Seven Liberal Arts in the Middle Ages

At the heart of the European medieval culture lay the synthesis of Christianity, the ancient heritage and the characteristics inherent in barbarian peoples. Characteristic features of the era - the refusal to directly experience the knowledge of the nature of the world and man and the priority of religious dogma. Because of the highlighting of the Christian explanation of the structure of the universe and the stagnation of the development of many sciences, the centuries V to XIV are often called "dark". Nevertheless, during this period, man's knowledge of the world is expanding, the Greco-Roman tradition of education continues, albeit in a highly modified form, there are still "seven liberal arts".

The basis of knowledge

The beginning of the Middle Ages is the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. Naturally, the emerging peoples and states took much of the open, created and meaningful in the period of Antiquity. Was not an exception and the basis of the education system: the discipline, which, according to the ancient Greeks and Romans, were necessary as a preparatory stage, anticipating the study of philosophy. Seven free arts included grammar, dialectics (logic), rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. The first three were united in a trivium - the system of humanities. Arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy were quadrivium - four mathematical disciplines.

In the days of Antiquity

Quadrivium took shape during the late Antiquity. The main science was arithmetic. It should be noted that in the days of Ancient Greece and Rome, the free arts were those classes that slaves could not attend. They were associated exclusively with mental activity and did not require much physical effort. Under art, they understood not the artistic representation of the world, but the methods of practical comprehension of nature through observation.

Trivium was finally formed later, in the early Middle Ages. He became the first stage of education. Only after studying the disciplines of the trivium it was possible to proceed to the quadrivium.

Church and ancient heritage

In the Middle Ages, Christianity was at the heart of the knowledge of the universe and of the worldview. Church leaders opposed faith to reason, giving preference to the former. However, many moments of the dogma could not be explained without using some elements of ancient philosophy.

Martian Capella tried to unite Greco-Roman knowledge and Christian understanding of the world for the first time. In his treatise On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury, he divided seven free arts into trivium and quadrivium. The chapel briefly described all the disciplines included in this system. Trivium is described for the first time.

Further development of the trivium and quadrivium was carried out by Boethius and Cassiodorus (VI century). Both scientists made a great contribution to the formation of the system of education in the Middle Ages. Boethius developed the fundamentals of the scholastic method. Cassiodorus in his estate in Italy founded the "Vivarium", the components of which - the school, the library and the scriptorium (the place where the books were copied) - a little later became mandatory in the structure of the monasteries.

Imprint of religion

Seven free arts in the Middle Ages were taught to the clergy and presented in accordance with the needs of the church. The study of disciplines was, rather, superficial - only at the level necessary for understanding Christian doctrines and sending out services. All seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages were comprehended for purely practical purposes and in a rather narrow framework:

• Rhetoric is necessary in the compilation of church documents and the writing of sermons;

• Grammar taught to understand Latin texts;

• Dialectics was reduced to formal logic and justified the dogmas of faith;

• Arithmetic taught an elementary account and was used in the process of mystical interpretation of numbers;

• Geometry was required for the construction of temple drawings;

• Music is necessary for the compilation and execution of church songs;

• Astronomy was used to calculate the dates of religious holidays.

Education in the Middle Ages

During the early Middle Ages, seven liberal arts were studied only in monastic schools. The bulk of the population remained illiterate. The philosophical heritage of Antiquity was considered almost the basis of many heresies, and therefore the study of disciplines was reduced to the above-mentioned moments. However, in the scriptories, not only Christian texts were carefully copied, but also works, poetic and philosophical, of ancient authors. Monasteries were a stronghold of education and scientific knowledge.

The situation began to change in the X century. From this century, the heyday of medieval culture begins (X-XV centuries). It is characterized by a gradual increase in interest in secular aspects of life, towards the person of man. There are cathedral schools, where not only representatives of the clergy, but also the laity were received. In the XI-XII centuries. First universities appear. The cultural life is gradually moving from monasteries and churches to urban centers.

The transition period between these two epochs can be considered the period of the Carolingian Renaissance.

Seven free arts under Charlemagne

By the end of the VIII century. The Frankish state united the vast territories of Western Europe. Its heyday empire reached during the reign of Charlemagne. The king realized that it is possible to manage such a state only if a well-established apparatus of officials is created. Therefore, Charlemagne decided to make changes in the existing education system.

With each monastery and each church, schools for the clergy began to be opened. In some, the lay people were also trained. The program included seven free arts. Their understanding, however, was still limited to church needs.

Charlemagne invited scientists from other countries, organized a school at the court, where poetry, rhetoric, astronomy and dialectics were studied by grandees.

The Carolingian Renaissance ended with the death of the king, but it served as a stimulus for the subsequent development of European culture.

Seven free arts in the Middle Ages, as well as in Antiquity, were the basis of education. They were considered, however, only in the narrow framework of practical application for the needs of the Christian church.