Let's Sue Them All!!

In this activity, you and your staff of advisors will represent people who existed during the years between 1380 and 1453. In most cases, your jobs will be to defend their actions against claims by the survivors of the Byzantine Empire for damages. In other words, prove that those you represent were not responsible for the fall of the Empire, and could not have saved it from the Ottomans. You will need to discover what happened during the 70 years leading up to the fall of Constantinople and how the Ottoman Empire took it over.

October 12, 1472

To:       English King, French King, Pope, Doge of Venice, Ruler of Genoa, Ruler of Serbia, 
            King of Hungary, King of Bulgaria, Ottoman Sultan, Representatives of Palaeologus family
 
From:   Claims Department

You are hereby notified that Sophia Palaeologus, wife of Ivan III (grand prince of Moscow and Vladimir), and niece of the late Constantine XI Palaeologus, filed a claim as the beneficiary of Constantine XI Palaeologus, for collection of "life insurance" and "property" insurance for the loss of the Byzantine Empire. Both claims were investigated in our Novgorod offices and rejected for the following reasons:

the cause of death of Constantine XI was due to his suicidal behavior and the policy does not pay for suicide.
the loss of the Byzantine Empire was due to neglect, misadventure, weather conditions and lack of leadership and the insurance policy specifically excludes these causes.
the loss was due in part to lack of due care and caution by Christian Western European "countries" i.e. England, France, Bulgaria, Serbia, Venice, Genoa and Hungary and the company feels that these areas should pay the damages.
the loss was due in part to the neglect by the Pope in Rome and the Church should pay.
the loss was due to inadequate planning for the defense of Constantinople, the Byzantine capital, making the Palaeologus family responsible.
the loss was due to the Kuwae Volcano which brought about weather changes interpreted as signs of God's anger, causing the people to believe they were beaten.
the loss was the obvious responsibility of the Ottoman Turks led by Mehmed II and they should pay damages.
the Empire was broke, had no assets and had really ceased to exist before the fall of Constantinople, thus there was no loss.

Sophia Palaeologus and her husband, Ivan III, are demanding that the Hanseatic Tribunal:

1) review our refusal to pay
2) assess damages against those responsible for the loss

You are hereby notified that you are to present your side of the case on October 12, 1473, after which time the Tribunal may assess blame and decide if the insurance company is liable, or if anyone else is liable, and assess reasonable damages.

Everyone will be assigned to a "boss" they represent and will investigate for. You will investigate the role your "boss" played in the occurrences between 1370 and 1453 and present your side of the story to the Hanseatic Tribunal for its decision on who should pay, if anyone.

Step 1. Decide who will be: 1] the leader or coordinator of your delegation, 2] the cartographer or map maker, 3] the scribe or writer, 4] the historian or researcher and 5] the spokesman and presenter to the Hanseatic Tribunal. A person may have more than one job or jobs may be shared.

Step 2. Everyone will read the letter from the Insurance Company to decide what charges you are being asked to defend. There may be clues for you to watch for. Take notes. Reread the letter as you search for information.

Step 4. The Historian will now access up to three different Internet Links under "General History of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Turks", while the rest of the group searches for additional information in textbooks and on dossiers provided. Everyone will take notes. The focus should be the years 1380 to 1453. The group will meet together to compare notes and edit them into one document.

Step 5. The Cartographer will locate and share historical maps of the area during the time period specified (1380 to 1453) found in your textbook, historical atlases, encyclopedias, and from the "Maps and Pictures".

Step 6. After studying the historical maps and the general information, the Cartographer will, create a historical map of the area during the time period specified, 1380 to 1453. Your area should be the center of attention on the map. The map should show, in some way, the answers to the following questions for the time period of your map. Be sure to include a key and a date. When the map is completed, everyone in your group should answer, on a piece of paper, the following questions. (Members of the Palaeologus Family and the Ottoman Turks please skip to the Alternative Steps below.)

Step 7. There are page(s) below called dossier pages. The information on them is in no specific chronological order. While your Historian is accessing some links to identify the name of your specific "boss", everybody else should be reading the dossier pages provided. Between the dossier pages and the Internet Links, you should be able to discover what your "boss" was doing during the particular time period.

Step 8. Organize all the information you have now gathered into chronological or subject order. Before you discard information you feel is duplication and any information you may feel is unnecessary, everyone will answer the following questions on their own piece of paper:

Step 10. The representatives of the Palaeologus family or a volunteer, will create a large class timeline. When it is your turn and you have your information ready, the Scribe will add your part of the story to the timeline using words and pictures. The timeline should start in 1370 and go to 1470.

Step 11. Using all the information you have gathered, your group will discuss, argue and brainstorm what your testimony before the Tribunal will be. You'll want to justify your actions, deny responsibility if you can, and put the blame on someone or something else. You may wish to check the page which lists observations about the empire. Be sure to list examples to justify your position. Your scribe will need to write your testimony down into a two page position paper, using your examples to prove your case.

Step 12. Be sure your Spokesperson understands your defense/point of view. Have your Spokesperson practice the testimony you wish to present to the Tribunal. Testimony should be about 5-10 minutes. In your research you may discover information about what others may testify to, which will be helpful when you present your 1-2 minute rebuttal or answer questions that may be put to you by the Tribunal or other groups after all testimony is completed.

The class will create a rubric for grading this activity. Each individual will be responsible for his/her job, and, based on a 5 point scale, with 5 being the top and 1 being the score for a non-worker, will be evaluated by other group members for an individual grade. The presentation before the Tribunal will be graded by a student created rubric which must include evaluation of preparation, validity of argument, amount of research used, use of visuals and attention to detail. Appropriate behavior during the testimony may also be included as part of the rubric.

The students will reflect on this activity when it is completed by writing an essay with a minimum of one and one half pages which answers the following questions:

In our lifetime there exists international organizations (United Nations, World Court, NATO) for areas having problems to air their grievances. These did not exist in 1453. Nor did insurance companies insure the lives of rulers or property of empires. There were no lawsuits of the kind we have been working on here, since decisions about who was to blame for any wrong rested with the rulers of the various areas and the laws which differed from place to place.

As the times changed, the ideas of nation, government and the size of the known world changed too. Monarchies became strong then weak. Some governments began to give guarantees to the people they governed, empires were created and destroyed and political world maps changed with each succeeding year.

Our political maps have changed drastically even in the past 10 years, and are changing still, as people choose their own destinies. And, in the world of today, it is possible, and sometimes highly probable, that unlike the 1400s:

Materials: Large map of Europe, Historical Atlases, Encyclopedias, butcher paper, markers, World History Textbooks, and the General Information, Short Histories and dossiers written below for each group being asked to present testimony before the Hanseatic Tribunal.

1. Armento, Beverly J. and others. Across the Centuries. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Good maps

2. Arnott, Peter. The Byzantines. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1973. Another version of Barbaro's eyewitness report starting March, 1452 and reports of blockade runners and the withdrawal of foreigners from the city in 1453.

3. Franzius, Enno. History of the Byzantine Empire. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1967. This had great information about the impoverishment of the Empire in the last centuries.

4. Guerdan, Rene. Byzantium, Its Triumphs and Tragedy. New York: G. P. Putman's Sons, 1957. Numerous eyewitness accounts including Barbaro.

5. Nicol, Donald. M. The Immortal Emperor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Great eyewitness accounts, original pictures especially of Mehmed and Constantine, translation of Constantine's final speech to the troops, and the last days of the empire.

6. Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: the Decline and Fall. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. This is the latest, most definitive source available today. It is one of three volumes and can also be found in a one volume concise edition. Much ado about the omens in May, 1453.

7. Oman, C. W. The Byzantine Empire. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892. Another viewpoint of the final 70 yrs.

8. Severy, Merle. "The Byzantine Empire Rome of the East." National Geographic. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, December, 1983, pp. 709-737. Has wonderful maps of the Byzantine World and the city of Constantinople before the takeover with a key to buildings and a great summary of how life was lived in the city which was different from the West. Greeks still look to a future with Constantinople returned, according to this article.

9. Sherrard, Philip. Byzantium. New York: Time Incorporated, 1966. Probably the best secondary source for pictures and information about the early empire. Anyone interested in military tactics would find the information about the siege and methods of fighting very interesting.

10. Simarski, Lynn Tea. "Constantinople's Volcanic Twilight." Aramco World. November/December, 1996.

11. Sphrantzes, George. The Fall of the Byzantine Empire. Translated by Marios Philippides. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1980. Sphrantzes lived in Constantinople at the time of the siege, was captured and later ransomed. His diaries are the best primary sources of information about the Empire from 1401 to 1477, since he served at least three emperors and witnessed Constantine's death.

12. Vryonis, Speros, Jr., Byzantium and Europe. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1967. Contained good pictures and great information about the empire before its collapse.

Bradford, Ernle. _The Great Betrayal: The Story of the Fourth Crusade_.New York: Dorset Press, 1967. This is a relatively easy read and goes over the facts of the Fourth Crusade when the Franks/Latins captured Constantinople. The hatred and distrust evidence in 1453 can best be understood if you know about the events of 1204.

Heath, Ian. _Byzantine Armies, 1118-1461 AD_ London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 287, 1995.

_____. _Byzantine Armies, 886-1118_. London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 89, 1979.

Nicolle, David. _Armies of the Ottoman Turks, 1300-1774_. London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 140, 1983.

_____. _Hungary and the Fall of Eastern Europe, 1000-1568_. London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 195, 1988.

_____. _Romano-Byzantine Armies, 4th-9th Centuries_ London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 247, 1992. Too early for you period perhaps, but interesting nevertheless.

_____. _The Venetian Empire, 1200-1670_. London: Osprey, Men-at-Arms Series, no. 210, 1989.

The Men-at-Arms series has colorful illustrations of period soldiers and explanations of strategy, tactics, and equipment. Often you find them in hobby stores.