What does the history of the Middle Ages study? In order to form an idea of the essence of the issue, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the subject of its study, the periodization of the main events that occurred in this segment of the history of mankind, and various points of view on the period under consideration.
The term "Middle Ages"
This term (or more precisely, the "Middle Ages") originated in Italy. Humanists came up with it at the end of the XV-beginning of the XVI centuries. ad. Historians of the XVII-XVIII centuries finally consolidated and divided the history of mankind into ancient centuries, Middle and modern times. According to their deep conviction, and from their submission, an opinion began to wander, which is sometimes supported by some modern scholars that this was an era of cultural and spiritual decline, obscurantism, and humanity took a step back. Whether this statement is true, we will consider further in the article.
Now it is necessary to elucidate the question of why scientists of the new time introduced this term. Everything is very simple here. They extolled to the heavens Antiquity - an era, in their opinion, the heyday of science, art and culture. Then the Great Roman Empire collapsed, and Europe plunged into chaos for centuries.
Wars, epidemics, religious intolerance and fanaticism negatively affected humanity. But now the era of the New Age began, and then the successive Renaissance and Enlightenment era gave mankind a new hope for the reign of reasonable, humane and justified laws.
To the question of periodization
The time frames of the Middle Ages are considered by historians of different countries in different ways. And this is not surprising, since in different corners of the globe there were their own characteristics and specifics. However, the beginning of the Middle Ages does not cause disputes and disagreements.
It is believed that this era entered into its legal rights with the collapse of the Roman Empire and this happened on September 4, 476. The Senate of Rome, under pressure, announced that the Western Empire no longer needed an emperor and a diadem and scepter left for Constantinople. Symbols of imperial power and greatness of Rome.
When it came to where to end this significant period in the history of mankind, then opinions were divided. Each side proposed its own version and gave a reasoned argument. This is the capture of Constantinople (1455), and the beginning of the Reformation (1517) and many other no less significant and unique events.
Unfortunately, history is used as one of the most important tools of ideological influence. At the same time, its most important and main task is forgotten - the study and analysis of the experience of mankind in order to prevent offensive and terrible mistakes. Therefore, the differences in chronology, and most importantly, the fact that the term "Middle Ages" is practically not applicable to the history of all the peoples of the world, have fixed its convention.
Periodization
However, despite the conventionality of periodization, it is still necessary to distinguish three main periods, which are adhered to in Russian historiography and in most Western countries:
Early middle ages
The beginning of the Middle Ages is considered to be from 476 AD and the fall of the Roman Empire, and this period continues until the middle of the XI century.
High, developed, or classical Middle Ages
This is the middle of the XI century - the time of the emergence of medieval cities and the beginning of the Crusades, and this segment of history ends with the era of developed European trade, the heyday of craft and art.
Late Middle Ages, or Early Modern Times
The end of the XIV-XVI centuries. - the heyday of the era of great geographical discoveries.
A small reservation must be made. In the West, there are other time frames of the Middle Ages. It safely ends after the famous discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Middle Ages: a subject of study
What does the history of the Middle Ages study and what is the subject of its study? These are the features, patterns and conditions for the development of society of that period. First of all, it is the origin, formation and development of feudal relations. It was they who became the main factor that influenced social relations in society and its cultural development. Thanks to feudal relations, the political map of that time was redrawn. Famous in modern times national cultures and characters were born.
Classification of sources
Answering the question "what is studying the history of the Middle Ages", it will be appropriate to characterize and give a classification of sources that are used in the study of this issue. These are five types of sources that differ in how information is captured. We list these sources:
- Natural-geographical (thanks to its study, you can get all the necessary data about the environment: climate, soil, landscape, etc. This is necessary to understand the natural specifics of the studied region.).
- Ethnographic (studied folklore, customs, traditions, national costumes, homes, etc.).
- material (this includes objects of material culture. These are weapons, utensils, jewelry, etc. All that in the form of material objects has come down to our days from the past.).
- Artistic and pictorial (paintings, architectural monuments, various sculptures, mosaics, etc.).
- Written (these are texts, and it doesn’t matter what they are written with - notes, letters, hieroglyphs, cuneiform or numbers.).
Classes of written sources for studying the history of the Middle Ages
Written sources, in turn, are divided into classes for convenience. It is necessary to briefly describe each of them. Here's what they look like:
- Narrative, or narrative (narrate about events in any form, sometimes using fiction).
- Documentary (this class of source in a formalized language highlights narrow and individual points in the socio-economic, legal or political spheres).
- Legislative (this class of source touches upon questions on the history of the Middle Ages purely in the legal field. But here is one interesting feature - they very often reflect not only legislative practice. It is very clear how you can trace how the legislator tries to change it, sometimes for a specific situation.) .
Middle Ages in Russia
As already mentioned, the periodization of the Middle Ages is a convention, therefore, understanding this phenomenon creates the conditions when it is necessary to take into account the historical specifics of the region. It is no coincidence that medieval Russia is considered by historians as a territory where feudal relations arose more slowly, based on the data available to modern science. Therefore, here periodization is as follows:
- IX-XII centuries - Kievan Rus, led by Kiev - "the mother of Russian cities."
- XII-XIII centuries - the era of civil strife between separate principalities and the beginning of the establishment of the Tatar-Mongol yoke on some Russian lands.
- XIV-XVII centuries - the unification of Russian lands under the rule of Moscow.
Why medieval Russia carried out the construction of feudal society much later than its European neighbors is a topic of additional research. And the final point on this issue has not yet been set.
Feudalism
The nascent feudalism and the establishment of universal Church authority entered into explicit antagonism with the ancient, but gradually dying, antique slave system. There was a change in the new socio-economic formation. Which ultimately led to a huge surge of violence and cruelty.
This was expressed not only in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, new players appeared in its fragments in the form of barbarian kingdoms. And the Great Migration of Peoples, which lasted from the 4th to 7th centuries, added to the confusion. Changes occurred primarily in the midst of the barbarian tribes.
The birth of barbarian kingdoms, the strengthening of the power of their kings inevitably led to stratification within their society. Feudal relations were the instrument that strengthened the power of the “overlord”. For this, the vassals received not only land, but also the people cultivating them. Gradually, this status was given to their descendants, with the right to further inheritance.
The enslavement of the peasantry
It is necessary to briefly touch on the main events in the history of mankind, which not only influenced the lifestyle of medieval society, but also created the prerequisite for further development. A textbook on the history of the Middle Ages gives a brief chronology of those events that occurred in more than a thousand-year period of history.
At the end of the V-beginning of the VI centuries. (481-511) a tough and ambitious king Clovis was advanced among the Franks. He not only became the ancestor of the Merovingian dynasty. Under him, perhaps, by his direct instruction, the “Salic truth” was drawn up. Thanks to her, it is possible to study and analyze the existing archaic orders. And the most important thing is the incipient property and social inequality. Clovis and his successors stubbornly conquered lands in modern France.
But the dynasty changed and Charles I created a huge empire, however, it did not last long. But under him the landlessness and enslavement of the peasantry finally took shape.
The Christian religion contributed to this process. The church received huge allotments and riches and was so strengthened that it itself intervened in the affairs of European rulers and even sanctioned the predatory Crusades, hiding behind a plausible excuse. The most important events of the Middle Ages include many episodes that somehow influenced the course of modern history.
Cities and trade
If we dispassionately explore the history of mankind, we can conclude that the basis of any conflict is economic interests. This then takes shape the necessary ideology, sometimes pushing entire nations to mutual extermination. Medieval wars, and even modern ones, perfectly illustrate this. But it is also true that it is economic gain that is the necessary engine that not only changes society, but also moves it towards progress. Trade and economic ties inevitably lead to cultural and technical borrowing.
Cities formed on major trade routes and around fortified fortresses (burgs) - became centers of trade, crafts, science and culture. Sometimes people went to other countries to learn and succeed in their field or to bring exotic goods.
Finally
What does the history of the Middle Ages study? It is generally accepted that the Middle Ages is an era of decline and decay. At first glance, we can partially agree with this. Medieval wars, unsanitary conditions, burning people and other “charms” do not inspire optimism. However, it should be understood that this was a necessary way for mankind to change the socio-economic formation. The history of the formation of medieval Europe has come a long and thorny path, but one cannot refuse history: no matter how bitter and terrible lessons it may give.