Constantinople

1. I think the author of this reading is viewing Constantinople in a negative way. He describes the city in a way that makes me think that was trying to conquer it or destroy it. He described the churches as "too filthy and mean." The decription of the bazar itself wasn't positive; it was overall negative. When he described the church of Hagia Sofia, he seemed neutral because he didn't seem to exactly like it, but he didn't hate it either. I think this particular reading isn;t truthful because it seems too opinionated, but it does seem like a primary source so it has to be credible to some degree.

2. Benjamin of Tudela gives a distinct impression to the reader that his experience and thoughts about Constantinople are positive. He talks about the riches and all of the items found. He even mentions that Constantinople is a unique city: "It is a busy city and merchants come to it from every country by sea or land, and there is none like it in the world except Baghdad, the great city of Islam." He also seems awed about the entertainment that the emperor gives the people and that no other city in the world has that. I think that i can count this article as an accurate piece of history because it seems truthful and he's pointing out the good things of the city and not all of the day. He isn't trying to make the city seem like anything else but what he saw. He might have exaggerated some things, but I can't be too sure.

3. Liudprand of Cremona didn't like Constantinople at all. Apparently, his emperor wasn't given the correct respect and was called a king instead of an emperor: "He called you not emperor, which is Basileus in his tongue, but insultingly Rex, which is king in ours. I told him that the thing meant was the same." You can also tell that he doesn't like Constantinople because he insults their king by making him seem like an ugly and evil man. I'm not sure if this article is credible or not because Constantinople might have been awful and mean to the people who went there for royal business, and then if you were just visiting it could have been a pleasant experience.