Unit 8: The Early Middle Ages &

The Rise of Europe

Quick Review: What happened to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire?

In the East, the Byzantine Empire became a center for

trade & Greco-Roman culture

The Middle AgesIn the West, Europe grew weak & fell into the Middle Ages

from 500 to 1500

Also known as the “Dark Ages” or “Medieval” eraNo central government, no trade, no order

Geography of Europe

Great Potential – relatively small land area, but

tremendous impact on world affairs

Dense Forests in the NorthRich Black Earth ideal for

farming20th century – oil discovery in

North Sea

Europe After the Fall of RomeWhen barbarian kingdoms conquered Rome, Europe was plagued by constant warfare

Warfare disrupted trade, destroyed Europe’s cities, & forced people to rural areas

Learning declined; Few people could

read or write Greco-Roman

culture was forgotten and almost lost

forever.

Europe lost a common language; Latin mixed with local languages to form Spanish, French, Italian

Germanic Tribes in the Middle AgesWithout the unity of the Roman Empire, Europe became divided into a series of Germanic kingdomsGermanic people lived in small communities led by chiefs & his loyal warriors

Family ties & loyalty were more important

than citizenship

No written laws Governed through customElected kings led to a lot of fighting.

The Spread of Christianity During the early Middle Ages, the Germanic kingdoms were slowly converted to Christianity

The Catholic Pope became involved in secular (non-religious/worldly) issues like road repair, aiding

the poor, & helping Christian kings expand their power

The Spread of Christianity The Franks (centered in the old Roman province of

Gaul) were the largest & most powerful of the Germanic kingdoms in the early Middle Ages

Frankish kings allied with the Catholic Church & expanded their power

Clovis, a Frankish King, leads many of his citizens to convert to Christianity after major military victory.

Started the Merovingian Dynasty. Charles the Hammer(Charles Martel) halts

Muslims at the Battle of Tours

Pepin the Short makes a deal with the Pope to fight in exchange for being declared king.

Begins the Carolingian Dynasty.

Charlemagne Becoming a Ruler■ Son of Pepin the Short■ 768 Pepin died■ Charlemagne and his

brother, Carloman took over their father’s kingdom.

■ His brother died in 771 making him sole ruler of the Franks.

■ Immediately sought to expand his empire.– Led his men into battle

himself.– 6 feet 4 inches tall.

Emperor■ Forced people to

become Christians.■ Christmas Mass in

800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “Roman Emperor”

■ “To Charles Augustus, crowned by God, great and peace-giving emperor…”

Charlemagne & the Frankish Empire Charlemagne was a bright spot during the Middle Ages and the greatest Medieval king because he did something no other king was

able to do…create an organized empire

Charlemagne expanded the Frankish empire

Capital located at Aachen (Aix La-Chapelle)

He spread Christianity

He valued learning & built schools in his empire

He created schools to train future priests

Local lords look out for emperor’s interests. He checks up on them by

the use of missi domenici

Charlemagne & the Frankish Empire

After Charlemagne’s death in 814, his Frankish Empire was divided & lost power…

…This was the last opportunity to provide

unity in Medieval Europe

Legacy of Charlemagne• Treaty of Verdun

Divided Charlemagne’s empire into 3 parts. Kings lose power.• Christian traditions mix

with German and Roman traditions. Role model for future kings.

■ Text

From 800 to 1000, a 2nd major wave of invasions struck Europe led by Vikings, Muslims, & Magyars

(The 1st wave were the barbarians that attacked Rome)These invasions

caused widespread fear & sufferingKings could not defend against

invasionPeople stopped looking to kings for protection and looked to

local lords

Feudalism – loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their large

landholdings among lesser lords (vassals)

■ Feudalism began in Europe as a way to offer protection:– Feudalism is based on

land, loyalty, and mutual obligation

– Land-owning lords offer land (called a fief) to vassals in exchange for their loyalty & promise to protect the lord’s land

Feudal Structure – Strict Social Hierarchy and no social mobility

Kings had land but very little powerLords (also called Nobles) were the upper-class landowners; they had

inherited titles (“Duke,” “Earl,” “Sir”)

Knights were specially trained soldiers who protect the lords & peasants

Some peasants were serfs & could not leave the lord’s estate

Lesser Lords (also called Vassals) pledged loyalty to the greater lord

(noble)

Training for Knighthood

■ Almost all nobles were knights■ Training began at age 7, as a page, under the

guidance of the lady of the manor– They clean weapons and equipment of

knights and take care of horses■ Became squires at age 14 and were trained by

other knights– They learn to use the weapons and practice

fighting on horseback with armor■ Those deemed worthy were “dubbed” knights

Code of Chivalry■Chivalry: Code of honor

followed by all knights■The concept of chivalry

included:–Courage in battle–Generous to enemy–Defend family’s honor – Loyalty to one's lord.–Women are to be

protected and cherished by the knights

Troubadours■Troubadours:

Wandering Poets–Praise perfection and

beauty and wit for women.– Idea of “courtly love”

develops (Love from afar)– Love is not romantic or

sexual, it is one of admiration and protection.

Early Knight Armor

Lords built castles to protect their territory from outside invasions – Fortified with walls and moats

Life of the Nobles: the Castle

Noblewomen

•Lord of the manor’s wife is called “Lady”•They supervise life on the manor.•Women’s status declined as the Middle Ages progressed.•Arranged marriages – dowry•Inheritance passed to eldest son –primogeniture

The Manorial System The lord’s land was

called a manorDuring the Middle Ages, the

manorial system was the way in which people survived

The lord provided peasants with housing, farmland, & protection

In exchange, peasants repaid the lord by working his land &

providing a portion of the food they produced

Manors were self-sufficient communities; Everything that was needed was produced on the manor

Peasant life was hard: They paid taxes to use the lord’s mill, had to get permission to get married,

& life expectancy was about 35 years old

This map illustrates the layout of a typical manor. Each manor was largely self-sufficient, growing or producing all of the basic items needed for food, clothing, and shelter.

To meet these needs, the manor had buildings devoted to special purposes, such as the mill for grinding grain, the bake house for making bread, & the blacksmith shop for fashioning metal goods.

Besides feudalism & the manorial system,what else was important in the Middle

Ages?

The Role of the Medieval Church

Feudalism & the manor system divided people, but the shared belief in Christianity unified medieval people

Church services (Masses) were the same for all citizens. All citizens could receive salvation.

Conflicts arise between lords and Popes.

The Role of the Medieval Church■Roman Catholicism was the dominant

religion in Western Europe during the Middle Ages:–Without a common

government to holdeveryone together, the Catholic Churchbecame the stabilizing

force in Europe.– The Catholic Pope

became the strongestpolitical leader in

Western Europe

The Role of the Medieval ChurchEach territory in medieval Europe had a church which provided order on the manor

Local priests were the main contact most

people had with the Catholic Church

Priests controlled peoples’ access to heaven by

delivering the sacraments & absolving sins

Peasants’ lives were hard, but the hope of a salvation in heaven kept them loyal & obedient to the Church

Christians paid a tax to the church called a tithe (one

tenth of their yearly income.)

Catholic Church Hierarchy

The Role of the Medieval ChurchMedieval Christianity was so important that small churches were built on manors, but large cathedrals were built in cities

Early medieval cathedrals were built with Romanesque architecture

But in the late medieval period, Gothic architecture was introduced

Tall spires & pointed arches directed the eye towards heaven

Flying buttresses allowed for fewer columns &

more open space inside

The Role of the Medieval ChurchThe Catholic Church conducted spiritual rituals (called sacraments) & created a system of rules

called Canon Law that all Christians had to follow

Christians who violated Canon Law could be excommunicated

(banished from the church)

Kings or lords who violated Canon Law could face interdiction (ban on

religious services in a king’s lands – Excommunication of an entire country or region)

• Popes used the threat of excommunication and interdict to keep kings and lords in line.

• Conflict arose over the practice of lay investiture – kings and nobles appointing Church officials.

• After a disagreement with king Henry IV over lay investiture, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV and then issued an interdict; Henry was so upset he begged for 3 days for the Pope to forgive him

Pope Gregory VII vs. Henry IV“Going to Canossa”

Concordat of Worms (1122)• Church alone could appoint a bishop.

Emperors could veto the appointment.• Bans practice of lay investiture (continued

to be practiced however)

Frederick I (Barbarossa)

•Holy Roman Emperor• Invades Northern Italy• Annoys Italian

merchants and Pope• Lombard League forms

to fight against Barbarossa• Barbarossa defeated at

the Battle of Legnano

Other Church Problems•Simony – Buying and selling of Church

offices •Bishops without training•Official lack understanding of canon

law.•Rich maintain control over Church.•Many bishops and abbots cared more

about positions as lords than their duties as spiritual leaders.

Monasteries & Church Reform

■Benedictine Rule at Cluny–Monks and nuns took oath of

poverty.–They took vows of chastity and of

obedience to the abbot.–Chief duties were prayer and

worship of God.–Spiritual value of manual labor

Monasteries & Church Reform

■Monasteries – Life of Service–Basic social services – tended to

sick, gave alms to poor, and setup schools

■Monasteries – Center of Learning–Preserved writings of ancient world–Spread teachings of Christianity

•St. Patrick & St. Augustine

Hildegard of Bingen

■Nun, writer, and mystic■ Instrumental in the founding of

Benedictine convent■ Important contributions to science–Kings and Popes believed she was

divinely inspired■Promoted the one-to-one relationship

with God through meditation.

Other Reformers - Friars

■Franciscans – St. Francis of Assisi–Emphasized the spiritual equality

of all creatures.

■Dominicans – St. Dominic–Scholars open up schools to

educate people about Church doctrines.

A Revolution in AgricultureFarming

developments in 1050 brought about huge changes in Europe

Medieval Farm Tools

New Plowing Technology

A new type of plow made deeper cuts in the ground and pushed the soil sideways

Other Innovations

■ Padded horse collar which prevented the death of the horse who in medieval times would pull until he choked himself to death!

■ The three- field system: only plant crops in two fields (one with grains, one with legumes-peas and beans) and leave one empty; this allows the soil to replenish and not be overused

Impact of the Agricultural Revolution

New farming technologies iron plow harness

three-field system

Increase in food productionFour times more than before!

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Population explosionBetween 1000 and 1300, the population of

Europe doubled. Trade routes develop.

Trade Fairs and Medieval Cities

■ Trade goods and entertainment–Closed in the winter merchants wait for

better weather growth of towns towns grow into cities.■ Townspeople seek charters or documents that

spell out their right to control their own affairs.– Serfs who were in towns for a year and a day

could become “free”– Town Charters=1st constitutions

Commercial Revolution

■Money reappears as trade increases■Merchants need “capital” – money for

investment to help businesses grow and develop.

■ New methods of doing business–Partnerships (share responsibility)– Insurance (pay to keep safe/protect goods)–Bills of Exchange (checks; no need to carry

gold/money)

Economic and Social Changes

■ Due to Commercial Revolution– Feudalism weakens with opportunities for

serfs.–Middle Class develops (Merchants, traders,

and artisans)–Nobles and Clergy dislike middle class

practice of usury (lending money and charging interest)

The Development of Guilds■Merchant guilds/associations

dominate life in medieval towns–Pass laws, levy taxes, provide for

defense■Guild members support one another

– they drive out competition and call for reforms – regulation of work hours, and product quality & price control.

Steps to Become a Guild Member

■Boys – Trades Girls – Crafts■Age 7 – Apprentice – seven years of

learning skills and room & board.■Age 14 – Journeyman – salaried worker –

perfect skills and craftsmanship – create masterpiece

■Master – member of guild if masterpiece is accepted.

Life in Medieval Cities

■Most cities are walled with narrow streets, twisting and turning.■Tall houses hung out over the streets

making them dark.■Garbage, refuse, and human waste

were thrown in the streets – filthy, smelly, noisy, and crowded.