Transcript Ch.12iv rise of the European monarchy

The Rise of European
Monarchy
Chapter 12, Section iv
Feudalism was a de-centralized
form of government. As such, local
nobles gained much of
the power once held
by centralized
governments.
Around the
1100’s this
started to
change. Kings
would once
again wield
supreme
authority in
Europe.
First, let’s see who lived where.
After Rome left Britain, the Angles,
Saxons, and Jutes invaded and took
over from the Celts.
When the Vikings threatened the
Isles, King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred
the Great) united the Angles and the
Saxons under
his
banner and
defeated
the Danes
(Vikings) in 886
AD.
This kingdom became known as
“Angleland” or England. Alfred
would rule from 871 to 899.
Alfred was interested
in the revival of
education. He
founded schools
and hired scholars
to translate books
from Latin to
Anglo-Saxon.
He had his scholars write a history
of England called the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle. This revival of learning
would
influence
England
for years.
Unfortunately, the
following Kings were
weak. Finally, in 1066,
three rivals would
fight for control of
England.
The primary combatants were
Harold Godwinson (chosen by the
local nobles) and
William, Duke of
Normandy
(Northwestern
France.)
William beat Harold at the Battle of
Hastings and became the ruler of
England and was called William the
Conqueror.
Bayeux Tapestry: 1073-1083 AD
As King, William gave land for
military service and conducted the
first census since Rome left. This
was called the
Domesday
(Doomsday)
Book.
Although William and his court
were French speaking, England
remained AngloSaxon. Over the next
300 years, Norman
French and AngloSaxon
would create
an
“English” culture.
Unlike Alfred’s descendants,
William’s successors strengthened
the monarchy.
Henry I: created a federal treasury
and gave courts more authority.
Henry II: established common law,
including grand juries (to find
suspects) and petit juries (guilt).
Henry II wanted to try clergy in
royal courts. This created great
tension between the state and the
Church.
Four of Henry II’s knights (thinking
they were working on Henry’s
orders) killed the
Archbishop of
Canterbury,
Thomas
a’ Becket in
his
cathedral.
Henry II ruled England and parts of
Western France. He married
Eleanor of Aquitaine (once married
to a French king)
for her HUGE….
uh, tracts of land!
Henry I’s line
continued
through
Henry II and
Eleanor’s son
Richard I (the
Lionhearted)
and John.
Richard I
Gay?
John was a poop-head, though. He
raised taxes, lost land in France, and
punished his enemies without a trial.
Alarmed at
their loss of
feudal rights
(and local
control), the
nobles forced
John to sign the
Magna Carta in
1215.
The Magna Carta
(Great Charter)
placed limits on
royal power and
prevented the king
from collecting
taxes without the
consent of the
nobles.
The Magna Carta also guaranteed
the right to a trial by jury,
judgement of
peers, and no
unlawful
seizure or
exile.
John’s son, Henry III, saw an
increase in population and a growth
of towns. A new social class (the
Middle Class) was emerging.
Henry III added burgesses
(important townspeople) to
Parliament
(the Grand
Council) along
with nobility
and clergy.
The Rise of the French
Monarchy: OUCH!
After the Death of
Charlemagne, Frankish
lands disintegrated into
small lands ruled by
feudal lords.
In 987 AD, Hugh Capet seized the
French throne from
weaker nobles.
Originally, he
controlled only
Paris and a small
strip of land.
This was the Capetian Dynasty. It
lasted more than 300 years because
they established the concept of
primogeniture.
Death to all
who oppose
me!
King Philip II ruled France from
1180-1223.
•Doubled his lands
•Formed a semi-permanent army
•Used marriage and war as weapons
Seal of
Philip II
of
France
Philip’s grandson, King Louis IX
continued to build centralized
control of the French government:
•Only the King can mint coins.
•Ban on private warfare.
•Royal courts dominant over feudal
(local) courts.
The Fleur-deLys became the
symbol of the
French during
this period.
The three
flower petals
represent the
Holy Trinity.
Normandy
Louis IX
controlled
most of
what we
now know
as France.
Aquitaine
St. Louis,
MO is
named after
this king.
He led an
ineffective
crusade.
Louis IX
While monarchs in England and
France were building strong central
governments, Germany remained
divided.
I fought in
Germany and all I
got was this T-shirt
In return for military
service (this song
again?), Pope John
XII crowned King
Otto I of Germany the
first in a continuous
line of Holy Roman
Emperors.
The Pope had claimed the right to
anoint and depose kings. But Otto I
appointed and deposed several
Popes.
(Doh!!)
Unemployed
Popes looking
for work.
Medieval World History
The
conflicting
claims led to
tension
between the
HRE and
the Pope
many
times.
The only compromise came at the
Concordat of Worms (a town in
Germany) when the Church and
HRE agreed that the HRE could
appoint bishops
but the Pope
could reject
You’re
unworthy
unworthy!
candidates. heh, heh...
Europe now has all the parts
necessary to emerge from the
Middle Ages if they work at it.
Die,
foreign
scum!!
Europe
1. Strong, generally unified Church.
2. Centralized government.
3. Enough peace at home to travel
(now that the Vikings are beaten.)
4. Increased farm production with
the introduction of crop rotation.
5. Consistent laws.
6. Magna Carta.
7. Professional standing armies.
Compare Europe to the others now:
China, Africa, India, Byzantium,
Mezo-America.
How did Europe end up with all the
advantages?
(Geography, demographics, good
Church-state relations, decentralized gov’t for a while)
Other events during this era:
•Leaning Tower of Pisa built
•Order of the Templars created.
•Paris university founded.
•The growth of the Holy Grail
mythology.
The mythology of the Holy Grail
grew out of a story called “Chanson
de Roland”, a French
heroic poem about a
guy looking for a
“grale/grail”
(=stone).
What might be this lost stone from
history?
The search was originally about the
Ark of the Covenant (the vessel of
God), but later the
Grail became a
cup that was used
at the “last
supper” in the
New Testament.
Wolfram von Eschenbach wrote a
book called Parzival in which the
search for the Grail is popularized.
70 years later, Chretien de Troyes
wrote “Lancelot”, a romantic tale of
courtly love
that included
the Holy
Grail story.
From these and other stories, the
King Arthur legends are born. Was
there a King Arthur? There was a
king that the story is based on, but
there was no
Merlin,
Lancelot,
or Grail.