History Shorts: Medici rise to power (1434)

The Medici clan rose to prominence as a banking power in Medieval Florence. They became a major political power in the 14th and 15th centuries. Eventually, they produced four Popes and a number of royals. In 1434, the Medicis became Florence's leading family en route to establishing a major dynasty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCSo0r05wNQ

History Shorts: Agincourt (1415)

 Henry V defeated the French at Agincourt on October 25, 1415. The English wiped out a generation of French nobility in one pitched battle. The longbow leveled the playing field and shifted power away from the nobility. It also marked the beginning of professional armies and the beginning of the end of the feudal era. The sweeping victory appeared to end the Hundred Years' War. However, Henry V died soon after leading to a relaunching of hostilities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRj01LShXN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb9ZTypvWK4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRj01LShXN8

History Shorts: Canterbury Tales (1380)

Geoffrey Chaucer recounts over 20 stories in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer uses irony to describe English society in the late 14th century. The work helped popularize English and provides historians insight into Chaucer's day. As a result, English ascended while French and Latin went by the wayside. The 20 tales describe the life of knights, cook's, physicians, nuns, and many others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3zUoNG_P_0

History Shorts: The Black Death (1347)

The plague reached Europe in 1347 via eastern trade routes. The epidemic wrecked havoc in Asia before striking Europe. The disease earned the nickname "the black death" because of the black buboles that formed on victims. The pandemic reached apocalyptic proportions as it wiped out 1/3 to 1/2 of Europe and perhaps the Old World. In its wake, old feudal relations began to erode. The Black Death marked the beginning of the end of the Middle Ages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGNVuS6WZUY

History Shorts: The Hundred Years War begins (1337)

A dynastic argument between England and France resulted in a conflict that lasted over a century. By the conflict's end, feudal armies had been discredited, nationalism created, France was free of England, and standing armies became the norm.

The best videos have been taken down. But here is a lego re-creation of the Battle of Crecy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VBDGLlSIcw

History Shorts: The Battle of Bannockburn (1314)

Scotland won a decisive victory in their War of Independence against England. Robert the Bruce defeated the weak Edward II in a pitched battle. The Scots were undermanned and outnumbered, but Bruce routed the English on the battle's second day. Edward II fled in fear igniting a full scale panic on the English side. In the wake, Scotland began raiding into England and invaded Ireland. Eventually, Scotland earned their independence, but England never truly recognized it.

Song about Bannockburn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65L2MDzCghM



CG of the battle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlBKO7eCE-c

History Shorts: Dante's Inferno and the Renaissance (1321)

The Renaissance, or rebirth, of European culture began in the early 14th century and continued into the 17th. It produced a rediscovery of classical learning as well as an artistic explosion. Some consider Dante's Inferno as the beginning of the Renaissance. In the work, also known as The Divine Comedy, is political satire through the use of an allegorical afterlife. The Renaissance pulled the west out of the Middle Ages and provided the cultural and intellectual bridge to the modern era.

The World's Oldest surviving feature length film (1911):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS4We4MDheg

An animated version (2010):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8bDRa6Lt4

History Shorts: The Battle of Stirling (1297)

William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated a large English force at Stirling Bridge on September 11, 1297. The English outnumbered the Scots at least 4-to-1. However, Wallace managed to funnel the English soldiers onto a bridge and cut them to pieces. The victory led to Wallace's punitive expeditions into England itself. Wallace would eventually be captured and executed by the English. Robert Bruce led the Scots to independence in 1314. The battle was immortalized in Mel Gibson's Braveheart. However, his version did not come close to accuracy as the film's budget limited his ability to convey the battle.

Braveheart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2XXXIf97sg



However, it did include one of film's greatest speeches:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOOZDbMrgE

History Shorts: The Little Ice Age (1250-1850)

The Earth cooled following the Medieval Warm Period. It began in 1250 (or 1350) and ended around 1850. The cause of the cooling is debated. Theories range from solar activity to ocean currents to volcanic activity. Glaciers spread, winters lengthened, famines occurred, and rain increased. Essentially, it was a cold, wet period in global history. The Little Ice age caused some of histories great famines, ruined crops helping to precipitate the French Revolution, walloped Napoleon in Russia, led to ice in the Great Lakes during June, ended the Viking Age, and may have led to witch hunts after crop failures. It finally ended around 1850. This coincided with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As a result, some have proposed that global warming began as a result of industrialization. Others have pointed to other natural factors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuZSMVwJLq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdK6zbPnHw4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AXbSRjMmRI

History Shorts: The Magna Carta (1215)

King John was just a bad monarch. He was incompetent and overbearing. John lost a war in France, lost baronial lands to the French, and crushed the people with high taxes. Finally, the nobles had enough and revolted. They defeated the king and forced him to sign Magna Carta. It marked the first time an English king had his power limited. The document also protected the rights of the nobles. The Magna Carta marked the first step toward British constitutional government and later the American Constitution.
:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfAq0Lp-AmA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rROhCaTvyLc

King John:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTNe_uJ4cnU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCMgoDu3WkU 

History Shorts: Genghis Khan unites Mongols (1206)

Genghis Khan united the nomadic Mongolian tribes in 1206. Afterward, Khan began his conquest of the known world. Mongol armies swarmed across Eurasia. No one seemed able to stop the warlord. Along the way, he massacred entire populations in order to terrorize potential adversaries. The Mongols used their experience as skilled horsemen and transformed it into unbeforeseen battlefield tactics. By the time of his death in 1227, Khan controlled much of Asia and China.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqHUmWFOegI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq1K0Y-I6vg

History Shorts: Constantinople sacked (1204)

In 1203, Western Europeans traveled to the Middle East to try and capture Jerusalem. They stopped at Constantinople along the way and decided to lay siege. Eastern and Western Christianity were at odds over doctrine and cultural differences. The Byzantines massacred Catholics a couple decades earlier adding incentive to the Crusader strike. They captured and sacked the city for plunder and revenge. The incident severely weakened the Byzantine Empire allowing the Muslims to gain a firmer foothold in the region. It is considered one the nails in the Byzantine coffin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBx8BDJdzf

History Shorts: The First Guilds (1193)

Guilds were the forerunner of the modern union. They were associations of artisans, artists, or merchants that controlled every level and aspect of production for a particular craft or job. Those that bucked the guild found themselves blacklisted. These organizations eventually transformed into labor organizations.

The following is from a high school social studies class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnQlHeee9Dw

History Shorts: Japan's first Shogun (1192)

The Shogun title went to military commanders in Japan during the Heian Period (794-1185). In 1192, the Kamakura Shogunate came to dominate Japan. It was backed by a private army of Samurai. The Shogunate lasted nearly 150 years. Shoguns have appeared in popular culture including TV and films. The following is a commercial for a toy from 1976.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbjoI47ARUs

Shogun mini-series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYON1TPAQHs

History Shorts: The Third Crusade (1189-1191)

Saladin took Jerusalem igniting the Third Crusade. The Crusaders defeated the Muslims at key points during the adventure, but could not take Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Richard the Lionheart’s reign was threatened by his brother John. The English king was captured in the way back home and ransomed. The Crusade was a success, but failed in its ultimate goal of retaking Jerusalem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ILS7gs84Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiYNdexDwYw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFgmRb1WXHA

History Shorts: Saladin captures Jerusalem (1187)

The Crusaders in the Holy Land lost a decisive battle to Saladin at Hattin. Afterward, the Islamic warlord slowly pushed back Christian forces. By the end of 1187, he retook the holy city of Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The defeat horrified and galvanized Europe and led to the Third Crusade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71LUlwXr_KM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PMjG3xF2ts

History Shorts: The First Crusade (1096)

Europe was overrun by gangs of nobles that preferred to plunder and kill than better society. At the same time, most kingdoms were weak. Meanwhile, the Muslims had expanded to Europe’s door. They would try over the course of 1,000 years to subjugate the continent. Charles Martel defeated the invaders at Tours in the 8^th century. Pope Urban II decided to try to unite Europeans behind a cause and defend Christendom’s borders against the Muslims by declaring a crusade.  Nearly 40,000 men marched to the Holy Land, captured Jerusalem, and established colonies in the region.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4roF8zqNu3Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG3fCeI19IA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MwTrdfxAB8

History Shorts: Mazikert (1071)

The Battle of Manzikert spelled the beginning of the end for the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuq Turks decisively defeated the Byzantines and captured the Emperor Romanos IV. It began Turkish consolidation of Anatolia and undermined the Byzantines in key army recruiting grounds. The battle opened the door for a Turkish invasion and the led to economic and civil disruptions within Constantinople. In 1453, the Ottoman Turks completed the conquest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnvFHjj7kQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO68tplwtFo

History Shorts: The Battle of Hastings and fall of Anglo Saxon England (1066)

England’s King Harold faced two invasions in 1066. He defeated a Viking invasion force at Stamford Bridge and then turned to face William the Bastard’s Norman force. The Normans fielded about 10,000 men at Hastings against 7,000 Anglo Saxons. The battle stalemated until the Anglo Saxons fell for a Norman trick. William pretended to flee and swirled around to destroy Harold’s forces when they left their heavily defended positions to pursue. The battle, and Anglo Saxon England, ended with Harold’s death. The king took an arrow through the eye ending his reign.  The native English quickly became second class citizens in their homeland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD4EP3dpmes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_rAXH09qRY

History Shorts: Stamford Bridge (1066)

Anglo Saxon King Harold faced two invasions at once in 1066. He faced Harald Hardrada’s Viking force and William the Bastard’s Normans. He decided to face the Vikings first and marched to East Riding, Yorkshire to face the Norwegians. Hardrada and his brother Tostig Godwinson died symbolically ending the Viking Age. King Harold’s forces achieved an incredible and decisive victory, but they still had to contend with the Normans. The victory at Stamford Bridge helped William the Bastard as it tired the Anglo Saxons. In the end, the Normans conquered England. Stamford Bridge played a pivotal role in the Norman Conquest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QewGV3Xa1ik