Transforming the High Middle Ages Essay

Personally, when thinking of the middle Ages, I tend to have the misconception that it is a period of darkness with no progress. However, R.W. Southern’s book, ‘The Making of the Middle Ages’, offers an in depth study of the development of history in the world today. Observing that this book was published during the 1950s, Mr. Southern’s interpretation of the ‘Middle Ages’ was very distinctive in comparison to other historians of his time. He explores the significance of the Middle Ages as a separate sector in the study of history by which the audience will notice that previous categories of studied history is set aside, as we are no longer focusing on the usual ‘Classical Greece’ and ‘Rome’

Early modern Europe, specifically Spain and England, was going through major growing pains in the period before discovery and settlement of the New World. Recovery from the Black Plague, religious reformation, and newly formed nation-states were on the forefront of these changes. The political environment, economy, and religion were all intertwined during the upheaval of the Old World which proved to be a driving force in the search for and eventual settlement of new lands.

The supply of food had to be able to feed more people and ensure stability. The traditional method would often see poor harvest or shortages of land, the new methods the Agricultural Revolution provided ensured the stability that was needed in Europe. Dikes and drain land was developed so farmers and landlords could farm larger areas. They also experimented with new crops that would restore the soil and supply more animal food. The iron plow was another great agricultural innovation because it allowed land to be cultivated longer without having to be left unplanted. Crop rotation and a new method of animal breeding also contributed to the success of the Agricultural Revolution. However, these new methods caused peasant revolts because it challenged the traditional peasant ways of production. The increased production of food with the new and efficient production methods allowed death rates to fall and children to grow because people were more nouritoused. The increase in food production allowed Europeans to grow without the fear of

Economically, the Agricultural Revolution majorly impacted the way of life in the Europe, through new technological farming advancements and improved land efficiency, ultimately leading to a greater abundance of food. Compared to feudal society when people depended on small individual crop yields, many fields were combined in order to produce much larger harvests, increasing the bounty of food overall. Improved land efficiency came with new innovative ideas, including crop rotation. Allowing nutrients such as nitrogen to return to the soil, crop rotation along with fodder crops rotated the fields of crops every few years, leading to more successful yields of crops. Additional advancements in farming technology, such as the seed drill, helped

During the middle ages the lack of protection and a stable government after the Fall of Rome created the need for a new political system. Feudalism was the political system that emerged and shaped the lives of people socially and politically. Manors were small communities that were made up of a castle, church, village, and land for farming. The structured society provided a place and responsibility for everyone. The feudal obligations showed that in exchange for one thing they would be provided with something else. Serfs and peasants would work and produce goods for the rest of the manor and in return had their land and promised protection. The vassals would need to obtain land from the Lord and in return would provide the Lord with military service, loyalty, and ransom if asked for (Doc. 4). To make clear the vassal’s specific allegiance to their lord whom they owed in for exchange for their fief they would take the Homage Oath (Doc. 2). This interdependent system required everyone to do their part and it created social classes that they were born into. Their daily lives were centered on the manor and that was how it stayed until towns began to

Agriculture was becoming easier to understand and the population was rapidly increasing. The industrial revolution brought about new inventions such as the heavy plow, the shoulder crop for horses, metal horseshoes, and more efficient watermills and windmills. The population expanded from twenty-five million to to more than seventy million in eight hundred years. New land was available for farming thanks to past invasions. This fertile land was able to feed millions upon thousands of mouths in the Middle Ages. This proves that the Middle ages should be the called the Light ages because of the abundant food supply, increasing population, new inventions. Middle Age life was made so much more convenient thanks to the developing economy of

As time progressed society in England changed but the biggest change was caused by the industrial revolution. Society did change for the better but had many bad side effect along with it. A good thing that came from the industrial revolution was the upgrade of tools. With the Industrial revolution came many great inventions that people today rely heavily on. Inventions such as cars, planes, and tools. These changes also helped with the progression of house building, making it easier for people to design and build sturdy homes that can withstand nature. This helped us get to where we are today with all the technological advancements. But this all came at a cost. Along with the factories producing this we had people working there. These people were treated very badly with their work environment and pay. There was no minimum wage back then making it hard for people to continue living. And if u didnt die from starvation or overworking you would die from how dangerous the factories are. All day breathing in smoke and having the risk of getting stuck in a machine. And even if u did survive getting injured you would surely die of infection because they can pay for health care on how low their salary. These changes impacted in world we know today in both positive and

Industries could use these natural resources. For example, machines could be built out of iron, powered by coal, and would use the wool to spin thread. England also had favorable natural conditions that led to England’s success, according to George Warner. Canals provided outlets to the sea so that goods could be transported quicker. Industrialization was aided by seaports and proximity to harbors or rivers.

People began to develop ways to utilize waterpower, and that transitioned into harnessing the wind as well, and eventually employing horsepower as well. Amongst these new ways of using power there were other notable advances in farming such the three-field system which divided farmland into three different plots for planting crops to be harvested in different seasons, as well as in cloth-making and three specific inventions that notably made a difference: the chimney, eyeglasses and clocks. The chimney allowed Europeans to have fire in their houses without the risk of smoke filling the room which lead to better air, warmer winters and better prepared food. The eyeglasses allowed workers whose eyesight went bad after early years to continue to work to later ages and have more minute detail, and the clocks allowed there to be a more precise schedule and the ability to coordinate events increased significantly. Amongst other important advances in this chapter include war through the development of saddles, more accurate weapons, and maneuverable ships; large transportation ships; land transportation with harnesses for horses; and the

The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel, shows information about the technological accomplishments of the middle Ages. The basic idea is that during the two centuries from around 1050 Western Europe went through a kind of industrial revolution that was just as important as of the nineteenth century’s.

New farming technology enabled the people of the Middle Ages to increase their food production, helping to feed a growing population. The

The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was regarded to be a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name the “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, the majority of people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in fact, the Middle Ages was a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in orthodox social structure, political instability mostly concerned with succession to the throne, and economic changes and how those changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After certain demographical changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years’ War, Europe began to transform

On the very top of the social pyramid sits the monarch, the divine ruler, who was chosen by God to rule England. Underneath the monarchs were the nobles who were offered fiefs and peasants in return for loyalty to the monarch. Underneath the nobles were the knights who were vassals to lords and nobles. These knights were offered protection, food, and shelter in return for homage and military service to the nobles. At the bottom of the feudal pyramid were the peasants and serfs. These men and women farmed the lands and held various jobs that differed from blacksmith to servants and from farmers to merchants. The peasants and serfs were offered services to the lords and knights in return for food, protection, and shelter. The serfs were generally very poor and only had enough food and money to survive, even though this section of the feudal pyramid made up of most of the land’s population and had little to no say in the political affairs of the governmental rulings. The feudal system became more and more prominent during this time due to the rising power of the upper class. With monarchs becoming more and more powerful, there was little to noting that the common people could do other than throw their support to one lord or another. The feudal hierarchal social was important for the development of the social and political aspects of Medieval England due to the separation

Isser Woloch suggests that the key forces that transitioned Europe toward modernity are associated with four different developments which “coincided with and reinforced each other in final decades of the eighteenth century: (1) rising population; (2) increased agricultural productivity; (3) a vast increase in commerce, particularly in the exploitation of their colonies by Britain and France; and (4) the expansion of textile manufacturing and the beginnings of its structural transformation in England” (113).

Dante 's Inferno is a nearly impeccable representation of the intellectualism found in the High Middle Ages. Dante also gives us much needed insight into the politics of this era. To legitimize this poem, it was necessary to convey the emphasis of classical antiquity so prevalent during the Middle Ages. The Comedia provided this flawlessly. However, we must not gloss over the crux of this emphasis; the learning and belief systems that ruled the age. Scholasticism is a method of learning preeminent during this time which focused on complementing classical antiquity and theology by way of deductive reasoning, an Aristotelian concept. Coexistent with scholasticism was a belief that