Transcript Medieval Europe 500-1500

Medieval Europe
500-1500
Results of the Fall of Rome
Germanic invasions led to fall of the Western Roman
Empire in 476 C.E., which also led to:
1. Breakdown of trade: merchants faced invasions from land and
sea; businesses collapse and money becomes scarce
2. Destruction of cities, abandoned by citizens
3. Population shift to countryside, out of the “centers” of
civilization
4. Loss of learning & common languages, disunity weakens
Europe.
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
• King of the Franks, united
Europe in 771 C.E.
• Spread Christianity and promoted
learning, though himself illiterate.
• Pope Leo III crowned him Holy
Roman Emperor, setting the stage
for future power struggles between
popes & emperors.
After Charlemagne
• His empire was divided among his sons, who ruled
ineffectively.
• Without a strong central body of power keeping peace,
people searched for security.
• This led to the development of a political system in
Europe known as feudalism.
The Feudal System
King
Military
Service
&
Lords
Lesser Lords
(Vassals)
Labor
&
Loyalty
Land
Knights
Peasants (Serfs)
&
Protection
Feudalism & The Manor System
• The feudal system created political order and stability.
Everyone knew their place and what they had to do.
• Focus was on: lords, land, and loyalty!
• The manor system created an economy that was based
on farming and being self-sufficient on the manor.
• Land was the basis of wealth
• Protection was exchanged for loyalty and land
THE MANOR
SYSTEM
• The manor was the lord’s estate.
• The manor system was an
economic arrangement between
a lord and his serfs.
• The lord gave serfs housing &
farmland, and protection from
bandits.
• The serfs cared for the lord’s
lands & animals, and performed
other tasks to maintain his estate.
THE 3 FIELD
SYSTEM
Gray - Woodlands; the building blocks
of the manor.
Green - The 3 fields; crops were rotated
each season on land owned by the lord
and worked by the serfs.
Purple – The lord's house, land and
pond.
Orange - The villager's homes.
Yellow - Small plots of land serfs could
work themselves for their own benefit.
Blue - the stream used by all.
Importance of the Church
• Feudalism and the manor system created divisions
among people.
• Shared beliefs in the teachings of the Church bonded
people together.
– Priests and religious officials administered the
sacraments, or important religious ceremonies.
– Kings & peasants alike followed canon law, or the law
of the Church, in marriage & religious matters.
Spiritual Stability
The church became a pillar of strength & support
in local society, showing its effects in:
• Behaviors
• Common Beliefs
• Holiday Observances
This led to great increases in the power &
influence of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Church in Art & Education
Roman Catholic Church
became a source of
education for many:
• Monasteries and nunneries
promoted education as a
way to be closer to God.
• The Church set up the first
universities in the Middle
Ages.
• The Church acted as patron
to many artists who created
religious-themed works.
The Arts
• Gothic Architecture
• Flying Buttresses
• Stained Glass
Medieval Women
In feudal society, women had varying degrees of
power.
Peasant Women:
• Labored in fields and maintained the home
• Gave birth to many children to help with the farm labor
Noble Women:
• Could inherit land, or join a convent
• Managed activities in the home
• Gave birth to sons to carry on the family name
Rise of the Guild System
Many people without
education, especially serfs
were unsure of how to better
their lives or become more
independent.
This mutual desire for
economic prosperity & the
need for economic protection
led to the creation of the
guild system.
Guilds
Guild system – organization of
people in the same business
working together to improve
economic & social conditions.
Guilds set fair prices for labor,
demanded quality conditions,
and protected the rights of
workers.
Early form of labor unions.
Beginnings of the Crusades
• Muslim Seljuk Turks
conquered much of Asia
Minor, and took the city of
Jerusalem in 1071 C.E.
• In 1093, Byzantine emperor
asked Western Europe to join
his war against the Muslim
Turks, so that the Holy Land
could be controlled by
Christians once again.
Beginnings of the Crusades
The pope called for this crusade, or
holy war, to help the Byzantines
and to show his leadership in the
West.
Pope Urban II called for the
crusades in a famous speech.
He spoke of the Muslims as wicked
and promised forgiveness of sins
& heaven to anyone who fought
against them.
The Crusades
• Peasants were drawn to the
promise of riches, wanting
to escape feudalism.
• Criminals were allowed to
join Crusades to escape
punishments.
• Many of the people died on
the way from starvation
and fights with others along
the way.
The first crusade was mostly made up of the poor,
who lacked supplies, equipment, and training.
Effects of the Crusades
• Over the course of almost 200 years, Christians and
Muslims battled for control of the Holy Land.
• Many soldiers never returned, leaving a social & economic
hole in Europe.
• Those who did return brought with them exotic tales and
goods that stirred imagination about the “Orient”.
• Merchants took advantage of increasing trade networks in
the aftermath of the Crusades, reviving the economic lag.
Spirit of Change
The population loss led to economic
downturn following the Crusades.
King John of England ignited revolt of the
nobles when he raised taxes in the
midst of this.
The nobles forced King John to sign the
Magna Carta (Great Charter).
This document guaranteed the nobles
certain basic political rights, and put a
limit on the king’s powers.
Medieval Living Conditions
• Small, damp homes with dirt floors.
• Cramped, dark apartments.
• 2-3 baths a year
• Garbage + human waste in streets
• Dead bodies out in open
• Very few had hot water
• Rodents & insects everywhere
Spread of the Plague
Started in Asia
Reached Europe in 1347 via a
merchant ship on the island
of Sicily
The merchant ship was part of
the larger trade networks
resulting from the Crusades.
Black Plague
Also known as the Bubonic Plague.
• 1/3 of Europe’s population gone
• Workers & productivity decrease
• Less economic activity leads to
decrease in trade activity.
• People feared God’s punishment.
Seeing the inability of priests to save
even themselves led to loss of faith.
Popular “Cures” for Plague
• Doctors wore strange costumes
• Bathing in human waste
• Wearing excrement and/or leeches
• Placing dead animals in homes
• Drinking molten gold and
powdered emeralds
A costume worn by doctors to
ward off the Plague
• Burning incense to get rid of the
smell of the dead