Culture of the Middle Ages Samantha Stavropoulos and Kate Michels

What were the Middle Ages? 5 A.D.- Began after the fall of Rome NNo central power or government during the time NNamed the middle ages because it was the middle time in between the Roman Empire and Renaissance LLife was difficult because of poverty, and most of the population was impoverished TThe closest thing to a form of government was manorialism, or rule over peasants by a lord

Background on Christianity 330 B.C.- Jesus Christ established Christianity 664-68 A.D.- Christians were seen as a threat to the Roman Empire, so Emperor Nero began to prosecute them 3313 A.D.- Constantine legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire 1 the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches was complete GGreat Schism was caused by Pope Urban IV

Faith in the Middle Ages-The Catholic Church IImposed taxes and had its own land and laws AAccepted gifts and donations: that was how people got into Heaven EExcommunicated (banned from the church) non-believers SStarted to translate the Bible-led to want for education and knowledge TThe pope was infallible(incapable of error) and had power over all religious and political matters TThe priests drank, gambled, and kept mistresses TThis thirst for intelligence also influenced literature

Background on Islamic Religion PPracticed in mainly Spain, Middle East, and North Africa TThere was little contact between Christians and Muslims IIslam was founded by Muhammad in the 7 th century IIt is a monotheistic religion based off the teachings of the Qur’an and the 5 Pillars of Islam

Islam During the Middle Ages AAlmost all of the people of Spain were Muslim, but the rest of Europe was Christian DDespite the cultural divide, Muslims added to the knowledge in science and technology BBoth Christians and Muslims viewed the other badly, and they did not often encounter each other IIslamic scribes translated Roman and Greek texts, contributing to the want for knowledge

Background on Knights  Duty: to learn how to fight and serve their Lord  Expected to guard the castle and support his lord in Middle Age warfare  Must train as a page, then a squire before becoming a knight  Trained for many years  They practiced their skills in tournaments of jousting  At the end of Knighthood ceremony, they would take the title of sir

Chivalry CChivalry was the knightly system of the Middle Ages TThe chivalric orders were first used against non- Christian states IIt was a moral system that introduced ideal qualities such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women IIdeas of chivalry were written in poems, ballads, writings, and literary works MMyths such as Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table show the medieval code of chivalry

Chivalry-The Knight’s Code CChivalry was used for knights in combat and in overall life WWhen knights were sworn in, they had to agree to the code TThe Knights’ Code of Chivalry emphasized faith, charity, justice, sagacity, prudence, temperance, resolution, truth, liberality, diligence, hope, valor TThe Knights’ Code was also related to defending God, showing the lack of separation between church and state

Literature LLiterature flourished during the middle ages TThere was a lack of paper, so calf’s skin and parchment were the typical choice TThe books and illustrations were done by hand by monks RRomance novels and epic battles were written and described along with fiction and poetry TThe spread of literature was also influenced by troubadours

Troubadours AA troubadour was a traveling musician TThey spread news and entertained nobles TThe stories they sung were about chivalry and romance, or battles and recent news TTroubadours assisted in the spread of literature, except instead of written stories they were spoken, then later on written down

Jongleurs JJongleurs were assistants to the troubadours TThey juggled, danced, and did acrobatics along with the singing and instrument playing TThey also performed acts of stupidity which eventually led to jesters TThe man on the left is the jongleur because he is acting oddly with additional flutes in his mouth

Questions  Why were they called the Middle Ages?  What was chivalry?  What were the troubadours?

Works Cited    clio.com/Search/Display/ ?terms=religion+in+the+middle+ages clio.com/Search/Display/ ?terms=religion+in+the+middle+ages           

Works Cited: Picture Sources  fba/Globe_Photo/2007/05/01/ _6791.jpg fba/Globe_Photo/2007/05/01/ _6791.jpg       qur_an-in-the-british-museum.jpg qur_an-in-the-british-museum.jpg    The picture on slide 1 was found in clip art 