As early as the Babylonian exile Jews, through exile under military constraint or otherwise, came to live in many other Middle Eastern countries, and later formed communities throughout the eastern Mediterranean lands, constituting collectively a Jewish diaspora. Jewish tradition traces the origins of the Jews to the 12 Israelite tribes, however most Jewish traditions state that modern Jews descend from Judah, Benjamin and Levi. During the course of this period, the Jewish population gradually shifted from their homeland in the Levant to Europe, primarily Central Europe dominated by the Holy Roman Empire (which gave birth to the Ashkenazi ethnicity of Jews) or Southern Europe dominated by the Iberian kingdoms (which gave birth to the Sephardic ethnicity of Jews). Medieval theology and philosophy were questioned, accompanied by population decline and economic breakdown caused due to Black Death and famine.History of European Jews in the Middle Ages covers Jewish history in the period from the 5th to the 15th century. The national governments of the Medieval Period broke down, and so did the great papal schism. The decline of medieval civilization characterized the Late Middle Ages. However, the period peaked with the rise of new religious orders, Gothic architecture, and new universities with the subsequent expansion of learning. There was a rise in population, flourishing farms and towns, the emergence of the merchant classes, and the development of government bureaucracy.īut man’s everyday life was marked with stillness, rigid social customs, rituals, and conventions, and unquestioned obedience to the king (protector of these worldly affairs) on one hand and the Pope (protector of otherworldly experiences) on the other. This phase of the Middle Ages is called ‘High’ because it experienced a resurrection in economic and cultural prosperity.

The High Middle Ages started in the 11 th century and culminated in the 13 th century. However, after his empire collapsed, the Western Empire faced a new surge of invasions that restructured medieval society. This phase also saw the rise of Charlemagne-the greatest ruler of the Middle Ages. The longest-lasting of these kingdoms were those of the Franks, whose ideas and values laid the foundation for future European states. It was a period of uncertainties and invasions as many people, often known as the barbarians, migrated to the ruined Western Roman Empire and carved out new kingdoms. The decline in population, economic vitality, and the size and prominence of cities that started in late antiquity continued its torment in the early Middle Ages. However, all these features of modernity were found in a mixed form in the Renaissance movement, as it was only the beginning of a long path to the modern era. Direct observation and collection of empirical data became important during this phase, and some tendencies of controlled experiments also became apparent. Scientific Temperament: If Renaissance started with humanism, it ended with the emergence of a modern scientific temperament whose foundations were laid down by eminent scholars like Kepler and Galileo.Man’s reason led them to ask questions and facilitated the following characteristic of the Renaissance movement. Rationalism: Focusing on the self and its capabilities gave rise to rational thinking.Secularism: As the focus shifted from otherworldly to this-worldly affairs, some questions began regarding the so-called supremacy of god and religion in man’s everyday life.Individualism: As man became the center of the universe, replacing God, the ideas of self- culture and self-development contributed to the beginning of an individualistic movement.This shift was further accelerated by the Humanists who wanted to create a universal and perfect man with excellent physical and intellectual faculties that would make him capable of dealing with any situation without blindly submitting to god. Before the Renaissance, human beings were considered the ‘puppets of god‘ or the ‘slaves of faith.’ But as commercial activities took momentum, there was a shift in the mindset as well. Humanism: It started first in Italy and was called Italian Humanism.Some of the significant characteristics of this movement were as follows: Nonetheless, it was a vigorous intellectual movement demonstrating some standard features. On the contrary, it varied from one country to another. However, the form and content of the Renaissance were not the same everywhere.

Feudalism in the middle ages quizlet