ROMANESQUE

Rome finally disintegrated in 476 A.D., and in

its place came the "barbaric" tribes.

The Romans refereed to them as "barbaric"

because these tribes from the north were
outside their Hellenic influence.
 However, these Saxons, Angels, Goths,
Huns, and Vikings, among many other tribes
possess cultures of their own.
This Romanesque era after the fall of the
Roman Empire was a time of great faith.
But this FAITH was reinforced by
SUPERSTITION,
ILLITERACY was WIDESPREAD,
VIOLENCE was COMMONPLACE, and;
BANDITS who roamed the countryside for
bounty were PLENTY.
Collision between church and monarchy

Social Stratification. From emperor, the

social scale descended to pope, king, lord,
knight, vassal, and serf.

These social orders held titles that denoted

position: Prince, Duke, Earl, Sir, and the like.
Collision between Church and the State

The "barbarian" kings converted to

Christianity and a highlight of this historical
development was the reign of Charlemagne
in the 9th century A.D.,
Charlemagne - whose person generated a
host of narratives surrounding his legendary
reign- strove to bring back the forgotten
splendor of the last great empire, and from
his rule grew the Holy Roman Empire.
In literature, legends and epics narrated
daring and adventure in magical places
among super humans.
In Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon epic about a
teutonic hero's adventures.
In England, King Arthur ruled with justice
and benevolence in ideal fashion among his
Knights of the Round Table in Camelot.
The French La Chanson de Roland narrated
the Crusader's expiditions against the
Muslim Saracens.
In Germany, the Nibelungenlied told of the
adventures of Siegfried.
 ROMANESQUE
ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Monasticism, the prevailing philosophy in
the 10th and 11th c. That renounced worldly
desires, greatly influenced Romanesque art.