CLiL History 4 - Introduction Module (Answering Key) PDF

CLiL-History 4 Introduction I: The birth of the modern age Written by: H.C. Vrenken Year: 2024-2025 Fashionable young woman pausing at door of circulating library, facing forward with arm on an umbrella. 30 December 1782 Hand-coloured mezzotint. Courtesy of the British Museum...

CLiL-History 4 Introduction I: The birth of the modern age Written by: H.C. Vrenken Year: 2024-2025 Fashionable young woman pausing at door of circulating library, facing forward with arm on an umbrella. 30 December 1782 Hand-coloured mezzotint. Courtesy of the British Museum 1  Timeline: Western Historical periodisation revisited. In the previous two years, you had to learn the different periods (Tr. tijdvakken) in western history. Keep this handy chart in mind, you will need it for using the OMCAPUR-method and other exercises during the year. Timeline of the western periodisation Early Modern Contemporary Modern Prehistory Ancient Near Eastern Civilisations Classical Antiquity Middle Ages « BCE CE. » Written history Part I Part II Period Translation Period Translation Prehistory Prehistorie Middle Ages Middeleeuwen Ancient Near Eastern Oude Nabije Oosten Early Modern period Vroegmoderne tijd Civilisations Classical Antiquity Klassieke Oudheid Modern period Moderne tijd Contemporary history Hedendaagse tijd 2 Map of Europe and Asia in 1444 CE.. 3 0. Introduction to the fourth year: Historical framework “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (1848) To be modern is to “break with the past.” With the history that came before, just imagine how difficult that is. How can completely new ideas be created out of thin air without referring back to what happened before? Europeans living in the 15th century wanted to break with the past but found this incredibly difficult. It started with Italian thinkers and artists in the Holy Roman Empire who really wanted to break with their messy, darker medieval history by referring back to an older, more glorious past: The Roman Empire of Classical Antiquity. Because of their cultural influence, historians called this period the Italian Renaissance, since it involved the rebirth of Roman and especially Classical Greek ideas. So, in a sense, they were both moving forward and looking back; that is why we call this period the EARLY Modern period (c.1450-1750). Even people at that time knew that a new age had begun, as we can read in the following piece: Text: Novum Organum (1620), Aphorism, 129. We should note the force, effect and consequences of inventions which are nowhere more conspicuous than in those three, which were unknown to the ancient [Romans], namely printing, gunpowder and the compass. For these three have changed the appearance and state of the whole world… Paul van Somer I, Portrait of Sir. Francis Bacon, (°1576/1578-†1622) Francis Bacon, 1617, Warsaw. Glossary:. Conspicuous : gemakkelijk te zien of op te merken, a. Look up on internet when each of these inventions mentioned by Bacon were first mentioned/introduced in Europe round it up to the nearest century? b. In which period (see page 2) can we situate each of these inventions? Printing Press Gunpowder Compass Ottoman Janissary with an Arquebus, (1465) and a 16th-century engraving of a German 18th-century drawing of a compass, source: Dutch Soldier with a Haakbus. (1475). printing press in 1522. Left: 16th century manuscript B10NDF, Encyclopædia Brittanica, 2014. Right: Drawing Jacob de Gheyn II (17th century) China: 1041 China:808 China:1088 Europe 15th century Europe: 13th century Europe: 14th century Period: Medieval Period: Medieval Period: Medieval /Early Modern c. Can we say that Francis Bacon’s view on the origins of these inventions is very Eurocentric? Make sure to explain the word in your explanation. Yes, he believes all these inventions were once new European inventions, when in fact, all of them came from China to Europe. The Europeans just perfected them. 4  In this introduction module, we examine the Early modern period through perhaps the most important invention of its time: the printing press. We do this by analysing and comparing our worldview with that of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern. In order to refresh our historical skills, we analyse texts, graphs, maps and images. To place things into perspective, categorise information easily, and better understand and analyse the differences between periods, we use the historical framework by finding the correct time + place (+ domain) for a certain event. Let’s refresh our skills by using the start and end dates of the Early Modern period. Using the timeline on page 2, try to fill in the table with the name of the period, the (specific) place and the domain each of these start-end dates belong to. Start: “In 1433, Emperor Xuanzhong of Ming China ended Zheng He's treasure fleet. The goal of the trade fleet was to dominate the Indian Ocean trade. China closed its markets to foreign trade. PE: Middle Ages PL: China, Asia DO: Economic Start: “In 1450, Johannes Guttenberg invented the Printing Press in his workshop in Mainz, Germany. His moveable type printing allowed him to quickly print many copies of the same book, this new spread of information and technology we call the Guttenberg revolution.” PE: Early Modern / Middle ages PL: Mainz, Germany, Europe DO: Cultural Start: “The Ottoman Turks conquered the city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in May 1453. It meant the end of the Byzantine empire and the European spice trade with the Middle East” Early Modern period Constantinople, Turkey, Europe/Asia Political, economic Start: “On October 12th 1492, Christopher Colombus landed his ship in the Caribbean. He thought he had landed in India but, in fact, had found a “New World” later called America! Early Modern period Caribbean, America Cultural End: “Between 1763 and 1775, Englishman James Watt developed an improved version of the steam engine. His improvements allowed for the creation of machines inside factories, leading to the Industrial Revolution.” “early” Modern period England, Europe Economic End: In 1776, Thirteen British Colonies in America declared independence from Great Britain. Their fight for freedom and rights would later be known as the American Revolution. Modern period. USA, North-America Political End: In 1789, the French Revolution overthrew the power of the French king and the ancient regime, leading to the end of feudalism, the three-estate system and equal rights for all citizens. Modern period France, Europe Political / social End: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, and the borders of the European nations were redrawn. The empires wanted to maintain a “balance of powers” to keep European peace. Modern period Waterloo, Belgium, Europe Political 5 The Early modern period is also known as an age of revolutions. Last year, we mostly used a different word to talk about those sudden changes in society, namely, break! To understand what a word means, let us refresh our (online) dictionary skills using the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary! Refresh Dictionary skills: Revolution (noun) (Synonym: Break): 1. An attempt by a large number of people to change the government of a country, especially by violent (gewelddadige) action. - Example from the previous page: French Revolution/American Revolution. 2. A great change in conditions, ways of working, beliefs, etc., that affects large numbers of people - Example from the previous page: French Revolution/ Guttenberg Revolution / the discovery of America. Other economic and cultural revolutions, like the scientific and agricultural revolutions or the Reformation, will follow in the next modules. Each drastically changed parts of European society and history in its own right. However, some things stayed the same: like feudalism, words like clergy, nobility, and commoners would still pop up occasionally when we talk about society. The Ancien Régime or Three estate system (+/- 750 – 1789 (?)) Three estates Who belongs to this group? Synonym or translations 1. Clergy The church: pope, bishops, priests Priests / Clerus 2. Nobility The ruling class: lord, kings, knights Knights / adel 3. Commoners Everyone else: peasants and citizens. Peasants / gewone volk This is a form of CONTINUITY and until the French revolution this system will stay largely in place. However, even within this system, we will see slow but impactful changes. More and more commoners will get access to education and reading, which is a form of EVOLUTION that might seem “uninteresting” but gets at the heart of modern society. Who can participate in modern society, and who is left behind? The question of our times, and any time for that matter, is how fast society should or could change. Today, we see differences between decades. People in Early Modern times noticed changes over centuries. Although some changes happen slowly, some fast, and sometimes even Top: The start of the French Revolution backwards, all will lead to something we can call “modernity.” (1789). Bottom: Start of the Russian Revolution (1917). Both fighting against How we shape it and what lessons we take from the past is an order they found “unjust”. Storming of the Bastille, P. Houël 1789 / Lenin up to you. declares Soviet power, V.A. Serov, 1954. 6 1. What separates the medieval from the modern? The Printing Press! “Scientia potentia est – Knowledge is Power!” Sir Francis Bacon, Philosopher (1597) and Thomas Hobbes (1668) “The Guttenberg Revolution”: c. 1450 The importance of new technology, such as Johannes Guttenberg and his printing press, wasn’t recognised for a long time. That was until historian Elizabeth Eisenstein finally made a case for the invention's importance and how it completely changed medieval society into early modern society. Nowadays, we even use the invention of the Printing Press in 1440/1450 as the start date on our timeline. In this chapter we are going to look at: - Why was the printing press so important and so impactful? - Place the printing press in a historical framework: place, time and domain. - And ask ourselves the question: Are we living in a digital Guttenberg revolution? The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, 1979 “Its biggest gift to science and culture wasn’t necessarily the speed at which ideas could spread with printed books, but the accuracy with which the original information was copied, standardised, and preserved.” Elizabeth Eisenstein, a. What does the word “accuracy” mean? Find the definition in the Oxford Learner’s dictionary. Accuracy = The state of being exact or correct; the ability to do something with skill and without making mistakes. b. Why is accuracy important in the spread of knowledge, can you maybe give an example what can happen if Information can get lost, disappear, create mistakes. c. Rephrase Eisenstein’s 3 arguments about the benefits of the Printing Press. Both in verb form as well as in a noun-form. The Printing press is important for European history because: 1. It standardised scientific and cultural information and ideas. Standardisation 2. It Preserved scientific knowledge and cultural information. Preservation 3. It spreads ideas and information across Europe. Spread Kings, Emperors, and even the Catholic church quickly adopted the Printing Press, and in no time, it spread across Europe. Thanks to the press, new ideas quickly spread, like gunpowder, the compass, the Renaissance, and Christopher Columbus's travels. It started connecting the world, although it would still take a few dozen changes to the Printing Press before it could quickly and cheaply produce books. However, by the 17th century, the printing press and its materials had become the first tools for mass communication. 7 *Incunabula (The oldest printed books 1452-1500) * d. In which region was the highest concentration (concentratie/aantallen) of printing presses in Europe? London, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Northern Italy e. Colour the area with the highest concentration of printing presses on the map. (It should have the shape of a sickle moon or banana.) f. The previous year we learned to use terms like Centre and Periphery to describe a map. Conclude the spread of printing technology using this map and those two terms. E.g. The printing centres started in West-Germany, the Netherlands and Northern Italy and spread to the periphery to Poland, the South of Spain and Sweden by 1500. 8 EXTRA The Modern-day Guttenberg? About Project Guttenberg's 50th anniversary in 2021: In 1997, Time-Life magazine picked Johannes Guttenberg's (c. 1450) movable type printing press as the most important invention of the second millennium. In 1971, Michael Hart invented the eBook. (…) His focus was not on presentation or analysis. As Michael saw it, the eBook would have a similar purpose to the printed book: enjoyable to read and a source of understanding, education, and entertainment for everyone. It would all be free, for unlimited reuse and without limitation of purpose. For the two decades from 1971 to 1991, Hart spread the idea of eBooks and worked on the first 100 or so titles. These included historical documents—famously starting with the US Declaration of Independence—reference works, literary N. de Larmessin, Engraving of Johannes Guttenberg, 17th century. works, donated modern works, mathematical constants, and more. Later years saw the introduction of short videos and longer movies, images, sheet music, audio files, and eBooks in dozens of languages and formats. Like the movable type printing press, the modern digital computer was a machine usable for many different purposes: all types of content were good for a wide range of interests. Project Gutenberg evolved from Hart’s idea to become an organisation. Volunteers would identify printed books to digitise and create an eBook for Project Gutenberg to publish and redistribute. By the turn of the new millennium, Project Gutenberg produced thousands of new eBooks per year! a. What invention did Time-Life magazine pick as the most important and how does it compare to Michael Hart's goals for its eBook? (Mark the passage in the text) The picked the Printing press. Michael Hart's invention of the eBook was similar in that it aimed to provide understanding, education, and entertainment for everyone, just like printed books. b. Describe the types of content that were included in the first 100 titles of eBooks created by Michael Hart and Project Gutenberg. (mark this as well) Historical documents, references, literary and modern works, and mathematical constants. c. After 50 years, Project Gutenberg possessed more than 70.000 Ebooks in their collection; how does this compare to the growth of the real Printing press (right) Project Guttenberg doesn’t grow as quickly as the number of books produced by the Printing Press. The European Production of Printed books from the (It's not really an ebook revolution.) But since ca.1450-1800. (BURING and VAN ZANDEN, Charting the Rise of the west). Ebooks are available to everyone they might have a wider reach. 9 The Invention of the Printing Press (on the right Johannes Gutenberg), c. 1590, Image made by Stradanus, a Flemish artist working in Italy with ties with printers in Antwerp, collection Plantin-Moretus Museum 10  LITERACY RATES, 1550 TO 1750 URBANISATION, 1550 TO 1800 The share of adults aged 15 and older who can both read and write. THE SHARE OF POPULATION LIVING IN CITIES Belgium Italy France Germany Sweden Uk Netherlands 35 30 1550 Netherlands 25 UK Sweden 20 1650 Germany 15 France Italy 10 Belgium 1750 5 0 20 40 60 0 1500 1600 1700 1800 Who Reads?(source Urbanisation Grpah: BROADBERRY, GHOSAL, PROTO, “Is Anonymity the Missing Link between Commercial and industrial Revolution?”, Warwick Economic Research Papers, No 974, Jan. 2011) a. Fill in the table below, with information from the graphs above. Top 3 Literacy in 1550 Top 3 Urbanisation in 1500 Top 3 Literacy in 1750 Top 3 Urbanisation in 1750 1 France Belgium Netherlands Netherlands 2 Italy Netherlands UK UK 3 Belgium Italy Sweden Italy/Belgium 11  b. Do we see a correlation between urbanisation and ability to read? Yes/no, in 1550 more people in France read even though they did not have the highest urbanisation rate. In 1750, the opposite was almost true. The highest literacy rates were found in the countries with high urbanisation. c. Historians used to think that people in the countryside didn’t read. Could you come to a different conclusion based on the numbers in the table below? For example, in almost all countries (except Belgium), the literacy rate was higher than the urbanisation rate. So it wasn’t just people in the cities that could read, people in the countryside could also read. Look up in the Oxford Learner’s dictionary what Protestantism is. When did this form of Christianity start spreading in Europe = 16th Century The P in the table below stands for countries that became majority Protestant during this time, while C is for countries that remained true to the Pope and the Catholic church. d. Do we see a correlation between the type of Christianity and ability to read? Yes, protestant countries have an overall much higher literacy rate than Catholic countries. Table: Eight European countries in Alphabetical Order with their Literacy Rates in 1550 and 1750, their Christian Identity, plus their urbanisation rate in 1750. * Country % Literacy % Literacy % Urbanisation % living in the in 1500 in 1750 in 1750 countryside in 1750 C. Belgium 17 13 19.6 80,4 C. France 19 29 9.1 90,9 P. Germany 16 38 5.6 94.4 C. Italy 18 23 15.3 84,7 P. Netherlands 12 85 30.5 69.5 C. Spain 4 8 8.6 91,4 P. Sweden 1 48 4.6 95.4 P. United Kingdom 16 54 16.7 83.3 * Religion of most people living in that “country” at the time. More citizens of northern Germany and Free city inhabitants were protestant than in the Catholic south of Germany. Education and the larger population: These estimations show large differences in reading: The elite were often privately educated; some people taught themselves to read (autodidact); and over time (religious) schools appeared. Men were more literate than women. Even far into the modern age, in 1900, 58,5% of all European women still didn’t enjoy formal education. Although some regions had more respect for the equality of the sexes and were already ahead of their time, like the Netherlands (24,6%) and Sweden (13,5%). Yet it was women like Mdm. Louise d’Épinay (1726-1783), J-E. Liotard, Mme. D’Épinay supported the great thinkers of her time by spreading their ideas. 1759, Geneva. Research is still being done on literacy and women. 12 2. The Economy of Printing: What do people’s reading habits tell us about the interest of people during the Early Modern period? B D F C H I A E G 13  “What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind” - Wendell Philips, anti-slavery and native American activist (1811 – 1884) What did people read during the early modern period? We (literally) took a page out of famous works and examples of books being read from the 15th until the 17th century. Each century had new developments that slowly broadened their readers’ horizons. For example, When Hernan Cortez conquered the Aztec Empire in modern-day Mexico, people in Augsburg, Germany, read all about it in the monthly newspapers! Ideas travelled fast! A. Match each of the following descriptions to one of the 9 examples on the previous page. Write the letter in each little box. a. Literature: This book tells the famous story of a Medieval knight who goes on adventures and fights for his love and Christian values. b. Almanac: a scientific instruction booklet for farmers that functions like a calendar. It gives information about when to plant certain vegetables and when to harvest them. c. Magazines / Newspapers: Written specifically for ladies, they could read and look at the latest Parisian fashion in 1770. It also contained beauty advice, tips, and stories. d. Science books: The Flemish doctor Andreas Vesalius cut open bodies to understand the inner workings of humans. e. Chapbooks: cheap printed paperbacks often combining different genres. From children's stories to historical tales. Here, we read an old fairy tale from a miniature book! f. Broadsheet: Large paper posters hung on walls were used for propaganda, new laws, telling stories, and, in this case, a popular song. g. Instruction books: For those who could not read well, looking at pictures and patterns made it easy to improve your work. Here, we can see a farmer’s tools. h. Botanical prints: German-born Maria Sibylla Merian was a natural scientist and artist who was the first person to describe, draw, and observe the life cycle of a butterfly. i. Religious texts: The first book to be printed was the Guttenberg Bible. Its 150 perfect copies without mistakes sparked a revolution in reading and thinking. B. Try to match each of the following categories with each century that this type of books started being printed. Pay close attention to each subtitle underneath the century 15th century 16th century 17th century ("Imitation of older books") ("new scientific ideas") ("popular reading") Religious texts Almanac Magazines Literature Science books Broadsheet Instruction books Botanical prints Chapbooks 14  The first bestselling authors were critics Dutch Philosopher, humanist, and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam (c.1469-1536) sold 750.000 copies of his writing during his lifetime! By the 1530s, Erasmus’s work accounted for 10 to 20 per cent of book sales in all of Europe! Martin Luther (c.1483-1546), monk, critic of the church and reformer, was also widely read across Europe. Between 1518 and 1520, his ideas against the church were printed in well over 300.000 copies! Thanks to these new authors, the common people started participating in their day's new religious and philosophic debates. The first great literary success by a commoner was Miguel de Cervantes, whose first modern novel Don Quixote (1605 and 1615), was about a poor country nobleman wanting to be a knight like in the Knight’s tales he had read. The book was copied, translated and pirated all over Europe and the New World (America)! In fact, it was so successful that De Cervantes wrote a second part that focused on his hero finding himself dealing with the success of the book. His work is considered the first modern novel! Language and availability: The language of science and the church remained Latin well into the 17th century! Although literature was written in the local language, mostly French and Italian. After the Reformation (1517; see module 2), new translations into local languages, such as Dutch, German, Spanish, and English, became more popular. Printing also changed the language as well; for the first time, people started standardising the spelling and grammar of local languages. For example, the printers in London used the London accent and words to print their works, so local dialects were no longer written down. E.g. “Eyeren” (Kentish dialect) => Eggs (London dialect) Public knowledge grew, and individual critical thinking became available to everyone as long as you could afford the cost of a book. Moreover, reading has become a pastime for people, although most books remain very expensive! People loved reading and were always hungry for more books. Until they had to be chained up in public libraries so they couldn’t be stolen as we can read in the following piece from Elizabeth Eisenstein: … “Like any revolution, it takes a while to get going… You're dealing with an economy of scarcity, and people are starved, in a sense, for more books. On the other hand, it means they read very intensively what works they have! I came across a comment... let's see, it was [at the University of ] Oxford, where all the books on medicine and on theology had gone. The students had taken them to their houses of studies and so the professor there didn't have any books to teach with.” Glossary: Scarcity = schaarste Starved = hongerig / uitgehongerd a. Name three important changes to language that happened during this time. - New translation into local languages - Standardising of spelling and grammar - Reading became a pastime or hobby 15  b. Although it sounds all very positive, give three reasons why we can still believe that reading and these new ideas weren’t available for everyone in the 15th and 16th centuries. - Books were expensive, so not everyone had access to them. - New ideas were mostly written in Latin, and it took a while to translate. - Not everybody had access to a good education to be able to read. Steal not this book my honest friend For fear the gallows should be your end, And when you die the Lord will say And where's the book you stole away? "A Review of “The Library: An Illustrated History”.", 15(1), pp. 69–70 Engraving of a chained bookcase in Hereford Cathedral. (1894) EXTRA: Typography: A new type for a new age. 1: Handwriting 2: Handwriting 3: Handwriting 4: Handwriting Have you ever wondered where all those weird font and type names come from? They are based on the names of earlier printers and copyists from the Modern age! - Phase 1: The oldest letters are based on the handwriting of books. They are very medieval and almost illegible to the modern Eye. They just want to copy the late Medieval handwriting, which is funny since most texts were just imitations of Late medieval books. - Phase 2: Humanist type (Nicholas Jenson, Venice, c.1470) copied Italian Renaissance and humanist's handwriting, who were busy with perfecting and copying Roman works. So, these printers took over the ancient Roman letters as well as the Carolingian Minuscule. Perfect for those scientific books and Renaissance works in the 16 th century. Their upright letters are called Romanic. - Phase 3: Old style (Venice, c. 1500), based on an older style of Italian handwriting. It is ideal for printing in a new way italics (schuingedrukt), which makes it easier to read when it’s printed small. This saved space in a book since paper was still expensive. Ideal to print quick, cheaper pamphlets to spread the word against the corrupt church. (see reformation) (spread: C. 1540 Paris, C. 1555 Antwerp, C. 1600 Leiden, C. 1725 English) - Phase 4: Neoclassical style (Jaques Jaugeon, Versailles, c. 1695) Return to the Romanic, straight letters, but no longer based on handwriting but printing! Time of the Enlightenment, the letters were more rational, symmetrical, exact, and perfectly straight. Clearly inspired by the exact sciences!. 16 3. The Dangers of Printing: What “dangers” did the printing press create during the Early Modern period? “The daily press (…), which in a moment spreads stories over the whole earth, fabricate more myths in one day than could have been done in a century.” Karl Marx, Philosopher, Historian, Political theorist, 1818-1898. We live in the information age, or digital age, a time in which anyone and everyone can produce new ideas, materials, and content on the web or in book form. The same could be said of the Early Modern period; a new world was opened to more people. Scientific knowledge grew, and people became more aware of the world and more critical of the status quo since the Middle Ages. First page of the banned book list by the church in a. What are, in your opinion, the advantages/benefits of living in an 1557. It was updated until 1966.. information / digital age? Quick, equal, and reliable access to information for everyone, you can spread your opinions and ideas. Have contact with people from around the world. b. What are, in your opinion, the dangers of living in an information/internet age? Fake news, deep fakes, AI, ChatGPT, Social media, depression, cheating, lying, fraud,… c. What are, according to you, the difficulties or problems future historians will face in order to study and understand our digital age? - Information might be lost (servers shutting down, apps being removed) - Information might be restricted (paywalls, - Difficult to find “truth” or a general “fact”. During the Early modern age, resistance was also against the printing press. Ideas against the authority of the church or the king were quickly burned or banned from public view. Censorship was quickly introduced to remove parts of a book that is considered offensive. Printers had to let the government check their work. Others lost permission to use or buy the printing press altogether. Even though people continued to produce work in secret. There were even new organisations like the Inquisition that investigated ideas and reading habits as well as created banned book lists. In this chapter, we examine the “dangers” of reading and access to information. We look at it from two sides: the spread of misinformation in the form of witch trials and the spread of ideas leading to weird, creative, or dangerous new ways of thinking in an inquisition trial. Every culture and society during this period tried to actively to find and remove forbidden books. Even in China the very birthplace of printing, the emperor burned books and killed scholars. (Anonymous 18th century work, Qing China) 17 History doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We can see echoes of theories, ideas, and jargon in our daily lives and the news. For the next assignment, let's compare two events: the first an early modern one and the other a contemporary one. REFRESH: Modern-day connection: Break down both events using the text into three parts in the bottom table: What happened first, afterwards and the end conclusion Text 1: A strange affliction in Text 2: Coronavirus conspiracy theories Salem, USA. targeting Muslims spread in India. UAB Libraries, University of Alabama in Birmingham. (Updated: 5-12-2022) The Guardian, H. Ellis-Peterson and S. A. Rahman, Mon 23 April 2020 In the book The Devil in Massachusetts about The men who beat Mehboob Ali did so without the Salem witch trials of 1692, Marion L. Starkey mercy. Dragging him to a field in the village of explains how the incident began with an “illness” Harewali, on the fringes of northwest Delhi, the of the village’s female children and teenage group hit him with sticks and shoes until he bled girls. In January of that year, the town’s priest from his nose and ears. Ali was a Muslim, recently Parris’ daughter was struck with symptoms returned home from a religious gathering, and the ranging from forgetfulness and motionlessness Hindu mob was quite certain he was part of a so- to screaming, babbling, and making choking called Islamic conspiracy to spread coronavirus to sounds, “sometimes almost like the barking of a Hindus nationwide. His attackers believed the 22- dog.” year-old must be punished before he carried out “corona jihad”. One girl after another was struck by the mysterious illness. The girls began to accuse Five days after the attack, Ali’s family was still in their neighbours of witchcraft. This set off a fear of also being accused of spreading the virus. craze that resulted in accusations against 200 Police confirmed that due to his attendance at a and the hanging of 19 people. Muslim convention in Bhopal a few weeks back, Ali was being held in a hospital in Delhi as a “corona Throughout the witch trials, the hallucinations suspect”, though he had no symptoms. and strange behaviour of the girls persisted, and the prevailing explanation of the time was, of course, that the girls were victims of witchcraft. The attack on Ali is symptomatic of the growing Later, historians suggested they were faking demonisation of India’s Muslim minority, who are their illness, a troubling conclusion to make, being accused via WhatsApp groups of conducting considering the horrible repercussions of their an evil campaign to spread COVID-19 to the Hindu behaviour. majority. Salem Witch Trial (1692) Attack on Muslims in India (2020) First: Female children and teenage girls became First: Covid 19 / Corona virus was spreading Ill because of a “mysterious illness.” in India. Afterwards: Girls start accusing their Afterwards: Misinformation via Whatsapp neighbours of witchcraft and trials are organised. says that Muslims are spreading the virus as part of a “Corona Jihad”. Conclusion: 200 people were accused and 19 Conclusion: Mehboob Ali was kept in a people were hanged. At the time, people thought hospital without symptoms and beaten by an it was witchcraft; nowadays, historians think they angry Hindu mob. His parents are afraid of were faking their illness. being accused as well. c. Do you see comparisons between the Salem Witch Trials and the accusation against Muslims in India? d. Can you think of another modern-day example of a “witch trial” or a similar event? 18 Woman’s History: Malleus Maleficarum, or The Hammer of Witches, the most evil book in history. Published in 1487, the book described how to recognise a witch. It quickly became popular and, thanks to the printing press, spread around Europe and even America. Signs of illness, bad harvests, or bad luck in a village often led to accusing older, marginal, or poor women of witchcraft. Smart or independent women were also accused of being witches since they were a danger to the status quo. Even scientists were accused of witchcraft because of their research! Illustration from the 1591 pamphlet: “Newes from Scotland”, about the North Berwick In total, about 30.000 – 60.000 “witches” were Witch trials of 1590. The women are seen casting spells and summoning the devil. executed between 1427-36 and 1782, only 25 per cent of source: The British Library. the total number of people who were accused of being one. However, others were banished from their hometowns or cities in the end. Although there were written records, witnesses, trials, and investigations. It allowed modern-day historians to give these women their voices back! Since they spoke about their ideas, visions, and lives during these trials. However, how much of this is truly their own opinion? OMCAPUR ASSIGNMENT The curious worldview of a reading miller. A good example of common people and their ideas reaching us to this day is the work by historian Carlo Ginzburg in his book “The Cheese and the Worms” which he published in 1976. He had researched a trial by the church’s inquisition into an Italian miller who had his own worldview completely different from the Christian one in the 16 th century. Ginzburg used a form of Microhistory! Using one particular event or example to understand larger historical questions. In this case, Ginzburg wanted to understand how this simple Italian miller had such a strange and yet educated view of the world and what this told historians about the views of common people during the Early Modern period. We will use his Carlo Gainzburg’s book was a research to practice some advanced OMCAPUR skills today! masterclass in Microhistory in 1976. Background for OMCAPUR text: Mennochio, or Domenico Scandella, was born in 1532 in Montereale, in the north-eastern part of Italy, in the region known as Friuli. Several village schools had been opened during the 16th century, so Mennochio had likely followed a basic education since he could read and write. He was arrested and put on trial twice because of his strange religious beliefs and ideas about the church’s inquisition. The problem for the church elite wasn’t that he had these ideas but that he was discussing them and spreading them around the villages. It was, in fact, the local priest of Montereale who had asked the inquisition to arrest him, not the villagers themselves. The information you are about to read is from these case files. It was written down by one of the priests who investigated Mennochio. The files were often written in a question-and-answer format, like an American trial on TV or in movies (and yes, in this case, Mennochio had even asked advice from a lawyer). One priest would ask Mennochio questions, and the other one would write down his answers. At the end of a second trial in 1584, he was burned at the stake as a punishment for his beliefs. Keep this information in mind for what you are about to read. 19 Piece 1: Some books he confessed to Piece 2: Casefiles of Mennochio (1583- owning/reading during his first and second 1584) trial: Name: Domenico Scandella - The Bible written in Italian. Born: 1532, Montereale - Il Fioretto della Bibbia (Medieval Age: 52 Chronicle) Status: Married - Il Lucidario della Madonna, (religious text) Issue: 11 children, 4 whom have died. - Historia del Giudicio (Anonymous 15 th Occupation: Miller. century Poem) Owns: Calls himself “very poor”, owns two fields - Il cavalier Zuanne de Mandavilla) (Italian and has two mills. translation of travel journeys by Sir. John Notes: Mandeville) - Local administrator of the church in - The Decameron by Boccaccio (folktales Montereale. written in Italian c.1351) - Banished from 1571-1573 due to a fight. - An unidentified book believed to be an - In 1581: Mayor of the town Montereale Italian translation of the Quran (tr. Koran) and surrounding villages. - Reads and borrows books with his friends. Piece 3: Mennochio’s thoughts on how the Piece 4: Mennochio’s thoughts on the universe was created: Church and the use of Latin/ “You- priests and monks, you too want to know In my view, everything was a mess at first - more than God, and you are like the devil, and earth, air, water, and fire were all mixed up. you want to become gods on earth, and know as Then, a mass started to form, kind of like how much as God, following in the footsteps of the devil. In fact, the more one thinks he knows, the cheese is made from milk. Suddenly, worms less he knows” appeared in this mass, and these were the (…) angels. “I believe the spirit of God lives in all of us... and I also believe that anyone who has studied can The highest power decided that these worms become a priest without being ordained (gewijd) should become God and the angels. Among because it is all just a business.” them was God, who was created from the (…) same mass at the same time. He was called “And it seems to me that under our law, the pope, Lord and had four captains, the angels: cardinals, and bishops are so great and rich that Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. everything belongs to the church and to the priests - and they oppress the poor – who - if they work two rented fields - these will be fields that Lucifer (the devil) wanted to be as powerful belong to the Church - to some bishop or as God. Because of his pride, God kicked cardinal.” Lucifer out of heaven along with his followers. (…) Later, God made Adam, Eve, and many other “I think speaking Latin is a betrayal of the poor people to replace the angels who were kicked because in lawsuits the poor do not know what is out. When these new beings didn't obey God, being said and are crushed; and if they want to He sent His Son. Unfortunately, some people, say four words in Latin they need a lawyer." like the Jews, captured and crucified Him. (…) "God has given the Holy Spirit to all, to Christians, to heretics, to Turks, and to Jews; and he considers them all dear, and they are all saved in the same manner.” 20 OMCAPUR and representation Please complete the following assignment using the source text and the background information on pages 18 and 19. - ORIGIN: Background of the source. Who: Someone belonging to the Inquisition / Mennochio What: Written down speech and primary source. Where: Montereale, Italy When: 1583/1584. - MOTIVE: Why was this source made? As a written account for the trial, to be used as a piece of evidence to inform the judge of the decision. - CONTENT: What does the source say? It combines several pieces of information from the case file of the trial for Mennochio and is the written account of the personal views of Mennochio. So it’s more subjective than objective. - Audience: Who was the intended audience of the source? The priests of the inquisition. Most people wouldn’t read this case file. - PERSPECTIVE: a. Mennochio was part of the third estate and describes himself as “very poor.” Using arguments from the pieces of information, determine whether or not that is true. He was likely middle class. Arguments could be: - He could read and write, so he enjoyed some form of education. - He was chosen mayor and administrator of the church of Montereale, so the local people had some respect for him. - He owned property/lands/mills/books, so he wasn’t poor. He probably said it to put himself in a better light, the same with his children and his marriage. b. Are these words Mennochio’s true religious ideas and beliefs? Argue why he might (not) be able to speak freely. He was on trial and asked specific questions to defend his ideas/beliefs. However, he’ll likely know the risks of sharing his true ideas, so he might not tell everything or take some back. These were written down by somebody else, so he might have made mistakes or twisted some words. At the same time, the investigators might be interested in his point of view. 21 Research question: What was the worldview of peasants and commoners in Northern Italy during the 16th century? - Usefulness: o Think about the background, his ability to read, and where his ideas come from. Yes, this source would be useful, but not on its own. The person who was interviewed had a common background. However, he could read and write and owned/borrowed books. He was, therefore, probably more of an exception than the rule. His local priest, for example, didn’t agree with him. - Reliability: How reliable is this source in portraying the views of Mennochio give at least two arguments? Untrustworthy Partial Untrustw. Neutral Partial Trustw. Trustworthy - _____________________________ - _____________________________ - NEW: Representation! A single source or work is unique. However, the Inquisition conducted thousands of similar investigations across Europe, like this one. A historian cannot base his theory on just one example. Nonetheless, Carlo Ginzburg did this in 1979. Later, other historians using Spanish, Dutch, German, French, and Italian sources confirmed his theories. - In many trials of inquisitions like this one, investigators are interested in what books people read. Why would they want to know this information? Whether people could read meant they were guilty of reading forbidden books or information. It also provided insight into how the person on trial came to his ideas. - Conclusion: In your own opinion was Mennochio a good representation of how common people understood the world during this period? Mr Vrenken: His views were uniquely his own. He could read but did not receive the proper education or training to understand a text as written. He made the text and created his own very unique ideas! 22 Summary: Chapter Title: 1 The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450 was a significant turning point in history, moving society from the medieval era to the modern age. This invention completely changed how knowledge was shared. Historian Elizabeth Eisenstein emphasised how the printing press standardised, preserved, and spread information into books, which played an important role in the scientific and cultural progress of that time. While initially used mainly by the wealthy, the technology quickly became widespread across Europe, enabling mass communication by the 17th century! During this period, printing presses were mostly concentrated in urban areas like West Germany, the Netherlands, and Northern Italy, setting the scene for the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. Additionally, cultural differences, such as the emphasis on reading in Protestant versus Catholic countries, also played a role in promoting education during this time. Fast forward to the digital age, Project Gutenberg's revolution, started by Michael Hart in 1971, reflects the legacy of the printing press. This project made knowledge more accessible through eBooks, though at a slower pace. Both the printing press and digital eBooks highlight how vital accessible information is in shaping society. Chapter Title: 2 During the Early Modern period, people's reading habits reflected their different interests and the larger cultural ideas of the time. Literature, such as knightly tales like "Don Quixote," almanacs for farmers, scientific works by figures like Vesalius, chapbooks, broadsheets, instructional manuals, botanical prints, and religious texts like the Gutenberg Bible, were all popular across the centuries. The rise of bestselling authors like Erasmus and Martin Luther illustrates the people’s interest in religious and philosophical debates, although not everyone had access due to the price of books. The standardisation of local languages and the transition from Latin made literature more accessible, fostering public knowledge and critical thinking. Reading became a popular pastime, leading to the development of modern literature and a huge demand for books, as evidenced by the chaining of books in public libraries to prevent theft. Chapter Title: 3 During the Early Modern period, the invention of the printing press had a big effect, with both good and bad outcomes. On one side, it made information more available to everyone, leading to more scientific knowledge and critical thinking. However, it also made spreading false information and controversial ideas easier, as seen in events like the Salem Witch trials. This time period showed how written words could challenge those in power, spreading rebellious and sometimes risky ideas quickly. To tackle these challenges, authorities often used censorship, banning books, and carrying out investigations. The printing press allowed people like the miller Mennochio to develop their own ideas about the world without needing a lot of education besides being able to read, but it also exposed them to serious consequences. These historical dangers are still important today in the digital era, where information spreads fast, bringing benefits like knowledge and risks such as misinformation and online harassment. The similar struggles faced by past and present societies highlight the ongoing battle between the freedom of speech and the need to control harmful content. 23  List of definitions:1 These are the most important terms and jargon you need to learn. There is still some room for you to write extra. difficult words or definitions that you think are important to know. Jargon Meaning Dutch translation (optional) Modern 1) Of the present and recent time. Modern 2) New and intended to be different from previous styles 3) Using the latest technology, designs, materials (…) 4) New and not always accepted by everyone in society. Eurocentrism An attitude that focuses on European culture or history and Eurocentrisme regards it as more important than the culture or history of other regions Historical The concepts, models, and perspectives that historians use to Historisch framework explain and understand the past. (Period, Place, Domain) referentiekader Societal domain Political (law/rule/order), Social (groups, differences, Maatschappelijke identity), Economic(al) (money, trade, quality of life), domeinen Cultural (technology, religion, philosophy, art) Feudalism The system that existed during the Middle Ages in Europe in Feodalisme which people were given land and protection by a nobleman, and had to work and fight for him in return Ancien Régime or Social order: European society was divided into three groups Ancien Régime or Three estate based on their proximity to God. 1. Clergy, 2. Nobility, 3. standenmaatschappij system Commoners. Printing Press a machine that produces books, newspapers, etc. by pressing De drukpers a surface covered in ink (= coloured liquid for writing, drawing, etc.) onto paper mass The activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of Massa communicatie communication giving a large audience information. Urbanisation the process in which more and more people start to live and Urbanisatie / work in towns and cities rather than in the country verstedelijking Protestantism the beliefs and principles of the part of the Western Christian Protestantisme Church that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century Literature 1. pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, Literatuur especially novels, plays and poems (in contrast to technical books and newspapers, magazines, etc.) 2. pieces of writing or printed information on a particular subject. Translation a text or word that has been changed from one language into Vertaling another Almanac a book or digital resource that is released every year giving Almanak information for that year about a particular subject or activity Prints a picture that is cut into wood or metal then covered with ink Prent / print (= coloured liquid for printing, drawing, etc.) and printed onto paper; a picture that is copied from a painting using photography Pamphlets a very thin book with a paper cover, containing information Pamflet about a particular subject Magazines a type of large thin book with a paper cover that you can buy Magazine every week or month, containing articles, photographs, etc., often on a particular topic; a similar collection of articles, etc. Broadsheets 1. a newspaper printed on a large size of paper is Eenbladsdruk generally considered more serious than smaller newspapers. 2. a large piece of paper printed on one side only with information or an advertisement Chapbooks a type of small printed booklet that was popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. 1 Most of the filled-out definitions were created by the author using the Cambridge Dictionary. These definitions are simplified to ensure that pupils are able to understand and use the jargon correctly and know what they mean. Other definitions were taken, changed and translated from ‘Sapiens 3: Doorstroomfinaliteit (2u)’, Wommelgem: Van In, 2021. 24 Inquisition The organization set up by the Roman Catholic Church to Inquisitie punish people who opposed its beliefs, especially from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century Censorship the act or policy of removing the parts of a book, film, etc. that Censuur are considered to be offensive or a political threat. Witch trial 1. a search for people who have been labeled witches or Heksenjacht a search for evidence of witchcraft. 2. "witch-hunt" metaphorically means an investigation that is usually conducted with much publicity, supposedly to uncover subversive activity, disloyalty, and so on, but with the real purpose of harming opponents Microhistory a genre of history that focuses on small units of research, such Micro-geschiedenis as an event, community, individual or a settlement. Representation the act of presenting somebody/something in a particular way; Representatie something that shows or describes something. 25