A March calendar, a time for plowing – with one of those new fangled heavy plows.
This is part two of our October Thursday series of Medieval Mythbusters. Check out last week’s ‘episode’ here!
This week we look at:
In Medieval times, all scientific advancement
came to a screaming halt
While it is true that the collapse of the Roman Empire brought to an end to structured society, it would be a mistake to believe that all scientific progress came to a halt.
Monasteries dotted around the Middle East and Europe preserved the light of scientific inquiry and, by the end of the 11th century, colleagial sharing of knowledge became more structured and the modern university was created. A degree in Bologna was the passport to being instantly accepted to teach at the University in Paris or accepted to Oxford – in fact any accredited university.
Many of the medieval universities in Western Europe were born under the aegis of the Catholic Church, usually as cathedral schools or by papal bull as Studia Generali. In the early medieval period, most new universities were founded from pre-existing schools, usually when these schools were deemed to have become primarily sites of higher education. Many historians state that universities and cathedral schools were a continuation of the interest in learning promoted by monasteries.
These religious houses took their science seriously. As Nicolai Copernicus, the man who should be truly credited with identifying heliocentrism, is quoted as saying, “O God, I am thinking Thy thoughts after Thee”.
In general, there was religious support for natural science by the late Middle Ages and a recognition that it was an important element of learning. The extent to which medieval science led directly to the new philosophy of the scientific revolution remains a subject for debate, but it certainly had a significant influence.
I think he went to Specsavers…
Discovery and exploration wasn’t just limited to the theoretical either, many inventions we use today have their origins in medieval times including, the wheelbarrow, the blast furnace, the heavy plow, the mirror, and spectacles!
I understand that sildenafilhealth.com is not the best way to achieve good erection (as these pills are chemical), but all the other methods (for example, traditional medicine) don’t work on me.
The price is a bit high.
Indeed young Brice, the brother to Lady Alfreya of Tyrswick shows his scholarly inclination in Warrior’s Surrender, taking advantage of the more structured learning that emerged at that time.
Over time, a standardized course of study was developed. Students studied, at length, seven specific disciplines. Arithmetic, geometry, grammar, rhetoric, logic, astronomy, and music were the seven basic disciplines in which successful students were expected to receive a well-rounded education. Those who displayed a particular proficiency for any particular discipline could continue their studies at university.
Excerpt Warrior’s Surrender:
“Frey, I wanted to wait until after Christmas but I ought to tell you something now,” he started, first tentatively and then with increased excitement as he shared his news.
“In summer, I might be going to a town in the south. It’s called Oxford and the church has started a school there. Brother Abbot Ranulf says I have a fine mind and if I keep up my studies he will recommend I study under Gerland who is the greatest mathematician and computist in all of England.”
While Brice spoke avidly of integers, modulos, and divisions, Frey swallowed past a lump in her throat and inwardly mourned while outwardly she managed a smile and told him with all sincerity that his mama would have been so proud of him.
So, science came to a screeching halt in Medieval Times?
It’s a bust