OXFORD BIG IDEAS HISTORY 8: AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM 3 MEDIEVAL EUROPE 102 103 Australian Curriculum focus HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING • The way of life in Medieval Europe (social, cultural, economic and political features) and the roles and relationships of different groups in society depth study option • Signifi cant developments and/or cultural achievements, such as changing relations between Islam and the West (including the Crusades), architecture, medieval Medieval Europe manuscripts and music (c.590– c.1500) • Continuity and change in society in ONE of the following areas: crime and punishment; military and defence systems; towns, cities and commerce • The dominance of the Catholic Church and the role of Europe’s medieval period (also called the Middle Ages) is commonly signifi cant individuals such as Charlemagne regarded as starting in the late 6th century CE. It lasted about 1000 years. A number of factors infl uenced the societies of medieval Europe. Th e most HISTORICAL SKILLS important were feudalism, manorialism, and the spread of Christianity. • Sequence historical events, developments and periods. Th ese factors helped to preserve social order and stability for many • Use historical terms and concepts. centuries. • Identify a range of questions about the past to inform By the start of the second millennium These trends would eventually help to end a historical inquiry. (1000 CE), the barbarian raids common in the medieval Europe’s longstanding systems of • Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and earlier part of the medieval period had largely feudalism and manorialism. They would also help ended. Things began to change. Towns sprang up to spread the Black Death pandemic, and, later, other methods. and grew rapidly. Trade grew, increasing a desire the ideas and attitudes of movements such as the • Identify the origin and purpose of primary and for more knowledge of distant lands, and more of Renaissance, the Reformation and the Scientifi c secondary sources. their exotic goods. In time, the desire was for the Revolution. • Locate, compare, select and use information from a conquest of new territories. range of sources as evidence. • Draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources. • Identify and describe points of view, attitudes and Key inquiry questions values in primary and secondary sources. • Develop texts, particularly descriptions and 3.1 How was society in medieval Europe organised? explanations that use evidence from a range of 3.2 What developments and achievements infl uenced life in medieval Europe? sources that are acknowledged. • Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, 3.3 How and why did society in medieval Europe change? written) and digital technologies. Getting started Comparing cultures Part of a stained glass window from the Chartres Cathedral, in France, mostly built during the early 13th century Using the information on these pages and their 3 prior knowledge, ask students to predict and describe what they think it would have been like to live in medieval Europe. Ask them to compare the way of life of a medieval peasant with their own lives 1 Medieval people were capable of building 4 e cathedral is a symbol of the dominance of the 7 Most of the people who built the cathedral were of Mary, the mother of Jesus, to the medieval today. What would be di erent and what would be magni cent structures. Catholic Church in this part of France. slaves. is was common in the medieval period. Catholics. the same? What would be better and what would be 2 Virtually all medieval cathedrals have survived 5 is cathedral is an example of Gothic 8 Carved into the oor of the cathedral is a maze, 10 e cathedral is listed by the United Nations as Enter the ID numbers below into the search eld of worse? How do they know? intact to the present day. architecture. known as the labyrinth. one of the world’s most signi cant places. your obook to access these resources. Skillbooster: Chartres Cathedral 3 e stained glass windows are modern additions 6 e height ofSAMPLE the spires of the cathedral show that 9 e stained glass window on these pages is called ID03.01 Flashcard glossary: Medieval Europe to the cathedral as medieval people were not able medieval people invented cranes. the north rose window and shows the importance ID03.02 e large image on these pages shows a section of a Weblink: Chartres Cathedral to produce glass. stained glass window from the Chartres Cathedral in is web page from Sacred Destinations provides France. Use this image and the other resources listed more information about Chartres Cathedral. in the obook extras panel on this spread to nd out if ID03.03 Weblink: World Heritage Chartres the following statements are true or false. Find out about the World Heritage listing for Chartres Cathedral. OXFORD BIG IDEAS HISTORY 8: AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM 3 MEDIEVAL EUROPE 104 105 Australian Curriculum focus Skillbooster: Asking questions One of the most important skills for an historian HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND is the ability to ask the right questions. Students UNDERSTANDING 1381 are o en very good at answering questions but The Peasants’ Revolt in England; • The way of life in Medieval Europe (social, cultural, peasants revolt against strict not so good at framing questions in the rst place. bigpicture rules imposed on wage rises and economic and political features) and the roles and working conditions, following the Historians ask questions in order to open up lines relationships of different groups in society acute labour shortages caused by of inquiry about the culture and period of history An illustration from the the Black Death Toggenburg Bible (c. 1411) under analysis. e Australian Curriculum rationale • Signifi cant developments and/or cultural achievements, Medieval Europe of two victims of the plague such as changing relations between Islam and the known as the Black Death for history states that: ‘ e study of history is based c. 1400 West (including the Crusades), architecture, medieval Medieval Europe once made up the bulk of the Western Empire of ancient Rome. Th e 1347 Johannes Gutenberg on evidence derived from remains of the past. It manuscripts and music Pandemic known as the Black invents the printing is interpretative by nature, promotes debate and barbarian raids that helped to end the former empire continued on and off until about Death arrives in Sicily (the press • Continuity and change in society in ONE of the ‘gateway’ to Europe) encourages thinking about human values, including 1000 CE. With Rome’s army gone, people had to fi nd other ways to protect and sustain following areas: crime and punishment; military and present and future challenges. e process of themselves during this uncertain time. Feudalism and manorialism provided solutions. defence systems; towns, cities and commerce historical inquiry develops transferable skills, such as • The dominance of the Catholic Church and the role of Christianity became ancient Rome’s offi cial religion in the 4th century CE. Most the ability to ask relevant questions.’ signifi cant individuals such as Charlemagne people in Europe then (and certainly later) were Christians. Christian beliefs and values 1163 1096 Building work starts is timeline is illustrated with several sources and had many positive eff ects on daily life, architecture, the arts and the justice system. Start of the First Crusade, on the Notre Dame pieces of evidence about the past. Encourage students the fi rst of eight wars fought Cathedral in Paris HISTORICAL SKILLS However, they also provided motivations for war, and justifi cations for some people’s between Christians and Muslims to ask questions about these illustrations in order to over the next 175 years 1337 1389 • Sequence historical events, developments and periods. prejudices and fears. Start of the One Medici family open up lines of inquiry. e aim of this activity is Hundred Years War become 1491 not to answer the questions but to ask them in the • Use historical terms and concepts. Social change in Europe was helped by a number of signifi cant events and trends. between England prominent in the Henry VIII and France rule of Florence rst place. You could divide students into groups and • Identify a range of questions about the past to inform Th ese included the rapid growth of towns and trade, the Christian–Muslim wars known crowned King of England a historical inquiry. c. 1271 allocate one illustration to each group. as the Crusades and the devastating Black Death. Th e discoveries of explorers, together 1187 Venetian Marco Polo begins a 25- Under the leadership of year exploration of eastern countries • Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and CE Here are some questions about an artist’s impression with new ways of thinking and new inventions contributed greatly too. By 1500 , Saladin, Muslim forces capture (with time spent at the court of the other methods. Jerusalem, providing a motive Mongol ruler Kublai Khan) of the signing of Magna Carta (not shown) as an Europeans saw themselves and their place in the world diff erently. for the Third Crusade • Identify the origin and purpose of primary and 1452 exemplar: Leonardo da Vinci born secondary sources. 1 Is this a primary or secondary source? CE 1066 • Locate, compare, select and use information from William of Normandy invades England and Da Vinci’s famous sketch ‘Vitruvian Man’ 2 How can you tell that this is a signi cant event? a range of sources as evidence. is crowned King William I of England 3 What is the relationship between the king and the • Draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources. 715 800 nobles as portrayed by the artist? • Identify and describe points of view, attitudes and 476 Muslim conquest of Spain concluded Charlemagne crowned by 4 What is the role of the Church in this event? Last Western Roman the Pope as emperor of the values in primary and secondary sources.