What was the cosmology of the Middle Ages Like? What was the concept of people with regard to the earth ? [British Poetry (2018-19) Assignment 2]

The cosmology of the Middle Ages was dominated by the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, which were synthesized with Christian theology. According to this worldview, the universe was seen as a series of concentric spheres, with the Earth at the center and the stars and other celestial bodies orbiting around it. This view of the universe is known as the geocentric model, and it held sway in Western thought from the time of Aristotle until the 16th and 17th centuries, when the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus began to gain acceptance.

In the Middle Ages, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and that it was surrounded by a series of spheres that contained the other planets and stars. These spheres were thought to be made of a crystalline substance and were believed to be moved by the divine will of God. The universe was seen as a hierarchical system, with God at the top and the Earth at the bottom, and each sphere was believed to be inhabited by a different order of angels.

The concept of the Earth in the Middle Ages was also closely tied to religious beliefs. The Earth was seen as a fallen world, tainted by original sin, and the physical world was thought to be a reflection of the spiritual realm. People believed that the Earth was a place of suffering and struggle, where humans had to strive to achieve salvation and transcend their earthly existence. Overall, the cosmology of the Middle Ages was characterized by a deeply religious and hierarchical worldview, which reflected the dominant beliefs and values of the time.