Personal Biography - Article Example

Personal Biography Introduction I was born in 1424, in a remote village Epirus in Byzantine Empire that was at the time under the rule of King Andronikos III. Byzantine Empire at this time enjoyed flourishing economy and was the resentment of the civilized world (Fretland, VanVoorst, p.13). I am a third born in a family of eleven children, which includes four boys and seven girls. My father named me Eudokia Arethas after my great aunt as traditions dictated. Unlike my brothers who were born before me, my name did not depict anything special. This was not unusual as girl’s and women’s role in society was to be married off and bear children. However, my family was different in many ways. Family Information My father’s name was Antonius Arethas, a renowned swordsmith charged with making swords for the army and the descendant of great sword smiths in Byzantine. It is expected that my brothers would join the family trade. My mother’s name was Maria Thekla. She originates from a long line of healers and shamans but like many other peasant women of her time worked very hard at home and in the farm; raising us and providing for our daily sustenance. She would have to wake up by 4 am during the summer and retire after everyone else. As the eldest daughter of the family, it remains my duty to assist my mother with household chores, learn skills that pertain motherhood and take care of my younger siblings. According to Haldon, John, status dictates every aspect in Byzantine society. Since I was born in a middle-income family and by the virtue of being a girl, there were limited opportunities available right from birth (p.45). Women were expected to assist their husbands with their vocation and at the same time carry out their normal women-folk household and farm chores. Education was out of the question and only reserved for the boys and the wealthy. Langley et.al explains that in many peasant and middle class households, education was not a basic need (56). My father toiled to offer for us the daily needs. Having not gone to school himself, he wanted to give a chance for his children to get some education. The education system of my time was rather informal and the learning hours were flexible allowing us time to perform our chores. Right from an early stage, it was important for me that I get some form of education. I was resolute to have an improved life than my parents’ and not even the teasing I got from my friends whose only dream was that of marrying rich deterred my dreams. I dreamt of being a great woman of my time able to compete with the men for a position in the Senate. It was when I got older that I would come to understand how absurd such dreams were. One afternoon in the year of our Lord 1430, about a moon after the birth of my youngest sister my elder brother came rushing home. He was out of breath and hysterical. Mother consoled him and asked what had happened. Now, it was not unusual for villagers to be harassed by the Roman soldiers. However, it was obvious that this was something different. My brother managed to explain to mother rather incoherently what had happened. While they were working with father, three Roman soldiers had come and demanded that father paid them. Father protested explaining that he had just paid his taxes as required by the law. The soldiers had then drawn their swords. Seeing this, my brother had picked up a sword that was being melted and in an attempt to defend father struck one of the soldiers killing him instantly. Another soldier had then tried to strike my brother, but my father got in the way and was killed. My brother had fled and he was sure the soldiers would be coming after him and my family. My mother had no choice but to pack for him some bread and water and we bid him goodbye, never to hear from him again for over twenty moons. With the demise of my father who was the breadwinner and our protector, we could no longer afford to go to school. Additionally, the whole village was weary of us fearing that we had invited the wrath of the Romans when brother killed one of them. Their fears were not misplaced as no sooner had brother fled than soldiers paid us a visit. They searched the house and the field for Romanus and when they failed to locate him, descended on mother, beating her senseless. It was only by God’s grace that she survived. Life became difficult as we could barely afford food and clothes especially in the cold months. Mother was unable to work on the farm and this resulted in the shortage of food for us. Two months later, our last born fell sick from the black disease and neither mother’s herbs nor the shaman’s concoctions seem to help. One cold night, three days later, she died in her sleep. Mother was inconsolable. None of the villagers helped arrange for the burial. This was very devastating for our family. Meaning of Life Life to me means having family that is there for me in all situations. The health and happiness of my family means a lot to me. Ambitions and aspirations are what make life worth living. I believe that destiny has great things planned for me and all I have to do is reach out and grab it. As a woman, life means being able to raise a family to carry on my father’s bloodline. Life and Achievements It was on the same moon that I became a woman, the year was 1436, and that my mother called me aside and informed me that she had organized that I go and live with my great uncle in the next village of Nicaea and assist him with household chores. In return, my mother would be provided with food and clothing for our youngest children. My uncle and aunt were very receptive individuals and every day spent with them will forever be in my memory. They took care of me like the daughter they never had. My daily chores consisted of kitchen work, cleaning and tending to the poultry and the kitchen garden. My aunt practiced old medicine and I would join her after my chores. She would show me herbs and roots and explain what they were used for. This was very interesting to me but I knew that this was not my destiny. One late afternoon while I was milking the cows an idea crossed my mind. But given my situation and that of my family, I laughed it off. We made trips with Aunty Ariadne to visit sick individuals and families who had requested for her services. We had to be escorted by Alexius, our farm boy because it was not considered safe or proper for women to travel alone. It was 5 moons later that the same idea occurred to me and this time, I decided to act on it. I believed that it was my destiny to teach and impart knowledge on young women. At the family table, I shared my idea with both my aunt and uncle. I explained that having my own school would make sure that my family was well taken care of. Now this was not going to be any ordinary school but one where girls were allowed to attend. They would be taught mathematics and ethics. The idea was to empower girls to be better women and to acquire skills to enable them improve the state of their family. I was convinced that by enlightening girls and young women, I would prepare them for motherhood and family life. I was aware that this was likely to be resisted. My aunt and uncle were very skeptical as they believed that respectable women in society were not permitted to vocation outside the home let alone start businesses. Those who had succeeded in running their businesses mainly ventured into cloth making industry, food and beverage industry and a few run their own brothels. In addition, most workers’ guilds did not admit women businesspersons. Despite their reservations, they showed their support by offering to pay for the house where teaching would take place. The day was finally upon us and all the preparations having been made, ten girls showed up on the first day. After a week, the number had risen to about thirty and that was when all hell broke loose. First, some Roman soldiers paid us a visit demanding that we paid taxes. On realizing that the school was being run by a woman, they suggested that they would accept other forms of payment. They implied quite clearly that sexual favors would go a long way in “facilitating” their protection. On refusing, they got aggressive and demanded that the school be closed as it was illegal as per the rules. We obeyed as these soldiers had a reputation. It was late at night that we were awoken by the screams of our neighbors to find the school on fire. All our efforts to extinguish the fire were in vain and that is how I lost. All was lost and I had no option but to go back home for fear that the soldiers might return. I had lost all hope and no amount of encouragement from my family worked. One late afternoon, while coming from the market place, I met our neighbor Theresa. She and her husband had arrived from the city. She was telling stories of how city women were allowed to work as courtesans in the palace. This seemed like an opportunity to me. I dashed home and informed mother and my sisters of what I had overheard. Mother was skeptical but our situation had worsened and we needed food and clothing for the impending winter. I was 20 years old and already a woman with a number of suitors after me and mother had hoped that I would marry from a decent home and take up the responsibility of raising my younger siblings. A month later, I took off, escorted by my older brother Belisarius. The journey lasted for three days and two nights. As fate would have it, the House of General Ignatios required young, unmarried courtesans. I was taken in by the chief courtesan, trained and readied for duty. Courtesans are elegant women with some little education. The role of courtesans was to accompany their lords to social functions. This is because respectable wives were required to stay at home. I was assigned duties that included serving the master of the court with meals and ensuring that he was well taken care of in terms of companionship. Within a year of arriving at the court, I had risen to chief courtesan. This promotion came when the chief courtesan was taken ill with typhoid fever. At the age of 22 years, I became the General’s best courtesan and accompanied him to all social functions. During my free time, I had a tutor teach me mathematics and art both of which Master Ignatios paid for. Six months later, I opened up a courtesan’s school teaching girls the art. It was with the General’s help that the school became recognized through Byzantine Empire as his title commanded respect throughout the Empire. Conquest of Byzantine Empire According to David et.al, civil war was raging in the Empire and continued for six years after the death of King Andronikos III. We were famed for our architectural masterpieces, which included but were not limited to the Hagai Sophia Church and the palaces. This was what the Ottomans coveted and by 1440, the Turkish Ottoman threat was getting closer (p.78). At the time, the news that the Pope Eugenious IV was making progress in his attempts at uniting the Orthodox and Catholic Church was what was making the headlines. In January of 1443, the Pope issued an encyclical that was urging Christians and crusaders to help defend Byzantine against the advancing Turks. With the exception of Poland, Hungary, Burgundy and Transylvania, the rest of Europe seemed to have better things to do. Earlier on, John Hunyadi, the Transylvanian leader and King Ladislas of Hungary had been planning to attack the Turks in the summer of 1443 together with twenty thousand soldiers, they matched towards the Balkans, advanced through Bulgaria and took over Varna, which up to then, had been in the Ottomans hands. In the meantime, news of sailors from Dardanelles reached us. These men were on board ships commissioned by the Empire, the Pope, and Duke of Burgundy, Venice and Dubrovnik. This was what everyone was waiting for. However, the Turkish Sultan Murad gathered an army of over eighty thousand men and set off to reclaim Varnas. Rumor had it that the Turks were sailing on Genoese ships. In November 1443, the Sultan destroyed the Christians in Varna, killing the Papal representatives and King Ladislas of Hungary (Nicolle, Haldon p.45). This was a huge blow for the Empire and in 1451, the Turks led by the new Sultan Mehmed started preparing to attack afresh. In April 1453, the Sultan and his army of about eighty thousand men arrived and started making plans to lay siege to the city of Constantinople. Our soldiers were camped outside the city walls ready to ward off the Turks. Short on men, priority was given to operating the Theodosian wall surrounding the city. It was then that the Sultan having been unable to penetrate the wall brought it his cannon. However, the walls relented and the Constantine soldiers were busy repairing the damages. Our soldiers held off the Turks but with time, they started losing hope, as there was no word of any help coming from the West. The Turks attacked from all sides of the city. For two days, we held up against these forces. On the night of 28 May 1453, overwhelmed both physically and spiritually, we let up. The Sultan forced his way in through the Kerkoporta gate to the North of the City. The remaining Christian settlements in Aegean were terrified and despair swept through the villages. It was not until July the same year that word reached the Pope Nicholas V in Rome who issued a new encyclical appealing to the whole of Western Europe to come to our aid. During the takeover, rumors of the killing of Byzantine Generals and Commanders were raging and we had to flee to the West into the Roman Empire. This was not easy, as the Sultan assigned his soldiers to man major buildings in the City. People fled and the city was severely depopulated (pp. 67-80). The soldiers heavily secured the gates and we had to use underground passageways in the cover of the night to flee. This was the beginning of our woes. It was not long before I found out that I was with child. The living conditions in Rome were unhygienic and I was worried, as I did not know the whereabouts of my family. There was also the impending threat of prosecution as the ottomans were seeking out all of the Generals (David et.al, pp.123-140) It was not long before I prematurely gave birth to a boy. Unfortunately, he passed away one week later. This left me shuttered. Two months later the news about Byzantine reached us. There were rumors that our village had been burnt down and those who had survived fled and it was in 1455 that I reconnected with my mother and youngest brother Licinius. They had fled to Rome in 1454 but my brother Belisarius had not made it. My other sisters had been married of to Ottoman soldiers to ensure the safety of the family. This was too saddening. We invited mother and Licinius to live with us in the court. It was not until 1456 that I again gave birth to a boy. This time he came after nine months and he was health. He was the General’s favorite and through this event I earned a respectable position in the court. The new position gave me the privilege of owning an art school run by my brother Licinius who had turned 21. Life was getting better and the general wanted to venture into politics. With my council, he paid a visit to the then Emperor Cola di Rienzo and requested for his support. However, the Emperor was unwilling given that the General was Byzantine and this would bring conflict in the house of the Senate. In 1457 with the ousting of Cola, the general lost his standing in the Roman Empire. Our schools now suffered from constant attacks by Roman soldiers who considered us outsiders. We decided to withdraw from the public lime light and lead quiet lives. The general was getting old and his health was deteriorating. In 1459, I gave birth to my second child, this time a girl. Mother had taken up midwifery and I opted to join her given the skills I had learnt while living with my great uncle and aunt in Byzantine. This would be our family trade for as long as we lived in Rome. The political environment in Rome was rife with rumors of civil war. In 1462 when Rome declared war on Velletri, who was a rebel, civil war broke out. In 1468, there the then Byzantine Emperor John V Palaelogus came to Rome to request that Rome sent crusaders to help with the rooting out of the Ottoman Empire in vain. The general’s health took a turn for the worst and late one night in January 1469, he went to be with the Lord. The whole household was devastated. We buried him on the farm the following day. Soon after, the house was in turmoil, with Agatha claiming the right to the Court. It was in 1470 that together with my mother and brother we moved to the south of Rome. We had to uphold a low profile, as widowed women travelling unprotected were likely to attract thieves and robbers. With the saving from the businesses together with the property left to us by the general, we bought land and settled in. It is 1479 and Mother is now gone. Brother Licinius has married. He, his wife and six children live with us on our farm. The search for our other sisters is still on and every day we await news from home. My children Athenus and Hellena are older now and Athenus is in charge of the family business. We own a bakery and supply bread to the market. I would confidently say that I have impacted the history of both Byzantine and Roman Empire as a champion among women in the campaign directed at empowering young girls and women. I pray every day that Byzantine will be free again so that I can take my family back home. Life has taught me that one has to be to struggle for what they desire and that nothing is unfeasible if we put our confidence and endeavor in pursuing it. Conclusion As indicated in the beginning, I was born in Byzantine Empire in 1424, the third born in a family of eleven children. My dream since childhood was that of greatness in a society that offers limited opportunities for women to excel. The situation presented to me early in life forced me to a corner but that did not deter my dreams and ambition. As the adage goes “when life gives you lemon, use them to make lemonades” so is my outlook on life. The Turkish Ottoman had been carrying on with attacks on the Empire with the aim of capturing the city. The Western part of Europe and the papacy had come to our aid in the 40’s but they had problems of their own. In 1453 when the new Sultan Mehmed launched the final attack on the city, we relented. We were exiled to Rome where we live to date. Works Cited Fretland, VanVoorst J. The Byzantine Empire. North Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books, 2013. Print. Haldon, John F. The Social History of Byzantium. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley- Blackwell, 2009. Internet resource. Langley, Andrew, Geoff Brightling, and Geoff Dann. Medieval Life. New York: DK Publishing, 2004. Print. Marston, Elsa. The Byzantine Empire. New York: Benchmark Books, 2003. Print. Nicolle, David, John F. Haldon, Stephen R. Turnbull, John F. Haldon, Stephen R. Turnbull, and David Nicolle. The Fall of Constantinople: The Ottoman Conquest of Byzantium. Oxford, U.K: Osprey Pub, 2007. Print. Read More