Changes in Medieval Society. The Church: Political and Spiritual Power By the end of the 4 th Century, the Christian church had come to dominate the Roman.

Changes in Medieval Society

The Church: Political and Spiritual Power

By the end of the 4th Century, the Christian church had come to dominate the Roman empire

It had also developed a system of government Each city had a bishop (his land was called his diocese) All the bishops were led by the archbishop The bishops of Jerusalem, Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch had

special powers Since Peter was the chief apostle and he was in Rome, all Roman

bishops came to be known at the most important = Pope Monks (from monachus=someone who lives alone)

Evolved from people alone to a life of community Community life started by Saint Benedict (480-543) Became the superheroes of the medieval people Pope Gregory: made the papacy secular (focused on non-religious

activities) Used church $$$ to create armies, pave roads, help the poor, etc.

Religious Reform and Evolution

Beginning in the 1000’s, a spiritual revival spread across Europe. Many problems troubled the church at that time.

Village priests were marrying Simony Lay Investiture (Fight between Pope Gregory VII & HRE Henry

IV) Reforms begin at Cluny.

Monks there followed Benedictine rule Cluny’s reputation grew and inspired over 300 monasteries

Pope Leo IX vows to stamp out simony and marriage of priests Gregory and future popes extend these reforms. The Church collected tithes (10%). Because of these new reforms and added taxes, the church grew

and so did the Pope’s power. Friars spread the message

Monasticism

One other unique aspect of medieval European Christian life was monasticism Monks and nuns separated themselves from daily life and

lived in gender-specific communities focused on a celibate life of devotion, religious work, and simple living Nuns provided a refuge for women who were widowed or selected

a spiritual life instead of their traditional obligations to marry Monks served as missionaries, produced foods on their lands, and

made their monasteries resting places for weary pilgrims and other travelers

Monks were also the essential link between the past and the future They were the keepers of literacy and learning In addition to writing their own books on religious matters,

monks conserved the works of the Latin world by painstakingly copying them

New Religious Order

Friars in these orders vow poverty; travel and preach to the poor Did not live apart from the world in monasteries –

instead they preached to the poor throughout Europe’s towns and cities

Owned nothing and lived by beggingSome new orders for women are founded

Joined differing orders Like friars women lived in poverty and worked to help

the sick and poor But unlike friars, women were not allowed to travel

from place to place as preachers

New Religious Orders

Dominican and Franciscan orders form Dominic (Spanish priest) founded the Dominicans –

one of the earliest orders of friars – many were scholars as Dominic emphasized the importance of study

Francis of Assisi (Italian) founded the Franciscan friars who treated all creatures (including animals) as if they were their spiritual brothers and sisters

Early Cathedrals

Cathedral viewed as the representation of the City of God Decorated with all the richness Christians could offer

Between 800 – 1100 churches are built in Romanesque style

Style includes thick walls and pillars, small windows (let in little light), round arches

New Style of Architecture

Gothic style evolves around 1100; term from German tribe, Goths

Gothic style has large, tall windows for more light; pointed arches; ribbed vaults; flying buttresses; tall spires

Churches have stained glass windows, many sculptures

About 500 Gothic churches are built from 1170 to 1270

The Crusades

Pope Urban II issues a decree for a holy war to gain control of the Holy Land.

The Crusades (1-4) were aimed at recovering Jerusalem from the Muslim Turks.

Urban’s call brought a tremendous outpouring of religious feeling and support for the Crusades.

Over 60,000 knights became crusaders.1st

Hugely unorganizedOnly 25% of the Crusaders actually made it to JerusalemStill managed to take the Holy City

2nd

Fought to recapture some off the cities lost to the MuslimsSaladin ends up taking Jerusalem during the 2nd Crusades.

3rd Crusade

Both Richard and Saladin respected each other tremendously.

After many battles, called a truce. Jerusalem stayed under Muslim control Pilgrims of any religion had free access to JerusalemFYI: Saddam Hussein thought of himself as a new Saladin, i.e.

protector of Islam and the Middle-East. Ironically, though, Saladin was Kurdish, a people who Hussein oppressed during his tyranny.4th Crusade

Pope Innocent III (sure he was…) called for a 4th Crusade. However, religious fervor for Crusading was diminishing. 4th Crusade ended in the pillaging and plundering of

Constantinople (not a Muslim city) Caused a further breach between Eastern and Western

Catholicism

Reconquista

The Spanish version of the CrusadesTried to rid Spain of MuslimsFinally pushed out in 1492 by Ferdinand and

Isabella.Led to the Inquisition

The Outcome of the Crusades

The crusades failed in their attempts to take the holy land, but they had a tremendous, long-lasting impact on European life (and Really only European Life) Exposure to the Muslim world sparked the flow of an enormous amount of

information, ideas, goods, and resources to Europe (which were now in demand among more classes)

Crusaders brought back discoveries and manufacturing techniques that allowed Europeans to make many of the goods they originally could only import

Demand for these goods from the Middle East stimulated the markets of late medieval Europe and also expanded trade between the Muslim world, Western Europe, and the Byzantine Empire

The incredible intellectual contributions of Muslims made their way to Europe in two forms: 1st the knowledge of the ancient Greeks preserved by Muslims 2nd scientific and technological understanding, which were enhanced in the

Muslim world Together they served as the intellectual underpinnings for Western

Europe’s transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

While church reform, cathedral building, and Crusades were taking

place - other important changes in agriculture, trade, and finance took

place.

Late Medieval Western Europe: 1000-1450

Important changes occurred in late medieval Europe between 1000 and 1200 From 800 to 1200 the climate warms, opening more land

to farming Increases in population and agricultural production

allowed for a Food surplus, This created more opportunities for trade and towns A surplus of food freed people to focus on other industries in

artistry and construction These changes resulted from technological advances in

agriculture A new plow the use of the horse collar the use of horses instead of oxen

New Strains in Rural Life

Lived in 2 room wood and straw housesWomen were expected to work the

fields and run the homeDiet

Bread (baked at the community oven) Vegetables Dairy from goats or cows Fruit and nuts foraged in the woods Eggs and meat from chickens

Lords pressed their farmers for more taxes to afford the high lifestyle of the new urban sphere.

Large gap between rich and poor

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New Economic & Urban Vigor

In the 11th to 12th centuries, Europe saw: A revival in trade

Cities in Italy, like Venice, took the lead on trade *there is a primary source on this on page 329

Flanders (in northern France) also became a center for trade Trading and banking companies grew to aid trade

The emergence of specialized artisans The growth of towns

Usually settled near a monastery or castle for protection Burough (burg/burgh) means “fortress” The townspeople came to be known as burghers or bourgeois

• The people needed more mobility than peasants or serfs• This changed the way nobles dealt with people on their land

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Daily Life for the Bourgeois

Stone wall around the entire town This made space cramped Narrow streets 2 or 3 story buildings People living there were either merchants or

artisans Pollution was everywhere

People used wells instead of rivers for this reason

There were also public baths Again, women were expected to run the

household and help their husbands with the family trade Some women developed their own trade and

gained independence

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Changes to Cities

Another important change was a revival of trade, propelled by the politically independent cities of Italy and Flanders that were

exclusively focused on seaborne trade These cities sprang up when individuals banded together to demand freedom from their lord

A lord who allowed this independence was sure to benefit from the economic prosperity of the city brought to the region

Laws were passed so that serfs who made their way to these cities were guaranteed their freedom and were able to engage in other forms of industry

These laws would be very important after the Black death Walled cities like Pisa, Florence, and Siena had to keep expanding as their

population increased Other Italian cities that rose to tremendous economic importance were:

Genoa, with its access to the western Mediterranean, Venice which would become a trading powerhouse on the Adriatic Sea

Venice engaged in trade with the Muslim courts of North Africa and the Mediterranean• In this way Western Europe was slowly exposed to the wealth of goods traveling along the silk

Road and circulating in the Indian Ocean trading system

Mongol control of the entire Eurasian landmass further opened trade between Italian ports in the great ports of the East

Growth of Trade and Banking

Cities became centers for the manufacturing of Cloth Metalwork Shoes Leather goods

People organized themselves into guilds (unions) and the Hanseatic League for trade This established standards for manufacturing

and pricing Those wanting to enter the trade had to be an

apprentice starting at age 10 After 5-7 years they advanced to a journeyman They could be come a master if they created a

“masterpiece”

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Guilds

Trade and Coinage

Two other vibrant centers of sea trade in Europe were: The Hanseatic League – a network of trading cities

centered in the Baltic Flanders network – which include cities around the North

Sea like Ghent and Bruges They focused on the fishing industry and the growing trade in

wool and other textiles

With the increase in trade came increased demand for coined money Most coinage in the ninth and 10th centuries came from the

Muslim world and Byzantium, but with trade reviving in the Mediterranean, gold and silver coinage no longer was a luxury

Commercial Revolution

Just as agriculture was expanding and craftsmanship changing, so were trade and finance.

Increased availability of trade goods and new ways of doing business changed life in Europe.

This expansion of trade and business that transformed European economies during the 16th and 17th centuries is known as the Commercial Revolution.

Commercial Revolution

Europe sees Commercial Revolution – changes in business and trade

Peasants traveled to town on fair days with items to trade. Trade fairs are held several times a year in towns Such local markets met all the needs of daily life for a small

community and no longer was everything produced on a self-sufficient manor

Trade routes open to Asia, North Africa, and Byzantine ports

Economic changes lead to the growth of cities and of paying jobs

Medieval Fair

Business and Banking

Merchants develop credit to avoid carrying large sums of money from fair to fair

Merchants take out loans to purchase goods, and banking grows

Growing Urban Population

Economic changes lead to the growth of cities and of paying jobs People no longer content with old feudal existence on manors or

in tiny villages.1000-1050 Europe’s population rises from 30 million

to 42 millionMost towns are small, but they help drive change

Compared to Constantinople – European town were unsophisticated and tiny

Towns are uncomfortable: crowded, dirty, full of fire hazards

Many serfs ran away from manors. Serfs can become free by living in a town for a year and a day

Merchant Class Shifts the Social Order

At first, town came under feudal lords who used their authority to tax and govern towns, causing resentment

Towns are taken over by burghers –merchant class town dweller

Merchants/craftspeople of medieval towns did not fit into traditional medieval social order of noble, clergy, and peasant.

As trade expanded, the burghers resented this interference on their trade and commerce.

Demanded/fought for privileges and right to control taxes/tolls.

DURING CRUSADES, EUROPEAN CONTACT WITH MUSLIMS AND BYZANTINE EMPIRE

GREATLY EXPANDED.

THIS CONTACT BROUGHT A NEW INTEREST IN LEARNING, ESPECIALLY IN THE WORKS OF GREEK PHILOSOPHERS.

Revival of Learning

Revival of Learning

In 1100s, Christian scholars read translations of Greek works made by Muslims by visiting Muslim libraries in Spain

Crusaders return with Muslim knowledge of navigation, ships, weapons plus Greek knowledge

Groups of scholars gather to teach and learn; form universities – word university originally referred to a group of scholars meeting wherever they could People, not buildings made up the medieval university

Vernacular

New ideas and forms of expression began to flow out of universities

Written works not in Latin but in vernacular – everyday language of people in a region or country

Dante Alighieri (scholastic) wrote The Divine Comedy in Italian

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in English

Since most people couldn’t read or understand Latin, these works written in the vernacular brought literature to many people

Scholasticism

Scholarly attempt to reconcile Christian faith and reason

Harmonize Christian teaching with the work of Greek philosopher Aristotle

Scholasticas – scholars who gathered and taught at medieval European universities Debate issues to

increase knowledge

Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy

Thomas Aquinas, a religious scholar, mixes Greek and Christian thought

He is a scholastic Aquinas argued that the most basic religious

truths could be proved by logical argument Wrote the Summa Theologicae Combined ancient Greek thought with the Christian

thought of his time.

Oops…It’s the Plague

1300s, the Black Death Comes….. You can guess how that turns out. Here is Remy to explain how it went down.

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