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THE MIDDLE AGES.   Term Paper ID:28911 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Analysis of economic downfall of middle class of Roman Empire. Ensuing chaos in Europe. Rise of Christian Church. Medieval heritage & influence on Italian Renaissance.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Analysis of economic downfall of middle class of Roman Empire. Ensuing chaos in Europe. Rise of Christian Church. Medieval heritage & influence on Italian Renaissance. Paper Introduction: THE MIDDLE AGES: SLOW CHANGE TOWEARD THE RENAISSANCE The Middle Ages was not merely the fall of Rome and the triumph of the Barbarians; it was also the economic downfall of what had been the middle class of the Roman Empire and beyond. In Italy, “every property owner was subject to rising taxes to support an expanding bureaucracy whose chief function was to collect taxes” (Durant 29). The slave class that had supported the Roman Empire through their toil, was also declining since there was no one to pay them. It was chaos in Europe. The only strength came from the rising Christian Church. To millions who were in despair “the church brought a faith and hope that inspired and canceled death” (Durant 44). In fact, the Church was the only seat of intellectual power and curiosity during the centuries known as the Dark and Middle Ages. As we shall see, however Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Life in the Middle, Vol. "Works of" Great Books of the Western World Vols 19 & 2 Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952.Cipolla, Carlo M. The troubadours of the Middle Ages brought forth the literature of theRenaissance, when more and more people learned to read with somewhatrudimentary skills. While not directly related, the science of "looking"for far-off objects, brought about "the Tuscan discovery of eye-glasses inthe 128 's" (Cippola 159). In Italy, "every property owner wassubject to rising taxes to support an expanding bureaucracy whose chieffunction was to collect taxes" (Durant 29). Pre-Renaissance Italy was also beginning to flex its economicmuscle, with trade from ports like Venice and Genoa and Sicily now criss-crossing the Mediterranean. France was also ruled by St. There is a medieval heritage in literaturewhich deserves almost a separate essay on Dante alone. His most famous work, "Sic et Non"("Yes and No") is basically a series of contradictions to accepted dogma.He began with: "The first key to wisdom is assiduous and frequentquestioning" (Durant 939). His son, known as Charlemagne, "proved himself, all thingsconsidered, the greatest of the medieval sovereigns" (Taylor 21 ). Thus, even in areas such as England, Italy,and Northern Europe, that were not part of the so-called Holy Roman Empire(which was neither holy nor Roman) the quest for knowledge now extendedbeyond monasteries and the Church. With the base of upper and middle classes disappearing, given thepolitical and economic nature of these Ages, poverty was no longer ararity, and yet, this state could not easily be alleviated. WhatCharlemagne accomplished in fact was that he provided an Imperialgovernment for western Europe. As weshall see, however, monasteries filled with scholars could not contain theintellectual curiosity and desire for artistic challenges. 1 & II Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 1967.Coulton, G.G. "The Crusades were the culminating act of the medieval drama, andperhaps the most picturesque event in the history of Europe and the NearEast" (Durant 585). The Medieval Mind Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1962.Van Loon, Hendrick. There were other challengers of the "acceptable truths". In fact, the Church was the only seat of intellectual power andcuriosity during the centuries known as the Dark and Middle Ages. Other Middle Agesinventions were windmills and tidal mills. The Holy Roman Empire really had its beginnings in 751, when Pippin"with universal approval and the consent of the Pope, was crowned king"(Taylor 2 9). The idea of "doubters" leads one to the fifth element- the scientificand technological awakening and its movement toward Renaissance. Bythe 11 s, there were experiments in continuous rotary motion. The Story of Mankind Garden City NY: Garden City Publishing Co., 1938. The Church's bureaucracy was the key element. So, theChurch's teachings veered toward the firm belief that God understands thepoor. Tomany, he is known as the lover of Heloise but, in fact, he was one of thedevelopers of a new form of reason. The slow changes that led to the Renaissance may well be considered infive stages: 1) The conversion of the Teutons, 2) the Holy Roman Empire, 3)the Crusades, 4) the Economic and Industrial reawakening of Europe, and 5)the beginnings of science. III & IV Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 1967.Durant, Will. Perhaps for this reason thecultural Rebirth was delayed. Where wouldRobin of Locksley and Ivanhoe of more recent vintage have found theirbeginnings, if not for the stories from the Crusades, Richard the LionHearted and Prince John. "During that period, while Europe remained sincerely andcompletely Catholic, the church lost much of its influence" (Strayer 251).This century became the time for the civilization of Europe. It was chaos in Europe. The Middle Ages brought us the first Arthurian legends. William the Conqueror had madeEngland a greater power. They lacked...the industrial skills....and...the nautical arts available in Europe by 15 . The ordering of theclergy was Roman, and the regulation of the monasteries wasRomanized....Rome had triumphed" (Taylor 2 1). "Certainly in 861...the mill for making mash for beerappears. "In Pascal's view they are discontinuous;there is no transition, no evolution from one to another" (Powicke 211).Again, this was the beginning of an enlightenment that the Church in theMiddle Ages had shied away from for fear of disputing what was written andordained. The first rudimentary clocks were invented.While paper was a Chinese invention, "the first two instances of thedistinctive medieval European style...of paper manufacture in LatinChristendom...in 1276 and 128 - both involved water-powered preparation ofthe pulp" (Cippola 159). The Age of Faith New York: Simon & Schuster, 195 .Powicke F.M. Wars had been fought and now ceased to causetremendous problems, which made it possible for scholars to reappear, bothat court and in universities. There were variant forms of the heavy plough... The slave class that hadsupported the Roman Empire through their toil, was also declining sincethere was no one to pay them. To conclude; "We shall never do justice to the Middle Ages until wesee the Italian Renaissance not as their repudiation but as theirfulfillment" (Durant 1 85). For the first time, there were new designs for agricultural implements. The Middle Ages also producedthe crank (even though it is reported to have been invented in China). This inexorablemarch led to the cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance. "The permanent conversion to Catholicism of the great masses ofGermans...may be dated from the baptism of Clovis as a Catholic onChristmas Day in the year 496" (Taylor 193). Crowell & Co., 1971.Strayer, Joseph R. Yet, as Durant(195 ) explains, Dante may well stand beside Virgil and Petrarch besidesHorace. (ed.) The Middle Ages New York: Harper & Row, 1976.Coulton G.G. Flanders became a strong exporter of textiles: By the 134 s there is a general livening of activity in two areas: Bohemia through new mining for gold, silver, and zinc, and in south Germany through following the Italian example of commercializing rural and small-town skill (Cipolla 256). They had given free access to Christian pilgrims, andeven helped build and restore churches in the Christian Holy Land. It was a timeof ascendancy for the French under Philip the Fair. As the Middle Ages progressed toward the era of rebirth, new scholarsemerged -- Abelard, for one, the creator of the University of Paris. Ways of Medieval Life and Thought New York: Thomas Y. Medieval Statecraft and the Perspectives of History Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1971.Taylor, Henry O. Accordingdo Cippola, one reason for the weakening of the Roman Empire was that: the Romans were not equipped to spread their dominance far beyond the basin of the Mediterranean. What is somewhat disconcerting about the attitude of the Church, andits handling of ecclesiastical, political and social matters, is that thissort of external goods happiness was a dream, not a reality. A serf was a serf and his position would never change. As for science, astronomy was adapted from Islamic astronomers andbecame a major study. In other words, theprogress of science and culture were denied to the "common man," reservedfor those who had standing in the Church. Life in the Middle Ages Vol. The Crusadeswere also made possible, more or less, by the waning of the ByzantineEmpire. The economy,not the Church, became the most important set of values for each state.Germany recovered and gained strength. To millions who were in despair "thechurch brought a faith and hope that inspired and canceled death" (Durant44). They became gate-keepers for making that hope come true. Therefore, the onlyinstitution to provide such hope (and the dream of hope's fulfillment) wasthe Church. Louis, Louis VIII."He believed and proved that a government could be just andgenerous...without losing prestige or power" (Durant 692). There is more to the Middle Ages than their beginnings.If nothing else the slow movements, sometimes painfully slow, of the DarkAges provided the light at the end of the tunnel -- the light historianscall the Renaissance. The possession of goods, as religious men inthe Middle Ages put it: "counsel all rich men, that it is in their power toearn everlasting rewards by good use of those things which are now in theirtransitory possession" (Coulton 47). As a result, "The FrankishChurch (was) made part of the Roman Catholic Church. Now, the doubters came out. This served as the gateway for the philosopherswho were to expand intellectual horizons in the Renaissance and the Age ofReason and Enlightenment to come. Aquinas poses the question: "Whether any external goods are necessaryfor Happiness?...External goods are promised the saints" (Aquinas 634).Does this not follow, then, the main concern of Martin Luther, the sellingby the Church of "indulgences": money for some sort of heavenly happiness? Works CitedAquinas, Thomas. The Fourth and last Crusade lasted from 12 2 to 12 4. But whenthe Turks took over Jerusalem, and pilgrims brought home various stories ofsuppression and desecration, the Church decided it had to act. However, there was a positiveeffect that would develop further in the Renaissance: the "stimulation (of)the secular life of Europe by acquaintance with Moslem commerce andindustry....The knights lost Palestine but the Italian merchant fleets woncontrol of the Mediterranean" (Durant 612). Yet, intellect was somewhat stifled by the Church in the name of God.As Aquinas wrote: "For man should not seek what is above reason. The only strengthcame from the rising Christian Church. But the Good Lord of the Middle Ages who allowed the serf to remain a slave all his life had bestowed an immortal soul upon this humble creature and therefore he must be protected in his rights, that he may live and die a good Christian (Van Loon 196).It is obvious, then, that the Middle Ages were merely an interlude betweenthe glory that was Rome and the rebirth of cultural endeavor -- an intervalwhere hope was provided to overcome harsh reality. For one,Pascal: who saw three orders -- the order of the flesh, the order of themind, and the order of charity. which could handle heavy soils which produced larger crops than softer soils" (Cippola 147).Another "advance" was the adaptation of water mills for other thanharnessing power. THE MIDDLE AGES: SLOW CHANGE TOWEARD THE RENAISSANCE The Middle Ages was not merely the fall of Rome and the triumph of theBarbarians; it was also the economic downfall of what had been the middleclass of the Roman Empire and beyond. While Europe had seemingly adjusted to Muslim controlof the Near East. In short, thiswas a time for the traditional boundaries among classes to be somewhaterased. So, Europe began a resurgence of its economic strength. Europe was trending toward a form of what wetoday may call "capitalism." The importance of the Church became an ominousshadow over it all. Seek notthe things that are too high for thee" (Aquinas 1). This is the more important because there is some reason to believethat an entirely new machine was used" (Cippola 155). It was adisaster and led to the cancellation of any further attempts to secureJerusalem from the hands of "infidels", and the loss of men and materialcaused a severe problem with feudalism. As a result of hisdiplomacies, there was a change in attitudes and values in the Thirteenthcentury. It was a time ofexpansion, and an opportunity to improve trade. The Church's inexorable move to"crown" the sort of monarchs it considered proper for the variousdominions, especially in Europe, ante-dated the power of the Vatican in theRenaissance. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.