Ch 15 notes

CHAPTER 15 EUROPE TO THE EARLY 1500S: REVIVAL, DECLINE, AND RENAISSANCE
(HIGH MEDIEVAL EUROPE AND THE EARLY RENAISSANCE)
TERMS AND LECTURE I. GENERAL
A. Read “Global Perspective.”
B. Write and know Review Questions 1,2,6,7,8, and 9.
C. Know this Lecture for the Final.
D. Text High Middle Ages = My Medieval Sacred State; 1000-1300
What the text calls the “High Middle Ages” I call the “Medieval Sacred State.” Pay attention to the dates, c.1000-1300 AD. During this time, we find Sacred State traits which resemble those of the Ancient Sacred State eras: Socially, women are more equal to men, and the middle class is not very important.
Politically, there are efforts to centralize secular and religious power. The Holy Roman Emperor is the secular power in Europe, and the Catholic Pope is the religious power. They have a love-hate relationship. To complicate matters, as in the other medieval sacred states (e.g., Muslim and Chinese), the warrior aristocrats retaining landed power from the Classical Empires refuse to give that power up and contest the centralizing efforts. Remember that we find a three-way power struggle
Economically there is less trade; Europe is cut off from the world to a large extent until the Crusades gradually integrate Europe into the world. Slaves are less important; serfs take their place.
Artistically and Religiously, we find a very devout, religious focus. The earthly pursuits of the Classical Empires give way to non-earthly pursuits of the Medieval Sacred States. E. The Text Late Middle Ages (and Beginning of the Renaissance) = My Warrior Period 1300-1500
What the text calls the “Late Middle Ages” is what I call the Warrior Period of c.1300-1500 BC
Look for the traits of all the warrior periods as this time slowly grows into the Renaissance Empires starting c.1500, with Empire traits. But in this earlier period, the Warrior Period of c.1300-1500, you will find that:
Socially, men start to regain dominance over women (e.g., Hundred Years War and Witch Burnings) and the middle class begins to reappear (e.g., Black Death).
Politically, medieval Christendom fragments into regional states (just as the medieval Muslim umma fragments into regional states), and the religious power ossifies and weakens.
Economically, trade revives slowly.
Artistically and Religiously, there is a gradual appreciation of more earthly pursuits characteristic of empires (e.g., humanism) and also a serious weakening of religious authority (e.g., Roman Catholic Church schism). II. REVIVAL OF (HOLY ROMAN) EMPIRE, CHURCH, TOWNS-- HIGH MIDDLE AGES (1000-1300): A. Otto I and the Revival of the Holy Roman Empire: Church- State conflict
Around 1000 AD Pope John crowned Otto of Germany Holy Roman Emperor (heir to Charlemagne). From that date on, the medieval Church-State conflict weakened Christendom, which was a unity that was supposed to bring stability and efficiency to post-Roman Empire Europe. B. The Reviving Catholic Church: Cluny Reform; Investiture Struggle; and Crusades, and Inquisition
Throughout the Medieval Sacred State period or High Middle Ages, the Church seemed to be winning in the Church-State conflict:
(1) Cluny Reform: Around 1000 AD, the famed monastery of Cluny in France introduced reforms into the Church in order to attract more followers. For hundreds of years prior to 1000 AD, men and women had become monks and nuns in cloisters and protected houses throughout Europe. However, over the centuries, luxurious life-styles and self-indulgences had countered the original Rule of Pope Benedict, which was “Poverty, chastity, and obedience.” Monks and nuns lived more secular lives, had unofficial families, and failed to honor their vows. At the Cluny monastery, the Rule was strictly enforced. The reform movement spread. The result was that more people than ever entered monasteries and convents, convinced that if they followed the strict Rule, they would be guaranteed to go to heaven. When they entered these “holy orders” they gave their wealth to the Church in gratitude, and the Church grew richer. This looked like a victory for the Church, but ultimately, it would weaken the Church. The text says, “the Church was society’s most democratic institution,” (because so many people entered holy orders) and this democracy would soon bring down the Church.
(2) Investiture Struggle. Around 1100 AD Pope Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV fought over who would control the appointments of people into important positions. Both Gregory and Henry sent insulting messages to each other, and eventually Pope Gregory got the upper hand and made Henry humble himself before the Pope. This looked like a victory for the Church, and it was in the short run. But by 1500, the weakening of the Holy Roman Emperor meant the strengthening of the nobility in the Holy Roman Empire, and this nobility will support Martin Luther and others in their break from both the Church and the Holy Roman Emperor.
(3) Crusades. The Crusades or “taking up the cross against the Turkish and Mongol Muslims” lasted from c.1100-1300 AD. When they were first called, the Pope urged Western European Catholics to “take back the Holy Land” from the Muslims. (See text map. ) However, the Holy Land had been in the Byzantine Christian sphere of influence, so the Crusaders often found themselves pitted against fellow Christians. After some seven crusades against “the infidel” Muslims, the crusaders attacked southern France to the European Catholics’ horror. The Pope ended the Crusades after it was clear that land, wealth, power, and influence were more important than religious protection of holy sites. Ultimately, the Church was weakened. Today the Catholic Church has made apologies for the Crusades.
GO TO FILM CLIP CRUSADES PT. 1 CRUSADES PT. 2
(4) Inquisition. The text does not mention this institution which has been so controversial since its establishment, but it had enormous repercussions to the present day. Around 1200 AD, Pope Innocent III targeted people whose beliefs were suspect—Jews, Muslims, and free-thinking Catholics. They were arrested and brought before the Catholic law courts in different jurisdictions. There, Catholic lawyers inquired about the orthodoxy of their beliefs, and if they were found wanting, they were imprisoned, tortured, and executed for heresy. The costs for their trial and execution were often paid for out of their own pockets. The Inquisition, like the Crusades, has been condemned by the Church itself for unwarranted excesses.
GO TO FILM CLIP THE INQUISITION PT. 1
Notice that these four movements strengthened the Roman Catholic Church in the short run, but they weakened that Church in the long run. By 1300, the Church was definitely on the downturn. C. Revival of Towns, Jews, and Universities: Heloise and Abelard and Scholasticism
There were practically no towns in 1000 AD. But by 1300 AD, many towns had grown up under the protective shadow of castles and their lords. In these towns, a newly emergent middle class formed from peasants who had surplus produce to exchange. Jews found the towns a refuge into which they could disappear. Traders often dealt with foreign and non-Catholic persons, so they had to learn languages and customs and business practices and manufacturing crafts. (See text photo.) This all encouraged the rise of schools and eventually universities by the 1100s. These universities welcomed scholars who were receiving ancient Greek manuscripts from the East via the crusaders. These manuscripts had been forbidden and burnt by the Church in earlier times, but nothing could stop the import during the Crusades. The most influential books were those of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Many Catholic scholars recognized his brilliance and included him in their curriculum. A new approach to scholarship called “scholasticism” came out of the schools as a result of challenging new material like Aristotle. It taught logic and critical thinking about topics, comparing various views from the Pope, Fathers of the Church, and Aristotle, among others. (See text photo.) This kind of critical evaluation of Church teachings was threatening to the Church, and it tried to rein in influential scholastics. One of the most renowned scholastics was Peter Abelard of the University of Paris. Not only did he question with great intellectual vigor the teachings of the Church, but he had an affair with a young French woman named Heloise. Their affair scandalized many Catholics of their day, but the romance has been a fascination for couples throughout the centuries.
The wealth from middle class traders eventually led to coinage towards the end of the High Middle Ages. The learning in their universities was giving rise to liberal, humanistic education which would replace the sacred teachings of the High Middle Ages and evolve into the liberal agenda of the next period, the Warrior Period or Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance of the same time, c.1300-1500 AD. Both the money and the knowledge were particularly important to various high lords who claimed kingship. Many new kings allied with the middle class against the old aristocracy/nobles who could vie with the kings for the throne. In return for middle class money and knowledge (for instance, in the law courts), the kings gave towns self-government. Thus, towns become independent centers by the end of the High Middle Ages.
GO TO THE FILM CLIP THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
GO TO FILM CLIP STEALING HEAVEN (ON HELOISE AND ABELARD) III. MEDIEVAL SOCIETY and IV. GROWTH OF NATIONAL MONARCHIES (Read for understanding; text details not on tests) A. As mentioned, from c.1000-13000 aristocratic warlords often claimed the title of “King” and developed regional states against the Holy Roman Empire and Church.
B. England
From c.1200, William the Conqueror’s takeover of the island saw its kings being forced to share power with the nobility. (See text photo.) Kingship in the British Isles remained limited.
C. France
Its kings weakened, while the nobility remained quite strong,
D. The Holy Roman Empire,
Both Germany and Italy saw the central powers weakened, while the nobility remained strong. (See text photo and map.) It was said that the Holy Roman Empire was neither, holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. V. POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BREAKDOWN--LATE MIDDLE AGES/EARLY RENAISSANCE/WARRIOR PERIOD (1300-1500): A. Hundred Years’ War between England and France: Henry V v. Joan of Arc
From 1350-1450 AD, a number of processes all but destroyed the Christian civilization of Europe. The Hundred Years War lasting virtually a hundred years, off and on during this period, had several causes:
(1) England and France were economic rivals.
(2) French kings were weak.
(3) English kings were stronger and had an excellent military and weapons.
Two memorable figures of the Hundred Years War were Henry V and Jeanne d’ Arc, both c. 1420. Henry was the young and ruthless king of England whose conquests in France have given rise to the stories of the Black Knight; Joan was the teenager who defended France against England. By 1500, when both were dead, England and France had emerged as powerful and independent states who would continue their rivalry for years to come.
GO TO FILM CLIP HENRY V AND BATTLE OF AGINCOURT
GO TO FILM CLIP JOAN OF ARC PT. 1 B. Black Death
The causes of this epidemic which eliminated from one-third to two-thirds the population of Europe, depending on your statistics, was complex and still not understood. In fact, studies of the Black Death are used to illuminate current plagues like HIV AIDS. We do know that the European population had increased to the point of putting pressure on resources and that busy trade routes (see text map) threw people closely against each other. So c.1350 AD, when a ship docked at an Italian port and a rat or two carrying the bubonic plague bacillus got on land, fleas from that rat carried the pathogen from Italy northwards in waves. Apparently there was a secondary infection related to pneumonia which complicated the illness. Consequences were that the old laboring, peasant class was decimated. (See text photo.) Survivors moved to the cities to engage in manufacture or bought up land, both trends creating the new middle class that would be the engine of the Renaissance Empires as the classical middle class in Greece, Rome, and elsewhere had become the engine of the Classical Empires..
GO TO FILM CLIP BLACK DEATH VI. ECCLESIASTICAL BREAKDOWN AND REVIVAL: LATE MEDIEVAL CHURCH Church Breakdown: the Babylonian Captivity at Avignon and the Great Schism
Shortly after 1300, Pope Boniface quarreled with King Philip of France over investiture. (See text photo.) Recall the Investiture Controversy of c.1100 which we discussed above. This time, the king kidnapped the Pope and placed him in a palace in Avignon, France, with instructions to do as King Philip said in return for a life of luxury in Avignon. The incident is called the Babylonian Captivity, referring to the Babylonian captivity of Jews in Babylon c.600 BC. Half a century later, the Church selected another, Italian, Pope to counter this “French” Pope. Still later, the Church elected a third Pope. This is the great Schism or splitting of the Roman Catholic Church. By 1417, there was one Pope at last, but the damage to the Church authority and sanctity had been done. It would take Martin Luther to add the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” VII. THE RENAISSANCE IN ITALY Southern, Italian Renaissance: Italian city states (names, government, society
Exactly while all the crises of c.1350-1450 were going on—the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Church Schism—a new movement eventually known as the Renaissance was emerging from the remnants of feudal society. In Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire, ancient Roman culture was being rediscovered and reassessed. In the Italian city states of Florence, Venice, Naples, Rome, and others, a new middle class merchant oligarchy was on the rise. Called the “populo grosso” or fat people because of their wealth (and their obesity), these persons elected “despots” (illegal rulers) to protect trade and position of the merchants. Banking developed to house their increasing mobile wealth, and private paramilitary forces enforced the merchants’ and despots’ laws. This new upper middle class was materialistic, secular, self-confident, and ambitious. They certainly did not want to be constrained by any “Holy” Roman Emperor or Pope.
(1) Humanism and the liberal arts; the new painting and sculpture
“Humanism” or a study and emphasis on human life, is the worldview of many of this new upper middle class. They rediscovered Latin and Greek classics, resurrected the liberal arts curriculum of the Roman Empire time, reasserted Roman “virtu” over the Ten Commandments, pursued science with a passion, and refocused the arts on the earth, man, and human concerns. They were worldly and boldly curious and questioning of authority. Famous artists and scientists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michalangelo flourished in this atmosphere under the patronage of various despots like Lorenzo de Medici. (See text photos.)
(2) The French intervene in Italy: Machiavelli
The French saw the fragmentation of Italy into city states as an opportunity to grab some territory. A political advisor to one of the Medici despots wrote a famous little treatise on how to prevent the French incursions by being a strong prince of the city state. Thus Machiavelli’s “Prince” provided guidelines to power, independent from the Church or Holy Roman Emperor. Machiavelli urged leadership like that of Julius Caesar, in which “the end justifies the means” without regard to ethics or principles, if necessary. (See text photo.)
( 3) The corrupt Borgia Pope and Lucrezia
It is said that Alexander Borgia was the most corrupt Pope in history, and his incestuous relationship with his daughter, Lucrezia, attests to this. Alexander was enmeshed in the Italian power struggles and used his daughter as a marriage pawn to ally with powerful families who would assist Alexander’s own rise to power. Those allies made sure he became Pope, even after he was married and had a large family. His son, Caesare, was the model for Machiavelli’s opportunistic “prince.”
GO TO FILM CLIP LEONARDO DE VINCI PT. 1
GO TO FILM CLIP MACHIAVELLI AND THE PRINCE
GO TO FILM CLIP BORGIAS WHO BECAME POPE VIII. REVIVAL OF MONARCHY—NATION BUILDING
By c.1500 AD, towns were large and complex, with a middle class which helped friendly kings to create a strong state by giving these kings money, law, education, and trade. France had its “Spider King” who got power this way. Spain had Ferdinand and Isabella who drove out Muslims and Jews in the Reconquista and used confiscated wealth to finance Columbus and other explorers of the new world. And England got the Tudor Dynasty, of whom Henry VIII was only the second king and totally determined to keep the throne at all costs, as we shall see in the next chapter.