Team 1 Period 3 Synthesis Question - Medieval

Synthesis Question – Medieval Era

A reason for the burgeoning of a new class of tradesmen and apprentices, a wealthy new addition to the society, was the interest in arts and other cultures that the people of the medieval time period expressed. The interest in such activities increased trade as well as the formation of guilds, an association of merchants or craftspeople in medieval Europe, formed to give help and advice to its members and to make regulations and set standards for a particular trade. Because of these new societies formed for the protection of different crafts and merchants’ items there was a renewed interest in past civilizations such as the ancient Greeks and Romans, which then spread to the area of art and into the culture of the time.

An example of the new class of wealthy tradesmen and merchants that was growing was depicted in Medieval art through the obvious Roman, Byzantine, and Middle Eastern influence in their artistic relics and styles, though Roman influences were seen most prominently in the artistic styles of the medieval era. The paintings and statues portray this homage to the ancient Roman times, but the influences can also be found in the architecture that is found from the medieval times. The large stretching stone arches that are quintessential to the medieval era are taken straight from the Romans along with the cathedrals and the decorations.

wyl.t3.p1 middle ages synthesis question

In the middle ages, peasants was the most common social class that people were a part of in the said times. Growing basic crops on their farmland was a simple part of life, but as generations progressed, population began to increase quickly and demand for such things as food and simple good became more and more highly requested. From this, the tradesmen were born.

At first, simple peddlers going from town to town selling small trinkets was common, but as demand continued to increase more and more, their business became more and more booming. Their skill in the development their product also began to improve and their products became more and more lavish. These items stemmed from clothing, to craftsmanship of various sorts.

Eventually, tradesmen became the highly successful businessmen of their time, having markets and public expos were they would sell their products and in turn grow wealthier. They became common in medieval times and became a fundamental aspect of the social structure in their time.

Much of what these tradesmen sold was art and they became a fundamental way in which various artists would have their work become more known to the public and spread the word of their skill. Tradesmen held art and the artists to high a high degree since with time, their work became highly coveted by buyers. In turn, much of medieval art depicted much of the basic life style of the time, which included the depiction of tradesmen at work.

Asher Period 1 Team 2 Medieval Synthesis

During the Medieval period, a new social class emerged to help give shape to the era. This class was known as the tradesmen, or people of a certain trade. These tradesmen specialized in one specific area; for example, of one of these occupations might be that of a baker or a carpenter. When young, merchant-class men were growing up, they would decide what trade they were interested in and then go to be an apprentice of that trade. Usually taught under someone who had a lot of experience with the job, the apprentice would learn all of the skills required of him before taking over the job himself. Another aspect of the tradesmen is that they all united under a guild. You could not perform your job unless you were a legitimate member of the coinciding guild; someone could not forge swords unless they were a member of the blacksmith guild. These jobs quickly gained in popularity because you could live healthily under the wages earned while doing a job that catered to your personal and highly specialized skills. An example of a piece of art that helps to portray the tone of this way of life is called “Village Feast” by Gillis Mostaert. In this painting, we see the tradesmen joyfully selling their goods in a farmer’s-market-type atmosphere. This satisfied, delighted life was viewed as a tradesman’s life, and the serfs who led a very destitute existence held the tradesmen in high esteem. It made the life of the specialized tradesmen seem vibrant and important. Ultimately, the tradesmen started expanding the division of labor, a crucial aspect of human society that has helped us get to the place where we are today.

- Seth Moore, James Kawakami, Max White, Adrian Little

Team 5 Period 3 Bryan Gutierrez, Alan Shen, Brandon Joe, Edwin Tan

Synthesis Question

The Medieval Period is seen as a time when people began to rise in the social caste system, which enabled the people of this era to have the opportunity to live a better life style and finally move out of poverty. The people during this time period were finally able to live a life like a baron or lord, achieving great wealth and becoming very powerful and influential to the lower citizens, serving as an archetype the for less unfortunate to follow and to look upon as encouragement. The ability to flourish economically during this epoch came partly due to the Crusades, which brought prosperity and ultimately attracted people to the region were the crusaders where passing through. The Crusades stimulated the economy while also connecting the Eastern and Western world at the same time, uniting the people during this era in a positive manner, which led to a healthy population and thus a flourishing economy.

The rise of wealth is shown in medieval art, as shown in stained-glass panels depicting the crusaders carrying gold goblets and mounds of jewelry in chests to their lords. The crusaders appear to be dressed in garments of high expense, showing the money that flows through their lives in the form of expenses and income. The change of economy between the different events throughout the medieval era greatly fluctuated in accordance to the money made and customs of the time and was reflected in the art of the time.

Medieval Synth: Wylie. P.5. Team 8

Medieval Synthesis Question

Team 8: Katherine Morales, Martin Lis, Chloe Compton, Helena Cassilly, Avery Millard

Beyond architecture, the Medieval ideal that religion, specifically Christianity, was above all other things in life, is visible in other art forms such as sculpture, painting, and glasswork in churches. The focus on relationships with God were so intense, art was hardly made without religious purposes. In the Gothic period, a sub-era of the Medieval Era, the pigment used to make ultramarine was so valued that it was used to paint parts of the Virgin Mary rather than paint blue skies; an example of how Christianity was more important than worldly features.

In the Early Medieval Era, the feudal system provided for numerous amounts of peasants, which would help sustain their agriculture. The medieval society, consisting of peasants, traders, clergy members, and nobility began to change when the tradesmen class began to grow. This change occurred towards middle and end of the medieval era (precursor to the Renaissance) which is a clue that this must have changed art from the harsh, gospel-centered art it was, to something more expressive and realistic. One such work is The Effects of Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The painting is different from typical Medieval paintings in that it’s primary focus is not religion or someone of nobility, but that it is merely a scene from daily life in a bustling town. There are peasants, merchants, and clergymen visible in the painting, a visual representation of the changing social dynamics in the middle-late medieval era.

Medieval Era - Wylie.Team7.Period5

In the Medieval Era, there were different levels of status, such as the peasants, tradesmen, clergy, knights, and the nobles that were at the very top of the social ladder. A large majority of the people in society were tradesmen who had specialized jobs that they were ‘good’ at. Over time, these tradesmen slowly began to get rich, and also essentially contributed to society the most. Before this time, many people in society believed that once you were born into a social level, you will always be in that social level. The only way to become a noble was to be born into a noble family. The tradesmen, who were the working force in society, ranged from people who crafted shoes to blacksmiths. As time progressed and the tradesmen got wealthier and wealthier, the Medieval Era began to change dramatically due to the tradesmen being a huge majority of the overall social ladder. One piece of art that depicts the transition into this time is “The Village Festival” by Brueghel the Younger. In this piece of art, it shows how the peasants and tradesmen are having a joyful time together by singing, playing music, and dancing in the streets. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and there are a lot of food and drinks everywhere. This painting clearly shows how wealthy the tradesmen have become over time, and it also shows the amount of tradesmen there were during that era.

Wylie. Period 5. Team 7

Steven Li, Samudra Thio, Dan Qi, Kevyn Fox

Wylie Period 1 Team 1

Ashley Chang, Diana Kim, Jenny Yu, Justin Park

During the Medieval era, the merchants emerged as a new class of people. The rapid growth of merchants and trades was significant. Town populations tied with the growth of trades. The merchants became the ones who held higher power in the towns. They were the elite of towns because the towns were built on trade. The Merchant guides, organizations for merchants formed in the 10^th century for mutual protections, controlled the town governments. The guilds set up standard for their professions and provided protection to their members’ interests. On the other hand, the Craft guilds, a group of tradesman that joined together, became a new class with higher social status. People can achieve higher social status by joining the membership. Masters, journeyman, and apprentices are the three different levels of craftsman. Craft guilds controlled conditions, working hours, and quality of their members. Also, Craft guilds protected their members from outside competitions, ensured fair competition, and maintained the quality of the members. Craft guilds were extremely powerful that it became really hard to practice a trade without joining the appropriate guilds. Merchants and tradesman supported a strong central government – the king – for the stability of trade. On the other hand, the king also supported the growth of trade and towns because the trades became a major source of royal revenue. Therefore, the social status of the merchants and tradesman became higher and higher and eventually contributed to the development of a feudalism society. The manuscript of the Life of St. Denis shows the shift to the trade-based society and the activity of the merchants and tradesman. The image of a wagon with passengers illustrates the importance of travel between towns during this era.