![]() Over the centuries grew the manorial or feudal system. ![]() In return, the people pledged to such protectors obedience, services and/or payments. They looked to the largest landowner or the physically strongest among them to organize and lead them against invaders. Without the Roman legions and a central authority to protect communities, people had to depend upon themselves for military defense. The Middle Ages is more than a period between it is part of the continuum of human development. Yet the Middle Ages is not to be viewed as a transitional period it made new beginnings that can be traced up to the present and helped shape our modern world. In time, society would develop to the point that it would be ready to begin a new, “modern” chapter in human history with the age of discovery and exploration. Yet from this period of confusion, a new type of civilization would grow and reach its crest during the 12th and 13th centuries. The common faith would give comfort to all people because, in this period of turmoil, it fostered hope as the way to God and salvation.Īs life in Western Europe’s communities became isolated, trade declined, roads and cities decayed, and a unified authority was shattered. ![]() The language would bond literate people despite the variety of political divisions and emerging national languages. Only two Roman legacies continued into the Middle Ages-a common Catholic faith and the Latin language. As a result, Western Civilization, during the years from 500 to 1000, grew poorer both in the progress of ideas and things. The people attracted to the Roman world were too primitive to adopt the Roman way of life, to inexperienced to maintain education, and did not master the Roman system of law and government. The Medieval period and its civilization did not appear all at once but developed slowly during the decline of the Roman Empire. It is the human element that we must touch in order to fully understand the past. The manners and customs may change from age to age, but the human connection remains. It is our human nature that links us whatever period of history that we study. We are all human and share the same desires, hopes and needs. For us, it seems so long ago an age remembered in textbooks, museums, and in the ruins of castles. To the kings and serfs of the Middle Ages, their period was modern because they were living it. Any period of history is “modern” to the people who are living at the time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |