10 Medieval Civilization: rancis of 1182-1226 son of a pra merchant in 2 town in centa tay. As a 26, Francs joined the Asis with the nearby town of prisoner he spent neaty ai iy, After his release he b ill, the first of many painful if afficted him twoughout his Journey to join anothers fist of his many visions ord him to ave up ating an to life of sptualy and service té tal he searched about for went ona pigrimage to Rome and although lepers persona him he gave them alms and hands a6 an act of chatty Then, according tos eae while paying in the diapidate San Damiano outside the at ST. FRANCIS RENOUNCES HIS WORLOLY ‘GOODS St Francs stripped ofall hs cloth. ingin the town square and enounced his wotaly possessions a spitual act signing Ns telection of the material word Francis angry father the igure lef canter hast be resvained to prevent him fom stking bison with is clenched fst Meanwhile, the bishop covers Francs nakedness.© Watch the Video Series on MyHistoryLab Learn about some key topics related to this chapter with the MyHistoryLab Video Series: Key Topics in Western Civilization 10.2 received a direct command from the crucifix above the alta:"Go Francs, and repair my house wich as you sees nary in ruins? — ‘fist Francis understood this command teal andbegan to repair churches and chapels Torsise money he tocksome ofthe best cloth fom his fathers shop and ode to anearby town vwherehesoldthecloth andthe hore Angeredby thetheftofhis loth hisfather denounced him tothe town’ authorities. When Francs refused the summons to court hisfater had im brought tothe bishop of Asis forinterrogation Before isfther could expan the stuation othe bishop, Francis" withouta word stripped off his clothing even removing his pants and gave them backto his father Stark naked, Francs announced that he was switching his obedencefrom his earthly tohisheaveny father The astonished bishop gave him a cloak o cover is nakedness, but Fran cisrenounced al fly tes and worl goods ove feof complet poverty Henceforth, he seemed to understand the command to repair my houses metaphor forthe entre Church, wich he intended to serve ina new way Dressed in rags, Francis went about town begging for food, preaching repentance in the sets, and ministering to outcasts and lepers Without tralningas priest oiense asa preacher, Francis at fst seemed Ike a devout eccentric or even a dangerous heretic buts igorou ita tion of Jesus began to tract ike-minded followers. In 1210 Fanci and 12 of his ragged bothers showed upin the opulent papal court of Pope Innocent to request approval fora new egious order Ales disering man than Innocent would have sent the strange band packing or thrown them in prison as 2 danger to establshed sey but Inacen was Impressed by Fanci since ty and his wlingnss to profes obedience to the pope. Innocents provisional approval of he Franccans was rllant stoke, in that gave the papacy a way to manage the widespread en thusiam fra feof sptualty and purty. Thelfe of ancl of Asis and the religious order he founded, the Friars Minor (Lester Broth: «8, known asthe Franciscans eptomized the sengths and tension of medieval Europe. Franls was a product ofthe newly prosperous tows of Europe, which began to grow at an unprece- dented rate after about 1050, nthe sets of towns such a Asi that thrived on prof fom the Intemational oth trade, the extremes of wealth and poverty were always on dsl. ch merchants suchas Franc father ved in splendid comfort and financed an urban building boom thathad not been seen inthe West for more than 1,000 year: The most lasting manifestations of that bulding boom were the vast new cathedrals, the pide of every medleval cy. tthe same time wrechely poor people, many of them immigrants rom the ovepopulated countryside — starving and homeless—lined the steps into the great churches begging for alms. Francis abhorred theimmaraty ofthis contrast between weath and poverty. Hs reaction wast ejecta forms of wealth, togve away allhis posession, and to disdain money as polson He and his flowers de- Voted themselves tothe poor and abandoned, They became taveling street preachers who eed ently onthe char of thers fr food and shelter. Fanci’ rejection ofthe materi wold was notjusta protestagainst the materials values ofhistimes, twa total denial ofthe sl To putit in moder terms, it was a rejection of all forms of egotism and pride, combined with a revolution- ary commitment to equality. The late eleventh through thirteenth centuries were revolutionary in other ways Based on the efforts ofthe knights who fought inthe Crusades, the European merchants and the great theologians ofthe Church the Catholic West began to assert sl itary, economically, and ineectaly both n Byzantium and agsinst the Muslim wold, As ru westem Europeans ‘more sharply dtingushed themselves fom the Orthodox and Mustim worlds. The West became more exclusively atin and Cathol 297agricultural revolution Refers to technological innovations that be- {gan to appear during the eleventh century, making possible a dra- ‘matic growth in population. The agricultural evolution came about through harnessing new sources ‘of power with water and windmills, Improving the pulling power of animals with better collars, using heavy plows to better exploit the sollsof northern Europe, and em- ploying athree-field crop rotation system that Increased the amount and quality of food avaliable. 298 Internal developments within Europe made possible this consolidation ofa distinctive West- lem identity and projection of Western power outside Europe. The agricultural revolution that began in the eleventh century stimulated population growth and urbanization. Fed by more pro- ductive farms, the expanding cities began to produce industrial goods, such as woolen cloth, that ould be sold abroad in exchange for luxury goods from the Middle East and Asia. A number of vigorous kings created political stability in the West by consolidating their authority through f- ‘nancial and judicial bureaucracies. The most effective of these kings used a variety of strategies to force the most dangerous element in society the landed aristocrats, to serve the royal interest. At the same time, the West experienced a period of creative ferment unequaled since antiquity. The Roman Catholic Church played a central role in encouraging intellectual and artistic activity, but there was also a flourishing literature inthe vernacular languages such as French, German, and Ital lan. Allthese developments led to this question: How did western European civilization mature during the eleventh through thirteenth centuries? Two Worlds: Manors and Cities How was the medieval western European economy and society organized around ‘manors and cties? fier the end of the destructive Magyar and Viking invasions of the ninth and A tenth centuries, the population of western Europe recovered dramatically Technological innovations created the agricultural revolution that in- creased the supply of food. With more food available, people were better nourished than they had been in more than 500 years, and the population began to grow. In the seventh century all of Europe was home to only 14 million inhabit- ants, By 1300 the population had exploded to 74 million. From the seventh to the fourteenth centuries, then, the population grew many times over, perhaps as much 500 percent, The Medieval Agricultural Revolution In the year 1000, the vast majority of people lived in small villages or isolated farm- steads. Peasants literally scratched outa living from a small area of cleared land around the village by employing a light scratch plow that barely turned over the soil. The farms produced mostly grain, which was consumed as bread, porridge, and ale or beer. Veg tables were rare; meat and fish, uncommon. Over the course of the century, the pro- ductivity ofthe land was greatly enhanced by a number of innovations that came into widespread use. TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ‘The invention of new labor-saving devices ushered in the agricultural revolution. Farmers used water and windmills to grind grain, but others gradually adapted them to @ wide variety of tasks, including turning saws to mill timber. In addition to these mechanical devices, the power of animals began to be used more efficiently. Metal horseshoes (until then, horses’ hooves had been bound in cloth) gave horses better footing and traction. Perhaps even more important was the introduction of a new type of horse and ox collar. Older collars put pressure on the throat, which tended to choke the animal. The new collars transferred the pressure to the shoulders. With enhanced animal pulling power, farmers could plow the damp, heavy clay soils of northern Europe much more efficientlyThe centerpiece of the agricultural revolution was the heavy plow, called the carruca. Itcut deeply and lifted the soil, aerating it and bringing minerals, to the surface that were vital for plant growth. The carruca, however, required six or eight horses or ‘oxen to pull it, and no single peasant family in the eleventh century could afford that many draft ani- mals, Farmers had to pool their animals to create plow teams, a practice that required mutual plan- ning and cooperation. ‘The introduction of the three-field system sup- plied the final piece in the agricultural revolution. In the three-field system farmers planted one field in the fall with grain and one in the spring with beans, peas, or lentils, The third field lay fallow. They har- vested both fall and spring plantings in the summer, after which all the fields shifted. The three-field sys tem produced extraordinary advantages: the amount ofland under cultivation increased; beans planted in the spring rotation returned nitrogen to the soil; and the crop rotation combined with animal manure re- duced soil exhaustion from excessive grain planting. ‘The agricultural revolution had a significant ef- fect on society. First, villagers learned to cooperate— by pooling draft animals for plow teams, redesign- ing and elongating their fields to accommodate the new plow, coordinating the three-field rotation of crops, and timing the harvest schedule. To accom- plish these cooperative ventures, they created village councils and developed habits of collective decision, ‘making that were essential for stable community life. Second, the system produced not only more food, but better food. Beans and other vegetables grown in the spring planting were rich in proteins. [HEAVY CARRUCA PLOW Atthe center ofthe two-wheeled plow ea study timber MANORS AND PEASANTS The medieval agricul- tural economy bound landlords and peasants to- gether in a unit of management called the manor. ‘The lord of the manor usually owned his own large house or stone castle and served as the presiding judge of the villagers in the manor court. His wife, the chatelaine or lady of the manor, was his partner in management, and when the lord was away at war, which was often the case, she ruled the manor. The peasants who worked the land of manors fell into three categories: serfs, freeholders, and cottagers. Lords did not own serfs, who were not slaves, but lords tied their serfs to the manor, which they could not leave. Serfs had certain legal rights denied to slaves, such as the right to a certain portion of what they produced, but the lord's will was law. Freeholders worked as independent farmers, owned their land outright, and did not have to answer to a lord. At the bottom of rural peasant society struggled numerous impoverished cottagers who had no rights to the land and farmed small, ess desirable plots, often as squatters. No matter what their official status, each family worked the land together with all family members performing tasks suitable to their abilities, strength, and age. The rigors of medieval farm labor did not permit a fastidious division of labor between ‘women and men. Women did not usually drive the heavy plow, but they toiled at from which the couter project justin ont ofthe plowshare which shen by the tarth The surplus prediced by the agricultural revolution made poe for arto ‘cats tobuid huge and expensive cates sch asthe one inthe Background, GB weer seine “The Big Petre: The World in 1000 c& ‘manor Amedieval unit of age cultural management in which a lord managed and served as the presiding judge over peasants who worked the land serfs During the Middle Ages, serfs were agricultural laborers ‘who worked and lived on a plot of and granted them by a lord to ‘whom they owed a certain portion ‘of their crops. They could not leave the land, but they had certain legal rights that were denied to slaves. 299other physically demanding tasks. During the critical harvest times, women and children worked alongside men from dawn to dusk. Young girls typically worked as gleaners, picking up the stalks and kernels that the male harvesters dropped or left behind, and girls took responsibility for weeding and cleaning the fields. Nearly all women from peasant girls to the household servants of the manor engaged them- selves in the tasks of fabricating clothing from spinning thread and yarn, to weaving cloth, to sewing and tailoring. ‘THE GREAT MIGRATIONS AND THE HUNGER FOR LAND After the eleventh century most peasant families were considerably better off than their ancestors had been before the new technological innovations. Due to the agricultural revolution, nutri tional levels improved so that famines decreased, and a “baby boom” led to dramatic population growth. ‘The effect of the baby boom meant that the amount of and available to farm was insufficient to support the expanding population of the manors. As more and more young people entered the workforce, they either sought opportunities in the cities or searched for land of their own. Both options meant that many young people and whole families had to migrate. The modern phenomenon of mass immigration is hardly new. ‘Where did all these people go? Migrants seeking to clear new lands for agriculture moved in three directions: Germans into lands of the Slavic tribes to the east, Scandi- navians to the far north and the North Atlantic islands, and Christian Spaniards to the south into previously Muslim territories on the Iberian peninsula, slowly creating the outlines of what would become modern Spain. Between 1100 and 1300, these migrants brought as much as 40 percent more land under cultivation in Europe. The vibrant civi- lization discussed in the rest of this chapter was the direct consequence of the European demographic success. TTWELFTH-CENTURY MANOR MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEAVY PLOW Aerial photograph ofthe manor of West Whpington North England), which was settled inthe welt century, but whose inhabitant ied out dr ing the Black Death ofthe fourteenty century eee Chapter 1), Outlines ofthe individual falesam gardens can beseen inthe lft center On the lower right are the ridges and furrows ofthe elongated fields created by the use of the heey plow. 300The Growth of Cities All across Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, cities exploded in size. Exact population figures are difficult to determine, and by our own modern standards, most of these cities were modest in size—numbering in the tens of thousands rather than hindreds of thousands—bat there is ample evidence of stunning growth. Between 1160 and 1300 Ghent expanded its city walls five times to accommodate al its inhabit- ants, During the thirteenth century the population of Florence grew by an estimated (640 percent. ‘THE CHALLENGE OF FREE CITIES The nevily thriving cities proved troublesome for the lords, bishops, and kings who had legal authority over them. As the population grew and urban merchants, such as Francis of Assisi’ father, became increasingly rich, the “The Big Pleture: The World in 1200 ¢&. 325326 CONCLUSION Asserting Western Culture During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, western Europe matured into its own self confident identity. Lessa semi-barbarian backwater than it had been even in the time ‘of Charlemagne, western Europe cultivated modes of thought that revealed an almost limitless capacity for creative renewal and critical self-examination. That capacity, first evident during the Twelfth-Century Renaissance, especially in scholasticism, is what has most distinguished the West ever since. These critical methods repeatedly caused alarm among some believers. However, this tendency to question basic assumptions is among the greatest achievements of Western civilization. The western European uni- versity system, which was based on teaching methods of critical inquiry, differed from the educational institutions in other cultures, such as Byzantium or Islam, that were devoted to passing on received knowledge. This distinctive critical spirit connects the cultures of the ancient, medieval, and modern West. MAKING CONNECTIONS 1, What was the role of theology and philosophy in allowing the West to assert itself more forcefully? 2. Why was kingship the most effective form of political organization in the Middle Ages? 43, By the end of the thirteenth century, what distinguished Christian from Muslim culture? TAKING IT FURTHER For suggested readings, websites, and films, see page R-1.On MyHistoryLab Pee age ear) Cre sees Chapter Review _ Two Worlds: Manors and Cities How was the medieval western European economy and society organized around manors and cities? ‘The medieval agricultural economy Bound landlords and peasants together in a unit of management called the manor, a system where thelord ofthe manor presided over the villagers, including serfs, free hholders, and cottagers. The population growth that was result ofthe agricultural revolution and its food surplus led to migrations to ur ban centers atthe same time, new transportation networks spurred the creation of business techniques that supported trade, including a moneyed economy. The population explosion in cities supported this commercial boom, The Consolidation of Roman Catholicism How did the Catholic Church consolidate its hold over the Latin West? ‘A movement toward reform against worldly pursuits required unity ‘within the Church, which included building a Catholic identity based. ‘on conformity of religious rites and obedience tothe pope. Monastic ‘order flourished as Catholic Christians internalired the teachings af the Church and devoted their lives to religion. The economic success of the monasteries encouraged expansion, as well as new traveling ‘orders, which facilitated the spread of Catholic Christianity into the far corners of the Latin Wes Strengthening the Center of the West How did the western European monarchies strengthen themselves? During the High Middle Ages, France and England began to exhibit the fundamental characteristics of unified kingdoms when extremely cffective kings instituted reforms to stabilize borders, build perma- nent bureaucracies, expand the concept of sovereignty, and enforce the rule flaw. Medieval Culture: The Search for Understanding so ‘What made western European culture distinctive? ‘The invention of the medieval university established educational practices still in place today, and the integration of the ancient rea son and Christian faith created new philosophical systems. Ancient Roman law provided guidance about how to settle disputes and create ‘governmental institutions, while Muslim influences reinvigorate the Christian understanding ofthe sciences, Distinctively Western forms developed in literature, musi drama, and in the architecture of Europe’ great cathedeals | Chapter Time Line 1073-1085 Reign of Pope Gregory VI 1075-1122 The Investiture Controversy. 1098 Founding of Cister- cian Order. 1198-1216 H@ Reign of Pope Innocent Il 1208-1213 Albigensian Crusade. 1215 }-@ Fourth Lateran Council, 1221 Death of Dominic. 1226 HO Death of Francis of Assis 1294-1303 Reign of Pope Boniface Vil, 327