Medieval Innovations

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Medieval Innovations
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Making Work Easier

• New ways of farming developed during Middle Ages.
• Farmers began using a 3-field rotation for
  planting (1st fieldwheat or rye in autumn, 2nd
  fieldoats, beans, peas, vegetables, 3rd
  fieldunplanted for a year).
• Helped people to be self-sufficient.

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Gun powder

• Gunpowder was brought to Medieval Europe by
  warriors returning from the Middle East.
• Invented by the Chinese, it exploded
  unpredictably and injured soldiers who used it.
• By the 1400s, it had improved and many soldiers
  were now fighting with cannons and small guns.
• Bullets pierced armour, and castle walls couldnt
  withstand these weapons, so they were no longer
  a place of safety.

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Printing Press

• In the early 1400s, Germans inventors began to
  experiment with ways to make books with machines
  rather than by hand.
• Johannes Gutenberg made a printing method called
  movable type that was similar to a system being
  used in China.
• It was made of individual blocks of wood into
  which letters and punctuation marks were carved.

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• A printer arranged the letters to spell the words
  on each page, the letters were coated in ink, and
  paper was pressed down onto the type. This meant
  more books could be printed, it was was less
  expensive and way faster, and more accessible to
  people.

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Some Problems with The Printing Press

• There were some reasons why books didnt always
  spread quickly low literacy rates books were
  cheaper, but were still too expensive for most
  books were produced in a wider range of topics,
  but many were still not relevant to many peoples
  lives.

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Exploration to Other Lands

• Navigation is the science of guiding a ship.
• Before the 1500s, it was done by sight, hugging
  the coast, knowledge of routes, and landmarks.
• Many tools were invented or improved during the
  Middle Ages which changed navigation.
• New instruments included compasses, log lines,
  quadrants, astrolabes, and traverse boards.

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• By using celestial navigation (using the position
  of the stars and the sun), sailors had a more
  scientific approach.
• In order to effectively use new navigation
  techniques, more maneuverable ships were needed.
• Medieval explorers were able to travel further
  from home, visit new lands, and return with
  information about the world beyond Europe.

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Schooling

• Originally, schools were for the children of the
  wealthy and were run by the church. Many were
  held in cathedrals, monasteries, or convents, and
  the church controlled what things were taught.
• Some priests ran schools for peasant children in
  the villages.
• Schools began to be run by nobles and merchants,
  not just the church.
• Books were easier to find, therefore learning
  spread.

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Religious Reform

• During the Middle Ages in Europe, people began to
  question the power of the Catholic Church.
• Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German priest who
  nailed 95 arguments against the church on a
  Cathedral door and began the Reformation.
• Since the Church made the rules, taxes, and
  controlled much of medieval society, this shook
  things up!