Middle Ages and Renaissance Flashcards
Pax Romana had come to an end, violently, by Teutanic invasion. Centralized government, arts, laws, education, scientific research, etc. were replaced by Feudalism. The Dark Ages had begun. History dates the Dark Ages from 476 AD, when Odoacer disposed the last Roman emperor Romulus Agustulus, to the fall of Constantinope in 1453. Constantinople was conquered by the Islamic armies.
History- Dark Ages
Roman peace.
Pax Romana
A territorial system with established small fiefdoms interconnected by blood and marriage aliances and based on inequality and social ranking of the population.
Feudalism
- Dead in white garments
- Funeral procession
- Soul shot
- Preparation
- Catafalgues
- Funeral feast
Funerals and Funeral Behavior (changes that occured)
Funeralizing the ___________ symbolizing purity and equality in the early Roman church was changed to garments indicating social rank.
Dead in White Garments
The _________ utilizing the bier (persons bed or catafalque) remained intact from the early church.
- Wake
- Requiem mass
- Committal service
Funeral Procession
Mortuary fees paid to the church from the estate of the deceased for complete funeral service was instituted. (Decani getting the money)
Soul Shot
______ of the deceased was evidence of evisceration and vatting (or drypacking) on a small scale for nobility was also evident. Most however, were anointed with oils (extreme unction) and spices and wrapped in shrouds (face was the only area shown).
Preparation
The deceased was placed on a draped _____ (bier) and illuminated with as many as 400 candles for a three or more day wake period. (The poor only got a few candles).
Catafalque
The _______, after the committal service, was quite expensive, the estate was divided and an heir was named. This was important because the fasting before this was now concluded.
Funeral Feast
It was the responsibility of the _______ to care for his mother, if still alive. Estate generally went to this person. Sisters were generally married off or sent to a convent. By year two, brothers are given a choice of working for this person or moving on with a small sum of money.
Eldest Son
- Constantine’s Edict of Toleration
- Emperor Theodosius
- Legal code of Justinian
- Pop Gregory the Great
- Charlemagne
- Archbishop of Canterbury
- Cardinal Bourbon
- God’s Acre
Church and Cemetery Burial in the Middle Ages
In 313 AD, encouraged intramural internments without regard to sanitation- also developed church yard (Generally rich people were interred in Church floors).
Constantine’s Edict of Toleration
381 AD, re-instituted extramural interment by law for sanitation reasons (bad odors in churches).
Emperor Theodosius
534 AD, required extramural interment by law for sanitation reasons.
Legal Code of Justinian
590-604 AD, encouraged intramural internment as a right to every Christian. (Last Judgement- body and soul will reunite- wants to be near the church).
Pope Gregory the Great
742-814 AD, (French) attempted to stamp out intramural burial by creating extramural cemeteries consecrated by the Roman Catholic Church away from population centers. He was buried intramurally in the church.
Charlemagne
Rebuilt the Cathedral in 1705 with intramural crypts only for clergy and parishioners of merit.
Archbishop of Canterbury
1581 AD, ________, Archbishop of Rouen stated not even the rich should be buried in churches. Supported extramural burial for sanitation reasons.
Cardinal Bourbon
Name given to intramural church yard, cemeteries built next to churches.
God’s Acre
Extramural burial was still the exception, not the rule. During the beginning of the plague years, intramural interments were the majority.
- A significant rise in extramural cemeteries consecrated for that purpose arose out of necessity because of the bubonic plague.
Disposal and Contagion Associated with Bubonic Plague
A state in which those whose souls are not perfectly cleansed undergo a process of cleansing before they can enter heaven.
Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory
_________ date back before Christianity, to pagan Rome, to defray funeral costs. With the rise of Christianity, purgatorial societies replaced or absorbed these. (Contempory example: Perpetual Mass cards).
Lay Burial Organizations
To bury the dead and pray for the deliverance of the soul from purgatory.
Purpose of Purgatorial Societies
The _____ of the guild made the necessary funeral arrangements which included and Requiem Mass. Burial with Soleminity, the payment of the soul shot for Mortuary fee (fees paid to the church), and a liberal distribution of Alms to the poor.
Steward
One in such society originally Roman Catholic, but after the Reformation became part of the Church of England. The burial guilds survived the Reformation.
The League of Prayer
A death crier dressed in black with a skull and crossbones on both sides of his gown would ring a bell to announce the death of a Guild member. (Each guild would have a death crier).
Death Watch
Characterized by rioting and drunkenness and obscene customs of “Rousing the Ghost”, a kind of necromancy or black magic to call out or raise the soul of the departed.
The Wake During the Middle Ages
Possessions were divided and an heir named. Usually the oldest son, nephew, or son-in-law.
At the Funeral Feast
Only for the nobilty and chuch leaders, involved long wakes and there is evidence that crude embalming practices were used to deter putrefaction.
Funerals of State During the Middle Ages
Usually a death mask and sometimes an entire caricature, were used to represent the deceased. (Death masks were made before men went to war, in case they didn’t come back. The death mask and mannequin could be used in the wake).
The Waxen Effigy
Because of the intramural interments in churches for the nobility, crypts were made from the finest materials: silver, gold, bronze, and jewels that could rival Egypt were common.
Tombs and Monuments During the Middle Ages
Black Death. Claimed the lives of 50% of the European population.
- Caused by Yersina pestis (formally called Pasturella pestis) carried by infected fleas on black rats.
- People thought that this was punishment from God. They did not know the true transmission of the disease.
The Bubonic Plague
Originated in Germany and Austria. It was an antisemetic order of lay men who blamed the Jewish population of Europe for the Bubonic Plague.
The Flagellant Society
In 542 AD, in one day 10,000 people died in Constantinople.
Early Plague Period
1664-1665. 68,596 people died in a population of 460,000 at the end of the plague period. In 1666, the Great fire of London killed the rats that carried the infected fleas. Stamped out most of the Bubonic plague.
Great Plague of London