The Middle Age

400 – 1500 AD

Medieval period: from the Latin word (middle) and aevum (age) Sometimes incorrectly called the dark ages.

•Single greatest force that bound Europe together.

•Baptized at birth, performed weddings, conducted funerals.

•Largest land holders in Western Europe during the Middle Ages.

•Greatest power of the church was excommunication

•Clergy did not participate in warfare, but they did control the Lord’s with their types of weapons.

The Power of the Church

FeudalismKings were weak and had little control over their kingdoms. Because of this, hundreds of vassals (loyal noblemen- men who pledged his loyalty to the King. Their titles – Prince, Baron, Duke, or Count) became independent rulers of their own fiefs (estates). Under feudalism control, the vassal had political , economic, judicial, and military power. They collected taxes and fines, acted as judge in legal disputes, maintained an army of knights within his territory.

Noblemen – born into the noble class

Knight- spend his life as a professional warrior

Vassal – promised to serve the King

Lord – gave part of the land to persons who promised to serve him

What are serfs?

Life of the people (900’s)

Europe was poor and under developed and thinly populated. Farms were covered with forests or swamps

Population was thin because war, disease, famine, and low birth rate.

Life span average of 30 years.

Little travel or communication.

Life of the people (900’s)

Three types of people in Western Europe:

Lords

Clergy

Peasants

High Middle Ages (1000- late 1200)

Government was better

Population increased

Better ways of farming

Traveled beyond their borders

Towns: small, outside the walls of the castle of the church. Walls built around the towns. Crowded towns because the walls. Limited land because the walls. Buildings went up at least six stories to make use of the land. Streets crowded and filthy and unpaved. If paved, cobblestone. People took servants with them at night for protection.

Learning and the arts:

People learned to strengthen the power of the church.

Learned Greek and Arabic writings. Changed them into Latin. Greek Philosopher, Aristotle.

Learned at Cathedrals.

Late Middle Ages (1300 – 1500)

Gave way to modern Europe

Overlapped the Renaissance period.

Art and Learning Advance but everything else came to a halt 1. Wars and natural disaster caused the halt

(100 years wars)

2. Breakdown of feudalism and manoralism

caused Civil War.

3. Black Plague deaths

The Black Plaque

The Spread of the Black Plaque

Music In the Middle Ages:

Religious

Vocal

Limited range

Step movement

Centered around the tonic note

Harmonic system based on Greek modes or major and minor scales

Monophonic

Polyphony – church played and important part in this development

(organum was original name ) adding a second part to the chant

Offices and Mass

Secular: Troubadour songs were about courtly love

French forms: Rondeau, Virelai, Ballade, Lai were based on poetic forms

Italian forms: Madrigal, Caccia, Ballata

Drama in the Middle Ages:

Medieval Theatre

The church had banished drama and for 400 years theatre did not exist. There were sparse forlk festivals, wandering jugglers and minstrels who tried to keep theatre geoing but the Church stopped them as well.

In the 9th century, the church re-introduced drama into the mass and called them tropes. It began in France and was designed to help the illiterate understand the service. Pantomimes gave way to dialogue, first in Latin and then in common language. Tropes were first performed by Priests and Choirboys.

The stage were mansions or platforms. The audience moved from one mansion to the other for different scenes.

Three types of plays:

Mystery plays-----Bible stories

Miracle plays-----Lives of Saints

Morality plays---Stories teaching right from wrong

Plays became more popular and the mansions were moved into the market place.

Passion play- depicted scenes from Christ’s life (last days)

Oberammergau- passion play in Germany. 300 years ago residents of the small village prayed to be spared the black plague. If they were, the would periodically perform the Passion Play. Every 10 years, still today it happens. Missed in 1940 during WW II.

Middle Ages Conclusion