中世纪.ppt

Middle Ages in the West Outline Introduction Early Middle Ages High Middle Ages Late Middle Ages Introduction The Middle Ages of European history is a period of international history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries(约476年－1453年 ).It is commonly dated from the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and contrasted with a later Early Modern Period; the time during which the Reformation and the rise of humanism in the Italian Renaissance unfolded are generally associated with the transition out of the Middle Ages. The term Middle Age was first used by humanist in the late 15th century. This period was also called dark age in western countries. The Middle Ages included the first sustained urbanization of northern and western Europe. Many modern European countries owe their origins to events and trends in the Middle Ages; present European political boundaries are, in many regards, the result of the military and dynastic outcomes during this period. After the Middle Ages ended, subsequent generations imagined, portrayed, and interpreted the Middle Ages in very different ways. Every century has created its own vision of the Middle Ages. The different perceptions of the Middle Ages remain with us today in the form of literature, art, revival styles of architecture, film, and popular conception. Early Middle Ages Breakdown of Roman society The breakdown of Roman society was dramatic. The patchwork of petty rulers was incapable of supporting the depth of civic infrastructure required to maintain libraries, public baths, arenas, and major educational institutions. Cities and merchants lost the economic benefits of safe conditions for trade and manufacture, and intellectual development suffered from the loss of a unified cultural and educational milieu of far-ranging connections. Church and monasticism  Lincoln Cathedral. Lincoln in England is an example of a cathedral city. The Catholic Church was the major unifying cultural influen