Transcript The Early Middle Ages: The Feudal Spirit

From
This…
To this.
• Descended from Franks:
valued war and destruction
• Blend of two cultures during
reign of Charlemagne
• Kingdom: Large European
kingdom, from the Rhine to
Spain
• Renewed interest in learning
and arts
• His interest in culture assembled group of scholars and
artists. This is against the negative stereotype of the
Middle Ages.
• Borrowed imperial ideal from Rome and Byzantium
• Monks copied manuscripts and painted, learned chants
and interpreted the Bible.
• Alcuin of York, teacher: revival of learning and
literacy. Attempted universal education – again,
against the stereotype.
• Pilgrimage to Rome in 800.
Crowned Holy Roman
Emperor. First large-scale
monarch since Roman times.
• Charlemagne’s kingdom only
lasted one generation after
his death – split it up
between his children.
• New wave of invasions:
Muslims, Hungarians, Vikings
Charlemagne, ready to save the
damsel in distress – the Pope.
• France and England bore the
brunt of Viking invasions
• Decentralized government
system: feudal estates
• Feudalism: system based on
vows of military service and
ownership of land.
• Based on grant of lands by
lords to vassals (middlemen)
in return for service
• Castles served as refuge for the
feudal estate during war
• Crusaders came back and
improved them – stone instead
of wood!
• Fortresses intended to defend
against siege, not for comfort
• Decoration of castles simple
tapestries to protect from cold
• Emerged as a way to enforce
loyalty.
• Loyal to lord, not sleep with
his wife, or surrender his
castle as well as religious
devotion and service to
ladies
• Tournaments: feasting,
pageantry and dance
• Professional warriors
(knights) emerged
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Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws
of God.
• Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
• Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good
against Injustice and Evil.
• In 1066, England was ruled by
the Anglo-Saxon king EDWARD
THE CONFESSOR. When he
died that year, his relative
HAROLD became king despite
Edward possibly naming a
Norman king.
• Harold quickly became involved
in fighting new and fearsome
invasions by the Vikings.
• Harold also had reason to fear
across the English Channel in the
French region of Normandy.
• The Normans were ruled by
Duke William of Normandy. He
claimed that the dead Edward
the Confessor had promised the
throne of England to him.
• In 1066, William sailed with
thousands of soldiers and
Norman nobles. They invaded
England to take the throne from
Harold. Harold’s troops were
exhausted from just having
defeated the Vikings – and
they were defeated by the
Normans at the BATTLE OF
HASTINGS in 1066.
• The Normans brought French language, culture, and legal
system to England. For many generations the Normans and
Anglo-Saxons of England struggled for power and to live
together.
• William the Conqueror united England under his control. He
used military force and bureaucracy.
• He built many castles throughout the kingdom for his forces to rule from –
such as the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.
• He established the DOMESDAY (not Doomsday) BOOK which was a
bureaucratic survey of the kingdom.
The Crusades
• After Christianization of the Vikings,
Slavs, and Magyars there was an
entire class of warriors who now
had very little to do but fight
amongst themselves and terrorize
the peasant population.
• A plea for help from the Byzantine
Emperor Alexius I in opposing
Muslim attacks thus appealed to
their sense of adventure.
Intense Religious Piety
• Due in part to the Investiture Controversy
(significant conflict between secular and
religious powers over the issue of who would
control appointments of church officials).
• People became personally engaged in the
dramatic religious controversy
• The Results:
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Intense Christian piety
Public interest in religious affairs
Popular support for the First Crusade
The religious vitality of the 12th century
Emperor Henry IV at the
Feet of Pope Gregory VII
Roman-Byzantine Rivalry
• The Great Schism, 1064, was
a division of Christianity into Eastern
Orthodox and Roman Catholic. The
primary cause was
a dispute over papal authority.
• In the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William
the Conqueror (from Normandy) defeated
England and brought unity and strength to
that country.
• After the capture of Toledo from the
Muslims in 1087, it became the residence of
the kings of Castile and the ecclesiastical
center of the whole of Spain
• The Normans captured Sicily from the
Muslims in 1091 and paved the way for the
unification of that country.
Events in Muslim World
• The Battle of Manzikert,
1071, resulted in the
defeat of the Byzantine
Empire and the capture of
the Emperor by the Seljuk
Turks (Muslims).
• The Turks disrupted
Christian pilgrim traffic.
• Pope Urban II called for a
Crusade in 1095
• Objectives
Drive Turks from Anatolia
Obligate the Byzantines
Provide occasion for healing
Great Schism on Rome's terms
Capture Holy Land
• First Crusade 1097-1098
Achieved all major objectives
in Holy Land
Turkish threat blunted, though
not eliminated
Area not strategic to Muslims, could
have been held indefinitely with a
little skill.
Initial gains lost through
diplomatic bungling.
Crusaders attempted to
destabilize neighbors
• Second Crusade, 1147-1148
• Military failure, discredits Crusaders
as military threat
• Third Crusade, 1189-1191
• Well-known in literature (Robin Hood)
• Involved Richard I of England, Phillip
II of France, Frederick I of Holy
Roman Empire
• Saladin on Muslilm side.
• Ended in a truce.
Richard the
Lionhearted and Philip
II got into a fight and
Philip went home.
Frederick fell off of his
horse and drowned in
a puddle. His armor
was too heavy and he
couldn’t roll over.
• Fourth Crusade, 1199-1204
Crusaders sacked Constantinople,
1204
Chance to heal Great Schism
utterly lost.
In 1453, when attacked by Turks,
Byzantines preferred surrender to
asking Rome for aid.
• Fifth Crusade, 1218-1219
• Captured Damietta, swapped for Jerusalem
• Muslims agreed
• Crusaders tried to conquer Egypt,
were routed
• Sixth Crusade, 1229
• Frederick II of Germany did little
fighting and a lot of negotiation
• Treaty gave the Crusaders Jerusalem
and all the other holy cities and a
truce of ten years
• He was widely condemned for conducting the Crusade
by negotiating rather than fighting.
• Seventh Crusade, 1248-1254
• Led by Louis IX of France
• Nearly an exact repeat of the Fifth Crusade
• tried to invade Egypt & failed
• Eighth Crusade, 1270
• Led by Louis IX of France
• Louis’ brother, Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily,
had strategic plans of his own and diverted the
expedition to Tunisia, where Louis died.
• The last Crusader cities on the mainland of Palestine fell in
1291
• One small island stronghold lasted until 1303.
• 12 year old Stephen of Cloyes
claims to have been visited by
Jesus; says he is to lead a
crusade to peacefully convert
Muslims
• 30,000 boys and girls follow
• Fail – they ALL DIE or are sold
into slavery.
• Those who don’t die of famine
and disease drown at sea.
German Children’s
Crusade led by Nicholas
of Cologne faired little
better. 20,000 children
went – only 2000 survived
to be put on boats to the
Holy Land. None of them
ever are heard from again.
• Lack of interest, rising European prosperity
• Repeated military defeats
• Discredited by "crusades" against
Christians (e.g., Albigensians, Orthodox)
• Vast increase in cultural horizons for
many Europeans.
• Stimulated Mediterranean trade.
• Need to transfer large sums of money
for troops and supplies led to
development of banking techniques.
• Knowledge introduced to Europe
Heavy stone masonry, construction of castles and stone
churches.
Siege technology
• Weakening of nobility, rise of merchant classes
• Enrichment was primarily from East to West--Europe had little to
give in return.
The Late Middle Ages:
Crisis and Disintegration
• The English nobles and people always resisted a monarchy with
unlimited power.
• COMMON LAW – Henry II established traveling judges who
went throughout England ensuring that the law was the same
everywhere – for the wealthy and the common people
• 1215 – the English nobles feared that King John had too much
power. They forced him to sign the MAGNA CARTA – or Great
Charter. This was the king’s recognition that the nobles had
rights he could not trample upon. These were not rights for the
common people – but it is seen as the beginning of a
government that recognized its own limits to power.
• The nobles and wealthy people of England developed an
assembly to balance the power of the monarch. This became
known as PARLIAMENT. It has two parts to it:
• House of Lords – originally filled with people with hereditary tiles (this has
changed)
• House of Commons – originally made up of wealth citizens who were not
nobles
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“Little Ice Age” – a small drop in average temperatures led
to crop death which led to Famine
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Heavy rain (1315 – 1317) led to food shortages
Population growth that occurred up to 1300 thanks to good
crop yields put pressure on food supply
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Not enough food to go around for everyone, especially rural farmers
who usually had less than an acre of land to use to support their
family.
• Originated in China;
brought to Europe via
trading ships who
docked in Sicily.
• Chinese used plague
victims as weapons in
war by flinging their
bodies over battlements.
• More grossness…
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Belief that plague was a punishment from God for
the Crusades led to…
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Passed through southeastern Europe & the Low Countries.
Self-mutilation
Strict discipline
Escape outlet for the peasant.
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Attacks against Jews for “poisoning water.”
General violence due to fear and lack of
understanding – anger could not be directed toward
God.
• Many people moved away
from the cities and towns.
• Declining population forced
masters to find new ways to
produce goods.
• Landlords increased rents
and turned to raising sheep.
• Labor Shortage + Falling
prices for agricultural
products = Drop in
aristocratic incomes
Causes
• Entanglement of French and
English royal families Royal
Succession.
• Feudalism upset in the
balance.
• King Edward III (1327 –
1377) claims French
crown after the death of
Charles IV (Fr)
• French barons award the
crown to Philip VI of
Valois
• French Civil War in 1415;
Henry invades.
• Battle of Agincourt (1415) –
up to 7000 French dead, as
few as 29 English
• Treaty of Troyes gave French
princess to Henry in
marriage, but he dies before
French king
• Charles the Dauphin now
rightful heir to the French
throne.
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Believed she heard voices from
St. Michael, St. Catherine and
St. Margaret.
Convinces the Dauphin to lead
the army.
Liberated France at the Siege
of Orleans.
Charles is crowned at Reims
Joan is captured by allies of the
English in 1430 & put on trial
for witchcraft
Burned at the stake (1431)
Declared Patron Saint of France
in 1920.
• War ends with French
victory (1453) thanks to
inspiration from Joan of
Arc
• English driven out of
France except for Calais
• New Weapons
• Longbow
• Gunpowder for
cannons