Medieval calendar

medieval calendar

The calendar is one of the tests of the concept of social time. By analyzing it, we can obtain information about other characteristics of society. The relationship between popular beliefs and Christian beliefs, social structure, concepts of human life, etc. They have been reflected in an artistic or literary calendar that shows these characteristics, as well as verbal expressions that we call proverbs. Today we are going to talk about medieval calendar.

In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the history, importance and how you can see the medieval calendar.

History of the medieval calendar

origin of months

During the Middle Ages, the calendars used in medieval documents in the Christian countries of the Iberian Peninsula were different from the calendars we use today. On the one hand, the calendar is mainly marked by the Spanish era, although we will see other models soon. On the other hand, the date and day of the month follow the Roman calendar and the time of day follows the normal time used in the monastery.

This dating method appears to have been used in the Iberian Peninsula since the XNUMXrd century, and was widely promoted in the Visigoths and the High Middle Ages. In general it is believed that its origin refers to the Hispanics who were settled by the Romans. According to this point of view, it happened in 38 BC, that is, in 716 when the city of Rome was founded, although we know that it was not. It really happened until the end of the Cantabrian wars in 19 BC.

Therefore, if we have a document dated according to the Hispanic era, we must subtract 38 years and we will obtain the year corresponding to the current calendar. For example, if a document is dated in the it was 1045, then to calculate the year according to our calendar: 1045 - 38 = 1007, that is, it corresponds to the year 1007 of our calendar.

Was christian

I was Hispanic

In the year 532, the monk Dionysius the Meager calculated the date on which Jesus Christ would have been born: December 25, 752 after the founding of Rome. As a result of this extraordinary event, it was established that after December 31, 752, from the founding of Rome, it was followed by January 1, year 1 of the Christian era. To this day, the exact calculation that Dionysus used to reach this conclusion of the calendar is unknown. In the end it ended up being wrong between a difference of 4-7 years. However, since its elaboration, it has served to count our years.

I also have to bear in mind that a year 0 was not contemplated. It is then when they began to use the abbreviation AD which meant anno domini or year of the Lord. There are several ways of using the dating of the Christian era depending on the day that is chosen for the year to begin. Let's see what are the different types that exist:

  • Year of Circumcision: the year begins on January 1 and is the mode we currently use. It was also used to start the Roman civil year. It is a type of year used by the Merovingian kings in the XNUMXth century. Such was the repercussion that it could spread throughout the rest of Europe from the XNUMXth century. The arrival in Spain and its official status began in the XNUMXth century.
  • Year of the Incarnation: here the year begins on March 25, when the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus, that is, nine months before the birth of Christ.

The year of Incarnation can be dated in two different ways. On the one hand, we have the Pisan computation that is used in Pisa and Siena among other cities in Italian Tuscany. To be able to move to another calendar, it will be enough to subtract one year from the date if it is between March 25 and December 31 and remains the same as long as it is in the other interval.

On the other hand we have the Florentine reckoning. The year begins here on March 25, but after the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus Christ. Then if the Florentine date is between January 1 and March 24, a year must be added to transfer it to our calculation. If the Florentine date is between March 25 and December 31 it remains the same. It was used in the Crown of Aragon until the reign of Pedro IV.

Medieval calendar: other years

medieval calendar features

There are other types of years within the medieval calendar. Let's see what they are:

  • Year of the nativity: the year begins on the day of the birth of Christ which was December 25. It was used mainly in the Italian states and in other countries of the 1350th century. He was established as an officer in Aragon in 25. In this case, if the date was between December 31 and December XNUMX, one year would have to be subtracted from that date. The rest of the days coincide.
  • Year of resurrection: it is the last type of year that exists within the medieval calendar. It is the most complicated to transfer to our calendar since Easter Sunday does not have a fixed day. It depends on the lunar calendar and when the celebration of Holy Week is set.

Months of the year

From the medieval calendar the months of the year found in documents dated in the high Middle Ages are extracted. If in the Roman calendar after the Julian reform that divides the year into 12 months, as we know it today. Let's see what are the months of the medieval calendar:

  • January: its name comes from the word door and is related to the God Janus. This is because it is the month that leads the year.
  • February: they come from the name februa which means purification festivals. We must bear in mind that in the Julian calendar all the years divisible by 4 were leaps, while in ours it is every 4 years.
  • March: It is a month dedicated to the God of War.
  • April: the name of the origin is uncertain.
  • May: the name may come from the Roman goddess Maia whose festival the Romans celebrated during that month.
  • June: the name of the month comes from the founder of the Roman republic.
  • July: it is a name in honor of Julius Caesar that no one acid this month.
  • August: 3030 30 has been actively referred to as Sextilis, but from 8 BC the smell of the Emperor Augustus was called augustus.
  • September: It is called this because it is the seventh month since March
  • October: Formerly it was the eighth month since March.
  • November: Formerly the ninth month since March
  • December: Formerly the tenth month since March

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the medieval calendar and its history.


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