Medieval united Europe
you will explain what the medieval universalismuniversalism was
you will describe the medieval role modelsrole models
you will differentiate between a symbolsymbol an allegoryallegory
you will interpret the Bosch's painting
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Before the lesson
Think in what ways the character of the modern culture can be universal.
Universalism – the invention of the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
Although the map of medieval Europe differs significantly from the modern one, we can spot some similarities between the modern and the medieval culture of the European continent. Today we live in a gradually unifying world. English has become a dominant language, pizza is eaten almost everywhere, we dress up in a similar way and listen to the same music. We can say that the world has universalized.
Universalism is one of the main features of the Middle Ages as well.
Check in the Polish Dictionary or in other sources what does the universalism mean.
The medieval universalism has made the culture of Western Europe similar in different aspects, especially after the XI century. Universalism was visible in the struggle to unify different aspects of life according to the prevailing rules.
– augustianism (the name derives from St Augustine – III/IV century).
– thomism (St Thomas Aquinas – XIII century),
– misticism (based on the idea that God can be only experienced by the enlightement, the illumination coming from Him and it's not possible to discover the truth with one's own mind). 7. The activity of orders. It is because of them that the ancient culture has survived the societal collapse (the works were gathered, copied and commented in the monasteries). However, the main task of the Black Monks (VI century), Cisterians (XI century), Franciscans and Dominicans (XIII century) was to promote the religious attitude. 8. Pre-university education. The priests and monks had big influence on the organisation and teaching methods. The schooling took place in the parish, cathedral and monastery schools and the universal system of education on the whole continent included seven fields of science called liberal arts. Seven liberal arts consisted of so-called trivium and quadrivium.To the first group covered grammar, dialectic (logic) and rhetoric. It was the lower educational level. On the higher one – quadrivium –geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music were taught. 9. University education. Since the XIII century, some schools started to change into universities. Law, medicine and theology, considered to be the most important branch of science, were lectured there. One of the teaching methods was scholasticism (the name comes from the Latin word schola - school) presuming that the catechism can be justified in the rational way. 10. Role models. The medieval art promoted three role models: saint, knight, lord. 11.Anonymity. We have only few information about the medieval artists, many of them remained anonymous. It is connected not only with the historical circumstances (many documents were lost). Authors believed that the artwork is made for the God’s glory, not for their own. They thought that the real creator is God and the human is only a reproducer. 12. Benefiting from the ancient culture. Contrary to the common belief that the people of the Middle Ages totally rejected the pagan Antiquity, after the V century there were still many visible references to the ancient accomplishments. To the heritage of Antiquity belong for example: Latin, natural science, astronomy, philosophy.
![](https://static.zpe.gov.pl/portal/f/res/R1GgJRALXUnSr/2/2YDBNNpurpX1DUAIWfOfVRzrGK26jZTH/ALTERNATIVE-STATIC/f51jnomLlwE6HhqdfIEK77kHfIXRHW3L.jpg)
1. Common religion Christianity dominated the whole continent and formed the worldview of the Europeans.
2. Theocentrism God was in the centre of all human activities. Theologists believed that if God was the only necessary being, all the rest may not have existed.
3. Common usage of Latin Educated people could communicate within the common code that was Latin. It was used mainly during the liturgies, at schools, universities and in offices.
4. Feudalism After the slavery period, feudalism has become the main political and economic regime based on the hierarchy. The society was divided into estates with the specific tasks assigned to them.
5. Art styles We distinguish two main styles visible in architecture, painting and sculpting of Middle Ages: roman and gothic style
6. Philosophy The most important philosophical concepts of that time were:
– augustianism (the name derives from St Augustine – III/IV century).
– thomism (St Thomas Aquinas – XIII century),
– misticism (based on the idea that God can be only experienced by the enlightement, the illumination coming from Him and it's not possible to discover the truth with one's own mind).
7. The activity of orders It is because of them that the ancient culture has survived the societal collapse (the works were gathered, copied and commented in the monasteries). However, the main task of the Black Monks (VI century), Cisterians (XI century), Franciscans and Dominicans (XIII century) was to promote the religious attitude.
8. Pre-university education The priests and monks had big influence on the organisation and teaching methods. The schooling took place in the parish, cathedral and monastery schools and the universal system of education on the whole continent included seven fields of science called liberal arts1.
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1 Seven liberal arts consisted of so-called trivium and quadrivium.To the first group covered grammar, dialectic (logic) and rhetoric. It was the lower educational level. On the higher one– quadrivium –geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music were taught.
9. University education Since the XIII century, some schools started to change into universities. Law, medicine and theology, considered to be the most important branch of science, were lectured there. One of the teaching methods was scholasticism (the name comes from the Latin word schola - school) presuming that the catechism can be justified in the rational way.
10. Role models The medieval art promoted three role models:
- saint,
- knight,
- lord
11. Anonymity We have only few information about the medieval artists, many of them remained anonymous. It is connected not only with the historical circumstances (many documents were lost). Authors believed that the artwork is made for the God’s glory, not for their own. They thought that the real creator is God and the human is only a reproducer.
12. Benefiting from the ancient culture Contrary to the common belief that the people of the Middle Ages totally rejected the pagan Antiquity, after the V century there were still many visible references to the ancient accomplishments. To the heritage of Antiquity belong for example: Latin, natural science, astronomy, philosophy.
Medieval role models
Symbol and allegory
Remind yourself the information about the symbol and allegory.
Allegory – in literature and culture, it is a presentation of an idea, term, character or an event using a fixed, hidden artistic meaning rooted in tradition, more important than the literal one. The metaphorical meaning is unambiguous and malleable (e.g. by using personification). The example of the allegory may be a person with a scythe, an image of death. Contrary to the conventionalised character of the allegory, a symbol is ambiguous and has no fixed meaning, it can be understood in different ways.
Basing on the available sources, mark the correct words to complete the sentences.
Hieronim Bosch (1450-{#1516}{1550}) was a painter and drafter from {Shetland}{#Netherlands}. His works cover a {narrow}{#vast} range of topics – from daily life of {#common people}{the royal court} to {#religious scenes}{landscapes}. Bosch paintings are characteristic for their {#rough}{smooth} texture. The artist has become an inspiration for {#surrealists}{realists}.
Keywords
Middle Ages, universalism, symbol, allegory
Match the pairs: English words with Polish definition.
feudalizm, teocentryzm, szkolnictwo, dama dworu, rycerz, uniwersalizm, władca, wzorce osobowe
universalism | |
role models | |
lord | |
knight | |
lady‑in‑waiting | |
feudalism | |
theocentrism | |
education |
Glossary
średniowiecze
uniwersalizm
symbol
alegoria
madiewista
wzorce osobowe
władca
rycerz
dama dworu
feudalizm
teocentryzm
szkolnictwo
łacina