Progress During the Middle Ages

The Dark Ages

• Fall of the Roman Empire caused Western Europe to go through a cultural & economic decline

• Characteristics:– Violence– Brutality– Lack of intellectual activity– Feudalism– Religious Dominance

Transition

• Eventually, progress returned to Western Europe

• Advances were made in agriculture & technology

• Trade Expanded• A new legal system was created• Philosophy mixed with religion

Agricultural Changes

• Farmers had no knowledge of crop rotation• Three Field System– 1 Field – Winter Crops– 1 Field – Summer Crops– 1 Field – Unused to regenerate fertility

• Great Famine (1315-1322)– Trouble growing crops– Many across Europe died

Technological Advances

• Better Watermills• Windmills• Mechanical Clocks• Improved lives

Expansion of Trade

• Trade not possible during Dark Ages• Shifted to fairs located inside castle walls• Eventually trade routes became safe & were

used again• Cities along trade routes grew

Magna Carta

• 1215 – English nobles rebelled against taxes & forced loans collected by King John

• King John forced to sign agreement• Guarantees– Only applied to free men– Trial by jury– Council of Nobles must

approve new taxes

Justinian Code

• Emperor Justinian collected existing Roman Laws & organized them into a single code

• Listed all laws & opinions on each subject• Had special laws relating to religion– Required all to belong to Eastern Orthodox

Christian faith

Monasticism

• Def. – Way of life in convents & monasteries where nuns & monks withdraw from the world & its temptations.

• Monks & nuns lived by strict rules– Monks – Males that worked in church; Clergy– Nuns – Females that worked in church; Not clergy

• Had to withdraw in order to live Christian life• Served God through fasting, prayer, & self-

denial

Scholasticism

• Def. – Medieval philosophy attempting to bring together faith & reason.

• Medieval philosophers tried to make Aristotle’s ideas work with ideas of church

• Aristotle placed importance on human reason• Church writers placed importance on faith• Eventually it was shown that these

philosophies conflicted