Transcript European Middle Ages

European Middle Ages
• The decline of the Roman Empire brought
about the Middle Ages
• Germanic invaders overran the western half of
the Roman Empire
• trade and education collapsed
• cities were abandoned and people moved to
the countryside
• The Roman Empire was carved into several
small and isolated kingdoms whose borders
often changed due to war
• The Franks became the
largest and most powerful
kingdom during this time
• The Frank kingdom
reached it’s peak under
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne, Charles the Great
• Around 800 Charlemagne
reunited much of the
Roman Empire, extending
his empire across France,
Germany and part of Italy
Charlemagne
• Wanted a united Christian Europe
• Spread Christianity to conquered peoples on the
fringes of his empire
Government
• Charlemagne appointed powerful
landowners, called counts, to rule
local regions
• Missi dominici – Officials in charge
of keeping control of counts
Learning
• Charlemagne attempted to revive learning
• Founded a school that taught grammar, rhetoric,
logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy
Invasions
• After the death of Charlemagne, invasions from
Muslims, the Magyars, and the Vikings tore apart the
unity of Europe
• Unable to maintain order, kings and emperors
struck an agreement with nobles
• This settlement, which evolved into feudalism,
was based on a desperate need for protection
The Vikings
• The Vikings are
responsible for
destroying the last part
of the Roman Empire
• Vikings were feared
invaders, and their
attacks helped bring
about feudalism
because of the need for
protection.
Vikings at Sea
• Vikings were daring masters
of the sea. They traveled
the seas in longships that
were equipped with both
sails and oars.
• The common crew size was 25 to 60 men, but ships
could hold up to 100 men and packhorses and
provisions if needed.
• Viking raids in single ships were frequent, and fleets
were usually comprised of 100 ships early on and
upwards of 200 ships are recorded later in history.
• Viking battles at sea were rare, and hand-to-hand
combat was used to capture enemy ships.
Viking Weapons
• The common weapons arsenal of the Vikings
included the sword, spear, and battle-axe, but bows
and arrows were also used.
• For defense, Vikings would carry round shields made
of wooden boards.
• Armor such as helmets chain mail were expensive,
and were therefore usually worn by Viking leaders
because they could afford them.
• Other Viking warriors
may have worn helmets
and armor made of
animal hide.
• Some special warriors,
called berserks, wore
only bear skins and
were fearsome fighters,
believing Odin, their
god of war, would
protect them.
Viking Explorations
• Vikings were more than
just fearsome warriors;
they were also daring
explorers who traveled
the globe.
• There is evidence to suggest
that the Vikings traveled as
far east as the Volga River in
Russia, and as far west as
Minnesota in the United
States.
• Leif Erikson was one such
Viking explorer who is
credited as the first European
to set foot on North America,
500 years before Columbus.
Feudal System
• The invasions by the Vikings, Magyars and
Muslims caused widespread disorder and
suffering.
• Most Europeans lived in constant danger and
kings could not effectively defend their lands
from invasion.
• As a result, people no longer looked to a
central ruler for security.
• Instead, many turned to local rulers who had
their own armies.
• As a response to these constant invasions,
feudalism emerged in Europe.
• Feudalism – a political system in which nobles
were granted the use of land from the king. In
return, the nobles agreed to give their loyalty
and military services to the king.
• In exchange for protection, the landowner,
called a lord, was granted land called a fief
• The person receiving a fief was called a vassal.
• The structure of feudal society was much like
a pyramid.
• At the top was the monarch, such as the king
and queen.
• Directly beneath the monarch were the most
powerful vassals—wealthy land owners such
as nobles and bishops.
• Beneath the vassals were knights
• Knights—mounted horsemen and skilled
warriors who pledged to defend their lord’s
lands in exchange for fiefs
• As the lord’s vassal, a knights main obligation
was to serve in battle, typically 40 days of
combat a year.
• Knights were expected to display courage in
battle and loyalty to their lord
• Knights were expected to follow a code of
conduct, known as chivalry
• Devoted to feudal lord, the heavenly lord and
his chosen lady
• Protect the weak and the poor
• Be loyal, brave, and courteous
• Knights often competed in mock battles,
called tournaments, to prepare for war
• One of the most popular competitions during
these tournaments was the joust
• At the bottom were landless peasants, mostly
serfs
• Serfs—people who could not legally leave the
place where they were born and their labor
belonged to the lord
• The lord’s estate was called a manor
• On a manor the lord provided the serfs with
housing, farmland, and protection from
bandits.
• In return, serfs worked for the lord by farming
and taking care of the animals.
• Peasants lived a short life that consisted
mainly of working.
• Serfs lived in crowded cottages, close to their
neighbors.
• Peasants warmed their floors by bringing pigs
inside.
• At night, the family huddled on a pile of straw
that often crawled with insects.
• A manor usually
included the lord’s
manor house, a church
and workshops.
• Fields, pastures and
woodlands surrounded
the village.
• A stream generally
passed through the
village providing water
and food.
• A Knight’s Tale
The Church
• As the Roman Empire collapsed, the power of the
Christian Church grew
• Christian Church became a unifying factor in Europe
• Under Pope Gregory I, the
power of the pope
expanded and the Church
became more involved in
politics
Pope Gregory I
“Gregory the Great”
Pope from 590 - 604
Church revenues were used to…
• raise armies
• repair roads
• establish schools
• help the poor
The Church also…
• negotiated peace treaties
• As the power of the Church grew so did the power of
the Frank kingdom
• Between 511 to 843, the Frank’s controlled the
largest and strongest kingdom in Europe
Tournaments
• Tournaments were public contests of skill
between knights.
• The tournaments were a most popular form of
entertainment in the Middle Ages.
• Some tournaments allowed anyone to compete,
if they had armor, a horse, a sword, and a shield.
• Other tournaments only allowed nobles to
compete.
• You could make money at tournaments by
winning prizes.
• Anyone could attend a tournament, including
women and children.
• Wooden stands were built to seat the nobles who
came to the event.
• Stands were decorated with colorful pennants.
• Most peasants were required to stand, but
wealthy peasant had tents
• Activities included kickboxing and many forms of
fighting.
• Two favorites were consistently the joust and
the melees.
• Many knights died in competition.
• Horses often panicked. Some even ran into the
audience and killed onlookers.
• The joust was a form of combat between two
knights on horseback
• Jousts were organized by men called heralds.
• Jousting was a sport with a set of rules that each
competitor must follow.
• The men in charge, the marshal and constable,
made sure competitors followed the rules.
• Knights fought an agreed number of times.
• Challenges were sent out to the knights. The
champions were ranked.
• Large amounts of money were bet on the
contests.
• Jousts were big events. They were often held
on special occasions. Many thousands of
people watched, not just nobles. Anyone
could get in for cheap.
• Although it could be dangerous, knights did
not try to hurt each other.
• Knights were separated by a low wooden
fence.
• The two competing knights started on
horseback, holding long sharp lances.
• Lance – Long pole with a sharpened end,
similar to a spear
• The two knights rode towards each other, with
their lances up and ready, each on their own
side of the fence.
• The goal was to knock your opponent off his
horse, which was difficult.
• Points were earned for breaking a lance on the
other man's armor.
• You could also earn points by breaking the
lance of the other knight.
• Saddles had a back piece that rose up about a
foot.
• The saddle was designed to help a knight keep
his seat in battle, and it served the same
purpose at the joust.
• Some kings fought in jousts, including King
Henry VIII
• Although Henry was considered a good
jouster, he nearly died twice.
• Henry fought his friend, Charles Brandon,
without covering his face.
• Brandon's lance landed just one centimeter
away from making a hole in the king's head.
• When Henry was 44 years old, he was crushed
by his horse and lay unconscious for two
hours.
• This fall is thought to have damaged his health
and made him grumpy.
• The melee was a team sport.
• Each team of knights had colored flags on their
backs.
• Each side tried to knock their opponent’s flags off
using clubs and blunt swords.
• The church tried to stop tournaments, because
they were too violent. They never succeeded.
• Interest in tournaments began to fade with the
widespread introduction of guns.