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Full-Text Articles in History

Problems Of Distance, Communications, And Authority: How Charles V And Philip Ii Ruled The Global Spanish Empire, Cody Bryan Mitchell Oct 2022

Problems Of Distance, Communications, And Authority: How Charles V And Philip Ii Ruled The Global Spanish Empire, Cody Bryan Mitchell

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This essay explains how the Spanish (or Castilian) crown during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries managed its worldwide empire. It emphasizes the contribution of, and the tension between, the crown’s two main strategies: political decentralization – or delegation – and imperial centralization. To begin, it contextualizes the issue by exploring the situation at the time and explains how the problems of distance and communication were closely linked. Secondly, drawing on the comments of both contemporary observers and modern historians, this paper examines the approaches used by the Spanish kings in ensuring the optimum reliability of their intelligence networks within Europe …


Friends, Foes, Or Fellow-Travelers: Italian Fascism And The Catholic Church, Cale Gressman Oct 2022

Friends, Foes, Or Fellow-Travelers: Italian Fascism And The Catholic Church, Cale Gressman

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

What was the relationship between Italian Fascism and the Catholic Church? Drawing on both primary sources including speeches, encyclical letters, and newspaper articles and significant amounts of secondary sources, this paper argues that the relationship between the two factions was one of “cohabitation” with both sides cooperating in areas of mutual interest, such as solving the Roman Question, anti-Bolshevism, and the maintenance of traditional family and gender values. Overall, the Catholic Church can be described as “fellow-travelers” with Italian Fascism.


The Mongol “Other” And The Limits Of Europe’S Christian Self-Perception, Kevin Petersen May 2022

The Mongol “Other” And The Limits Of Europe’S Christian Self-Perception, Kevin Petersen

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

In a 1250 C.E. letter to Pope Innocent IV regarding a possible Mongol invasion, King Bela IV of Hungary vividly illustrates the self-perception of Europe as a Christian civilization through a conflation of Europe and Christendom. However, the limits of this civilizational self-perception are revealed through an analysis of an earlier series of letters between the chief of the Mongols Guyuk Khan and Pope Innocent IV.


Gems Of Gods And Mortals: The Changing Symbolism Of Pearls Throughout The Roman Empire, Emily Hallman Apr 2020

Gems Of Gods And Mortals: The Changing Symbolism Of Pearls Throughout The Roman Empire, Emily Hallman

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Born in the wombs of shells and polished by mother nature herself, pearls were regarded as gifts from the gods. For millennia, the creation of pearls was credited to the tears of heavenly creatures or the formation of sun-touched dewdrops. Countless civilizations, both Western and Non-Western, have their own myths and legends surrounding the pearl, a mark of their mysterious allure. The artform of jewelry, favored by the Roman aristocracy, took advantage of naturally perfected pearls to create stunning pieces with staggering prices. The pearl’s meaning evolved throughout the Roman Empire and into Early Christian Rome, setting up a contradictory …


Christian Success Or Pagan Assimilation? The Christianization Of The Germanic-Speaking Tribes In The Late Roman Empire, Luca Ricci Apr 2015

Christian Success Or Pagan Assimilation? The Christianization Of The Germanic-Speaking Tribes In The Late Roman Empire, Luca Ricci

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Luca Ricci is a sophomore majoring in History and Classics at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Apart from reading Vergil, he spends his summer roaming the Italian countryside looking for archaeological sites.