12/21 Update

At this point, finished all of chapter 18. Learned a lot more about Mongols and what they did. Also looking for a book to read for the project.

Genghis Khan Movie Reflection

Based on what I have seen in the biography, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals. The Mongols were the last of the nomadic people and were normally assimilated via clans. Because of this, I inferred that they most likely had little exposure to the norms of civilizations such as the Byzantine, which had a code of law. This meant that they did not know the significance of human life and what's considered "right" and "wrong". Some of the things Genghis Khan did was a little insane, like leaving his wife behind to get captured by the invaders (not sure what they're called exactly, but sounded like mercants). But overall, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals, and acted out of the norm because of a lack of law code and civilization.  

"Capitulary de Villis" Passage response (page 448)

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis," how would you characterize conditions of material life in the Carolingian countryside?

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis", it is evident that material life had favorable conditions. In the passage, it mentions how stewards had to provide the "greatest care" when preparing food for the lord, and with the "greatest cleanliness". Next, the steward even did math for the lord: "Each steward shall make an annual statement of all our income", which means the lords did not even have to count their profits - other people did it for them. Charlemagne goes on to list all the things they made an annual statement of...which was plentiful, indicated by the amount given in the passage. Lords also received "cushions, pillows, bed clothes, coverings for tables" which just shows how luxurious their lifestyle must have been back then. Finally, Charlemagne mentioned how lords get to keep a large portion of the food available. In conclusion, based on the passage, it can be concluded that material life was luxurious in the Carolingian countryside.    

My awesome maps of postclassical India and Western Europe