Website Allempires.com and Focus on Medieval Europe - Coursework Example

REVIEW OF THE WEBSITE ALLEMPIRES.COM - FOCUS ON MEDIEVAL EUROPE Site’s Title, Address, Size and Person/Organization responsible for the site Site title : Medieval Europe - All Empires URL address of the site : http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=medieval_europe The size of the home page: 529.20 kilobytes. The sizes of other linked pages vary from around 50 kilobytes to 900 kilobytes depending upon the text and image content. All Empires (AE) is a community site for world history and a leading forum on the subject. It was founded in 2001 and is run by volunteers and persons who pursue history as their hobby. The names (internet aliases) of the site administrators are Cyrus Shahmiri, Founder and Imperator Invictus, Webmaster. The names of the editors and other staff members are available in the FAQ section of the site. AE emerged from the HG's (Heavengames) history forum when the founder inspired the contributors of Heavengames forum to join the AE community and that is how AE gradually grew into a respectable history community. It went through few ups and downs mainly because of infiltration and technical snags, but continued to earn respect of members and readers in general. In this process of growth, the site changed its emphasis from only “Empires” to a much wider aspect of history. The general description of All Empires site The site is diversified in following modes: A very powerful history discussion forum A good collection of selected articles Monthly AE Magazine Monthly community newsletter In the discussion forum members, who are basically history lovers, discuss various subjects on history. Invaluable information comes out of the discussion, argument and moderation by virtue of the participation of renowned members. No wonder that the forum is extremely popular and a rich source of knowledge base. It is always humming with the exchange of leads and threads. It also encourages visitors to visit partner sites. The collection of articles is the treasure section of the site. The articles are primarily written by the renowned members of the community duly moderated by apt moderators and are mainly categorized by the various regions of the world. Then each category is again subdivided into sub-categories, under which individual articles are stored in. The monthly AE Magazine is a very resourceful contribution of the site. Each month there is a particular theme on which writers contribute valuable articles followed by a picture quiz and editor’s column. Past issues are duly linked so that visitors and members can get full access to the contents. Monthly community newsletter includes generally staff news, forum news, post of the month, picture of the month, interesting threads of the month, etc. Here the administrators summarize the activities and other ongoing news related to the community and the forum. As a reviewer, the first thing I liked about the site is its simplistic attire. The site is essentially a knowledge based community portal, which does not justify uncanny colorful look. In this respect the academic type getup of the site is very sober and befitting. Ease of use is another plus point of AE. The collaboration with the like-minded partner sites is a praiseworthy feature and reveals the broadness of the community. I must mention that the forum of AE is a gem of the site. Readers who are in real need of historical information are most likely to get authentic help if they use the forum honestly. One of the things I disliked about the site is its categorization. I think it should be more subdivided in the home page providing different time periods under different regions and the articles should be arranged accordingly. The next aspect is that the site must incorporate a search feature that will allow searching of items available inside the AE achieve like article section, magazine section and forum discussions. At present the google search provided within the site searches the entire web. The next point is the necessity of including more articles under each category preferably written towards the aim of achieving comprehensive coverage on each sub-category. Authorities may plan a strategy by requesting contributors to help in this regard by asking for specific articles to cover the gap in information. History being a subject of deep realization, it is felt that author’s contact email address be included in articles so that a serious readers may take up any further query or contradiction directly with the author. Finally the name of the site creates little confusion to the readers when they see that the contents do cover the broad spectrum of history. Review of the ‘Medieval Europe’ section of the history articles The introductory page provides a very brief synopsis of the era of Medieval Europe and provides links for the all the articles available under this category duly sub-categorized in divisions of Medieval Europe, Medieval Europe: Military History, Medieval Europe: Historical Figures and Byzantium. All together there are 36 articles. Since the website is run by the articles contributed primarily by its members, its organization and the structure is not like typical textbook style where chronology is of essence. However when AE is endeavoring to attain the status of a complete history portal, it can be expected that more articles be added and organized in a manner to give more comprehensive coverage of all aspects in chronological order. Now it will be worthwhile to briefly review the individual articles. Medieval Europe “The Dynamic Middle Ages” – In this article a deliberate attempt has been made to alleviate the myth that the middle ages were the days of “Dark Ages”. The article is well written and well referenced. The arguments used to establish the focal point are well organized. The scholastic approach of evaluating the era in a balanced manner is admirable and inspires even laymen to study further on the brighter side of Medieval Europe. But the real darker side of the age like massive death due to plague and large-scale incidence of leprosy etc. are not well addressed in the arguments. Nevertheless the article is a feather in AE’s cap. “A Concise History of Eidgenossenschaft” – It is a brief history of Switzerland ranging from pre-historic days till twentieth century. One wonders why this article will find its place in Medieval Europe section. However since not much historical abstract of Switzerland is available in the net, the article may be of help to inquisitive readers. “Books for Women in the 15th and 16th Century” – This article outlines the history of books written for women in the period 15th to 16th century in Europe. It is this period when books specifically written for women started appearing in public and women writers started to surface. Author has rightly emphasized that primary subject of books for women in the then Europe was religion. Since the topic chosen is unique it deserves its place in Medieval Europe section. “Knights Hospitallers” – This short piece touches the history of little known Knights of Medieval Europe and their endeavor in building hospitals for all. The subject is interesting and demands more information. It is worth reading for the sake of knowledge. “Knights Templars Grand Masters” – It is only a chronological list of the names of the temple ranging from 1118 to 1314. “Medieval Tallinn” – This elaborate article is a vivid historical description of the city of Tallinn. It covers ranging from founding history to minute details like administration, port, water supply, trading, defense etc. Want of a location map of the city will be felt to a curious reader. However it is sure that a historian enthusiast will find good resources in the article. “Norway - The First Kingdom” – This piece is a concise medieval history of Norway giving the kingdom’s birth details, identities of its rulers and different war they fought. The article has enhanced its getup by providing a relevant image of a contemporary painting. Its inclusion is worth in the Medieval Europe section. “The Basque People of the Middle Ages”- This is detailed account of the Basque people duly organized chronologically giving descriptions of their rulers and wars. The article has been enriched by inclusion of location map and few images. This thoroughly researched contribution can be considered as an asset. “The Black Plague” – One of the darker sides of the Medieval Europe was the dangerous epidemic outbreak of Plague in the fourteenth century, which killed millions in a very short spell of time. The article describes the tragedy by providing its history, social consequences, symptoms of the disease and its scientific explanation. Inclusion of more articles on the subject shall be a welcome move. “The Cathars” – This article elaborately accounted for the history of The “Cathars” sect of the Christian community. It has given very detailed information about its origin, philosophy, development, its expansion to different regions, its rise and fall covering pre- medieval days to modern era. The subject has not been discussed by many from the historical standpoint and from that angle of view, the article deserves to be appreciated. “The Effects of the Hussites” – The death of the religious reformer Jan Hus triggered Hussite movement and Jan Zizka, great military brain of Medieval Europe, steered the movement to a great height. This movement had a remarkable effect on Europe’s history and this article has tried to establish the same. It is a well-cultured and narrated item, which had perfectly fitted in the section under review. “The Order of St Lazarus in the Latin East” – This article emphasizes the uniqueness of the Order of Lazarus where by virtue of which lepers were allowed to join army. The article is brief but with elaborate references, it raises interest among history lovers. “The Secular Knights on Holy Land in 1181” – This is only a list of provinces under the kingdom of Jerusalem with the name of their respective capitals and number of knights each province had for protection of their territories. This cannot be considered as a complete article. “Venice” – This one is a good article on Venice starting from its roots to the late nineteenth century. The history is chronologically written divided in five parts. It is well enriched by images of paintings, location map, trade routes etc. The links provided at the end satisfies the appetite of the interested readers. “Viking Age Finland” – The topic discussed here is little discussed otherwise. The author who is doing research on the subject has brought the age in written world describing western Finland, eastern Finland, history of its tribes, trade, culture, weapons, religious beliefs etc. This article is a good piece by any standard. “The Zaphorozian Cossacks’ – This is a brief account of The Cossacks, meaning a community of advanced guards and in particular the Cossacks of Zaporozhia. The article does not provide any references or links that is highly desired. “Medieval Forum Highlights” – This is no article as such. It provides links to the AE forum discussions on the subject of Medieval Europe. It helps inquisitive reader to dig further into the subject. A nice feature added by the administrators. Medieval Europe: Military History Cannons – A brief history of canons and its use in wars in the light of Medieval European era. This is a concise but well written article. Hussite Wars – Hussites, the followers of Jan Hus revolted against Catholic Church and fought several wars in mid fifteenth century. This article describes the history of those wars and tactics adopted by them. This is a piece worth reading and the list of sources provided is worth exploring. The Battle of Liegnitz (Legnica), 1241 – This is a scholarly write-up on the Battle of Liegnitz (Legnica), a war in 1941, where polish army was defeated my Mongols. Its gives a very good description of the war, the controversies about the details available, assessment of the number of warriors and finally an attempt to reconstruct the war scenario. This is a high standard article by all standards. The Battle of Tours – The Battle of Tours was fought in France in 732 AD between the army of Muslim invader Abd-er-Rahman and the Franks. The article gives the background of the battle, Arab’s success and the their ultimate defeat in hands of Franks. It analyses the importance of this war towards the success of Christianity in Western Europe and how it became possible to overcome the invincible Arabs. At the end of the article sources of information has been collated nicely. The Battle on The Ice – The battle was between Germans and the Novgorodian Military on the ice of Lake Peipus. In this battle Novgorodians defeated Germans in well-planned manner and earned high respects in terms of peace with Germans. This article describes the battle and its consequences from the standpoint of history. The Battles at Otepää and Vastseliina – The battles were fought by Estonian rebels against German occupation and were defeated by Germans. The short article describes how the battles were drawn into the locations of Otepää and Vastseliina and how they were fought in midst of continuing rebellion. The First Scottish War of Independence – This is the historical account of the first Scottish Independence War started in 1296. It gives the background and then an elaborate detail of the war. The list of sources mentioned is not very impressive. Medieval Europe: Historical Figures Jan Hus – Jan Hus was a great reformer, whose dissension against Catholics inspired a sizeable the part of the community to become Hussites to propagate his teachings and ideals. In fact the movement gained momentum after his death as a martyr rather than giving up his faith. This article elaborately describes the life of Hus and the consequences of the movement advanced by his followers. There are two more articles related to Hussites as reviewed earlier, but this one deals in more details. In the notes part of the article, the list of sources provided attracts admiration. Jan Hus – Overview – This article is really a short form of biography of Jan Hus. Here the author has tried to explain his philosophy and how much he was influenced by John Wycliffe'. It has also touched upon the impact Jan Hus’s teachings had on Czech history and wars. John Wycliffe – John Wycliffe is regarded as medieval Europe’s first reformist theologian. This Englishman had many more laurels to his credit like translating Bible into English, taking great interest in science and history, revolting against pope with his radical thinking and finally taking active part in English politics. This article accounts for Wycliff’s short biography and the influence he exerted on the then Europe and subsequently on Jan Hus. Ruthless Crusader: The Life of Enrico Dandolo – Dandolos are closely associated with the Venetian history and Enrico Dandolo was the most remarkable of them for his crusades and his contribution towards the development of Venice. This piece outlines a short history of his life and his role in Venetian history. Byzantium Basileus: A Concise History (Part I) – This article very briefly outlines the biographies of Theophilus (9th century), Leon V the Armenian (9th century) and Isaak I Komnenos (11th century). More information is expected and necessary source of information is highly wanted. Constantinople - Capital Of The Byzantine Empire – This is a worth reading article on the details of Constantinople, the main city of Byzantine era. It describes the city’s constructional glories, its wealth, its history and the story of its fall. Eastern Roman Emperors - This is only a list of Roman Emperors with their corresponding time periods. This is not a complete article. Sassanids vs Byzantines – This article is an war history of Perso-Roman wars fought between 217 to 627. It is an academic article well written for the subject it has covered and provides a very impressive source reference. The Byzantine Empire II 1204 - 1268: The Nicean Empire – After the fall of Constantinople in 1204 in the hands of westerners, the Byzantine Empire was still present in few locations. The Empire of Nicea was the most important of them. This article describes how The Nicean Empire rose to the glory and recaptured Constantinople. At the end of the article a helpful list of Emperors and the chronology is given. The Byzantine Empire Part I 330-1204 – This is a well-elaborated scholarly written full history of the Byzantine era ranging from 330 AD to 1204 AD till the fall of Constantinople. The article is aptly divided in periodic sections of relevance. It has been concluded with the list of Emperors and a chronological event list. Trapezuntine Emperors - This is only a list of Trapezuntine Emperors with their corresponding time periods. This is not a complete article. Concluding remarks on the ‘Medieval Europe’ section of the history articles There are many sites, which give historical information about Medieval Europe. But very few of them provide detail history covering all aspects of the era. Most of them provide either specific topic coverage or short abstracts or links to other sites. All Empires has earnestly endeavoring to give a comprehensive coverage of the subject with selected articles of high quality. The short reviews of the articles already included in the section corroborate the above findings. However more articles are needed to cover the gap in information and re-categorization of the articles in chronological sequence will enhance the attraction. All serious history lovers should read the articles of this section and should participate in the forum discussion to thrash out any doubt and controversy. The section is not meant for casual readers who do not have patience to go deep and have no appreciation of history in general. 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As a reviewer, the first thing I liked about the site is its simplistic attire. The site is essentially a knowledge based community portal, which does not justify uncanny colorful look. In this respect the academic type getup of the site is very sober and befitting. Ease of use is another plus point of AE. The collaboration with the like-minded partner sites is a praiseworthy feature and reveals the broadness of the community. I must mention that the forum of AE is a gem of the site. Readers who are in real need of historical information are most likely to get authentic help if they use the forum honestly.

One of the things I disliked about the site is its categorization. I think it should be more subdivided in the home page providing different time periods under different regions and the articles should be arranged accordingly. The next aspect is that the site must incorporate a search feature that will allow searching of items available inside the AE achieve like article section, magazine section and forum discussions. At present the google search provided within the site searches the entire web.

The next point is the necessity of including more articles under each category preferably written towards the aim of achieving comprehensive coverage on each sub-category. Authorities may plan a strategy by requesting contributors to help in this regard by asking for specific articles to cover the gap in information. History being a subject of deep realization, it is felt that author’s contact email address be included in articles so that a serious readers may take up any further query or contradiction directly with the author.

Finally the name of the site creates little confusion to the readers when they see that the contents do cover the broad spectrum of history. Review of the ‘Medieval Europe’ section of the history articles The introductory page provides a very brief synopsis of the era of Medieval Europe and provides links for the all the articles available under this category duly sub-categorized in divisions of Medieval Europe, Medieval Europe: Military History, Medieval Europe: Historical Figures and Byzantium.

All together there are 36 articles. Since the website is run by the articles contributed primarily by its members, its organization and the structure is not like typical textbook style where chronology is of essence. However when AE is endeavoring to attain the status of a complete history portal, it can be expected that more articles be added and organized in a manner to give more comprehensive coverage of all aspects in chronological order. Now it will be worthwhile to briefly review the individual articles.

Medieval Europe “The Dynamic Middle Ages” – In this article a deliberate attempt has been made to alleviate the myth that the middle ages were the days of “Dark Ages”. The article is well written and well referenced. The arguments used to establish the focal point are well organized. The scholastic approach of evaluating the era in a balanced manner is admirable and inspires even laymen to study further on the brighter side of Medieval Europe. But the real darker side of the age like massive death due to plague and large-scale incidence of leprosy etc.

are not well addressed in the arguments. Nevertheless the article is a feather in AE’s cap. “A Concise History of Eidgenossenschaft” – It is a brief history of Switzerland ranging from pre-historic days till twentieth century. One wonders why this article will find its place in Medieval Europe section. However since not much historical abstract of Switzerland is available in the net, the article may be of help to inquisitive readers. “Books for Women in the 15th and 16th Century” – This article outlines the history of books written for women in the period 15th to 16th century in Europe.

It is this period when books specifically written for women started appearing in public and women writers started to surface. Author has rightly emphasized that primary subject of books for women in the then Europe was religion.

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