Why do you think the Church and the monasteries became the center of learning?

During the Medieval times the being part of the Church was very important. The only way to truly gain power was to also have the Church behind you. A lot of the money and taxes that were paid even went to the churches. Monks and priests were greatly cherished as they were the ones who knew the way to heaven and eternal life. Priests and monks were also some of the highly educated people of the medieval times, even kings and queens did not have as much education as they did in some cases. Churches and monasteries became the centers of higher learning. Priests and monks where the ones who could write and already had higher learning. The church became the centers of learning because that was were all the writing was kept.

The monasteries held ancient manuscripts where the monks would rewrite them so new copies were made. The monks also copied down things like sacred texts. Churches and monasteries also became centers for learning because nobles would send their children to monasteries or abbeys so their children could become part of the Church.

Churches and monasteries became centers of learning because that is where all the books were held and also that is where children could become a part of the Church

citation "Medieval Monasteries in England." UK Travel and Heritage - Britain Express UK Travel Guide. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval-monastery.htm.

Medieval Lit. Jpg. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Wikipedia. Web. 22 Apr. 2010.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Medival_lit.jpg

Snell, Melissa. "The Medieval Child, Part 5 - The Learning Years - Schooling." Medieval History - Life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. About.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://historymedren.about.com/od/medievalchildren/a/child_learn.htm.

A year in Review:1066

France middle ages

• Capetians- the dynasty that emerged.
• The capetians brought France from out of the medieval ages into the Monarchy type era of france
• the Capetians gained power by supporting the church
• they helped the church by building abbeys and monasteries, which is where learning started because that is where all the writing was
• they wrote on animal hide, called manuscripts
• 1095= Pope orders first crusade
• Jerusalem (then center of the world) was occupied by Muslims. Pope wanted them out so he sent out the crusades, and many of the soldiers did not make it to Jerusalem and those who did were wiped out by the superior Muslim forces. The crusades were bloody and useless, except that along the trade routes that the crusades created, political and financial power was spread.
• Romanesque period
• they were very anxious for final judgement. The churches were built like fortresses in case your town was attacked you would go to the cathedrals or churches.
• Gothic Period
• stained glass, a lot of glass. Let a lot of light in, that is a major difference in theology. In Romanesque it is about the end of the world, in Gothic it is about the light of the world and hope.

Do human beings have an innate instinct to be free? (from Anonymous)

Human beings are meant to be free. It is just not human beings, but all organisms seem to gravitate towards freedom. Even putting an insect into a jar will result in the insect attempting to try to get out somehow. There are different forces that act on a human being's instinct to be free. Such as free will. The many circumstances of bondage in history have shown that freedom is the driving force of those in bondage to break free. Human beings have an innate instinct to be free.
"Free or agency, refers to the ability of humans to make genuinely free choices"(Wikipedia). The concept of free will shows that humans are independent beings when it comes to making choices. What person would like to have all of their rights taken away under any circumstances? In the medieval times slavery and human trafficking was big. Men, women, and children would be sold by even their own family to work for others. Once they were sold there was a very low chance that their own children would be able to move up in life. Even if a person was used to slavery, that doesn't mean they were okay with it.
Human beings are way ahead of other organisms in the world when it comes to their instincts. Human beings are born with the want to be free and make their own choices. "What separates homo sapiens from the rest of the animal kingdom is free will."(A.G). In medieval times a serf, or servant, had to ask their Lord if they could get married or not. The serfs were tied to the land and their "owners". Under such circumstances there were runaways, and because the Lords and other serf owners had the law on their side, they could do what they wanted with runaway serfs.
Human beings want to be free and it is just something they are born with. From the time a child is born they make their own choices, whether or not the decisions happen is another case.
citation

Sanchez, Scott. Police_handcuffs.jpg. Digital image. Commons.wikimedia.org. Wikipedia. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Police_handcuffs.jpg

A.G. "Freewill - Associated Content - Topic - Associatedcontent.com." Associated Content - Associatedcontent.com. Associated Content. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. .
"Human Nature." Wikipedia. 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. .

How was the Medieval concept of power and equality different from our contemporary concept?

During the Medieval times the people were divided into classes in a system called Feudalism. It was not called feudalism then, but was an actual way of life. Feudalism is a social system were peasant farming is the main form of production. It is technically not slavery but the servants are tied to the land. In feudalism there are more serfs than land owners. The Catholic Church is a very big part of that equality even though it is the same church that was powerful in the Medieval times. In modern day society we believe that everyone is equal although those who lived in Medieval times thought otherwise.
The feudal system was a type of ladder. At the very bottom where the serfs at the top were the kings. In the middle were knights, lords, priests, and clergymen. Unlike an actual ladder though, if there is no way of moving up. What ever class one was born into was the class they died out of. Those at the top of the ladder looked down upon those "below" them. They believed themselves as better and acted almost as gods because they held the lives of serfs in their hands. Although most of the people did not see any change coming to them in their lifetime, some knew that that lifestyle was not good. "Oh execrable crime, wretched dishonor, men who remind us of beasts, to sell into slavery their nearest relative because of their necessities." (St Wulfstan). Although feudalism is "techincally" not slavery the serfs were barely paid if at all. Which in modern day is slavery and illegal. In modern society anyone and everyone can make a change with their lives and pursue a better life.
Human beings were sold like cattle and every life had a price, that price depended on status. If your family member was murdered you could get compensation from the murderer. Today the only compensation is a court case. A serf was about 200 shillings which was about 20-40 cows. A noblemen's life was about 1200 shillings. In Medieval times the more power someone had the better they were. Today how much power a person has does not affect whether or not they are better than anyone. In fact, it is quite rude to think of someone as better than another.
In contemporary society everyone is equal and power is subject to change.
St Wulfstan "Traffic in Slaves: England1065-1066." Medieval Sourcebook. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1066serfs3.html

"Feudalism." Medival Sourcebook. Fordham Edu. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. .

Medieval mind power

• many were sold as slaves by their own family
• males as servants
• girls as maids or worse
• if you were a servant you could not move up
• were you were born you stayed in that level, there was no moving up
• at the bottom was the serfs, at the top was the king
• if someone was murdered their family could become paid by the murderer and the price depended on the person's status
• a noble's life was 6 times more than a peasants
• divided into 6: those who pray, priests clergy5% those who fight, knights 5% those who work, serfs 30%
• serfs couldn't get married without the permission of their lord's
• 
  

Year 1066 in review

1. Battle of Hastings

• English vs the Vikings
  
• The English prepared according to their customs by drinking and singing all night. In the morning they went out for battle; they were all on foot, shielded. They were grouped together so that nothing could separate them.
  
• The Normans prepared according to their own customs by praying and asking for the forgiveness of their sins. The Norman duke, William, believed that he and the Normans would win because God favored them. "The power of my dukedom shall be turned into a kingdom."(Duke of Normandy).
  

• The Normans tricked the English into opening their phalanx by acting as if the Normans were fleeing so that the English soldiers divided and tried o kill the fleeing Normans. The Normans stopped running, stood their grounded, and created hysteria by fighting the English from the inside-out. But then, a sudden change occured. When the English stood their own ground and ended up killing the Normans by the handful. The Normans ended up actually running away. The English followed them into a valley and when the Normans were in the valley the English threw their spears and stones killing many of the Normans. The Battle was going back and forth and King Harold himself ended up dying when he had an arrow go through his head. The English retreated.
  
• As for the men in charge, Harold and William fought valiantly. Harold fought amoong his soldiers as one of them and he fought the Normans in close combat. William had three of his horses killed under him, his soldiers that aided him tried to keep him from going to far out into the battle but he kept on until he had pushed the English far enough. What was a horrible day for England, was a great day for Normandy.

1. Human Trafficing!

• Selling family members and buying beautiful people seemed to be the trend of 1066.
  
• Godwin's wife and son ended up dying and many believe their deaths were punsihment for her cruelty. Godwin's son drowned in the Thames and the wife was struck by lightning.
• Men would sell female relatives in turn for necessities, the women were sold as prostitutes."You would have seen queues of the wretches of both sexes shackled together and you would have pitied them; those who were beautiful and those who were in the flower of youth were daily prostituted and sold amidst much wailing to the barbarians "(Life of St. Wulfstan)
  

1. Citation

Of Malmesbury, William. "The Battle of Hastings. 1066." Medieval Sourcebook. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

• St Wulfstan "Traffic in Slaves: England1065-1066." Medieval Sourcebook. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

Of Malmsbury, William "Traffic in Slaves: England1065-1066." Medieval Sourcebook. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .