Transcript the Early Middle Ages _500-1_000

Europe & the Early
Middle Ages (500-1,000
CE)
Early Middle Ages= Dark Ages
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After the fall of the Western Roman Empire:
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Trade slowed down
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Towns became smaller
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Education slowed down
Europe was a frontier land= Sparsely populated, undeveloped area
Western Europe
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Europe= 2nd smallest continent, but had many resources
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North= Dense forests
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Rich soil= Good for raising crops
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Underground lay mineral resources
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Seas provided fish/transportation routes
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Rivers= Ideal for trade
The Germanic Kingdoms
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Before invading Rome, tribesmen were farmers & herders
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No cities/written laws; lived in small communities governed by unwritten customs
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Elected kings to lead them in war; Warriors swore loyalty in exchange for weapons/loot
Germanic tribes created multiple kingdoms; Most powerful were the Franks
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Kingdom encompassed France, Germany, & part of Italy
Europe after Fall of Rome
The Age of Charlemagne (768-814 CE)
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Charlemagne, Frankish ruler who was proclaimed Emperor of the Romans by
Pope Leo III
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Occurred Christmas Day, 800 CE
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Why? Sent armies to crush a rebellion in Rome
Brought temporary unity to Western Europe; Created a united Christian
community
Charlemagne's Empire
Emergence of Feudalism
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Organized system of rule; Powerful lords divide their lands among lesser lords,
who pledge service & loyalty to powerful lords
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Powerful lord granted a vassal a fief (estate/land); Fief included peasants to work land &
towns or buildings on that land
Relationship between lords & vassals based on a feudal contract
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Lord promised to protect his vassal
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Vassal pledged loyalty to his lord, military service, monetary payments
The World of Nobles
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Knights were professional warriors who began training at a young age
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Also were vassals (lower lords); Received lands in exchange for protecting their lords lands
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As feudal warfare decreased in the 1100s, knights participated in tournaments
Lived by a code of chivalry
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Required knights to be brave, loyal, & respectful of others
Peasants & Feudalism
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Peasants were known as serfs; Lived on the lord’s estate known as a manor
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Manors included villages & surrounding lands
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Serfs were bound to the land; Couldn’t leave
Mutual obligations tied peasants & their lords
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Had to work on the land (farming/repairing)
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Paid fees with crops (Marriage/inheritance/use of local mill to grind grain)
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Lifetime of labor exchanged for the right to farm several acres for themselves; Entitled
protection
The Manor & Fief
The Church & Medieval Life
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Church was the center of life for those living on a fief/manor village
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Social center
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Some churches housed relics (remains of martyrs/holy figures)
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Churches required Christians to pay a tithe (Tax; 1/10th of income)
Benedictine Monks & Nuns
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530 CE= Monk named Benedict created a monastery in Monte Cassino,
Southern Italy
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Benedict created rules to regulate lives of monks & nuns:
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1) Obedience to the abbot or abbess; Heads of a monastery or convent
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2) Live a life of poverty
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3) Life of chastity/purity
Days were divided into periods of worship, work, & study
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Manual labor believed to be spiritually valuable
Monks & Nuns became missionaries as well
Monasteries & Convents
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Western Europe had no hospitals or schools; Monasteries/Convents provided
these basic services
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Utilized as shelters for Christian pilgrims traveling to holy shrines
Power of the Church Grows
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Popes represented Christ on earth, claimed papal supremacy
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Authority over all secular rulers of Western Europe
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Pope led churchmen who supervised Church activities: Bishops/Archbishops
Church officials closely linked to secular rulers; Feudal rulers appointed
Church officials to high government positions
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Popes & Church officials= Rich landowners
Power of the Church Grows
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Medieval Christians believed all people were sinners; Doomed to eternal
suffering
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To avoid hell, one must believe in Christ & participate in the sacraments of
the Church.
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Since the Church administered the sacraments, had absolute power in religious matters
High Middle Ages (10501450 CE)
The Agricultural Revolution (1000-1300
CE)
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New technologies allowed more production from farmable lands
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Iron plows; New harnesses allowed use of horses to pull land rather than oxen
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Windmills= Use water or wind power to grind grain into flour
Three-Field System
Trade Revived in Europe
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Peasants needed iron for farm tools; Nobles wanted wool, furs, & spices
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Traders formed merchant companies; Traveled in armed caravans across Europe
New Towns Form
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Towns became cities populated with over 10,000 people, some over 100,000
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Richest cities were in Northern Italy and Flanders (Belgium)
A Commercial Revolution
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As trade revived, money reappeared
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Economic, social, political change
Merchants needed money to buy goods; Borrowed from money lenders
New business practices developed
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Partnership= Group of merchants invest funds to pay for large-scale trading ventures
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Insurance
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Bill of exchange= Issued by banker in one city to a merchant who could exchange it for
cash in a distant city; Didn’t have to travel with gold/silver
A Commercial Revolution
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Use of money undermined Feudalism; Peasants sold their crops to pay rent in
cash
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By 1300, most peasants became tenant farmers
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Rather than pay in time/labor, peasants utilized cash
Paid rent for their land or became hired farm laborers
Formation of a middle class= Merchants/Traders/Artisans
Bubonic Plague; The Black Death (13471350 CE)
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Deadly disease spread by trade; Originated in Asia spread to Europe
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China, India, Middle East, Egypt
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The Mongolian Empire helped spread the disease
October 1347; 12 Genoese trading ships, “Death Ships” arrived to Sicily
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Many sailors were dead or gravely ill
What is the Plague?
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Bacterial disease that is highly contagious, depending on the type
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Plague of Medieval times was caused by bites from infected fleas or rats
Symptoms
Symptoms
God’s Punishment?
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Many people thought the disease was a divine punishment
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Due to sins
Must win God’s forgiveness
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Expulsion/massacre of European Jews
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Rise of flagellants= People who punished themselves physically
Impacts of the Black Death
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Economic Impact
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Price of labor skyrocketed; Due to deaths of millions of workers
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Cost of goods rose; Called inflation
Religious questioning/doubts arose