History 521 A
Pre- Renaissance Medieval Europe
Generally speaking, the period known as Medieval Europe or the Middle Ages begins after the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire (think Julius and Augustus Caesar etc.) in the 400s and ends around the time the
European Renaissance and Age of Exploration (1400s).
Life in Medieval Europe was heavily influenced by two institutions:
1) The Roman Catholic Church
2) The Feudal System
1) The Catholic Church:
Before the 1500s nearly all of Western Europe (many Eastern Europeans belonged to the Orthodox
Church) was Catholic. In fact, the word catholic means universal. There were significant minority
populations of Muslims in Spain, and Jews throughout Western and Eastern Europe.
Europe in the 1200s
PAGAN/ TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS
ORTHODOX
CATHOLIC
ORTHODOX
MUSLIM
MUSLIM
Exterior of a Catholic Church
Interior of a Catholic Church
Discuss with your partner:
What do you notice about the architectural and physical features of the Catholic Church?
What does the physical layout of the Church suggest about its importance and role in Medieval
Europe? How might this religious structure differ from the structures where you or your
parents worship? (mosques, temples, other churches etc.)
Physical and architectural features of the Catholic Church:
Contrasts with where you worship:
The Catholic Church also dominated education and the arts.
There was no public education system in the Medieval Europe. Most people were illiterate.
Townspeople communicated in their local language or dialect (German, French etc.) Peasants
did not speak Latin. Monks and priests received an education and were able to read and write
in Latin, the official language of the Catholic Church. There was no printing press until 1440.
Books were handwritten and illustrated by monks. Paper was a rarity and most monks used
parchment (animal skin) for writing.
Left: two hand copied manuscripts in
Latin
Circa 1300
Historical Thinking:
If each book had to be hand written and
illustrated how did this influence the
spread of ideas in the Middle Ages?
How did this system of writing enable
the Catholic Church to maintain
influence over people’s lives in Medieval
Europe?
Medieval Art
Discuss with your partner:
What are some common themes in this artwork?
How do you think these pictures reflected medieval life?
2. The Feudal System
Medieval Europe was organized very hierarchically.
Below is a chart of how the feudal system worked.
Discuss the following questions with your partner:
Which group benefitted the least from this feudal system and why?
To what extent was the King’s power limited?
How do you think the feudal system helped the Catholic Church to maintain its influence?
Paragraph Response:
Choose one of the following questions below and respond in with a thesis statement, supporting evidence,
and concluding sentence.
_______Describe how the Catholic Church influenced medieval life.
_______ Describe how the feudal system influenced medieval life.
Use this space for planning
Write your response here:
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