MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Scholasticism, Ethics, Liberal Arts Education
19 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Outline Lecture Eighteen— The Revival of Europe and the Advent
of the University
Key Focus of lecture:
1) Changing social landscape in late medieval Europe
2) Trace the intellectual development of this period—from universities to the
Medieval Synthesis (Scholasticism)
I) Economic and Social Shifts in Late Medieval Europe
a) Economic Landscape Prior to the 12th Century
- Towns and cities made up 5% of european landscape
i) Feudal life pervasive—very few towns
- Most lived on edge of subsistence
- Defined by feudalism
- Feudal manors - mostly as serfs, nobles
- Few towns or cities - few that existed usually followed rhythm of
countryside
- Towns originated as support for feudal manors
ii) Feudal life precarious for peasants
- Not much of surplus
-
Certain developments of plow technology → slow and incremental
b) Rise of Towns and Guilds (13th and 14th centuries)
- Shift to greater urban expansion
i) “Town air brings more freedom”
- Rights to individuals
- More autonomy for commoners
- Degree of social mobility outside feudal manors
ii) Gradual demographic shift from countryside to cities and towns
- Gave towns more political voice, economic leverage
-
Burgers and guild masters → magistrates in early towns
c) Rise of National Principalities
i) Over time, German ruling families turned to towns and cities for
support
-
Breaking away from hegemony of habsburg empire → same scenario
now
-
German ruled in families → turned more to the cities for support
- Reliance for towns and cities shifted away from feudal lords/nobility
ii) Established autonomous principalities to break away from Habsburgs
and Papacy
- Traditional nobility often aligned/allied with pope and habsburg
emperor
- Breaking away from traditional nobility, breaking away from pope and
emperor
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Outline lecture eighteen the revival of europe and the advent of the university. Key focus of lecture: changing social landscape in late medieval europe, trace the intellectual development of this period from universities to the. Medieval synthesis (scholasticism: economic and social shifts in late medieval europe, economic landscape prior to the 12th century. Towns and cities made up 5% of european landscape: feudal life pervasive very few towns. Feudal manors - mostly as serfs, nobles. Few towns or cities - few that existed usually followed rhythm of countryside. Towns originated as support for feudal manors: feudal life precarious for peasants. Certain developments of plow technology slow and incremental: rise of towns and guilds (13th and 14th centuries) Shift to greater urban expansion: town air brings more freedom . Degree of social mobility outside feudal manors: gradual demographic shift from countryside to cities and towns. Gave towns more political voice, economic leverage.
