Transcript The Early Middle Ages and The High Middle Ages

The Early & High
Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages
 Timeframe:
 Important people:
 Important places:
 Important things:
500-1,000 CE
Clovis, Charles Martel, &
Charlemagne
Europe
Catholic church - extremely powerful
- dominated all aspects
of life.
Feudalism…nobles, knights, & peasants.
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Riddled with social, economic, and political
problems, the territories in the Roman Empire
fell from invasions.
New Germanic Kingdoms
 When W. Rome fell in
476 CE, Germanic
invaders carved up
Western Europe into
small kingdoms.
Franks = France
Visigoths = Spain
Ostrogoths = Italy
Anglo-Saxons =
England
Byzantium Empire =
Eastern Roman Empire
The Franks
Only one German kingdom proved long
lasting…The Franks
Frankish kingdom was established by
Clovis
Strong military leader
1st Germanic ruler to convert to
Christianity (500 AD)
Gained the support of Roman Catholic
Church.
The Franks
*Made Vikings part of European society by settling
them and converting them to Christianity.
By 510, Clovis had created a powerful new kingdom
that stretched from Pyrenees in the SW (in Spain) to
modern day France & W. Germany.
Tomb of Clovis at the Basilica of
St. Denis in the suburbs of Paris.
The Muslim World
 By 622 Islam had spread and was a growing huge empire
 Muslim armies overran Palestine, N. Africa, and Spain.
Charles Martel
As the Islamic caliphates pushed over the Pyrenees
Mtns in Spain and deeper into W. Europe , they were
stopped by…
 Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours in 732

This is significant b/c
it kept Muslims
out of Europe
except in Spain.
Age of Charlemagne
In the 800s, Charlemagne
reunited much of Europe.
 Set up a strong efficient
government (model)
 He revived learning
 Extended Christian civilization
into northern Europe
 Further blended German,
Roman, and Christian traditions
After Charlemagne died, his
heirs battled for power
 In 843, they split the empire into
three regions.
Summary
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of this section using
4-5 sentences.
Feudalism
 Feudalism is a social system
based on mutual obligations
between lords, vassals & serfs.
 Feudalism emerged b/c people
needed protection from
competing interests and
invasions.
 Feudalism created a strict
order in medieval society.
 The heart of feudalism –
vassalage, which meant
warriors swore loyalty to a lord,
who in turn took care of their
needs.
Serfs/Peasants
Farm land/provided shelter
Feudalism
Monarch
Lords
Lesser Lords
Knights
Peasants
Knights
Knights adopted a code of conduct
called Chivalry
 Which required them to be brave, loyal,
and true to their word
 In warfare to fight fairly and be
generous to their enemies
 Rules in chivalry applied to nobles only
(not commoners).
Peasant Life
 Peasants made up the
majority of medieval
society
 They lived and worked on the
lord’s estate or manor
 Most peasants on the manor
were serfs
 Were bound to the land
 In theory they were
guaranteed food, housing
and land.
Peasant Life
 Daily life
 Avg life span was 35 yrs
 Everyone worked
 No school or learning
 Simple diet of black bread & few veggies
 Believed in elves, fairies, love potions,
and magic charms
 Priests tried to Christianize them
The Medieval Church
After the fall of Rome, the Christian Church split into eastern &
western churches. The western church, became known as the
Roman Catholic Church
 It was thee most powerful secular force in medieval Europe
 The pope claimed authority over all men
 Taught all men were sinners and doomed unless saved through
Sacraments
 Taught that men and women were equal before God
 But on Earth women were inferior to men
 Had it’s own law and courts (Canon Law)
 Could excommunicate violators – exclusion from the Roman Catholic
Church as penalty for refusing to obey Church laws.
 Nobles and Kings could be interdicted – excommunicate an entire
region, town, or kingdom.
The Medieval Church
 The Church was the
Center of Daily Life
 Monasteries & convents
performed a vital cultural
function by preserving the
learning of the ancient
world.
 Benedictine rule 530AD
 Oath of poverty
 Vows of chastity
 Obedience to the abbot
 Hard work was of spiritual
value
 As the Church became
stronger and wealthier, it
also became corrupt
 Clergy tended to be worldly
and lived in luxury
 Monks and nuns ignored
their vows
Eastern Roman Empire
AKA – The Byzantine Empire
Capital city: Constantinople
Trade & knowledge flourished in Constantinople
due to its location as a meeting point between
India/Asia & Europe.
Eastern Roman Empire
Justinian – most notable emperor in 552
 Restored Roman empire during his reign. From N. Africa to Asia Minor.
 Most important contribution – codified Roman law which became the
basis for much of the legal system in Europe
 Greatest achievement – built the famous Hagia Sophia in 537– the
Church of Holy Wisdom
Eastern Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire
Theodora
Empress & Justinian’s wife
Championed women’s
rights
 Women can divorce, keep
children, & own property.
 Laws against beating wives
 Responsible for keeping
Justinian in power when
under attack by riots
Summary
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section using 4-5 sentences.
Agricultural Revolution
1. Wood plows pulled by oxen (broke & slow) 
Iron plows pulled by horses (stronger & faster)
Agricultural Revolution
2. Windmills were invented –
they grind large quantities of grain into flour
Agricultural Revolution
3. The three field system
One w/ grains, one w/ legumes, and one fallow.
when fallow, soil has time to replenish
Agricultural Revolution
Results of the Agricultural Revolution….
 More food  More population
More than doubled between the years 1,000-1,300 CE
European Trade Revives
Merchants set up
routes with armed
caravans
Trade fairs help
create new towns
 Artisans made
goods for the traders
 Cities slowly grew
 The most
prosperous in N.
Italy & Flanders
European Trade Revives
Charters
 From the king or lord
 Townspeople could
control their own affairs
 Anyone living in the town
for 1 year + 1 day was
free!!!
Put new ideas into
circulation & greatly
expanded the middle
class
Economic & Social Changes
Economic Changes
Social changes
 Money reappeared
 The need for capital
created banking houses
 Partnerships developed
 Insurance underwriting
began
 Bill of exchange
 Most lords needed
money to buy goods
 Many serfs began to sell
goods to the towns
 Paying their lords in cash
instead of trade
 By 1300, most serfs
were now tenant
farmers or hired
laborers
Denier (Penny in English, Pfennig in
German, Denaro in Italian)
Workers Guilds
Guilds
Merchant & craft guilds
dominated life in towns
Membership was a
three step process
 Apprentice - age 7 or 8
for seven years
 Journeymen.....most did
not make master
 Master
Medieval Towns
Medieval Towns
Grew in a haphazard
manner
Jumble of narrow streets
& tall buildings
No street lighting
Noisy during the day
deserted at night
Had no garbage or sewer
so waste went into the
streets
Towns were filthy,
smelly, noisy & crowded
Effects of Trade
Put new ideas and products into circulation
Reintroduced money
Revised social structure
 Kings had more power
 Growing middle class
 Serfs changed to free peasants
Sets the stage for the Renaissance
Summary
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section using 4-5 sentences.
The High Middle Ages
Timeframe:
1050 – 1450 CE
Important places/people/things:
England
King John, Magna Carta,
Parliament
France
Philip II & Luis IV
Holy Roman Empire Pope Innocent III
Crusades
1095-1204, 7 total
Black Death
#s, social, & econ effects
Hundred Years War
France vs. England
The High Middle Ages
1050-1450 CE
Strong monarchs in England & France used
various means to centralize power
Set up system of royal justice
Created a gov’t bureaucracy
Tax systems
Standing armies
Worked w/ the new middle class
In England:
New Political Traditions Evolved
Common law
Henry II sent out traveling
justices to enforce royal law
Their decisions became the
basis for…
The jury system
The justices formed groups
of men to determine which
cases should be heard
(grand jury)
Evolved into jury by peers
In England:
New Political Traditions Evolved
Magna Carta in 1215
King John was forced to sign it in1215
It stated that nobles had certain rights
The king couldn’t raise new taxes w/o 1st consulting
The Great Council (lords & clergy)
In England:
New Political Traditions Evolved
Parliament
The Great Council evolved into parliament
In 1295, Edward I added common people to the council
Parliament became bicameral
 House of Lords & House of Commons
In France:
Strong leaders built an efficient
centralized bureaucracy
Philip Augustus of France
Used paid middle class
officials
Chartered many new towns
Organized a standing army
Introduced a nat’l tax
Quadrupled royal land
holdings
In France:
Strong leaders built an efficient
centralized bureaucracy
Louis IX
Lived by the rules of
Chivalry
Persecuted heretics,
Jews and Muslims
Expanded royal courts
Outlawed private wars
Ended serfdom in his
lands
In France:
Strong leaders built an efficient
centralized bureaucracy
Phillip IV
 Clashed with Pope Boniface VIII so he Killed him &
moved the new pope to France
 Set up the Estates General had representatives from all three estates or classes:
 Clergy
 Nobles
 Townspeople
Church Supremacy
 Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II
 Preoccupied with power
struggles with the Church
 Was forced to give in to
demands of the German
nobles
 The nobles’ increasing
independence made it
impossible to unify
Germany’s many feudal
states.
 *Pope Innocent III .…1198
 Led Church to the height of
power and prestige
 Keep strict control over the
clergy
 Claimed supremacy over all
other rulers
 Led a crusade against the
Albigensians in S. France
Summary
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five sentences.
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
Byzantine Empire
*Urged on by Pope Urban
 Seljuk Turks (Muslims)
 1000’s joined the Crusades
extended their power over
 *Why did they go?
Palestine and attacked
 Religious reasons
Christian pilgrims
 Win wealth and land
 Alexius I sent and urgent plea
 Escape troubles at home
for help to Urban II
 For adventure
 Western Europeans were
unaware of advanced
civilizations in Asia, Africa,
and the Americas.
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
Seven Crusades
 1st 1095-1099
Brought Jerusalem under the Christain
crusaders control
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
Seven Crusades
 2nd 1147-49
Epic fail
Then in 1187…
Muslim forces began to fight back… Holy
City of Jerusalem fell to Muslim forces
under the leader, Saladin
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
Seven Crusades
 3rd
 4th
 5th
 6th
 7th
1188-1192
King Richard the Lionhearted of England
negotiated w/ Saladin, Christians
permitted to visit Jerusalem
1202-1204
Looted Constantinople
1217-1221
1228-1239
1248-1250
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
 *The Reconquista
 Spain expelled the Muslims from their land
 Created a unified state under King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella
 Spain was broke afterwards so they hired
Columbus in 1492 to search for new land and
riches.
The Crusades 1095 to 1204
*Effects of the Crusades
Left a bitter legacy of religious hatred
Helped quicken the changes in Europe
Increased levels of trade
Papal power reached its greatest height
Hardened Byzantine resentment against the West
Increased the power of W. Europe’s monarchs
Encouraged the growth of a money economy
Brought Europe into contact with other civilizations
A Revival of Learning
Improved economic and political conditions
led to a revival of learning
Universities started teaching..... math,
geometry, astronomy, music, grammar,
rhetoric and logic
Europe enjoyed a cultural flowering, as
writers created works in the vernacular and
cities all over Europe built towering stone
cathedrals that served as symbols of their
wealth and religious devotion.
Europeans rediscovered the
writings of the ancient Greeks
Setting off a revolution in the world of ideas
Forcing Christian scholars to resolve the
conflict between logic and faith (scholasticism)
 Use reason to discover basic truths OR accept truths
on faith
Science made little progress....most thought
true knowledge must fit with church teachings
Summary
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five sentences.
A Time of Crisis
Europe attacked in 3 ways in mid-1300's
1. Drought
2. Black Death
3. Hundred Years War
A Time of Crisis: Drought
1. Drought caused widespread crop
failures resulting in


Famine, malnutrition and starvation
Famine weakened the population, leaving them
vulnerable to the plague
A Time of Crisis: Black Plague
2. Black Death /The Bubonic Plague
Spread by flea infested rats
Unsanitary towns helped spread the plague
Symptoms:
Swellings and black bruises
Heavy sweats
Convulsive coughing
Rotted on the inside spitting blood and
smelling terribly
Died in agony
A Time of Crisis: Black Plague
A Time of Crisis: Black Plague
 Killed 1 out of 3 people
 Approximately 38 million people died
 Created social & economic chaos
A Time of Crisis: Black Plague
Social changes
Economic changes
Turned to magic and
witchcraft for cures
Plunged into wild
pleasures
Saw plague as God’s
punishment
Blamed the Jews
Labor shortage
Prices rose
Scared people rioted
and revolted
A Time of Crisis: Hundred Years’ War
3. War fought between:
England vs. France
1337 – 1453
A Time of Crisis: Hundred Years’ War
Joan of Arc
 Inspired French soldiers & led them
in battle
 Betrayed by French & died on the
stake
1412 - 1431
A Time of Crisis: Hundred Years’ War
The effects of the war…
Increased nat’lism & expanded royal power in France
Devastated the countryside
Increased power of Parliament in England
Drained their money supply
A Time of Crisis: Hundred Years’ War
Changes in warfare:
Longbow
Cannon
Summary
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using 4-5 sentences.