Chapter 8: The Rise of Europe

Section 1: The Early Middle Ages

Land of Potential During the Roman empire much of Europe

had been connected with roads The Latin language and Roman ideas were

transferred throughout Europe Rome was a Mediterranean power The Germanic people who ended Roman

greatness shifted focus from the Mediterranean northward

Land of Potential Europe, although relatively small in

landmass, had a great impact on the modern world

Dense forests and rich soil made Europe better suited for growing crops than the Mediterranean area

Seas surrounding Europe allowed not only farming but fishing, trade, and exploration

Germanic Kingdoms Germanic tribes were mostly farmers and

herders Their culture differed greatly from Rome’s They had no cities and no written laws They were ruled by elected Kings who

mainly led them in war Warrior nobles swore oaths of loyalty and

fought for the King in exchange for weapons and spoils of war

Germanic Kingdoms Between 400 and 700 Germanic tribes

carved up Europe into small kingdoms The Franks was the strongest and most

successful of these Clovis, king of the Franks, defeated the

former Roman province of Gaul He ruled his lands with Frankish custom,

but allowed the Roman legacy to remain

Charlemagne Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, unified

Western Europe briefly Charlemagne was called on by a Roman

Catholic Pope to help with the rebellious nobles in Rome

As a sign of gratitude the Pope crowned Charlemagne emperor

This began the tradition of Kings being crowned by the Pope

Attacks Muslim forces began attacking Europe until

power struggles in the Middle East diverted their attention

The Vikings were destructive raiders and snapped the last threads of Charlemagne’s empire

They looted and burned cities The Vikings were also explorers and

traders

Chapter 8: The Rise of Europe

Section 2: Feudalism and the Manor Economy

New System of Rule

The invading Vikings, Muslims, and others caused kings and emperors to lose control of law and order People needed to defend their homes and land, and developed feudalism to do so Feudalism-Loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their large landholdings to lesser lords

New System of Rule

Vassals-Lesser lords of the feudal system The vassals pledged service and loyalty in exchange for the land Fief-An estate granted by the greater lord to the vassal

World of Warriors

Feudal lords battled for power, and for feudal nobles warfare was a way of life

Many nobles trained from boyhood to be a knight-or mounted warrior

A boy training to be a knight went to the lords castle at 7 years old

When training was finished, usually at 21, he became a knight

World of Warriors

During the early Middle Ages castles began appearing

Lords would fortify their homes to withstand attacks, including a keep and a wooden tower surround by a fence and a moat

The strongholds gradually grew in size and grandeur

World of Warriors Wars began to center on seizing the

castles They held strategic positions at

rivers, harbors, and mountain passes Dwellers in the castles would store

food and water to withstand long sieges

If attackers failed to starve defenders into surrender they could tunnel under the castle walls

Noblewomen

Noblewomen played active roles They became the “lord of the manor”

while their husband or father were off fighting

They managed the household and supervised the vassals

Some even went to war to defend the estate

Chivalry

■ Chivalry-A code of conduct adopted by knights in the Middle Ages

■ It required knights to be brave, loyal, and true to their word

■ They had to fight fairly ■ Chivalry applied only to nobles

though, not commoners ■ Chivalry called for women to be

protected and cherished

The Manor

Manor-A lord’s estate Most manors included one or more

villages and the surrounding land Serfs-Peasants on a manor bound to

the land They couldn’t leave the manor

without permission If the manor exchanged hands so did

the serfs

The Manor

Peasants had to work the land several days a week

They paid taxes when married, inheriting land, or using the mill to grind grain

In return the lord allowed them several acres of land for themselves

They also received protection from the lord

Jews In Western Europe Medieval Europe was home to numerous

Jewish communities The Romans expelled them from Israel,

and they scattered all around the Mediterranean

Jews also spread into northern Europe Although tolerated and protected in many

areas, they were also taxed heavily

Jews In Western Europe

Early German kings appointed educated Jews to their courts

Charlemagne appointed Isaac to serve as interpreter for envoys sent to the Muslim ruler in Baghdad

Often medieval Christians persecuted the Jews

Some were barred from owning land or practicing in most occupations

Jews In Western Europe

They began to be blamed for all kinds of ills, diseases, and famines

Often Jews were blamed for economic hardships as well

As persecution worsened in Western Europe, many migrated to Eastern Europe

Chapter 8: Rise of Europe

Section 4: Economic Expansion and Change

Agricultural Revolution Peasants began using new technologies to

make their fields more productive Iron plows replaced old wooden plows Horses instead of oxen were used to pull

the plows Windmills began appearing to grind grain

into flour where no fast-moving streams were available for water mills

Agricultural Revolution Feudal lords had peasants clear forests,

drain swamps, and reclaim wasteland for farming and grazing

Peasants adopted the 3-field system where one field had grain, one with legumes (peas and beans), and one left fallow (nothing planted)

More food began being produced and the population grew

Trade Revives The growing population needed more than

the manor could provide Foreign invasions and feudal warfare

began declining and trade reappeared Merchants established trade companies

that set up new trade routes Goods were originally traded at fairs The centers of trade slowly developed into

the first medieval cities

Trade Revives The cities grew with populations ranging

from 10,000 to 100,000 Europe hadn’t had towns this size since the

Roman empire The merchants setting up a new town

would ask the lord or king for a charter Charter-Written document that set out the

rights and privileges of the town Merchants paid a large price for a charter

Commercial Revolution▪ Money began reappearing with the

revived trade ▪ Merchants needed money to trade

instead of just goods ▪ Moneylenders began appearing ▪ Capital-Money for investment ▪ Capital spurred the growth of banks ▪ Europeans developed new ways of

doing business

Commercial Revolution Merchants began joining into partnerships

to finance large-scale ventures Merchants began developing insurance to

reduce business risk Europeans adapted business practices

from the Middle East, including the bill of exchange

A merchant can deposit money with a bank in his home city and received a bill of exchange

Commercial Revolution The merchant could exchange the bill for

cash at a distant city Money began undermining serfdom Feudal lords needed money instead of

farm products Peasants began selling the products to

townspeople and paying rent with money instead of labor

Commercial Revolution Gradually serfdom vanished replaced by

tenant farmers who paid rent for the land A new class, including merchants, traders,

and artisans appeared, forming the middle class

Women had the right to buy and sell property in towns

Commercial Revolution

▪ Nobles and clergy despised the middle class

▪ Nobles thought towns were beyond their control

▪ The clergy thought Usury-lending money at interest, was immoral

Role of Guilds■ Guilds-associations ■ Merchant Guilds dominated life in

medieval towns ■ They passed laws, levied taxes, and

decided how to spend the money ■ Artisans began resenting the

merchants and organized craft guilds ■ Each guild represented workers in one

occupation, such as bakers, brewers, blacksmiths, etc.

Role of Guilds

The struggles between the craft guilds and wealthier merchant guilds led to riots and revolts

Guilds worked to protect their economic interests

They limited the number of members who could work in a trade

Rules were made to ensure the quality of goods

Role of Guilds

■ Hours of labor, and prices were regulated

■ They began opening schools and hospitals, and even helping widows and children of guild members

■ To become a guild member you had to be an apprentice for years

■ Apprentice-A trainee

Role of Guilds

At 7 or 8 children became an apprentice to a guild master

An apprentice worked for 7 years, without pay, and few became guild masters

If you didn’t become a master you could be a journeymen working for a salary

City Life

Medieval cities were surrounded by walls

As population grew people settled outside the walls

The cities would rebuild their walls every few years

Even rich towns had no sewage or garbage collection

Waste was thrown in the streets