Chapter 4: Europe – Early HistorySection 2: Medieval Europe

I. The Rise of ChristianityA. The 1,000-year period between Classical and modern times is called the medieval era, from a Latin word for “Middle Ages.”

I. The Rise of ChristianityA. The 1,000-year period between Classical and modern times is called the medieval era, from a Latin word for “Middle Ages.”

B. In eastern Europe, Christianity was known as Eastern Orthodox and wasunder the leadership of the emperors in Constantinople.

C. The early popes sent missionaries, or those who spread their religious views, to every part of Europe. Monks and nuns helped the poor, and they were also teachers. Through its schools, the Christian Church greatly advanced learning in Europe.

D. Beginning in the A.D. 1000s, the Church sponsored a series of holy wars calledthe Crusades. Their purpose was to capture Jerusalem from its Islamic rulers

II. The Holy Roman EmpireA. The Germans combined their common law, or the unwritten laws that come from local customs, with Roman law and founded kingdoms all over Europe—from Spain and England to Italy and Germany.

B. One of the most important German kingdoms was that of the Franks.

C. In 771 Charlemagne was elected king of the Franks.

D. On Christmas Day in the year 800, Charlemagne was proclaimed the protector of the Christian Church in the West and was crowned the head of the Roman Empire in the West, which became known as the Holy Roman Empire.

E. After Charlemagne died in 814, his heirs broke up his kingdom, creating the foundations for the modern countries of Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.

III. Medieval SocietyA. A new political and social system known as feudalism emerged during the Middle Ages.

B. Under feudalism, kings would give land to a noble. In exchange, the noble provided military service and knights for the king’s army. The noble swore loyalty to the king and became his vassal.

GROUP WORK:USING THE CHART…LABEL THE HEIRARCHY OF THE SYSTEM OF FEUDALISM.

ANSWERS:

C. The feudal estate was called the manor.

D. Two types of farmers on the manor were tenants and serfs. Serfs were not as free and were usually poorer than tenant farmers.

IV. The Growth of CitiesA. Towns in the Middle Ages were fairly

independent and wanted to be free of the feudal lords’ control. They served as centers of trade and manufacturing.

B. Manufacturing came under the control of workers’ organizations known as guilds.

C. Over time, some towns grew into cities and became political and religious centers as well.D. Kings won the support of the townspeople by building great cathedrals and granting the residents privileges and freedoms in written documents called charters.

E. Kings collected taxes in exchange for granting charters. With money, kingscould pay soldiers instead of giving them land. Feudalism and the power of nobles declined.

EXIT STRATEGY