欧洲文化入门EuropeCulture3TheMiddleAges

EuropeCultureAnIntroduction3Lecture3:TheMiddleAges

InEuropeanhistory，thethousand-yearperiodfollowingthefalloftheWesternRomanEmpireinthefifthcenturyiscalledtheMiddleAges.Themiddleagesissocalledbecauseitcamebetweenancienttimesandmoderntimes.Tobespecific，fromthe5thcenturyto15thcentury.Thetransitionalperiodiscalledthe17thcentury，betweenthemiddleagesandmoderntimes.

In476A.D.aGermanic(日耳曼)generalkilledthelastRomanemperorandtookcontrolofthegovernment.西罗马476灭，东罗马1653年灭.DuringtheMedievaltimestherewasnocentralgovernmenttokeeptheorder.TheonlyorganizationthatseemedtouniteEuropewastheChristianchurch.ManorandChurch

1.FeudalismFeudalisminEuropewasmainlyasystemoflandholding---asystemofholdinglandinexchangeformilitaryservice.Theword“feudalism〞wasderivedfromtheLatin“feudum〞,agrantofland.a)Growthoffeudalismmostofpeasantsbecameserfs(attacksfrominvadersandrobbers---soughtprotectionfrompowerfullandowners---gavetheirlandandfreedom)

veryfewpeasantswerefreemen---workers(madeploughs,shodthehorses,andmadeharnnesses)In732CharlesMartel,aFrankishrulergavehissoldiersestatesknownasfiefsasrewardfortheirservice.b)Manor:Thecentreofmedievallifeunderfeudalismwasthemanor.Manorswerefoundedonthefiefsofthelords(农场主)。Bythetwelfthcenturymanorhousesweremadeofstoneanddesignedasfortresses.Theycametobecalledcastles.MedievalCastlec)Knighthoodandcodeofchivalry:Almostallnobleswereknightsinthemedievaldays.Buttheyhadtoexperiencedalongandhardtraining.Asaknight，hewerepledgedtoprotecttheweak，tofightforthechurch，tobeloyaltohislordandtorespectwomenofnoblebirth.Theseruleswereknownascodeofchivalry，fromwhichthewesternideaofgoodmannersdeveloped.Afteraknightwassuccessfulinhistrainedandtournaments，therewasalwaysaspecialceremony(选择)toawardhimwithatitle，knight.Thisspecialceremonyiscalleddubbing.knighttrainedforwarbyfightingeachotherinmockbattlescalledtournaments.(模拟战场)

2.TheChurchAfter1054，thechurchwasdividedintotheRomanCatholicChurchandtheEasternOrthodoxChurch.a)TheorganizationofChurchTheword“catholic〞means“universal〞TheCatholicChurchwasahighlycentralizedanddisciplinedinternationalorganization.b)ChurchFathersandEarlyMonasticismSt.JeromeAugustineofHippoSt.BenedictBenedictineRulec)thepowerandinfluenceoftheCatholicChurchunderfeudalism,peopleofwesternEuropeweremainlydividedintothreeclasses:clergy,lordsandpeasants.Kings,noblesandchurchofficialsworkedtogethertorulethepeople.Clergymenweretheonlyteachers,astheywerethebest-educatedmenintheirday.Peoplepaytaxestochurches.noblesandKingsoftengavelands,cropsorcattletosupportthechurch.Manyhighchurchofficalswerethemselvesbiglandownersandinfluencialnobles.ThepopenotonlyruledRomeandpartofItalyasaking,hewasalso

theheadofallChristianchurchesinwesternEurope.Thechurchsetupachurchcourt---theinquisitiontostampoutheresy.TheMedievalChurchwasthecenterofdailylifeinthecountryandtownalike,andithadapartinallimportantevents.TheCrusades

ManyreligiouspeopleinthistimewentonpilgrimagestoholysitessuchasJerusalem.In1071,however,JerusalemfellfromthehandsofArabswhoallowedChristianpilgrimsandintothehandsofTurkishMuslimswhokilledmanypilgrimsandsoldothersasslaves.NewsofthiskindenragedmanypeopleinWesternEuropeandsotheywagedholywarsknownasCrusadeswhichlastedfor200years.

ThesoldiersinthesewarsfoughtwitharedcrossontheirtunicsymbolizingtheirallegiancetoGod.

Therewere8chiefcrusades:1096–1099,1147–1149,1189–1192,1202–1204,1218–1221,1228–1229,1248–1254andtheeighthcrusadein1270.By1291thelastChristianstrongholdinPalestinefellandtheChristianshadlostthecrusadesbutdespitethistheywereincrediblyinfluentialonthepathofEuropeanCulture.EffectoftheCrusades:ClosercontactbetweentheEastandtheWestleadingtoarevivalinthestudyoftheworksofphilosopherssuchasPlatoandAristotlewho’sworkshadbeenpreservedinArabic.WhilemanyfeudallordswenttofightinPalestineknightswhowereleftathomestrengthenedtheirpowerbase.ContactwiththedifferentculturesofByzantinesandMuslimstheWesternEuropeanschangedmanyoftheirideas.

Thecrusadesrenewedpeople’sinterestinlearningandinvention.

ByC13thuniversities(e.g.OxfordandCambridge)whichdevelopedfromcathedralschoolsspreadalloverEurope.

Therewasnewinterestinscienceandmathematicssuchasalgebra.Therewasagreaterdemandforeasternluxuriessuchassilkandtheincreaseintradecausedbythisledtobiggercitiesandthusstrongernationalgovernmentsleadingtoafurtherbreakdowninfeudalism.LearningandScience:

1)CharlemagneandtheCarolingianRenaissance:

Charlemagne(742-814)temporarilyrestoredordertoWesternandCentralEuropeandwantedtobecrowned“EmperoroftheRomans’andthepopegavehimthistitlein800AD.加洛林文艺复兴2)AlfredtheGreatandtheWessexCentreofLearning:

AlfredtheGreat(849-899AD)wasdismayedbywhathecalled‘thedecayoflearningamongEnglishmen’thathesetupnewschoolsinthekingdomofWessex(insouthwestEngland)andencouragedscholarlyactivitiessuchastranslatingpopularworksfromLatinintothevernacular(thecommonlanguage).

HealsoinspiredthecreationofAnglo-Saxonchronicles.3)St.ThomasAquinasandScholasticism:

StThomasAquinas(1225–1274AD)wasanItalianscholarandasupremefigureinscholasticismwhichwasthephilosophyattemptingtoreconcilefaithandreason4)RodgerBaconandExperimentalScience:

Sciencewaslargelysuperstitioninthemiddleagesandveryfewadvancesweremade(Muchknowledgefromtheclassicalperiodwasevenlost!).

Realscientificprogressdidnotbeginuntilthe12thand13thcenturies(coincidingwithestablishmentofuniversities).

RodgerBacon(C.1220–1292AD)wasaMonkandoneoftheearliestadvocatesofscientificresearch.

Hecalledforcarefulobservationandexperimentationandhismainworkwasthe‘OpusMaius’whichwasanencyclopediaofscientificknowledgeinhistime.LiteratureoftheMiddleAges:

NationalEpics:Thesearelegendswhichwerewritteninthe‘national’languageswhichcameintobeingintheMiddleAges(whatwouldbecomeEnglish,French,German,Spanishetc.).

TheymarkamovefromLatinliteraturetotheliteratureofdifferentEuropeanlanguageseachwiththeirowndistinctivenationalcharacterisitics.

Beowolf:

AnAnglo-Saxon(EnglishfromAngleLand)epicinalliterativeversewhichissetinDenmarkandSweden.

IttellshowtheherokillsthemonsterGrendelandthenGrendel’smother(aseamonster)andgoesontobekilledwhenfightingafiredragon.

SongsofRoland(LaChansonDeRoland):ThemostwellknownoftheFrenchepicsknownasLaChansonDeGestes.

IttellsofhowRoland(oneofCharlemagne’ssoldiers)fightsinSpainanddiesdefendingapassinthePyrenees(MountainsontheborderbetweenmodernFranceandSpain