The Middle Ages Overview

Study Notes

The period from 475 CE to 1453 CE is known as the Middle Ages, or Medieval Period.
The period is traditionally divided into three segments: Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

The period between 475 CE to 1000 CE is known as the Early Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages.
This period is marked by few works of literary or cultural importance and little scientific advancement.
A feudal system was the main social structure.
The Roman Catholic Church was the most stable form of government and had significant influence on everyday life, including government, taxes, diet, health care, and education.
Charlemagne united Europe for the first time since the fall of Rome.
Charlemagne founded the Holy Roman Empire and became the defender of the church and the Pope.
Theatre was suppressed during this time because of its connection to pagan festivals, the belief that theatre led to a sinful life, and that theatre mocked religion.
Music was largely Gregorian Chants.
Minstrels and troubadours traveled and performed for entertainment.
The only significant piece of literature from this time is Beowulf, an epic poem written in Old English about the title character's battle with the monster Grendel.

The period between 1000 CE to 1300 CE is known as the High Middle Ages.
A warmer climate allowed for greater agricultural production, which led to a significant growth in population.
This population growth led to an exodus from rural lands to urban centers.
The last of the barbarian invasions ended, leading to greater stability.
William the Conqueror led the Norman Conquest of England, giving the English monarch control of England and lands in France.
King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta, one of the first documents limiting the power of the monarch.
King Louis IX reformed the French judicial system, introducing the appeals process and eliminating trial by combat.
This period saw the height of Papal power, the Crusades, and the age of chivalry.
King Richard the Lionheart of England is a romanticized image of chivalry but was, in reality, a mostly absent king.
Romanesque architecture, featuring intricate interlacing patterns and geometric shapes, was prominent.
The practice of illuminated manuscripts and iconography of religious images became popular.
Harmony was added to music, creating polyphony or multiple musical lines.
The Song of Roland, the oldest surviving major work of French literature, told the story of Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, and the end of a seven-year battle in Spain.

The period between 1300 CE to 1453 CE is known as the Late Middle Ages.
The Great Famine and the Black Plague halted the growth of the High Middle Ages.
The Black Plague decimated as much as half of the European population.
The Hundred Years' War, a conflict over English control of lands in France, marked the height and decline of chivalry.
Joan of Arc, a French peasant maid, had visions which told her to fight the English.
She came to prominence at the Battle of Orléans.
She was later captured, tried in England, burned at the stake, and made a saint.
Marco Polo, an Italian merchant traveled to China, which increased interest in Far East trade.
Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, became the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia by an ocean route.
Prosperity from this trade led to a growing merchant class and the development of guilds, which were merchants or craftsmen who controlled trade in their area.
The mechanized production of paper and the invention of eyeglasses paved the way for the printing press, which was the most important innovation of the Middle Ages.
Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press with movable type, which laid the foundation for the Renaissance and the modern era.
Gothic architecture featuring flying buttresses and the rib vault, which allowed for bigger, taller, and lighter buildings, became popular.

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