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Invaders Threaten Europe

Even while Charlemagne was building his empire, though, new threats appeared in Europe. Invaders began to attack settlements all over the continent. Muslim armies poured into southern France and northern Italy. Fierce warriors called the Magyars swept into Europe from the east, attacking towns and destroying fields. From Scandinavia came perhaps the most frightening invaders of all . . .

the Vikings.

The Vikings raided Britain, Ireland, and other parts of western Europe. They looted towns and monasteries and took prisoners to sell into slavery. The attacks were swift and savage, and Europeans lived in terror of Viking raids.

Because Vikings could sail their ships up rivers, their raids weren’t limited to coastal areas. The Vikings also reached inland cities and attacked cities in the Iberian and Italian peninsulas.

Caesar’s Rise to Power Caesar was a

great general. Romans admired him for his bravery and skill in battle. His soldiers respected him for treating them well Between 58 BC and 50 BC Caesar conqured nearly all of Gaul – an area that is today the country of France.

SPI 6.6.2 recognize the impact of individuals on world history (i.e., Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, William the Conqueror, Ramses II, Julius Caesar, Socrates, Aristotle, Marco Polo, Alexander the Great, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Martin Luther, and Johannes Gutenberg).

Upon returning from Gaul, Caesar led his army and crossed the Rubicon River, the boundary between Gaul and Italy. Caesar knew that there was no turning back. War was certain since Roman law said no general could enter Italy with his army. Pompey and his allies fled Italy. But Caesar’s army chased Pompey’s forces for a year and finally defeated him.

After Caesar returned to Rome in 45 BC, he made himself dictator for life. Although Caesar worked to improve Roman society, many people resented the way he gained power. They were also concerned that Caesar wanted to become king of Rome. The Senators were especially angry with Caesar. He had reduced their powers, and they feared his growing strength.

On March 15 - date known as the Ides of March - in 44 BCE a group of Senators attacked Caesar in the Senate and stabbed him to death.

In the late 700s, a leader named Charlemagne appeared. Charlemagne was a brilliant warrior and a strong king, and he led the Franks in building a huge empire.

To build this empire, Charlemagne spent much of his time at war. He led his armies into battle against many neighboring kingdoms and conquered them. By the time he was finished, Charlemagne’s empire included all of what is now France. It also stretched into modern Germany, Austria, Italy, and northern Spain.

Charlemagne, a Christian king, had conquered parts of the former Roman Empire. For that reason, on Christmas Day in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans. This title symbolized a return to the greatness of the Roman Empire.

Charlemagne didn’t spend all of his energy on warfare, however. A great admirer of education, he built schools across Europe. He also brought scholars to teach in his capital at Aachen, now in western Germany. Among these scholars were some of the greatest religious scholars and teachers of the Middle Ages.

Feudalism also reached Britain in the 1000s. It was brought there by a French noble named William, who was the duke of Normandy in northern France. In 1066, he decided to conquer England.

William and his knights sailed into England and defeated the English king in a battle near the town of Hastings. After winning the battle, William declared himself the new king of England. He became known as William the Conqueror. To reward his knights for their part in the victory, William gave them large estates of land in his new country. This was the beginning of feudalism in England.

The Hundred Years War In 1328

King Charles IV of France died with no sons, and two men claimed his throne. One was King Philip IV of France. The other was King Edward III of England. In the end, the King Philip IV became king.

King Edward IIIKing Philip IV

This did not sit well with the English king, and a few years later he invaded France. This invasion began a long conflict between England and France that came to be called the Hundred Years’ War.

At first the English armies did well, winning most of the battles. After nearly 100 years of fighting, however, a teenage peasant girl, Joan of Arc, rallied the French troops.

Although the English eventually captured and killed Joan, it was too late. The French drove the English from their country in 1453.

The Fight against the Moors For centuries,

the kingdoms of northern Spain had been small and weak. But as the Moors’ power declined, these little Christian kingdoms seized the opportunity to attack. Slowly, they took land away from the Moors. They called their efforts to retake Spain from the Moors the Reconquista, or reconquest.

In 1469 Ferdinand, the prince of Aragon, married Isabella, a Castilian princess. Ten years later, they became king and queen of their countries. Together, they ruled all of Spain as King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Ferdinand and Isabella finally brought an end to the Reconquista. In 1492 their army conquered Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. That same year, they required all Spanish Jews to convert to Christianity or leave the country. A few years later, they banned the practice of Islam as well. Through this policy, all of Spain became Christian.

The Spanish Inquisition Ferdinand and Isabella

wanted only Christians in their kingdom. To ensure that Christianity alone was practiced, they created the Spanish Inquisition, an organization of priests that looked for and punished those who opposed accepted church teachings, or heretics, and anyone in Spain suspected of secretly practicing their old religion. Later, the Inquisition spread to Portugal as well.