1. Reform and Renewal in the Greater West 750-1258
Civ
October 14, 2015
Class 20

2. The Christian Church in the Early Middle Ages
Although the West/East split was real, and worsening, there were more efforts at union than disunion in the early middle ages.
7 “Ecumenical” Councils between 325 and 787.
Lots of fundamental questions to settle: Christ’s divinity and trinity; nature of the Creed; Mary’s role; role of “saints” and of imagery; New Testament texts and acceptable portions of the Old.
Underneath it all: establishes who is in charge and who isn’t (along with what to believe and what to reject)

3. How Dark were the Dark Ages?
In some ways, not very

4. The World of Charlemagne
Although there are other leaders and political organizations after the fall The most “Western” was the Carolingian Renaissance
Charles I took the Frankish throne in 768, Italy in 774, the Roman Empire in 800. Died in 814.
Louis the Pious carried on the traditions until 843.

6. The World of Charlemagne
But soon enough, it’s over
The Post-Carolingian World
Treaty of Verdun, 843, divides the kingdom into three parts for Louis the Pious’ 3 sons
Invasions
Muslims
Magyars
Vikings

7. Many of the Western Scholars were men of the Church
Benedict of Nursia and Pope Gregory I
Theodulf of Orléans
Gregory of Tours
Bede
John Scottus Eriugena

8. But some modeled a new form: Written Statesmanship with a secular base
Boethius
Cassiodorus
Alcuin
Einhard
A key feature of the West, throughout, was continued reliance on the seven liberal arts as the educational template and standard.

9. Beginnings of Recovery
The Vernacular Achievements
In Wales, Aneirin writes Y Gododdin (an epic poem about events around 600; the poem is included in collection around 1200)
The Tain in Old Irish (prose epic of events around 100, included in collections around 1200)
Beowulf in Old English between
Illuminated manuscripts
Modern typeface—Carolingian minuscule
Modern musical scores

10. How to kill antibiotic-resistant super bugs
How to kill antibiotic-resistant super bugs? THROW MEDIEVAL SHIT ON THEM.

11. Prior to 1000…
Europe sparsely populated, dotted with villages of farmers and warriors, covered with forests…
Feudal system in place
Life expectancy around 30-35
The templates for the, later, High Middle Ages are set
Then modified in the HMA

12. One sure thing (well, actually two or three)
With a life like this:
plagues/disease, poor hygiene/sanitation, bad outcomes at childbirth, bad diet/low vitamins, hard work, wars/invaders, lack of literacy/little or no education, daylight and dark (candles), bad air as the forests are going to be denuded….
And since hell is proposed to be worse,
the ONLY way to improve one’s lot is to be sure you go to HEAVEN when you die
SO THE CHURCH IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!

13. Plus . . .
The Church guys have things a little better, here, on earth, even in this life.
Literacy
“Protection”
Generally, places to live and adequate food supplies
and they are connected to the leadership (or are the leadership)—all of which might help you out a bit in this life.

14. Prior to 1000… and beyond

15. Prior to 1000… and beyond

16. population increased from 38.5M to 73.5M from 1000 to 1300
Toward the Renaissance, through the high(er) Middle Ages… things start to improve a bit
population increased from 38.5M to 73.5M from 1000 to 1300
the rise of towns and cities intensifies density and birth rates
life expectancy heads toward the top end of 30-35
However, the population density and filth in the cities makes the West vulnerable to disease and the plague is coming soon.

17. European “countries” are now more fully formed
Toward the Renaissance, through the high(er) Middle Ages… back to things starting to improve
European “countries” are now more fully formed
The French Monarchy
The English Monarchy
The German Empire
Papal monarchies still
9 Crusades between

18. http://www. slideshare

19. Crusades http://explorethemed.com/Crusades.asp
Really nice interactive map that I can’t use here

21. Advances from the Islamic world (via the Crusades, travel to Spain, and trade)

22. Beginnings of the balance between spiritual and secular
but really, only because they interacted so much over the work of the church—which was also the work of the state.
This isn’t going to change, much, until the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Reformation.

23. Advances from the Islamic world (via the crusades, travel to Spain, and trade We covered these last time
Hospitals
Arabic numbers and mathematical reasoning (algebra, etc. is going to bring us Copernicus and others soon),
Paper (and that leads to an increase in literature, copying)
Calligraphy (illustrated manuscripts)
The textual recoveries by the Muslims leak into the West
and encourage what comes later– the West doing it
Grand architecture
Better water power
Iron works
The bard (often with a stringed instrument)
Textile advances
House of Learning (including analytical reasoning that leads to Descartes and modern western science)

24. Particularly Western Advances
Magna Carta
English Parliament
Radically “new” form of government that hearkens back to the best of the Greek democracy and Roman Republic.
Investiture Controversies (who makes a pope; who makes a king): working out Church/State relations (well, actually, “breaking down” some of the connections)
Romanesque and Gothic architecture

25. Particularly Western Advances
Christian religious orders (groups) with differing foci (they don’t know it, but portends Protestants)
Scholasticism: applying rhetorical techniques and argument to controversial questions
Aided by advances from the House of Learning
Rise of the Universities
Gregorian music/chant (at the start of the western 7 note major scale)
Dante
Some vernacular literature (courtly love and such— heads toward setting “manners”

26. Particularly Western Advances
Spinning wheels (cloth) (comes from Asia via the Arabs, but becomes industrialized in the West).
Hour glass
Blast furnaces for smelting iron
Better farming techniques
Rotating fields in 3 field systems
Horses instead of oxen (saddles and collars and shoes)
Iron Plough

27. Middle Ages in 3 1/2 minutes