Revival of learning
- 1. Chapter 10: Europe in the Middle Ages: A.D. 1000-1500 The Revival of Learning & Culture
- 2. The Revival of Learning • As kings grew more powerful, the need for officials trained in law & record keeping increased • Initially, most royal officials in charge of those duties came from the Church • By the late 1100s, however, the need for officials outside the Church to work in royal offices led to a rise in literacy
- 3. Revival of Learning..cont • Parchment: Thin material made from the skin of animals, used for paper in Europe during Middle Ages • Vellum: Finer form of parchment
- 9. Revival of Learning..cont • University: A group of scholars • Bologna, Italy: The site of the first university in western Europe. Established in the late 12th Century
- 11. Revival of Learning..cont • Theology: Study of Religion & God, most highly regarded subject in early universities • Scholasticism: Study of a mix of religion & philosophy
- 12. Revival of Learning..cont • Many scholars also began to look back to the classics of ancient Greece • Western European scholars began traveling to the great library in Toledo, Spain • In Toledo, Jewish scholars translated Arabic copies of Greek writers, such as Aristotle, into Latin
- 13. Revival of Learning..cont • Thomas Aquinas: Monk who bridged the philosophies of Aristotle with the Bible • The Heights of Theology: Collection of writings that used logic & reason to show the truth of the Church
- 15. Revival of Learning • Latin was the primary language of higher learning in western Europe during the Middle Ages • Vernacular: Language of everyday speech in a region • Eventually literature & poetry was written in language common people could
- 16. Revival in Learning..cont • Poetry, while not new to the High Middle Ages, became popular in different forms • Chansons de Geste: “Songs of Deeds”, told of heroic tales of knights & kings • These poems were sung to the accompaniment of instruments
- 17. Revival of Learning..cont • Song of Roland: Told the story of French soldiers who died a heroic death fighting Moors from Spain • King Arthur : Epic story about the English king and the Knights of the Round Table, who sought the Holy Grail