THE MIDDLE OF WHAT? THE PERIOD CALLED THE MIDDLE AGES IS BETWEEN THE FALL OF ROME AND THE RENIASSANCE ABOUT 400 C.E. TO 1400 C.E. IT’S A PERIOD OF RECOVERY AND GROWTH,DECLINE, GROWTH AGAIN…

Where is it? Civilization comes to parts of Europe that had been left out of Rome Germany, Northern Britain, Scandinavia… It gradually spreads to cover all of Western Europe

ChangesContinuities Crusades New technologies ( 3 field system, Mold-board plow) New trading items (sugar, spices, fruits, textiles) from “East” Urbanization ( rise of trading towns and villages) New banking industries ( joint stock companies, banking, credit, guilds, monopolies) Centralization of monarchs Decline in power of Catholic Church Magna Carta ( limited power of monarch and provided written rights and legislative body known as Parliament) New weaponry ( longbow, gunpowder weaponry) Development of Universities Some social mobility for peasants (guild, merchants) Use of local vernacular ( French,Italian,German etc.) Religious conflict (from anti-semitism to continual conflict with the Muslim world) Feudalism persists Manorialism persists More people still live in rural communities Roman Catholic Church still incredbly influental ( sacraments, excommunication, tithing, Papal infallability) Wars persisted ( from feudalism to 100 years) Farming still a mainstay Social inequalities persisted Serfdom persisted Western Europe (except for Iberia) still a backwaters and centuries behind the “East”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN THE MIDDLE AGES THE CENTER MOVES AWAY FROM ROME NORTHWARD COMPARD TO THE REST OF THE WORLD EUROPE WAS PRIMITIVE MUSLIMS SCORNED THEM AS ‘BARBARIANS’ THIS HELPS EXPLAINS SOME OF THE CONFLICTS WITH ISLAM

EUROPE BEGAN TO GROW AGAIN POPULATIONS ROSE NEW TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED WATER DRIVEN MILLS, IRON CASTING CHRISTIANITY BECAME THE DOMINANT FAITH, CENTERD IN THE ROMAN CHURCH

THE CHRUCH WAS THE CENTER OF LIFE THE FOCUS WAS ATTAINING SALVATION LEARNING WAS RESTRICTED TO THE CLERGY IN GENERAL

ITALY WAS A FRAGMENTED WEAK AREA- ROME HAD BEEN SACKED THE WEST REMAINED VUNERABLE TO INVASIONS- VIKINGS, OVERALL, FOR 500 YEARS WESTERN CULTURE DID NOT ADVANCE AS FAST AS THE REST OF THE WORLD

THE MANORIAL SYSTEM MANORIALISM IS AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM STARTED IN THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE TO INCREASE AGRICULTURE SERF- PEASANT LEGALLY TIED TO THE LAND LORDS OWNED THE LAND

SOME ADVANCES OLD PLOWS REPLACED WITH MOLDBOARDS- CURVED IRON PLOWS THE THREE-FIELD SYSTEM INCREASES PRODUCTION

IN THE NEW TOWNS LEARNING INCREASES, UNIVERSITIES GET THEIR START THEY STUDY THEOLOGY, LAW, MEDICINE THEY BENEFITTED FROM PRESERVED ROMAN AND GREEK WORKS

FEUDALISM, MONARCHIES, LIMITED GOVERNMENT FEUDALISM IS A POLITICAL SYSTEM IT’S BASED ON MILITARY ALLIANCES RULERS GAVE LAND IN EXCHANGE FOR SOLDIERS- A FIEF LORDS CONTROL VASSALS YOU CAN BE BOTH A LORD TO SOME, A VASSAL TO SOMEONE ELSE

IT GETS IT START IN FRANCE IN 1066 IT’S BROUGHT TO ENGLAND WITH WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR AT THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS THE GROWTH OF FEUDAL SOCIETIES MIRRORED THE SAME SYSTEM IN PLACE IN CHINA

PROTECTION AND LAND TAXES AND KNIGHTS

NOT ALL OF EUROPE HAD STRONG SYSTEMS NORTHERN GERMANY, THE LOW COUNTRIES, AND ITALY REMAINED FRAGMENTED AND WEAK 1215* IN ENGLAND THE MAGNA CARTA BEGAN LIMITING ROYAL POWER PARLIAMENTS START IN EUROPE- VERY LIMITED IN POWER

IN GENERAL MOST PEOPLE HAD LIMITED RIGHTS IT WAS A BEGINNING TO LATER GOVT’S POWER STRUCTURES THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A BALANCE OF POWER BETWEEN LORDS AND VASSALS

THE 100 YEARS WAR FOUGHT BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND DUAL CLAIMS TO BOTH THRONES JOAN OF ARC SAVES FRANCE MEDIEVAL WARFARE CHANGES FOR GOOD

THE WEST EXPANDS EUROPE WAS EXPANDING, GROWING THE CRUSADES CALLED FOR BY POPE URBAN II “GOD WILLS IT!” THEY STIMULATE TRADE, INTEREST IN LEARNING, NEW TECHNOLOGY

THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES THE 12 TH AND 13 TH CENTURIES

THEOLOGY THE CHURCH RELIED ON ANCIENT LEARNING- ARISTOTLE FAITH WAS SUPREME OVER REASON AS SCHOLARS TRANSLATED ANCIENT TEXTS,LEARNING INCREASED PEOPLE VENERATED SAINTS,WENT TO CHURCH, BUT MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION STILL REMAINED ALIVE

ST THOMAS AQUINAS SCHOLASTICISM

ART ART REMAINED CENTERED ON SALVATION AND THEMES OF RELIGIOUS FAITH CATHEDRALS BECOME GIANT CENTERS OF FAITH AND WORSHIP

TRADE AND TOWNS MORE PEASANTS ARE GAINING FREEDOM TOWNS GROWING LARGER BASED ON TRADE STARTED BY THE CRUSADES BANKING BEGINS- ALLIANCES SUCH AS THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE CAPITALISM STARTS, COMMERCE IS MOSTLY UNREGULATED, COMPARED TO OTHER SOCIETIES

SOCIETY CHANGES LORDS LOSE THEIR MONOLPOLY ON MAKING WAR ARISTOCRATS IN EUROPE BECOME MORE CULTURED, EDUCATED THE CHURCH LOSES POWER OVER GOVERNMENTS PEOPLE LOOK OUTSIDE THE CHURCH FOR LIFE’S ANSWERS

IN COMPARISON TO ASIA AND SOUTH ASIA EUROPE REMAINED BACKWARDS, BUT THEY WERE MOVING FORWARD IN POLITICS KINGS POWER GREW MONEY BEGAN TO TAKE HOLD IN TRADE

ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY WERE IN COMPETITION IN MANY AREAS GOVERNMENTS CENTRALIZED LIKE IN CHINA EUROPE WAS TRANSFORMING ITSELF FROM SMALL STATES TO LARGE UNIFIED NATIONS

Thesis W Europe COT Western Europe from oversaw a vast transformation from virtually primitive economic isolationism to engaging in a commercial revolution, learning would be renewed in the establishment of markets (cities ) and universities, however the Catholic church would still hold tremendous sway over the daily lives of people. Western Europe from would still maintain their feudal bonds albeit kingdoms would become more centralized and the church would still be the authority on spiritual and literacy, however the birth of guilds would facilitate a greater trading force throughout Western Europe and enhance their global economic ties.