Reflections on history - Coursework Example

Your May 11, Reflections on History 2 After the fall of the Roman Empire, many other civilizations took over where the Romans left. The Middle Ages rose, and it ultimately paved the way for the Renaissance to flourish. After the Renaissance, the rise of Modern Society began, largely because of Industrialization. The early civilizations of the Greeks and Romans set the stage for the part of history known as the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages is also known as the Medieval Ages, or sometimes the Dark Ages. This is because of the relative pause of literary and cultural output from the civilizations in this era, as compared to the previous times. This era saw military movement, a lot of conquering and subduing. This era also saw new kingdoms and technology. In fact, the Middle Ages set the stage for the birth of modern Europe. This is divided into two parts: the early middle ages and the high middle ages. The Early Middle Ages saw the Fall of the Roman Empire. The fall started on the second century. The debate still goes on today about the theory of the fall of the Roman Empire but generally, what happened was mismanagement. The Roman Empire was suddenly too big for some of the leaders and they failed to maintain the civic infrastructures that they built, like libraries, public baths and schools. Because of this, merchants also lost the confidence in investing in the empire and the intellectual development of the empire stagnated. It also became unsafe for traders to trade, thus economic collapse followed. This vulnerability offered the barbarians the chance to attack the empire. This event led to the fall of the empire and some Romans migrated to lands as far as Iberia. The Roman Empire fell because of the repeated Gothic invasions. The felled Empire saw a wave of Germanization in their culture, and it was controlled by many barbaric tribes. Charlemagne was an important character in this era. He was the king in the largest territory in Europe that time. He was named by Pope Leo III as the Emperor of the Roman Empire. This is not to be confused with the Byzantine Empire which is the medieval Roman Empire since his territory is called the Carolingian Empire. This period also saw Byzantium and Avar Khanate. Several tribes also controlled huge territories such as Franks occupying France and Germany, Angles and Saxons over at Denmark and England and Visigoths over at Spain. As previously mentioned, this period of history saw much of conquering and being conquered. Apart from the Germanic tribes, this time also saw Arab-Muslim conquering parts of the Mediterranean, especially Constantinople. They endured, and this gave birth to Orthodoxy. Northern Africa and the Middle East became Islamic. Because of the spread of Christianity in Europe in the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages saw a flourish in Christianity. Because the conquering was much more subdued, culture slowly regained its momentum. Christian-oriented art and architecture throve and the increasing idea of having an international Christendom was being conceptualized. The High Middle Ages also saw the want to recapture Northern Africa and the Middle East from the Muslims. This is the Crusades. Since the times are not so violent as compared to the Early Middle Ages, many philosophers now have time to devote to their thinking. Most notable scholastic, literary and philosophical achievements for this time were the mathematical codes of Fibonacci, Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy, the literature from Chaucer and Dante, also the expedition of Marco Polo. The High Middle Ages also saw the urbanization of Europe, as well as a population explosion. The intellectual and cultural pursuits went on towards the Renaissance. The Renaissance heavily focused on the importance of humanism, individuality and achievement in all fields. The philosophers and thinkers during this time looked back at the Greek and Roman civilizations for inspiration and mixed it with Christian beliefs (unlike the Middle Ages’ focus on, as the Church was one of the major patrons of Renaissance art. The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy. The city state of Florence was a rich wool trading post. It was ruled by the Medici family who controlled and organized power in the city. They were intelligent and they were astute businessmen. They were also avid patrons of art. Along with Florence, Rome, Venice and Milan were also influential city states during the Renaissance. They had different takes on the era. The most prominent characteristic of the Renaissance is its contribution to the arts and philosophy and the techniques that the artists explored during this time. Artists such as Michaelangelo and Da Vinci are probably the best known artists (not to mention polymaths) from this era and writers such as Boccacio and Machiavelli rose too. The printing press was invented in this era. After the Renaissance is the Age of Reformation. Reformation is basically the splitting up of Christianity to different sects. Before the age of reformation, only one church of Christianity existed and this was Roman Catholicism. The age of Reformation was quite dark. It saw the bubonic plague crush the European populace. The church was getting more indulgent and simony was rampant. This caused anger in some people and this provoked the reform. Martin Luther was the prominent character in this time. He was strongly reacting to the message of the clergy that the pass to heaven can be bought (simony), not to mention the clergy’s luxurious lifestyles. He also reacted to the fact that their gold in Germany was going to Rome, which is the Papal state. He wrote an anticlerical thesis and printed it using the press. It caught on the people and he gained the support of the rich in Germany. He promoted the idea that the secular government had a right to reform the church. The church excommunicated him. In turn, the Catholics responded to the Reformation by having their own counter-reformation which focused on enhancing the Church’s power. They focused on educating their clergy (the order of Jesuits, a teaching order, was found during this time by Ignatius of Loyola), creating the Index of Forbidden Books and they revived the Inquisition. The Rise of the Modern European State occurred after the Renaissance. This is supposed to have began when the printing press was invented and this era saw that there are already two sects in Christianity: Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Because of the divide in faith, there is less attention that is given to religion at this time, and more time was devoted to mercantilism. Another blow to the Roman Catholicism was delivered at this time: the Fall of Constantinople occurred, because of the siege of the Ottoman Empire. This age also saw exploration, especially Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America, due to the rise in mercantilism. This age also saw capitalism in its baby stages. Serfdom and feudalism was becoming obsolete at this point. This era is also said to have planted the seeds for the French Revolution and Industrialization (hence, the title Modern European State). The period of Enlightenment was also on this period. This era’s contribution to philosophy was immense since the intellectuals of this time regarded themselves as the logical ones, reacting to the “dark ages” that the church (religion) has imposed on them and their new faith permits them to think logically. Socialism and liberalism as schools of thought were born in this era. These segments in history have a common theme that binds them and unlike the older civilizations, these ones are more complicated. These ages rely on religion to promote their civilizations, may it be from the Goths, Franks or the Arab Muslims. The importance of religion as a mover and shaker in a civilization is exhibited here. Take note, before Charlemagne was announced as the new Emperor, Christianity was just another pagan religion. Then when everyone became Christians, it became a tool for the Church to make the people do what they want (which is to pay them with money in exchange for a place in heaven). Without religion, there would be no Baroque or Gothic influenced architectures, there would be no Machiavellian philosophy and they would be no scientific explorations of the world. Also, there would be no enlightenment, because the major motivation for enlightenment was the narrowness of Catholicism (at the time). Another thing about these times is that they are reactions. Like, Christianity was organized in The High Middle Ages as a reaction to the Early Middle Ages’ non-religiosity. The Renaissance was a reaction to the Middle Ages’ uptight thinking when it came to art and philosophy. The Reformation was a reaction to the Renaissance’s intense Catholicism approach in all aspects of life. The Rise of Modern European State was a reaction to all of these religiosities, moving on to mercantilism and ultimately capitalism. In this timeline, we see how profound events can actually set the ball rolling in history. And they make history, whether good or bad. Unlike the previous civilizations, the ages here are through with agriculture and farming. Since they are all fed, they focus on religion and culture more. Religion is powerful in the society and it is seen here, through history. This is true up to now, as some churches can actually control the government, or at least influence the leader’s decisions. Look at the Republicans, they are mostly conservative Roman Catholics and then the Democrats which are usually protestants. Now whoever takes the lead represents the voice of the people. Or maybe the voice of their Churches? Well, judging from history, maybe. Works Cited: Coffin, Judith; Stacy, Robert. Western Civilizations Vol 1. New York: WW Norton Publishing Company, 2009. Print. Read More