The Middle Ages is an extensive period of development of European society, covering the 5-15th century AD. The era began after the fall of the great Roman Empire, ended - the beginning of the industrial revolution in England. Over these ten centuries, Europe has come a long way of development, characterized by a great migration of peoples, the formation of the main European states and the appearance of the most beautiful historical monuments - Gothic cathedrals.
What is characteristic of medieval society
Each historical era has its own unique features. The historical period under consideration is no exception.
The era of the Middle Ages is:
- agricultural economy - the majority of people worked in the field of agriculture;
- the prevalence of the rural population over the urban (especially in the early period);
- the huge role of the church;
- keeping the Christian commandments;
- Crusades;
- feudalism;
- the formation of nation states;
- Culture: Gothic cathedrals, folklore, poetry.
What are the ages of the Middle Ages?
The era is divided into three large periods:
- Early - 5-10th centuries. n e.
- High - 10-14th centuries. n e.
- Later - the 14-15th (16th) centuries. n e.
The question "Middle Ages - what centuries?" It doesn’t have a definite answer, there are only approximate figures - the point of view of a particular group of historians.
Three periods are seriously different from each other: at the very beginning of a new era, Europe experienced a troubled time - a time of instability and fragmentation, at the end of the 15th century a society was formed with its characteristic cultural and traditional values.
The eternal argument of official science with alternative
Sometimes you can hear the statement: "Antiquity is the Middle Ages." An educated person will clutch his head after hearing such a fallacy. Official science believes that the Middle Ages is an era that began after the capture of the Western Roman Empire by barbarians in the 5th century. n e.
However, alternative historians (Fomenko) do not share the point of view of official science. In their circle one can hear the statement: "Antiquity is the Middle Ages." This will be said not from ignorance, but from a different point of view. It is up to you to believe and who not to believe. We share the point of view of official history.
How it all began: the collapse of the great Roman Empire
The capture of Rome by the barbarians is a serious historical event, which served as the beginning of the era of medieval Europe.
The empire existed for 12 centuries, during which time invaluable experience and knowledge of people who had sunk into oblivion after the wild tribes of the Ostrogoths, Huns and Gauls captured its western part (476 AD) was accumulated.
The process was gradual: at first the conquered provinces got out of control of Rome, and then the center fell. The eastern part of the empire with its capital in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) lasted until the 15th century.
After the capture and plunder of Rome by barbarians, Europe plunged into the dark ages. Despite a significant rollback and turmoil, the tribes were able to reunite, create separate states and a unique culture.
The early Middle Ages - this is the era of the "dark ages": 5-10th centuries. n e.
During this period, the provinces of the former Roman Empire became sovereign states; the leaders of the Huns, Goths and Franks declared themselves dukes, counts and other serious titles. Surprisingly, people believed in the most authoritative personalities and accepted their power.
As it turned out, the barbarian tribes were not as wild as one could imagine: they had the beginnings of statehood and knew metallurgy at a primitive level.
This period is also notable for the fact that three classes were formed:
The people included peasants, artisans and merchants. More than 90% of people lived in villages and worked in the fields. The type of farming was agricultural.
High Middle Ages - 10-14th centuries n e.
The heyday of culture. First of all, it is characterized by the formation of a certain worldview, characteristic of medieval man. The horizons expanded: an idea appeared of the beautiful, that there is a meaning in being, and that the world is beautiful and harmonious.
Religion played a huge role - people worshiped God, went to church and tried to follow biblical values.
A stable trade relationship was established between the West and the East: merchants and travelers returned from distant countries, bringing china, carpets, spices and new impressions of exotic Asian countries. All this contributed to a general increase in the education of Europeans.
It was during this period that the image of a male knight appeared, which to this day is the ideal of most girls. However, there are certain nuances that show the ambiguity of his figure. On the one hand, the knight was a brave and courageous warrior who swore allegiance to the bishop to defend his country. At the same time, he was quite cruel and unprincipled - the only way to fight hordes of wild barbarians.
He always had a "lady of the heart" for which he fought. Summing up, we can say that a knight is a very controversial figure, consisting of virtues and vices.
Late Middle Ages - 14-15th (16th) centuries. n e.
Western historians consider the end of the Middle Ages the discovery of America by Columbus (October 12, 1492). Russian historians have a different opinion - the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 16th century.
Autumn of the Middle Ages (the second name of the late era) was characterized by the formation of large cities. Large-scale peasant uprisings also took place - as a result, this estate became free.
Europe suffered serious human losses due to the plague epidemic. This disease took many lives, the population of some cities was halved.
The late Middle Ages is the period of the logical conclusion of the rich era of European history, which lasted about a millennium.
The Hundred Years War: The Image of Joan of Arc
The late Middle Ages - this is the conflict between England and France, which lasted more than a hundred years.
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) was a serious event that set the vector for the development of Europe. It was not quite a war and not quite a century old. It is more logical to call this historical event a confrontation between England and France, sometimes moving into the active phase.
It all started with a dispute over Flanders, when the king of England began to claim the French crown. Initially, Britain was successful: small peasant archery units defeated the French knights. But then a miracle happened: Joan of Arc was born.
This slender girl with a man’s posture was well educated and from her youth she was versed in military affairs. She managed to spiritually unite the French and repulse England in two ways:
- she sincerely believed that it was possible;
- she called for the unification of all the French in the face of the enemy.
The result of the Hundred Years War was the victory of France, and Joan of Arc entered history as a national heroine.
The era of the Middle Ages ended with the process of addition of most European states and the formation of European society.
The results of the era for European civilization
The historical period of the Middle Ages is a thousand interesting years of the development of Western civilization. If the same person visited first at the beginning of the Middle Ages, and then moved to the 15th century, he would not have recognized the same place, the changes that were so significant.
We list briefly the main results of the Middle Ages:
- the emergence of large cities;
- the spread of universities throughout Europe;
- the adoption of Christianity by most European residents;
- the scholasticism of Aurelius Augustine and Thomas Aquinas;
- the unique culture of the Middle Ages is architecture, literature and painting;
- the readiness of Western European society for a new stage of development.
Middle Ages Culture
The era of the Middle Ages is primarily a characteristic culture. By it is meant a broad concept that includes the intangible and material achievements of people of that era. These include:
- architecture
- Literature
- painting.
Architecture
It was during this era that many famous European cathedrals were rebuilt. Medieval masters created architectural masterpieces in two characteristic styles: in the Romanesque and in the Gothic.
The first one originated in Western Europe in the 11-13th centuries. This architectural direction was distinguished by rigor and severity. Temples and castles in the Romanesque style to this day inspire a sense of gloomy Middle Ages. The most famous is Bamberg Cathedral.
The Gothic style leaves no one indifferent: the sophistication and elevation of Gothic buildings amaze.
Gothic homeland is France. Around the 12th century, the first buildings in this style began to appear. They were distinguished by graceful molding, directivity to the sky and a large number of flashing stained-glass windows.
An experienced traveler will find many Gothic cathedrals and town halls in Western Europe. However, we will focus on the most famous:
- Notre Dame Cathedral;
- Strasbourg Cathedral ;
- Cologne Cathedral.
Literature
European literature of the Middle Ages is a symbiosis of Christian lyrics, ancient thought and folk epic. Not a single genre of world literature can be compared with books and ballads written by medieval writers.
Some stories about the battles are worth it! Often an interesting phenomenon happened: people participating in major medieval battles (for example, the Battle of Hanstings) involuntarily became writers: they were the first eyewitnesses of the events that happened.
Famous medieval authors were:
- Aurelius (Blessed) Augustine is the father of scholasticism. He combined the idea of God with ancient philosophy in his work “On the City of God.”
- Dante Alighieri is a vivid representative of medieval poetry. He wrote The Divine Comedy.
- Jean Marot - wrote prose. Famous work - "The textbook of princesses and noble ladies."
The Middle Ages is an era of beautiful and chivalrous literature. You can learn about the way of life, customs and traditions of people from the books of writers.
Painting
Cities grew, cathedrals were built, respectively, and there was a demand for decorative decoration of buildings. At first, this concerned large city buildings, and then the homes of wealthy people.
The Middle Ages is a period of the formation of European painting.
Most of the paintings depicted famous biblical subjects - the Virgin Mary with the baby, the Babylonian harlot, the Annunciation, and more. Triptychs (three small paintings in one) and dipltrichs (two paintings in one) spread. Artists painted the walls of chapels, the town hall, painted stained-glass windows for churches.
Medieval painting is inextricably linked with Christianity and the worship of the Virgin Mary. Masters depicted her in different ways: but one thing can be said - these paintings are amazing.
The Middle Ages is the time between Antiquity and the New History. It was this era that paved the way for the beginning of the industrial revolution and great geographical discoveries.