: Hah, well I’m glad we could get you out here. Could I ask you a couple questions on your rule?

Alexander: If you would like, shoot for the stars.

Kate: Oh hah, alright. What was your childhood like?

Alexander: Well, I was born in 356 bc. My sister was born a year later. We grew up in the royal court in Pella. Goodness that was an outstanding place.

Kate: That sounds like a nice beginning, would you mind telling me more?

Alexander: Of course not. In 336, my sister married over the summer. She married our Uncle Phillip in fact. He was the Molossian King. He was not well liked in Macedon. A little while later, my mother, Olympias, killed Phillip. Our people were so overcome with joy. It was like a great burden was lifted.

Kate: That sounds dreadful.

Alexander: Oh, it was much better after mother put an end to him. In 338, I lead the Companion Cavalry and helped my father. But, when my father died, I became the king of Macedon. I made plans quickly. I was a very fast moving, and fast conquering king. I soon went to Babylon to plan my way of conquering the northern part of Africa. While I was there, I also planned on my exploration of the Caspian Sea and Arabia.

Kate: It sounds like everything was going great, what happened? You died at such a young age.

Alexander: Oh, well that’s a very sad yet simple answer. While I was in Babylon, I got Malaria. I was diagnosed on June 2^nd. Then, *sniff sniff*, on June 12^th, only ten days later, I was dead. I was 32 when I died. The saddest part was that I didn’t die at home. I died as a foreigner.

Kate: I forget if you mentioned this earlier but, did you ever get married?

Alexander: Oh, yes! Yes I did! To a beautiful woman named Roxana. She had our son a few months after my death. Yet, he was sadly assassinated in 309 bc.

Kate: Oh, that’s awful. I’m sorry to hear that. But could you do me a favor and basically sum up your rule?

Alexander: No problem. I united the Greeks, my empire was stretched from the Balkans to the Himalayas, and I was an ambitious king. When I died, my empire fell apart. Alas, my great empire was easy to conquer. Soon, it was split up all over. Such a shame.

Kate: Thank you Alexander, but I must be off. Goodbye.

Alexander: Farewell darling Kate.

Axis Age/Golden Age in Greece

Me: Hello there Alexander, how’ve you been all of these years?

Alexander: Hello Kristy. Ive been good, stiff and tired in my grave, but good.

Me:Oh…Okay, well could I ask you a few questions on the Axis Age?

Alexander: Sure, go right ahead.

Me: Alright, first question. Could you tell me when it was?

Alexander: Between 478 and 431 bc, and it was the first out of 5 different ages.

Me: What was it like? Was there food available, what were interests of people then?

Alexander: Well, to answer the first part. Yes, food was always available. We had plenty of it. You didn’t have to do much work to survive then, so it was a pretty peaceful and trouble free life. A lot of people took an interest in science and philosophy.

Me: Oh, that sounds like a nice life to have. What about things that the people made? Statues, things like that.

Alexander: Hm… Well the Parthenon was built then. Boy was that a glorious building.

Me: It’s a great building now too. I bet it was amazing back then as well. What kind of government did you have?

Alexander: It was a direct democracy. It was nice at times, but some people were really set against it.

Me: That doesn’t sound too bad. Why did this age end?

Alexander: Oh, because Athens was always the “top dog”, as you would say, with military and economic power. Naturally, others wanted a taste of that. A war sparked between Athens and Sparta. Neither really won, but it did great damage to the power and wealth of Athens. So, in a way, Sparta won, not for long though. But that’s a different story. But it did mean that more people got a taste of power then.

Me: Oh, that’s too bad. But look at the time, I must be going. Thank you for meeting with me after such a long time underground.

Alexander: No problem, it’s nice to get out every once in a while. Bye.

Mongols Take China

When the Sung dynasty ended in 1279 ad, the Mongols took over. Gangkas Khan, the first ruler, was born around 1167 ad. His first European target was Russia. I bet he is going to be the only one with a successful invasion of Russia in the winter ever. He succeeded in gaining land. Marco Polo even wrote that he was the most powerful man since Adam. Gangkas ruled northern China. Then, his son, Kublai Khan, was born. Kublai ruled southern china. When Gangkas died, Kublai ruled all of Chinas land. He decided that only Mongols should get the high government jobs and only mongols could serve in the military. When Marco Polo came back and stayed with Kublai for 17 years, he wrote a book about it. It tells of his experiences and things that no one else really knows about the Khan. But eventually, the Mongols fell and in 1368, the Ming took over.

Zheng He

Zheng He is a widely famous explorer for us Chinese. He began exploring in 1405, and he had 62 hugeeeee ships and 200 smaller ones. Some of the bigger ones were almost 400 feet long. When he died last year in 1435, the Ming Emperor destroyed everything about him. Im not sure why, but he did. All of the books about it and the records, all gone. He even had his ships BURNED. He wanted to make sure that his voyages were finished for good. Instead, they wanted to focus all of their attention on working on our society at hand. I wish they didnt end the voyages, i would have loved to have been able to be part of one. To explore all of the seas, what an amazing experience.

Sung Dynasty

Here we are, the ending of the Sung Dynasty. I never thought this day would come. Oh, hi there. Im Dii. Wanna hear about the Sung Dynasty? Okay, well Im gonna tell you anyways. It started in 960 ad, when the Tang Dynasty fell. We could grow rice super quickly. We had two crops per year, so we had a surplus. It became a major cash crop for us. The surplus led to a lot more trade which somehow brought the arts back. They created the Grand Canal which helped get people across the whole country quicker and easier. When the trade got big, the invention of paper money came about. It got really big really fast. They had a very ordered society, and the gentry got the best jobs and places in the military. We had a very rich society in general but they gentries had the best of everything. Then the mongols came and they ended our dynasty around 1279 ad.

Tang Dynasty

The Tang dynasty just ended. Oh, by the way, Im Kilai. When the Han dynasty collapsed in 200 ad, the Tang dynasty took over in 618 ad. China was just about to loose it but the Tang saved it.  Its a big time for spreading Buddhism and farming. Not to mention the art, its everywhere! Out first Tang Emperor was Li Yuan. The government and economy have rebuilt themselves a bit. The Han uniform system of government is back along with reforming the land. We started to decline when we lost our land to the Arabs. They reinforced the high taxes again which caused riots. There was a drought which led to famine and more rebellion. Then just recently, 907 ad, the Tang Dynasty ended. It was astonishing but it was really happening. I dont know wether to be happy, sad, worried or scared yet. But Ill let you know.

Han Dynasty

My name is LiLi. I would like to tell you about the Han dynasty. My grandmother has told me all that I know. She lived then, I did not. The Han dynasty was from 206 bc to 220 ad. There were two parts, the Former Han and the Later Han. In the Former Han, Liu Pang created the dynasty. He called himself Han Kao Tsu. He made his capital Chang'an, I think thats what she said. Their state philosophy was Confucianism. He tried to make the central government strong and humane at the same time. But he got out of hand with his taxes. Even though during the Former Han they invented paper, porcaline, wheelbarrow, compass, and the seismograph, the people still couldnt stand the outrageous taxes. They revolted and in 23 ad, Emperor Wang Mang was executed by a peasant. Then the Later Han started. They were big on military expansion. In 50 ad, they attacked Husing Nu and went all the way to Europe, expanding their land. But, their downfall was caused by taxation as well. A Taoist Secret Society called the Yellow Turbans attacked and the Han dynasty ended completely.

Buddhism In China

Niiiii Haaaooooo. My name Kai. The year- 210 ad. I buddhist. Buddha a great man. He make Buddhism big around 206 ad. I a Mahayana buddhist. It most popular chain of buddhism in china. We compassionate and liberal at same time. China use a lotta money to make pretty things for Buddha. They beautiful. We have temples with stone Buddha. Buddhist things are nirvana and meditation. We try achieve nirvana by meditate. We like draw lotus and the swastika. They  peace and awakening. They everywhere, all great. Buddha ideas from india. Got to china from trade at Silk Road. Buddha from India. I no met Buddha. I too young. I not worthy of Buddha presence. I worship he ideas. We try and be awakened, but no one can be like Buddha. He so open-minded. We all focused on things. I go, rice time. I try write again. Bye.

The Great Wall

HI THERE! Hahah, my name is Qi Po Qin. I wanna tell you a story about the great wall. Way back, before I was born, around 200 bc, Si Huangdi started building the great wall. He connected already existing walls into one giant one. He was awful to the people that worked on it. Did I mention its hand made? Oh, well, it is. Mainly the boys and men were sent to work on it. The ones that got sick usually died. Since there was no place to burry them, they were usually buried in the wall. There were tons of people that died in the making of that wall. It was built over all different landscapes. Some were dry and desert like while others flourish in greens. Parts of it are built upon the flat land while some parts are all over the sides and tops of mountains. Due to the immense heat and extreme cold, it was mainly built in the spring and fall. The Ming dynasty was the high point of building time. Each dynasty continued to build it, but in the middle of the chin dynasty, the work stopped. Its being renovated today and its 4500 miles long with 24 towers in it. You can see it from outerspace now and its part of the 7 wonders of the world. It was built not only to keep us safe, but to make sure that we knew our boundaries and didnt leave.

Lao Zi and Taoism

Ni Hao! My name is Wei-Jin. Im here to tell you about Lao Zi and Taoism. Lao Zi was born in the spring-autumn period. He was supposedly an adult from birth. Hence his name, Lao Zi. It means Old Boy, so he was very mature at a young age. He was not the founder of Taoism, Zhang Daoling was in the 2nd century bc. Lao Zi is just a strong believer and basically the Zhang Daoling of that century. Tao means the way of the universe. He believed this was the best way for people to live. He also believed that people should be friends with nature rather than dominate it like we do. He doesnt like competition or ambition, he thinks its too disruptive. Taoism is full of never ending cycles. It was huge in the Han dynasty. By the 14th century, there were two main sects. The first- Self cultivation and immortality. The second- Charms and spells. It declined to be little followed by from 1368-1644 ad.

Confucius

Why hello there. My name Po. I a Confucianist..ist..er. I tell you story of the big boy, Kung Fu-Tzu. He born in 551 bc, in Lu provence. He born into the K'ung family, a middle class family. He name Ch'iu. He personal goal to teach people to be good. He try government. They no like him. Then he got kicked out. He became wandering teacher and came up to me today. He kept trying to have me understand the way of life from his eyes. But he no religious guy, he no have special title. So I start listen. He tell me how he want restore peace in province. He like music and dance. Kung Fu-Tzu keep saying "if we are to achieve a state of orderliness and peace, we need to return to tradition value. I think he want us to forget about stuff. No buy stuff kinda. He keep saying something about "living by jen". I no know who jen is, but she sound nice. A lot of friend like him too. They Confucianist..ist..ers like me. My friend Ming go another country. He say they know Kung Fu-Tzu too. Some call him "Master Kung" or K'ung Fu-Tzu. I no know why, but there a guy on Silk Road, he call him Confucius. Maybe that what he think he name is. I no know. I write later. Zai jian.

Unification of China

I dont know where i am now, or what this magic letter- maker is, but im from 221 bc. My name is Kuan Lin. This year, China has been reunified! In the past years, the military tried to force us all together. They were violent and crude to us all. Then King Zheng, our emperor and proclaimed first emperor, brought us together in one big gesture. He was nine when he took the throne, but he is a great emperor. Lu Buwei and Li Si are his helpers. He is currently conquering more surrounding states and making us one big country! Unfortunately, he is a legalist. I dont like that but hes helping the country so I cant say much. He is also starting this GIANT wall that will keep out invaders and keep us in. The smallest crime now has a big punishment though... He took away our weapons, but there arent that many more fights anymore. Thats all for today i guess, ill be back soon on this magic letter maker. bye!