Blog Question 8

On this trip we went on so many wonderful historical excursions that it was almost impossible not to feel connected to the Middle Ages.  One of my favorite trips was the excursion to the walled city of Carcassonne.  I loved this city because it was a lot like what I envisioned a medieval city to be like.  One of the things that makes Carcassonne so special is that it was the only city in Southern France to remain fortified.  All of the other cities in Southern France were ordered to take down their walls by the King, that way the cities would be less likely to rebel (class notes).  Carcassonne was such a beautiful city because it was the wealthiest city in Southern France (class notes). 

The fact that the city was bustling with tourists made it easy to imagine what it was like navigating the tiny streets of the busy city back in medieval times.  The church in Carcassonne was very beautiful.  The stained glass windows were absolutely exquisite.  The group of men singing made the visit extra-memorable in comparison to the several other churches we saw while in France.  Another special characteristic of Carcassonne is that the chateau is intact.  All of the other chateaus we visited such as the ones at Montsegur and Puilaurens were just ruins.  At these locations it was difficult to picture what the castles were like back in the Middle Ages.  The castle in Carcassonne was completely put together, the only thing you needed to use your imagination for was to picture the furniture and decorations in the rooms.

Carcassonne is connected to this “France in the Middle Ages” course because it was a major city in Southern France during the Middle Ages.  A lot of historical events took place here during this time period.  The church in Carcassonne is connected to this course because Saint Dominic preached there during the Middle Ages.  Architecturally, Carcassonne is related to this course because the church there has aspects of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture styles, which we learned about in class.  The Romanesque features the church has are the rounded arches above the front door and the bare stone interior.  The Gothic features the church has are the pointed arches inside and the beautiful stained glass windows.  Also, the city and castle were fortified, which was considered to be an architectural highpoint of castles in Southern France during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries (class notes).

Blog Question 5

Beauty, youth, and nobility were all admirable traits to have during the Middle Ages.  In regards to the destiny of Enide, the main female character in the medieval story of Erec and Enide, these traits were important because they impacted who she would marry.  Enide came from a very poor family but was able to marry well because she had these three favorable characteristics.  Enide was supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than Isolde.   Enide had “shining golden hair”, fair, bright skin, and “a lovely body” (page 42).  Her beauty made it easy for Erec, the main male character, to overlook the fact that she was poor and marry her anyway.  Her youthfulness contributed to the fact that she was so beautiful.  During the medieval time period portrayed in Erec and Enide, nobility only married other nobility.  The fact that Enide was of noble blood made her a suitable match for Erec. 

            There have been several changes to what society thinks is beautiful since the Middle Ages.  In fact, some of the opinions are exact opposites of what they used to be.  For example, during the Middle Ages, it was considered beautiful to be overweight and have your stomach stick out because it was a symbol of fertility.  Some women even wore pillows under their dresses to appear bigger (class notes).  Nowadays it is all about being thin.  A lot of women are trying to lose weight through diet and exercise.    Now being overweight is frowned upon because it is bad for your health and it is not as attractive as being thin.

            Another example of a change in what is considered to be beautiful has to do with skin color.  In the Middle Ages it was considered beautiful to have fair skin, the whiter, the better.  Now it is about being as tan as possible.  Many people think that the tanner you are, the more beautiful you are.  Currently there are several different ways to get a tan that do not require spending time out in the sun the old fashioned way.  These modern artificial methods include tanning beds, tanning lotions, airbrush tans, and self-tanning wipes. 

            Many women and some men use tanning beds even though there are health risks associated with them.  Tanning bed users value being tan so much that they are willing to risk health issues such as skin cancer.

            It is unmistakable that beauty trends have changed since the time period of Erec and Enide.  Since it is evident that beauty trends have changed over the past several hundred years, it is likely that they will continue to change with the years to come.

Blog Question 4

Religion and war are two major themes that were present during the Middle Ages.  Often times the two were intertwined due to conflicting religious beliefs.  The different beliefs caused tensions that would escalate to violence and sometimes lead to war.  Many times war would ensue because one religion would think that it was superior to all other religions.  One Religion that was infamous for this was the Catholic faith. The Catholics were responsible for numerous crusades that occurred during the Middle Ages. 

            The Song of Roland is an Epic Poem from the Middle Ages in which the themes of religion and war are entangled.  In the poem, Roland and his fellow Christian soldiers were fighting a crusade against the Moslems.  The Christian faith had a significant influence on the way the soldiers fought.  The Christian soldiers thought that they were doing a just and holy thing by fighting the Moslems.  The Christians even had an Archbishop with them who rallied the troops and lifted their spirits in the name of God (1127-1135).  The soldiers were also promised salvation for participating in the crusade (1135). 

            Religion has a major influence on Roland’s life.  It directs his life because his faith was one of the main reasons he was fighting in the crusade to begin with.  He believed in the cause and fought as valiantly as any knight could.  Roland’s sword, named Durendal, contained several relics which shows that religion was something that was important to Roland (2345-2350).  I think that religion helped console Roland.  As he was dying, he prayed to God and shortly after the angels appeared (2369-2372). 

I think that there are a couple of lessons an audience could learn from the lengthy death scene and the appearance of the archangels in The Song of Roland.  One thing that they could learn is that they really would be granted a place in Heaven if they participated in the crusades.  They could also learn how to act like an admirable knight by fighting to the death for their people and religion, just like Roland did.

The Women Troubadours (Option B)

In the book, The Women Troubadours, author Meg Bogin states that “Throughout the Middle Ages women were the pawns of men.”  In the book Bogin uses several examples to defend her claim.  During the Middle Ages the focus was almost always on men and little attention was directed to women.  Bogin starts out by saying that men had almost all the power, “only in the most exceptional cases did [women] have any say in their own destiny” (page 10).  During the Middle Ages one of the most important roles of women was to produce male children.  If a woman failed to do so she could be divorced from her husband, without any legal protection, and possibly even be sent to a convent (page 11).  At the beginning of the Middle Ages women were not allowed to own land or inherit (pages 22-23).   According to the rules of inheritance, money and property were to be passed down through all of the sons before the daughters, regardless of age.  Eventually women were allowed to own land but, according to Bogin, most women were hesitant to go against such a longstanding tradition (page 22).  When comparing the Middle Ages to current times, there have been several significant improvements in the treatment of women, but perfect equality still has yet to be achieved.  Nowadays women can decide who they want to marry and are able to inherit anything.  In the United States we have laws against discriminating against someone because of their sex.  Even with all of the advances in the treatment of women there are still some setbacks.  In my sociology class I learned that on average for every dollar men earn working, women only earn 72 cents for doing the same exact job.  Women are also expected to do most of the household work and childrearing, even if they have a full time job.   There have been tremendous developments in the treatment of women since the Middle Ages, but even today there is still room for improvement.

The Song of Roland (Option B)

The Song of Roland would have been an ideal story to tell to Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem and there are several reasons why the Crusaders would find this story so enjoyable.  First of all, it is a beautifully written epic poem that can be appreciated by almost anyone.  It would have been an entertaining way to pass the time on the long journey to Jerusalem.  Aside from the entertainment value, most Crusaders would have found The Song of Roland interesting because it was relatable to the situation that they were in.  Many of the Crusaders may have found it helpful to hear a story about other men going through a similar situation.  Some of the Crusaders may have been nervous about what they were about to experience and the story of Roland could have calmed their nerves.  The poem would have calmed their nerves because it validates that the fight for Christianity is right and just.  The Crusaders probably would have liked the fact that when Roland died, he was taken up to heaven by the angel Gabriel and the angel Michael (pages 19-20).  The Crusaders were told that they were guaranteed a place in Heaven if they died during the Crusade, so hearing this story probably would have solidified their beliefs about that.  Those who were in charge of the troops could have taken the opportunity to use The Song of Roland as propaganda to rally the troops and get them excited about the cause.  This story would give the Crusaders hope because in the end the Christians won and forced the defeated Moslems to convert to Christianity (page 21).  The poem also could have acted as reference point for the way the Crusaders should conduct themselves.  For example, in laisse 88 Roland explains how it is a knight’s duty to be brave and fight heroically (pages 9-10).  As evidence provides, The Song of Roland could be seen as more than just a story about a heroic battle to the Crusaders who were headed to Jerusalem.