THE MIDDLE AGES

THE MIDDLE AGES• Aka the Medieval Period• Lasted from 5th to 15th centuries• Began with the fall of the Western Roman

Empire to Germanic tribes• Ended with the beginning of the Renaissance

THE MIDDLE AGES IN THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE• Invasion by Germanic tribes• Rise of Carolingian Empire• Fall of Carolingian empire by invaders leads to feudalism and

manorialism• Depopulation and deurbanization• No central authority• Allegiance to local lords• Chaos and constant warfare• Catholic church becomes dominant force in European society

THE MIDDLE AGES IN THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE

• Eastern Roman Empire, centered around Constantinople, existed long after Western Roman Empire

• Became known as the Byzantine Empire

• Lasted until 1453

• Both Greek and Christian state

• Christian Church of Byzantine Empire came to be known as Eastern Orthodox Church

• Did not believe that pope was the sole head of Christianity

• Caused them to have a schism (separation) with the Roman Catholic Church

• The Byzantine Empire’s greatest external threat came from the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor

• 1071: Seljuk Turks take over

• Leads to the Crusades

WHAT WERE THE CRUSADES?

• Military expeditions• Launched by European Christians• Goal was to win back the Holy

Land from Muslim control• Holy Land = Jerusalem and

surrounding areas• This is where Jesus lived:

sacred to Christians

BEFORE THE CRUSADES…• Muslims had conquered the holy

land many years before• Muslims allowed Christian

pilgrims to Jerusalem because it brought them trade

• Christians made pilgrimages because it was a way of being forgiven for your sins

• Violence is ripping apart Europe as nobles are sending their knights to attack each other

WHO WERE THE SELJUK TURKS AND WHAT DID THEY DO?• Persian Muslims• Did not allow Christian pilgrims

into Jerusalem• Persecuted Christians who were

there• Violence escalates and 3,000

Christians are massacred• Causes the Byzantine emperor

Alexis to send a letter to Pope Urban asking for help

POPE URBAN II AND THE START OF THE CRUSADES• 1095: Pope Urban II gives a speech

at Clermont, France• Calls for European knights to go and

free Holy Land from Muslims• Saw this as a great way for the

knights to stop fighting each other• Promises anyone who goes on

the Crusade that all their sins will be forgiven and that they are guaranteed to get into heaven

THE KNIGHTS’ CRUSADE VS. THE PEOPLE’S CRUSADE• The knights take time to organize their crusade• While they are preparing, a preacher named Peter the

Hermit calls for a “People’s Crusade”• Peasants and serfs leave their manors to join him• Peter leads the unorganized mob towards the Holy

Land• Loot towns and kill Jews along their journey• Their reasoning is that if they are going to

attack Muslims they should be punishing the Jews for what they did to Jesus as well

• Muslim Turks ambush People’s Crusade• 20,000 Crusaders are executed or sold into

slavery

THE FIRST CRUSADE

• Knights finally get organized and begin march towards Holy Land• Journey lasts 3 years• Fight many battles along the way• 1099: Jerusalem falls to Crusaders• Crusaders show no mercy• 10,000 inhabitants of Jerusalem are

slaughtered

THE SECOND CRUSADE• Muslims counterattack and regain land

from Crusaders• King Louis VII of France leads Second

Crusade• Muslim armies united under great new

leader named Saladin• Calls for jihad, or Muslim Holy War• 1187: Saladin recaptures Jerusalem

for Muslims• Spares the lives of the Crusaders

inside the city

THE THIRD CRUSADE

• Crusaders led by King Richard “The Lion Heart” of England

• Richard and Saladin fight to a draw• Agree that Jerusalem will remain under Muslim control

• Unarmed Christian pilgrims will be allowed in Jerusalem

• There would be several other attempts at Crusades, all of which failed

• Including Children’s Crusades

EFFECTS OF THE CRUSADES• Increased trade with the East• Introduced the use of money instead of bartering• New ideas and technology from Muslims were brought back to Europe• Broke down feudalism• Allowed kings to create stronger central governments

• Paved way for development of nation-states• By mid-1400s, 4 strong nation-states emerged in Europe• Portugal• Spain• England• France

OVERVIEW OF THE CRUSADES

• Crusades Overview Video