Medieval Era Synthesis Ash.P4.t5

The uprising of the new middle class comprised of tradesmen shook the power of the aristocracy during the Medieval Period. During the Anglo-Saxon Era, there was a great need to protect the nation’s land from invaders. Citizens could not move up in class, and only the necessities were purchased and utilized. However, as chivalry and became more valued and invasions became less frequent, the cultural transition from the Anglo-Saxon Era to the Medieval Era became more prominent. A shift in the cultural needs encouraged Medieval Europeans to partake in trade, rather than agricultural production and protection of land. This resulted in more urbanization of towns and the mixing of different cultures. As new art, music, crafts, and other goods were introduced into society, people also became more literate. The portrayal of Medieval Europeans in literature that were once bound to the feudal system but now rising up in class proved evident in the epic poems in the style of chansons de geste. In the poem, Geste du roi, Charlemagne’s feudal subjects revolt against him, depicting the prominent transition from the feudal system into the Medieval Era. Along with the creation of poetry and literature, more time was devoted to trade and intellectual thinking rather than physical labor in the crop fields. Scholars prospered, and an increased amount of people would read for their own pleasure, play musical instruments, and learn new skills, among other intellectual activities. As people of this class became more learned and skilled, their wealth and the desire to flaunt these new-found riches increased. The demand for more luxuries and caused the economy to flourish.