Transcript Ch. 13 Power Point

Ch. 13 –
The Rise of the
Middle Ages
• For
hundreds of years following the
breakup of the Western Roman Empire,
Europe was the scene of widespread
disorder and change.
• Waves
of barbarian invasion and
settlement brought new customs to many
parts of Europe. Gradually Europeans
began to restore order to their lives.
• This
transition in the development of
Western culture is known as the Middle
Ages
• The
Middle Ages lasted approximately 900
years. They began around 500 AD and
lasted until 1400 AD.
Early Middle Ages
•
The years 500 to 1000 AD are known as
the Dark Ages.
•
During this time Vikings were invading
much of Europe.
•
Tribal disputes were causing constant
war.
•
Pagan worshipping was common.
•
Only the monks in the monasteries kept
learning alive.
High Middle Ages
•
The High Middle Ages lasted from 1000 to
1300 AD.
•
During this time society, nobility, and the
church grew stronger.
•
The feudal system became organized.
•
William the Conqueror became the King of
England.
•
The Magna Carta was signed by King
John in 1215, limiting the king's power for
the first time.
Late Middle Ages
•
The Late Middle Ages lasted from 1300 to
1400 AD.
•
This was time of tragedy and hope.
•
The 100 Years' War between England and
France and the bubonic plague known as
the Black Death took many lives.
•
The church was fighting.
•
Hope began when the working people began
to rise. New ideas grew. Overseas
exploration led to a modern time.
Feudalism and the Manorial
System
Feudal System
• With the fall of the Roman Empire, farmers
•
•
•
•
were forced to sell farms and rent land owned
by nobles
By AD 400, many Romans were living as tenant
farmers on huge farms owned by rich lords
The lord lived on a huge estate called a manor
To keep the farmers happy, a Catholic Church
was built on each manor
The only people that could protect the people
of the former Roman Empire were wealthy
lords
Feudal System
• Organized,
large-scale government in Europe
basically disappeared
• Replaced
lords
• System
by local, independent leaders called
of organization is called feudalism
• Powerful
noble granted land to lesser noble
• Lesser
noble could use the land and its
products but could not “own” the land
• Lesser
noble promised loyalty and military
assistance in exchange for land
• Lord:
person who granted land
(today: “landlord”)
• Fief:
grant of land
• Vassal:
person who received the fief
• Vassal
could further divide the land
and grant it to others, such as
knights
• So,
vassal could also be a lord
• Fief
eventually passed down from vassal
to eldest son – system called
“primogeniture”
• Every
landholder was a vassal to the king
• Church
owned vast amounts of land, so
even the church was part of the feudal
system
Structure of Feudalism:
King and Queen
Church officials and nobles
Knights
Peasants (serfs)
http://youtu.be/HCPp7XWZfHo
Manorial System
• Manors
were large farming estates
• Basically
no central authority or organized
trade at this time – people on manors needed
to be self-sufficient
• Lord
and several peasant families shared
land of manor
• Peasants
gave lord some crops, helped farm,
paid taxes

Life spans of peasants were short – hard
work, disease, starvation, frequent
warfare

Peasants who were not allowed to leave
the land were called serfs (slaves)

Nobles did not live in luxury or comfort

Castles were built on fortified hills

The only thing that unified Western
Europe at this time was that each manor
had a Catholic church that communicated
with the Pope
The Catholic Church
• The
medieval church had broad
political powers
• Performed
many
“governmental” functions
• Presence
Europe
• Great
felt throughout
economic force – a leading
landowner
Monasticism
• Two
types of clergy:
 Secular – priests, bishops, and pope
 Regular – male monks (female nuns not
considered clergy)
• Monks
and nuns served God through fasting,
prayer, and self-denial
• Monks

lived in monasteries; nuns in convents
Monks and nuns took care of the needy; some
became missionaries
• Pope
was religious AND political
leader
• Church
had its own code of law
(canon law) and its own courts
• Had
power to tax (tithe – 10% of
income)
• In
1200s, at height of power, church
was wealthiest single institution in
Europe
Problems of the church
• Lay
investiture – noble appointing a
friend to be a bishop (only clergy
should have this power)
• Simony
– buying high positions
within the church
• The
Inquisition – search for heretics
(those teaching against the church)
– those who did not confess were
sometimes burned at the stake
The Struggle for
Power in England
and France
King William I of England
(William the Conqueror)
• Ruled
England from 1066 to 1087
• Brought
feudalism from France to newly
conquered England
• Shaped
feudal system so that the king, not
the nobles (lords), held supreme authority
• Required
him
each feudal lord to swear loyalty to
• Kept
lords from uniting against him by
scattering their fiefs (land) throughout
England
• Laid
strong foundation for centralized
government and strong monarchy in
England
• Set
up accurate, central tax system
Henry II (ruled England 1154 – 1189)
• Vassals
(nobles) could pay him a fee
instead of providing military service
• Used
money to hire soldiers – thus
soldiers were loyal because he was
paying them
• Tried
to increase authority of his royal
courts at the expense of the church
(tried clergy members in his courts after
they had already been tried in church
courts)
King John (ruled England 1199 - 1216)
• One
of Henry II’s sons
• Demanded
the nobles pay more taxes to
support his wars
• High
nobles joined together against
him – forced him to accept Magna
Carta in 1215
Magna Carta
• Latin
for “Great Charter”
• Protected
freedoms of nobles
• Gave
outline of rights for ordinary
people
• King
John agreed to NOT:
 collect any new taxes
 take property without paying for it
 sell justice
King John signing the Magna Carta
in 1215
• John’s
acceptance of Magna Carta
meant that the king had to obey the law
• Law
– not king – was now supreme
power in England
• Our
constitution (Bill of Rights) contains
many ideals laid out by the Magna
Carta
• An
original copy of the Magna Carta
was on display this past year at
National Archives in Washington, D.C.
•
Magna Carta - YouTube