1. The Post Classical World
Medieval European Society and the Rise of Islam

2. Timeline 1456: Gutenberg Bible (Invention of movable type)
1492 Columbus’ “Discovery” of the New World
ca 1500 Renaissance
1517 Protestant Reformation
1607: Founding of Virginia (Jamestown Colony)
: Founding of Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay
Post Classical World

7. At the locus of ancient civilizations…
“Western Christendom,” Feudalism and Manorialism develop in Western Europe
“Byzantine” Empire and “Eastern Orthodox” Christianity develops in eastern portion of former Roman Empire
New Religion is founded in the Middle East: Islam

8. The Muslim World Mohammed born: 570 CE
Islam spreads: 600s or 7th Century onward
“Civilization” shifts to the east
“Christendom” confronts a large and growing empire on its southern and eastern border.

9. Tenets of Islam
Emerged from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Mohammed was a “prophet” as was Abraham, Jesus, and other ancient Hebrew religious leaders
A missionary religion (like Buddhism and Christianity
A monotheistic religion (like Judaism and Christianity)

10. Tenets of Islam Five Pillars: Basic creed: Belief in one God: Allah
Ritual prayer five times a day
Alms giving
Fasting during month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) in one’s lifetime

11. Comparison of Islam and Christianity: Examples
Similarities:
Sacred text: Bible or Qur’an (Koran)
Conception of sin, heaven and hell
Monotheistic, missionary, patriarchal religion deriving from same tradition of ancient writings
Ritual practices to organize daily life
Christianity: sacraments of baptism, confession, communion, marriage, last rites
Islam: daily prayer, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca

12. Comparison of Islam and Christianity: Examples
Differences:
Christianity: a hierarchical priesthood
Islam: a decentralized priesthood
Christianity: a rule of monogamous marriage
Islam: men may take additional wives
Islam permitted divorce; medieval Christianity did not

13. Expansion of Islam

14. Expansion of Islam

15. Islamic World, 900

16. Expansion of Islam, 1300

17. Ottoman Empire, 1566

18. Meanwhile…in Europe… How does a society grow?
How does a population increase?

19. Europe in 1099

20. European Ancient and Medieval Population Estimates
About 1000, the medieval world had stabilized. For the next 300 years it grew.
million
million
million
million
million
million
Detailed Population Estimates

21. Castle

22. Peasant House

23. Peasant House

24. For Individuals.....What Regulates Family Formation?
Age of Maturity
Permission of Parents, Kin, or Perhaps Lord or Master
Resources to Set Up a Household: land, housing, trade

25. By 1300….
Europe was ‘crowded’ –not by today’s standards, but according to the economic and technological standard of the time.
So people either had to
(1) decide that their children would get poorer, or
(2) figure out how to control population growth.

26. Results…. Agnatic lineages become common.
Sons had to await the death of their fathers to inherit.
Inheritances were organized to concentrate economic resources, not disperse property, so land was ‘entailed’ and ‘primogeniture’ was practiced.

27. And….. Entail prevents the break up of land parcels,
Primogeniture requires that the eldest son inherit all family resources.
Other children were
(1) sent into the church;
(2) sent to the Crusades;
(3) given small property settlements which left them downwardly mobile.

28. And….
Men wait to marry;
Women marry young because they might ‘miss’ a mate.

29. Cultural Results...
Large age differences between husbands and wives, and thus perceptions of distant fathers and more loving mothers
A system adjusted to the economic realities - slow expansion with potential for adjustment and additional growth
…… or demographic disaster…..

30. Spread of the Black Death - 1347

31. European Ancient and Medieval Population Estimates
About 1000, the medieval world had stabilized. For the next 300 years it grew.
million
million
million
million
million
million
Detailed Population Estimates