Chapter 12 lesson 3

Chapter 12 lesson 3

Culture of the Middle Ages

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How did the Church influence political and cultural changes in medieval Europe?

How did both innovations and disruptive forces affect people during the Middle Ages?

ARCHITECTURE

The eleventh and twelfth centuries witnessed a dramatic building of churches in Europe. These cathedrals were built in the Romanesque style. Romanesque churches normally followed the basilica shape of churches built in the late Roman Empire. 

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

A new style, called Gothic, appeared in the twelfth century and was brought to perfection in the thirteenth. The Gothic cathedral remains one of the greatest artistic triumphs of the High Middle Ages. Two basic innovations made Gothic cathedrals possible.

Ribbed Vaults and Pointed Arches

One innovation was the replacement of the round barrel vault with a combination of ribbed vaults and pointed arches. Builders could now make Gothic churches higher, giving a sense of upward movement, as if the building is reaching to God.

Flying Buttresses

Another technical innovation was the flying buttress—a heavy, arched support of stone built onto the outside of the walls.

Flying buttresses made it possible to distribute the weight of the church's vaulted ceilings outward and down. This eliminated the heavy walls needed in Romanesque churches to hold the weight of the massive barrel vaults

Stained Glass Windows

These windows depict religious scenes and scenes from daily life. The colored glass windows create a play of light inside the cathedral that varies with the sun at different times of the day. The Gothic cathedral, with its towers soaring toward heaven, bears witness to an age when most people believed in a spiritual world. 

Multiple Choice

Churches built in the early part of the Middle Ages were constructed in the

• basilica style.

• Gothic style.

• Romanesque style..

• classical style

Multiple Choice

Why was it so dark inside the churches of the early Middle Ages?

• because the builders wanted to create a solemn atmosphere

• because there were few windows

• because artificial lighting methods had not yet been invented

• because the stained glass windows blocked a lot of the light

Universities

The university of today, with faculty, students, and degrees, was a product of the High Middle Ages. The word university comes from the Latin word universitas, meaning "corporation" or "guild."

The First University

The first European university appeared in Bologna (buh • LOH • nyuh), Italy. Students, men only, came from all parts of Europe to learn law from the great teacher Irnerius. 

Other Universities

The University of Paris was the first university in northern Europe. In the late 1300s, many students and masters (teachers) left Paris and started a university at Oxford, England. Kings, popes, and princes thought it was honorable to found universities. By 1500, Europe had 80 universities.

Other Universities

Students began their studies with the traditional liberal arts—grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. Teachers lectured by reading from a basic text and adding explanations. After four to six years, students took oral examinations to earn a bachelor of arts degree and later a master of arts. After about ten more years, students earned a doctor of law, medicine, or theology.

Multiple Choice

What was the first degree earned by students attending a university?

• the bachelor of arts.

• a master of theology.

• a doctor of law.

• the master of arts

Scholasticism

The most highly regarded subject was theology—the study of religion and God. The study of theology was strongly influenced by a philosophical system known as scholasticism. Scholasticism tried to reconcile faith and reason—to show that faith was in harmony with reason

Scholasticism

The chief task was to harmonize Christian teachings with the works of the Greek philosophers. Aristotle reached his conclusions by rational thought, not by faith, and his ideas sometimes contradicted Church teachings

Multiple Choice

The most highly regarded field of study during the Middle Ages was

• vernacular literature.

• medicine.

• theology.

• law.

Multiple Choice

hy did scholars try to reconcile Christian teachings and Greek philosophy?

• They worried that the Greeks' ideas were more correct than the Christian teachings.

• They hoped to discredit the Greeks by proving that their arguments were false.

• They wanted to prove that the ancient Greeks were Christians.

• Ancient Greek scholars, with their emphasis on reason, were deeply respected.

Anselm of Canterbury

In the Proslogion, Anselm of Canterbury, a monastic theologian, made one of the first attempts in the eleventh century to demonstrate how the truths of faith are compatible with reason. In fact, Anselm made an argument to prove by reason the existence of God.

Thomas Aquinas

In the 1200s, Thomas Aquinasmade the most famous attempt to reconcile Aristotle with the doctrines of Christianity. Aquinas is best known for his Summa Theologica . His masterpiece followed a logical method of scholarly investigation. Aquinas first posed a question such as, "Does God exist?" He then cited opposing opinions before coming to his own conclusions.

Roger Bacon

In the late 1260s, at the request of Pope Clement IV, the English philosopher Roger Bacon wrote Opus Majus, an encyclopedia advocating a reformation of all sciences, including logic, mathematics, physics, experimentation, and philosophy. Bacon emphasized the importance of mathematics for the study of philosophy.

Multiple Choice

What academic discipline did Roger Bacon consider important to the study of philosophy?

• mathematics

• scholasticism

• literature

• law

Vernacular Literature

Latin was the universal language of medieval civilization. However, in the twelfth century, much new literature was being written in the vernacular— the language of everyday speech in a particular region, such as Spanish, French, English, or German.

Multiple Choice

Why was vernacular literature popular with so many people?

• It told romantic stories about knights and beautiful ladies.

• It helped people understand the ideas of the ancient Greek philosophers.

• It told exciting tales of battles and fantastical creatures.

• It was written in the language they spoke every day.

Troubadour poetry

The most popular vernacular literature of the twelfth century was troubadour poetry, which was chiefly the product of nobles and knights. This poetry told of the love of a knight for a lady, who inspires him to become a braver knight and a better poet.

chanson de geste

Another type of vernacular literature was known as the chanson de geste, or heroic epic. The earliest and finest example of such literature is The Song of Roland, which appeared around 1100 and was written in French. The chief events described in heroic epic poems are battles in which knights fight courageously for their kings and lords. 

Multiple Choice

The chanson de geste form is also known as

• the Proslogion.

• Romanesque.

• heroic epic.

• troubadour poetry.

Canterbury Tales

 the English author Geoffrey Chaucer used the English vernacular in his famous work The Canterbury Tales. This work consists of a collection of stories told by a group of 29 pilgrims, representing a range of English society, as they journeyed to the tomb of Saint Thomas á Becket at Canterbury, England.

Multiple Choice

In The Canterbury Tales, what activity are all the storytellers doing together?

• They are merchants who have met to do business.

• They are going off to fight for their king.

• They are going on a pilgrimage to a holy site.

• They are gathering in a tavern to enjoy themselves.

Open Ended

How did both innovations and disruptive forces affect people during the Middle Ages?