The Late
Middle Ages-
1250 to 1500 AD
The Black Death
1347-Year of Calamity
• Erupted in the Gobi Desert in China and may be due to the LIA
• After killing around 35 million in Asia, the disease, later to be called the Black Death, enters Europe at an Italian sea port in Oct 1347. By September 1348, it was in England. It followed trade routes
• At least 25 million people died in Europe; a third of England’s population
Rampant Plague
• The Italian writer Boccaccio said its victims often "ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise." • No one understood about the fleas or hygiene• No medicine seemed to work• After the worst part was over (5 Years) the
Plague continued for centuries thereafter sporadically and is still around today, but not active. According to one theory, most people have immunity today because their ancestors survived it. However, the plague was dormant before it’s eruption in 1347, so?
The only “cures” available
• People burned all manner of incense: juniper, laurel, pine, beech, lemon leaves, rosemary, camphor, sulpher and others
• Handkerchiefs were dipped in aromatic oils, to cover the face when going out.
• Towns rang church bells to drive the plague away. Talismans, charms and spells were used as remedies.
Reactions of people to the Plague
• The Flagellants-Bands of wandering people who whipped themselves to try and expiate the sins of Europe so God would call off the Plague
• Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die• Reassessment of faith placed in the Church• Scapegoating-Jews
The Flagellants
Burning Jews during Plague
Results of the Plague:
•Shortage of Labor•More labor saving devices•Spiritual faith shaken•Church loses some respect and power•Relationships between the upper and lower classes change•Surviving workers can demand better wages•Class conflict•Open revolt
How would life be different if the Plague had never come to
Europe in 1347?
• For Europe?
• For America?
• For you?
Are there correlations with the Plague and any modern day
events?
Life and Culture in the Middle Ages
Medieval TradeMedieval TradeMedieval TradeMedieval Trade
Medieval Medieval GuildsGuilds
Medieval Medieval GuildsGuilds
Guild Guild HallHall
Guild Guild HallHallCommercial Monopoly:
Controlled membership apprentice journeyman master craftsman
Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].
Controlled prices
Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s ShopShop
Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s ShopShop
Crest of a Cooper’s GuildCrest of a Cooper’s GuildCrest of a Cooper’s GuildCrest of a Cooper’s Guild
Vernacular Language
• Latin is Language after Rome collapsed, at least for educated and upper classes
• The peasants had their own languages which now become more accepted by everyone and are called vernacular. It is everyday speech. These languages are the roots of the words that Americans and Europeans speak today.
Middle and Modern English
• Thow seyst that droppyng houses, and eek smoke,And chidyng wyves maken men to flee Out of hir owene hous, a! benedicitee! What eyleth swich an old man for to chide? Thow seyst, we wyves wol oure vices hideTil we be fast, and thanne we wol hem shewe, Wel may that be a proverbe of a shrewe!
• You say that dripping eaves, and also smoke, And wives contentious, will make men to flee Out of their houses; ah, benedicite! What ails such an old fellow so to chide? You say that all we wives our vices hide Till we are married, then we show them well;That is a scoundrel's proverb, let me tell!
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Chaucer’s Friar and Wife of Bath
Dante -1265
• Latin was for scholarly work• However, he used language of
Tuscan common people to write
poetry and it became language of all Italy
• The Divine Comedy or
“when I write a book I
am not going to change the names”
• Story: Virgil and Beatrice guide Dante through hell, paradise and purgatory
Lucifer eating traitors at the bottom most level of Hell
Vernacular literature• Troubadours-lyrical poems set to music • National epics-
The Song of Roland and The Ring Saga – about national heroes
• Fabliaux-short comic mocking stories• Dramas-Mystery plays, morality plays,
Educational System
• Monasteries and
small schools in cities teach for a fee
• Teacher’s guild is called universitas which is the basis of what word today?
Oxford Oxford UniversityUniversity
Oxford Oxford UniversityUniversity
“Teachers could not leave the university, under penalty of death, or even go out of town without permission. They had to swear absolute
obedience to the student-elected student rector, who at the behest of
the general assembly could pass or change any rule. The students collected the fees, paid the salaries, and issued the working rules; if the teacher cut a class, he was fined; likewise, if he could not draw five
students, if he skipped a chapter or a difficulty, of if he kept on talking
after the ringing of the bell. At any time the lecturer could be interrupted by a beadle summoning him to appear before the rector and learn of his misdeeds.
As a historian of universities, Rashdall, puts it: "By means of the terrible
power of boycotting which they could bring into play against an
offending professor, the student clubs were masters of the situation".”
Want to be a teacher in the 1200’s ?
Want to be a student in the 1200’s?
• Constant violent fighting to settle debates• Money a huge problem • Students rooms were rented out to gain extra
money: usually to prostitutes• All boys; 13 -15 years of age• Common reports of chaos in the classroom• Teacher had to be 20• Teacher could beat lazy students • University ruled by cliques-led to constant
manipulations, shady deals, lying, jealousy
1434
Scholasticism- the marriage of faith and reason
• Abelard-Pointed out many problems with Church writings and doctrine and argued that reason and faith were irreconcilable. A great rebel and made enemies every where he went. Got a Canon’s niece pregnant and was castrated. Did not leave the Church though.
• Thomas Aquinas -Wrote how Church doctrine was logical and could be arrived at by faith and reason. Basis of Roman Catholic Church today.
Science
• Minimal advancement in scholarly areas• Practical Knowledge increases
Winches, pulleys. ships, iron plows,
yokes, windmills, waterwheels are all
improved
• Arabs preserved the Science of the Greeks but Europeans had little interest in it• Math and optics were of some interest• 1500’s Scientific exploration begins again
Waterwheel project
Medieval medicine
Art and architecture
• Romanesque• Dark, dome, • Heavy look and feel• Low to the ground• Frescos• Relief sculpture
• Gothic• Soaring spires• More glass• More light• Spires• Flying buttresses• Color• Statues of Holy
Family and Saints
Romanesque
Gothic
Flying Buttress
Middle Ages Stained Glass
Gargoyles of Notre Dame
The Growth of European Nations
I said we had 9 days,
20 hours and 53
seconds until the 100 years are up
What did you say?
Patriotism As manors decline, people’s loyalties shift to that of a larger unit, the city, then the kingdom. People begin to develop a national identity and the idea of a nation state is born.
People are increasingly loyal to a country
The 100 Year’s War
• Basically Edward II of England laid claim to the French throne and the French said not in this life.
• Their respective offspring continued to have conflicts over this issue for about a 100 years
Results of the War in England
• New weapons made larger scale war and longer range war easier
• Castles no longer as safe
• Knights could not win over longbows and gunpowder
• Smaller guns begin to be used and increases causalities
• Feudalism is getting its deathblow
• Parliament ‘s power grows because the King needs them to finance his wars. They obtain the power to approve all taxation
• The nobles are increasingly fewer and more dependent on the King
• Government is centralizing
• Church is losing more of its power
The French and the 100 years of War
• Fought on their land• Starvation and
disease prevalent• Kings lost some
power as a result• Infighting amongst the
two branches of the royal family
Burgundy and Orleans
• Joan Of Arc
Visions and Voices save a city and crown a King
Joan’s Martyrdom results in renewed Patriotism and France drives out the English
France’s Parliament
• Philip IV or the Fair organizes Estates General • 4 estates of society to help King rule• Never worked well• Never gained enough rights to be taken
seriously• Consequently Power is in the King first and
nobles secondly• French peasants have minimal rights as
compared to England
Back on home turf, English War of the Roses
Henry VII defeats Richard III
at Bosworth Field (My kingdom for
a horse)
WhiteversusRed
The Tudor Dynasty begins
Spain
• Until 1236, under the
domination of Muslim Moors but not willingly
• Constant fighting against the Moorish holdings by the Spaniards drives them back towards Africa
• As of 1236, only Granada held by Moors but the country is not united
• Isabella and Ferdinand chase out the last Moorish caliph and unite Spain as one country
• “do not cry for as a woman for that which you could not hold as a man”
Ferdinand and Isabella
Alhambra
The Spanish Inquisition was dedicated to rooting out evil
German and Italian regions
• Germany and Italy did not become strong centralized nations until the 1800’s
• Habsburg empire, centered in Austria, dominated the areas of Germany, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia
• Hapsburgs use the title Holy Roman Emperor
“divine rescue” of the Hapsburgs from Islam?
VI. Challenges to Church Power• People and times are a-changing• Trade increasing• Travel increasing• Urban areas grow and people are mingling• Wars bring increased contact and allow new
ideas to spread• Church Law does not always help one to get rich• Church power weakened by Plague• Kings power increasing• Much of the Church is wealthy and worldly and
now people begin to question this• People questioning , skeptical, learning new
ways from contact with Muslins and Greeks
1294- Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France clash over whether
clergy should pay taxes to the
kingdom
Internal Problems of the Church
• Philip gets one of his French cardinals elected Pope and that Paope moves the Papacy to Avignon in where • else? France! • The Babylonian Captivity• The last of the 7 French Popes Returns Papacy to Rome in 1377• As soon as he dies, the Italians elect an Italian Pope• The French Cardinals elect a French Pope in response to the Italian Pope ,who remains in Avignon• Each excommunicate the other • Basically a religious civil war alco called The Great Schism 1378
to 1417• 1414, A church Council deposes both and elects a new pope
Papal Palace at Avignon or Fortress?
Criticism of the Church
• “Defender of the Peace” – argued that the Pope had no worldly powers and should be elected by a council of mixed laity and clergy
• John Wycliffe-1382 Promoted the first translation of the Bible into English
• Jan Hus- rector at University of Prague-Burned at the stake for asking for reforms
• Some trace Protestantism’s roots to Hus
Indulgences
• Bought a piece of paper that stated the good works of the buyer had paid off a particular sin or sins in the buyer’s life
How would life be different if the Power of the church had not
lessened
• For Europe?
• For America?
• For you?
So what do you think of the Middle or Dark Ages?
• Does it deserve the name of Dark or not?
• What kind of a time would you call it?
• Would you want to live then or not? Why?
• What do you think of some of the people we met?
• Does might make right or does right make might or are neither connected?
