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