欧洲中世纪文学背景(一个概括)

The collapse of Western Rome in 476 AD marked the ending of European slavery society and the beginning of European feudalist society. The history entered the period of Medieval Ages. Medieval Age, also called Middle Age, is a very special historic period in Western history, a transition between the ancient world and modern Europe. It began with the collapse of the Roman Empire in Western Europe and ended with the discovery of the Western Hemisphere, the invention of printing press, the consolidation of strong national states, and renewal of contact with Greek art, thought and literature after a lapse of nearly a thousand years.

In the fifth century, the barbarian invasions shattered the old Roman Empire. The emperor in Constantinople still claimed to be the rightful ruler of Rome and the West. Many in that region continued to recognize his rule, although from the fifth century on he did not have any effective control in the area. The real power was in the hands of the leaders of various Germanic groups. In the seventh and eighth centuries, the Muslims took control of Persia, Palestine, North Africa, and portions of southern Europe. These conquests divided the old Roman Empire into three large sections: the Byzantine Empire, Western Europe, and Islamic Empire. The Barbarians here mainly refers to Germans (Teutons), Celts, and Slavs.

Roughly, the Medieval Age can be divided into three stages: the first stage (5-11 AD), the second stage (12-15 AD) and the third stage (16-17 AD). The first stage is the

(1) The collapse of Western Roman Empire and the rise of Byzantine Empire

The Medieval age is a transition between Ancient world and modern Europe. After the collapse of Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire existed for almost a thousand years. The name of Byzantine Empire comes from Bazantium, the ancient city that became the site for Costantinople. Justinian (527-562) was one of the people who was responsible for the creation of Byzantine culture. When he became emperor in 527, he set out to restore the falling Roman Empire.

(2) Tribes and nations

Among many tribal group leaders, Chalerogne (Charles the Great) was one of them. He was an extremely successful military leader and diplomat, who carved out a large stable Frankish Empire. After his death, the empire was divided into three kingdoms, Western Frank (France), Eastern Frank (Germany), and Italy. And these kingdoms began their feudalization. The Slavic tribes began their feudalization in the 9^th century. Scandinavian nations, their feudalization was much later. In a word, around 900, the feudal system became the dominant form of political and social organization in much of Western Europe.

European feudalism was a kind of manor-centred social system. In the system, lesser lords swore alliance to greater lords in return for protection. So hierarchy was formed.

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近代科学与基督教----西方文学与文化之三十七

泰戈尔写的是诗，还是散文？