Evolution of the Middle Ages and Spanish Golden Age

The Middle Ages: A Transitional Era

The Middle Ages is the historical period of Western civilization between the 5th century and the 15th century. Conventionally, its start lies in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, ending with the discovery of America in 1492 or the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. This latter date has the advantage of coinciding with the invention of printing (the Gutenberg Bible) and the end of the Hundred Years' War. Although there are some examples of prior use, the medieval concept was born as the second age of the traditional division of historical time. This is attributed to Christopher Cellarius, who considered it an intermediate time with little value in itself, situated between Ancient history—identified with the art and culture of Greco-Roman civilization—and the cultural renewal of the Modern Age in which he lived. This Modern Age, beginning with the Renaissance and Humanism, was contrasted against a period perceived as dominated by isolation, ignorance, theocracy, superstition, and millennial fear, fueled by endemic insecurity, violence, and the brutality of constant wars and apocalyptic epidemics.

The Spanish Golden Age and Its Cultural Impact

The Spanish Golden Age began in the second half of the 16th century. Following the social crises in Castile, Valencia, and Mallorca, Carlos I stabilized his empire and built a modern state with an absolute monarchy. Socially and economically, Spain entered an expansion phase. The silver extracted from American treasures and the vast European territories inherited by the King promoted the country's development. Creativity and artistic production began to flourish slightly later, culminating at the end of the century with the Renaissance. By the 17th century, while Spanish society began its decline due to the progressive ruin caused by maintaining its colonies, the Golden Age reached its cultural peak through new artistic trends: Mannerism and the Baroque. The Golden Age was a cry for the senses, an expression of every art form, and the elevation of the spirit amidst the decline of a rundown Empire that, for over a century, remained the world's artistic center. The Golden Century is, today, our century.

Key Characteristics of the Renaissance and Baroque

• Anthropocentrism: The conception of Man as the center of the universe.
• Exaltation of Nature: Nature was viewed as something beautiful, good, and true; elegance was found in the natural.
• Harmony: A constant search for balance, proportion, and harmony.
• The Baroque Era: This was a period of pessimism and disillusionment. Humanistic ideals were abandoned in favor of deep religious devotion. The sense of crisis was reflected in a culture of violent contrasts and complex movements. The belief that nature deceives us and that we must be wary of the senses explains the taste for the elaborate, anomalous, paradoxical, and surprising.
• Spanish Context: In Spain, the Renaissance was relatively minor compared to the profound impact of the Baroque.