, 'I believe in the holy Christian Church,' the Pope cannot alone be right; else we must say, 'I believe in the Pope of Rome,' and reduce the Christian Church to one man, which is a devilish and damnable heresy.
That isn't even a matter of conjecture. He's right, that is heresy. I can't imagine how much courage it must have taken for him to do this back when he did. The church was powerful, and he held his ground. It's amazing.
That is why, in cases of necessity, every man can baptize and absolve, which would not be possible if we were not all priests.
Again, Luther's point is clearly against not the church, but with their dogma. He wants faith to be something for everyone, and that is beautiful.
Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them, save of office.
I like this statement. I don't personally believe in an religions, but this is a truth of them. To claim one part of religion is more holy than the rest only leads to more pain. I think this assertion by Luther is one of his best.
Thirdly, if they are threatened with a council, they invented the notion that no one may call a council but the Pope.
This makes for a fair complaint. Luther is reasonable in his frustration with this practice. To have authority be the only one to investigate leads to nothing but corruption.
t happens we have continuously many and different diseases
Although not connected as much to the greater issue, I always want to leave a note mentioning how much of history is just diseases. It's a staggering amount of history. Too much, really.
And to avoid such a great evil we passed a law so that any white man living in our kingdoms and wanting to purchase goods in any way should first inform three of our noblemen and officials of our court whom we rely upon in this matter…who should investigate if the mentioned goods are captives or free men, and if cleared by them there will be no further doubt nor embargo for them to be taken and embarked.
I understand this action. You don't want war, so you use laws. It's a simple move, but I know it didn't end up working.
immediately ironed and branded with fire, and when they are carried to be embarked, if they are caught by our guards' men the whites allege that they have bought them but they cannot say from whom, so that it is our duty to do justice and to restore to the freemen their freedom, but it cannot be done if your subjects feel offended, as they claim to be.
This is just disgusting, and more proof of blatant kidnapping. You don't brand people, you don't steal them. Slavery is an evil of history, and even in modern day, but the practice will always leave a bad taste in my mouth.
seize many of our people, freed and exempt men, and very often it happens that they kidnap even noblemen and the sons of noblemen, and our relatives, and take them to be sold to the white men who are in our kingdoms; and for this purpose they have concealed them; and others are brought during the night so that they might not be recognized.
Again, they just take people. I can't imagine how they got away with it.
since the mentioned merchants are taking every day our natives, sons of the land and the sons of our noblemen and vassals and our relatives,
This is just baffling to me. Arica wasn't considerably weaker than Europe at this point in history, at least not on the land. I understand the reason you don't retaliate with violence, but I wouldn't be so patient in their shoes.
The Mughal Empire of India was established in 1526 by a Persian-speaking dynasty that traced its authority back to Genghis Khan’s second son, Chagatai.
I find it hard to believe that Mughal wasn't meant to invoke the same feeling as the Mongols. Brand recognition means a lot, even in terms of empite naming.
the trade routes and major markets connecting to the Silk Road such as Cairo and Baghdad.
That is some impressive trade routes. So impressive that I want to go around them to find cheaper trade routes.
and the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East.
This little empire would last all the way into the 20th century, ultimately collapsing after World War I. It's crazy to think about just how long this empire, one that had been an enemy to the late Roman Empire, survived.
reasons the royal court in Lisbon
And nothing bad ever happens to Lisbon. Nope, no major earthquakes here.
For another sixty years there were two competing Papal Courts
Though it might not seem like it, I know from outside sources just how often they're would be two or even three popes at at time.
Instead the church found itself pulled into regional contests for power,
I love the Papal States. They're great, or at least fun to read about.
After the Armenian genocide in 1915, during World War One, the Armenian quarter of Isfahan became one of the oldest and largest Armenian centers in the world.
A city with a legacy of protection. I think that's a better legacy than most would end up having, especially i it could help to save a culture like this.
The sea has brought forth treasures and the forests have produced excellent woods. Everything has been in bountiful supply, several times more bountiful than in ordinary times.
It would be reports like this that would fuel expeditions, at least to me. The ideal of a more perfect life, more beautiful lands. I would want to know more, regardless of the dangers.
One who is outstanding in ruling the people should do his best to treat the people as his children
I like that tidbit of wisdom. It makes sense in its own way. To rule one must steward their people, and framing like this makes it feel more human than anything.
Year 9, Month 6, Day 16 (6 Jul 1411)
It's hard to imagine this kind of expedition taking this long. I know it did, but still that is a commitment that's hard to imagine. Just leaving everything for years, decades even. It's a lot.
uyi suffered a great defeat. Over 5,000 of the bandit gang were killed, while ten of the bandit ships were burnt and seven captured. Further, two false bronze seals were seized and three prisoners, including Zuyi, were taken alive. When they arrived at the capital, it was ordered that all the prisoners be beheaded.”
That is an incredible show of power. I don't love historical violence, but doing that so early into the expeditions will make people fear, and by proxy, respect you.
“He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.”
I also find this one to be a little false. Someone can be wholly confident and open to that fact. I speak highly of my skills when I'm sure I can excel, and I don't see a problem with that.
“Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.”
I read this once a long time ago in an encyclopedia I was fond of I couldn't have been more than nine at the time, but I found it to be important to my own personal development.
“Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.”
Don't lose sight of the bigger picture. Again, a peice of wisdom I've heard echoed throughout most of history. I really find that beautiful.
“Your life is what your thoughts make it.”
I find this to be entirely true. Life is a matter of perspective, and to have a healthy perspective is to have a happier life.
After receiving the allegiance of a nation, the Chinese tended to shower foreign rulers with expensive gifts. in the long run, China spent much more on this diplomacy than it received in tribute.
I do wonder if the political influence gained through the expeditions was worth the cost. I really don't know if it was, but I wish I did.
for most of its history Chinese society was run by educated men rather than by nobles who had inherited their positions.
That almost feels impossible given what I know about systematic corruption, but I love that they pulled it off.
Confucian morality is secular rather than religious, which left room for the Emperor to be a representative of Divinity and claim “the Mandate of Heaven” without the Chinese Empire becoming a theocracy.
I think that's probably really healthy for their society. Keeping morality secular protects the ideas of Confucius from the interests of religion, which would likely mean it would persevere over time.
hinese language is based on characters rather than on an alphabet, and is believed to be the world’s oldest continually-used writing system.
That feels really impressive considering how much western langues have changed through the years.
several small kingdoms whose ruling families stayed connected through political marriages
This kind of thing happens a lot in history if I remember correctly. It was common here, in Europe, and probably other places that I'm not fully aware of.