Chapter 10

• A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe– I) Stages of Postclassical Development– II) Western Culture in the Postclassical Era– III) Changing Economic and Social Forms in the

Postclassical Centuries– IV) The Decline of the Medieval Synthesis

Chapter Introduction

• The postclassical period in western Europe (Middle Ages) stretches from the fall of Rome to the 15th century

• Civilization spread gradually as Christian missionaries converted Europeans

• Medieval Europe participated in the emerging international communities

• Math, science and philosophy was stimulated by new concepts

Two Images

• Western Europe not as developed as great world civilizations, but had its own characteristics

• Lived under the threat of stronger Islamic world, and eventually developed a vital society

• Population growth, economic productivity, political complexity, technological innovation and artistic complexity were all major contributions to the development of Western Civilization.

I) Stages of Postclassical Development

- Rome's fall (6th century) left disorder in Western Europe until the 10th century

- The Catholic Church remained strong, and the center of the postclassical West was in France, the low countries and southern and western Germany, with England joining later

- Scandinavian Viking raids hindered development, and intellectual activity sharply diminished, with Monks and Priests being the most literate

a) The Manorial System: Obligations and Allegiances

- Manorialism was a system of reciprocal economic and political obligations between landlords and peasants

- Most serfs lived on manor and in return for protection gave lords part of their crops and provided labor services. Bore many burdens but not slaves, had heritable houses and land.

- Inferior technology limited agricultural output until introduction of moldboard plow and the three field system of cultivation(9th century)

b) The Church: Political and Spiritual Power

- Catholic Church after the 6th century was a firm organization, with the Pope heading a hierarchy based on Roman imperial model, appointing some bishops, regulating doctrine and sponsoring missionary activity.

- A warrior chieftain, Clovis, converted to Christianity around 496 CE to gain prestige over local rivals who were still pagan.

- Conversion of this sort strengthened beliefs by the religious leader that they had separate authority and superior to the political leaders.

- Church developed the monastic movement, where monasteries had both spiritual and secular functions- Promoted Christian unity, improved cultivation techniques,

stresses productive work, preserved Greco-Roman culture

c) Charlemagne and His Successors

A new family, the Carolingians took over a monarchy based in northern France, Belgium and western Germany.

One founder of the Carolingian line, Charles Martel was responsible for defeating the Muslims in the Battle of Tours in 732.

Charlemagne built an Empire by 800, restoring church based education and reviving traditions of Roman imperial government

Empire did not survive his death, as sons split territorySubsequent rulers weak, and regional monarchies existing under

the power of the Catholic ChurchRulers in Northern Italy and Germany called themselves Holy

Roman emperors, but local lords and city-states went their own way.

d) Feudal Monarchies and Political Advances

- A system of political and military relationships (feudalism) evolved in western Europe from the 6th century

- The lords provided protection to the vassals (lesser lords) in return for military and other service, with the elite affording horses and iron weapons

- Feudal relationships expanded from local to regional needs

- The Duke of Norman, William the Conqueror, invaded England (1066) and merged feudal techniques with a more central government, where royal sheriffs, officials supervised local justice

e) Limited Government- Western Europe remained divided, with holy Roman emperors ruling

in Germany and Northern Italy and the pope ruling in central Italy.- Feudal monarchies were limited by the church- King John in England (1215) was forced to recognize feudal rights in

the Magna Carta, and the English Parliament gained the right to rule on taxation and other policy matters.

- Parliament were bodies representing not individual voters but privileged groups such as nobles and the church.

- As similar institutions spread to France, Spain, Germany and Scandinavia, they were not widely elected and represented the key three estates, church, nobles and urban leaders.

- Even with feudal checks the European monarchs did develop more capacity for central administration, although woefully limited by Asian standards.

- They also continued to see war as holding a key purpose as the long battle in the 14th century called the Hundred Years War (1338) showed between France and English monarchs.

f) The West’s Expansionist Impulse

- Political and Economic changes spurred European expansion

- Small Christian states began reconquest of Iberian Peninsula from Muslims

- Vikings crossed Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland and Canada

- Pope Urban II called 1st Christian crusade in 1095, to seek salvation of Holy Land. Their presence helped expose Europeans to cultural and economic influences of Byzantium and Islam

g) Religious Reform and Evolution

- Catholic Church went through several periods of decline and renewal

- Wealth and power often led officials to become preoccupied with secular matters

- Pope Gregory VII stipulated priests remain unmarried and bishops not be appointed by the state to reduce interference.

- He quarreled over the practice of state appointments, or investiture, of the bishops in Germany in the Holy Roman Empire.

- Independent church courts ruled on religious concerns

h) The High Middle Ages

- Postclassical Western civilization reached its high point in 12th and 13th centuries

- Tensions among feudal political forms, emerging monarchies, and the authority of the church created major change

- Unquestioned authority of church clashed with new intellectual vitality and diversity

- Old social order and economy based on agriculture clashed with new importance of cities and merchants

i) In Depth: Western Civilization

- Hard to define “Western civilization”, especially with lack of political unity in post classical era

- Complicated further because Europe borrowed so much from Asian civilization

- Christianity certainly a common element- Rapid spread of universities and trade patterns

also helped join much of western Europe

II) Western Culture in Postclassical Era

Christianity was a unifying force in western Europe

Christianity changed as European society matured

Theologians and artists developed distinctive expressions, and philosophical currents spread.

a) Theology: Assimilating Faith and Reason

- Before 1000 CE a few church members tried to preserve ideas of early thinkers

- After 1000 while absolute faith in god’s word was stressed, human reason also contributed to the natural order.

- In the 12th century in Paris, Peter Abelard wrote a treatise called Yes and No in which he showed several logical contradictions in the established interpretation of doctrine.

- A powerful Monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, successfully challenged Abelard stressing the importance of a mythical relationship with god.

Theology: Assimilating Faith and Reason

- Like Islam, similar tensions between science and faith, and by 12th century debate flourished in universities where there was a thirst for knowledge from past civilizations

- St. Thomas Aquinas of Paris in his Summas held that human reason allowed for a greater understanding of natural order, moral law, and the nature of God.

- After the 13th century, scholasticism, became the dominant medieval philosophical approach

- Medieval philosophy did not encourage science.

b) Popular Religion

- While pagan practices endured and blended into Christianity, Christian devotion ran deep with many individuals

- The rise of cities encouraged the formation of lay groups to develop spirituality and express their love of God.

- The cults of the Virgin Mary and sundry saints showed the need for intermediaries between people and god.

c) Religious Themes in Art and Literature

- Christian art and architecture reflected both popular and formal themes

- Paintings were dominated by religious themes, with early stiff and stylized figures replaced in the 14th century by more realistic scenes

- Architecture followed Roman models until the 11th century when the Gothic style produced soaring spires and arched windows

- Writing dealt with philosophy, law, and politics

III) Changing Economic and Social Forms in the Postclassical

Centuries

- Besides Christianity, western society had common features in economic activity and social structure

- When trade revived in the 10th century, the West became a common commercial zone as merchants moved goods from one region to another

- West demonstrated great powers of innovation

a) New Strains on Rural Life

- The more complex economy increased landlord-peasant tensions

- Noble landlords used trade to improve their life styles, and agricultural improvements allowed some peasants condition to improve

- There was recurring struggles between the two groups until the 19th century as peasants wanted more freedom and control of the land, while landlords wanted higher revenue

b) Growth of Trade and Banking

- Europeans traded with other regions for luxury goods and spices, especially Mediterranean merchants

- Large trading and banking operations were capitalistic, as the use of money spread rapidly.

- Cities in Northern Germany and southern Scandinavia grouped together in the Hanseatic League to encourage trade.

- Weakness of western governments allowed a free hand to merchants, which apart from taxation and borrowing, the government left alone

- Guilds grouped people together by similar occupation and regulated profession

c) Limited Sphere for Women- Complexity of social and economic life limited

women’s roles- Female monastic groups provided a limited

alternative to marriage and family life- Virgin Mary and other religious figures provided

positive role models- Even though less restrictive than Islam, women

lost ground and were hemmed in by male dominated organizations by the close of the Middle Ages.

IV) The Decline of the Medieval Syntheses

- Postclassical Western civilization declined after the 14th century

- War broke out between England and France, and economic distress demonstrated the weakness of the feudal order

- Agriculture could not keep up with population growth, and the Black Death (1348) and other plagues caused loses

- Tensions between landlord / peasants and artisans/employees intensified

a) Signs of Strain

There were increasing challenges to the medieval tradition as the balance of power shifted from the church to state

Church lost touch with individual believers who turned to religious thoughts that emphasized direct experiences with god.

Church became less tolerant of intellectual boldness, and retreated from Aquinas’ blend of rationalism and religion.

b) The Postclassical West and It’s Heritage

Middle Ages often regarded as a backward period, but this ignores medieval creativity

For the 1st time Europeans were building institutions and culture which lay the political a economic foundation for future Western civilization

Also created an aggressive interest in the rest of the world

c) Global Connections: Medieval Europe and the World

Western Europe in the Middle Ages was threatened by Vikings, Asian nomads and Islam, yet actively copied many features from Islam and trade with Asia

Selective acceptance of benefits from the outside world helped it develop a global awareness