The creation of a distinctly medieval culture: 300-1000 Medieval Fusion The creation of a distinctly medieval culture: 300-1000

Overview Background Barbarian culture Classical institutions and traditions The Judeo-Christian Culture Discussion of Irish

During the Middle Ages, several cultures fuse within Europe Barbarian Germanic/Norse Celtic Gothic Slavic Ancient Roman Greek Middle Eastern Christian

Germanic Literature Literature as a source and its difficulties Ancient literature: Tacitus - A Roman writes about Germania Medieval literature: Beowulf, Njal’s Saga Glorification of warrior heroes great fighters overcome incredible odds superhuman strength Often fatalistic in outlook; the inevitably of death Love of gold and riches: plunder Vengeance and retribution: law of the talion barbarian legal codes

Germanic Literature: Beowulf Composition of the poem Sometime between 580 and 1000 Based on oral tradition For public recitation musical accompaniment recited lyrically Written manuscript from 11th century Contains approximately 1/10th of all written Old English

Germanic Literature: Beowulf Pagan/Germanic Elements Mythical monsters Norse gods Magical weapons Celebration of booty Heroism Fate and Mortality Kinship

Germanic Literature: Beowulf Christian Undertones Moral anecdotes Warnings against excessive pride Tension with pagan themes The ephemeral nature of life Beowulf’s moral conscience

Barbarian Legal Codes Often include Ten Commandments as a preamble Often written after conversion to Christianity Money payments specified as punishment for breach of the king’s peace remuneration for theft and acts of violence Money payments reflect higher value associated with members of upper class acts of violence against members of the kings household require higher fines than acts of violence against members of the earl’s household

Summary of Barbarian Cultures Rural or agrarian Illiterate with exceptions Strong kinship Weak kingship Social bonding guilds of mutual assistance comitatus Violent and militaristic Hero worship Religion of magic and superstition

The Classical Contribution In Contrast to barbarian culture, the Greco-Roman world was more urban less influenced by oral tradition an abundance of literature, such as philosophy, letters, and speeches, were not stories could be much more introspective reflections on the human condition classical humanism: focused on issues related to this life little concern for the afterlife more systematic legal codes were based on system of classification administrative structures were hierarchical

The Classical Contribution The Greco Roman world preserved, modified, or enhanced many of the greatest achievements of the ancient Near East (Sumeria, Egypt, the Hebrews) mathematics/astronomy philosophy/religion The classical world also developed forms of art and expression that were either scarce or totally absent in the barbarian tradition theater sculpture that accurately depicted the human form In general the classical world was much more literate than the barbarians who had virtually no institutions for the transmission of learning i.e. schools

Christian Culture Provided a method for the transmission of the tradition of literacy precise theology: trinity and christology administered by Church hierarchy Shared ideology otherworldliness: emphasis on afterlife resurrection/redemption God’s intervention in human history Pliable and absorbing Barbarian holidays Roman organizational structure Greek philosophy, rhetoric, and logic became embedded

Christian Culture Monasticism emerged as a powerful social force in the fourth through sixth centuries huge influence on Christian ideals institutional framework for the preservation of the Christian tradition the primary means of education between 500 and 1100 in the West preservation of classical texts

Summary After the fifth century the Byzantine Empire continued the Greco-Roman traditions with only minor influence from the barbarian invasions By contrast, the Western Empire became increasingly barbarian in outlook and culture so that many aspects of the classical culture perished from most of western Europe Monasteries played a vital role in the preservation of the classical tradition and particularly of the Roman tradition, which was not so highly valued in the Byzantine Empire

Timeline Roman Empire Ends: 476 CE The Early Middle Ages: 500-1000 Medieval Fusion Pagan, Christian, and Greco-Roman cultures High Middle Ages: 1000-1300 Crusades: 1095-1203 and beyond Late Middle Ages: 1300-1500 Black Death 1347-1351

Barbarian Migrations 350-500

Discuss barbarian culture What types of sources can yield insight into the mostly illiterate people who inhabited northwestern Europe after 476? What do we mean by the term barbarian? What types of people were these barbarians?

Hunnish Empire c. 400

Vandal Sack of Rome: 455

Battle of Cape Bon, 468 CE, North Africa, 45 miles from Carthage

Barbarian Migrations 350-500

“The Empire” c. 500 CE

Which cultural traditions are most influential in US culture today? Judaeo-Christian Greco-Roman Barbarian: Germanic, Celtic, and others Arabic-Muslim Eastern and Southern Asian

Romano-Saxon Pottery

Greek mythology on a Gallo-Roman plate from 4th century

Stilicho: Vandal and Roman Consul c. 400

Raedwald A Germanic king who tomb was a ship buried in a mound His tomb had both pagan and Christian artefacts He or his ancestors may have come from Sweden

Sutton Hoo Burial Mounds

Burial Mounds in Sweden

Beowulf

Discuss Beowulf Why would Christian English want to hear stories about pagan Scandinavians? What were Beowulf’s strengths and weaknesses? What values did Beowulf reinforce for its medieval audiences? What did the poet indicate when he referred to Grendel as a descendant of Cain?

How might you describe King Hrothgar? Beowulf’s mentor Beowulf’s enemy Beowulf’s fighting companion King who?

Christian in name, but with many pagan practices Pagan If Beowulf was written around 1000, what was the likely religious orientation of the poet and the audience? Christian Christian in name, but with many pagan practices Pagan Pagan in name, with some Christian practices Good question. I have no idea.

What was Beowulf’s religious orientation? Christian Pagan Monotheistic Henotheistic A strange amalgam

Barbarian Migrations 350-500

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms c. 700

Christian Evangelism among the English 550-700 CE

Gregory sends monks to convert the English

Augustine of Canterbury c. 600

Ethelbert of Kent Married Christian Bertha of the Franks Converted to Christianity after arrival of Augustine in 597 Bretwalda Produced first vernacular legal code in England

Laws of Aethelberht of Kent c. 600

Bertha of Kent Frankish princess who brought Christian faith with her when she married Ethelbert Inspired Augustine mission Established St Martins Canterbury

Discuss the laws of Aethelberht What are the main features of the laws? What sorts of values did they reflect? What was the purpose of having written laws for illiterate people? What sort of society produced these laws? Consider gender, class, hierarchy, violence.

Ordeal by Fire from prehistory to the early 1200s

Barbarian Migrations 350-500

“The Empire” c. 500 CE

Approximately when was the Beowulf manuscript written?

What was Beowulf’s religious orientation? What issues did his religious orientation raise for medieval audiences? How did his period of kingship end?