Chapter 9
The Recovery and Growth of European Society in the High Middle
Ages
Timeline
Land and People in the High Middle Ages
Population GrowthIncreased securityAgricultural production rises
The New AgricultureImproved climateMore arable landTechnological improvements
• Carruca (heavy wheeled plow)• New horse collar• Power of water and air harnessed • Three field-system
Higher food pricesFree peasants
Life of the Peasantry
Activities determined by the seasonsReligious Feast Days and the ChurchLifestyle
Wooden cottageLimited privacyWomenSimple but nutritious dietAle and the consumption of alcohol
The Aristocracy of the High Middle Ages
Aristocracy: Kings, dukes, counts, barons, viscounts, bishops and archbishopsHeld extensive lands and powerMen of War
Warriors and the church• Peace of God, Truce of God, Crusades
CastlesAristocratic Women
ChildhoodPowerful women
The Way of the WarriorTrainingChivalryTournaments
Marriage Patterns of the Aristocracy
The Politics of MarriageMen married in their thirties, women in their mid-teensDivorce and Annulment
The New World of Trade and Cities
The Revival of TradeItalian Cities
• Ties with the Byzantine Empire
Flanders• Wool trade
Fairs of Champagne
Emergence of Money Economy
Map 9.1: Medieval Trade Routes
The Growth of CitiesRevival of trade leads to growth of citiesMany new cities and towns founded beginning in tenth centuryCity dwellers need freedom not serfdom
Charters of Liberties
City GovernmentCity CouncilRegulations
City Size
Fortified City of Carcassone – Southern France
Life & Industry in the Medieval City
Life in the Medieval CitySurrounded by stone walls and prone to fireArtisans and merchantsUnpleasant environment
• Dirty• Public Baths• Women
Industry in Medieval CitiesManufacturingGuilds Apprentices, journeymen and masters
The Intellectual and Artistic World of the High Middle Ages
The Rise of Universities
Educational GuildsEarly Universities
• First University in Bologna – Law (c. 1158)
• University of Paris (c. 1200)
• Oxford and Cambridge (1208 - 1209)
Liberal Arts CurriculumTrivium
Quadrivium
Lectures and Books
ExamsBachelor of Arts
Master of Arts
Advanced degrees in law, medicine or theology
Violence
Map 9.2: Intellectual Centers of Medieval Europe
Cambridge University - England
Classical Antiquity & Scholasticism
A Revival of Classical AntiquityInterest in the work of Greeks and RomansGreek science and philosophyThe role of the Muslim world
• Translations• Commentaries
The Development of ScholasticismTheology – “Queen of the Sciences”Reconciliation of faith and reasonAbelard (1079 – 1142)Realists and nominalistsAristotle and ChristianitySaint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274)
• Summa Theologica
The Revival of Roman Law
Rediscovery of the Corpus Iuris Civilis
Pavia and Bologna
Appeal of Roman Law
Development of European Legal System
Literature in the High Middle Ages
Latin
Vernacular LiteratureTroubadour poetry
Chanson de Geste• The Song of Roland (c. 1100)
The Courtly Romance
Romanesque Architecture: “A White Mantle of Churches”
Explosion of Building
Romanesque StyleRectangular basilicas
Vaults
Massive walls
Entrance to Saint Madeleine in Vézelay A Romanesque Church
Il Duomo, Florence’s Romanesque Cathedral
Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel – Normandy
The Gothic Cathedral
Ribbed Vaults and Pointed Arches
Flying Buttress
Stained Glass
Saint Denis (c. 1140 – c. 1150)
Communal Project
Bayeaux Cathedral in Normandy – A Gothic Church
The Gothic basilica at Assisi - Italy
Discussion QuestionsWhat were some of the factors that contributed to the revival of European society after the year 1000?What role did chivalry play in the lifestyle of the aristocracy?Why were Italian cities like Venice so important in the revival of trade?How did medieval universities originate?What is meant by scholasticism?What led to the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture?
Web LinksWhat was it Really Like to Live in the Middle Ages?Medieval English TownsKnighthood, Chivalry and Tournaments Resource LibraryThe Medieval Technology PagesListening to Medieval MusicThe Abbey of Mont-St. MichelImages of Medieval Art and ArchitectureMedieval Universities