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—The Medieval period is classified as the time between the fall of Rome to the rise of the Renaissance. It lasts roughly from the 5th to 15th century. The Medieval period is often referred to as the Middle Ages. The phrase middle ages incorrectly assumes that nothing important happened between these periods, when in fact that is not true.

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—The Medieval period is known for its “Barbarism and religion”. Barbarism means the constant threat of other tribes: Vikings, Huns, Magyars, etc. There was a barbaric quality of attempting to capture territory and little thought was put into human decency. (Torture devises, trebuchets, catapults, etc.)

 

The Byzantine Period is marked by when Constantine moved the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium. This period is sometimes refered to as the Romanesque, Byzantine, Carolingian periods based on what part of the world you are looking at.

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IMPORTANT DATES

 

1066 - 1087 - Reign of King William the Conqueror

1099 - First Crusade. Jerusalem is re-taken from the Muslims by Pope Urban II

1118 - Knights Templar founded to protect Jerusalem

1147 - Second Crusade

1184 - First Inquisition begins

1190 - Third Crusade

1200 - Fourth Crusade. Sacks Constantinople

1212 - Children's Crusade

1215 - Signing of the Magna Carta

1311 - 1315 - The Great Famine

1337 - Hundred Years War begins

1347 - The Black Death kills millions 

 

1283 - 1289. Built for Edward I. Conwy, England.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

 

—The catholic church “ruled” most of the European continent shortly after Constantine established Christianity as the religion over Paganism and moved the capital to Constantinople (Modern day Istanbul).

 

—Kings and political figures got much of their power from their alliance with the Church. They had to tread lightly when it came to political matters for fear of getting on the bad side of the church. They solved all major problems that arose by conferring with the church.

 

—Charlemagne was named the "Emperor of the Romans" in 800 ce. His leadership created the Holy Roman Empire.

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TITHE OR BE BANISHED

 

Everyone offered 10% of their earnings as a form of tithe to the church. They would be excommunicated if they chose not to participate.

 

 

FEUDALISM

 

Exchange of land for military service. When the military conquered an area of land, the King would gift the land to an officer or upper class person who showed loyal support. These areas of lands were called fiefs.

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—Serfs/Peasants worked and lived on the land. They were promised protection in case of enemy invasion.

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—11th Century – Agricultural Advancements: The heavy plow was invented which required less people to operate it. The farmers also implemented the "three-field crop rotation" so that there was a steady supply of harvestable crops. Both of these required less manual labor, making the jobs scarcer. The lower classes began seeking employment in the cities, where the expanded trade routes (caused by the Crusades) opened up other opportunities of employment. The cities rapidly expanded.

 

c. 1350, Silver, Cathedral Treasury, Aachen.

—RISE OF ISLAM

 

The middle east became larger and more powerful. The Islamic religion also became stonger. Armies conquered large parts of the Middle East being ruled by a Caliph. At its strongest, Islam was three times bigger than all of Christendom.

 

—In 632 CE, the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, died causing a surge in followers. With the growing numbers of followers, they began taking over larger and larger amounts of land in the Middle East. This started the unending feud between which culture and religion had control of Jerusalem. 

 

 

Poets, scientists & philosophers wrote thousands of books on paper (which was a chinese invention)

 

—Other inventions that come from the Islamic culture in the Medieval period include: windmills, surgical instruments, an early flying machine, soap, pinhole camera, and system of numerals we still use today.

Istanbul, Turkey.

—CRUSADES

 

Beginning 1095 to 15th Century, the crusades were created by the Catholic church (Pope Urban). The overall goal was to expel the Muslim “infidels” from the Holy Land (Jerusalem) at all costs. There was never a clear "winner" of the crusades. Thousands and thousands of people on all sides lost their lives.

 

The crusades helped grow the popularity of Christianity. If there was something to fight for (common purpose), then it made the religion more desirable. Many joined who felt alienated by the Christian church whom wanted to get back in favor with it and hoped that by fighting for it, they would succeed. One good thing that came out of the crusades was the exposure to new technology, literature and art of the Islamic world that spread to European culture. 

 

 

—Nine Major Crusades and the Children’s Crusade

 

In the Childrens Crusade up to 30,000 children were sent to Jerusalem. They were all captured and killed or sold to slavery. There is quite a bit of speculation involving the childrens crusade. We are unsure if there were adults with them or if there were any survivors.

 

 

Gustave Dore, Wood Engraving, Private Collection.
Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1562, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

BUBONIC PLAGUE

 

The image above, "The Triumph of Death" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts the bubonic plague. Between 1347 & 1350, “Black Death” killed 20 million people (30% of the European Population). Most cases occurred in cities where transmission was impossible to prevent and where large numbers of the lower classes were living closely to each other (see agriculture). Patients develop sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes). This form usually results from the bite of an infected flea. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. If the patient is not treated with the appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body. If left untreated, the bubonic plague will result in amputation and/or death.

 

A plague doctor (a character that arises several times in theatre) was responsible for traveling to the infected houses and treat the plague as best he could. The majority of time, it was just to announce the death of the person. This doctor wore a mask with a long, bird like nose that was packed with sweet smelling herbs that was meant to protect the doctor from transmission as well as get rid of the smell of death. 

Anonymous

Architectural Periods:

 

—Byzantine: 500 - 1450 (After collapse of Roman Empire)

—Migration Period: 300 – 700 (Rapid expansion of military power and people traveling.

—Insular Art: 7th – 10th century (Ireland/Britain creating mostly manuscripts and book art)

—Pre-Romanesque : 780 – 1000 (Includes Carolinigian, Ottonian, & Anglo-Saxon art)

—Romanesque: 1000 – 12th century (Resurgence of Roman style with the rise of monasticism. First to be widespread)

—Gothic: 1137 – 15th century

 

The majority of architecture being built during the medieval period was for religious buildings or for royalty. Churches were built in a cruciform pattern with the portico towards the East and the Axial Chapel towards the West. Most structres were built out of stone and wood. Churches were accented by stained glass depicting religous iconography. The biggest architectural advancements during this period were the buttresses and flying buttresses. These allowed churches to reach new heights in architecture, allowing them to fully develop that exaggerated vertical style of the gothic period. Exteriors of churches were elaborately carved with religious figures or gargoyles (meant to ward off evil spirits). 

 

Royalty was having castles and fortresses built for them. Castles were usually placed on hills or on water for protection from sieges. Most castles had two rounds of walls: the outer for protecting the surrounding village if they were attacked and the inner for protecting the royal family. The iconic crenalation that you find on top of castles was created soley for logistical purposes of warding off enemies during a battle. 

 

 

MEDIEVAL

ARCHITECTURE

COSTUMES

The medieval period is marked by the sudden covering up of the body in costume. Religion brought about a severe piousness in dress, particularly for women. During the Byzantine period, fabric was woven into many different elaborate patterns. Silk was being used, since the silk worm was just stolen from China. As the period went on, the silhouettes of fashion mirrored the architectural style in buildings, particularly churches. 

 

WOMEN: Women's fashion during the Byzantine era was uber conservative with high necklines, garments down to the ankles. Even the hair needed to be covered. Shoes covered the entire foot, not just a sandal. Women's garments were many layers including a chemise, stolla and palla. In the Romanesque period, fabric dying became specialized. Fur was integrated in outerwear and as trim. Women's hair was long, tightly braided, and covered up with a veil. Their heads were wrapped in a barbette (chin strap), fillet and coif to cover as much as possible. As the gothic architecture began focusing on the very vertical style, the clothing became more streamlined and exaggerated as well. Sleeves became long and ended in tippets or long tails. Women's gowns, or houppelands had long pleats throught the body that accentuated the verticality. The gowns were usually so long that they trailed along the floor. The hair was still being covered but by large, vertically elongated hats.

 

MEN: Men's costume also became more conservative. Many of the same garments from the Roman period were around, like the paludamentum and sagum. Men wore long, heavily decorated tunics with additional layers of garments: capes, dalmatica, etc. Hosen were worn underneath to conceal the legs. As the period went on the tunics became shorter which revealed the hosen. Parti-colored hosen were worn, which were two colors of hosen worn and tied to the waist with points. With the popularity of the piousness of religious figures, fashion worn by the monks became popular throughout society. The tonsure hairstyle was at the height of popularity in the Romanesque period. In the Gothic period, the length of tunics for men became shorter and shorter revealing more and more hosen. 

THEATRE

Theatre during the medieval period were marked mostly by moral lessons regarding religion. Theatrical performances began in the church with tableau scenes showing stories from the bible. Eventually, this transistioned to tableau scenes on wagons that could be packed up and moved from city to city. The cycle plays, or traveling shows were typically:

 

Mummings - Story where vegetation was the hero that dies and is brought back to life

Mystery Plays - Well known bible stories acted out in tableaus or short scenes

Miracle Plays - Stories about the lives of saints

Morality Plays - Teaching the audience how to be a good Christian and how to get into heaven

Manners - Secular dramas that were the only theatre that broke away from religion

 

Theatrical performances were also being played for the upper classes. This included: jousting, sword fighting, juggling, archery, etc.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Coldstream, Nicola. Medieval Architecture. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

 

Frassetto, Michael. The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2013.

 

Heer, Friedrich. The Medieval World: Europe 1100-1350. London: Phoenix, 1998.

 

Labarge, Margaret Wade. Women in Medieval Life. London: Penguin, 2001.

 

Robinson, James, Silke Ackermann, and British Museum. Masterpieces : Medieval Art. London: British Museum, 2008.

 

Stalley, R. A. Early Medieval Architecture. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

 

Stokstad, Marilyn. Medieval Art. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 2004.

 

Wickham, Glynne William Gladstone. The Medieval Theatre. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1974.

The Triumph of Death. Pieter Bruegel the Elder. c. 1562. Museo del Prado, Madrid. Oil on Panel.

Depiction of the Children's Crusade. Gustave Dore. c. 1892. 

Hagia Sophia. c. 537 CE. Istanbul, Turkey.

Bust reliquary of Charlemagne. c. 1350. Unknown German goldsmith. Cathedral Treasury, Aachen.

Conway Castle. c. 1283 - 1289. Architect: James of St. George. Wales.

Medico Industrioso (Plague Doctor). Giovanni Gevembroch. 18th century.

STYLES MORGUE

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