The Middle Ages

What does the term “perspective” mean?

How can perspective influence how we think?

How can perspective influence what we do?

TIP FOR NOTES:

New Chapter Heading: “Renaissance”

TIP FOR NOTES:

Write the date in the left margin of the page, on the first line

Do Now

• Watch a segment of this video on “Maps, Time, and World History”

• Take notes on the video, using the worksheet as a tool

Maps and World History

• Review first 3 questions on worksheet together

• What is a word we can use to describe the perspective of Mercator’s map? Where is Mercator from?

• What conclusions might people draw from Mercator’s map?

Perspective & Maps

What conclusions might people draw from Peters’ map?

Perspective & Maps

What conclusions might people draw from a map like this?

Perspective & Maps

What conclusions might people draw from a map like this?

Perspective & Maps

• Mercator’s map is an example of “Eurocentric” thinking

• Besides maps, how else might a Europe-centered perspective influence what Europeans do or say?

Perspective

Do NowWhen you see the phrase “The Dark Ages”

today, it will appear in quotation marks.

Why is it in quotation marks?

Think about perspective…

• also known as “The Middle Ages”

• approximately 500-1500 C.E.

• “the Middle” because it was between fall of Roman Empire and beginning of the Renaissance

“The Dark Ages”

• Petrarch was an Italian scholar during the 1300s who loved Greek and Roman writing.

• He used the terms “dark” and “light” to describe ignorance or learning. He believed that Europe was in the “dark” after the “light” of the Greek and Roman empires were gone.

“The Dark Ages”

Historians, and others, since Petrarch continued to use the phrase “Dark Ages.”

They argued that Europe was in a state of cultural decline during this time because it:

•Did not support learning•Created very little culture (art, literature, architecture, etc.)•Was repeatedly invaded•Had no central government•Had a bad economy•Was basically a miserable place to live

“The Dark Ages”

• Who is it “dark” for?

• Who might not be living in the “dark” at this time?

“The Dark Ages”

During the “Dark Ages,” there were many advancements in knowledge. Only they were taking place outside of Europe.

For example, in the Islamic world…

• algebra invented by Al-Kharizmi (825)

• number system developed by Muhammad ibn Musa (850)

• astrolabe developed by a Syrian woman named al-Asturlabi

• lots of universities (madrasa) located in mosques that were centers of knowledge in law, literature, religion, science, and medicine

“The Dark Ages”

What do you think:

Is the Dark Ages a fair description for the time period? Explain.

Who might it be fair or unfair to? Why?

Should we call it something else?

“The Dark Ages”

What do you think are the elements of a healthy society?

Make a short list.What should people have access to?

How should power be

distributed?

Do Now

Hierarchy a vertical system of organizing people or groups by

status or authority

Feudalism Hierarchical system in which each person is

another person’s servant

Feudalismrelationships based on land and service

• fief - land granted to vassals (local rulers) in exchange for service

• kings relied on vassals for rallying troops, collecting taxes

• vassals pledged loyalty to serve the king

Feudalism

• nobles/vassals had much freedom, because their work was considered “noble”.

• peasants increasingly lost freedom in many places (ex: England, France) and became serfs

• serfs had little/no rights because their labor was not considered noble

Feudalism

• no social mobility / class was inherited

• more than 90% of the population were peasants

• peasants lived in villages and developed a sense of community, shared resources

• the church at the center of peasant villages

• religious feasts and festivals marked changing seasons

• men and women had to pay taxes to the church (10% of their crops or income)

The Church

The Church also had a hierarchical structure

Feudalism• kings had less and less control / local rulers collected more taxes, built castles

• local church figures exercised much power

Feudalism

Feudalism

On the worksheet

• Read the description and write the name of the social class in the blank

space provided.

• Do this independently!

FeudalismDiscuss with a neighbor…

What could go wrong with this system?

As a pair, write as many responses as possible.

As a class, share and compare.

Feudalism

LEGOS!

Do NowReview: What does hierarchy mean?

What kinds of hierarchy existed during the Middle Ages?

What events or changes in society might disrupt these hierarchies?

The Black Death

Why?• constant clearing of land (forests) for new farms where the soil is not good -> bad nutrition

• peasant farms get smaller

-> people make less money

• climate cools / bad winters / bad harvests -> famine

The Black DeathWhy?• people moving to cities and towns

• bad harvests = high food prices for townspeople -> famine

• famine leaves people weakened

• people in cities live very close to each other (and animals!) -> breeding ground for germs

The Black Death• bubonic plague had existed for some time in Asia, but Europeans were not exposed yet -> no immunity

• traders from Genoa (Italy) out at Black Sea catch disease flee their trading post and head home

• fleas living on rats carried the bacteria, and traveled in the cargo

Mapping the Black Death

Working in groups…

Read and follow the instructions on the handout to chart the course on

the Black Death

Discuss

How has using a map helped us understand the plague?

What valuable information do we get from the map?

What information might be missing or absent?

(Remember the importance of “perspective.”)

Do Now

What is a catastrophe?

How can a catastrophic event change someone’s perspective?

How can a catastrophic event change the way many people within a society think?

Remembering 9/11We all are familiar with what happened on this date in

2001…

But how do you think those events changed the way that people viewed the world?

How do you think different people reacted? What did they have in common? What might they have seen differently?

Remembering 9/11

As you watch this video, pay attention to the perspective of these two women.

How did 9/11 influence their perspective?

Respond to questions on the worksheet to help you think about this.

Catastrophe & Perspective

What kinds of things did people in the Middle Ages believe in? What do you

think their perspective was like?

How do you think the Black Death changed their perspective?

The Black Death1348-49

• one-third of Europe’s population (54 million) killed by the plague

• crowded cities have higher death rates

• people had NO IDEA what was killing them / did not know how to treat it

The Black Death• people obsessed with death in general

• some become more religious (self-discipline, abstinence), believed the plague was caused by God who was angry at sinners

• extreme groups of penitents (people who pray for their sins) whip themselves in public (called flagellants)

The Black Death• other people take on the view that life is too short and should be celebrated

• feasts, corruption, desire for luxury - people indulge themselves to move on (ex: The Decameron by Giovanni Bocaccio)

Discuss

How did the two events we discussed today change people’s perspectives?

They are very different events in very different times, but do they have

anything in common?

The Black Death• food prices drop (less mouths to feed) /

survivors wine and dine

• peasant farmers and workers able to make more money because nobles were in need of extra hands

• peasants revolt sometimes and win better conditions

• nobles gradually losing power, kings gain more power