Transcript Formation of Europe

Formation
of Europe
Middle Ages
• 500CE – 1500ish
• 500 – 1000 aka “Dark
Ages”
– Developed after Western
Roman Empire fell
– Invaded by different
Germanic people who
stayed
• Muslims took Spain
The Franks
• C. 500 United under
Clovis – b/c very
powerful
– Clovis – converted to
Roman Catholicism
– Helped spread
Christianity as he
conquered other
Germanic people
Charles
Martel
• Led Frankish force
against Muslims
• Battle of Tours 732 –
kept Muslims from taking
France
• Franks began to follow
him and his family –
called the Carolingians
Charlemagne
• Grandson of Martel
• Crowned emperor in 800
by Pope
• Gained more European
land
• Encouraged founding of
schools
• Granted land to nobles
who supported him
• Origins of feudal system
• Class of nobles (mounted
knights) arose
– In charge of military and
political affairs
• Hierarchy of lords and
vassals (subject to the
lords)
– Vassals ( lesser lords)
owed allegiance and
military service to higher
lords
Feudalism
• In return, the lord gave
the vassel a fief – a
grant of land (became
hereditary)
– Sometimes vassals had
several fiefs and more
than one lord
– Gave some of their land
to their vassals
• For most people, the
lord’s manor was the
gov’t
Serfs
• Peasants who worked on
manor were called serfs
• Pledged loyalty and
obedience to lord in return for
land and security
• Were semi-free
• Portion of their harvest went
to the lord
• maintain the lords fields and
homes
The Manor
• Owned by the lord
• Had fields, forests, rivers,
animals, serfs
• Lord and his deputies
provided law and justice
• Manors were mostly selfsufficient
• Serfs developed craft skills
that would lead to economic
development later.
The Economy
• Europe’s economy not nearly as
good as China and India
• By 10th century it became better
• Began long distance trade
• Made iron plows – attached to
horses/oxen
• Built water mills
• Rotating crops
• Towns were few and sparsely
populated
Vikings
• From Norway, Sweden and
Denmark
• Called Norsemen
• Fierce warriors (also
traders/settlers) called
Vikings
– Great seafarers
– Attacked England, France
and Spain – sacked towns,
churches, homes, etc.
– Settled Iceland and
Normandy (FR)
The Church in Europe
• Only source of unity and
order in fragmented
Europe
• Source of religious,
moral and cultural
authority
• Early Middle Ages –
W.Europe gradually
converted to Roman
Catholocism
• Kings/nobles usually
converted first
• Scribes, secretaries,
record keepers of
kingdoms came from
priest, monks, etc.
• Kings worked to
spread Christianity to
conquered lands
• By 1000CE – most of
W. Europe converted
The Papacy
• Gregory I – 590-604 –
reasserted that Pope
was supreme head of
church
– Emphasized the
sacrament of penance
– Directed missionary
campaigns to convert
England (had been
conquered by Angles
and Saxons)
Monasticism
• Developed in Egypt in
4th cent.
• Based on celibacy,
prayer, and isolation
• In W. Eur., Benedict
organized monasteries
with set of written rules
– Monks had to live under
abbot in poverty, chastity
and obedience
– Must pray, meditate
and work
• His sister, St.
Scholastic, did the
same thing with nuns
and convents
• Monasteries became a
center of life in W.
Europe
– Owned lots of land
– Had serfs to work fields
– Served as inns for
travelers
– Orphanages, hospitals
– Offered basic education
– Had libraries where monks copied ancient
manuscripts
– Most of the Latin lit. that we have today is because
monks made copies.