Medieval

When did it happen?

It is generally considered to span roughly from 476 AD, with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, to 1453 (fall of Constantinople) or 1492 (Columbus's arrival in America). Some historians prefer to speak of a gradual transition to the Modern Age rather than a precise date.

It is divided into three main stages:

High Middle Ages (500-1000)
High Middle Ages (1000-1300)
Late Middle Ages (1300-1500)

1. The fall of Rome

The Western Roman Empire disappeared after centuries of problems:

Economic crises. Political corruption.
*Civil wars.

• Population decline.
  *Invasions of Germanic peoples.

However, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) survived for almost a thousand more years, with Constantinople as its capital.

2. The medieval kingdoms

After the fall of Rome, numerous kingdoms emerged:

• Franks
  *Visigoths
• Ostrogoths
  *Lombards
• Anglo-Saxons
  *Burgundians

Over time, great powers emerged such as:

• France
  *England
• Castile
  *Aragon
• Portugal
  *Holy Roman Empire
• Kingdom of Hungary
  *Kingdom of Poland

These states gradually evolved into the future European monarchies.

3. Feudalism

Feudalism was not a universal law, but a set of political and economic relationships based on:

• land ownership;
  oaths of loyalty; military obligations;
  mutual protection.

A nobleman could swear loyalty to another, more powerful nobleman (his lord), who would grant him a fief. In return, he had to provide soldiers when needed.

4. The social pyramid

Although it varied by region, a simplified representation would be:

1. King
2. Great nobles
3. Gentlemen
4. Clergy
5. Peasants
6. Servants

The reality was more complex: there were merchants, artisans, lawyers, doctors, mercenaries, monks, officials, urban bourgeois, and many other groups.

5. The peasants

The majority of the population (more than 80% in many regions) lived in the countryside.

They worked:

*wheat

• barley
  *oats
• rye
  *vid
• cattle

Their lives were marked by the agricultural calendar and religious festivities.

6. The castles

Castles were not just fortresses.

They were also:

*Mr.'s residence;

• administrative center;
  *food storage;
• shelter during attacks;
  *symbol of power.

Over time they evolved from wooden constructions to great stone fortresses.

7. The knights

Becoming a knight required years of training:

• page (approx. 7 years);
  *squire (14 years old);
• knight (approximately 21 years old).

They learned:

horse riding; sword fighting;
spear; bow ;
courtly etiquette; military administration.

Chivalry was a moral ideal as well as a military function, although not all knights lived according to that ideal.

8. Weapons

The most common ones were:

*sword

• spear
  *axe
• mace
  *dagger
• longbow
  crossbow

Armor evolved from chain mail to full plate armor during the 14th and 15th centuries.

A fully equipped knight could wear between 20 and 30 kg of armor, designed to distribute the weight and allow for considerable mobility.

9. The Church

It was probably the most powerful institution in Western Europe.

Controlled:

*education;

• monasteries;
  *ecclesiastical courts;
• universities;
  *hospitals;
• an important part of political life.

Popes could influence kings and emperors, although their power varied according to the era.

10. The monasteries

Monasteries were centers of:

*copying of manuscripts;

• preservation of classical knowledge;
  *agriculture;
• medicine;
  wine and beer production; teaching.

Without them, many works from Antiquity would not have reached us.

11. The cities

From the 11th century onwards they grew rapidly.

They included:

*markets;

• guilds;
  *banks;
• universities;
  *International fairs.

The urban bourgeoisie began to gain economic and political importance.

12. The universities

The first European universities emerged in the Middle Ages:

• Bologna
  *Paris
• Oxford
  *Cambridge

They studied:

• theology;
  *law;
• medicine;
  *Liberal arts.

Teaching was mainly in Latin.

13. The Crusades

Between the 11th and 13th centuries, military expeditions were organized to recover the Holy Land.

Their consequences included:

• greater contact with the Islamic world;
  *trade exchange;
• circulation of scientific knowledge;
  political and economic changes in Europe.

It was not a continuous war, but a series of distinct campaigns.

14. The Black Death

Between 1347 and 1351 a plague epidemic devastated Europe.

Approximately one-third of the European population died, although the figures varied by region.

Its effects included:

labor shortage; wage increases in some areas;
economic crises; profound social changes.

15. The Hundred Years' War

It mainly faced England and France between 1337 and 1453.

He introduced important changes:

*decline of heavy cavalry;

• increased use of the English longbow;
  Strengthening of nation-states; figures such as Joan of Arc.

16. The economy

It was based on:

*agriculture;

• livestock farming;
  *local commerce;
• taxes;
  trade fairs; shipping routes.

From the 11th century onwards there was strong economic growth favored by agricultural improvements, such as the heavy plow and crop rotation.

17. Technology

Far from being a stagnant era, the Middle Ages saw important innovations:

watermills; windmills;
heavy plow; horseshoe;
horse collar; mechanical watches;
*glasses;

• navigation improvements;
  Gothic architecture.

These innovations increased productivity and paved the way for subsequent European expansion.

18. Art

The main styles were:

Romanesque (11th-12th centuries): thick walls, semicircular arches, robust churches. Gothic (12th-15th centuries): pointed arches, ribbed vaults, stained glass windows and very tall cathedrals.

Medieval cathedrals were both religious centers and symbols of urban prestige.

19. Common Myths

Modern historical research has debunked several popular ideas:

Not everyone believed the Earth was flat. Many medieval scholars knew it was spherical, following Greek and Roman tradition.

Not all peasants were serfs. Free peasants existed in many regions.

Hygiene was not nonexistent. There were public baths and cleaning standards, although practices varied depending on the time and place.

Science did not disappear. Universities developed, as did scholastic philosophy, and advances were made in medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.