Europe – The Dark AgesEurope – The Dark Ages

Major Eras of European History

Classical Era (Greece and Rome) 500 B.C.- 600 A.D.

Middle Ages (time of knights and castles) 500 A.D. – 1500 A.D.

Renaissance

Early Modern Era (time of powerful kings and exploration) 1500 A.D. – 1776 A.D.

Why was Europe so dangerous during Middle Ages?

DiseaseDisease

WarWar

Weak governments (No rule of law; no Weak governments (No rule of law; no police or army)police or army)

Who were the Vikings?

Raiders from Scandinavia who attacked villages along coastlines and up rivers.

Lacked resources and centralized government

Vikings!

Viking longboat

Vinland

Around 1000

Iceland Greenland

No more large cities, trade, scholarship.

With all the disease, riots, outside attacks and starvation people fled the cities of the once strong Roman empire.

In Europe, people now lived on manors, self-sufficient communities consisting of a castle, church, village and surrounding farmlands.

Castles!

Feudal Warfare!!!!

Trebuchets were used to hurl all sorts of objects at the enemy.

Life on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval Manor

SerfsSerfs at work at work

What is Manorialism?

Economic System: Manoralism Manoralism – the economic system of Middle Ages based on the manor. No large-scale trade.

People live in isolated farming communities centered around a manor, a castle, a church. Farmland surrounds this small community.

What is cottage industry?

People made stuff at home in their cottage. No factories; no trade

FeudalismThe kings had lots of land; he gave land to lords in exchange for protection and $.Lords gave their land to knights in exchange for protectionKnights let serfs work the land and he would protect them. Serfs got food and shelter.Thus, each person had rights and responsibilities

Feudalism….summary

Again, the king is at the top

The king grants land to the lords. Lords are in charge of the knights.

Knights get land; they practice fighting

Peasants or serfs work the land in exchange for protection

Serfdom represented a stage between slavery and freedom

Slaves belong to master and can be bought and sold; Serfs could not be sold apart from the land nor could his holding be taken from him.

Medieval Serfs were fixed to the soil. he could not change his abode, nor marry outside the manor, nor bequeath his goods, without the permission of his lord.

SerfsSerfs

Chivalry- medieval code of honor

Middle AgesMiddle AgesIntellectual achievements: It was a “dark” time for Europe intellectually. Literacy and scholarship was low. There was not much science or philosophy or art.

There was only one book, only a few copies of it, and only priests could

read it. (written in Latin)

Rome vs. Middle Ages

What was the Role of Church in Middle Ages?

Church offered political stability

Offered comfort and help in a time of need

Grew very powerful!

Role of Church

Monks were spiritual leaders

They lived in monasteries that acted like trade schools and YMCAs

Since there were no strong empires, the Church was one organization that had respect and

power.

Popes were more

powerful than

kings!

Monks and Nuns were glorified

Here, monks are hand-copying Bibles in a scriptoriumscriptorium ( a room for copying Bibles).

Pope Crowned Charlemagne King in the year 800 (Dec. 25th)

There are 2 wars you need to know about.

In 1066, Norman invasion of England (by William of Normandy)

William of Normandy helped make England what it is today and codified feudalism (gave it the force of law).

Crusades

The Crusades were a series of battles between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East.

Christian knights wanted to take the Holy Land and give it back to Christians

Why was Constantinople so important geographically?

It was on a major choke point or “crossroads” betwn Euro and Mid East

What was the impact of the Crusades?

Social: Persecution of Jews and Muslims; spread of Greek and Arab learningEconomic development via tradePolitical: Kings and popes, gained power as a result.

Islamic Empire (purple)

No Dark Age outside Europe!Islamic scholars made scientific advances during the European Middle Ages.

ALSO, they preserved the ancient Greek and Roman texts that Europeans seemed to have misplaced after Rome’s fall.

University in Morocco. Founded in 859 C.E.!

The Crusades established contact with the rest of the world.

Magna CartaMagna CartaExample of Rule of

LawLimited the power of the king in 1215The 1215 Charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties, and accept that his will was not arbitrary

What are technologies of the Middle Ages?

Water Wheel

Crop rotation

Eyeglasses

Mechanical Clock

Printing

Gunpowder

Crop Rotation

After years of growing the same crop, you need to grow something different so you don’t deplete the soil of nutrients.

EyeglassesInvented in Pisa 13th centuryBy 15th century Italy making thousands spectaclesEyeglasses encouraged invention of fine instruments

GaugesMicrometersFine wheel cuttersPrecision tools

Mechanical Clock

Undermined Church authority

equal hours for day and night a new concept

Every town wanted one Public clocks installed in towers

Allowed individual autonomyWork now measured by time

increased productivity

Bern, Switzerland

GunpowderGunpowder Europeans improved gunpowder to siege castlesEuropeans focused on range and weight of projectiles: siege warfare

Merchant Guildsorganizations formed for mutual protection (horses, wagons, and goods) when travelling. Provided the nucleus for civic organization. (mayors, town councils, etc…)

Often a merchant guild would found a town by obtaining a charter.

Craft Guilds•A group of artisans engaged in

the same occupation, e.g., bakers, cobblers, stone masons,

etc.. •mutual protection and mutual

aid.•The purpose of the guilds was to

maintain a monopoly of a particular craft (no outsiders no outsiders

allowed!allowed!)•Ensured quality of Ensured quality of

workmanship, regulated prices.workmanship, regulated prices.

Where is Greece?

Where is Rome?

Where was the Norman Invasion in 1066?

Where was the “crossroads” to the Crusades?

Where did the Crusades take place?

Summary

The Roman Empire fell due to outside attacks and disease (brought on by trade)

The Middle Ages began as the Church replaced governments as the central authority.

Feudalism/ Manoralism came from people’s need for protection. Each member had rights

and responsibilities.

Cultures interact through wars, such as the Crusades, and trade ideas such as democratic

ideas or religious ideas

Any questions before the quiz?

1. What was the economic system of the Middle Ages in Europe?

ManorialiManorialismsm

2. Under Feudalism, what responsibility does a knight have? What does he give in return?

Fight for the lord and Fight for the lord and protect the manor protect the manor

and it’s inhabitantsand it’s inhabitants

3. In what year did William of Normandy invade England?

10661066

4. How did monks and nuns improve life in the Middle Ages?

a. They opposed the feudal system

b. they gave land to peasants

c. they cared for the sick and poor

d. they excommunicated criminals

5. A peasant who was tied to the land

A. slave

B. plebeian

C. serf

D. baron

6. New agricultural technologies in the Middle Ages led to

A. increased food production

B. creation of farming guilds

C. end of Church influence

D. end of feudalism

7. According to the map, what

percentage of people died of Black Death

in area A?A.15-50% B. over 50%

C. it was unaffectedD. under 15%

8. Crop _________ allowed for an increase of production of food on the manor.

A. burning

B. splitting

C. thinning

D. rotation

9. Writing rooms where monks copied the Bible were called _______

A. scriptoriums

B. writing lavs

C. Ecrivers

D. Guttenbergs

10. According to the map, which areas were the most affected by the Black Death?

A. C and DB. A and F

C. BD. E

11. This was an economic result of the Crusades.

A. trading contacts were opened with the Muslim world

B. cultural diffusion happened in Jerusalem

C. Popes gained ruling power

D. many people died

12. This is a social result of the Crusades

A. Kings got more powerful as a result

B. Trading connections will lead to greater European wealth

C. persecution of Jews and Muslims

D. Popes got stronger as a result

13. The Magna Carta can be described as a

A. Journal about English feudal societyB. list of feudal rights that limited the power of the

English monarchyC. census of all tax-paying nobility in feudal

EnglandD. statement of grievances of the middle class in

England

14. This is an economic result of the Crusades?A. Trading connections helped many Europeans get richB. Many people died of plagueC. Popes gained political powerD. kings established trade routes with Scandinavia

15. Political and social system based on the ownership of land

A. mercantilism

B. feudalism

C. communism

D. monoralism

18. The economic system of the Middle Ages that was based on small, self-sufficient communities was

A. feudalism

B. traditional

C. manorialism

D. market

19.This institution was the most respected and held most of the political power in Europe

A. monarchy

B. The Church

C. The Peasant’s Guild

D. Illuminati

20. Norsemen from Scandinavia who terrorized Europe using their masterful sailing skills (their longboats)

A. Angles and Saxons

B. Vikings

C. Mongols

D. Celts