Europe and Surrounding Areas
With Rome in deterioration and the Byzantine empire slowly growing in the East, western Europe struggled for almost a millenium! The period from approximately 500 to 1500 is known as the Middle Ages, or the Medieval era. Also called the 'Dark Ages', this period was one of strife and turmoil for most of Europe, and these struggles were reflected in art. In contrast, the Middle Ages in Europe also saw the development of many of the important features of our modern world, such as common law and universities. For the average citizen however, daily life in the Middle Ages was filled with physical and intellectual poverty, as well as a fear of war, famine and disease.
The Decline of the Arts
With their world in turmoil, the citizenry of the Middle Ages had little time or ambition for producing quality works of art. Also, gone was a strong centralized government or Empire for which to fund artistic endeavours. Take a look at the two structures below. How do they compare to other works of architecture that we have studied in the last couple weeks?
Village Church, Ujue Spain
During the middle ages, a new form of illustration was developed: that of manuscript illumination. Monks in monasteries who were dedicated to the preservation of books would frequently illustrate their works with elaborate designs.
St. Matthew from the Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo of Reims
Palace Chapel of Charlemagne, Aachen Germany, c. AD 800.
The Middle Ages' first great ruler was Charles the Great, better known as Charlemagne, a Norman leader who was crowned emperor by the Pope on Christmas day, AD 800. With this action he became the first of the Holy Roman Emperors, and encouraged learning and the preservation of knowledge throughout Europe in the wake of the many barbarian invasions. Charlemagne's Empire ended shortly after his death, and by the close of the 9th century western Europe was in shambles once more. Weak central government and the need for protection led to the formation of Feudalism.
Feudalism was a system in which weak noblemen gave up their lands and much of their freedom to more powerful lords in return for protection. The lord allowed the weaker noblemen to remain on the land as his administrator, and as such the administrator was the servant or vassal to the lord and pledged total loyalty to him. Most of the people however, were serfs, or poor peasants who did not have land to give in return for protection. These people worked the land and went along with it when it was handed over from one nobleman to another. Lords who chose to fight for their emperors or kings (or popes) were deemed 'knights'. Knights were generally very wealthy, and usually possessed vast amounts of both land and serfs.
Coca Castle in Spain, c. AD 1300
Castle of King Richard I in England, c. AD 1300
Image from an alchemist's handbook.
The Middle Ages was also a time of great religious upheaval and change. Because of the almost constant wave of invasions, Christian religion was sequestered to monasteries wherein monks kept the teachings alive. These monasteries were often in well-protected and secluded locations throughout Europe, and it was in these simple structures that Christianity was preserved. What architectural elements do these buildings share with the architecture of Rome
and the Monastery of San Juan de la Pena, Jaco Spain
both c. AD 922.
Manuscript Illumination
St. John from the Franco-Saxon Gospels
The Back cover of the Lindau Gospels
All c. AD 850
How would you describe the quality of the illustrations? Do they appear realistic, or as realistic as the paintings and drawings we encountered in the Roman empire? What could account for these changes?
Charlemagne
The Feudal System - Lords, Knights and Vassals
Castles were huge structures, with many identifiable features. Can you note any similarities between the two castles in the above images?
Monasticism and Mysticism
Not all individuals during the Middle Ages practiced Christianity however. In this age of turmoil, much of Europe's citizenry practiced various pagan religions, or peculiar blends of Christianity and local superstition. The Middle Ages were, in fact, replete with superstitious thought and unscientific thinking, an example of which was Alchemy, or the belief that certain individuals possessed the knowledge and power to turn base metals into precious gold. Beliefs in witches, wizards, and supernatural beings were paralelled in their senselessness with equally fanatic Christian theology that drove Emperors, Popes and Kings to murder en masse in numerous Crusades, under the guise of religious conviction. When the millenium came about in the year 1000, many believed that the end of the world was near, and committed suicide in mass rituals. Churches were destroyed and burnt to the ground, the rubble of which only served to rebuild subsequent religious structures once the population was convinced that the world was, in fact, not ending. Mass religious hysteria also arose when, beginning in 1347, over 20 million people (1/3rd of Europe's total population) died due to the black or buboenic plague. The massive 100 Years War between England and France, in which Joan of Arc was born, was to be a fitting end to this low period in the history of humanity, one in which civilization struggled simply to survive.
