Characteristic Features of the Middle Ages

764 Words2 Pages

Also called the middle ages, the medieval ages were influential in European history. It dates between the 5th and the 15th centuries of european history. The beginning of the period was marked by the collapse of Rome while its end was marked by the end of Renaissance. The Roman Empire’s fall bringing forth an idea of uniting Europe in what was called Christendom, this was based on the beliefs of the church. Features such as migration of people, invasions, population distribution, and deurbanization characterized this period. The medieval ages had three periods, which include the antiquity, the medieval periods, and the modern period, all of which exhibited different characteristics. The end of this period saw various challenges coming forth resulting into massive loss of lives and calamities. However, there was a complete transformation of the people since they advanced in technologies as well as their culture.
The Roman Empire failure characterized a new political and social system in Europe. The Roman Empire had a played a pivotal role in the integration of Europe hence its collapse created a huge vacuum. Christianity was one of the uniting factors but culturally there were many divisions, for example, the Germanic tribes had a different culture that it made it difficult to integrate them in a common system with the rest of the Europeans. The late antiquity period saw the deterioration of

the systems and infrastructure that had been developed by the Roman Empire. For a long time centralization of government and culture was not possible. However, the Roman Catholic facilitated social integration. This was not sufficient to bring the people together; therefore, the medieval period was characterized by the need to build a polit...

... middle of paper ...

...arge tracks of land (fiefs) in the rural areas. The individuals that had no land were used as laborers in these farms. The peasant laborers (serfs) worked for the landowners in exchange for residence as well as protection from enemies. However, around 11th century, the feudal system began failing as a result of introduction of new farming methods and implement. The invention of implements such as the plough and crop rotation rejuvenated agriculture that led to increased food supply. In essence, the population increased resulting to increased rural urban migration.
In conclusion, the medieval period was characterized by many developments that saw the rise of the Catholic Church as both a spiritual and political system. The period saw advancements in technology and agriculture while warfare was also characteristic. The period concluded with the renaissance.

Show More
Related

  • Gothic Awakening In The Middle Ages

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    The European middle ages lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century, which started the fall of the Western Roman Empire and moved to the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period were the divisions to the early, high, and late middle ages. The gothic awakening was in England during the 1750s, caused by the medieval forms. Medieval Europe was awakening from a feudal war and ignorance. The new way of learning was spread in the western society. In the gothic awakening age, towns and kingdoms flourished and built churches across Europe.

    Read More

  • How did literature change throughout Europe between the Medieval Times to the Renaissance Period and What contributed to that change?

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion, technology, literature, and certain people were a part of the change between the Medieval Times and the Renaissance Period throughout Europe. The certain places that were most affect by this change was France, England and Italy. Each one was effected differently in many ways. The change in Italy all started in the 14th century. But due to the cause of the war in 1337 to 1453, the change in England and France all started in the late 15th century. Religion, technology, literature and certain people were a part of the medieval and Renaissance times the only difference between the two of those is that in the medieval times was more about religion and literature. In the Renaissance period it was more about the new technology that was coming out also about certain people who were making that change and helping people believe that the Renaissance time was better than the medieval times. When then Renaissance period accord it’s been all revolved around God, something’s were and something’s weren’t. During the change from the medieval times in the Renaissance period there were a lot...

    Read More

  • Decoding the 'Dark Age': A Dialectic Perspective on 500-1500AD Europe

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    An Italian scholar in the 1300s named Petrarch described the time period of 500AD to 1500AD a "dark age" for Europe(Movie Talk; Dark Ages). While most historians agree with this term, many debate that the "dark age" was actually a time of growth and prosperity for Europe. The time period of 500AD to 1500AD consisted of many tragic events such as the Crusades and the Black Death but also good events like the opening of new universities and the Magna Carta. The time was mostly a period of growth and prosperity that still affects our world today.

    Read More

  • The Best Titles and Descriptions for the Middle Ages

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...orced Christian faith (OI). The monasteries were also significant because the monks and nuns, who had worked in there, had treated the ill, educated children, and spread Christianity (Doc 8). They had to follow a strict life were they had to give up all possessions and take the vows of purity, chastity, and poverty (Doc 8). This was the time when religion had dominated all aspects of people’s lives. Although the Middle Ages can be classified as the Dark Ages because of the Vikings’ invasions, and the corruption of the church, there were also achievements in education after the Crusades; therefore it was not so “dark.” Also, feudalism had failed to continue because nobles had wanted more power; therefore the Age of Faith is the label that best describes the Middle Ages because it was the most important factor at the time, and the pope had control over all people.

    Read More

  • The Greatness of the Holy Roman Empire

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Western Roman Empire was constantly in chaos and could not firmly establish an undisputed government. When it fell, in 476 AD, the civilization had no central government to act as a backbone. It was ruled by the Pope, who appointed Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, as emperor in 800 AD. This event led to the transformation of the civilization into the Holy Roman Empire. This lasted unti...

    Read More

  • Feudal System Dbq

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    Feudalism was a political system in which the lesser served the greater in return for land. Also, the Church had a great deal with the political side of the Middle Ages. “In time of chaos The Roman Catholic Church was the single, largest unifying structure in medieval Europe” (Doc. 3). In other words, the Church influenced all there was. In 800 CE Pope Leo named King Charlemagne the “Emperor of the Romans” (OI). This is a great example of how the Church had political power.

    Read More

  • Medieval Europe

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Medieval Times for Europe, from the 400 AD till 1400 AD, are often labeled as “The Dark Ages”. This time period has begun after a turning point known as Fall of Rome. It caused Rome to divide into two well-known civilizations: Medieval Europe, Islam, and The Byzantine Empire. Also, Medieval Europe led to a well known utopian period of “rebirth” identified as the Renaissance. The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE wasn’t a “Dark Age” for Europe because of progress in academic success, blossom in architecture, and religious unity along with government. It wasn’t a cultural decay or decline because of the legendary time period it led to.

    Read More

  • The Middle Ages

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rome fell in 476 AD, the subsequent 1000 years made up a period of time called the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages are often referred to as the Dark Ages because of the way of life in Europe during that age. William Manchester suggests that this time period was actually a dark age, in his A World Lit Only By Fire. Manchester describes the ‘Dark Ages’ as a “mélange of incessant warfare, corruption, lawlessness, obsession with strange myths, and an almost impenetrable mindlessness”. He also states how famines and plague repetitively thinned the population, and that “rickets afflicted the survivors”.

    Read More

  • Causes of the Fall of the Roman Empire

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a result, it can be concluded that many factors attributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire. First and foremost, the collapse of the economy caused what was once a beautiful, elaborate empire to fade away. The system of government in place was not capable of controlling the vast territories in its possession. The spread of Christianity resulted in a loss of Roman culture. Though the Western-Roman Empire was completely diminished, some characteristics of the Eastern-Roman Empire were preserved. This is due to the fact that it was further advanced and a more civilized region. Over a period of time, all of these different factors together cause the collapse of what was once an outstanding and extremely powerful empire.

    Read More

  • Essay On Medieval Europe

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many things effected society in Medieval Europe, some having a more profound effect than others. Europe in the Middles ages was a time of learning and of cultural growth, but it was also a time of more serious things such as the Black Death. The way Europe coped with these unforeseen challenges, helped shape their society and culture, and we still learn about them today.

    Read More

  • How the Catholic Church Held Up During the Middle Ages

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Middle Ages was a long period of time. It started in about the 500 A.D. and ended in about 1500 A.D. Not many things can last for this long period of time, but at least one thing did, and that was the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church consists of Popes, Bishops, Clergy, and Monks, and Nuns were also part of the Church. Also during the Middle Ages, it also produced many great philosophers (Funk & Wagnall’s, 275). From the Middle Ages to the 13th century, the church played important role as authority, influence. The Catholic Church held up due to the power of the Pope, Pope Gregory’s policies, and the Church was a part of the citizen’s daily lives.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Medieval Theatre And Medieval Ans Renaissance

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    The medieval period references to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. to the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D. During this time period the Church ruled the people, there were only the rich versus the poor, and the every day life of common folk was consumed with the thought

    Read More

  • The Renaissance And The Renaissance

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Renaissance, was an amazing cultural movement and the break from the Middle Ages affected every aspect of life. It is often known as the first transition from medieval to modern. The Middle Ages was a time where the church ruled the daily lives of people, and where land was of utmost importance. While events such as plagues and invasion triggered the shift from Middle Ages to Renaissance, the fundamental differences in philosophy such as humanism, secularism, and classicism defined the era, brought back from the Greeks and Romans. Many important aspects of society were thus largely influenced and changed with the new time period.

    Read More

  • The Middle Ages From 1066 To 1485

    1462 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Middle Ages encompass one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest - when William the Conqueror effectively took all of the lands from the Saxon English and gave them to French nobles. The English Middle Ages then saw the building of the great English castles, including the Tower of London, which helped the Normans to retain their hold on England. The start of the Crusades and the knights of the Middle Ages, including the founding of the Knights Templar. The Domesday Book and the Magna Carta. The Kings and Queens of the Middle Ages including Richard the Lionheart and great Plantagenet Kings from Henry II (1154-1189) to Edward III (1327-1377). The Hundred Years War between England and France. The Medieval Kings and Queens of the Royal Houses of Lancaster and York and the Wars of the Roses. The Middle Ages Feudal System and the terrible Black Death which really did plague the period of the Middle Ages.The Middle Ages 1066-1485

    Read More

  • The Agricultural Revolution And The Industrial Revolution

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the industrial revolution, villagers practiced communal farming, in which residents worked together to farm on a large lot of land. Part of the land was divided up into three different crop fields. One for wheat or rye, one for oats or beans, and one for fallow. The fourth section of land was left to give livestock a place to graze, plant wild plants, and store firewood for the winter. The Enclosure Movement helped propel the shift from agriculture to industry. With this movement, agriculture was used for commercial practices and not so much as a way to feed single families. Before the start the Enclosure Movement, villages practiced communal farming in which the land and what was grown and raised on it was shared between the residents. However, this way of farming changed as effects of the Enclosure Movement made their way into the villages. Communal farms were divided up into single-family farms, with each family receiving and equal share of land. The owners of the land were rich families. These owners lease the land to farmers. During the enclosure movement, the land owners wrote new leases to individual families. These leases usually lasted 19 years and every family that lived in the village had the right to get a lease. People who got very small farms could not survive on their own without the right to use the common land, of which there was little to no land because it had been divided up. Therefo...

    Read More

More about Characteristic Features of the Middle Ages

Open Document