5-6+Brad+M.

=__A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver__=

Wiki #1-March 26, 2012

A Match Made In Heaven
====Eleanor and Louis were betrothed to each other later than the typical betrothals of the 12 century for very different reasons. Eleanor's father and grandfather believed that they were immortal, so they saw no hurry in securing Eleanor's marriage. Abbot Suger explained to Louis why Eleanor was not promised in marriage earlier, by saying, "...the fair Eleanor was saved because her father and her grandfather thought they would never die" (Konigsburg 20). Louis was not betrothed at an earlier age because he was not the heir to the throne. His father, Louis le Gros, had an older son who was the heir, but he broke his neck and eventually died, leaving Louis as the successor to the throne. Louis always felt second best, telling Abbot Suger, "I am second son and second choice, and that is why I have not been promised in marriage" (20). Eleanor and Louis were betrothed to one another later than most in the 12 century because of the different circumstances within their families .====

====Eleanor and Louis made some decisions that directly hurt innocent people. When Eleanor convinced Louis to travel on the Crusade, it ended up being a big mistake. Her decision caused many deaths and almost the death of her husband. She convinced Geoffrey of Rancon to let her set up camp in a beautiful valley, rather than the boring plain that the King had chosen for camp. Her husband and his men were ambushed by the Turks and Louis almost lost his life because of her rash decision. Eleanor was scared her husband, the king, might be dead and as his men returned home, "...the tales they told prepared her for the worst. She realized that she might at that very moment be a widow" (60). She took responsibility for her actions, and her husband punished her for disobeying his orders. Louis did not make the wisest decisions either. While he was battling the people of Champagne, he chose to set fire to the wooden houses surrounding the town of Vitry. His plan was to bring the people outside when he lit the fire, but instead the people fled inside their church, which also caught on fire. Everyone in the village died because of his rash decision. His choice forced him to "look at himself in the light of that fire" (37). Eleanor and Louis made choices too quickly and did not think about how their decisions would affect others. Both acted hastily, and ended up killing innocent people.====



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Wiki #2 - March 29, 2012
= The Greedy Get What They Deserve =


 * 1

In __A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver__, Abbot Bernard believed the reason that Geoffrey Plantagenet died was because of Divine Justice. Divine Justice is the idea that a person’s actions and decisions on earth determine the fate of their afterlife. Geoffrey and King Louis were fighting about a piece of land, Vexin, that they both wanted to claim. There was a Truce of God placed on the land by the Pope, saying that no one was allowed to attack the land of a lord while he was on a Crusade. The minute King Louis returned from the Crusade, Geoffrey attacked his castle and took one of the King's stewards as his prisoner. Geoffrey’s actions were considered “brazen” by Abbot Bernard, and he was excommunicated from the church for his bold moves (Konigsburg 80). When confronted by the abbot, Geoffrey said, "If it is a sin to keep him, I refuse to be excused from that sin" (81). Eleanor bargained with Geoffrey for him to release the king’s steward and give up Vexin to King Louis. In return, his son, Henry, would receive the kiss of peace from King Louis and the Abbot Bernard would lift the ban of excommunication from him. Geoffrey died right after he had been forgiven by the Church, showing that God had judged his actions on earth and it was too late to redeem himself.


 * 2

Eleanor and Matilda are against Henry appointing Thomas Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury because they believe the Pope should appoint all bishops. Eleanor remembers the trouble that was created when King Louis ignored the Pope and appointed who he wanted as bishops to the churches of his lands. Matilda thinks that Becket will choose God over King Henry after he appoints Becket as Archbishop. Matilda tells her son, ...as much as I love you, you are no match for God. Thomas will choose to serve God rather than you" (116). King Henry sees this as an opportunity to combine the laws for the king's men and the laws for the Church's men. He says, "Good grief! ladies, what can I do to convince you that I must have one set of laws in all my kingdom?" (115). Soon after Becket was appointed Archb ishop of Canterbury, he quit his job as chancellor and upset King Henry. A terrible argument started between King Henry and Becket, which eventually led to a war between the country and the Church. King Henry hoped to join the laws of the country and the Church by appointing the Archbishop, but instead he caused chaos in his mission to make things better for himself.



= = Wiki #3 - April 3, 2012

**Raising Two Kings**


 * 1

In __A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver__, Queen Eleanor and King Henry had two very different methods for teaching their sons how to become successful kings. Queen Eleanor taught their son, Richard, how she ruled her people of Aquitaine by including him in every move she made. Eleanor allowed Richard to take part in everything she did, from collecting taxes to performing ceremonies. She loved Aquitaine and wanted it to have a strong leader. Her passion for showing him the ropes allowed him to gain confidence and he “learned everything about government at her side” (Konigsburg 139). On the other hand, King Henry was in charge of teaching Young Henry about government. Unfortunately, he was more interested in himself than in raising a competent king. Young Henry traveled with King Henry everywhere, but he was never given jobs that seemed important. He felt more like an errand boy than a future king. Young Henry argued with his father, “When have you ever let me do anything that would show you that I can rule? Mother has let Richard rule the Aquitaine with her"(145). Richard ruled his land with confidence because of the way his mother taught him to rule. Young Henry never believed his father had faith in him to be a good king, so he did not become a respected ruler. The jealousy and hatred between the two brothers, and between the brothers and their father, got worse because of the actions and decisions of Queen Eleanor and King Henry, while raising the young men to become kings.


 * 2

The rules of courtly love have had an affect on the way men treat women today. The Courts of Love had rules that said, "...he must regard his lady-love as someone above earthly temptation,...as someone to protect, as someone who must be helped to sit at table," (134). Today, men do not normally go around reading poetry to the women they like, but they do try to open doors and stand up for women when they come into a room or sit down at a table. Courtly love is now expressed differently, and has become more about treating women with respect. Courtly love is most often seen in today’s media, movies, books, and music. In Luhrman’s 1996 movie, __Romeo + Juliet__, and in many Disney movies, like __Sleeping Beauty__ and __Aladdin__, courtly love is more obvious than in our everday life. Women have become equals to men, so courtly love is no longer expected or needed.