History is full of such events where simple misunderstandings among the groups inflicted severe outcomes in the form of war. But then there were times when these wars came to an end on a peace treaty where both parties agreed to end the war. Such an agreement or treaty is known as a truce. According to Oxford Public International Law, “the terms truce, armistice, ceasefire, and cessation of hostilities are often used colloquially as interchangeable. While historically each term captured similar but distinct situations on a continuum from war to peace, with both the start of the war and the end of the war characterized by formal declarations.” In short, a temporary agreement to stop fighting or arguing or a brief interruption in a disagreement. It doesn’t matter how long a truce would last, but it halted the aggression between parties. A similar kind of a truce ended one such aggression initiated on religious grounds and had cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. The question is why it always took so long for people to reach such an intellectual decision? A possible answer could be it depends on what kind of priorities were set by the parties. Continue reading “World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Final Episode: The King’s Crusade”
Tag: World History
World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 04: The Retaliation
The modern belief of the term ‘Retaliation’ is when employers treat applicants, employees or former employees, or people closely associated with them less favourably for reporting discrimination, participating in racism, or opposing discrimination. But in history, the term retaliation has different meaning and purposes. The most common purpose was always and still ‘to seek revenge’. According to Melissa Hogenboom of BBC, revenge has been part of human behaviour since the time of human existence on earth. Literature has used it throughout history, from Greek tragedies such as Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy where Orestes wants to murder his mother to avenge his father to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Many of us have no doubt imagined vengeance against those who have wronged us or even lashed out at them. At the moment, it can certainly feel beneficial to do so. But what motivates us to seek revenge in the first place? Continue reading “World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 04: The Retaliation”
World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 03: The Final Siege
When I was in high school, our sports coach gave us a 20-minute speech on goal setting. At that moment, we all were making fun of him, but later in our lives, we felt its importance. Goal setting is essential for a healthy and happy life but sticking to that goal is even more beneficial. This is the area where most of us lack where we put a lot of effort into our goal setting but eventually adrift from the track—resulting in falling back to our old habits and simply give up. History is full of such foolishness where people set up goals and embarked upon them, but they simply forget about it. One such example can be found in the late 11 century where a group of people set off to achieve a cause but eventually ended up ruining it by killing thousands to accomplish that goal. Continue reading “World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 03: The Final Siege”
World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 02: Where It All Begins
I still remember my teacher always emphasized me to know both sides of any issue before jumping to any conclusions, especially dealing with emotions and beliefs. By hearing only one side of a story, a person may not get the whole picture of what had happened. Majority of the times, people view events through their own lens. People may exaggerate the facts or ignore some of the details to benefit their side of the story. Facts can only be confirmed when its investigated thoroughly through multiple lenses. Only then, a proper conclusion can benefit an individual or a society. Unfortunately, history is full of such events where people and communities make critical decisions based on incomplete information, leaving a lifelong scar on the face of humanity. Continue reading “World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 02: Where It All Begins”
World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 01: The Origins
Have you ever wondered why we study history in our schools, or what importance does history have in our present lives? The majority of you might answer, explore the impacts of the past on our current lives, or know the various foundations of our present identity. All these answers make perfect sense, but what if I tell you that studying history might have changed the way we see things in our current time? History allows us to observe and understand how people and societies behaved. It shows us how change happened in the past and how these changes impacted the communities later-on. Our present is one of these impacts. Continue reading “World History Series Documentaries: The Crusades – Episode 01: The Origins”