Medieval Europe & Crusades

Snapshots of two representative periods:

CharlemagneAnd

The Crusades

The Big Picture

4th-5th centuriesRoman Empire

Allies with“Barbarians”

To watch over regionsIn name of Rome

476Western Roman

Empire Falls

5th-8th centuries“Dark Ages”

Barbarian KingdomsMostly fail

8th-9th centuriesInvasion, instability,decentralization

VikingsMagyars

9th centuryCharlemagneOne Europe

Holy Roman Empire

10th centuryfragmentation

11th centuryCrusades

12th-13th century“High Middle Ages”

Frankish Kingdoms

• Relate the historical circumstances of the rise and fall of the Carolingian Empire.

• Explain important contributions of Charlemagne’s reign.

Rise of Frankish Kingdoms

• Franks – confederation of

peoples – Rome made

treaties with them

Franks

● expanded

– gradually defeating other kingdoms

– intermarrying ● converted to

Catholicism

● Frankish leaders allied with leading churchmen, abbots and bishops.

The Franks

– maintained Roman traditions of rule• official language = Latin• wills and laws were issued• courts were held

– Clovis (486–511), the greatest of the Merovingians, divided his kingdom among his sons

• Austrasia, Neustria, and Burgundy.

– Charlemagne’s family fills vacuum left by political strife among Merovingians

Rise of Charlemagne

Charlemagne was the greatest member of the Carolingian family,

arose in the early seventh century in Austrasia (northeastern Frankish kingdom).

long controlled the office of Mayor of the Palace, sort of a prime minister to the Merovingian kings.

Charlemagne10min

Try to get FIVE facts...

Dynasties: Holy Roman Empire

Rise of Charlemagne

built up close relations to leading members of the clergy, both bishops and abbots.

waged military campaigns along frontiers that maintained the integrity of the kingdom.

Charles Martel, Battle of Poitiers in 733

Carolingians take Throne 751

• Pippin III (751–768) wrote to Pope Zachary to ask if it was right that the person in Francia who had all the power lacked the title of king.

• Zachary needed help against the Lombards and told Pippin that he should be king.

• papal approval = legitimacy.

Charlemagne (768–814)

• a turning point in European history.

• long reign p• keen judge of

people. • worked out and

implemented a coherent plan.

Military Campaigns

helped to maintain the realm.

waged 53 campaigns in 46 years.

rarely led armies himself.

great talent was organization, not generalship.

restored the borders of the Merovingian kingdom

Institutional developments

• both reform and innovation.

• made the royal court and courtiers key players in both government and politics.

• created the impression of wide consultation and consensus. – Annual assemblies

Institutional developments

• “Capitularies” = legislation in capitula (“chapters”)were issued at almost every assembly.

• Key members of the Frankish people were made royal vassals and, so, entered into personal relationships with the king.

• Missi dominici

Ecclesiastical developments

• close alliance with the papacy• extension of the Church hierarchy

– Church organization as a complement to, and even an advance on, political organization.

• attempts to attain uniformity in canon law, liturgy and worship, and monastic practices went far toward achieving a common culture in Western Europe.

Charlemagne’s Coronation

one of the signal events in Western civilization.

problems in papal Rome.

emerging idea of a universal, imperial, hegemonic tradition in Francia.

The events of Christmas Day 800 led to the creation of a “New Israel” in Francia.

The idea of “Christendom” was born in Charlemagne’s reign.

Carolingian Renaissance

• century of unified Carolingian rule w

• stamping a common historical and cultural imprint on Western Europe

• development of schools & basic education

Carolingian Renaissance

• basis for a common European culture, a

• built Catholic Christianity into every aspect of life in Europe.

• established the framework for European intellectual life until the emergence of the universities in the twelfth century.

Fall of Carolingians

• Internal factors: – Family rivalries among

the sons and grandsons of Charlemagne tore the realm apart.

– Treaty of Verdun in 843. – complexity of the lands

and peoples over which the Carolingians ruled made uniformity difficult.

Fall of Carolingians

• External factors: • Viking, Muslim, and Magyar attacks that began in

the middle years of the ninth century. • militarization and localization of society as

responses to the unpredictable attacks forced people to fall back on locally available resources.

• Bonds between the center and the localities were slowly dissolved.

Medieval Culture✔ Manorialism

✔ Feudalism✔ Social Classes

✔ Knighthood✔ Revival of Trade

Europe After Romans

• Explain Manorialism and why it arose. • Explain Feudalism and its connection to

Manorialism.

Developments during this period in politicsand society

Manorialism

✔ Economic system✔ “Insular”;

independent✔ Social hierarchy✔ Land = “wealth

generator”✔ Wealth trickle-

down✔ commons

Feudalism

✔ Political system✔ Social hierarchy✔ Obligations up

and down✔ Rights and

responsibilities✔ Three estates✔ Middle Ages as

transformation of Roman world

Feudalism1min56

Feudalism

Social Classes Middle Ages

1min30

Social Classes

New Agriculture

Population growth

Climate change

Technology

● Mills● Iron tools● Carruca● Iron plow● Horse collar● Horseshoe

2-field to 3-field system

Cities Grow

• Old Roman cities• Rise of the

bourgeoisie• “burghers”

• ~5K pop.• London, 1200s, 40K• Florence, Venice,

Milan ~80K• Townspeople get

liberties from kings and lords

Expensive Land needed for

wealth to support Duties to the

Overlord “hommage”

Knighthood

ChivalryTournamentsLe Roman Courtois

Chivalry

✔3min45

NOTES: ✔Le Cid?✔William the Conqueror?✔Chivalry changed warrior behavior by...✔Chaucer's view...

Chivalry

Chivalry

Trade Comes Back

• Leads to growth of towns

• Italy first• Venice

• Flanders• Champagne

• Fairs

• Money economy revived

• Banking• “Commercial

Revolution”

Guilds

• Crafts organized by guilds

• Guild Halls• Levels

• Master• Journeyman• Apprentice

Guilds

Monopoly Prices wages

C

New Agriculture

Population growth Climate change Technology Mills Iron tools Carruca Iron plow Horse collar Horseshoe 2-field to 3-field system

Medieval help desk...

Church & Crusades

• Explain the role of the Church in Medieval European society both for the clergy in secula and those in regula.

• Explain fully the causes and effects of the Crusades.

Medieval Church

~500 to ~750 = development of the Catholic Church.

In Rome, popes gradually turned away from Mediterranean - relationships w/ political leaders of Western Europe.

Popes

● institutional leadership in central Italy the papal state.

● great patrons of art and learning in and around Rome.

Bishops

• important local leaders. • As new kingdoms grew, more

bishoprics were created. • Bishops coming together in

councils could legislate for their whole realms long before kings could do so.

• Bishops became key advisers to kings.

Monasteries

• spread all across Europe. • Monks played a key role in

converting the people of the countryside.

• Many missionaries were Irish or Anglo-Saxon monks who traveled far to preach and teach.

• Monasteries were often important centers of learning.

Medieval Church

3min

Take note of any FOUR facts.

Medieval Church

New Orders

• Cistercians• Outside monastery

• Hildegard of Bingen• chant

• Franciscans• Dominicans• Heresy is…• The Inquisition

• Purpose• method

The Crusades

The Crusades2min22

Crusades

The First Crusades … in a nutshell

Muslims conquer Palestine 7th century -

Christians on pilgrimageNo problem

11th century – SeljukTurks take Palestine

- not nice!

1095 Pope Urban IIPreaches Crusade

To liberate Holy Land

1096 First CrusadePersecution of Jews

For centuries to come

1097 Constantinople

(invitation regretted!)1099

Jerusalem

1187 Saladin unitesMuslims – ejects

Christians

Many more crusadesFollow through the

15th cen. - not successful

Europe transformed

Break down feudalism● Serfs can now buy freedom● Decrease in population of knights

Increase authority of kings Increase demand for luxury goods from the

east● Commerce increases permanently

Increase in knowledge from the east

Muslim Perspective

At first thought was Byzantines

Termed all “Franks” – thought just another imperialist action as seen in Spain

Barbarians from the north

Not a lot of religious context for Muslims here, but for some idea was Jerusalem should be controlled by Muslims

Not for all Crusaders either!

Crusades – Jewish Perspective

3min56

Crusades... Rabbi Wein