Technology of the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
8 Introduction The medieval era between the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and the beginning of the 16th century in Europe is often considered to be an isolated or backward period technologically Yet nothing is further from the truth The invention of the horse col lar followed by the moldboard turning plow in the 11th century vastly improved agricultural output The use of watermills to mill grain aided food production Windmills became a major energy source Mechanical clocks and later watches were major improvements over earlier time-measuring devices Lumber mills flourished and with them the construction of ships The discovery of the magnetic compass the development of the deep ship’s keel and improved sail design opened the world to navi gation Military technology moved through several stages the age of cavalry gave way to the age of infantry which itself had began to tran sition into the age of gunpowder by the end of the period Arabic numerals replaced Roman numerals simplifying the keeping of records The spinning wheel brought to Europe prob ably from India in the 13th century made homespun clothing available to all The spread of Islam through much of Europe transmitted The 13th-century Chartres Cathedral in the French town of Chartres is noted for its architectural innovations many sculptures and stained glass
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Technology of the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds many ideas from Asia including the produc tion and working of silk the use of gunpowder and the making of paper and porcelain These advances led to reduced dependence on agri cultural and production labor thus freeing people for other things such as the building of the great Gothic cathedrals If any single tech nological event marks the end of the Middle Ages it was the invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century This eventually spread the written word beyond scholars and opened edu cation to the emerging middle class While the technological history of the Middle Ages was one of slow but substantial development during the succeeding early modern period 1500 1750 the tempo of change increased markedly and was associ ated with profound social political religious and intellectual upheavals in western Europe The emergence of the nation-state the cleav age of the Christian church by the Protestant Reformation the Renaissance and its accom panying scientific revolution and the overseas expansion of European states all had inter actions with developing technology This expansion became possible after the advance in naval technology opened up the ocean routes to Western navigators The conversion of voyages of discovery into imperialism and colonization 10
INTRODUCTION was made possible by the new firepower The combination of light maneuverable ships with the firepower of iron cannon gave European adventurers a decisive advantage enhanced by other technological assets Exploration and colonialism also had economic implications becoming one of several factors including changes in the agricultural system and increas ing reshape economies throughout Europe urbanization that helped 11
