MIDDLE AGES - A.D. 500-1430

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World Events

  • 325 - Constantine declares Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

  • 476 - End of Roman Empire

  • Benedict (480- ca 547) founder of Benedictine monasticism

  • Pope Gregory (560-604) served as Pope from 590-604

  • 633 - Council of Toledo

  • Charlemagne (742-814) crowned Emperor in 800

  • Alfred the Great (849-899) crowned King of England in 871

  • Rise of Universities

    • University of Constantinople established in 850

    • St. Martial School (850-1200)

    • University of Al-Azar established in 970

    • Notre Dame (1150-1240)

    • University of Paris established 1170

  • Otto the Great (912-973) crowned first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 962

  • 1066 - Norman conquest of England

  • First Crusade (1096-1099)

  • Richard Coeur de Lion (1157-1199) King of England from 1189-1199

  • 1215 - Magna Charta signed

  • Reign of Louis IX (1226-1270)

  • Babylonian Captivity (1305-1378)

  • 100 Years War (1337-1453)

  • Black Plague of Europe (1348-1350)

  • Great Schism (1378-1417)

1175-1315

  • Crusades
  • Gothic Cathedrals
  • Feudalism
  • Paris is center of musical activity
  • Chivalric poetry

1315-1430

  • Decline of feudalism
  • Rise of middle class
  • Separation of Church and State
  • France and Italy are centers of musical activity

Literary Figures

  • Petrarch
  • Dante
  • Boccaccio
  • Chaucer

Artists

  • Giotto

Early Medieval Era

A.D. 500-850

 

Musical Characteristics  |  Genre and Forms  |  Theorists, Treatises and Collections

Composers and Major Works  |  Hymnology

 

Romanesque Style

A.D. 850-1175

 

Musical Characteristics  |  Genre and Forms  |  Theorists, Treatises and Collections

Composers and Major Works  |  Hymnology

 

Gothic Era

A.D. 1100-1430

Ars Antiqua (1175-1315) The Old Art

Ars Nova (1315-1430) The New Art

 

Musical Characteristics  |  Genre and Forms  |  Theorists, Treatises and Collections

Composers and Major Works  |  Hymnology

 

Last Updated: Saturday, February 14, 2009