Flurrescence of Medieval Europe

The Fluorescence of Medieval Europe The Framework of Feudal Society

The Fluorescence of Medieval Europe
Christianity formed the ideological framework, the body of ideas that governed all life in this era
Interpretation came from authorities
The organization itself was hierarchical, headed by the pope or (Eastern Orthodox) patriarch
Feudalism also emphasized hierarchy, faith, and, above all, loyalty to some master
The left diagram shows the feudal ideal, from king to peasant

The Medieval Arts: Abstract Formalism
Iconography: Identification and interpretation of symbols, usually in image form
Before legalization of Christianity in Rome in 313, visuals identified new converts
Fish served as a symbol because Greek word (ichthys) is an acrostic of the first letters of the Greek words:
“ Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour”

Numbers: Allegorical Symbols
Numbers acquired allegorical significance, or a symbol other than its literal meaning
Three is allegorical for the Trinity
Four signifies the Evangelists (i.e. the four authors of the New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
See p. 196 for their winged symbols: Matthew as man, Mark as lion, Luke as ox, and John as Eagle
Twelve signifies the 12 apostles

The Medieval Visual Arts
Generally, the arts abandon Roman realism
Exceptions: Jonah and the Whale recast into the Christian theme of rebirth (fig. 9.6 and 9.7 on p. 199, Fiero text
Good Shepherd (p. 199) retains few of the details expected of Roman sculpture
Rationale: ban of graven images in Judaism influenced early Christian themes

Early Medieval Architecture
Early Christian architecture was modeled after the Roman basilica
Features: large colonnaded (i.e., with many columns) hall for public meetings:
It contained a central nave (hall facing the altar) and a semicircular recess called an apse
For Roman version, see fig. 6.16, p. 151 in Fiero text
For Christian version, see figs. 9.8 for patterns and 9.9 and 9.10 for illustrations, pp. 200-201
Basic Roman model appears to the left

Medieval Life: Germanic Roots I
The so-called Dark Ages was a period of disorder and a struggle for stability
Cause of the disorder: spread of migratory Germanic tribes across Europe in the face of the predatory Huns and ultimately of the Mongols
They were largely agrarian, stateless, and militaristic, skilled in battle on foot and on horseback
Lacking either cities or urban culture, they were called barbarians by the Romans (originally a Greek term)
They represented the dialect of those peoples as “bar, bar, bar”

Medieval Life: Germanic Roots II
The peoples all spoke a Germanic dialect, usually mutually unintelligible
The tribes: Eastern Goths (Ostrogoths); Western Goths (Visigoths), Franks (original French), Angles (original English), Saxons, Vandals, Burgundians
Ostrogoths lived in the now Slavic countries eastward; Visigoths lived near the Danube
As they were pushed westward, the Goths occupied all of Europe

The Sack of Rome
Battle of Adrianople: Visigoths defeated the “invincible” Roman army
This unleashed a flood of Germanic tribes into the Mediterranean cities, including Rome
The tribes included the Vandals, whose willful destruction of Rome in 455 added their name to the English vocabulary to mean the same thing
Odoacer deposed the remaining Roman emperor in 476, marking the official end of the Roman empire .

Medieval Life: Roots of Germanic Law
A chief had his own band of followers
The primary law emphasized loyalty to the chief
Loyalty to one’s chief went hand in hand with valor in battle
“ If [a chief] dies in the field, he who survives him survives in infamy”—Tacitus
This loyalty, known as fealty, formed the superstructure of the feudal state that would dominate medieval society for the next thousand years

Germanic Law
Served as the foundation of English common law and in other countries
Law was developed by oral tradition passed down generations
The chief was responsible for governing, but general assemblies of armed men made the decisions
Assent indicated by brandishing their javelins
Unlike Roman law, was not legislated
Aim: to publicly shame the guilty, such as adultery (see pp. 244-246)
Trial by jury is derived from common law—and Germanic law.

Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire
Charlemagne (Charles the Great) rose to a throne hoping to restore the Roman empire under Christian leadership
In a Christian version of holy war, conquered other Germanic peoples such as the Saxons, the Lombards, and the Slavs
In 800, Pope Leo III crowned him “Emperor of the Romans” thereby establishing a bond between state and church
Established administrative units under dukes and counts to carry out his edicts
Fostered the arts, literature, and architecture (see p. 249 for details.
Carolingian copyists invented a typeface, called a miniscule , that separated words with spaces and added punctuation, which Latin lacked.

Medieval Life: Roots of Feudalism
Feudalism arose after the death of Charlemagne in 814
Lacked a standing army, a legal system, or well organized state: fragmentation was inevitable
Three sons divided the empire among themselves separating French from German-speaking
Attacks by the Vikings from the north and the Muslims from the Mediterranean further created division
Fragmentation of his empire led to people at all social levels to attach themselves to the dukes or counts he had created and to any warrior with a following
The search for protection and security lay the groundwork for feudalism

Structure of Feudalism
The king was the chief protector of his subject in his realm, under various names
The lords formed the subunit of the realm
The knights formed the military level of this structure, with the serfs underneath them
The serfs were the peasants, though they might differentiate themselves by social and economic class.

The Feudal Contract
Feudalism involved the exchange of land for military service
In return for the fief (grant of land), the vassal owed his lord a certain number of fighting days (usually 40) in return
Other obligations by both lord and vassal were involved: courts of law, paying the ransom for kidnapped lords, and others
Provided a form of local government

When Knighthood was in Flower
Knights formed part of the nobility who provided the protection
Comprised a closed, hereditary class
Men were mounted cavalry warriors known as chevalie r (French for horse) or Knecht (German for servant);
The term knight was derived from the latter
Typically wore chain mail (flexible armor made of interlocked metal rings)
Observed a code of chivalry involving loyalty to the lord, courage in battle, and reverence toward women
War games (such as jousts, or personal combat between men on horseback) were frequent

The Chain of Fealty Extended to the Pope
The hierarchy of clergy from parish priest to bishop to the pope covered Europe
Sanctions ensured the power of the church
Excommunication of the individual deprived him or her from the benefits of sacrament
Interdict extended this prohibition to entire communities or fiefdoms’
Finally, any deviation from Church doctrine was branded as heresy , thereby targeting the individual or community for these sanctions, plus more severe, physical punishment—such as burning at the stake

The Crusade: War Against the Infidels
Initially intended to recapture Christian lands from Muslim.
The crusades expanded to subjugate pagan Slavs, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, and heretics, among others
There were nine Crusades, according to one typology
As in all wars, the Crusades involved mass killings in the name of Christianity

Interpretation of the Crusades: A Defensive Move?
According to some historians (e.g. Thomas Madden), the Crusades were a defensive response to Islamic expansion
Expansion was ordered by Muhammad himself, who declared war against other religious faiths
The Muslims were doing well, conquering two-thirds of the old Christian world in Turkey, North Africa, and much of southern Europe
When Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade (left), he justified it as a defense against Islamic expansionism

The Crusades: Holy Terror

Conclusion
The medieval era also had Germanic roots
The iconography of Christianity became codes for pre-legal Christians in Rome
Some of the architecture was of Roman derivation, such as the basilica
There were Germanic as well as Hebrew and classical roots of the medieval era
Feudalism itself came from the Germanic tribal beliefs of loyalty to one’s chief
The hierarchy also was of Roman derivation
They culminated in the Crusades against Muslims and others
Next: how did the arts of the medieval era reflect this social and political structure?

Flurrescence of Medieval Europe

by PaulVMcDowell

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