Swanson4

READ, in

Greer and Lewis, chapters 5-6.

Notes on Greer and Lewis, Chapter 5-6

In the first segment of this course we've covered some basic definitions of Democracy as a political system. We've noted what Athenian Greece considered appropriate democratic government, and we've watched Aristotle suggest that a representative form (republican government) was more appropriate than the direct democracy practiced by the citizens of Athens in the Golden Age of Pericles. We've also seen how republican institutions in Rome were replaced by imperial ones. Now we're going to leap forward more than 1,000 years, to England in the late Middle Ages, when we can mark the beginnings of a resurgence of democratic thought after centuries of authoritarian rule. In Western Civilization I we'd spend some time looking at this period in detail, but here we can only mark it quickly in passing. This means that there will not be time to discuss this material thoroughly. I'll highlight some important elements, and entertain questions you may have about things of personal interest.

In a multi-faceted book like Greer and Lewis, one of the tricks which will help make sense for you is to keep from being bogged down by details which, though perhaps interesting in their own rights, don't directly relate to the topics at hand. Another trick is to follow trains of thought from chapter to chapter. Your authors have designed this book to help you in both instances. Chapter sub headings will direct you on occasion to the most relevant sections. To help you follow developments across chapter boundaries, they have provided cross references in parentheses. For example, in the sub-heading The German Barbarians, you'll find references which send you backwards (to refresh your minds on who the "barbarian European peoples" were pp. 48-49) and forwards (to a further elaboration of the beginnings of the jury system on p. 222.)

We note throughout these chapters that democratic institutions rise, metamorphose, and fall as do other elements in Western culture. The stories are never as neat as the theories are. The chief governmental system you'll need to grasp now is Feudalism. You should understand the idea of the Feudal Contract, the effects of primogeniture as a tool of furthering dynasties, and what happens when competing systems of control interact (church and state, for example). You will also note what happens when society evolves beyond the institutions of control (for example, guilds as a response to governing commercial centers in a predominantly agricultural world).\

Chapter 6 probably tells you more than you need to know about the medieval church. It would be reasonable, however, to note how the structure of the church in the Middle Ages parallels the political structure. Paralleling structures wind up being competing structures, and the section on Church and State is important for that reason.

Read, in Idea of Democracy,

#4 "Magna Carta" p. 14-16.

Since at least the days of Shakespeare, King John has had pretty bad press. The Great Charter, interpreted in the popular mind as the fundamental document of the Rights of Englishmen, has been seen by some as more the story of a powerful feudal aristocracy protecting its own interests against the central administration of a weakened monarch. John

Lackland, as King John was known, is pictured (perhaps romantically) in the portrait at the left. Click

on the picture to learn more about the events leading to and following after the signing of Magna Carta. You'll find the document also useful in helping you understand some of the more difficult terms in Magna Carta itself.

The romance and color of the "Age of Chivalry" has captured the imaginations of many. The Internet leads to many marvelous sites devoted to many aspects of the culture of this fascinating period. One of the most interesting can be located by clicking on the picture of William the Conqueror at the right.

The English enjoy "living History" renactments much as Americans do. While our most common subjects for renactment are engagemetns of the Civil War, the English enjoy attempting to capture the something of the spirit of medieval life. Regia is the English organization devoted to authentic reproductions aspects of medieval life. Clicking on the name will bring you to the organization's website. Clicking on the image below will take you to the imaginary village of Wichamstow, where you can let your imagination wander amongst the scenes of typical village life.