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Category Archives: history
How Christianity Civilized the Dark Ages
Many contemporary narratives cast the so-called “Dark Ages” as a period defined by intellectual stagnation and cultural regression, frequently attributing these trends to the influence of Christianity. Critics argue that the Church’s pervasive power stifled innovation and suppressed alternative modes of thought. However, a closer examination of the historical context reveals that the Church emergedContinue reading “How Christianity Civilized the Dark Ages”
The Printing Revolution: How Mass Media Destabilized the West
Gutenberg’s printing press was revolutionary for Western civilization—it increased the spread of information, led to widespread literacy, and catalyzed scientific development as new inventions and discoveries could be shared on a mass scale. It’s certainly a contender for “most important invention of all time”, and its positive effects on society cannot be overstated. However, asContinue reading “The Printing Revolution: How Mass Media Destabilized the West”
How to Change the Culture, According to Charlemagne
Most cultural movements aren’t grass-roots—they’re top-down. Charlemagne’s cultural rebirth, the “Carolingian Renaissance,” proved how real cultural change is accomplished through a concerted effort by society’s elites… Let’s explore how Charlemagne transformed the West. In the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne ruled vast lands from Northern Spain to the North Sea. Charlemagne was aContinue reading “How to Change the Culture, According to Charlemagne”
A Lesson in Cultural Preservation from Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel might be the most aesthetic place on earth. It’s a cultural icon today, but at one point it served as a prison, and then was almost completely lost to history. It’s story highlights the need to vigilantly guard our cultural heritage. Mont-Saint-Michel is what’s called a tidal island—a piece of land that’s connected to theContinue reading “A Lesson in Cultural Preservation from Mont-Saint-Michel”
The Great Tree of Western Civilization
By chance I was recently introduced to the ideas of Oswald Spengler – a German intellectual of the early 20th century whose claim to fame is the two-volume work The Decline of the West. The essential idea of Spengler is that civilizations may be described similarly to organisms, which either thrive, survive, or stagnate andContinue reading “The Great Tree of Western Civilization”
Leaders of the Resistance: The Barbarian Kings Who Challenged the Roman Empire
Most discussions of the Roman Empire’s wars focus on its great successes. Battles won by the barbarians are nearly universally described as tragic losses from the viewpoint of the Romans. But every loss of the Romans was a victory for the little-understood barbarians – that catchall term for the relatively uncivilized northern tribes that bringContinue reading “Leaders of the Resistance: The Barbarian Kings Who Challenged the Roman Empire”
The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization
Thermopylae, Tours, Vienna—throughout the West’s history were a number of battles that scholars can point to and say ”this was the moment the West was saved.” Rescued from destruction at the last minute with the fate of a continent resting on a knife’s edge, battles offer a discrete point of separation between a culture’s continuationContinue reading “The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization”
Just War Theory in Antiquity
To fight or not to fight – that is the central question of Just War Theory. Though wars are usually waged in pursuit of man’s basic needs – land, wealth, a beautiful face – a theory developed in the western world suggesting that they need not always be fought for selfish reasons. Some wars mightContinue reading “Just War Theory in Antiquity”
Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops
In a time that honored martial prowess and piety above all else, the warrior bishop was the physical embodiment of the medieval ethos: a literal soldier for Christ, baptizing souls with water and blood – a militant dealer of sacraments and death. Like a metamorphic gemstone forged under the intense heat and pressure of tectonicContinue reading “Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops”