Medieval Culture: Key Aspects of the Middle Ages

Key Aspects of Medieval Culture

Theocentricism: In medieval Christian society, everything revolved around religion, influencing lives and literature.

Middle Ages: A period spanning from the 5th to the late 15th century.

The Clergy: The literate class during the Middle Ages, driving education.

Feudalism: Production based on a natural and agricultural economy, tending toward self-sufficiency.

Orality: Medieval works often contain appeals to listeners and repetitions.

Monasteries: After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, written culture found refuge in monasteries.

Author Anonymity: Medieval books were manuscripts, and authors were often anonymous.

Secularization: In the late Middle Ages, written culture expanded beyond ecclesiastical walls.

Universities: From the 11th century onward, universities played a crucial role in medieval culture.

Courtly Love: From the late 11th century, women gained prominence in literature, particularly in southern France.

Mozarabs: Christians living in Al-Andalus, heirs to Roman and Visigothic Hispania.

Provençal: A key literary source in the 11th and 12th centuries, alongside French literature.

Chanson de Roland: A masterpiece of French epic literature that influenced others.

Dolce Stil Nuovo: Influenced by the migration of Provençal troubadours to Castile, Lombardy, and Naples.

Romanesque and Gothic Art: Distinct art forms developed during the Christian era.

Mudéjar: An architectural art form that flourished in the Iberian Peninsula from the 13th century, blending cultures.

School of Translators: Medieval texts preserved and provided access to Greek and Latin works.

Camino de Santiago: A geographical route facilitating cultural and artistic exchange throughout the Middle Ages.

Famine, War, and Fever: The 15th century was a time of crisis.

The Renaissance: The Middle Ages are generally seen as beginning with the fragmentation of the Roman Empire.

Dante and Petrarch: In the 15th century, there was a predilection for Italian forms and themes.

Kingdom of León: Castile was initially a group of counties dependent on the Christian Kingdom of León.

Fernando González: In the 10th century, Castilian counties were united under a single ruler.

Mudéjar: Muslims living in Christian territories.

Franks: The abundance of French pilgrims to Compostela influenced the route.

Alhambra of Granada and the Mosque: Splendid examples of Andalusian culture.

Cluniac Reform: Influences from beyond the Pyrenees.

Grammar of the Language (Antonio de Nebrija): The 15th century saw a surge in linguistic study.

Incunabula Printing: A significant achievement attributed to Gutenberg in the 15th century.

Humanism: Developed and expanded from Italy in the 15th century.

Anonymous Folk Literature: Medieval literature often lacked a known author.

Religious Literature: A dominant feature of medieval literature, emphasizing spirituality.

Popular Literature: Medieval literature was often oral in nature.

Synthetic Literature (Mudéjarism): Influenced by other cultures and literatures.

Realist Literature: Stressed in medieval Castilian literature.

Moralizing and Didactic Literature: Common among medieval authors, both clergy and laypeople.