I’m re-reading Christine de Pisan’s The Book of the City of Ladies, and I was surprised to find that one of the characteristics she endorsed in a leader was the ability to subdue all the surrounding communities. Perhaps the peace of power was truly all that could be bought in the medieval time period and so being able to secure it was a necessity, but my other reading suggests that those who pursued total domination were simply out for power at any cost and for its own sake.
When I first started my history through literature journey I reflexively put the writings of “great men” on my list of books to explore. The thing I discovered is that their writings greatly damaged my idea of these men as great leaders. Julius Caesar had no reason other than he wanted to control Gaul for decimating and destroying the people and cultures of Gaul. His treatment of the Gallic people who cleverly, desperately opposed him as traitors stretches the idea of human loyalty. How dare he expect people to abandon their native culture and tribes for an arrogant invader. What a jerk.
Columbus was a favorite of my childhood, and I was told reading his journals would be faith building. His journals were hard to secure and the internet did not exist in my childhood, so it was with great anticipation that I cracked open a rather extravagant book about Columbus that included his journals. What a jerk! Yes, his journey was courageous, but his treatment of the people he discovered on the land he “discovered” is the worst of human behavior. He was greeted with great kindness, fed, resupplied, provided with materials to repair his ships. How does he repay this kindness? He immediately writes about how they will make great slaves and captures three to take back like specimens in a jar.
Unfortunately, I could go on and on, but just because someone does something historic doesn’t mean they did something good. Have a good think about some of these people and stop calling them heroes.
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