Life In Medieval Europe Essay

The lifestyle in France, just like in all other European countries, has changed dramatically since the early 1700’s. People went from farmers to factory owners to all of the professions of today’s society. The main reason for the great changes in lifestyle that occurred in France was the Industrial Revolution, which urbanized most of France. But the Industrial Revolution was not the only thing that changed France. The monarchy fell the church changed, and the role people had in their jobs and family life change drastically.

The clergy were known as “the people who prayed” and had two separate types: regular and secular. The regular clergy was an order of monks that were set apart from the world in cloisters. The secular clergy lived and work directly among laity (Nasiadka). The clergy had a special responsibility of looking after the moral order of society. In efforts to improve moral order they often turned large numbers of violent men into servants of the church (Noble et. al. pg. 275).

The high Middle Ages brought a dynamic change in the creation of Europe. During that time there was a strong political and economic difference (distinction) between Western and Eastern Europe. In the West, there was the beginning of present day England and France and in the East there was the beginning of present day Italy and Germany. This divide because of reasons such as the advancement of commerce, religion and feudalism help explain why Italy and Germany, but not England and France were slow to unite politically after the Middle Ages.

This paper will discuss the monastery’s role in the medieval European life. The medieval monasteries played many roles in the community including providing medication, education, food (they offered food to the poor), preserved earlier works of the Greeks in form of writing and writing, offered hospitality to the pilgrims (Lawrence, 2014).

Excerpt D was taken from Chapter 5,the chapter about obedience, of the Rule. The Rule was written by Saint Benedict of Nursia for monks who were living in a communal setting underneath an abbot figure, a father head, of a monastery. The excerpt talks about general rules of obedience for the monks and Christians to follow to understand how they should spend most of their days in worship, work and study. From Saint Benedict’s book, Rule, revels how religion played an important part in early-medieval Europe.

It is understood after reading The Song of Roland and Inferno that religion, or one’s faith, played a large and important factor in the cultivation of living during the medieval time period. With the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no one thing that was able to bring together the differences that Europe offered. Religion, based mostly in Christianity, was that element that would not only bring together but shape the development of European society. With the influence of a higher power in daily life, to the fueling of wars in an attempt to have a global understanding, religious beliefs helped define existence as countries and cultures developed. Even with persecution, religion not only played an important role but was in many words—the mother—of

Over the years, the world has undergone a number changes that have altered the course of history. Infectious diseases and climate changes have the ability to create a new path for history to follow. These natural phenomena not only start and end civilizations, but they can also bring about new technological advancements. The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was one of these phenomena that played a major role in shaping the history of Europe and had a great impact on creating the world we live in now.

The most striking thing about this chapter was how much of modern society can be tied directly to the High Middle Ages. I primarily associate medieval Europe with castles, knights, and the code of chivalry, all of which are largely irrelevant today. However, as I will discuss in this paper, many of the bureaucratic roles and practices that are still in practice today were developed during this era (55).

Monasticism is a religious practice whose members attempt to live by specific laws, customs, and practices that require works that go beyond those of either the laypersons or the spiritual leaders of a religion. From the origins of Catholic monasticism, the works of monks, nuns, sisters, and friars have brought forth many important things. Spiritual development in the form of poverty, chastity, obedience and devoting oneself to sanctity and holiness is their main objective. The preservation of culture and ministering to the poor and ill of society are some of the most important things to have come out of monasticism.

Since the beginning of time, humans have had an innate desire for stability and order. This very inclination led to the creation of civilization itself. Most of, if not all civilizations have had social hierarchies and systems that defined the everyday of life of its citizens. An excellent example of this is Renaissance-era Europe. Organized social structures with an emphasis on wealth and family lines dominated society in that era. Baldassare Castiglione’s work The Book of the Courtier is an excellent insight not only into this society, but beyond that as well. The Book of the Courtier exemplifies the different roles for men and women in Renaissance-era Europe and has many applications to the modern world.

Texts and primary sources written during the Medieval period of Europe stand as the most important source of information historians possess about the time. However, when analyzing these sources, multiple problems arise, as conflicting interest skews our perception of history, and as time and memory obscure and alter details about the past. Vital primary sources of the Medieval period, such as Einhard’s “Life of Charlemagne,” the accounts of Pope Urban II’s speech at the Council of Clermont, and interrogation records taken during the Inquisition serve to illustrate the changing and fluid nature of the interpretation of primary sources and help us to understand them by showing why we cannot.

Our Western Civilization course covers a general survey of the social, economic, cultural and Political forces that have helped shape the Western variety of civilization in the premodern era. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of cross-cultural diffusion in the evolution and development of Middle Asian, Greek, Roman, and Medieval-European structural variants. This paper will discuss areas of Daily Life in Ancient Rome that will include women’s conflicting roles, Roman marriage, and family.

Benedict said, “Keep death daily before your eyes.” St. Benedict’s saying refers to more than physical death, but also death to self. A monk is called to this daily, such as leaving family, friends, and home. Through prayer and daily conversion, the monks die to self and remain hidden or forgotten. They observe the many rules of Saint Benedict’s outline for monastic life, dependability to prayer, vigil, and fasting. The beauty of the Church’s liturgical tradition communicates the peace of Christ to the rest of world.

People were becoming Christians at a rapid pace; some church communities started to show signs of not being strict with guidelines and regulations. The Monks were respected among the people and we a positive addition to the time. The monks living their solitary life were instrumental in preserving education and the Bible. During the early and middle years, one of the institutions that remained stable was the church and monasticism was important to its stability.

Directly following the scientific and cultural atrophy of the Early Middle Ages (5th C.-10th C. CE), more commonly referred to by the colloquial epithet of “The Dark Ages”, came the intellectual and spiritual eras of the High Middle Ages (11th-13th C. CE) and Late Middle Ages (14th C. CE-15th C. CE). Following the stagnation of the Early Middle Ages, the five century span directly succeeding the period would be marked by numerous developments in intellectual pursuits, as works and concepts from Greek antiquity were reclaimed by medieval scholars and advancements from Arabic scholars began to make their way to Western Europe, as well as the growth of esoteric, mystical, and superstitious beliefs as the population of Western Europe rapidly increased