Transcript New Freshmen Chap 7

Chapter 7 The Rise of Europe
 Section 1: The Early Middle Ages
 Geography of Western Europe

 Western
Europe was not dominated by
Rome, but by Germanic peoples
 Europe is very small for a continent
(second smallest of the seven
continents)
 Despite Europe's size, it was rich in
natural resources
 Europe had rich soil, rivers for trade
and mountain streams to turn water
wheels
 The Germanic Kingdoms
 Germanic people were very different
from Romans







Germanic people lived in small kingdoms,
the strongest of which was the Franks
Clovis, king of the Franks, embraced
Christianity and allied himself with the
Church in Rome
Around the same time Islam began to
emerge
Islam spread, but Christians were able to
keep it out of most western Europe
Despite this there was tension between
Muslims and Christians
The Age of Charlemagne
Emperor Charlemagne was able to unite
Western Europe






He was able to unite much of the old
Roman Empire
Because of this the pope named him King
of the Romans
This angered the emperor of the Eastern
Roman Empire in Constantinople
As emperor, Charlemagne helped spread
Christianity throughout the empire
In addition to religion, Charlemagne
stressed the importance of learning
Charlemagne established schools with a
set curriculum based on Latin learning








After Charlemagne
After his death, Charlemagne's empire
was split into three regions
Charlemagne was able to establish a
lasting legacy before he died however
After his death his empire was invaded by
Muslims, Magyars and Vikings
Vocab pg 214, # 3-6 pg 218
Section 2: Feudalism and the Manor
Economy
Feudalism arose out of the need for
protection from invaders
Feudalism involves lords, vassals and
feudal contracts







The Feudal system was very structured
and very complex
The World of Nobles
Warfare between nobles was so common
that they trained most of their life for war
Most noble boys trained from a young age
to be knights
Training for knighthood was very strict
and disciplined
When fighting ceased, knights competed
in tournaments for entertainment
Due to the constant warfare, powerful
noibles fortified their homes









These fortified homes became castles, a
symbol of Feudal society
Castles were supplied to withstand long
attacks
Noblewomen had a very important role in
feudal society
Some women even had political rights
Despite this women had very few land rights
Under the Knight code of chivalry, women
were put on a pedestal however
Peasants and Manor Life
Manor=Lords estate
Majority of population on a manor were
peasants







Peasants worked the manor lands in
return for protection
They were bound to the manor, but were
guaranteed food, housing and land
Manors were mostly self-sufficient
Peasant life was harsh, with men, women
and children working long hours
They slept in the same one room hut with
the farm animals they raised
The average life span of a peasant was no
longer than 35
Vocab pg 219, #3-5 pg 224







Section 3: The Medieval Church
The Church’s greatest achievement was
Christianizing Western Europe
During this time the Parish Priest was the
only link between the people and the
Church
Duties of the priests were very similar to
the priests of today
Churches served as places of worship
and socialization
Villagers took great pride in their
churches and decorated them
The church required tithing of it’s
parishioners









The church viewed women as equal to
men, but needing the protection of men
Monks and Nuns
The monk Benedict made rules to
regulate monastic life
They took vows and did manual labor
They also looked after the sick and elderly
They also ran schools for children
Educated monks and nuns stressed the
importance of learning
Like today, women could not become
priests
Some nuns had power in the church, but
in the later middle ages they were
suppressed







The Power of the Church Grows
The Church was not only the highest
spiritual authority, but the most powerful
secular power
The Pope claimed papal supremacy over
secular rulers
Church officials were educated so usually
held high government positions
The church developed canon law and it’s
own system of courts
Church punishments included
excommunication and interdict
The church was instrumental in trying to
bring peace between feudal lords








Reform Movements
There was much corruption in the
medieval church
Reformers attempted to reform the church
The marriage of priests and the selling of
Church offices was forbidden
Some priests joined preaching orders to
escape church corruption
Jews in Europe
Despite a strong Christian church, Jews
flourished in Europe
Christian persecution of Jews increased
in the 1100’s
Jews were blamed for killing Jesus and
they were forbidden to own land and work
most jobs
 Anti-Semitism was on the rise, and Jews
were blamed for most societal problems
 Because of this, many Jews migrated to
Eastern Europe


Vocab pg 225, #3-5 pg 230
Section 4: Economic Expansion and
Change
 By 1100 an Agricultural revolution had
aided Europe's economic recovery
 New technologies such as iron tools and
horse drawn plows made farming more
productive








The windmill also increased the amount
of grain produced
Peasants adopted the three field system
which produced more fertile land and
food variety
This caused the population to grow and
be healthier
Trade Revives
A growing population caused a demand
for more goods
New trade routes brought goods from the
Middle East and Asia
So many goods were coming to Europe
that they held annual trade fairs






Trade fairs brought so many people that
the first medieval cities began to develop
They ranged from 10,000 to 100,000
citizens
Cities were granted a charter which laid
out the rights of the people
Two of the most important rights were:
-right of people to choose their own
leaders
-right of runaway serfs who were free
for a year and a day were granted freedom








A Commercial Revolution
Revived trade led to:
-borrowing money to produce more
goods
-growth of banking houses
New business practices such as
partnerships emerged to minimize risk
A bill of exchange was another important
way to reduce risk in business
These business changes began to change
medieval society
One of the most important changes was
that of peasant to tenant farmer, and the
rise of a middle class







Many Jews became money lenders during
this time because Christians were forbid
to charge interest
Role of Guilds
Merchants and artisans formed
associations know as guilds
Merchant guilds were the first, and they
became very powerful
Artisans formed their own craft guilds
Guilds were similar to unions of today,
protecting the economic interest of the
worker
Guilds also provided support for widows
and orphans of guild members










Becoming a guild member was not and
easy process:
-apprentice (age of 7-8)
-journeymen (most remained here)
-guild master
Women were permitted to join guilds and
even become guild masters
Town and City Life
Cities were crowded rows of houses and
streets
They had a cathedral and a guild hall
There was no garbage removal or sewer
system
Vocab pg 231, 3-6 pg 236