Study Guide for Chap. 3 Test

Education

During the Middle Ages, most schooling took place in monasteries, convents, and cathedrals. In medieval times, the clergy were the people most likely to be educated. Starting in the 1200s, cathedral schools gave rise to universities. Thomas Aquinas (uh-KWINE-iss), an Italian scholar of philosophy and theology, tried to bridge the gap between reason and faith. Aquinas wrote logical arguments in support of his faith to show how reason and religious belief worked together.

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Life revolved around the church and religion. medieval people followed the sacraments to achieve salvation the popes had more power than kings because they could excommunicate the person. this was the worst thing that could happen to a person the Church became wealthy through owning a lot of land and through the wool biz and for the tithe that every person had to pay people looked to the church to explain terrible things such as famine, earthquakes, storms, plague, a lot of art and architecture focused on religion cathedrals were built to inspire awe in god people were educated by the clergy in church/ cathedral schools monks preserved the ancient works of the past. they also wrote bibles, etc the church helped the sick and the poor

Holidays

Medieval Europeans enjoyed many festivals and fairs that marked important days of the year. Most of these celebrations were connected in some way to the Church. Almost every day of the year was dedicated to a Christian saint, an event in the life of Jesus, or an important religious idea. In fact, our word holiday comes from "holy day." Two of the main medieval holidays were Christmas and Easter. Christmas is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. During the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations lasted for 12 days. On Christmas day, Christians attended church. Then they enjoyed a great feast, which was often held for everyone on the manor by its lord. Easter is the day when Christians celebrate the Resurrection. In Christian belief, the Resurrection is Christ's rising from the dead. For medieval Christians, Easter was a day of church services, feasting, and games. Often the games involved eggs, a symbol of new life. Music, dancing, and food were all part of medieval holidays and festivals. People sang folk songs and danced. They drank their favorite beverages and they ate baked and fried foods. Other favorite holiday entertainments included bonfires, acrobats and jugglers, and dancing bears. Plays were also popular. During religious services on special days, priests sometimes acted out Bible stories. By the 13th century, plays were often held outdoors in front of the church so more people could watch. In some English villages, mummers (traveling groups of actors) performed with masks, drums and bells, dances, and make-believe sword fights.

Art and architecture

Medieval art and architecture found their most glorious expression in cathedrals, the large churches headed by bishops. (The word cathedral comes from the Latin word cathedra, meaning "the throne upon which a bishop sits".) Cathedrals were built to inspire awe. For centuries, they were the tallest buildings in any community. Often they were taller than a 30-story building of today. Most were built in the shape of a cross, with a long central section called the nave and shorter side sections called transepts. The cathedrals built between 1150 and 1400 were designed in the Gothic style. Gothic cathedrals were designed to look like they are rising to heaven. On the outside are stone arches called flying buttresses. The arches spread the massive weight of the soaring roof and walls more evenly. This building technique allowed for taller, thinner walls and more windows. Stain glass windows told stories of the bible and the life of saints

Monks, nuns and friars

Some men and women, however, solemnly promised to devote their lives to God and the Church. The man who developed the monastic way of life in western Europe was Saint Benedict. Monks spent their lives in prayer, study, and work. Other duties included caring for the poor and sick, teaching, and copying religious texts. Both monks and nuns joined religious orders. Each order had its own distinctive rules and forms of service. Monastic life was one of the few opportunities open to medieval women who did not wish to marry. Women who became nuns lived in convents. Some people wanted to live a religious life without the seclusion of the monastery. Instead of living in monasteries, Franciscan friars traveled among ordinary people to preach and to care for the poor and sick.

• The organization of the Church

Church leaders developed an organization that was modeled on the structure of the old Roman government. By the High Middle Ages, they had created a system in which all clergy members had a rank. The pope, who was the bishop of Rome, was the supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was assisted and counseled by high-ranking clergymen called cardinals. Cardinals were appointed by the pope and ranked just below him in the Church hierarchy. Archbishops came next. They oversaw large or important areas called archdioceses. Below them were bishops, who governed areas called dioceses from great cathedrals. Within each diocese, priests served local communities, called parishes. Each parish had its own church building.

Pilgrimages and crusades

During the Middle Ages, religious faith led many people to perform extraordinary acts of devotion. For example, most Christians hoped to go on a pilgrimage at some point in their lives. Pilgrims traveled long distances to visit holy sites, such as Jerusalem (where Jesus was killed) and Rome. They also visited churches that housed relics, the body parts or belongings of saints. Canterbury Cathedral in England was a major destination for pilgrims. Pilgrims went on these journeys to show their devotion to God, as an act of penance for their sins, or in hopes of being cured of an illness. A pilgrimage required true dedication, because travel was difficult and often dangerous. Most pilgrims traveled on foot. Because robbers were a constant threat, pilgrims often banded together for safety. Sometimes they even hired an armed escort. Along the routes of popular pilgrimages, local rulers built special roads and bridges. Monks and nuns set up hostels, or special guest houses, spaced a day's journey apart. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a popular narrative poem about pilgrims called the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer lived in England from about 1342 to 1400. His amusing "tales" are stories that a group of pilgrims tells to entertain each other as they travel to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Among Chaucer's pilgrims are a knight, a miller, a cook, and a prioress (the head of a convent, or community of nuns). A second type of extraordinary service involved fighting in the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of military expeditions to the land where Jesus had lived, which Christians called the Holy Land. During the 7th century, this part of the Middle East had come under the control of Muslims. Jerusalem, which was a holy city to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, became a Muslim city. Between 1095 and 1270, Christians in western Europe organized several Crusades to recover Jerusalem and other sites of pilgrimage in that region. Some people went on Crusade to seek wealth, and some to seek adventure. Others went in the belief that doing so would guarantee their salvation. Many Crusaders acted from deep religious belief.

The increasing power of the Church

During the Middle Ages, the Church acquired great economic power. By the year 1050, it was the largest landholder in Europe. Some land came in the form of gifts from monarchs and wealthy lords. Some land was taken by force. The medieval Church added to its wealth by collecting a tithe, or tax. Each person was expected to give one-tenth of his money, produce, or labor to help support the Church.

Sacraments and Salvation

Most people in medieval Europe believed in God and an afterlife, in which the soul lives on after the body's death. The Church taught that people gained salvation, or entry into heaven and eternal life, by following the Church's teachings and living a moral life. Failing to do so condemned the soul to eternal suffering in hell. To believers, hell was a real and terrifying place. Its torments, such as fire and demons, were pictured in vivid detail in many paintings. The Church taught its members that receiving the sacraments was an essential part of gaining salvation. Sacraments were sacred rites that Christians believed brought them grace, or a special blessing from God. The sacraments marked the most important occasions in a person's life.

The growth of the Church from Roman times

Over time, Church leaders developed an organization that was modeled on the structure of the old Roman government. By the High Middle Ages, they had created a system in which all clergy members had a rank. The pope, who was the bishop of Rome, was the supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was assisted and counseled by high-ranking clergymen called cardinals. Cardinals were appointed by the pope and ranked just below him in the Church hierarchy. the church provided leadership and stability. the church was life in the middle ages and people lived good lives so that they could get into heaven. It was the center of the community. The middle ages were called the age of faith.