TheMiddleAges中世纪

1、the middle ages (476 1463)chapter 5 pp.87 106 question to consider during this class i want you to think about this question: some view the middle ages as a period of limited civilisation, especially when compared with the roman/greek civilisations. do you agree? why? why not? dark ages: 500 1000hig

2、h middle ages: 1000 1250late middle ages: 1250 - 1500the middle ages part 1: the dark ages (ad 476 ad 1000) began in ad 476 when there was no longer an emperor in rome & the western empire collapsed part 2: the high middle ages (ad 1000 ad 1463) a period of cultural recoverythe middle ages domin

3、ance of germanic people (the barbarians); who still lived a relatively primitive (basic) lifestylebarbarians from the latin barbarus meaning strangethe term middle ages the term middle ages is a sweeping and often derogatory 贬义 term, first used by renaissance 文艺复兴 scholars in the 1400s the term midd

4、le ages idea of a thousand-year period of ignorance between the greek/roman civilisations and the enlightened 开明 renaissance inventing the middle ages to distinguish 区别 themselves from it and highlight their own superior 优越 culture similar to how the romans used the barbarians to highlight their own

5、 cultural achievementsrecap: what were the middle ages?the middle ages: term used by renaissance scholars to represent a period of darkness between the greek/roman civilisations and the renaissancethe dark ages (476 1000) and a revival 振兴 of civilisation in the 2) high middle ages (1000 1463) 1000 y

6、ear period dominated by the germanic barbarianscivilisation in the dark ages (476 1000) most historians argue that the development of european civilisation was limited or even regressed 倒退 during the dark ages.comparisons with the roman empire. unlike the roman empire with its one all-powerful emper

7、or, europe developed into small fiefdoms 封地; each governed by a local lord this division meant that knowledge spread slowly; as communication was difficult and dangerouscomparisons with the roman empire. many of the improvements introduced by the romans deteriorated 衰败: roads, water-supplies, shippi

8、ng routes. there were regular wars and invasions significant knowledge was lost when the roman empire collapsed & we know little about the dark ages because of a lack of written sourcesa political, economic, and social system based on loyalty and military service.recap: from the roman empire to

9、the dark agesdeterioration 恶化 of much of romes legacy 遗产many argue that civilisation regressed 倒退after the roman empires collapsemuch of europe was organised into small fiefdoms 封地 = lack of communication and limited diffusion 扩散 of knowledge the vikings 维维京人京人 (ad 700 ad 1200) the vikings when barb

10、arians invaded europe between ad 350 and ad 550, some settled in scandinavia 斯堪的纳维亚 by ad 700 their descendants the vikings lived in norway 挪威, sweden 瑞典 and denmark 丹麦 who were the vikings? they were not a civilisation in the same sense as the romans or greeks. however they were a farming culture a

11、nd became rich through trade 贸易 and agriculture 农业 they also developed efficient government where local communities voted to decide laws and judge crimesviking invasions as the viking population grew and farmland grew scarce, the vikings travelled to new lands they began to spread out and conquer eu

12、rope in around 800 ad. the vikings vs ancient civilisations the colosseum in ancient rome (an amphitheatre used for gladiator contests)the ancient greek parthenon 帕台农 used to worship greek godsviking ships used to invade other countrieswhat is the difference? when we see symbols of the roman and gre

13、ek civilisations they emphasise culture, human reason and stability in contrast, the viking ships suggest exploration, constant movement and flux 变化 viking expansionhowever. the vikings were not merely destructive invaders; they had trade routes all over europe and as far as central asia as a cultur

14、e they had technical skill and a spirit of adventure but also a lack of permanence 恒久 by 1200 ad they had been mostly defeated or subsumed 纳入 into other culturesrecap: the vikings 维维京人京人did not create a social/political model; not a civilisation in the same way as rome/greece descendants of scandina

15、vian barbarians: began to expand into europe in 800adfamous for their ship-building and created a trade network through europe & central asiawhat else was happening in the early middle ages?social attitudes people in the early middle ages generally did not question/try to change what was around

16、them: punishment = hell, reward = heaven they were scared of invasion, war, the plague 鼠疫, the unknown so. the early middle ages (dark ages) is often seen as a transitional period in world history with few cultural achievementsthe influence of religion as barbarians who worshipped their own gods mov

17、ed began to overrun the roman empire; christianity initially struggled to survive however the barbarians were increasingly converted 皈依 by christian missionaries 传教士: re-establishing christianity as the major european religion a unifying force? was the christian church really a force for good? many

18、argue that it had a negative and repressive 压制 influence it represented a society that was attempting to politically structure itself on a religious basis it controlled academic knowledge which was held by the monasteries 隐修院; there were no universities and very few common people could read or write

19、charlemagne & the frankish kingdomcharlemagne (742-814) the christian frankish kingdom was the only kingdom or political structure in the dark ages which provided any kind of social stability charlemagnes notion of a united europe is often seen as crucial in the continuation of western civilisat

20、ioncharlemagne (742 814) charlemagne transformed the frankish kingdom into a great empire; by ad 800 he had created the largest state in europe after the fall of rome but this unity began to break down after his death in 814recap: the early middle agescharlemagne and the frankish empire: short-term

21、unity based around christianity in europe transitional period? people not wanting to change/question thingsreligion as a unifying force but repressive & key in limiting the spread of knowledge the high middle ages (1000 1463)the crusades: 1000 - 1200 war between european christians and muslims in western asia they increased european trade and led to the building of new roads1000 ad: the re-emergence of western europe after 1066 europes first universities bologna and paris were established universities were a key legacy 遗产 of the