Medieval Age of Germany - Essay Example

Assignment 2 PART MEDIEVAL AGE OF GERMANY The medieval history of Germany, from the beginning of the year 1000 to the end of the year 1500, marked an ever-changing period in relation to social as well as political aspects. This further caused an accumulative and strong influence on the then German economic structure. It was during this period that German economy witnessed the Renaissance, which further paved the way for various reforms chronologically in the later years. During the beginning of the 11th century, Germany was ruled by many Kingdoms, which were again influenced by many distinct principalities as well as Episcopal bishopric ideologies. The medieval age of the Germany was significantly influenced by two different principles, individualism and universalism (Leyser 30-256). The then economic reforms and political regimes had also played vital roles in the development of the modern German society. Notably, it was during the years 1046 to 1057 that Germany witnessed the rise of one after another revolutionary popes including Pope Clement II, Pope Dumasus II, Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II and Pope Stephen IX (Jeep 500). During the medieval age of Germany, struggles became apparently identifiable between the then established German Empire and the reforming Catholic Churches who wished to strengthen their control on the political and economic structures of the nation. It was during in 1024 that Duke Conrad II, the first of the Salian dynasty was crowned as the king of the Germans. Historical testaments affirm that during the sovereignty of Conrad II’s son Henry III (1039 to 1056), the empire fully supported the Cluniac reforms, which continued from 910. Another vital change was observed in the political structure of Germany during this period, which had drastic effects on the economic growth of the nation in the later period of the 14th and the 15th centuries. Before 1056, i.e. before the reign of Henry IV, German churches, representing the papal authority was dominated by the emperors in the nation. However, with the advent of Cluniac reforms, monasteries were being reformed, where monastic houses were being transferred under the direct leadership of papacy from being placed under the feudal control. The conflict taking place between the Popes and German states further gave rise to the Investiture Controversy which lasted till 1122. This ultimately increased the complexities in the legal environment of Germany, which further augmented the discrepancies within trade relations of German empires and also with international market, as traders now had to follow two sets of rules, one enforced by the feudal regime and the other practiced by the newly reformed papacy administration (Bendix, 136-137). During this period, it was also observed that the harmony of the Roman Catholic Churches was crushed by the intervention of Western Schism, which created a situation of political unrest and economic perplexity. As a result, the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ in Germany, was in the declining face. In the aftermath of the Great Interregnum (1247-1273), the Roman Empire began losing its power. Simultaneously, politically separate dynasties became more important in the various states of Germany during the period of 1200s. As a result, the geographic location of Germany changed with the increasing power of local emperors. Consequently, wars among local rulers to capture a larger territory also increased substantially. Where few rulers were observed to be inclined towards developing a mutually beneficial trade relation with other similar local rulers, others were observed to impose strict regulations to control trade. It is worth mentioning in this context that interstate trade, during such economic and political unrest, had become a major element to obtain wealth and suffice the continuous requirement of war expenses. The rise of papacy authority in Germany was also another factor to contribute to the economic turmoil witnessed in the nation during the 11th century (Bendix, 136-137). The unrest in Germany came to much stability in the year 1291, with the enactment of the Federal Charter of 1291. Accordingly, various treaties were being signed between German states and also, a structured political framework was being built in this period to mitigate the conflict between papacy control and feudal authority. Even if the then Germany economy was witnessing lesser hazards in its states, interventions from external territories were on continuance. The Battle of Grunwald, can be remarked as a benchmark in the history of Germany when the then Kingdom of Poland with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, attacked Germany and also conquered it. This era marked a new paradigm of liberal growth within the German states. However, territorial as well as economic conflicts between rulers were observed to be unending, which apparently required the establishment of an all inclusive, structure reform within the German economy. Chronologically, in was in the 1517 that the 95 theses written by Martin Luther played the role of a catalyst in the historic Protestant Reformation of Germany. Following the affirmations made in the theses by Martin Luther, a religious riot also begun in Germany which finally ended with the peace treaty of Augsburg in 1555 (Jeep 339-515). Apart from the above discussed political and territorial reforms, Germany also witness consideration reforms in its industrial and trade related economic prospects. During the 13th century till the 15th century, community in Germany was being divided into two parts. One community was followed a liberal form of administration, not only in politics, but also in trade and was considered as “free of the Empire”. Contradictorily, the other community was under the strict domination of an intermediate Lord and thus, followed a conservative approach to trade. However, when considering the employment features of the Medieval Germany, agriculture can be identified as the major occupation of the natives. During this period, continuous territorial expansion and innovation in the agriculture sector of Germany had brought rapid changes in the development of trade. As towns emerged, the new social classes also emerged in the medieval Germany, such as merchants and artisans among others, and thus, rooted the different classes of the socio-economic context of the nation. Accordingly, the demographic features of Germany were also observed to be changing in the 12th century. In the 12th century, German had a population of around 6 million. Majority of these populaces included farmers who were under the direct control of nobles and monasteries. The economic structure of the medieval Germany was also characterized by the status of the city concerning with major harbors as well as transports. In this period, the merchant associations were protected by the authority for the town’s interest, enacting various regulative measures to control the trade affairs of German states with international traders. The merchant associations of the Medieval Germany were generally organized by tanners, butchers, and weavers, which also indicates that apart from the agricultural sector, Germany was also growing in respect of trade relations to boost its economic stability. Compared to the 11th century, by the end of the 15th century, i.e. by the end of medieval period, German economic structure became mush organized and stable. Rules were not only being imposed to control international trade affairs, but also to regulate wage and commodity price (Leyser 30-256). Apparently, the medieval age in Germany made the diversification of growth of economy as well as the society more apparent which gradually shaped its modern economic structure. Although subsequently political and religious conflicts were noticed at a high frequency in this period, the changes witnessed by Germany in respect of its socio-economic and political infrastructure are ignorable when assessing the root contributors to the modern German economic competencies PART 2: WHAT WERE THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS FACING EUROPEANS IN THE MIDDLE AGES? DID THEY ADAPT TO THOSE PROBLEMS EFFICIENTLY? Opinion: Unarguably, political and the consequent, social transitions had been a strong influence in the economic problems faced by Europeans in the middle ages. But, quite rationally, it can also be affirmed that fundamentally, it was the economic problems faced by the then European society which contributed to the social and political changes witnessed. However, whatever might be the base reasons acting as catalysts to the socio-political and economic changes in the medieval Europe, it is evident that there were problems faced by the Europeans, which affected their lifestyle, occupation as well as their perceptions quite strongly. Apparently, two inferences can be drawn in this context. The adaptation of economic problems by Europeans in the middle ages were effective to give shape to a structured society on the basis of feudalism, and to mitigate the issues witnessed by the people to a large extent. However, the adaptation also limited the wealth generation capability to nobles and other upper-classes of the society, making the peasants who were the real hard-workers be exploited. Perhaps, the often alleged modern society, where rich get richer and poor get poorer, is the end result of such an adaptation. Reply to Ross Bauer: The rudimental economic problems, if presumed to be the changes witnessed by Europeans in terms of their wealth and adaptation needs, the remedial measures implemented by them can be argued as effective. That is, bandits transforming to aristocrats or lords, treating the farmers as peasants under serfdom and obtaining greater profits from agriculture, as compared to their previous occupation of theft. However, when considered at a larger scale such adaptation to economic problems lacked in building a firm foundation for the development of a modern society. It created social segregation along with authoritative power conflicts, and perhaps, had also contributed towards the development of a more vulnerable society, focused on exploiting the poor class of the economy. Works Cited Bendix, Reinhard. Kings or People: Power and the Mandate to Rule. London: University of California Press, 1980. Print. “The Subject: Religious Warfare in the Middle Ages and Early Reformation.” The Study of Religious Warfare: Approaches and Problems. FDS, n.d. Web. 30 Jul 2013. . Jeep, John M. Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia. New York: Psychology Press, 2001. Print. Leyser, Karl. Medieval Germany and Its Neighbours: 900 – 1250. United Kingdom: Continuum, 1982. Print. Read More