After studying this chapter, students should understand and be able to discuss the following:
The origins, evolution, and nature of feudalism
The impact of the chivalric values on feudal society and how it helped shape relationships between men and women
The rise, characteristics, and impact of courtly love
The nature of peasant life
The way of life in medieval towns
The similarities and differences among the feudal monarchies
The reasons for the successes and failures of feudal monarchies, including the papacy
How the church maintained its dominance of society and culture
The origins and influence of the new monastic orders for both men and women
The development and impact of lay piety
The sources of the heresies and the fate of the Albigensians
The nature and characteristics of scholasticism
The issues involved in the medieval intellectual debates and how they were resolved
The medieval synthesis of Thomas Aquinas
The characteristics of monastic writing and a representative example of this literary genre
Examples of feudal writing and its themes
The characteristics of courtly romances and examples of this literary genre
The importance of Dante and examples of his writings, in particular the structure and meaning of The Divine Comedy
The development of Romanesque architecture and its main features
The transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style
The Gothic cathedral styles, including different phases, with examples, chief features, and decorative principles
The role, evolution, and impact of music in the High Middle Ages
Historic "firsts" achieved in the High Middle Ages that became legacies for later Western developments: the writings of Dante; the theology of Thomas Aquinas, or Thomism; Romanesque and Gothic artistic styles; the epic, the romance, and the chivalric tale; courtly love with its shared social roles for men and women; the legends of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table; the basic theoretical system for composing music; and the love song
The role of the High Middle Ages in transmitting the heritage from earlier civilizations: redefining the liberal arts curriculum within the context of Catholic faith; rediscovering ancient Classical philosophy and science from Muslim scholars; and reviving Aristotelianism and the rationalist tradition and integrating it with the teachings of the Christian faith
