Western EuropeChapter 10

Dark Ages – the Waning Empire

• Bishops (Christian leaders of cities) given judicial powers & responsibility of urban poor

• Peasants weakened by debt became tenants of landlords

• Late Rome pressured by Germanic barbarians (Goths, Vandals, Franks)– Mercenaries, migrations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1yIhX9Jzu8&list=PLB5E57CF5A6366C50

Timeline• 500-1000 CE— Early Middle Ages

– Agriculture, trade & politics slow but reviving– Catholic church becomes a spiritual & political

power• 900-1100—Transition• 1000-1338— High Middle Ages

– Gains in population, trade & intellectual activity as well as political growth

• 1338-1450— Late Middle Ages

Dark Ages?

Western Europe During the Early Middle Ages (500 CE to 1000 CE)

~the Foundations of Christian Society in Western Europe~

Christianity & Political Order

• Christianity

– Unites masses amid chaos

– Barbarians convert for legitimacy

Christianity & Political Order

• Christianity– Hierarchy provides

practical leadership

• Judges & educators

• Based on tradition, land ownership, ceremonies

Political Order & Christianity

• But, little formal government• Violence & blood feuds common• Some order from Roman landlords &

barbarian warlords– Aristocrats: control of land lends resources

(peasants, food, new warriors)– Germanic warriors: military might lends order

• Franks were most powerful Germanic state– Example: Clovis

Life of the Peasantry

• Culture minimal & rough – Hierarchy of needs?

• Rome: population from 500,000 to 80,000• Paris: population of 20,000

– Rural villages as population centers• Little education or literacy• Little trade• Focus on subsistence

Life of the Peasantry

→ Peasants become serfs– Unfree farm labor tied to land

– Subsistence difficult while lacking technology– Sought safety through landlords

Carcassonne: A Medieval Castle

Men of Cloth; Men of Letters

• Culture maintained by Christian clergy– Only literate members of society

• Latin• Scriptoriums

– Aided religious & political authority– “Rome” lived on in churches & became

spiritual capital

In Summary

Manor System• Self-sufficient manors organize society• Mutual obligations b/t lord & serf

Feudalism• Decentralized, informal military rule• Mutual obligations b/t lords & lords

Review

In groups of 4:• Analyze the daily life of each of the following people

during the Carolingian dynasty:• Charlemagne; Nobleman; Priest; Serf

– What is their motivation? What is their fear? How is their life impacted by other members of society?

• Create a script for a skit or write a series of / diary entries letters

Carolingians & Charlemagne

• Exception to divided informal rule

• Carolingian dynasty (686 – 9th c)– Frankish– Charles Martel: starts dynasty

• noted for ending Muslim attempts to conquer France– Charlemagne: most important ruler

Carolingians & Charlemagne

• Charlemagne– Desired Christianizing & politically uniting all

Germanic peoples

– Centralized authority• Crowned by Pope in 800 CE (reflected church power)• Gave land to warriors to cement loyalty• Traveled 2000 miles/yr to maintain direct contact with

those governed

Carolingians & Charlemagne

• Charlemagne– Fostered “Carolingian Renaissance”

• Trade initiated– Minted silver coins– Manufacturing improved (swords, pottery, glassware)

• Learning emphasized– Punctuation, capitalization, & spacing added to script– Curriculum standardized (grammar, rhetoric, logic, math,

astronomy)

The Carolingian Renaissance

Carolingians & Charlemagne

• Charlemagne– Still…comparatively weak

• 15 mil inhabitants vs. 50 mil in Abbasid or 100 mil in China• 50 acre palace complex vs. 250 acres in Baghdad

– Personalist rule meant that when reign ended, so to did many advancements

Carolingians ended by invasion

Muslims, Magyar nomads, Vikings

The Vikings

Viking Origins

• Norse people from Scandinavia– Think: North, Normans, Normandy, Norway

• “Vik” = on the war path• Lifestyle:

– Tribal, warrior culture– Polytheistic

• Expansion fueled by population pressure

Viking Expansion

Vikings in Eastern Europe

• Sailed Russian river systems until reaching Black Sea & Constantinople– Opened trade links b/t Russia & Byzantium– Exported furs & slaves for Byzantine

manufactures• Kievian-Rus (proto-Russia)

– Mixture of Viking & Slavic ethnic groups– Christianized by Cyril & Methodius (Orthodox)

Vikings in Eastern Europe• Russian envoys reported:

“We went among the Germans [the Catholic Franks] and we saw them performing many ceremonies in their

churches; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went to Greece [in fact, to Constantinople and Hagia Sophia], and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on

earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss to describe it. We only know

that God dwells there among men…”

Vikings in Western Europe

• Explored & raided coastal France & Britain– Longships & weapons became sources of fear – Plundering, killing, burning

• Wealth & prisoners aided exploration & expansion of slave trade

• Settle eventually & Christianized– Normans

Viking Impact• Fostered expanded trade links in Europe

• Intensified local rule– Eastern Europe = city-states– Western Europe = feudalism

• Looked to local lords to protect them

• End of raids• Warming of climate

Transitions(900 CE to 1100 CE)

~Steps toward Progress~

Causes for Transition1. Agricultural innovation

• Expansion of arable land

• Three-field system

• Mold-board Plow

Causes for Transition2. Population growth fuels urbanization

0

20

40

60

80

Pop in Millions

700 1100 1300 1500Years

European Population Growth

Causes for Transition3. Diffusion of new ideas

• Crusades brought contact with Muslims & Byzantium

The Crusades• Catholic Pope Urban II called First Crusade

in 1096– Originally effort to retake Holy Land from Islamic

Empires • Resulted in small crusader states in eastern Mediterranean

– Supported by Byzantium for striking at longstanding enemy

The Crusades• Later Crusades lacked success & focus

– Crusading hordes disrupted Constantinople’s economy

– Italian city-states (Genoa & Venice) desired trade in eastern Mediterranean• Engineered 4th Crusade, which temporarily

conquered Constantinople

Other Conquests

• Christian Reconquista of Islamic Spain began in 1061

• Christians wrestled control of Sicily from Muslims in 1091

Christian Crusades

Impact of Crusades on W. Eur

• One Muslim observer:

“Their bodies large, their manners harsh, their understanding dull, and their tongues heavy. …

Those of them who are the farthest to the north are the most subject to stupidity, grossness, and

brutishness.”

Impact of Crusades on W. Eur

• Contact w/ more advanced societies yielded:– Adoption of innovations

• Arabic numerals• Recovery of Greek & Roman learning• Architectural engineering• Windmills & watermills

– Greater trade• Increased demand for silk, cotton textiles, & spices• Desire for direct trade in Asian markets

Western Europe During the High Middle Ages

(1000 CE to 1300 CE)

Economic Growth

Early Middle Ages• Towns were small with

rural agriculture dominating

High Middle Ages• Towns grew with

commerce & people moving to urban areas

Population growth during transition sparked revival of towns & trade

Towns & Trade

• Town life exemplified by artisan guilds– Occupations were licensed, standards of

quality– Politically & socially influential– Emphasized Christianity

• Contributed to building of cathedrals• Adopted patron saints & sponsoring parades

• Trade networks develop– Hanseatic League– Italian city-states & Mediterranean

Town Dwellings

High Medieval Trade

Formal Government

• Towns and urban population aid in strengthening royal governments– States

• England pioneer in creating modern state– William the Conqueror, 1066

• France developed slower than England– Hugh Capet, a minor and weak noble, was elected king in

987 • Modern German state not created until 19th century

Royal Kingdoms and Formation of States

• The Holy Roman Empire • Feudal Monarchies in France and England• Regional States in Italy and Iberia• Church influence in Italy

– A complex of principalities and city-states, undergoes rapid urbanization

• Muslim influence in Iberia– The focus of the reconquista

The Establishment of Regional States

Regional States

High Medieval Universities

Town Life during Middle Ages

Town Life After High

Middle Ages

Nobles had most of the power1) Lords owned the land where most towns were located 2) Towns needed protection from knights that lords could provide

*status determined by birthright

Power Middle class had most of the power 1) limited the power of feudal lords by forcing them to grant charter2) Gained control of great sums of money by organizing banks

*status determined by wealth and ability

Mosaic of Political Control• Some still dreamed of recapturing a

“Rome”– Holy Roman Empire

• Otto• Investiture

Mosaic of Political Control• Yet regional states emerged

– France• Capetians

– England• The Normans & William the Conqueror

Mosaic of Political Control• Still Spain & Italy remained more complex

– Europeans expand & conquer Muslim held lands

Social Development• Three Estates

– “those who work, those who pray, and those who fight”

Social Development• Social change: Chivalry

Social Development• Social change: Cities

– Independent cities– Guilds

Social Development• Social change: Women

– Rural– Urban

Christianity• Continued to define W. Euro society

Christianity• High Theology

– Cathedral schools → universities

– Scholasticism & St. Thomas Aquinas• Blend Aristotle & Faith

Christianity• Popular Religion

– Sacraments & saints

– Monasticism & heresies

Compare with China• Catching up

• Pluralism in Politics

• Reason & Faith

12th and 13th Centuries

• Religion– Is represented in art and architecture

• Romanesque and Gothic styles• Vernacular literature (Beowulf, Canterbury Tales)

and secular art forms develop as well– Scholasticism combines faith and reason

• Peter Abelard• St. Thomas Aquinas• St. Bernard of Clairvaux

12th and 13th Centuries

• Economy– Improvements in Agriculture

• Peasant condition improves; landlord power weakens

– Growth of Trade and Banking• Use of currency• Market system develops• Guilds organized

Europe During The Late Middle Ages (1300 CE to 1450 CE)

~Disease & decline~

Late Postclassical Decline

• Key Developments– Professional militaries & use of gunpowder– Population boom & mini ice age– Bubonic plague

• Decline of “Postclassical” characteristics– Feudalism in decline, serfdom ending– Aristocracy loses power– Church loses power to State– Intellectual inquiries become separate from

state

Fishbowl Discussion Questions• To what extent were the Middle Ages a Dark Age?• To what extent do you agree that Charlemagne’s

family was a family that forged Europe.• Why might the Middle Ages be a misnomer for this

period?• What postclassical themes are present in Western

Europe between 550 and 1000 CE?• Why is the term Western Civilization hard to define? • Compare Postclassical Europe to the Byzantine and

Muslim Empires.• What was the status of women during the Middle

Ages?

Halloween

• What does the interaction between cultures suggest about how Christianity spread in Europe during the postclassical period?

brainpop