Week 4 Flashcards
What role did monasteries play in early medieval society?
They preserved knowledge by hand-copying biblical and classical texts.
What was monastic ideology toward knowledge?
Conservation — preserving religious texts and selective Greek philosophy (e.g., Plato).
Why was book production slow in the Early Middle Ages?
No printing press; manuscripts were copied by hand using parchment and ink.
Who was Alcuin of York?
A scholar brought by Charlemagne to lead educational reforms.
What were the 7 Liberal Arts taught during the Carolingian Renaissance?
Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric (Trivium); Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy (Quadrivium).
What was the purpose of Charlemagne’s education reforms?
To unify the empire and convert people through Christian education.
What was the Admonitio Generalis?
A decree promoting educational and religious reform in the Frankish Empire (789 CE).
What are neumes?
Early musical notation used to indicate melody in chant.
What is Gregorian chant?
Monophonic sacred music from the 8th century.
What is Ars Nova?
A 14th-century musical style introducing polyphony and secular themes.
What farming innovation improved medieval agriculture?
The heavy plow and three-field system.
What military advancement came from China and changed European warfare?
The stirrup, which enabled mounted knights.
What was feudalism?
A decentralized political system where lords granted land to vassals in return for military service.
What economic activities revived in the Late Middle Ages?
Trade and commerce, especially in cities like Venice and Bruges.
When and where were the first universities founded?
Bologna (1150), Paris (1200), Oxford (1220).
What faculties made up the medieval university system?
Liberal arts (undergraduate), and graduate faculties of law, medicine, and theology.
What was scholasticism?
A method of learning that sought to reconcile Christian faith with reason and classical philosophy.
What was the main challenge with Aristotelian philosophy?
Ideas like eternal universe, no divine intervention, and deterministic natural laws conflicted with Christian doctrine.
How did Aquinas resolve the conflict between faith and reason?
He argued that natural philosophy helps explain God’s creation, while revelation remains supreme.
What were the Condemnations of 1277?
Church rulings that restricted teaching of certain “heretical” Aristotelian ideas.
What did the “Age of Translations” refer to?
The translation of classical texts (esp. Aristotle) from Arabic and Greek into Latin.
What instrument is Aristotle often depicted holding in medieval manuscripts?
An astrolabe.
What were bestiaries?
Books describing animals with moral and religious symbolism.
What was the purpose of bestiaries?
To educate readers on nature as a reflection of divine order.
What popular animal tale influenced French language and taxonomy?
Roman de Renart — changed the word for fox from “Goupil” to “Renard.”
When did the Black Death strike Europe?
1346–1350.
What impact did the Black Death have?
Massive population loss, social and economic upheaval, and the end of the Middle Ages.
