A: Renaissance Europe - 1. Times of Change p. 16 Flashcards
Middle Ages
476 - 1450
The medieval era, often called The Middle Ages or the Dark Ages, began around 476 A.D. following a great loss of power throughout Europe by the Roman Emperor. The Middle Ages span roughly 1,000 years, ending between 1400 and 1450.
Feudalism
The system of political organization during the Middle Ages in which the lords owned the land and all others served them.
Feudalism was a hierarchy so power was concentrated in the higher ranks.
Hierarchy
People are ranked one above another according to their importance.
A social system in which status is ranked, and power is concentrated in the higher ranks
Medieval hierarchy from most important to least important
Name all the levels in the feudalism hierarchy
- the crown (king)
- barons, abbots, and bishops
- knights
- commoners (Peasants such as Freeholders and Serfs)
Allegiance
Loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to an individual or group.
In the middle ages, nobles or knights swore allegiance (loyalty) to the king. They promised to fight for him in exchange for the rights to pieces of land called manors or fiefs.
How do bishops get their land?
from the king
bishops are part of the church system, and over time the church became a very large landowner. As a result the church was very important to medieval people in their practical and spiritual lives.
Bishop vs. Barons
bishops and barons have the same amount of power, they are almost at the top of the hierarchy, with just the king above them.
Manor
Nobles and knights promised to fight for the king in exchange for the right to the pieces of land called manors.
A manor is a piece of land sometimes called a fief that houses many people: the peasants and the nobles and knights.
The manor exists because it houses the peasants that do work for the nobles and knights, but also houses the nobles and knights.
Freeholders were able to rent land from the king or would work the land for the king. And serfs worked the land for the king with little pay.
What were peasants expected to do on manors?
Farm and turn over food to the nobles, build roads, and clear forests
Serfs
Peasants who worked the land for the lord and were not allowed to leave without the lords permission. When they did travel, they rarely went farther than the nearest town.
How could runaway serfs gain freedom?
They had to stay in a town for a year and a day without being discovered.
Freeman / Freeholders
Peasants who rented land or worked for pay ( were able to come and go and not restricted to the land where they work)
- unskilled peasants could learn trades
- peasants that were good at making shoes could open a workshop to produce and sell shoes
- some peasants worked for wealthy merchants as servants and labourers
What were some positives to country life?
•You were guaranteed housing and a job
Each family had their own patch of land
What were some negatives to country life?
- They had to give food to the nobles
- Some were serfs and so could not leave the land without permission ; freeholders could leave but they needed to work in order to be paid so still had to work hard
- the lord could order the peasants to do almost anything (clear forests, make roads, farm etc.)
Medieval town life
- medieval towns were centres for farm communities
- the towns were close to a castle, palace, or large monastery
- citizens would build stone walls around the town to protect themselves from rival cities or lords
- local goods as well as goods from other countries were available in shops in the towns
- towns were crowded, dirty, and rat infested
- towns offered freedom and new opportunities
What are some positive to town life?
You were able to learn a trade
You had more freedom
You could become a merchant
What are some downsides to town life?
People were not guaranteed housing or a job
They were crowded dirty rat infested
guild
cooperative organizations
- controlled the prices of goods
- set standards of quality
- decided who would be admitted to the craft as an apprentice
- guilds took care of members and their families in case of illness or accident
Basically a union, they controlled the prices of goods, set standards of quality, and decided who would be admitted to the craft as a trainee. They also acted as insurance
Apprentice
Starting at about 8 years old, a child usually went to live and work at the home of a master and learn a trade. After years of training and once old enough they could become a journeyman.
Journeyman
A person who has learned a trade and joined the trade having apprenticed already and would be admitted to the guild
- After years of working and training they would take a test to become a journeyman and be admitted to the guild.
- Years later, after more study and practice, they would become masters.
Master
After years of more study and practice, a journeyman can become a master
- They could open their own business an dtake on their own apprentices
What was the role of rural women?
- They usually had many children
- they shared the hard work in the fields with their husbands
- Wove cloth
- Made clothes
- Cooked meals
- preserved meals
What was the role of women in town?
- They married guild members
- Worked alongside their husbands or were in charge of selling goods
- They were permitted to inherit property
- They could become masters of textile industries and brewing
What was the role of women in families of wealthy merchants?
They had more opportunity than women who were not in families of wealthy merchants
They were sent to school
What was the role of women in noble families?
They had the fewer rights than the men
Arranged marriages
What was the role of women in religious orders?
Received some education
What was the peasants revolt?
The peasants revolted because of high taxes due to war.
Beginning in 1337, war broke out between England and France. It lasted more than 100 years and was called “The Hundred Years’ War”. Peasants in both countries revolted because of the high rents and taxes they had to pay to finance the war.
What was a result of the peasants revolt?
They lost but their world view changed
What was the Black Death?
The plague. 1346 to 1350 in the late Middle Ages
What was a result of the Black Death?
There were severe labor shortages in manors and many went bankrupt
This was another blow to the Feudal system. Millions of Europeans died of the Black Death. Regular outbreaks of the plague continued for the next several hundred years. As a result there were severe labour shortages on the manors and many feudal estates went bankrupt.
What did nobles do after the Black Death?
They rented land out or sold it to serfs since they were not able to hold onto their manors. Serfs were finally released from their obligations to the lords.
The bonds that held feudal society together were slowly coming undone so peasants finally had some options open to them. Most peasants stayed in the security of the work and community that they knew, but some headed for the towns.
In the new social structure how did people show their wealth?
Clothing, furniture, decorations, and meals
Sumptuary Laws
Laws that controlled consumption or how people spent their money; this was a method to enforce hierarchy because people of lower status were not allowed to dress like people of higher status
Why were sumptuary laws put into place?
They were put in place because people were buying too much
What is the top level of the new social structure?
Aristocracy
What is the middle level of the new social structure?
Middle class
What was the bottom level of the new social structure?
Lower class
Which people were under aristocracy?
- High church officials
- Rulers or lots of large manors
- Old noble families
- Wealthy merchants
What types of people were part of the middle class?
- Merchants or business people
- Crafts people
- Shopkeepers
- Bankers
- Priests and lower church officials
What types of people were part of the lower class?
- Peasants
- Rural lab outward
- Urban laborer a
- Servants
- Unemployed
What is the church social structure?
- The pope
- Archbishops
- Bishops
- Priests
- Parishioners
What did priests do?
performed religious services for members of their congregations including baptizing babies, marrying couples, teaching children to pray, and leading religious services
What did parishioners do? (These are members of the congregation)
had the duty to :
- obey the rules of the church
- respect the priest’s authority
- pay the priest a tithe
Tithe
A portion of crops or percentage of earnings paid to the church
What did people build in the Middle Ages (as a competition against others on who could build the best)?
Cathedrals
Convent
Building and lands in which nuns lived and carried out the religious duties
Monastery
Building and lands in which monks lived and carried out the religious duties
Why were monks and nuns more educated?
In order to read the bible, they had to become literate.
Some monasteries became great centres of learning during medieval times. Religious scholars copied Christian religious texts as well as manuscripts from ancient times written in Latin and Greek.
Eventually universities grew up around religious schools. Subjects such as grammar, geometry, astronomy, and music were taught. By the end of the 1400s, there were more than 80 universities in Western Europe. These universities did not permit women to attend! In late 1800s they started admitting some women.
Why did many people turn to faith?
They thought the Black Death was a punishment from God
What were the major religions in medieval Europe?
- Christianity (Christians)
- Islam (Muslims)
- Judaism (Jews)
- 700s Muslims from North Africa conquered most of Spain and Portugal so Islamic Spain became a centre of medieval learning
- Jews were often forced to live in a ghetto and were blamed for poisoning wells that spread the Black Death and so they were masacred
- Jews were barred from entering most professions but were allowed to become jewellers, money traders, and merchants, and sometimes physicians
Renaissance Personality: Christine de Pisan
- 1364-1430
- French
- poet
- philosopher
- historian
- educated in ancient languages and literature
- wrote that women should be allowed to participate more fully in society
Renaissance Personality: Martin Luther
- 1483-1546
- German
- religious thinker
- translated the bible into German
- protester
- religious reformer against the corruption of the church
Renaissance Personality: Vasco da Gama
1460-1524
- Portuguese
- explorer
- first person to sail from Europe directly to India
- Started the age of exploration (Europeans began to settle different parts of the world)
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Renaissance Personality: Nicolaus Copernicus
- 1473-1543
- Polish
- Astronomer
- Mathematician
- Theory published that Sun is Centre not Earth
- Father of modern astronomy and science
Renaissance Personality: Francis 1
Francois 1er
1494-1547
- King of France
- Supported the construction of buildings using Renaissance architecture (Louvre and Chateau de Chambord)
Renaissance Personality: Leonardo da Vinci
1452-1519
- architect
- inventor
- engineer
- painter
- musician
- Mona Lisa painting
- one of the greatest geniuses of all time
