Blackletter.

Blackletter or Gothic script was a writing style which was used in Europe in the Middle Ages. During that time blackletter was popular.

This type of writing has its own variations.

Various texts and books were written in this font. Also, the Gothic script was written in different languages.

This font can be found on various historical places.

Blackletter has related types of writing, too.

Great people: Ptolemy.

Claudius Ptolemy (Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαῖος) (Claudius Ptolemaeus) was a scientist. He studied different fields, such as: mathematics, astronomy, astrology (ἀστρολογία), geography.

Ptolemy was born in Egypt, Roman Empire, c. 100 AD.

Claudius Ptolemy influenced science and scientists.

He died in Alexandria, Egypt, Roman Empire, c. 170 AD.

Silk Road.

 The Silk Road was a trade way which connected China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe in ancient time and Middle Ages. The Silk Road was used to export silk from China.

This road was opened during the Han Dynasty. It ruled from 206 B. C. to 220 A. D.

The way connected different countries of the Far East, Middle East, Middle Asia, and Europe. Also, there were small routes, such as: Mesopotamia and India subcontinent, Northern Africa through Egypt.

Silk, horses, paper, spices, jade, glassware, furs, and slaves; these good were traded on the famous road.

Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia, in Ancient Greece, expanded his possessions through the Silk Road.

Also, the Royal Road routes led to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Italian explorer Marco Polo used the Silk Road to travel from Italy to China. He arrived there in 1275. Marco Polo travelled by camel overland.

He returned to Italy through the Silk Road in 1295. Marco Polo wrote a book Book of the Marvels of the World or The Travels of Marco Polo. It gave better understanding of Asian culture.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/golden-bitcoin-silk-road-stand-on-1090643096

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/illustration-history-economy-silk-road-network-1995777824

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/frescoes-dunhuang-grottoes-gansu-province-along-1731596758

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/great-silk-road-camel-caravan-trade-1586792434

 Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/one-belt-road-new-silk-concept-1060049426

Literature. Part seventy three.

                                             Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott.

This historical novel was written in XIX century. The author described lives of people in the Middle Ages in detail. It helps to understand history of England and other European countries.

The book tells the real historical events of that time. Knights and kings have many different adventures. Also, there are jester, lady, prince, and etc.

Characters have relationships with each other. They visited neighboring countries. Religion is described in novel, too.

This book was released in 1819. Ivanhoe: A Romance sparked interest with Medieval time. It influenced to romanticism and Gothic Revival architecture.

There are many illustrations to this novel. The book was translated to other languages.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/edinburgh-scotland-26th-may-2017-monument-752480680

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/old-king-holding-hand-young-female-1935039683

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/sir-walter-scott-picture-meyers-lexicon-88123759

Byzantine Empire.

 Byzantium or Eastern Roman Empire (Imperium Romanum Orientale, Romania) (Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Ῥωμανία) was a province in the late antiquity and early Middle Ages. Capital of Byzantium was Constantinople. This city was large.

The Byzantine Empire left after the Roman Empire.

This country had its own culture, laws, civilization, rules, and emperors. Byzantine Empire was powerful for that time.

People in this empire talked in Greek language. But they identified themselves as Romans. Their religion was Christianity.

Byzantine Empire was a wealthy country in the early medieval period. Eastern Roman Empire had its own schools and education.

This country had many wars during its history. Rulers of other counties wanted to conquer Byzantium.

Also, Byzantine Empire had many architectural works. Different churches and other buildings had their  own style for Middle Ages.

But later this empire lost some parts. Empire which existed several centuries fell.

Byzantine Empire left legacy. Other countries studied this history. During Renaissance (XIV-XVII centuries) culture of Byzantium helped scientists.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/ru/image-photo/ancient-golden-byzantine-coins-emperor-portraits-418296661

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/ru/image-vector/vector-map-byzantine-empire-1351244093

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/ru/image-vector/emperor-empress-byzantine-royal-family-crown-1371897008

Great people: Marco Polo.

Marco Polo was known as an Italian explorer, writer, and merchant. He was born on September 25, 1254, in Venice. His parents were Niccolo Polo and Nicole Anna Defusesh.

Marco Polo's travels were important for medieval Europe and people. He and his relatives visited many differents parts of Asia.

Their travels lasted several years. Marco Polo noticed differences between European and Asian countries. He visited other Empires and brought some things and food back.

Polo's travel showed cultures of: India, China, Japan, and etc. In Middle Ages people of the West didn't know about them.

When Marco Polo returned to Europe he wrote a book named Book of the Travels of Marco Polo (1300). Christopher Columbus was inspired by this book.

Marco Polo had a wife: Donata Badoer. They had three daughters: Fantina, Bellela, and Moretta.

Polo died on January 8, 1324, in Venice.

Great people: Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" was born in 1412 in France. She had an important role during the Hundred Year's War.

Joan of Arc was a very young woman.

When she was a teenager she heard "voices of angels" Joan of Arc had ideas how to hepl people with war.

After this happened she tried to do her mission. But Joan of Arc failed. She tried it again. Joan wore a knight's clothes. Also, Joan of Arc met with king.

Joan of Arc had a trial. It was in 1431. She was burned at the stake. Several years later Joan of Arc was acquitted. In 1920 she was canonized.

Famous people and their quotes. Part forty one.

                                                    Joan of Arc.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/joan-arc-medieval-female-girl-woman-1396002713



“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”

“I will not answer you about that. I have revelations touching the King that I will not tell you.”

Source of information:

https://www.biographyonline.net/quotes/joan-arc.html

Literature. Part forty nine.

                                       The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.

This novel is about the Middle Ages in Europe. Many historic things are described in it.

Main characters had a lot of relations in the book. Esmeralda is a street dancer and she wanted to find her family. Quasimodo has a hunchback and is deaf. He is a bell ringer. Pierre Gringoire is a poet and philosopher.

Good and bad moments happened with people. Characters saved, loved, and found each other.

At the end Esmeralda and Quasimodo died.

Novel describes medieval France and Gothic architecture. There are many paintings, cartoons, movies about this story.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/bronze-copies-paris-sights-isolated-on-7271149

Vikings.

Vikings were people who lived in Scandinavian Peninsula. They had their own culture, mythology, religions, travels, language, literature, and laws.

In VII-XI centuries these people had period known as the Viking Age (793-1066 A. D.). Viking had their own famous boats. Other countries wrote about Vikings.

People did voyages to neighbourhood countries. During wars Vikings used weapons.

After this period in Scandinavian Peninsula new countries appeared. But Vikings and their culture were important. Historians found statues of gods, helmets, maps, architecture, and etc.

Some of historic things are in museums. People can look at them.

Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-illustration/viking-ships-on-water-under-sunlight-1009010713?src=uuevWf74roPz46dgObDdyA-1-2



Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-vector/vikings-viking-cartoon-characters-valkyrie-berserker-1027967668?src=uuevWf74roPz46dgObDdyA-1-35



Source of image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-photo/viking-helmet-isolated-on-background-red-447757012?src=uuevWf74roPz46dgObDdyA-3-44

Lady Godiva.

In Medieval England there were Leofric, Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva. People of his kingdom loved and respected Earl's wife because she was a very good and kind woman. Lepfric made high taxes for citizens.

Godiva asked her husband to lower taxes for people. But Leofric, Earl of Mercia didn't hear Lady Godiva's words.

One day Leofric said that he would make taxes lower if his wife will ride a horse nude. So she did it.

On that day no one of people came out of the house. Just one young man named Tom saw the nude Lady Godiva. He became blind. Earl made lowered taxes for people of his kingdom.

It is a legend from the Middle Ages. We don't know if it is true or false.

There are many statues and pictures about Lady Godiva.

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-154467155/stock-photo-vintage-looking-statue-monument-of-lady-godiva-coventry-uk.html?src=7QmWyG0Ptle2oEkqdk78JQ-1-3



Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-3460633/stock-vector-lady-godiva-on-a-grey-dapple-horse.html?src=7QmWyG0Ptle2oEkqdk78JQ-1-9



Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-477065425/stock-photo-united-kingdom-coventry-12-penny-1793-token-isolated-on-white.html?src=7QmWyG0Ptle2oEkqdk78JQ-1-21

Gothic art.

Gothic art was an important period in Medieval history. It was developed in central and western Europe. Gothic art was a dark type of art which appeared in painting, architecture, and sculpture.

This type of art was popular from XII until XVI centuries. For Medieval people God and religion were very important. So, on Gothic pictures and sculptures Christian were shawn saints. Example, Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris, France. One of the most famous architecture work of Gothic art.

In that time people built simple furniture in Gothic style. Painting in Medieval period performed on differnt things: stained glass, frescoes, and panel painting.

Gothic art was popular just during Middle Ages. On Renaissance another types of art appeared because people have changed values.

But the era of Gothic art was important for Medieval people.

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=fr&lang=fr&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=gothic&media_type=images&page=1&inline=235854979



Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/ornate-centre-scrolls-2418181?st=2530e46

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/gothic/search.html?page=3&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=210914332

Middle Ages.

Middle Ages (Medieval) was one of the hard periods in human history. In Europe, people forgot many important things such as science, civilization, washing, and etc.

Medieval period was during the fifth to fifteenth centuries. The New World still wasn't opened, Africa and Asia were first expericing civilization.

In this hard time, religion appeared. People began to believe in one God instead of many. Artists painted pictures and icons with new saints.

Also, during Middle Ages, people expericed a terrible disease. The bubonic plague called the "Black Death". This horrible ill killed several million people.

Church was very important for medieval people. They did everything to live in heaven. People didn't notice things which happened around.

In Middle Ages human survived crisis. It took several years to recover.

P.S. After Medieval period, began a new part of human history. But I will tell you about it next time.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/narrow-street-with-restaurant-6479048?st=c5f10e8

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/medieval/search.html?page=3&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=237231865



Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/medieval/search.html?page=6&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=171916583

Ancient Greece.

Ancient Greece was one of the most great civilization in Ancient History. It was since III thousand B.C. until I century A.D.

In ancient country many different types of sciences, politics, laws, slavery, religion, theatre were developed. Many of them are still studied in schools. Example, Greek mathematician Pythagoras created Pythagorean theorem.

Relogion for the Greek was important. They believed in many different Gods. These myths and legends are studied in schools now. Also, people making cartoons and films. Ancient Greek mythology is one of the most interesting mythologies.

Also Greece is the Motherland of Olympic Games. There were Olympic Games long before modern. They were different.

Many theatrical genres come from Ancient Greece.

Life in Ancient Greece was easier than in Middle Ages. But when it was. It's very important for world history.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/myra-and-stone-mask-51519600?st=b7302e6

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/farnese-bull-antique-engraving-46322372?st=a834a8e

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/ancient-greek-medals-17-century-illustration-73140067?st=ed50eb4