The Early Middle Ages: The Feudal Spirit

1. The Early Middle Ages: The Feudal Spirit

2. The Age of Charlemagne • Descended from Franks: valued war and destruction • Blend of two cultures during reign of Charlemagne • Kingdom: Large European kingdom, from the Rhine to Spain • Renewed interest in learning and arts

3. The Carolingian Renaissance • His interest in culture assembled group of scholars and artists. Favorite book: The City of God • Imperial ideal from Rome and Byzantium • Monks copied manuscripts and painted, learned chants, and interpreted the Bible. • Alcuin of York, teacher: revival of learning and literacy. Attempted universal education

4. The Culture of the Book • Books were expensive • Illustrated manuscripts: Hellenistic and Byzantine style, incorporating Anglo-Saxon art. • Sculpture disappeared. Reliquaries. • The “Cult of Saints”

5. Charlemagne’s Court • Pilgrimage to Rome in 800. Crowned emperor. First monarch since Roman times • Aachen, Aix-la-Chapelle. Modeled after Byzantine churches • Charlemagne’s kingdom only lasted one generation after his death • New wave of invasions: Muslims, Hungarians, Vikings

6. Feudal Europe • France and England took brunt of Viking invasions • Decentralized system: feudal estates • Feudalism: system based on vows of military service and ownership of land. • Based on grant of lands by lords to vassals in return for service • Castle/manor: residence of lord’s family

7. Refuge for the feudal estate during war • Crusaders came back and improved them • Fortresses to defend against siege • Decoration of castles simple tapestries to protect from cold • Pagan rituals and celebrations: mumming • Origin of masquerades and masked dances

8. The Song of Roland • Oral literature of military exploits such as epics. • Battle from Charlemagne’s campaigns in Spain. Hero: Roland who battles Muslim knights • Celebrated knights’ bravery in battle and loyalty to his lord • No women

9. Tale of feudal courage, violence and treachery • Blows his horn to summon Charlemagne, but dies before king appears • Feudal and Christian values are highlighted

10. Chivalry • Emerged as a way to enforce loyalty. • Loyal to lord, not sleep with his wife, or surrender his castle as well as religious devotion and service to ladies • Tournaments: feasting, pageantry and dance • Professional warriors emerged

11. The Bayeux Tapestry • Inspired by the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and William the Conqueror’s victory over the English • Embroidered wall hanging recounting the chain of events. 231 feet long made of linen and embroidered by English women, so it’s not really a “tapestry” (fig. 11.9) • Influenced by Trajan’s column

12. Muslim Spain • Cultivated society where Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted. • Influence of architecture, poetry and philosophy • 711 Muslims from North Africa conquer Spain. Power declined after 1000 • Sephardic Jews had centers of learning • Spaniards pushed back Muslims until 1492 they expelled the last from Granada • Muslims and Jews forced to convert

13. Monasticism • Rules of chastity, poverty, and obedience • Refuge from the barbarians • Centers of learning • Evangelizing monks and cloistered monks • Guardians of arts and artifacts of Western civilization

14. The Romanesque Style • Descendants of Otto the Great created Romanesque style of architecture • Rounded Roman arches and barrel vaults • Massive vaults, piers, and decoration • Sainte-Madeleine, Vézelay, France (fig. 11.13)

15. The Pilgrimage Churches • Medieval tourist centers; stopping points during pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela • Saint-Sernin has a “Latin Cross” floorplan (fig. 11.11) chapels off the apse transept portals ambulatories

16. Romanesque Sculpture • Relief sculpture: Bibles in stone • Portal sculpture on the tympanum • At Autun, Gislibertus’ lintel sculpture has a warning of wages of evil (fig. 11.17): “let this terror appall all those bound by earthly sin.” • Vézelay held the relics of Mary Magdalene

17. Early Medieval Music and Drama • Musical notation, initially, chants were taught by oral tradition • Guido d’Arezzo: six note scale and solmization: ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti • Guidonian Hand • Staff: tone; Clef set the tone F or C • Invited to Vatican to teach • Sacred music passed down

18. Hildegard of Bingen • German abbess (1098-1179) • Composed mystical poetry and music • Morality play set to music • Women should use Mary as role model and reject Eve the sinner

19. Drama in the Medieval Church • Medieval theater: representations of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection • The Three Wise Men, Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents, and the Raising of Lazarus. • Written in Latin, brief • Churchgoers followed the scenes throughout the church • Moved outside the church in the 13th cent.

20. Medieval Philosophy • Christian problems: existence of God, relationship between faith and reason • Cathedral schools fostered learning; translation of Aristotle’s works • Peter Abelard (1079-1142) – tragic love of Heloise. • Sic et Non: exposed inconsistencies in Church teachings