Claudia Serrano

Block 5, AP History
December 21, 2012

Create your own DBQ

Historical Background:

The Middle Ages was a time between the 800 and 1500ce that was divided into
three time periods depending on their social, political and religious
characteristics; the early, the high and the late. During this time frame, religion
played an important role on the life of people controlling social and political
aspects. Education was mainly religious and was accessible only for a small
portion of the population, especially men and the clergy. Hence, the rights among
people were not equal. Politics were also influenced by religion where the church
was over the state therefore dictating all the laws of society. The influence of
religion even lead to the Crusades that were wars fought between the Christians
and the Muslims. Aside from that, the Middle Ages were also characterized by
suffering one of the worst plagues in history, called the Black Plague were
millions of individuals lost their lives. Feudalism, a system of control over
economy and social hierarchy was also practiced during this time. The growth of
crops and therefore the economy, increased also due to the Agricultural
Revolution that took place. Finally, the Middle Ages enjoyed a Golden Age during
one of its periods, were secular and religious education was practiced and where
writing, architecture, literature, inventions and trade developed.

Statement: Analyze education throughout the Middles Ages and how it promoted
intellectual and artistic developments.

Document 1:

Letter from HELOISE, a young woman, to ABELARD, his tutor:
And so in His Name to whom thou has offered thyself, before God I beseech
thee that in whatsoever way thou canst thou restore to me thy presence, to wit by
writing me some word of comfort. To this end alone that, thus refreshed, I may
give myself with more alicrity to the service of God. When in time past thou
soughtest me out for temporal pleasures, thou visitedst me with endless letters,
and by frequent songs didst set they Heloise on the lips of all men. With me
every public place, each house resounded. How more rightly shouldst thou excite
me now towards God, whom thou excitedst then to desire. Consider, I beseech
thee, what thou owest me, pay heed to what I demand; and my long letter with a
brief ending I conclude. Farewell, my all.

Source: Heloise, The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. Translated. (1101-1164)



Document 2:

"I am so debilitated by age that without the glasses known as spectacles, I would
no longer be able to read or write. These have recently been invented for the
benefit of poor old people whose sight has become weak"

Source: Sandra di Popozo, in Florentine manuscript entitled Traite de con uite de
la famille (1289).

Document 3:

O VIRGIN MOTHER, daughter of thy Son!

Created beings all in lowliness

Surpassing, as in height above them all;

Term by the eternal counsel pre-ordaind;

Ennobler of thy nature, so advanced 5
In thee, that its great Maker did not scorn,

To make Himself his own creation;

For in thy womb rekindling shone the love

Reveald, whose genial influence makes now
This flower to germin in eternal peace: 10
Here thou to us, of charity and love,

Art, as the noon-day torch; and art, beneath,

To mortal men, of hope a living spring.


Source: Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, XXXIII Canto Paradise. (1265-
1321)

Document 4:

Education of higher clergy during the Middle Ages

Document 5:

Illuminated manuscript from La Cit de Dieu by St. Augustine. Valencia, 1490

Document 6:

Flying buttresses in Notre Dame church built during the Middle Ages.

Essay:

Education throughout the Middle Ages from 800ce to 1500ce was partly
influenced by the Christian religion and lead to different developments in artistic
and intellectual aspects especially in writing. During the early, high and late
Middle Ages, education varied depending on the Christian faith, since the faith
dictated who could be educated, who could not and the style of education.

In the Early Middle Ages, education was completely influenced by
Christianity. Due to these, there was no secular education nor arts but only
religious education. Besides that, education was accessible only for some
people; especially those who had a high status on the church such as the high
clergy, while the rest were kept illiterate. This can clearly be seen in document 4
where the picture shows a group of monks with books. Through the didactic point
of view of this picture the inequality among classes can be seen, where only
education and luxuries were allowed to a small percentage of people especially
men that worked for the church. During the High Middle Ages from 1050 to
1300ce Europe was experiencing a Golden Age and the form of education
changed. First, women status increased because of the worship of the Virgin
Mary and this eventually lead to more access to education by women. Besides
that, secular education started to be promoted and led to the formation of
grammar schools and primary education for most of the people. Aside from
grammar schools there were also cathedral schools and universities such as the
universities of Bologna, Paris and Cambridge clearly showing how the
importance of education increased during those times, allowing these huge
educational centers which could hold large amount of students to be created. In
these universities, both secular and religious education took place. Document 1
has a formal, religious and didactic tone clearly showing that an educated
Christian individual wrote it. This document also represents the development in
education, the increase of women statues in society and how the church started
to be more flexible in education for both sexes, since the letter was written
between a pupil women and Abelard, her master. Abelard was the main
contributor to lay education, allowing women to study in schools just like men.

As education increased, literature and writing developed. In the Early
Middle Ages, Latin was the official language of Europe. However, development in
writing appeared and people started using both Germanic and Romance
languages to write. Still, only few people could write and this where the higher
clergy. On the other hand, in the High Middle Ages during the Golden Age,
writing and literature developed tremendously. Romances and poetry started to
be published, most of them with religious purposes. This can be seen in
document 3, where a part of the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri is
presented. This piece of art, explicitly shows the influence of Christian faith in the
people since it talks about the world and its divisions; hell, purgatory and heaven
according to the Christian faith. Document 3 is showing a part where the
characters of the comedy are already in heaven where through a tone of
glorification, the power of God and the Virgin Mary are presented as well as the
creation of the Earth. Aside from the Divine Comedy, other pieces of literature
were published such as the Arthurian Romances with the titles of Tristan and
King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table where the life and deeds of this
king were described. Besides poems and romances, illuminated manuscripts
developed. This can clearly be seen in document 5, where an illuminated
manuscript is shown. The descriptive tone of the picture shows how ornamented
and luxury the illuminated manuscripts were by the used of different colors,
drawings and patterns such as precious stones on their covers. This manuscripts
were inspired by God showing the importance of religion during those times as it
can clearly be seen in document 5, where the illuminated manuscript was written
by Saint Augustine. Although secular art was already promoted during the High
Middle Ages, the Christian faith still maintained an important role in arts and
literature. Not only pieces of literature were developed but also the writing
system. During the Carolingian Renaissance in the Early Middle Ages, the
emperor Charlemagne promoted both educations and arts increasing
architecture, writing, jurisprudence and scriptural studies. With his friend Alcuin, a
poet and educator who was the main scholar of this period, they encouraged the
creation of the miniscule script, a form of writing which included minuscule letters
because before everything was written in capitals. This way of writing became
the ancestor of Roman writing. This system of writing has been used since like it
can clearly be seen in the Freising manuscripts from the 10
th
century. These
manuscripts are a Slovene text written in minuscule since only the first letter of
the sentences is capitalized. The origins of the book shows how minuscule
developed throughout Europe and how it has been maintained until nowadays
where all the writing pieces follow this system by only capitalizing the first letter of
a sentence and names. Also, in the years 1300 to 1500 during the Late Middle
Ages, prose was developed as it can be seen in the work done by Giovanni
Boccaccio.

Education not only lead to intellectual developments but also to inventions
and artistic developments such as architecture because of the new knowledge
discovered through studying. As not only religious education but also secular and
primary education developed, new methods were put into practice. Architecture
was clearly an example of the development in education. During the High Middle
Ages, two types of architecture styles were practiced first being the Romanesque
and then the Gothic. Studies allowed people to build enormous symmetrical
constructions by the use of arches with small windows and round towers. This
method of architecture was called Romanesque. More studies lead people to find
better ways to support huge constructions. This is were flying buttresses, that
can be seen in document 6, developed and therefore characterized a new
architectural style named Gothic were elegance through gargoyles and size were
important. The point of view of document 6 represents a more practical method
of support for constructions by the use of the flying buttresses that are found in
churches allowing them to be huge in size such as the gothic church of Notre
Dame. Still the influence of Christianity was present during these constructions
since the height and the form of cross in which the churches were built, were
meant to reach God. Also the stained glasses found in the Gothic method were
used to represent religious events such as the life of Jesus. Inventions were
directly related to education. As education became more important, like it can be
seen in the Late Middle Ages, books and other inventions were created more
frequently and faster. All these type of inventions would improve education
allowing more practice and more study therefore more knowledge. Education
during this time was not only reserved to one place but also started to move
abroad in order to know more about the world, eventually resulting in better map-
making. The magnetic compass also allowed an easier study of other parts of the
world aside from Europe. The importance of books also increased and even
became easier to print books out due to the creation of the movable type prints.
Document 2 also shows the importance of education not only for men but also for
women. In document 2, the quote comes from a woman who through a tone of
relief and admiration for the invention explicitly explains how the creation of
eyeglasses allowed her to keep on studying through the reading of books. This
document shows how new inventions and more developed inventions allowed
better education for more people.

Education throughout the Middle Ages differed from time to time
depending on its importance and how Christianity responded to it. However,
many inventions were promoted due to the increase of education that became
open for the public, teaching not only about religion but also about secular
knowledge. Education of the Middle Ages, especially education in the High
Middle ages, such as grammar schools, became the base of education for
nowadays. Aside from that the education of this time period also inspired many
big pieces of literature, architectural methods, naturalism in arts, first practiced by
Giotto and inventions such as the mechanical clocks that would eventually
regularize labor. Education and its developments would become a legacy
providing the bases for modern times.


Bibliography:

Alighieri, D (1265-1321) Paradise, Canto XXXIII. Retrieved December 15, 2012
from http://bartleby.com/20/333.html

Boccaccio, G. (1350) The Decameron. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from
http://www.northampton.edu/Documents/Faculty/Harold%20Weiss/Death/Boccac
cio.pdf

Heloise (1101-1164) Letter to Abelard. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/heloise1.asp

International World History Project (n, d) The Middle Ages. Retrieved December
15, 2012 from http://history-world.org/middle_ages.htm

New Yorker Carver (2012) Medieval Inventions; eyeglasses. Retrieved
December 15, 2012 from http://www.newyorkcarver.com/inventions.htm

Smerke, M (August, 2004) Freising Manuscripts. Retrieved December 15, 2012
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freising_manuscript.jpg

St. Augustine. (1460) La Cit de Dieu. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from
http://colophon.com/gallery/minsky/illum.htm

Zirngibl, M (November 2008) Flying buttresses of Notre-Dame de Strasbourg.
Retrieved December 15, 2012 from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flying_buttresses_of_Notre-
Dame_de_Strasbourg.jpg