High Middle Ages

==Arts==

===Visual arts===
[[File:Konstantin i Irina.jpg|upright|thumb|Fresco from the [[Boyana Church]] depicting Emperor [[Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria|Constantine Tikh Asen]]. The murals are among the finest achievements of the [[Culture of Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] culture in the 13th century.]]
{{main|Medieval art}}

Art in the High Middle Ages includes these important movements:
* [[Anglo-Saxon art]] was influential on the British Isles until the Norman Invasion of 1066
* [[Romanesque art]] continued traditions from the Classical world (not to be confused with [[Romanesque architecture]])
* [[Gothic art]] developed a distinct Germanic flavor (not to be confused with [[Gothic architecture]]).
* [[Indo-Islamic architecture]] begins when [[Muhammad of Ghor]] made [[Delhi]] a Muslim capital
* [[Byzantine art]] continued earlier Byzantine traditions, influencing much of Eastern Europe.
* [[Illuminated manuscripts]] gained prominence both in the Catholic and Orthodox churches

===Architecture===
[[File:Paris Notre-Dame cathedral interior nave east 01b.jpg|thumb|upright|Interior of [[Nôtre Dame de Paris]]]]
{{main|Gothic architecture}}
[[File:Paris Notre-Dame, July 2001.jpg|thumb|The cathedral of ''[[Notre Dame de Paris]]'', whose construction began in 1163, is one of the finer examples of the High Middle Ages architecture]]

Gothic architecture superseded the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style by combining [[flying buttress]]es, gothic (or pointed) [[arch]]es and [[ribbed vault]]s. It was influenced by the spiritual background of the time, being religious in essence: thin horizontal lines and grates made the building strive towards the sky. Architecture was made to appear light and weightless, as opposed to the dark and bulky forms of the previous [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque style]]. It was commonly thought that light was an expression of God; therefore, architectural techniques were adapted and developed to build churches that reflected this teaching. Colorful [[glass window]]s enhanced the spirit of lightness. As color was much rarer at medieval times than today, it can be assumed that these virtuoso works of art had an awe-inspiring impact on the common man from the street. High-rising intricate ribbed, and later [[fan vault]]ings demonstrated movement toward heaven. Veneration of God was also expressed by the relatively large size of these buildings. A gothic cathedral therefore not only invited the visitors to elevate themselves spiritually, it was also meant to demonstrate the greatness of God. The [[floor plan]] of a gothic cathedral corresponded to the rules of scholasticism: According to [[Erwin Panofsky]]'s ''Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism'', the plan was divided into sections and uniform subsections. These characteristics are exhibited by the most famous sacral building of the time: [[Notre Dame de Paris]].

===Literature===
{{main|Medieval literature}}
[[File:Apostle John and Marcion of Sinope, from JPM LIbrary MS 748, 11th c.jpg|thumb|upright|[[John the Apostle]] and [[Marcion of Sinope]] in an Italian [[illuminated manuscript]], painting on [[vellum]], 11th century]]
A variety of cultures influenced the literature of the High Middle Ages, one of the strongest among them being Christianity. The connection to Christianity was greatest in [[Latin literature]], which influenced the [[vernacular]] languages in the [[Literature cycle|literary cycle]] of the [[Matter of Rome]]. Other [[literary]] cycles, or interrelated groups of stories, included the [[Matter of France]] (stories about [[Charlemagne]] and his court), the [[Acritic songs]] dealing with the chivalry of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium's]] frontiersmen, and perhaps the best known cycle, the [[Matter of Britain]], which featured tales about [[King Arthur]], his court, and related stories from [[Brittany]], [[Cornwall]], [[Wales]] and Ireland. An anonymous German poet tried to bring the Germanic myths from the [[Migration Period]] to the level of the French and British epics, producing the [[Nibelungenlied]]. There was also a quantity of poetry and historical writings which were written during this period, such as ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]].

Despite political decline during the late 12th and much of the 13th centuries, the Byzantine scholarly tradition remained particularly fruitful over the time period. One of the most prominent philosophers of the 11th century, [[Michael Psellos]], reinvigorated [[Neoplatonism]] on Christian foundations and bolstered the study of [[Ancient Greek philosophy|ancient philosophical texts]], along with contributing to history, grammar, and rhetorics. His pupil and successor at the head of Philosophy at the [[University of Constantinople]] [[John Italus|Ioannes Italos]] continued the Platonic line in Byzantine thought and was criticized by the Church for holding opinions it considered heretical, such as the doctrine of [[Reincarnation|transmigration]]. Two Orthodox theologians important in the dialogue between the eastern and western churches were [[Nikephoros Blemmydes]] and [[Maximus Planudes]]. Byzantine historical tradition also flourished with the works of the brothers [[Niketas Choniates|Niketas]] and [[Michael Choniates]] in the beginning of the 13th century and [[George Akropolites]] a generation later. Dating from 12th century Byzantine Empire is also [[Timarion]], an Orthodox Christian anticipation of [[Divine Comedy]]. Around the same time the so-called [[Byzantine novel]] rose in popularity with its synthesis of ancient pagan and contemporaneous Christian themes.

At the same time southern France gave birth to [[Occitan literature]], which is best known for [[troubadour]]s who sang of [[courtly love]]. It included elements from Latin literature and Arab-influenced Spain and North Africa. Later its influence spread to several cultures in Western Europe, notably in Portugal and the Minnesänger in Germany. Provençal literature also reached Sicily and Northern Italy laying the foundation of the [[Dolce Stil Nuovo|"sweet new style"]] of [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] and later [[Petrarch|Petrarca]]. Indeed, the most important poem of the [[Late Middle Ages]], the allegorical ''[[Divine Comedy]],'' is to a large degree a product of both the [[Summa Theologica|theology of Thomas Aquinas]] and the largely secular Occitan literature.

===Music===
{{main|Medieval music}}
[[File:Vihuela de arco y vihuela de péñola en las Cantigas.jpg|thumb|upright|Musicians playing the Spanish ''[[vihuela]]'', one with a bow, the other plucked by hand, in the ''[[Cantigas de Santa Maria]]'' of [[Alfonso X of Castile]], 13th century]]
[[File:Organistrum Orense 200708.jpg|thumb|upright|Men playing the [[organistrum]], from the [[Ourense Cathedral]], Spain, 12th century]]
The surviving music of the High Middle Ages is primarily religious in nature, since [[music notation]] developed in religious institutions, and the application of notation to secular music was a later development. Early in the period, [[Gregorian chant]] was the dominant form of church music; other forms, beginning with [[organum]], and later including [[Clausula (music)|clausula]]e, [[conductus]], and the [[motet]], developed using the chant as source material.

During the 11th century, [[Guido of Arezzo]] was one of the first to develop musical notation, which made it easier for singers to remember Gregorian chants.

It was during the 12th and 13th centuries that Gregorian plainchant gave birth to polyphony, which appeared in the works of French [[Notre Dame School]] ([[Léonin]] and [[Pérotin]]). Later it evolved into the ''[[ars nova]]'' ([[Philippe de Vitry]], [[Guillaume de Machaut]]) and the musical genres of late Middle Ages. An important composer during the 12th century was the [[nun]] [[Hildegard of Bingen]].

The most significant secular movement was that of the [[troubadour]]s, who arose in [[Occitania]] (Southern France) in the late 11th century. The troubadours were often [[itinerant entertainer|itinerant]], came from all classes of society, and wrote songs on a variety of topics, though with a particular focus on [[courtly love]]. Their style went on to influence the [[trouvère]]s of northern France, the [[minnesinger]]s of Germany, and the composers of secular [[music of the Trecento]] in northern Italy.

===Theatre===
{{Main|Medieval theatre}}
Economic and political changes in the High Middle Ages led to the formation of [[guilds]] and the growth of towns, and this would lead to significant changes for theatre starting in this time and continuing into the [[Late Middle Ages]]. Trade guilds began to perform plays, usually religiously based, and often dealing with a biblical story that referenced their profession. For instance, a baker's guild would perform a reenactment of the [[Last Supper]].<ref>''A History of English literature for Students'', by Robert Huntington Fletcher, 1916: pp. 85–88</ref>  In the [[British Isles]], plays were produced in some 127 different towns during the Middle Ages. These vernacular [[Mystery plays]] were written in cycles of a large number of plays: [[York Mystery Plays|York]] (48 plays), [[Chester Mystery Plays|Chester]] (24), [[Wakefield Mystery Plays|Wakefield]] (32) and [[N-Town Plays|Unknown]] (42). A larger number of plays survive from France and Germany in this period and some type of religious dramas were performed in nearly every European country in the Late Middle Ages. Many of these plays contained [[comedy]], [[devil]]s, [[villain]]s and [[clown]]s.<ref>Brockett and Hildy (2003, 86)</ref>

There were also a number of secular performances staged in the Middle Ages, the earliest of which is ''The Play of the Greenwood'' by [[Adam de la Halle]] in 1276. It contains satirical scenes and [[Folk culture|folk]] material such as [[faeries]] and other supernatural occurrences. [[Farce]]s also rose dramatically in popularity after the 13th century. The majority of these plays come from France and Germany and are similar in tone and form, emphasizing sex and bodily excretions.<ref>Brockett and Hildy (2003, 96)</ref>