HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



CURING the fifth century of our era, a suc- 

 cession of irruptions of tribes from the north 

 srthrew the western portion of the Roman 

 empire, and shattered to pieces the organisation 

 1 its society. The mingling of these barbarians, 

 they were called, with the Roman or Romanised 

 ihabitants of the various countries, produced for 

 time a chaotic confusion ; but as the amalgama- 

 ion proceeded, a reorganisation of society under 

 lew forms began to shew itself, and those nation- 

 lities gradually emerged which, with greater or 

 ss modification, have continued to the present 

 ly. It is this reconstruction of society out of 

 ic newly infused barbaric elements, together with 

 the fragments of the old civilisation, that forms 

 the transition from the ancient world to the 

 aodern ; and the period during which the transi- 

 tion took place is called the ' Middle Ages, 3 the 

 irlier and more chaotic portion being known as 

 ic ' Dark Ages.' It may conveniently be con- 

 sidered as extending from the dethronement of 

 Romulus Augustulus (476 A.D.) to the end of the 

 fifteenth century the period of the ' revival of 

 irning,' as it is called. 

 Society is always in a state of transition ; Eng- 

 id under Victoria is very different from England 

 ider George I. But in such cases as this, the 

 lange is one of continuous growth ; whereas, in 

 le transition from ancient civilisation to modern, 

 lere was a violent disruption of the continuity ; 

 icre was a disintegration and then a reorganisa- 

 lon. To understand rightly the nature of this 

 lighty change, we require to take a brief survey 

 " the state of the world immediately preceding it. 

 On the death of the Emperor Theodosius (395 

 .D.), the Roman Empire was finally divided into 

 vo parts the Latin Empire, or Empire of the 

 /'est, the capital of which was Rome ; and the 

 ireek Empire, or Empire of the East, the capital 

 ' which was Constantinople. The Latin Empire 

 snsisted of six dioceses Italy, Gaul, Britain, 

 5pain, Western Illyricum, and Africa ; the Greek 

 mpire consisted of seven dioceses the East, 

 Asia, Pontus, Thrace, Macedonia, and 

 Dacia. These dioceses were again divided into 

 provinces, and the administration of government 

 was carried on by a multitude of functionaries in 

 various grades of subordination Prefects, Vicars, 

 Consulars, &c. Though subject to one plan of 

 civil government, the two empires presented many 

 points of contrast. In the West, the Latin genius 

 and habits predominated ; in the East, Greek 

 habits of thought and feeling were more apparent. 

 The Latin language, indeed, was the legal or 

 official language over both empires ; but in the 

 East, the general medium of communication, and 

 the sole literary language, was the Greek. 



But however different in physiognomy, dress, 

 manners, and language the inhabitants of the 

 various dioceses and provinces might be, society 

 60 



was everywhere, throughout both empires, divided 

 into four grades or classes the senatorial class ; 

 the curiales or municipals ; the common people ; 

 and the slaves. The senators formed a sort of 

 aristocracy or peerage, with titles denoting various 

 grades of nobility (Nobilissimi, Illustres, &c.). 

 The curiales or municipals comprised those 

 inhabitants of towns possessing landed property 

 of a certain amount ; on them devolved the func- 

 tions of magistracy in the various towns. The 

 common people was composed of all freemen 

 ranking below the curiales ; the greater portion 

 consisted of free artisans. The slaves were a 

 numerous class, and were either domestic servants 

 in the more wealthy households, or rural slaves 

 employed in agriculture. 



Towards the close of the fourth century, the 

 society of the Roman world was universally tend- 

 ing to corruption and decrepitude. Among the 

 causes of this decay, the two principal seem to 

 have been, the systematic oppression of the curiales 

 by bad laws, and the universal prevalence of slave- 

 labour. The curiales were compelled to under- 

 take municipal office, and all deficiencies of 

 revenue had to be made good by the general 

 body ; nor did the laws permit them to escape 

 from their hated position. The consequence was, 

 that this most important section in every com- 

 munity the middle or moderately wealthy class 

 became almost extinct. From the operation of 

 the two causes, agriculture had sunk into the 

 most miserable condition ; whole districts became 

 deserted ; and at the beginning of the fifth century, 

 there were lying unfilled in Campagna the Happy, 

 the most fertile district of the Roman domain, as 

 many as 330,000 acres. 



Amid the universal decay, however, with which 

 the fabric of Roman society was thus afflicted, 

 there was one element of vigorous and energetic 

 life : this was the element of Christian ecclesi- 

 astical rule, independent of the course of civil 

 procedure, and yet powerfully influencing it The 

 introduction and spread of Christianity gave an 

 entirely new character to the ancient communities 

 within the Roman Empire. The old paganisms, 

 with their cruel rites, disappeared ; and, coming 

 in their place, the beneficent doctrines of the 

 Gospel, besides morally improving, stimulated the 

 intellectual energies of mankind. As the accom- 

 paniment of this change, there had sprung up a 

 new system of social organisation that of the 

 Christian Church, which was extended over the 

 empire under the special administration of bishops 

 and of pastors or clergy. 



Beyond the pale of the organised society of the 

 Roman world lay a great barbaric society, divided 

 into two parts the German or Teutonic half, 

 geographically adjoining the Western Empire ; 

 and the Slavonic or Scythian half, adjoining the 

 Eastern Empire. The German barbarians were 

 divided into a number of nations Goths, Bur- 

 gundians, Alemanni, Vandals, Franks, Angles, 



