Medieval Era Background PDF

The time period between the fall of Rome in 475 CE to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 CE is known as the Middle Ages or Medieval Period. It is traditionally divided into three segments: the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. The Early Middle Ages, also called the Dark Ages, had few works...

The time period between the fall of Rome in 475 CE to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 CE is known as the Middle Ages or Medieval Period. It is traditionally divided into three segments: the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. The Early Middle Ages, also called the Dark Ages, had few works of literary or cultural importance and little scientific advancement for 500 years after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. A feudal system was the main social structure, where nobility and lords controlled the land that serfs worked. These kings and nobles deferred to the Roman Catholic Church, which was the most stable form of government throughout Europe. The predominance of the Roman Catholic Church in Medieval Europe cannot be underestimated. It affected every aspect of life from taxes and government to diet, health care, and education.  This was made even more profound when Charlemagne united Europe for the first time since the fall of Rome. He founded the Holy Roman Empire and became the defender of the church and the pope. There was little theatre in this period, in large part due to suppression by the early Christian church. In the sixth century, theatres were closed due to the connection to pagan festivals, the belief that theatre led to a sinful life, and that theatre mocked religion. While the music in the church was almost exclusively Gregorian Chants used in the mass, troupes of minstrels and troubadours travelled from castle to town to country fair to perform in halls or on makeshift stages. The only significant piece of literature from this time is Beowulf, an epic poem written in Old English. It is a folktale about the title character and his battle with the monster Grendel. The High Middle Ages was marked by warmer climates that allowed for greater agricultural production leading to a significant growth in population. This in turn led to an exodus from rural lands to urban centers. The last of the barbarian invasions also led to greater stability. Key changes happened in this period. William the Conqueror led the Norman Conquest of England, giving the English monarch control of England and lands in France. Almost 150 years later, King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta, one of the first documents limiting the power of the monarch. In France, King Louis IX reformed the judicial system, introducing the appeals process and eliminating trial by combat. This was also 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. The art and architecture of the period featured the Romanesque Style, which used intricate interlacing patterns and geometric shapes as decoration. The Celtic knot traces its origins to this style. Other arts included illuminated manuscripts and iconography of religious images. In music, harmony was added creating polyphony or multiple musical lines. In literature, the most important work was The Song of Roland, the oldest surviving major work of French literature, which told the story of Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, and the end of a seven-year battle in Spain. In literature, the most important work was The Song of Roland, the oldest surviving major work of French literature, which told the story of Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, and the end of a seven-year battle in Spain. In the Late Middle Ages, the Great Famine and the Black Plague halted the growth that had come before. The 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 of chivalry and its decline. Near the end of these wars, 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. Two explorers arose during this period. First Marco Polo, an Italian merchant wrote about his travels to China, depicting its wealth and size. This led to an increased interest in Far East trade. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, was the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia by an ocean route. Along with these explorations, increased prosperity led to a rising merchant class and the development of guilds, which were merchants or craftsmen who controlled the trade or craft in their area. Two inventions were precursors for the printing press, the most important innovation of the Middle Ages. First the mechanized production of paper allowed for cheaper and more abundant paper stock. Second, eyeglasses were invented. Johannes Gutenberg’s creation of the printing press with movable type laid the foundation for the Renaissance and the modern era. This was the period of Gothic Architecture featuring flying buttresses and the rib vault, which allowed for bigger, taller, and lighter buildings. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is a prime example. The arches also changed from the rounded Roman arch to the pointed Gothic arch. In large part, the art of the era was in support of the architecture such as stained glass windows, monumental statuary, frescoes, and panel paintings which adorned church altars. The Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch was the preeminent painter of these panels. He introduced elements of fantasy into his depictions of religious subjects. Bosch could have been illustrating Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s narrative poem The Divine Comedy, describing his journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. In England, Geoffrey Chaucer takes the reader on a different journey in The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by travelers on a pilgrimage to Bath, some sacred and spiritual, others bawdy and sacrilegious. Thomas Malory, an English author, was the first to compile Arthurian legends in Le Morte d’Arthur. It’s the source for T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, the musical Camelot, and the Disney animated feature The Sword in the Stone.