-
Chanson de Roland
- i. The earliest and finest example of a chanson de geste, or heroic epic, which was a type of vernacular literature
- ii. Written in a dialect of French
- iii. Author: probably a Norman poet named Turold
- iv. Chief events are battles, especially the Battle of Roncesvalles
- 1. Insignificant skirmish between Charlemagne’s army and Basque forces
- a. Opens as Charlemagne receives overtures from the Saracen king and sends a knight to negociate peace terms
- written three hundred years after the reign of Charlemagne and speaks more about the eleventh century than anything
-
Suetonius
- i. The ancient biographer of Caesar; Roman historian; from the equestrian family of the early Imperiloistic Era
- ii. Wrote scandalous stories about gossip
- 1. Wrote Lives of the Twelve Caesars, which is a chronicle rather than a history
- a. Covers the lives of Julius Caesar and the first eleven emperors from Augustus to Domitian
- 2. Praises Caesar, but has contempt for Tiberius and Caligula
-
Theodoric
- i. Employed by Zeno, the Roman emperor in Constantinople, to defeat Odoacer and bring Italy back into empire
- 1. Theodoric accepted, marched into Italy, killed Odoacer, and then established himself as ruler of Italy in 493 (p. 188)
- ii. Became king of the Ostrogothic kingdom
- iii. Received a Roman education while hostage in Constantinople
- 1. Eager to create synthesis of Ostrogothic and Roman practices
- 2. Established separate systems of rule for the Ostrogoths and Romans while maintaining the entire structure of Roman imperial government
- a. Italians lived under Roman law administered by Roman officials
- b. Ostrogoths controlled the army and were governed by their own customs and officials
- iv. Reign grew harsh due to discontent with Ostrogothic rule
- v. Arian Christianity
-
Tertullian
- i. A Christian writer from Carthage who declared that Christina martyrs were “witnesses to the Grace of God”
- 1. By imitating Jesus, the Christian martyrs established a martyr to be followed by other Christians
- ii. Tried to explain Christianity to pagan masses, saying that After Jesus Christ and the Bible, they have no need of speculation or research
- iii. Says, “What has Jerusalem to do with Athens?” and that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church
-
Meditations
- i. Written by Marcus Aurelius reflecting on the ideal of Stoic duty as a religious concept
- 1. It was a series of personal writings setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy
- 2. Records the innermost thoughts of his heart
- It is 12 books for his own guidance and self-importance
-
Suger
- i. The famous abbot of Saint-Denis monastery from 1122 to 1151; counselor and biographer to both King Louis VI and King Louis VII
- ii. Sought wooden beams for the construction of a new church
- iii. The first fully Gothic church was the abbey church of Saint-Denis near Paris, inspired by him
-
Adelard
-
- i. Known as Adelard of Bath (in England)
- ii. One source of the scientific works that became available to the west
- 1. Traveled throughout the Mediterranean region
- 2. Translated an Arabic version of Euclid’s Elements into latin, as well as the mathematical works of Al-Khwarizmi
- 3. Introduced to Europeans the astrolabe
- He states that we have a mind adn if we use reason, we can come to answers about nature
-
Sylvester II
- i. Originally Gerbert of Aurillac who was the most important contributor of the spread of learning in the High Middle Ages
- ii. Polymath:
- 1. In 1000, known as most learned man in Europe
- 2. First person to take a real interest in Aristotlian science and promoted the study of Arabic and Greco-Roman arithmetic and astronomy
- iii. Named pope in year 1000à Sylvester II
- 1. First Frenchman to become pope
-
Harun-al-Rashid
- i. One of the best known caliphs of the time of the Abbasid dynasty
- ii. His reign is often described as the golden age of the Abbasid caliphate
- iii. Corresponded with Charlemagne
- 1. Exchanged gifts (clock, etc) with him and even gave him an elephant (Abul Abba)
- iv. Scholar and poet
- 1. Well-versed in history, tradition, and poetry
- 2. Greatly encouraged learning
- v. After his death, his two sons fought for power to the throne, destroying the city of Baghdad
- vi. Appointed very able ministers and built a palace in Baghdad
-
Countess of Dia
- most famous of female troubadours who wrote courtly songs of love during hte 12th century
- Married to Guillem de Poitiers, Count of Vennois, but was in love with and sang about Raimbaie of Orange
- a short vida (biography) occurs in four manuscripts
- she is traditionally referred to as beatriz of dia, but contessa de dia is more accurate as it is the only denomination used in the manuscripts that contain her poems
- Her works are set off to music of the flute
- Five of her works survive
|
|
