This study will analyze the development of European civilization during the Middle Ages, relating intellectual and aesthetic developments to political and social conditions.
The 11th century, writes Slavin, "was a time of recovery from the invasions: in the growth of its economy, in the revival of public authority, and in the assertion of leadership in society by the Church. On eleventh-century foundations in mental and artistic life the twelfth century erected an impressive and expansive culture. This matched the general dynamism of Western society in the 1100s and was a part of it. And just as that society reached a peak of institutional creativity and power economically and politically in the thirteenth century, so in the arts and in every sort of literature the 1200s saw the maturation of a splendid civilization" (551).
Art developed throughout the Middle Ages in Europe and in the High Middle Ages saw remarkable achievements. Specifically, two major styles, Romanesque and Gothic, were developed and perfected between 1000 and 1300.
As Harrison, Sullivan and Sherman write in this context, "Impressive new buildings adorned almost every town and village. Most of these were churches, for the Church was the prime agency promoting artistic endeavor. Architecture was queen; the other arts were used to adorn structures. The Romanesque and Gothic styles were the fruits of a long artistic evolution" (293-294).
The aesthetic and intellectual developments in the Middle Ages occurred as a result of the new stability, order and organization which were developing socially and politically. In the more disordered and violent era immediately preceding the Middle Ages, such developments in philosophy and art would not have been possible. Typically in history, such developments occur during periods of such stability, and the Middle Ages was no exception.
It is also no coincidence that much of the aesthetic and intellectual...