The Middle Ages

This year the time period we are focusing most on is The Middle Ages.  We've talked about a lot of different parts to it, but since I wasn't doing the blog thing at the time, I'll just start with where we are currently.  Maybe I'll go back and touch on some of the others later, maybe.  So our most recent discussion in our homeschool youth group and here at home has been about King Richard and the Crusades.  I've read numerous books on the time period, and one of the main constants that I noticed in them all, is that the knights, were really not very chivalrous.  I'm sure that just like these days, where we hear mostly only of people doing bad things, but we know that they are far more good people than bad people that there were plenty of good knights, and some of the stories portray those, but they always have knights who don't follow the code of conduct that they swore they would when they were knights.   Most recently we (Ginga' and I) read Ivanhoe.  This is one of those books that for years, I would see on those 'classic lists', and I would avoid it, because of what I'd heard over the years about how daunting it is.  It was a harder read than some, but wasn't as bad as I'd made it out in my mind.  I must say though, that there were times that it just lost me altogether, and I had to go back and re-read parts to figure out what in the world Scott was trying to say.  Ginga' listened to an audio as he read along with it, to help him with it, and I think that helped a lot.  The man doing the voices was very good.  So, after reading this, and then reading a couple of other books by the author, G.A. Henty (they called him 'The boys' own historian' back in his day for his ability to write the history but put in plenty of action and a great story line to help teach you about the event he was writing about), I read two books recently by him.

The first is called, Wulf the Saxon and the other is called, The Boy Knight.   Wulf the Saxon is about the Battle of Hastings, and gives an excellent look at the Norman invasion and conquest of England.  It details both William of Normandy and Kind Harold of England, and that fateful battle that changed the course of history.  Because really, The Battle of Hastings, changed England so much, which of course has affected the rest of the world.  I love that his books always has the main character be a person of good character, one that is never willing to compromise his integrity.  (I suppose that sometimes makes the person not seem real, but I'm okay with that.  I like that as my children read them, they can see those traits that we want to emulate, like honor, integrity, virtue, etc.)  

The other book, The Boy Knight I also really liked, it really showed to me why the crusades failed so miserably so much of the time.  Ivanhoe is also about the crusades.  Both books had plenty of knights who were not honorable at all.  They used their title as an excuse to do whatever it was that pleased them.  During the time of the crusades, knights were promised by the pope that their sins would be forgiven them if they would engage in a crusade and recapture Jerusalem.  They were even promised rewards in heaven for doing so.  Many took that to mean that it didn't matter what they did, they could take and do what they liked just so long as they fought to try to recapture that holy city.  I kept thinking about the scripture that refers to 'they draw near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'  Because they weren't really seeking to do God's will, but were more out to make themselves look better, or to get gain, perhaps that is why they failed.

I wrote this over a course of time, so if it seems fragmented, well, that's because it probably is!  Please forgive typos, and wording that may not make sense.  :)