Ash.P3.T3

Medieval Synthesis Question

The rise of craftsmen and tradesmen came about through the revival of a demolished economical system, which fell along side with the glorious Romans Empire, and the closing of a gap between the Heavens and Earth. After the Crusades, a link was reestablished between Western Europe and Eastern Asia, as a result the previously neglected trade routes began to flourish once again with commerce. Thus a new middle class formed comprised of merchants, craftsmen, tradesmen, and others, such as intellectuals, philosophers, and mathematicians. Art was no longer expensive, or created specifically for royalties and nobles, thanks to cheaper and more affordable forms of art, such as glasswork, metalwork, sculptures, embroidery, and mosaics. These formsof art became more prolific,catalyzing the growth of the new class of art appreciators. Also as an outcome of the Crusades, the Church gained even more influence, which is reflected in the literature of the era, which was highly religious. An example of this, and the zenith of literary works of this era, would be The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer. The book tells the story of a group of pilgrims who share stories, and the best story would receive the prize of a free meal.This piece of work was a revolutionary step in the arts at the time; previously in the Early Middle Ages of the Medieval Era, the nobilities and royalties would rarely read of the lower classes and enjoyed tales of heroes, such as Beowulf, or tragedies like Oedipus the King, but due to the growing influence of the middle class and influence of the Church, the view and appreciation of art went through a dynamic alteration. The idea of bringing the Heavens closer to Earth could also be seen in Filippo Brunelleschi’s reintroduction of the dome at the Cathedral of Florence. The use of domes dated back to the Romans, who believed that the Heavens were one with the Earth. This key shift in the Medieval Era brought about the end of the Dark Ages and ushered civilization into the Renaissance, where the newborn class made up of craftsmen and tradesmen would expand greatly, and where the arts would flourish at its peak for about a hundred years.