27.
Robespierre: *
A main figure in the Reign of Terror (September 1792- July 1794) in which 2,639 exactions took place in Paris. Initially an ally of the moderate Danton; a member of the Committee of Public Safety. He helped suppress the left-wing Hébertists & eventually moved against the moderate Danton whom he accused of corruption (executed April 1794). In the Thermidorian Reaction he was arrested & executed (July 1794). His desire for revolutionary change extended to opposition to the Catholic Church, the pope & celibacy. He sought to replace the Church with a new spiritual system based on Deism & the Supreme Being (heavily influenced by Rousseau’s Social Contract ); in May 1794 the Convention established the Cult of the Supreme Being.
​
28.
Hohenstaufen: *
Following the end of the Salian dynasty a brief conflict broke out which ended in the election of Conrad III (first Hohenstaufen) King of the Romans in 1138. The most famous Hohenstaufen was Frederick Barbarossa. His political & cultural ambitions were enormous. Under him the Empire reached its territorial peak; he ruled as king of Germany,Italy, Jerusalem & as Emperor. He was involved in protracted struggle in Italy against the papacy & Italian city states. In the end the papacy prevailed & his absence in Italy allowed the German dukes to grow powerful. His struggle to re-establish strong royal control over the German princes failed but he was successful in pushing the Empire eastwards into Slavic lands. The dynasty ended in 1254. Its commitment to Sicily and Italy weakened its hold in Germany proper. By 1254 the princes & dukes of Germany were in unparalleled positions of power; German cities & towns grew increasingly rich & autonomous; the clergy & Church looked to Rome for leadership, not the King.
29.
Maya Culture:*
Circa 750 BC a complex society developed along with the cultivation of staple crops. By 500 BC Mayan cities arose, along with monumental architecture; by the 3rd century BC hieroglyphic writing was in use & city-states emerged linked by a complex trade network. In the 9th century there was widespread political collapse resulting in internecine warfare, the abandonment of cities & the northward shift of population.