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The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages. Not the Dark Ages A.D. 400 - 1300. Middle Age Themes. The search or quest: a religious tradition a literary tradition Search for answers to religious, political, and social questions. Middle Age Themes. Examples of search/ quest theme:

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The Middle Ages

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  1. The Middle Ages Not the Dark Ages A.D. 400 - 1300

  2. Middle Age Themes The search or quest: a religious tradition a literary tradition Search for answers to religious, political, and social questions

  3. Middle Age Themes Examples of search/ quest theme: knight in search of the Holy Grail hunt for the mythical unicorn pursuit of salvation in paradise e.g. Dante in The Inferno

  4. Knight of medieval France 14th century manuscript

  5. Middle Ages Oreo Cookie 3) Top layer: Renaissance (rebirth) of classic Greece and Rome 2) Historical filling: Middle Ages (not the Dark Ages) 1) Bottom layer: Roman empire’s Latin civilization

  6. Christianity and Latin A.D. 353: Christianity becomes the official religion of the Empire Latin adopted as official language of western Church

  7. Latin Culture Division develops: 1) learned culture - Latin of the clerics (until 1960’s) 2) popular culture - vernacular of the commoners

  8. Latin Culture Two divisions fused in: Dante’s Divine Comedy as Virgil (Latin poet) acts as Dante’s guide on a vernacular odyssey

  9. Germanic Contribution Mass migration of German tribes brings: tribal structure that evolves into feudal system of government i.e. vassals, kings, knights, and code of chivalry lasts 400 years

  10. Germanic Contribution Greatest German contribution to pop culture: new poetic form, i.e. epic poetry long, narrative, heroic, oral verses not refined or literary e.g. The Nibelungenlied

  11. Germanic Contribution Oral Germanic epics: performed for courage before battle descendants of this ancient Germanic tradition: French Song of Roland (1100) Spanish Poem of the Cid (1150)

  12. Song of Roland opening lines Charles the King, our Emperor, the Great Has been in Spain for seven full years, Has conquered the high land down to the sea. There is no castle that stands against him now, No wall, no citadel to break down . . .

  13. El Cid 1040 – 1099

  14. Muslim Threat A.D. 711 - 732: Muslims or Moors conquer Spain Struggle between Christianity and Islam: one of most important forces in medieval Europe

  15. Rulers of the Middle Ages Charles the Great (742 – 814) King of the Franks (Germanic) Charlemagne Pope Leo III crowns Charles Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800 A.D.

  16. Charlemagne Bronze statue

  17. Charlemagne One of most famous rulers of Middle Ages: 1) established feudal system of government 2) extended power of Christian Church

  18. Charlemagne King of the Franks (768-814)

  19. Charlemagne Europe in need of: unity and/or stability Charlemagne’s patronage: provides motivation for more than war

  20. Image of Charlemagne

  21. Charlemagne Middle Age accomplishments: 1) monks refine the writing system - more accurate copies of MS 2) Latin grammar standardized - stabilized Latin documents 3) writing in vernacular language also - everyday spoken language

  22. Vernacular Writing Slow movement: begins in late 11th century French poets begin writing verse in Provencal, a French Romance language poetry of troubadors sings of love theme of poetry: courtly love People everywhere begin to write poetry in their own languages

  23. Crusades (1099 – 1291) 1095: Pope Urban II sermon one of most effective orations in history 1 year later: Christian kings respond and organize first Crusade Purpose: to regain the Holy Land from the Saracens/ Moors/ Arabs

  24. End of Middle Ages Europe by end of Crusades (1291): 1) bourgeoisie (merchant class) new middle class becomes important and dominant 2) underprivileged majority poverty and plague everyday fact of life

  25. End of Middle Ages Europe by 1300: more than 14 universities e.g. University of Bologna (law and rhetoric) University of Paris (theology and philosophy)

  26. Controversy Conflict of interest: papacy (powerful and international church) versus secular (various kingdoms)

  27. Controversy One of most famous victims: Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321) greatest writer of Middle Ages 1302: exiled from Florence for opposing the pope in politics 1307: recurring theme in Inferno (part 1 of The Divine Comedy)

  28. Underprivileged Majority Who spoke for them? Francois Villon (1431 – 1463) Parisian poet convicted criminal and consort of thieves described dark and seamy side of life in medieval cities

  29. Transformation Medieval life is transformed: 1300: underway in Italy 1500: Europe immersed in new period, the Renaissance

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