the late middle ages: social and political breakdown
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The Late Middle Ages: Social and
Political Breakdown
Hundred Years’ War
1337-1453England and France
England=victor until 1429
French eventually removed British
The Black Death
1347-1350Plagues
SepticemicPneumonicBubonic
½+ of W. Europeans died
The Black Death
Cures?FlagellationBleeding
Cause?Curse from God
Challenges to RCCAvignon Papacy (1309-1377)
Babylonian Captivity Great Schism (1378-1417)
John WycliffeEnglishd. 1384
Jan HusCzechd. 1415
Cultural Achievements
In Early Middle Ages, culture regressed because of:Barbarian invasionsFeudalismPeople’s concern for barest essentials of life
Cultural Achievements
In High Middle Ages, culture progressed because:Church provided leadership and support
Crusades spread knowledge of Byzantine and Muslim civilization
Towns=centers of culture and learning
Cultural Achievements
ArchitectureRomanesque (pre-1100s)Massive cathedrals
Featured:Thick wallsFew windowsRounded archesStrong columns
Cultural Achievements
Architecture (cont’d)Gothic (1100s+)
More graceful styleFeatured:
Flying buttressesPointed archesThin wallsStained-glass windows
Pointed arches
Ribbed vaults
Thrust
Notre Dame
Cultural Achievements
Higher education Universities founded Except for religion, relied chiefly on Aristotle’s writings
Students faced difficulties:Taught in Latin, not vernacularLacked books and libraries
Cultural Achievements
Science & inventionMedieval scientists were quite unscientificRarely experimented or questioned
Mainly accepted:Popular superstitionsIdeas of Aristotle
Cultural Achievements
Philosophy & theologyScholasticism--method of using pure reason in defense of faith
St. Thomas AquinasWrote Summa TheologicaDenied conflict between reason and faith
Influenced by Aristotle
Cultural AchievementsLiterature
Few books writtenEpic poems
Beowulf--Anglo-Saxon poemSong of Roland--French epicSong of Cid--Spanish story
Lyrical poemsMostly about loveBy wandering musicians
Rise of nation-states
14th-17th centuries
England/ France
Spain/Portugal
Russia/Poland/Ottoman Empire
Germany/Italy
The Late Middle Ages: Social and
Political Breakdown