MEDIEVALTIMES
TrendWatch
who’swearing
what
ThereoncewasatimewhenallpeoplebelievedinGod
andthechurchruled.ThistimewascalledtheDark
Ages.
ECO NO MY
LITERATURE
Mediavialliteratureisabroadsubject
encompassingessentiallyallwrittenworksavailable
inEuropeandbeyondduringtheMiddleAges.
TheliteratureofthistimeIscomposedofreligious
writingsaswellassecularworks.
Theologicalworksisthedominantformofliterature
typicallyfoundinlibrariesontheMiddleAges.
Catholicclericsaretheintellectualcenterofsociety
intheMiddleAges,anditistheirliteraturethatis
producedinthegreatestquantity.
Countlesshymnshavebeencreatedfromthistime
period.Theliturgyitselfwasnotinfixedform,and
numerous competing missals setoutindividual
conceptionsoftheorderofthemass.Religious
scholarssuchasAnselmofCanterbury,Thomas
Aquinas,and Pierre Abélard wrote lengthy
theological and philosophical treatises, often
attemptingtoreconciletheteachingsoftheGreek
andRomanpaganauthorswiththedoctrinesofthe
Church.Hagiographies,or"livesofthesaints",are
alsofrequentlywritten,asanencouragementtothe
devoutandawarningtoothers. StatutaMutineReformata,1420-1485;parchmentcodexboundin
Secularliteratureinthisperiodisnotproducedin woodandleatherwithbrassplaquesworkedthecornersandinthe
equalquantityasreligiousliterature,. center,withclasps.
TECHNO LO GY
JEWLERY
THEHISTORYOF
HAIR
Militarydress:Armor
Largerigidplatesgraduallyreplacechainmailarmor.
Todaywhenaknightputonhisarmor,hewouldfirst
donacloselyfittedshirt,braiesandhose.Hisarms
andlegsarecoveredwithmetalprotectors.Thenhe
addsapaddedundercoat,calledagambeson,and
overthishishauberk(ashortercoatofmailcalledthe
haubergeon.Nextcomesacoatofplates,andover
allgoesasucrote,oftenbelted,andaswordbelt.
Whengoinginaction,headdshishelmet,andapair
ofmetalglovesorgauntles.Thecoatofplates,
actuallyaplate-lined,closelyfittedsurcote,opensin
frontandfastswithbuckles.Thepracticeofbuckling
amen’sjacketleftoverrightlikelyoriginatesinthe
constructionodthisgarment.