The Middle Ages - thekustore.com · The Middle Ages Produced by Knowledge Unlimited®, Inc a teacher’s resource guide credit: The Granger Collection, New York

The Middle Ages

Produced by Knowledge Unlimited®, Inc

a teacher’s resource guide

credit: The Granger Collection, New York

The Middle Ages Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © Knowledge Unlimited ® , Inc.

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The Middle Ages is the period between what is known as “ancient history” and modern times. In fact, many of the events and developments of the

Middle Ages shaped the modern world. Although scholars agree it was a very important and influential period in history, the exact beginning and ending of the Middle Ages is up for debate. Most scholars put the beginning of the Middle Ages somewhere in the 5th century, and the ending anywhere from 12th to the 15th centuries.

The start of the Middle Ages often is linked to the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe. At its peak in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Roman Empire stretched across parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. But by the 3rd century, the Roman Empire was weakening and beginning to break up. With no powerful central government in place, groups from Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, and the Arab world saw their chance to carve out their own kingdoms in the former Roman Empire. In Western Europe, these included the Germanic tribes known as the Goths, Vandals, Franks, Angles, and Saxons, among others. The effect of these takeovers was to divide Europe into smaller kingdoms. Some of the borders of these early medieval kingdoms still define Europe today.

The early Middle Ages in Europe are sometimes called the Dark Ages, and not without cause. The fall of the Roman Empire left a power void across Europe. Without the protection of Roman law, it became unsafe for merchants to travel long distances for trade, which led to economic collapse. The patchwork of kingdoms that filled the void in Europe was too fractured to maintain the vast infrastructure built under the Roman Empire. Many of the great universities, libraries, arenas, and other buildings built under Roman rule fell into disrepair. In addition, many parts of Europe were devastated by famine and disease.

But the Middle Ages were also a time of great cultural, social and economic growth. By the height of the Middle Ages, new universities had been founded, and important developments in the worlds of art, literature, science, and philosophy were emerging. New cities were built and grew quickly, creating new centers of culture, learning, and political power throughout Europe. The biggest single influence on all of this development was the Church.

The Medieval ChurCh

W ith Roman culture no longer dominating Europe, the Catholic Church took on the

role of preserving culture and education. The Church preserved and protected its collections of Latin texts and priceless works of art, which otherwise might have been lost. Most people in medieval Europe could not read or write, so priests used other ways to teach their

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © Knowledge Unlimited ® , Inc. The Middle Ages — � —

congregations about God and the Bible. In their churches, people saw statues of Christ and the saints, and painting and stained glass windows illustrated stories from the Bible. This was the only art that most people ever saw. Priests also performed plays about biblical stories, and townspeople often played parts in these plays as well.

In many ways, the church became the center of village life. This made sense for practical reasons — the church was the largest building in a city or village. It was used not only for worship on Sundays, but also as a marketplace, school, meeting place, and court of law the rest of the time.

Medieval cathedrals often took decades to build, and showcased the talent and effort of the era’s most talented craftsmen. The architectural styles of these structures were intended to reflect the power and glory of God. The Romanesque style featured thick walls and rounded arches, representing strength and reliability. Starting in the mid-1100s, Gothic architecture became popular in Western Europe. Gothic cathedrals were much taller, with high arches that pointed toward heaven. Most importantly, Gothic churches were designed to have huge stained-glass windows that filled the spaces inside with light.

The church was also the center of social life in the Middle Ages. Most celebrations were connected to the Church’s holy days — the term from which we get the word “holiday.” Besides Christmas, there were dozens of religious holidays throughout the year. These holidays were a welcome break from what could be a brutally hard life for medieval peasants. Holidays included days to honor events in the life of Jesus, and the anniversaries of a saint’s birth or death. Many towns or groups had so-called “patron saints” that they prayed to for help and comfort. People honored their patron saints with feast days. These celebrations could also include

the performing of religious plays, as well as performances by jugglers, acrobats, and other entertainers.

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church became one of the richest and most powerful forces in the world. Kings and other wealthy people gave land and money to the Church in an effort to save their souls and win the Church’s support. Peasants had to pay their local priests a tithe, which was one-tenth of whatever their land produced during a year. The Church used some of its wealth to build hospitals and schools, where nuns and monks did most of the work. Medieval monks spent most of their time praying or working in the fields. Priests and monks taught boys to read and write Latin, and taught arithmetic in the church schools. Nuns educated young girls in convents. The church also started universities to educate young men to become priests and monks.

FeudalisM

T he Church also had the power to punish anyone who spoke against it. These people

were labeled “heretics.” The punishment for being a heretic was often being burned at the stake. Such cruel and harsh punishments were normal for the Middle Ages.

Over the course of the medieval period, a system called feudalism developed in parts of Europe, particularly in present-day England and France. Medieval feudalism differed greatly from place to place, and it was more a social structure than an actual

government. But at its core are three things: lords, vassals, and fiefs, and feudalism describes the relationship among the three.


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Medieval kings needed to maintain an army to defend their kingdoms, but maintaining such an armed force was very expensive. In return for a pledge of military support, a king would offer large pieces of land to his noblemen, or lords. These lands were called “fiefs.” In return for their fief, a lord promised to supply the king with a certain number of knights. People who were given land in exchange for their loyalty were known as “vassals.” A lord could divide his land among his own vassals — the knights who would defend their lord and the king. Knights in turn had their own vassals, the peasants who farmed the land.

In the early Middle Ages, knights and nobles built castles for the protection of everyone who lived with them or worked for them. In the later Middle Ages, when times were more peaceful, noblemen built large homes called manors. A manor was made up of a large manor house, one or more villages, and often thousands of acres of land for crops and pastureland.

Knights owed their loyalty to their lords, and lords owed their loyalty to the king. Peasants were bound to the land they lived on — they could not leave it, nor could they be forced to leave it. Some of the people on a lord’s estate were freemen. They paid rent, usually in the form of crops, to the lord for the use of his land.

For a knight to become a noble’s vassal, he pledge his “fealty,” or faithfulness, to him. He would kneel before his lord, who would take the vassal’s hands. The vassal would then repeat an oath something like this:

You have been willing to allow me to hand myself over or commend myself to your protection. This I have done on these conditions: You are to aid and support me with food and clothing, insofar as I shall be able to serve you and deserve well of you. As long as I shall live, I am bound to give you service and obedience. For the rest of my life I shall have no power to withdraw from your lordship and protection, but all the days of my life I must remain under your power and defense.

Most knights came from noble families, but peasants could become knights if they performed a heroic deed on the battlefield. A few women even became knights. Knights owed their lords a set number of days of military service per year. But if a knight was wealthy enough, he might pay a special tax to his lord instead.

A boy could start training for knighthood when he was about seven years old, when he would be sent to live in the castle of another knight. The boy would work as a page, running errands and serving food. He would be taught to read and write, play a musical instrument, and the basic manners of the time. Later he would learn to use weapons, and to ride and care for horses. A page might go with his lord to a battle, but he would not fight in it. On the battlefield, a page tended the horses and took care of whatever his lord needed.

At age 14, the page became a squire. His duties and training became tougher, and he started learning military skills. A squire fought at his lord’s side and guarded him in battle. By age 21, a squire usually had finished his training, and was knighted


in a special ceremony. In this ceremony, an older knight struck the squire lightly on the neck with a sword and “dubbed” him a knight. The new knight was then presented with his sword. Knights were also allowed to wear a gold chain or golden spurs to show their status.

A knight’s main weapon in battle was his long sword. He also had a lance, and sometimes an axe. For protection they carried a shield and wore chain-mail armor, a coat made of small iron rings. Later in the Middle Ages, armor was made of steel plates. A knight’s shield bore his coat of arms, a special design that identified him. Knights were required to follow a set of rules called the code of chivalry. According to these rules, the true knight believed and obeyed the teachings of the Christian church, and followed the direction of his lord. Knights were supposed to always be brave, truthful, and to defend the weak.

During peacetime, knights often competed in tournaments to keep their fighting skills sharp, and to show off their skills and bravery. These tournaments were much like sports events today, and they drew large crowds. Over their armor, knights in these tournaments often wore scarves or ribbons given to them by their favorite ladies.

An important part of the tournament was the joust. Two knights carrying lances charged at each other on horseback. The knight who broke the other’s lance or knocked him off his horse was the winner. The winner usually got the horse and armor of the loser, who then had to buy them back. Although tournaments had strict rules, they were still dangerous. Sometimes blunt weapons were used to avoid injury, but this wasn’t always the case. The games could sometimes turn into real battles, and people could get killed.

The Crusades

T he Middle Ages were a time of intense religious devotion in much of Europe.

Christians made pilgrimages, or journeys, to the Holy Land in the Middle East — in what is now Israel and Palestine — to visit places connected to the life of Jesus. But this area was also very important to Muslims because Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim faith, had lived there. The Muslim world rejoiced when Arabs captured Jerusalem in the 7th century.

At first, Christians were allowed to visit the Holy Land without interference. But in the 11th century, a Muslim dynasty called the Seljuk — SEL-jook — Turks took over much of the Middle East. The Seljuks taxed Christian pilgrims, destroyed pilgrim shrines, and persecuted and killed Christians. When the Seljuks threatened the Eastern Roman Empire in what is now Turkey, the emperor appealed to the pope for help.

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for Christians to retake the Holy Land, especially the city of Jerusalem, from the Muslims. The pope called for everyone, not just knights, to join in this effort. And he promised that those Christians who died in battle would be forgiven of all sins. The expeditions to capture the Holy Land were called the Crusades, after the Latin word for cross.


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The First Crusade, made up about 30,000 crusaders, captured the cities of Antioch and Jerusalem, in the process killing nearly every man, woman, and child who lived there. The Europeans established Christian states in the Middle East, but they were a small population surrounded by Muslims. In 1187, the great military leader Saladin organized the Muslims into a strong fighting force, and recaptured Jerusalem. In the Crusades that followed, the crusaders never regained control in the Middle East, and the last Christian outpost there fell in the late 13th century.

By the standards of the time, the Crusades were a failure because they did not succeed in gaining control of the Holy Land. But the Crusades did have a major impact on the world in ways that are still felt today. Trade between East and West flourished, making many areas very wealthy. The Islamic world’s knowledge of science and medicine spread to Europe.

In the Islamic world, the brutality of the Crusades created deep bitterness and distrust of Western culture. The Muslim culture began to isolate itself from the West and the developments of the Western world. This rift between East and West has had many long-term consequences.

The BlaCk deaTh

S ometime in the 1330s, news began to reach Europe about the outbreak of a terrible

disease in Asia. Exactly where the disease started is a mystery, but Chinese historical records describe a widespread outbreak there. At that time China was a major trading nation, and it is likely that trade routes were the path that brought the plague to Europe.

In the fall of 1347, a fleet of Italian trading ships began arriving in the Italian port city of Messina, with their crewmembers either dead or dying. Some ships ran aground because everyone on board had died. The ships may have been fleeing the trading port of Caffa, in what is now Ukraine. Caffa had been under attack by the Mongol army, until Mongol soldiers began to sicken and die. The Mongol general ordered the corpses to be catapulted over the city walls in order to infect the city. The plan worked, but the fleeing Italian ships carried the deadly disease back with them.

Most experts think the plague was spread by black rats — or, more specifically, fleas that bit infected rats and then bit humans. It was most likely a very contagious and deadly form of bubonic plague. Bubonic plague caused painful black swellings called “buboes” on the neck, groin, or armpits. Most people who caught it were dead within a week.

Once the plague ships arrived in Messina, the disease spread across Italy, Spain, and France. Then it spread across the Alps to Germany, Austria, and Hungary. It also crossed the water to England, and to Scandinavia. Another wave moved East into Russia, and back to Caffa. Within two years, it had killed an estimated one of every three people in Europe. Nothing like it has happened before or since.

The Black Death did not hit all of Europe equally. In general, the most crowded and heavily trafficked areas were hit the hardest. For example, the plague cut the populations of Florence, Italy


and Hamburg, Germany by more than half. Isolated, rural areas were relatively unharmed. In the hardest hit areas, cities ran out of gravesites to bury the dead, and instead had to bury them together in large pits, or throw them in a river.

The only way to avoid getting sick, as far as people at the time knew, was to avoid sick people. Even their families often shunned plague victims. People who could afford it fled the disease-infested cities, while the poor stayed behind.

Fear and ignorance led people to blame the disease on groups who were already hated. Jews, more than any other group, were singled out. Jews were accused of poisoning water supplies, and in one Swiss town, every Jew was burned to death. Hundreds of other massacres of Jews took place in Europe during the plague. Jews may have been an easy target during medieval times because they were socially isolated. This made them less likely to catch the plague, but it also raised suspicions about them. Historians also suggest that Jews were targeted for economic reasons. Many Jews worked as moneylenders, and many Christians owed them money.

As the disease killed more and more people, the mood of society turned to darkness and despair. Many people believed that the end of the world was near. One monk wrote that he was leaving his diary “in case anyone should still be alive in the future.” The disease took a heavy toll on the clergy because they were often called upon to help the sick. Many people began to distrust religion as they realized that not even the Church could save them. As a result, the Church became less powerful.

The Black Death also influenced the art and literature of that generation and the one that followed. The most obvious example of this is the Danse Macabre, or Dance of Death, an allegory that showed up in medieval paintings and illustrations. These works usually showed Death, represented as a skeleton, lurking near a king or a young woman. This theme was intended to remind

people that death was inevitable for everyone, young or old, rich or poor.

Perhaps the biggest impact the Black Death had on Europe was an economic one. After the plague, Europe found itself with a shortage of workers. Throughout Europe, peasant revolts increased in the late Middle Ages. Those who survived the plague were in a position to demand higher wages and move to better paying jobs, rather than being tied to one lord’s fief. These new freedoms helped break down the divisions between the wealthy and the poor and create a new middle class. This new society, some historians say, represents the beginnings of capitalism.

arT and liTeraTure

B efore the Middle Ages, most European literature and scientific works were written

in Latin, the language of the Roman Catholic Church. Latin was still used often in medieval times, but writers of non-religious works also wrote in their own languages, and this allowed more people to read their works.

Some of the earliest medieval literature included epic poems. These were often stories that had been passed down through generations before they were written down. Medieval epic poems often mixed historical events with fictional adventures. The epic poem Beowulf was written by an


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unknown author, and is thought to date back to the 8th century. The poem celebrates the legendary Scandinavian hero called Beowulf, and his battles against mythical monsters and dragons. The French epic poem The Song of Roland is partly based on a battle that took place in the year 778 in northern Spain. It is an example of a “chanson de geste,” or “song of heroic deeds.” These were performed by medieval singers called minstrels. The stories usually involved the heroic deeds of the leader Charlemagne. The King Arthur legends also used real people and events combined with mythical adventures and love stories that praised virtues like courage and loyalty.

Those early epic poems have unknown authors, and were likely changed and added to over the years of storytelling. Two later medieval works — Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales — are considered to be two of the world’s great works of literature. Both works are examples of allegory, a common form of storytelling in the Middle Ages. In these allegorical works, the characters and events have two layers of meaning — one within the story and one symbolizing a larger idea.

One of the most important contributions to medieval art was illumination. Illuminated manuscripts are handwritten books with pages decorated by colorful, complicated designs. Gold and sometimes silver were added to the designs to make them appear lit, or “illuminated.” Illuminated books, like most medieval art, were usually religious, such as Bibles or prayer books. But the process was also used for books of poems and other non-religious books.

Handwritten, illuminated manuscripts could take several years to finish. This made them extremely expensive, as well as precious possessions for the elite minority who were both wealthy and literate — mostly clergy and nobility. One warning, found in a German Bible, read: “If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever

seize him; let him be broken on the wheel and hanged. Amen.”

sCienCe

A t the start of the Middle Ages, Europe was far behind China and the Islamic world

in scientific learning. Increased contact with the Islamic world helped close that gap by the end of the era. During the Middle Ages, Islamic scholars made important developments in mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, medicine, and other sciences. These scholars’ work often formed the basis for advancements in Medieval European science and technology.

Ancient Greek texts had been lost to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, but were never lost in the Islamic world. So contact with the Islamic world by Europeans meant the rediscovery of Aristotle, Archimedes, Ptolemy, and many of the other great scientific minds of ancient Greece. One of the great scientific minds of medieval Europe was Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Catholic priest. One of his most important achievements was introducing the work of Aristotle to western Europe, through his own writings about Aristotle’s work.


The Italian mathematician Fibonacci helped introduce the Arabic numeral system to Europe, and this system eventually replaced the use of Roman numerals. European translations of Islamic works introduced Medieval Europe to algebra and advanced geometry.

The scientific method, or the process of observing, measuring, and experimenting to come up with a theory, was one of the most important developments of the Middle Ages. The Arab scientist known as Alhazen — al-HAHZ-en — is credited with introducing the scientific method, and the process was further developed and promoted by various medieval European scientists. This process of formulating and testing theories is still vital to the gathering of all scientific knowledge.

Just like its beginnings, there is no firm agreement among medieval experts on when the period

ended. Some historians point to key events like Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America, or the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, as the turning points where humanity moved out of the Middle Ages. Others point to the diminishing power and eventual split in the Roman Catholic Church, sparked in 1517 by the criticisms of a German monk named Martin Luther. Still others say the rediscovery of the texts of ancient Greece — preserved and reintroduced to medieval Europe by the Islamic world — brought about the Renaissance. This cultural, artistic, and literary movement began in Italy in the 14th century. It included not only the revival of classical Greek learning, but also social and political reforms and major artistic developments. Regardless of the difficulties historians have in defining the Middle Ages, there is no doubt that this era had a profound influence on history. n

Choose one of the medieval figures from the list below. Research the life of this person and write a one-page report about his or her life, and how he or she affected the world. Include any other interesting information you discover about the person you chose.

Who am I?

Pope Urban II

Charlemagne

Dante Alighieri

Geoffrey Chaucer

Thomas Aquinas

Fibonacci

Alhazen

Johannes Gutenberg

Dante Alighieri

Alhazen

Saladin

Joan of Arc

Name___________________________________________________________________________ Date___________________________

1. IwasaEuropeanleaderwhoseheroicdeedswerethesubjectofmanystories.

Iam________________________________.

2. IwasanArabscientistcreditedwithintroducingthe scientific method to the world.

Iam________________________________.

3. In1095,IcalledforChristianstoretaketheHolyLandfromtheMuslims.

Iam________________________________.

4. Iinventedtheprintingpress.

Iam________________________________.

5. IwrotetheDivine Comedy.

Iam________________________________.

6. IwasanItalianmathematicianwhointroducedArabicnumeralstoEurope.

Iam________________________________.

7. IwroteThe Canterbury Tales.

Iam________________________________.

8. IwasapriestwhointroducedtheworksofAristotletowesternEurope.

Iam________________________________.

Answers on page 18


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Choose one of the medieval figures from the list below. Research the life of this person and write a one-page report about his or her life, and how he or she affected the world. Include any other interesting information you discover about the person you chose.

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Research and Writing Activity

CharlemagneKing Arthur Thomas AquinasGeoffrey Chaucer

Dante AlighieriAlhazenSaladinJoan of Arc

Name___________________________________________________________________________ Date___________________________

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © Knowledge Unlimited ® , Inc. The Middle Ages — 11 —

Review Quiz1. The beginning of the Middle Ages is often linked to the fall of the

________________________ Empire.

2. The biggest single influence on development in the Middle ages was the ____________________________.

3. The (CHOOSE ONE: Gothic, Romanesque) style of medieval architecture includes high, pointed arches and big windows.

4. The social structure in place in much of Europe in the Middle Ages is called (CHOOSE ONE: free market, feudalism).

5. TRUE OR FALSE: People who were given land in exchange for their loyalty were known as “vassals.”

6. _______________________ provided military service to their lords.

7. The series of expeditions and battles by Christians to retake the Holy Land from Muslims are called (CHOOSE ONE: Crusades, Pilgrimages).

8. The _________________________ was spread in medieval Europe by black rats and fleas.

9. _________________ poems told stories of the heroic deeds of legendary figures.

10.(CHOOSE ONE: Allegorical, Illuminated) manuscripts were handwritten and decorated with gold.

Name___________________________________________________________________________ Date___________________________


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Answers on page 18

Choose one of the roles in the list below, and write a short paper describing what you think your life would be like if you were this person in medieval times.

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Choose your role

artistcrusaderdoctorking or queenknight

peasantpoetpriestscientistsquire

Name___________________________________________________________________________ Date___________________________

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © Knowledge Unlimited ® , Inc. The Middle Ages — 1� —

Choose someone from the list below, or choose someone else whom you think has performed great or heroic things in their lifetime. Write a medieval epic poem about that person, being sure to include the most important events or achievements of their life.

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Epic poetry

Abraham LincolnAlbert EinsteinAnne FrankBarack ObamaGandhi

Helen KellerLance ArmstrongMartin Luther King Jr. Rosa Parks


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Look at pictures of castles from the Middle Ages, and then design your own ideal castle. Sketch a design for your castle on the page below, or use a separate blank sheet. Include a list of all the features your castle would have, and number those features on your sketch.

Name___________________________________________________________________________ Date___________________________

Your house is your castle



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Discussion questions1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to living in a castle?

2. How do you think the lives of medieval women compares to the lives of modern women?

3. Peasants in the Middle Ages worked on their lord’s land, belonged to him, and were not free to leave. They could keep some of the food they grew, and were protected by the lord’s knights. Do you think that the peasant’s life was mostly good or mostly bad? Discuss the good and bad aspects of being a peasant under the feudal system.

4. Discuss the positive and negative affects of the Crusades.

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ALLEGORY — A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.

ARMOR — The metal covering worn by soldiers or warriors in battle.

BUBONIC PLAGUE — The most common form of plague, characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes.

CHIVALRY — The medieval system with its religious, moral, and social code, including courage, honor, courtesy, and justice.

CRUSADE — A medieval military expedition, one of a series made by Europeans to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.

DANSE MACABRE — Dance of Death, a medieval allegorical image in which the character of Death leads people to the grave.

EPIC — A long poem narrating the deeds and adventures of a heroic or legendary figure.

FEALTY — The loyalty sworn to a lord in medieval times.

FEUDALISM — The social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands in exchange for military service, and vassals managed the land for the nobles, while peasants worked the land in exchange for protection.

FIEF — A piece of land held on condition of feudal service.

GOTHIC — A style of architecture in medieval western Europe, characterized by pointed arches and large windows.

HERETIC — A belief or opinion contrary to the accepted religious beliefs of a time.

HOLY LAND — The region in what is now Israel and Palestine, revered by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

JOUST — A contest in which medieval knights competed on horseback with lances.

KNIGHT — In the Middle Ages, a man who served his lord as a soldier.

PAGE — A young boy in training for knighthood.

PILGRIMAGE — In this case, a journey by Christians to the Holy Land.

ROMAN EMPIRE — An empire established in 27 B.C. which controlled vast portions of Europe and Asia.

ROMANESQUE — A style of architecture in medieval Europe characterized by round arches, heavy columns, and small windows.

SQUIRE — A young nobleman who attends a knight before becoming a night himself.

VASSAL — The tenants of land under the medieval feudal system.

Glossary


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Answers to Who am I? 1-Charlemagne;2-Alhazen;3-PopeUrbanII;4-JohannesGutenberg;5-DanteAlighieri;6-Fibonacci;7-GeoffreyChaucer;8-ThomasAquinas

Answers to Review Quiz1-Roman;2-church;3-Gothic;4-feudalism;5-TRUE;6-knights;7-Crusades;8-BlackDeath;9-Epic;10-Illuminated

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The Middle Ages - thekustore.com · The Middle Ages Produced by Knowledge Unlimited®, Inc a teacher’s resource guide credit: The Granger Collection, New York