Europa Universalis IV and Deep Learning: Historical Accuracy, Counterfactuals and Historical Themes

This article examines issues encountered with Europa Universalis IV (EUIV) in terms of teaching history in adult learning. The article identifies the educational limitations of the game, as well as the types of history that can be learnt from it. The data collected from participant responses is examined in terms of an ongoing concern regarding the balancing of historical accuracy and gameplay in EUIV. In this discussion about balance, participants raise common concerns about the historical abstraction, historical misinformation and counterfactual elements within EUIV. Nonetheless, the article argues that despite these ahistorical elements, EUIV can still potentially portray many of history’s larger trends and influences. Given the portrayal of these trends in-game, the article examines the pedagogical utility of the game in terms of narrative engagements with history and the promotion of deeper forms of learning.

The Seizure of the Throne by Demetrius I Soter (1 Macc 7:1-4). Theological Interpretation of a Historical Event

The presented biblical material (1 Macc 7:1-4) is one of those texts that describe an event happening far away from the scope of influence exerted by the Maccabean insurgents, yet one which is closely connected with the history of the chosen people. As such, it substantially influences the successive events in the political-religious situation of the Jews. What is particularly worthy of analysis is the historical accuracy of the inspired author in presenting facts as well as the theological conception to which primary importance is given in the book. This way the history of peoples, kingdoms and societies is shown as part of God’s magnificent plans which is implemented by all participants of ongoing scenes. Such a presentation concerns both the main and supporting protagonists. The short passage of 1 Macc 7:1-4 reveals how the hagiographer, who knows the theological conception, consciously accentuates certain parts, chooses appropriate syntax and vocabularyto show God’s action in the presented characters and events. God stands behind the curtain of human actions, yet it is Him who decides about their course.

Exploring Player Understandings of Historical Accuracy and Historical Authenticity in Video Games

Video games such as the successful Assassin’s Creed series allow consumers to engage with various historical contexts and to explore them in engaging and influential ways. However, it is unclear what consumers understand as the difference between the historical authenticity and historical accuracy used by developers in these games. Therefore, this research explored players of Assassin’s Creed games’ understanding of these two concepts and how they expected developers to utilize them. The study used a qualitative analysis of 959 online forum comments and an online survey with 88 respondents. While it was found that players understood historical accuracy and valued it in video games, historical authenticity prompted confusion with 43% describing it as the same as historical accuracy. The results were used to develop a new player-centric definition of historical authenticity to clarify player understandings and present useful and practical implications for developers and publishers.

From Confessio to Calderón de la Barca: the Literary Evolution of St. Patrick’s Biography and the Question of his Legacy

In the following text, I will discuss the gradual erosion of historical accuracy in connection to a series of hagiographic texts concerning the biography of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. I will outline each one against a wide historical and cultural backdrop and subsequently ascertain whether or not the changes that hagiographers introduced over the centuries have been detrimental to his legacy. The texts I have chosen to analyse can be separated into two major time periods: the first being the trio of works that construct the absolute basics of the Saint Patrick legend, all originating from the 5th to 7th centuries, which are the autobiographical Confessio, with its heavy focus on relaying a Christian moral about sin, and the historical sources Bishop Tírechán's Account of St. Patrick's Journey and Muirchú's Life of St. Patrick. With these early hagiographic texts serving as reference points, I will, however, primarily study two Spanish Patrician works from the 17th Century: Pérez de Montalbán’s 1627 work Vida y Purgatorio de San Patricio and Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s play El purgatorio de San Patricio, or The Purgatory of Saint Patrick in its English translation. Within my analysis I will determine whether or not the changes integrated into his story by Montalbán and Calderón in fact matter to the overall legacy of Saint Patrick in the modern-day and if they had any lasting impact to readers, bearing in mind that both texts, more or less, retain the essentials of his Christian message and promote him as an exemplary spiritual figure within history.

A Wonderful Find

This chapter introduces the story of Giovanni Calà, Carlo’s supposed medieval ancestor. Giovanni’s life and deeds were recorded in numerous sources, which began to appear in the second half of the 1650s. A giant man and trusted captain of the Holy Roman emperor’s army, Giovanni had suddenly decided to abandon glory and honors to become a hermit and follower of Joachim of Fiore, whose holy charisma and prophetic abilities he allegedly shared. All the sources, however, were forgeries, fabricated by a man named Ferrante or Ferdinando Stocchi. Carlo, possibly unaware of the forgery, made extensive use of these sources in the books he wrote to publicize Giovanni’s story, hoping for a future canonization. This chapter also analyzes the early modern process of canonization, characterized by a greater degree of control and oversight by the Roman Curia and by a heightened sensitivity to questions of historical accuracy and documentary authenticity.

Brentano and the Medieval Distinction Between First and Second Intentions

Brentano’s account of intentionality has often been traced back to its scholastic sources. This is justified by his claim that objects of thought have a specific mode of being—namely, “intentional inexistence” (intentionale Inexistenz)—and that mental acts have an “intentional relation” (intentionale Beziehung) to these objects. These technical terms in Brentano do indeed recall the medieval notions of esse intentionale, which is a mode of being, and of intentio, which is a “tending towards” (tendere in) of mental acts. However, within the lexical family of intentio there is another distinction that plays an important role in medieval philosophy—namely, the distinction between first and second intentions (intentio prima and intentio secunda), which are, roughly speaking, concepts of things and concepts of concepts respectively. What is less well-known is that Brentano explicitly borrowed this distinction as well, and used it in his account of intentionality. This paper explores this little-known chapter in the scholastic-Austrian history of intentionality by evaluating both the historical accuracy and the philosophical significance of Brentano’s borrowing of the scholastic distinction between first and second intentions.

Tropical Purgatory: Brazil Through the Lenses of Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop

Writers Stefan Zweig and Elizabeth Bishop both lived in Brazil, although in very different circumstances. Their stories served as basis for two films: Maria Schrader’s Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (Vor der Morgenröte, 2016), and Bruno Barreto’s Reaching for the Moon (Flores raras, 2013). This article aims to describe the differences between these two films, and how they can be connected to Brazilian authors such as Gilberto Freyre and Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, whose works attempt to understand Brazil’s social dynamics from the perspective of its violent colonial past. Furthermore, this article aims to question the connections between historical accuracy and political engagement, arguing that the general tone of a film narrative may sometimes be much more politically-oriented than the actual facts it portrays.

A Fruitful or Wild French Vineyard? Distinguishing the Religious Roots of Albigenses and Waldensians in the Twelfth Century

Much like how fruitful and wild branches are mixed in the same vineyard, there is a great deal of confusion when someone tries to discern the religious roots of heretical movements grown out of the Middle Ages. Two peculiar cases are often associated by confessional literature: Waldensians and Albigenses, demonized by Roman Catholic literature or romanticized by Protestant and modern Medieval fictional literature. In the quest for historical accuracy this paper intends to argue for the supremacy of certain contextual theological beliefs rather than socio-economic features alone in discerning the true nature of these movements despite their similarities and common persecution by the dominant Catholic religion. While the Albigenses reintroduced the ancient heresy of Gnosticism, the Waldensians were driven by a return to apostolic Christianity. The study also points out the need to analyze those movements beyond a one-dimensional approach in order to see the heterogeneity inside each movement, especially in their progressive evolution through time. Results point toward the need to reject an ancient origin thesis for the case of the Waldensians, whereas still allowing, in their case, a possible proto-Protestant connection.

Cassius Dio's figures for the demographic consequences of the Bar Kokhba War: Exaggeration or reliable account?

Scholars have long doubted the historical accuracy of Cassius Dio's account of the consequences of the Bar Kokhba War (Roman History 69.14). According to this text, considered the most reliable literary source for the Second Jewish Revolt, the war encompassed all of Judea: the Romans destroyed 985 villages and 50 fortresses, and killed 580,000 rebels. This article reassesses Cassius Dio's figures by drawing on new evidence from excavations and surveys in Judea, Transjordan, and the Galilee. Three research methods are combined: an ethno-archaeological comparison with the settlement picture in the Ottoman Period, comparison with similar settlement studies in the Galilee, and an evaluation of settled sites from the Middle Roman Period (70–136 CE). The study demonstrates the potential contribution of the archaeological record to this issue and supports the view of Cassius Dio's demographic data as a reliable account, which he based on contemporaneous documentation.