Transcript The Rise of Europe

The Rise of Europe:
The Early Middle Ages
Decline of Roman Empire & Barbarian
Migrations
Introduction: Western Europe
500-1000 A.D.
• During the Roman Empire, Europe was linked by
Roman Roads
– spread classical ideas, Latin language & Christianity
• After fall of Roman Empire, invaders swept across
Europe
• Trade slowed, towns emptied, learning almost ceased
• Western Europe cut off from sophisticated civilizations of
Middle East, China, India
• Focus of European history shifts North
• New culture emerged-blended Greco-Roman, Germanic,
& Christian traditions
• Medieval-Latin for “middle Ages”
Geography: Resources
• Frontier-sparsely
populated,
underdeveloped
• Dense forests
• Fertile soil
• Minerals
• Seas for fish &
transportation
• Rivers for trade
• Mountain streams for
water wheels
Germanic Kingdoms
• Germanic tribes migrated
across Europe were
farmers & herders
• Very different culture
from Romans
• No cities, no written laws
• Small communities,
governed by unwritten
customs
• Elected kings to rule
during war
• Warrior nobles swore
loyalty to king in
exchange for weapons
& loot
Germanic Peoples
• 5th- 6th centuries,
political unity of Roman
Empire ended
• peoples moved
southwards, attracted by
Rome’s glory
• wanted fertile land/better
climate
• organized into tribes
• chief made final
decisions
• lived in big wooden
houses
• moved constantly
• Called barbarians
(foreigners) by Romans
5th Century Germanic Kingdoms
• Borders not fixed
• Christian Church
provided order &
security
• Several kingdoms
in Roman territory
– Franks
– Visigoths
– Burgundians
– Anglo-Saxon
– Vandals
How were Germanic societies organized?
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Germans were rural
– Most peasants
– animal grazing and working
the land
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Most land in hands of Roman
a& Germanic families
– Some small land owners
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Monasteries owned vast
territories
– received donations in
exchange for prayers said by
the monks
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Population of cities decreased
commercial activity had slowed
currency had almost
disappeared
The New Society:
Germans & Romans
• Germans were the
minority
• Initially, Romans &
Germans maintained
own laws, customs &
religion
• societies started to
blend-Germans
adopted Roman
institutions/laws
• Used latin
• Converted to
Christianity
Government Changes
Rome
• Loyalty to public
governments
• written law
• citizenship
Germanic Kingdoms
• Family & personal ties
– Made it difficult to
govern a large area
• Small communities
• Unwritten rules &
traditions
• Chief leads warriors
who pledge loyalty
Art & culture in Germanic Kingdoms
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Few artistic artifacts remain
Some small churches
Art of gold & silver
Early Monasteries
– Community of monks
– Daily life organized
according to rules
• Saint Benedict
– Monasteries places of
prayer
– cultural centers
• school
• a scriptorium where
manuscripts were
copied
Rise of Christian Monasticism
• Monasteries &
Convents were
separate religious
communities for men
& women
• Monks nuns held no
private possessions;
servants of God
Rules of Benedict
• Strict yet practical
• Give up attachment
to world & love of
self
• Devotion to God
• Balance between
work & study
• Scholastica
– Twin sister?
– Devoted life to the
church
– Took Benedict’s
rules to convents
Germanic Kingdoms: The Franks
• Strongest of the small
Germanic kingdoms of
Western Europe
• In 486, Clovis, king of the
Franks, conquered Gaul,
a former Roman province
• Converted to Christianity
– earned the support of the
people
– Christian Church of Rome
Christianity Spreads
• Germanic
peoples
converted
– missionaries
– fear of
Muslim
attacks
• New converts
settled in
Rome’s former
lands
Germanic Kingdoms: Europe & Muslim World
• Islam appeared in
Arabia in 622
• Christians were stunned
when Muslim armies
overran Christian lands,
building a huge empire
from Spain to North
Africa to Palestine
• Charles Martel stopped
Muslims at Battle of
Tours, France in 732
• Muslims advanced no
further into Western
Europe but continued to
rule Spain
• Caused Christians great
anxiety and hostility
Age of Charlemagne
• Grandson of Charles
Martel
• Built empire across
France, Germany, part
of Italy
• Ruled for 30 years
• Spent most of that time
fighting Muslims in
Spain, Saxons in the
north, Avars & Slavs in
east, Lombards in Italy
• United much of Old
Roman Empire
Age of Charlemagne:
The Carolingian Era
• In 800, crushed
rebellious nobles at
request of Pope Leo III
• Pope crowned him
– gave him title
Emperor of Romans
• Joined Germanic
power to Church &
heritage of Roman
Empire
• Laid path for future
power struggles
• Emperor in
Constantinople
outraged
• Increased division
between east & west
Christians
Age of Charlemagne: Government
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Worked to create a united Christian Europe
Worked with Church to spread Christianity to conquered peoples
Limited power of nobles-(counts)
Gave land in return for support and soldiers for his armies
Missi dominici were officials sent out to check on roads, listen to
grievances & administer justice
Age of
Charlemagne:
Revival of Learning
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Wanted to make his court at
Aachen a “second Rome”
Promoted education for all
social classes
Founded a school
Curriculum was grammar,
rhetoric, logic, arithmetic,
geometry, music and astronomy
Ordered monasteries to open
schools - train monks & priests
After Charlemagne
• His son Louis, took
over 814 AD
• ineffective
• He had 3 sons
• They battled for 30
years
• In 843, Treaty of
Verdun-split empire
into 3 regions
• Central authority
broke down
• Led to feudalism
After Charlemagne: Legacy
• Extended Christian
civilization into northern
Europe
• Increased blending of
German, Roman, &
Christian traditions
• Set up a strong, efficient
government
• Set an example for later
medieval rulers
After Charlemagne: New Invasions
• 800’s, Muslims conquered Sicily which became a thriving
center of Islamic culture
• In 896, the Magyars, nomads overran eastern Europe
and plundered Germany, parts of France, and Italy
• After about 50 years, pushed back into Hungary
After Charlemagne: The Vikings
• Expert sailors from Scandinavia
• burned & looted along the coasts
and rivers of Europe
• Traders & explorers who sailed
around the Mediterranean Sea
and across the Atlantic Ocean
• Opened trade routes that linked
northern Europe to
Mediterranean lands
• Settled in England, Ireland,
northern France and parts of
Russia
• Around 1000, Leif Erikson set up
a short-lived colony on North
America
The Vikings
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/launch_gms_viking_qu
est.shtml
Big Question
• What changes altered the economy,
government, and culture of Western
Europe?
– Disruption of trade
– Downfall of cities
– Population shifts
– Decline in learning
– Loss of common language
After the fall of Rome, what institution
provided security and stability?
• The Roman Catholic Church
Who was Clovis?
• Frankish king in region of Gaul
• Brought Christianity to the region
• Won the support of the Church against
others
• United the Franks into one kingdom
• Mark the beginning of the alliance
between political and religious powers
Who was Benedict?
• Monk who develop a set of strict yet
practical rules for monasteries.
• Became a model for religious communities
• Monasteries became centers of learning
• Venerable Bede wrote a history of England
• Illuminated manuscripts
What were the most important events in the unification
of the Germanic kingdoms?
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400’s Roman Empire invaded
511-Clovis unites Franks in Christian kingdom
590-Gergor the Great becomes Pope
732-Charles Martel defeats Muslims at Battle of Tours
751-Carolingian Dynasty begins
800-Pope crowns Charlemagne Emperor
800’s-French, Spanish, other languages evolved from Latin
What happened to Charlemagne’s empire
after he died?
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Grandsons fought for control
Treaty of Verdun
Empire broken up into three kingdoms
Carolingian kings lost power
Central authority broke down
Lack of strong leadership created a new
system of governing and landholding
• Feudalism is born!!!!
Feudalism in Europe: The Impact of
Vikings
Longship
• Climate Change
• Sailed up rivers
• Traders, farmers,
explorers
• Russia
• Constantinople
• North Atlantic
• Gradually accepted
Christianity
• Warming trend in N.
Europe
• Settled down
Magyar Invasions-late 800’s AD
• Nomads from
Hungary
• Horsemen
• Took captives as
slaves
Muslims
• Came from
south
• Strongholds
in N. Africa
• wanted to
spread Islam
into Europe
and plunder
wealth
New Political System: Feudalism
• Based on rights &
obligations
• Loyalty & Military
Service exchanged
for Land & Privilege
• Loyalty & Labor
exchanged for
protection
Social Classes
• Social status
determined prestige &
power
• Those who fought
• Those who prayed
• Those who worked
• Inherited
• Most people were
peasants & most
peasants were serfs
Manors: The Economic Side
• Manor was lord’s
estate
• Provided serfs with
housing, farmland,
protection
• Serfs tended lord’s
land, cared for animals,
other tasks to maintain
the estate
• Peasant women
worked along their
husbands
• All owed duties to the
lord
• Grain, labor, etc.
Life on a Manor
• Self-sufficient
• Peasant taxes
– grinding their grain
– Marriage
– Church
Age of Chivalry
• Nobles constantly fought
• Conflict kept Europe
fragmented
• Violent society valued
combat skills
• High ideals guided
warriors actions- glorified
their roles
Age of Chivalry: Education
• At age 7, trained as a
page in castle of
another lord;
• at age 14, trained as
squire, acted as
servant to knight;
• at 21, became a
knight
Age of Chivalry: Weapons & Equipment
• Saddles & stirrups from Asia
• Armor
• Long bow
• Cross bow and missiles
Caltrops
Age of Chivalry: War Games
• Fought in local
wars or
tournaments
• Combined
recreation with
combat training
Code of Chivalry
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Be loyal
Brave
Courteous
Defend three masters:
– Feudal lord
– God
– chosen lady
• Protect the weak & poor
Castle Life •
Lived in & protected
home of feudal lords
• castles designed as
fortresses, massive
walls & guard towers
Romantic Love
• “courtly love”
• Ideal form of
spiritual love
• Knight or courtier
completely
devoted himself to
a noblewoman
• Expected to
defend his chosen
lady & keep her
entertained with
love poems &
songs
The Art of Courtly Love
by
Andreas Cappellanus
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Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.
He who is not jealous cannot love.
No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons.
It is not proper to love any woman whom one should be ashamed to seek to
marry.
A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved.
When made public love rarely endures.
The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment
makes it prized.
Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved.
When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved his heart palpitates.
A new love puts to flight an old one.
Good character alone makes any man worthy of love.
Love can deny nothing to love.
A lover can never have enough of the solaces of his beloved.
A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love.
A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought
of his beloved.
How did feudal lords in Western Europe
in the 11th century defend their
territories?
• Private armies
• Rewarded knights with fiefs from their
estates
• Allowed knights to use their wealth to
purchase supplies; weapons, armor,
horses for battle
How were the lives of a noblewoman and
a peasant woman different?
• Peasant woman
– Worked as hard as a
man in order to survive
– General work duties
• look after children &
organize food for family
and animals
• Noblewoman
– Centered around
Church and home
– Inherit husband’s
estate, title of military
commander and
warrior when husband
was away in battle
How did invading armies go about
attacking a castle?
• To capture a castle, first engineers would
check the walls to find any weak points
• Attacking soldiers would ram the walls with
weapons such as the battering ram and
then walls would collapse
• Attacking soldiers could infiltrate the walls
of the castle
How did some of the troubadours’ songs
promote a false image noblewomen &
knights?
• portrayed noblewomen as always
beautiful, constantly pure
• Reality Check: Knighthood was a
particularly brutal office
Power of the Church
• In 936,Otto I, crowned
Holy Roman Emperor for
protecting the Church
• Began Holy Roman
Empire
• Close relationship
between Church & State
• Tensions over who would
appoint Church officialsinvestiture
Conflict Between Popes & Emperors:
Gregory VII
• Reform corrupt
church leaders
• Make the Church
independent of
secular rulers
• 1075, Banned
practice of “lay
investiture”-(church
official chosen by
kings)
Conflict Between Popes & Emperors:
Henry IV
• Holy Roman Emperor
• Angered by Pope
Gregory’s actions
• Needed church
leaders to support
him against powerful
German lords
Conflict Between Henry and Gregory
• Henry IV demanded
that Gregory VII
resign as Pope
• Gregory
excommunicated
Henry
• Henry realized he
could not win so
begged forgiveness
• Henry was forgiven
Why was the Church so important in the
lives of the people?
• Church was a unifying force in a time of
political turmoil & warfare
• Church provided a sense of security
How did popes in the 11th century use
excommunication & interdicts as political
tools?
• Popes threatened excommunication to
have power over them & the decisions
they made
• The pope could threaten a king with an
interdict to frighten the kings’ subjects in
order to force him to submit
What was the Concordant of Worms?
• Compromise between
Church & emperor in 1122
• Church officials appointed
church leaders
• King could veto
appointments
• Kings could give titles& land
grant to church officials
• 1st document outlining
separate areas of
responsibility for Church
and State
What happened at the Battle of Legnano?
• 1176,Frederick I’s army of mounted
knights fought against foot soldiers of the
Lombard League
• Lombard League was a group of Italian
merchants who stood up to Frederick’s
plundering of Italy
• The Italians, with the support of the pope,
defeated Frederick’s army
The Scriptorium:
Remember Your Vow of Silence!!!!
• You are a monk in the
scriptorium.
• Create an illuminated
manuscript of the
Latin proverb
“Moderatio in
omnibus rebus”
The Dormitory:
Remember Your Vow of Silence
• Pretend you are a
monk in the dormitory
at 9:00 pm.
• Put your head down
on your desk, close
your eyes
The Workhouse:
Remember Your Vow of Silence
• You are a monk in a
workhouse. Today, you
and your fellow monks
are in charge of cleaning.
• Get paper towels, use
Windex to clean all parts
of your workspace.
• Work diligently and
quietly with a cheerful
spirit.
The Chancel:
Maintain total silence
• You are a monk in the
chancel
• Sit and listen to the
Gregorian chant.
• Think about how the
Gregorian chant
helped bring monks
closer to God.