2001 Annual Grant Issue
Emily Rubinfield: Kast Grant Report-
Best Intentions and Hard Realities : 7th Grade Middle Ages Study

A Kast Grant is like a Pandora's Box. No, it doesn't subject the world to suffering and trouble, but it does subject its recipient to an intellectual pursuit that can be difficult to control. The grant, an innocent closed box of good intentions and finite dimensions, once opened, can absorb the recipient for years. I have been lucky enough to have been awarded five grants and none of them was easily contained in a summer's work. That's the agony and ecstasy of these grants. They take the recipient on a journey of discovery that is often hard to imagine. What on paper was intended to be an easy summer study, in reality has led to opportunities for curricular development that will last far longer.

When I wrote the grant earlier this year, my intention was simply to balance the study of the Middle Ages so it would reflect differences between the stereotypical English Middle Ages with knights in shining armor, and the lesser known Italian Middle Ages where a knight was a rare sight indeed. I felt that by showing the difference between the two cultures, it would be easier for my students to understand why the Renaissance began so much earlier in Italy. As I found through my travels, this was a noble but naïve intent, but I was determined to have a go at it.

So, with visions of Italy still fresh in my mind, I began putting together this report and from the beginning, I struggled with its content. This was partially due to my realization that Italy was the crossroads of Europe during the Middle Ages and it bore the mark of various cultures. Then it struck me! How could I now limit a study to just Western Europe (France and England) and Italy? I realized that I would be just as guilty of giving an unbalanced account of the Middle Ages if I only included these cultures. After all, in the seventh grade we study other cultures during the period. Why would I only consider comparing two of them? No, it was clear to me that I would have to be far more open-minded and determined. My colleagues and I had often spoken about how we wanted to study the period and include all the units in a more chronological order. It was time to stop talking and start planning. That's what this report hopefully does, but first...

Italy!

Wind whips through my hair as the vaporetto transports me down the Bacino San Marco on a journey not just from an airport to a hotel but from the twenty-first century back to the 13^th. With each turn in the waterway, new (well, new to me but in reality seven to eight hundred year-old) buildings open like a book onto the history of this medieval trading center that connected the foreign goods of the east to the desires and curiosities of the west.

Approaching Venice

At first glance, Venice appears as Lord Byron called it, "a fairy city of the heart." Indeed it is that, but Venice is so much more. Look down the winding, narrow alleys and you get a glimpse of what life must have been like for the merchants, traders, peasants, and visitors to this city that stood at the crossroads of the Byzantine and European worlds. Stop for a minute and listen to the near stillness of the city. The silence lets your mind wander back to a time when Doges ruled, Venetian sailors dominated, and markets thrived. Venice opens the door to the Italian Middle Ages. Indeed, it is a very different door than the one England opens to the same period. It is one worth savoring.

Venice, its islands and canals have endured for over 1300 years. Founded in 811 by the inhabitants of Malamocco who were fleeing from the advancing Charlemagne and the Franks, the new residents of the Venice elected a Doge (from the Latin dux meaning leader) and began to establish the Venetian Republic.

One look at a map of Europe and it is obvious that those who fled the Franks had chosen an opportune location to establish a commercial empire. Trade with the Byzantine Empire made Venice the crossroads of commerce for hundreds of years. The Crusades further enhanced Venice's position as a great trade center and this prevalence allowed the residents to build a grand city celebrating its importance in the Medieval World.

No matter where you are in the city, eyes are drawn to the great basilica in the Piazza San Marco. The Basilica of San Marco is a unique combination of Byzantine and Western architecture. It's hard to believe that it was built in the eleventh century. But while the basilica itself is awe-inspiring, the mosaics both outside and in leave one speechless. Begun in 1071, not even at the start of the High Middle Ages, these intricate designs gloriously celebrate the New Testament.

Wander onto the Piazzetta San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale comes into view. The original building was begun in 811, though it is no longer standing. Still, the sense of history is present with this Palazzo which is built on the same location as earlier structures. The present building has undergone extensive changes, but has been standing since the 13^th century. It is an amazing feat. The influence of the east is not lost on this Palazzo. It is a combination of Byzantine and western architecture, and it gives you the flavor of the influences found in Venice at this time.

Siena is also a city of memories. Winding alleys, cluttered streets, laundry spanning the alley way fluttering in the breeze, muffled noises of families from the opened windows above, the Torre del Mangia towering above the Piazza del Campo - Siena on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. Looking down on the town from the Torre, you note the medieval walls, which enclose the city. You imagine the attacking Guelfs (the pope's supporters) as they storm the gates and walls of the city to bring it under Florentine rule. As you look around at the multi-storied brown homes of Siena you can see how the plague in 1348 could have whipped so quickly through the city and left such a devastating toll. The unfinished Duomo is a monument to the thousands who died during that year and to its halt in progress. The spine of Siena was broken and it would never be able to regain its former strength.

Florence makes the focus of the Middle Ages clear. One look at the glory of the Duomo allows one to understand the power of the Church. The dome, which took over 100 years to engineer, dominates the city. But Florence and the other cities of Tuscany also give a sense of how different Italy was from England. Though cities in England have begun to develop in the 13^th century, the cities of Italy were already thriving. This difference in the way of life holds the key to Italy's emergence as the center of the Renaissance.

Though these reflections allow me to look back to a wonderful experience, they do not allow my students to understand Europe in the High Middle Ages (1100 - 1300). In order to do that, they will need some historical background.

Historical Background

The Middle Ages is defined as the period of time in western Europe that begins when Rome fell at the end of the 5^th century and concludes with the spread of the Renaissance across Europe. The Islamic Empires and western African cultures do not regard this period in history as their Middle Ages, and, in fact, they flourished during this period. Through trade and religious conquests, they also had some effect on European life.

As I turned my eye to Europe, I found that the fabric of the Middle Ages varied from place to place and during that period many governments were decentralized. But why? For one thing, the Roman Empire was replaced by the combining of Germanic tribes with Roman people: The Franks and Burgundians in France, the Visigoths in Spain; the Ostrogoths in Italy; and the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. New cultures blended Germanic tribal customs with the values of the former Roman Empire and the ideology of Christianity. By the seventh century, the landscape of political Europe changed again and six cultural zones evolved. They were France, Iberia, Germany, Italy, England, and Scandinavia.

Italy's location always had an effect on its growth. During the Roman Empire, Rome's central location was key in its expansion throughout the Italian peninsula and then through Europe. When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476, the Italian peninsula remained united under the rulers Odoacer and then an Ostrogoth named Theodoric. There was a time of peace and an opportunity for the Christian Church to firmly take hold on the peninsula. During the sixth century, the Church began to participate in political and governmental functions. Though Justinian was able to bring Italy into the Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) Empire for a short time, the reunification ended with the Lombards invading Italy in 568.

The Lombards ruled Italy for approximately 200 years, but during that time the Church's temporal power began to grow and in 774 the pope asked the Franks to support the Church against the Lombards. Charlemagne conquered them and brought Italy nominally under Carolingian control. In reality though, Italy became a part of the Holy Roman Empire and was beholden to the pope.

After the death of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire was thrown into chaos. Muslim expansion (827 - 902) involved Italy as Arabs invaded areas along the coast and in the central area of the peninsula. Still some independent city-states began to form in the south and places like Naples and Amalfi began to develop mercantile economies. Free communes began to develop in central and northern Italy as well. Though the feudal system was introduced in Italy during this period, it did not take a firm hold. Much of this was due to struggles between dukes and kings. When Otto I won control over the dukes in Germany in the 900s he tried to reestablish a Holy Roman Empire like Charlemagne had done. He invaded Italy and was crowned emperor by the pope, but he did not win the allegiance of his lords who instead continued to fight him. Towns were able to maintain their own independence, which helped them to develop more economic activities.

During the 900s and 1000s in England and France, the feudal system truly began to take hold. France, for example, was divided into feudal states such as Aquitaine, Anjou, and Normandy. Some of the more powerful lords provided strong governments and supervised the farming of the manors on his fief, given to him for his promise to serve a king or other important noble. Towns in England and France diminished in importance; so did trade and industry. Some of these lords held more power than the king himself. But, such was not the case in Italy or Germany where feudalism did not take. The Holy Roman Empire was weak and prone to internal battles between dukes and kings. There seemed to be no strong government and that allowed towns to continue to grow.

While kingdoms were forming in Europe, Muslims were expanding throughout the Mediterranean world. Between 661 and 774, the Umayyads conquered much of northern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. They brought common language and coinage, great architecture, and seats of learning to the area while France and England were still fighting barbaric invasions. Though their empire remained in parts of Spain until 1492, another Islamic Empire would form in the east, the Abbasids of Baghdad. This empire would last until 1258, though it would be faced with many factions such as the Fatimids who would influence Northern Africa.

While the Islamic Empires were expanding, a trading culture was forming in Ghana. This was the first of three major western African trading cultures. Gold and salt made Ghana flourish from about 800 to 1050. Since most of the traders who came to Ghana were Muslim, it followed that Islam would take hold there. Ghanaians were tolerant of Muslims though they lived separately. However, many Ghanaians eventually converted to Islam. During the Mali Empire, their strongest leader, Mansa Musa, was a devout Muslim. He enriched the Empire and put it "on the map" when Europeans became aware of the wealth that could be found there. Following the fall of Mali, a third empire, Songhai, rose and thrived for almost 200 years. It became the greatest trade center in West Africa. It was conquered by Muslim Spaniards in 1590 looking for gold mines. When none was found, Songhai was forgotten. By this time, European countries were setting up empires in the New World and the need for the African trade cultures diminished.

As Europe moved into the High Middle Ages (1100 - 1300), it's obvious that conquests, economic trends, politics and religion impacted all countries. Though cities throughout Western Europe began to grow, Western Europe was still largely agricultural. Nobles, feeling the growing power of kings, still built great castles as fortifications against enemies and tried to retain power at the local level. France and England, while beginning to build strong central governments, still relied on the feudal system to provide protection to its people.

Germany and Italy continued to be different. There was always tension between the Holy Roman emperors and the feudal nobility and power seesawed between the two. It was, however, the friction between these emperors and the papacy, which ultimately led to a rift that shaped the High Middle Ages for these two areas. In Italy, there was continual political disunity and that allowed small city-states to remain self-governing. The underlying issue was what role the German Holy Roman Empire would have in Italy. Cities split into two factions, the Ghibellines who supported German's claims and the Guelfs who supported papal independence, which signified Italian independence. When Germany failed in its efforts to rule Italy, Italy, which had remained more urban after the fall of the Roman Empire, tended to be dominated by mercantile giants who paid their armies to protect its citizens. These fundamental differences among empires during the Middle Ages all contributed to Italy being the breeding ground for the Renaissance.

Objectives

As I have stated, I really want my students to get a balanced historical perspective of what life was like in the cultures we study during this time period. Kids think that the Middle Ages and feudalism are synonymous, and they are not. They also think that Europe led the rest of the world in government, economy, and religion, and it did not. In the past, we have studied the Middle Ages in England and France as a separate unit with little regard to the previously studied units of the Islamic Empires and the western African trading cultures. These periods were going on simultaneously, but by teaching each as a separate unit, students had difficulty making connections between the cultures. They do collide. Charles Martel, the leader of the Franks in the 700s, defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732. This essentially ended the Islamic expansion into Europe. Great centers of learning were being established in Mali in the early 1300s at a time when most Europeans were illiterate. The Abbasids of Baghdad had built an incredible capital that was a center of learning and government. If students are going to be able to see "the big picture" of what life was like in the Middle Ages, they must be able to explore the cultures in a more chronological way.

But, first things first! Where to begin? In sixth grade, students finished their study of ancient history with the acceptance of Christianity by Constantine, and then the slow decline of the Roman Empire due to frequent attacks from barbarians. The year ended right before the fall of Rome in 476. It is therefore fitting and essential to lay Rome to rest before embarking on a journey through the Middle Ages. In order to prepare for Rome's funeral, each student will create an artifact that symbolized its greatness. They will also write an epitaph for Rome. We will celebrate the life and death of this incredible civilization before we enter the Middle Ages. [These artifacts will be displayed on a web page that will be updated throughout the year. I am especially interested in constructing this web page for the very reasons I have already stated. When using any search engine to find out about the Middle Ages, especially pages appropriate for Middle School students, all you will find are articles about knights, castles, and England. This page will be different.]

Once we have buried Rome, we will delve into the Middle Ages. For four months, we will have the opportunity to view the Medieval worlds of Western Europe, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, the Islamic Empire, and West African trading cultures. We may begin with England for if we select the dates of 500 to 1500 for the Middle Ages, we'll find that King Arthur, if there was indeed a King Arthur, lived and died in the late fifth century battling barbarian invaders from Europe.

In order to organize the many cultures within this study, it will be essential for students to use a table to plot the political, religious, and economic development of these areas. Charts like Table I below will be used throughout the unit. Divided by centuries, this will be an easy way for students to keep information straight.

Political, Religious, and Economic Development during the Middle Ages 6th - 8th Centuries
	France and England	Holy Roman Empire	Italy	Islamic Empires	West African Trading Cultures
Political Developments
Religious Developments
Links to other Cultures
Economic Developments

Between September and December, my students will be engaged in a variety of projects that will give them a better understanding of the people and events, which shaped the Middle Ages. Below are some of the ideas that we will try this year. Chronology

Assignment #1 - The Biographical Life Magazine of the Middle Ages (This is not a publication of AARP.)

There are so many personalities that we will meet on our journey and some are so important that we will want to record their vital statistics for future reference. Each student will be assigned to research one person who had an impact on the period. Appendix A details this assignment. I like this assignment because it's a good way to begin the research process for returning students. Also, not all students will be working on their person at the same time. The assignments will be due at different times and will give students the opportunity to budget their time. The people highlighted in this "magazine" will be those who lived from 500 to 1100.

Assignment #2 - Playbills

The design and execution of these playbills will involve group work. Think for a moment about what goes into a playbill you might receive when you go to a show. A Playbill includes everything from a list of the characters in a play, biographies of the actors, a summary of what the plot of the play is, identification of the producers and directors, a listing of the scenes in the play, and advertisements for restaurants etc., which the viewer may wish to visit. All the elements can be easily used to describe a "play" for a particular country. Groups will research one of the following places - England, France, Italy, (during the High Middle Ages), Ghana and Mali, and the Islamic Empires (during the heights of their greatness) - and then follow the directions given. Handout

Assignment #3 - Medieval Feast

This year the Medieval Feast will take place on December 13^th. There will be many more visiting dignitaries this year. While we will keep the theme of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of England meeting King Louis VII and his Queen of France (because students will be reading A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver in English which deals with these monarchs), there will also be visits from a Venetian, a tribesman or woman from Mali, a caliph from Baghdad, Crusaders, and a representative of the Holy Roman Empire. In preparation for this event, students will create their character and learn about what life was like for him/her during this period.

Assignment #4 - A Renaissance Cookbook

It took many events to bring about the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy, and students will have to identify what the ingredients were that led to its beginning. By writing a recipe, they will have to isolate the relevant events, determine how important each was to the whole and then explain how all the ingredients blended to give us the Renaissance. We will compile all of our recipes into a cookbook that will allow a reader to understand how this period began. Handout

Conclusions

It's clear that this report is just the beginning of what I hope will be an exciting, thought-provoking study of the Middle Ages for my students. I am looking forward to having my students investigate this time period in a way that will allow them to connect the information that they have learned. Connections make learning far more meaningful. That's what we all want for our students.

I am grateful to Germantown Academy for giving me this opportunity to look at content in a new way. By wandering through the streets and churches of Italy this past summer, I gained an understanding and a feeling that could not be lifted from books. I am hoping that I will be able to share that feeling with those I teach.

Bibliography

Armento, Beverly J. et al. Across the Centuries. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1997.

Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Europe, history of." http://members.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=108599&sctn=2&pm=1>

The End of Europe's Middle Ages. "Italy's City-States." Department of History / The University of Calgary, 1997, The Applied History Research Group.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/endmiddle/c-states.html, July 23, 2001

Lyon, Bryce. "Middle Ages," Discovery Channel School, original content provided by World Book Online, http://www.discoveryschool.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozhistory/m/360060.html, August 6, 2001.

Windows on Italy - "History: Medieval Italy." .
www.mi.cnr.it/WOI/deagosti/history/medieval.html, June 22, 2001