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Medieval Culture

Medieval Culture. English Literature Coronado High School. THE BEGINNING OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD. Feudal estates Rural agricultural life Latin- only written language Christian Unity Limited geographical knowledge. THE BIRTH OF FEUDALISM.

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Medieval Culture

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  1. Medieval Culture English Literature Coronado High School

  2. THE BEGINNING OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD • Feudal estates • Rural agricultural life • Latin- only written language • Christian Unity • Limited geographical knowledge

  3. THE BIRTH OF FEUDALISM • A caste system, a property system, a military system • Based on a religious concept of hierarchy, with God as the supreme overlord. (The King held all the land as a vassal to God)

  4. CLASS STRUCTURE OF FEUDALISM LORD Knight Squire Yeoman Serfs

  5. FEUDALISM The Feudal system developed in two ways: • Landowners wanted protection A. Paid a portion of the yield from their lands B. Provided soldiers from their families C. Performed whatever other duties and homage were required

  6. FEUDALISM • Conquering princes/warlords- would reward valued allies with grants of land. The land still technically belonged to the prince, but they administered it. It became the private domain of the barons and dukes who were the grantees **Serfs were not really slaves just the bottom of the feudal social scale. They were bound to the land they worked on. They owed service to the master of the land and were passed along from owner to owner.

  7. THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH • Clergy were important and powerful • Church owned and controlled a lot of land • Church had its own legal and tax system • Church leaders could speak with the religious leaders in other countries without the permission of the King (no one else could do that) • Church supervised education (Education is power

  8. THE CRUSADES • Began in 1096 (30 years after Norman Conquest) • Christians fought against Muslims along the Mediterranean Sea and in North Africa • The fought over Jerusalem and the Holy Land • Europeans benefited from the contact with the higher civilizations of the Middle East. They were exposed to mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and medicine • Influence medieval life- Middle eastern life was more varied than Beowulf or Bede

  9. ARCHITECTURE • Gothic architecture was popular from1100 through 1500 • While some were secular buildings most were produced for the church • Prominent Features: stained glass, external archways, rib vaulting and flying buttresses which enabled them to create cathedral ceilings for the first time • Famous examples: Notre Dame de Paris (1163 Westminster Abby (1245)

  10. Medieval Musical Chants • Originated in the early Christian church and became popular during this period • Sung by monks in these great cathedrals and monasteries

  11. PILGRIMAGES Pilgrimage- a journey to a holy place or sacred shrine to obtain special blessings from God, or as an act of devotion, penance, or thanksgiving • Places people take pilgrimages to: Holy Land- Jews, Christians, Muslims Varanasi- Hindus Mecca- Muslim • Medieval people believed that life in this world was but a pilgrimage to reach heaven

  12. MEDIEVAL LANGUAGE • Three languages spoken: 1. French by the Norman rulers 2. Latin by the clergy and lawyers 3. Anglo-Saxon (Old English) by the common people • Middle English 1. Evolves over a period of 400 years 2. Old English combines with the Norman French 3. Latin terms are added to the language of the common people

  13. MEDIEVAL LITERATURE • The average person still could not read. Plays were popular and often acted out in town squares. They were often called “Mystery Plays” and the most common theme was Christianity. Plays would dramatize the lives of saints, bible stories, or moral allegories

  14. MEDIEVAL LITERATURE • The legend of King Arthur was the a common subject of Medieval literature. • Chaucer wrote Canterbury tales which describes a pilgrimage of members of the differing social classes in Britain. It is greatly influenced by Decameron, a famous Italian literary work that uses a frame story technique copied by Chaucer. • Lyrics and ballads were also very popular.

  15. THE END OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD • More independent businesses • Cities, commercial centers, trade routes • Literature written in many languages • Diversity of Reformation • Discoveries of vast new worlds

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