Essays on Middle Ages

With specific reference to at least three readings given, explain how the early modern period can be understood as an "invention" or "discovery" of the modern age? The early modern period in the world’s history marks significant changes in culture, religion, worldview and people’s perception of themselves in the universe. Symbolically defined as the period between the fall of Constantinople in the late Middle Ages and the onset of the Age of Revolutions in the late eighteenth century, the early modern period is commonly described as the time of invention, the Age of Discovery and the Age ...

While death is scary in almost all cultures and civilizations, there are different views of taking and accepting this debilitating truth of life. In Western societies, death is almost forbidden, and it entails a process of profound bereavement and grief, sometimes unnecessarily. By contrast, Chinese embrace death by finding a solace in the fate. This paper, having referred to the relevant literature, presents a holistic account of the variations between these two cultures. Phillippe Aries' book, Western Attitudes Towards Death from the Middle Ages to the Present, highlights a comprehensive chronology of death as considered by Westerners. While they ...

Introduction

The civilization that took place in Ancient Egypt is widely known for its great achievements in various fields such as statecraft, engineering, architecture, and medicine. The large and marvelous buildings found along the banks of the Nile River still leave people at awe despite their old age. The civilization of the region is partly attributed to the unification of the Egyptians under one ruler in different sections of the Nile Valley. Empire building gave the ancient individuals a sense of stability and organization that allowed them to focus on civilized practices and behaviors. The ancient Egyptians emerged as one ...

An Assignment Submitted by

A wedding dress, or a wedding gown, is an elegant clothing which a bride wears to her wedding ceremony. Usually the wedding dress is white, but the bride can actually choose any colour she would like to. There is also a variety of style solutions to the wedding dress depending on fashion trends, the festivity of the wedding ceremony and the choice of the bride. The style of the fashion dress depends on the cultural traditions of every particular country, but in the Western tradition it is accepted that a white dress with a veil is the most classic ...

Authors from different periods in history represent nature and the physics world differently. Authors from Anglo- Saxons or the people, who inhabited Great Britain in the 5th century, represented the issue different from those in the middle or medieval ages (10th to 15th century) and also from those that came thereafter. Anglo- Saxon author of Beowulf is believed to have written the piece sometime between 8th and 11th century. The Beowulf poet presents ancient Scandinavia with the heroic tale of Beowulf defeating a monster and later becoming King of Geats (Anon, Kirtlan 3). It shows nature as a fight ...

Sexuality

Religion has always played an important role in the life of human, society and the entire states. If we talk about Christianity, namely Catholicism, the peak of its influence was during the Middle Ages. In this period of human history, Europe was sick of the religious fever. Religion affected all aspects of society. The church was dictating its own inhumane rules, imposing certain worldview and lifestyle on people. Religion has never been indifferent to the sexuality and Catholicism especially! Catholic dogmas do not cease to astonish or even shock by its finality and severity. Of course, at the present ...

Social Module: Venice

1) What is the name of your city, town or village and where did this name come from? Note, there may also be an informal name, that is a name that local people refer to it. You may also discuss any name changes over time and the reasons for these name changes. In that case, if the word Veneti has the Indo-European origin, it means “famous”, but if we consider this word with the pre-Indo origin, it means “foreigners” or “new comers” (nuovi venuti). Perhaps the name of the Veneto is from the word “new comers”. In this case, ...

The factors that contributed to Europe’s economic growth between 950 and 1100, otherwise known as the Early Middle Ages, were the development of new technology like crop rotation as well as the improved climate which allowed farmers to produce more crops which they could trade with thus helping the economy (Norton 2010). The increase in towns and commerce also helped as the “agricultural revolution served as a foundation for a new commercial revolution” (Norton 2010). Thus the towns became a symbol for the relationship which they shared with those who lived in the countryside as the goods that ...

Physical Module: Venice

I have chosen the city, Venice for this assignment. As I mentioned in the introduction, I have been in Venice previous summer and I want to explore this site in more detail.

Geomorphology and Climatology

1) How did your selected city, town or village’s physical landscape form? i) What are the geological processes that contributed to the formation of your site? ii) What are the climatic processes that contributed to the formation of your site? The place, where Venice is located, is characterized by the transitional climate type between the continental and Mediterranean climate zones. The place of the city is ...

There is a wide accepted concept that after centuries of development, the Muslim world began to decline in the 15th century. Did it really decline? In this work I would like to illustrate the main trends of developments of the Muslim world in early 15 – early 20 century. We know that in part of the second millennium, and for five centuries later there were many Asian invasions in other regions of the world, wide expansion (Seljuk, Arab, Turkish). But then the stagnation began. Since the "golden age" of the Abbasid Empire, it has not changed territorially. And large areas ...

Physical Module: Venice

I have chosen the city, Venice for this assignment. As I mentioned in the introduction, I have been in Venice previous summer and I want to explore this site in more detail.

Geomorphology and Climatology

1) How did your selected city, town or village’s physical landscape form? i) What are the geological processes that contributed to the formation of your site? ii) What are the climatic processes that contributed to the formation of your site? The place, where Venice is located, is characterized by the transitional climate type between the continental and Mediterranean climate zones. The place of the city is ...

The Black Death was a plague that flowed over the continents of the world over a period of , but the major outbreak in Europe was a three year time span from 1347 to 13501; there were further resurgences of the epidemic with complete eradication not occurring until the 19th century. Had the initial devastation of demographics been isolated, Europe would probably have recovered fairly quickly. However, repeated surges of decimating epidemics continued to inflict damage for years. For example, England continued to suffer from large numbers of citizen deaths for approximately another 30 years. The population was depleted by ...

Italian Women Writers

An Antique’s Period Bias Amongst Women The Medieval Period dating 476 AD until 1000 AD was one of the most degrading times for women in any class. Men had it simpler than they did because they ended up dominating all of society and they looked down upon women, for example they were able to get jobs unlike women. Men and their accomplishments were noticed and women were not recognized for their hard work, whether it be taking care of the children or being a housewife. Their hard work wasn’t sophisticated like men being painters or architects, but ...

Module

Matriculation Number Study Programme The Great Vowel Shift in the English Language is one of the most important events in the evolution of modern English phonetics and pronunciation. It occurred towards the end of the Middle Ages and carried on into the English Renaissance, culminating in the seventeenth century when vowel usage was more or less consolidated. The event was likely caused due to a complex combination of socio-economic factors as well as cultural and technological change, but its effects are of more immediate concern. The Great Vowel Shift is responsible for creating many of the rules of written ...

Chartres, France

The monuments and architecture in ancient times allow talking and narrating about the historical background from the angle of time in which they were built. Through various signs, they inform us about the prosperity, decline of the reigns and empires as well. Thus, they are the major means of communication. They can tell us a lot about the economic, political and religious circumstances of the specific region. They also narrate the contemporary architectural trend. In medieval Europe, especially in France, the Gothic architecture was at its pinnacle. Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres is one of the Gothic architecture examples in ...

Question 3.

The period between the years from 500 to 1400 – 1500 is traditionally called the Middle Ages. The term was used for the first time by the scholars in the 15th century to mark the period between the fall of the Western part of the Roman Empire and their time. Nevertheless that the Middle Ages were considered as a time of superstition, ignorance and social oppression now they are appreciated as a time of reforms of political, economic, social and cultural life. The Roman imperial traditions were replaced by the traditions of the Germanic people and kingdoms were established, new ...

In his essay called “Christianity and the Survival of Creation”, Wendell Berry accuses Christian church of the insulting indifference that it expresses towards the whole world. While the church claims to be merciful and forgiving, it chooses to ignore all of the issues that are relevant for the modern society. Things like war, rape and murder the Church explains with the fact that God sends people obstacles that they are able to overcome. Instead of engaging into the fight with crime, the church hides behind the doctrine of acceptance. Berry is also outraged with the fact that Christians tried ...

A Cathedral refers to a Christian church containing the seat of a bishop. It serves as the central church of the entire diocese, episcopate or conference. Although "cathedral" as a word is often loosely applied, those churches that have the roles of a "cathedral" that occur specifically. It is only in the denominations that have an episcopal hierarchy such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox as well as some Methodists and Lutheran churches that have cathedrals (Thomas, 2). Some people argue that cathedrals were designed to intentionally intimidate people, especially during the middle ages. I agree with this idea. ...

Adoration of the Magi

The artwork form a certain era or period says a lot about the culture the art comes from. By studying the symbolism, colors, and materials used in the art, it is easy to understand the culture that thrived during that time. Decoding the artistic elements in the portraits can help one learn as to what was necessary to the civilization of that era and how they wanted to be remembered. “Adoration of The Magi” by Giotto di Bondone, when studied speaks a lot about the culture and the features of the artistic movement in social, historical and artistic context. ...

I. Identification and Significance

Courtly Love-This is a concept that denotes the noble and chivalrous expression of love ‘The Other’ Medieval Religion- While the Roman Catholic Church was regarded as the only religion during the middle ages. However, there are instances when conflict occurs among important members of the church, thus, the establishment of other religions. Medieval Science Popular Religion- There was a great conflict between science and religion during the medieval times. The church has a considerable influence in limiting and encouraging scientific exploits during that time. Walensians Knightly Culture- The knightly culture of the Walensians originated during ...

The man cannot be separated from many things. He cannot live without food, air and water. However, it’s not the complete list of items that are necessary for human existence. Humanity is also obsessed with the violence. Throughout the whole history, people invented a lot of different methods of punishment, murder and torture. So, the human history is full of cruelty and violence. Consequently, it’s possible to talk an infinitely long time about how some representatives of humanity have punished, tortured, and killed others more unfortunate representatives of mankind. However, we’d remember only the most noteworthy ...

(Teacher)

The Ancient world was a time when humans were still attempting to figure out how the earth worked, why that natural world worked the way it did, and how to communicate effectively. The ancient world is one way to define that time period before the middle ages after Christianity began to take over most of Europe, North Africa, and parts of China. The ancient world is a time in the history of humanity that is viewed through many different lenses, depending on who is viewing it and for what purpose. Christianity is certainly a pivot point between the ...

The primary purpose of this essay is to explain how Cathedral of Notre-Dame, also referred to as Chartres Cathedral relates to the culture of the time and how the building was a product of its cultural and political conditions. Chartres Cathedral is situated in Chartres, towards the northwestern France and one of the prime examples of French Gothic architecture. It is well famous for its stained glass and different sculptures ranging from column statues to miniatures. A fire in1194 destroyed most of the cathedral, which was later reconstructed (Chartres Cathedral 2016). The church is made of limestone and displays ...

1. Name two powerful forces molding the development of Romanesque (and Gothic) art and architecture: a. Pilgrimage b. Monastic movement 2. Which cathedral was the starting point to the pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain?

Vezelay cathedral in France

3. What was at Santiago (or maybe who)?

The church in Santiago was believed to house the bones of St James

4. Why did people go on pilgrimages? Cite five reasons. a. to plead for divine help b. to ask for the cure revealed c. to give thanks for favors given d. to ask to forgive their sins e. for the salvation of their souls 5. Whose relics were at Vezelay?

The relics of Mary Magdalene

6. What 3 objects or garments marked ...

The “Ave Merris Stella” is a pure, sacred hymn was produced by the “Guillame Dufay”. This beautiful hymn is about 600 years old. The form of this hymn is Strophic in nature and display the medieval mode. It is such an incredible piece of music as one can feel that how it would sound in the Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, because of its unique acoustics. This hymn is an excellent display of the Early Renaissance “Style” and “Sound”. The start of Dufay’s setting of “Ave Maris Stella” displays the use of fauxbourdon. The initial and the last ...

St Thomas was a philosopher in the concept of natural law and the role of God’s justice in the legal system. Ethical arguments between lawyers and judges confront on a daily basis is suggested as an occupational profile for the professional conduct of judges and lawyers in their everyday interactions. St Thomas offers procedural comments on the criminal and civil relations as well as sentencing guidelines. In this era in which a Christian lawyer is many times faced with situations that are unethical and the modus operandi is one of questionable choices, the Christian lawyer and judge have ...

Introduction

Before the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment, though, the field of inquiry was completely different than it would be afterward. There was only one religious establishment during that time period, and that establishment had the power of eternal fear over everyone and everything. The fact that the Roman Catholic Church had the power to ban someone not just from church but from any chance of salvation radically altered the calculus of anyone interested in pursuing any sort of intellectual endeavor. Remember, this is the same institution that sought to excommunicate Galileo and Copernicus because of their claims that the ...

Many works of nonfiction and fiction, including Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, have suggested that there is a link between the Knights Templar of the Middle Ages and Freemasonry as it exists today. While the majority of historians and researchers do not currently accept that this is the case, there are certain slight indications that might point in this direction. Certainly a number of Masons believe this might be the case. But to consider the possibility that there is a link between these two organizations requires understanding what occurred during the dissolution of the Knights Templar in the ...

Term renaissance (French for rebirth) is known to most people. We are familiar with the heritage of the epoch – paintings, literature, music and know a lot about philosophical course of the time. However, I would like to focus on the very first accords of the period, looking at what led to it and who stood at its origins. Renaissance is a transitional era; from the mediaeval to the modern world (Sanford). During Renaissance no great philosophical systems are built - this time is for experimenting, trying different possibilities reorientation. At the same time, Renaissance may be referred to as ...

Since the beginning of time, people have come up with many proposals and ideas in a bid to expose the true identity of Christianity as a religion. This implies, Jesus, the main man behind this religion, has received varied portrayals. It is interesting though how this portrayal has continued to change with time. This paper shall therefore involve a comparison of articles in order to explore how Jesus and Christianity has been presented since the high middle ages till today. The following are two excerpts for Hildegard’s Scivias: its mouth is gapping downwards in order to pull down by deception ...

A Revolution is defined as ‘a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving’ (Julian 173). One would also say a revolution involves basic changes in power or organizational structures which take place in a relatively short period of time. The Scientific and Industrial revolutions were both a change of life, and changed the way that jobs were created along with how people created different theories regarding different approaches to creation and nature (Julian 173).

The Scientific Revolution was a period of time that included great men of the Middle Ages such as Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) to Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Historians may ...

Introduction

Judaism is one of the five main world religions. The other four include Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Evidence available from archaeological and historical work shows that human beings in virtually all societies have since their humble beginnings held beliefs in supernatural beings they revered and worshiped. Religion is a set of beliefs that involves attributing the origin and cause of the universe as well as all things found in it and nature to a supernatural being (s) commonly known as God(s) who is held to be all knowing and all powerful. Religion can also be understood as an associative ...

How did the church’s way of presenting the good news about Jesus to a wide audience change and not change between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages?

Proposed Answer:

The time beginning in the 2nd and 8th centuries, A.D., is historically tagged as the Late Antiquity. Early Middle Ages were between the 5th and 10th centuries. These were also known as the Dark Ages. It was a time during which in Europe, specifically the Roman Empire, was faltering. There were peculiar happenings dealing with Roman Emperor Constantine. He was ...

In the introduction to Hunter's Shakespeare and the Comedy of Forgiveness, the author announces his intention to combat oversimplifications that have arisen over the past few decades with regards to the scholarship of Shakespeare, wherein the attitude of Shakespeare itself at the time of his writing would actually reflect the politics and intent of the work itself (e.g. King Lear having a sad ending indicating Shakespeare being despondent at the time of its composition). "This study...will be an attempt to investigate one feature - the denouement in forgiveness - which is common to five of the later comedies" (Hunter 2). ...

One of the generally established positions considering the scientific revolution of the XVII century is that the European science (primarily related to the classical natural sciences) originated from it. It is interesting that it emerged at once in the interrelation of all components: theoretical knowledge, its rationale and mathematical description, experimental testing, social structure with network of scientific communication and public application. Among the phrases that can best show the way of thinking that started acting at that time, there is one William Gilbert wrote in his Preface: “LIFE is a Chemical Process: In that of every Individual there has ...