The Ottoman Empire

         I thought the whole concept and process of devsirme was really interesting, because it lasted so long and, when you look at it, was pretty effective. Even though it’s kind of horrible to think about these children being taken away from their families at a young age and having to learn a new language and basically being under the government’s thumb for the rest of their lives, at least they were being educated. They probably ended up knowing the most about the governmental system out of everyone (beside those who were actually in it, of course) because they were educated so thoroughly and sent to be in the janissary corps or being placed in administrative posts. As it was pointed out, it’s obvious that these children living within the Ottoman government and following their rules, speaking their language and pretty much being slaves (albeit slaves with an education and jobs), they would be absolutely loyal to that government and owe their lives and livelihood to them. I also thought it was interesting how these children were only taken from the Christian families in the empire, and not the Muslim ones.

            Another thing I found interesting was how the Ottoman government was able to, or at least tried to, adapt to new economic or political situations so that they would still be able to function well and keep their hold on the lands they held. Even though in later years, it was more difficult to successfully change enough to have a solid hold on their empire. Of course any ruling system or empire or monarchy is going to want to hold on to their power, and it’s important to change and adapt to changes in society and be able to respond to how others were changing, and the Ottoman’s were able to continually have ways of keeping their system intact while also making enough changes to cement their hold.

Dante's Muhammad

            I thought it was interesting how it was brought up that Dante focused on Islam more in regard with its origins, and didn’t really focus much on the traditional interpretations of its history. Dante kind of tied it all back to have Christianity be the focus, and showed how, in his opinion, Muhammad was pushing for the divisions in Christianity. Instead of writing about the qualities he thought that Muhammad might have had as a follower of Islam, or about the Islam traditions that he would have followed, Dante went back to his role as a prophet and leader of the people. Thinking about it this way, I do like how Dante focused on the origins of Islam and Muhammad as a prophet. Knowing how something—especially something as important and sacred to people as a religion—came about and the beginnings of its traditions is important. It’s also interesting how his knowledge of Islam was learned in relation to Christianity and tended to be in anti-Islam works, but it’s cool that he kind of looked past that a little and had his own view about it, as the article says. Dante being an intellectual person, and writing this great work of literature, it’s good and important that he had an interest in things other than what was the norm in his part of the world and was educated about other, different things. 

The Decameron, Day 2

            A few of the stories and the women in them reminded me of other women we’ve read about, in that they kind of take charge of themselves a little bit and decide to do what they want, even if in these stories it’s just for sex. In the first story from the third day and the tenth story from the fifth day, both the nuns and the wife decide to break their vows—their vows to God and marriage vows—just because they want to. In the Odyssey, we can see Penelope trying her best to stand her ground and keep her decisions her own, and in Genesis, Rebekah schemes for her sons and controls that situation. The wife whose husband caught her hiding her lover tells him off; she points out to him that he won’t even sleep with her so she took it upon herself to fix that. Like Rebekah, she knows what she wants, so she went and got it, and the husband ended up looking foolish after being told off by his wife. The nuns, too, decide to put aside their vows of chastity to all sleep with Masetto. Although it was his plan to get all of them to sleep with him, and his plan worked, in the end they all got what they wanted. The women apparently lived guilt-free lives in the convent with this one guy, and he got to sleep with all of them and didn’t have to worry about any of the children that came out of that at all. Like in many other stories we’ve read, the women have some say, for some of the time and may not appear to be in charge, but then sometimes things have a way of working out in their favor in the end. 

The Decameron, Day 1

            Reading through these stories, the depiction of love in some of them is much different from some of the other love stories and poems we’ve read, like the Troubadour poems. In those poems, the narrator is at somewhat of a distance and maybe doesn’t want to actually possess the woman in question, because then he won’t be able to pine for her anymore. But, like in the seventh story from the second day and the fourth story on the first day, these men and monks see this beautiful woman and instantly feel the need to have her for themselves. There isn’t any of the pining and wishing and crying that happened in the troubadour poems. Instead, these men scheme and plan to have these women, and that’s that; and usually the woman in question goes along with it. In the fourth story of the first day, the Abbot originally planned to reprimand the monk for sleeping with a woman, but after seeing her, decides that it’s not such a bad idea and sleeps with her himself, both totally disregarding the expectations for their lifestyle. And in the seventh story on the second day, the princess Alatiel ends up with nine men over four years, all because they were transfixed by her beauty as soon as they saw her, and it was impossible for them to not have her.

            What’s interesting to me is that in these two stories in particular, the women didn’t really object all that much and just kind of went along with what was happening. Alatiel traveling throughout different kingdoms with different men, not speaking the language or anything, and the woman the monks slept with are both kind of passive in their stories. Although the stories are more about the men and their desires and how they’re undeniable, in the one story Alatiel still has her honor and gets to marry because her father believes she is still a virgin.

Travel Literature

          Reading Mandeville’s travel account, it’s interesting and at times a little disconcerting seeing his descriptions of some of the people of distant lands. Of course, people who don’t get that chance to travel that far away aren’t going to know what life is like in other places, and everyone always expects it to be totally, completely different to their own way of life—even today. The wider world that most people wouldn’t have been able to go see then must have seemed so strange and foreign, so of course his stories would be full of weird descriptions and strange people; it makes others want to go see them, just to see if they’re true and to satisfy their own curiosity. We all want to know what other places and people are like and how they live, and hearing fantastical stories like that from someone who has apparently gone there. You want to believe those stories, but at the same time you don’t because they’re so different from your own life.

            It’s also easy to see how Margery Kempe might have been so overwhelmed with being in all those sacred places. Getting to take a kind of break from her normal life, being a wife and mother, and getting to take that journey through all those special places, especially to her, and actually seeing the places she had heard about as being so monumental for her faith would have been so special. By going to all those places, she could experience more than just the spiritual things and see the cultural differences and would have had the time to take it all in. Being a mystic, those sacred places would have had a draw on her anyways, and getting to go there in person and see them and experience them for herself would, in a way, bring her spirituality or mysticism full circle, and could certainly help in confirming her faith or adding to it, by being at these real places.

Book of Good Love, Day 2

            The stories about the Mountain Girls, after reading all of them, seemed kind of the same, but at the same time they were all different. All of the different mountain girls this priest encountered did end up helping him out, but for a price—he gave one jewelry, and even married another. What I thought was interesting about all these girls was that they’re described as a bit frightening and menacing, at the worst seeming more barbaric, but once they know that they’ll be repaid in some way, after talking to the priest, they help him on his way. Although the mountain girls certainly know what they’re doing and what they want to happen, the priest is a little ignorant upon meeting up with them, and just wants to keep going on his way.

            In meeting the mountain girls, every single time it’s lead up to by the priest saying he had stayed somewhere or something had happened that caused him to lose a bunch of money and all his food; he would have basically nothing with him upon meeting the mountain girls, and he’s forced to rely on them for help. I also found it interesting that even though this guy is a priest and supposed to be understanding and helpful, or at least more adhering to his duties as a priest by not spending his money on frivolous things and sometimes sleeping with random mountain girls, he deceives one of the girls (the one he marries). His journeys through the mountains and with these girls are like him coming face to face with, literally, the uglier parts of life or those things that we know aren’t good and are wary of—whenever we meet one of the mountain girls, at least in the first few, there’s definitely a quiet sense of wariness and a little malice on their part—but still have to overcome and try to deal with the right ways.

Songs of Holy Mary

            In many of the short stories told by these songs, we see the Holy Mary triumphing over everything and showing the truth and being this beautiful, gentle woman who saves everyone if they’re worth saving, if they believe in her. In one of the first stories, a young Jewish boy is thrown into the oven by his father because he had received communion at church. Mary saves the boy because he thought she looked beautiful and kind, just from the statue he saw in the church—and his mother is converted and baptized too, because of his salvation. In this story and others, other religions (like Judaism) are shown to be inferior and somewhat less important or less pure than Christianity, since the Holy Mary is kind of the ultimate symbol of purity and goodness.

            With the story of the Moors trying to take over Constantinople, we see again an apparent pagan believer being converted to Christianity after just seeing the Holy Mary come down and save the city, and he all of a sudden knows he can’t attack the city anymore, and he asks the priest not to tell any of his people that he converted. It’s like he knows, now that he’s a Christian, that his old religion was wrong or not as valid. Just like in the other stories about Jews converting to Christianity, they come to see how their own way of life isn’t as good and pure, and the Holy Mary is able to show them that mostly by just showing herself to them, or telling the truth so they see the error of their ways. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s not, but the feeling is still there, that Christianity was so far above everyone and would bring you up to that higher level by believing what they believed.