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History 100World History to 1500 |
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| Medieval street scene |
What do we mean by the term “Medieval?” The dictionary (Webster’s New World) says that Medieval means “pertaining to the Middle Ages.” Well, literally it means “Middle Ages” in Latin, and so, as we discussed before, it denotes the time between the Greco-Roman Classical Period and the Renaissance. But, what do we really mean when we say “Medieval,” like “My dad’s positively Medieval”? “Medieval” has a negative connotation. It means out dated, conservative, misguided, parochial, insular, myopic, and any number of other unflattering things. But was Medieval Europe, or any Medieval part of the world like Africa or Japan, really “Medieval?”
Well, the quick answer is no. Certainly the Japanese do not view Medieval Japan as “Medieval” in a negative sense; in fact it’s a time of valiant samurai warriors and marks the ascendancy of Zen Buddhism. Do Africans think of Medieval Africa in a negative way? No, it’s a time of great development in Africa, and a time when Islam gained great sway. So, it appears that only in the West is the term “Medieval” something bad. Well, I hope to demonstrate to you, that “Medieval” is not a dirty word.
First of all, let’s talk about some Medieval institutions. I suppose we should discuss feudalism first, as it really helps to define this period. It is in fact why we call Japan and parts of Africa feudal. Feudalism is a system of vassalage. This means that certain strong men (and sometimes women), who we will call lords (and sometimes ladies), have the sworn loyalty of men (and sometimes women—okay you get the picture) who will come to their aid militarily and bring armored and armed men (not women) to fight for their lord (or lady). They are rewarded for their service through the awarding of a fief, or piece of land, and would swear “fealty” or loyalty; this is where the term “feudalism” derives. So, feudalism is really a system of land tenure based on a hierarchy of personal loyalty, and military service.
The reason feudalism is a good and helpful system, is that it allows a small group of people to control a large area of land. Europe after the “fall” of Rome, was rather sparsely populated, and vulnerable to attack from outside (and inside for that matter), and so having armed men scattered throughout the region helped to keep the peace. These trusted men, or retainers, helped to rule the land.
But, we usually think of this system as rather barbaric, and indeed backward, or even repressive. In truth, it was invented by “barbarians,” remember the Franks and their “counts?” It was backward in the sense that it’s not modern, but it was a far cry from “uncivilized.” It could be repressive, but it might surprise you to learn that just about everyone within the system of feudalism had some rights, even peasants. True the lord held court, and could punish peasants, but peasants could appeal to a higher court, if they felt that justice had not been served.
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| Map of a Medieval Manor |
People tended to live on manors, and the system of controlling the land itself and making it productive, is called “manorialism.” This is really an economic system, and it supported all segments of society. The manors themselves where almost completely self-sufficient, and only needed to import occasional finished goods like books, sewing needles, or imported luxury goods. The manor consisted of a castle or manor house, a village dependent on the castle, farmland, and commons. The village had a church, houses, and basic businesses such as a blacksmith’s shop. The commons was an area from which people might cut grass for winter feed, or on which they might allow their animals to roam free to feed off of the cut stubble.
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| Ruins of a Medieval city. |
We have a glorified view of the life of the nobility in this time: grand castles, fine clothes, and glittering courts. In truth, nobles lived only slightly more privileged lives than their serfs. The castles looked grand, but in truth they were cold and drafty, in fact that’s why tapestries were invented, to try to keep the warmth in. Yes, the clothes were fine, but they were also restrictive and uncomfortable, and they probably smelled bad from not being washed often enough. Going to court and holding court were duties, and not always enjoyable. If you were a noble, you often had people living with you in the castle, and so had little privacy. You also had to visit your lands, and might at any moment be called either to war, or to the court of your lord. The food might be better, though Henry II of England was famous for the dreadful food (the meat was usually spoiled) he served at court.
In fact as a noble, in many ways your life was not your own. Both girls and boys got married to whom their parents chose, not for love. They both had to continue on with the duties of their parents and run the estate and serve in their lord’s military. Only occasionally could they leave this life, usually to join a monastery or a convent, and only then if the son was not the heir. Both men and women had to give their inheritance or dowry to the monastic institution, meaning that peasants really couldn’t do it.
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| Serfs harvesting grain. |
We often think of the lives of serfs as powerless and miserable, and if we’re talking political power, that’s mostly true. But in reality, some aspects of a serf’s life were quite good, especially if he or she served under a good lord. Serfs were tied to the land, so they couldn’t really go anywhere, but they were guaranteed under the system of feudalism the protection of their lord from outside attack. They were also guaranteed land to farm and a share of that produce. They also had the protection of the Church, and the assurance that they would be looked after spiritually, and some extent materially by the institutions around them. Since they were not slaves, they could not be bought and sold, but they also had to obey their lords, and not hunt on their lord’s lands—there is a special word for that—poaching.
They lived in small one and two room cottages, usually with their farm animals. Now, before you get upset by this, that means that they were warm, probably warmer than their lords. They also weren’t required to give military service, and only fought to defend themselves, or in rebellion. They also got to marry for love, not for economic or political expedience. The food however was pretty dull, mostly a plain gruel (without salt or sugar) except on feast days.
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| Chartres Cathedral |
The Church was the single most important institution of the Medieval world. And when I say Church, I mean “the Church,” as there was (in theory at least) only one. Today we call it the Catholic Church, but this is to differentiate it from the many Protestant sects that developed after 1500—that’ll have to wait for History 101.
The Church took over the role of protector of culture. It is the Church, together with the agricultural cycle, that set the calendar including the feast days and holy days (holidays), providing the framework for Medieval life. The Church officiated over the rites of passage in a person’s life: birth, baptism, marriage, and death. It also provided guidance and solace.
The Church was also busy spreading itself and insuring that everyone followed the rules correctly. Missionaries spread all over Europe converting “pagan” peoples. Monasteries became both sanctuaries for contemplative types and repositories of the remnants of Greco-Roman culture, also providing education and charity.
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| Henrik III, King of Denmark in Crusader garb. |
Perhaps the biggest event of the Medieval world in Europe was the Crusades. They began in 1095 in a call to arms by Urban II in response to a request from the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) for help in fighting the Muslims. The call however was less to defend Byzantium, than to “take back the Holy Land from the Infidels.” There were Eight Crusades in all dating from 1095 to 1291. The legacy of those endeavors is still being debated today.
Do events that occurred one thousand years ago affect us today? Read the following websites on the Crusades, and answer the above question.