Introduction The Middle Ages

WHEN DID THE MIDDLE AGES STARTED?

• Generally considered to have started with the fall of the Western
Roman Empire.

• Deposition of Romulus
Augustulus, the last Roman
Emperor in the West, in 476 AD.

This event marked the beginning

of a period of political instability
and fragmentation in Europe.
Introduction The Middle Ages

The S&T development during this time is influenced by religious

theology.

Two Reasons for the S&T

Development:

1. Beliefs about the natural

world.
2. Mutual responsibilities of men
towards each other.
Introduction The Middle Ages
WHAT IS THE MIDDLE AGES?
• Also known as the medieval period or the dark ages.
• Compared to the Classical Antiquity, the middle ages depict
intellectual decline, cultural stagnation, and a lack of significant
advancements in science, technology, and art.
Classical Antiquity
• Known as the Greco-Roman
World.
• Refers to the historical period
encompassing the cultures of
ancient Greece and Rome,
which together significantly
influenced Western civilization.
Introduction The Middle Ages
REASONS FOR INTELLECTUAL DECLINE
• Loss of centralized power
and infrastructure.

• People focuses on survival.

• Lots of Invasions with

different cultures.
⚬ Barbarians
⚬ Vikings
⚬ Mongols
⚬ Ottoman Turks
⚬ Islams
• Dominant power of the church.
Introduction

Religion has been both a driving force for progress and an

obstacle to S&T development.

• Religious institutions
preserved knowledge and • The Church’s power often
ideas through writing. dictated what ideas could be
publicly explored.
• A major force in education.
• Scientists and thinkers risked
being accused of heresy if
• Contributed to their ideas contradicted
advancements in engineering Church teachings.
and architecture.
Introduction

SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS TO REMEMBER

1158 1347 1431 1453 1453

First European
The Trier Witch Hundred Years' The Fall of
Universities The Black Death
Trials War ended Constantinople
appeared.
Life in the Middle Ages Hierarchy

FEUDALISM AND MANORIALISM

Society was structured under a feudal system, where kings granted land
to nobles in exchange for military service.

The economic system where

the manor (a large estate) was
the center of agriculture and
self-sufficiency.
Life in the Middle Ages Hierarchy

FEUDAL SYSTEM
• Land was exchanged for military service and labor.
How Feudalism Worked: Feudal
Pyramid
Nobles pay homage King
to the King by Kings give lands to
providing an army Nobles & Barons. The King’s
Barons power is absolute
Knights pay homage
to Nobles by fighting
Barons give some
for the Noble’s army Knights land to the Knights
Peasants pay homage
to Knights and Nobles
Knights protect the
by working for them Peasants peasants.
on their land
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Villages

MEDIEVAL VILLAGES
A small, rural communities
where peasants lived and
worked on land owned by a
local lord.

In medieval society, most

people lived in villages and
most of the population were
peasants.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Villages

TWO TYPES OF PEASANTS

Villeins
• Peasants who were legally tied to land owned by a local lord.
• If they wanted to move, or even get married, they needed the
permission of the lord first.
• Need to give some of the food they grew each year to the lord.

Freemen
• Fewer in numbers in
comparison to Villeins.
• These peasants were able to
move round from one village to
another.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Villages

PEASANT’S EVERYDAY LIFE

Peasant homes were small, often
just made up of one room.

Inside the hut, a third of the area

was penned off for the animals,
which lived in the hut with the
family.
Women are expected to do
house chores.
Peasants had to pay a tithe to the Church. A tithe was 10% of what
they produced on their land.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Towns

MEDIEVAL TOWNS
Urban centers that are typically founded near castles, rivers, or
crossroads, which provided protection and opportunities for trade.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Towns

FACTS ABOUT MEDIEVAL TOWNS

There were not many towns in the middle ages, and those that existed
were small by modern standards.

Trade was a key part of the

town life.

Often unhygienic because of

the larger populations and the
lack of proper sanitation.

Similar to villages, women were also expected to work in the home,

cleaning and looking after their family.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Towns

BOURGEOISIE

• Described people living in

bourg (walled towns or
cities), distinguishing them
from peasants in rural areas
and the nobility in the feudal
system.

• A middle social class

primarily made up of
merchants, artisans, and
town-dwelling professionals.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Towns

RISE OF THE GUILDS

Manage businesses (artisans, carpenters, merchants,

etc.)

Regulates every aspects of business, sets quality

standards, and specifies method of production.
Life in the Middle Ages Medieval Towns

HOW TO JOIN A GUILD?

Master Craftsman

Journeymen

Apprenticeship
Life in the Middle Ages Law and Order

Law enforcement was community-based, as there was no formal police

force.
• Males over 12 were often required to join
tithings.
• If a crime occurred, victims raised the hue
and cry.
• When juries were undecided, trial by ordeal
was used, involving painful tasks to
determine guilt.
• Watchmen or constables patrolled areas, while local lords dealt
with minor crimes. Serious crimes were handled by judges
appointed by the king.
Life in the Middle Ages Education

Reality of Education
• Schools were expensive and usually located in towns.
• Many medieval children learned how to farm, and tend to animals.
• Some also became an apprentice to a local craftsperson like a
carpenter or a tailor.
Life in the Middle Ages Education

The Rise of Universities

Medieval universities got their start as educational guilds.

The first Medieval University was in Bologna, Italy.

The students at the school formed their own guild in 1158.

University of Bologna University at Oxford University of Paris

Life in the Middle Ages Education

Areas of Studies in Universities

Students in
medieval
universities
studied the
following
subjects: GRAMMAR RHETORIC LOGIC

ARITHMETIC GEOMETRY MUSIC ASTRONOMY

Life in the Middle Ages Education

Degrees Offered in Universities

• Books were rare and expensive in the Middle Ages.

• The main method of teaching was by lecture.

• Exams were given when a student applied for a degree.

THEOLOGY LAW MEDICINE

ARITHMETIC GEOMETRY MUSIC ASTRONOMY

Life in the Middle Ages Education

SCHOLASTICISM
• Scholasticism is
the effort to
reconcile faith
and reason.

• To show that what

was accepted on
faith was in
harmony with
what could be
learned through
reason and
experience.
ARITHMETIC
Life in the Middle Ages Literatures

VERNACULAR LITERATURE
• Latin was the language of Rome and was a common
language which could be used in churches and at
universities.

• A common language at universities allowed students from

many different countries to be able to understand the
teachings there.

TROUBADOURS
Troubadours were usually travelling poets and
musicians who would go from court to court
ARITHMETIC telling their stories of courtly love.
Life in the Middle Ages Literatures
Example of Literature

Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)

• Perhaps the first popular English work.

• The tales are a collection of stories from

the late 1300’s.

• The book forms a story-telling contest by a

collection of pilgrims on their way to
Canterbury Cathedral.

• Together they provide an insight into

medieval life.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Lenses with Spectacles

The invention of spectacles in Italy around
1350 A.D. was due to the discovery of
lenses.

The demand for spectacles gave rise to

lens grinding/trading and spectacle
making.

This also prompted people to study about

light or optics.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Distillation and Alcohol

Alcohol was probably produced by
accident in the course of some
medical preparation

The first preparation of strong spirits

of wine was made in the 12th
century.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Astrolabe
The earliest astrolabes appeared in
Moorish Spain during the 12th
century.

The Astrolabe is a device which is

used to measure the position of the
Sun and different stars in the sky
accurately.

They were used by navigators and

astronomers who studied the
movement of celestial bodies.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Printing Press
Printing press was invented by
Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th
Century.
These new methods and equipment
sped up and automated the process
of printing.
The Gutenberg press became a
precursor to cheaper printing
presses which were established all
over Europe.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Mechanical Clock
Until the High Middle Ages, there was
no accurate and accessible way of
measuring time.
Mechanical clocks were the result of
the innovation in church bell-ringing
mechanism.
The first of these dates back to 1344
being used in a cathedral in Padua,
Veneto, Italy.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Three Field System

The three field system replaced the two
field system in the middle ages
In the three-field system the sequence of
field use involved an autumn planting of
grain (wheat, barley or rye) and a spring
planting of peas, beans, oats or barley. This
reduced the amount of fallow fields to one
third.
Having two harvests per year instead of
one gave better protection against crop
failure and famine.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Carruca
A kind of heavy plow important
to medieval agriculture in
Northern Europe.
It allowed farmers to turn the
dense, clay-heavy soils more
effectively, leading to increased
productivity and agricultural
expansion.
The carruca was probably most
often used when breaking
uncultivated ground.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Gothic Architecture
The Gothic architectural style
introduced innovations like the
pointed arch, flying buttresses,
and ribbed vaults.

These features allowed the

construction of taller, more
spacious cathedrals.

Coupled with beautiful stained-

glass windows.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Stirrups
The stirrup, developed in
Europe during the early
Middle Ages, allowed
knights to fight more
effectively on horseback

Combined with the

saddle and lance, it
transformed cavalry
tactics and led to the rise
of mounted warfare.
Science, Technology, and Society in Europe Some Major S&T Development that time

Cannons
The earliest cannons may date to
12th century China, where there is a
depiction of what appears to be a
cannon in the Dazu Rock Carvings in
Sichuan, dated around 1128 AD.

One of the first recorded uses of

canon in warfare was by the English
forces of Edward III, who used them
to help defeat the French in the
Battle of Crecy in 1346.