THE MIDDLE AGES

AN INTRODUCTION

@ 476 AD-1350

PERIOD FROM THE DECLINE OF THE WESTERN ROMAN

EMPIRE TO THE RENAISSANCE

MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS

OF THE MIDDLE AGES

CULTURAL

A BLEND OF THREE CULTURESGERMANCHRISTIANGRECO-ROMAN (CLASSICAL)

RELIGIOUS POWERFUL CHURCH AND

PAPACY DOMINATED THE MIDDLE AGES

LATIN WAS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT AND THE CHURCH

MONKS HELPED TO SPREAD CHRISTIANITY AND PRESERVE CLASSICAL AND BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE

SOCIAL MOST PEOPLE LIVED IN SMALL

VILLAGES AND RURAL SETTLEMENTS

FEW PEOPLE COULD READ AND WRITE

HIGH INFANT MORTALITY RATE LOW LIFE EXPECTANCY FEUDALISM WAS THE SOCIAL

AND POLITICAL STRUCTURE

POLITICAL POWERFUL FEUDAL KINGS RULED EUROPE WAS DIVIDED INTO

KINGDOMS- NOT NATION-STATES

KINGS RULED WITH THE LOYALITY AND SUPPORT OF THEIR LORDS AND KNIGHTS (Vassals)

CONFLICTS AND WARS BETWEEN KINGDOMS WERE COMMON

MAJOR DIVISIONS OF MEDIEVAL

HISTORY

EARLY MIDDLE AGES POWERFUL ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

AND PAPACY GERMANIC (FRANKISH) KINGS

CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY CAROLINGIAN DYNASTY

CHARLEMAGNE FEW PEOPLE COULD READ OR WRITE

LIMITED ACCESS TO BOOKS AND LITERATURE- NO PRINTING PRESS

MOST PEOPLE LIVED IN SMALL VILLAGES SUBSISTENCE FARMING- GREW JUST

ENOUGH TO LIVE ON ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

Charlemagne

THE TREATY OF VERDUNCHARLEMAGNE’S KINGDOM IS

DIVIDED

FEUDALISM

HIGH MIDDLE AGES CITIES AND TOWNS (BURGS) BEGAN TO GROW

(URBANIZATION) GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE EMERGED

LITERACY AND LEARNING EXPANDED UNIVERSITIES DEVELOPED

OXFORD CAMBRIDGE

LITERATURE BEGAN TO BE WRITTEN IN THE COMMON LANGUAGES , NOT JUST LATIN CANTURBURY TALES THE DIVINE COMEDY

BUSINESS PRACTICES DEVELOPED AND TRADE EXPANDED BANKING

MIDDLE CLASS BEGAN TO EMERGE BURGHERS- CITIZENS OF THE TOWN- (BURG)

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

LATE MIDDLE AGES THE POWER AND PRESTIGE OF THE CHURCH AND

PAPACY BEGAN TO DECLINE IMPACT OF THE CRUSADES THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY GREAT SCHISM

PERIODS OF CROP FAILURE AND FAMINE THE BLACK DEATH KILLED NEARLY HALF OF EUROPE’S

POPULATION FEUDAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE WAS CHALLENGED AS NEW

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AROSE (MIDDLE CLASS)

NATION-STATES BEGAN TO EMERGE WITH POWERFUL MONARCHS ENGLAND FRANCE SPAIN

MEDIEVAL MONASTICISM

“THE MONASTIC ORDERS CIVILIZED EUROPE WITH

CROSS, BOOK, AND PLOUGH.”

THE MONASTIC ORDERS OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

ST. BENEDICT ITALIAN MONK STARTED A NEW CHRISTIAN

RELIGIOUS ORDER FOCUSED ON

WORK PRAYER SCRIPTURE HOSPITALITY

ST BENEDICT

THE MONKS CIVILIZED MEDIEVAL EUROPE

WITH

CROSS

EARLY MISSIONARIES SPREAD THE GOSPEL STARTED CHURCHES

BOOK

STARTED SCHOOLS COPIED THE ANCIENT (CLASSICAL

LITERATURE) MANUSCRIPTS AND THE BIBLE

PLOW

MONASTARIES OFTEN WERE LARGE FARMS

MONKS WORKED TO DEVELOP NEW FARMING TECHNIQUES

IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF

THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE DEVELOPMENT

OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

URBANIZATION- GROWTH OF CITIES

RISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS UNIVERSITIES AND HIGHER

EDUCATION BUSINESS PRACTICES AND THE

EXPANSION OF TRADE LITERATURE WRITTEN IN THE

VERNACULAR- NO JUST LATIN CONCEPT OF LIMITED

GOVERNMENT (MAGNA CARTA 1215- ENGLAND)