Decline of the Frankish Empire

Charlemagne died in 814 Empire declined Mid 800s the Carolingian state begun to

divide and collapse. Louis the Pious- Charlemagne's only

surviving son, was well-educated and religious king, but weak ruler

Sons divided the kingdome

Decline of the Frankish Empire

Sons signed a treaty called the Treaty of Verdun

Sons fought among themselves, powerful lords also fought over the land that was divided.

Invasions of different peoples from all four sides began to attack

Muslims invaded from the Mediterranean

Decline of the Frankish Empire

Slavs from the east invaded central Europe

The Magyars- from the east, were nomadic, these people settled in what today is Hungary, terrorized Europe for 50 years.

The Vikings

Most feared invaders Vikings – came from Scandinavia in the

north Settled in present day Norway, Sweden,

Denmark Customs and myths centered around

pagan gods. Ruled by nobles and Kings

The Vikings

Government was democratic Vikings were farmers, gathered, fished,

and hunted During the spring they would travel They would raid and loot different

settlements along the rivers, in Germany, France and the Baltic

Bring back people to work in the farms

The Vikings

Had massive ships Traveled the Atlantic Ocean to Iceland,

Greenland and North America

Feudalism & Manorial System Feudalism: Europeans were governed

by small, local, independent leaders, political organization.

Noble granted land to a lesser noble- he could use the land, but was not the owner of the land.

Lesser noble promised loyalty, military assistance, and other services to the lord who granted the land.

Feudalism & Manorial System The grant of the land was called a fief Person who received the land was

called a vassal. (contract between the noble and the

vassal) Fief became hereditary, passing from

vassal to his son This system of inheritance from father to

eldest son is primogeniture

Feudalism & Manorial System Warfare:

Knights in the Middle AgesArmor made of chain mail-small, interlocking

metal links stitched to a knee-length leather shirt. Used a warhorse ( resembled today’s

Clydesdales) War between other nobles over landChurch tried to limit the general suffering caused

by war by issuing several decrees that prohibited acts of violence and private warfare, near churches and other holy buildings.

Feudalism & Manorial System Warfare:

If decrees were not obeyed church threatened punishment

Church also forbade violence against cattle and agricultural equipment, also certain people. Clergy, women, merchants and pilgrims

No fighting certain days: holy days, and weekends.

Feudalism & Manorial System Manorial System:

Social and political structure to the culture of the Middle Ages.

Manorialism- shaped the economy of much of Europe during the middle ages.

This system got its name from Manors of the Middle Ages.

Manors-large farming estates that included manor houses, cultivated lands, woodlands, pastures, fields and villages.

Feudalism & Manorial System Manorial System

People living in manors had to be self-sufficient

Lord kept on third of the land called the domain for himself.

Peasants farmed the remaining two-thirds of the land for themselves. (paid taxes)

Peasant life was difficult most peasants were called serfs

Couldn’t leave the land without the lord’s permission

Feudalism & Manorial System Chivalry:

1100s began the code of conductSystem of rules that dictated knights’ behavior

towards others. To become a knight you had to be a boy of the

noble class. Pass two stages of training.

○ Started at age 7 served as a knights page, or attendant

○ Lean manners and begin to learn how to use and care for weapons. Knights were expected to be courageous in battle and fight fairly.

Vocabulary check people could buy high positions within the

church hierarchy. Medieval church had power to tax. Parish

priest collected a _____-or one-tenth of a Christian person’s income.

all churches in the region could be closed, and clergy would be forbidden to perform marriages, burials or other sacraments.

The Church

Church was the lading landowners of Europe.

Many of the leaders in the Church were feudal overlords.

Church controlled a lot political power.

The Church

Parish priestDifferent responsibilities in the clergy. Ranks were based on strict organized

hierarchy. Parish priest held the lowest rankParish was smallest division of the church Priest held lowest rank but most important

offices. ○ He could administer five of the seven

sacraments

The Church

Parish PriestSacraments- were ceremonies at which

participants received God’s direct favor, or grace, to help ward off the consequences of sin.

Priest – could perform, baptism, Holy Communion, penance, matrimony and anointing of the sick and dying.

Bishops performed sacraments of confirmation and taking of holy orders.

The Church

The Bishop: Managed a group of parishes called a

diocese. Many of the bishops were feudal lords or

vassals in their own right and had vassals themselves.

Powerful nobles controlled the selection of bishops, based on the basis of family connections and political power.

The Church

Church Leadership: Several diocese, called archdiocese was

managed by an archbishop. Archbishop had all the powers and

responsibilities of a bishop and also had authority over the bishops of the archdiocese.

Pope held supreme authority in the church. Pope was advised by the CURIA

The Church

Church leadership Curia- group of counselors drawn from the

highest ranks of the clergy. The most important and powerful members

of the curia were the cardinals. Cardinals- the “ princes of the church”

○ Advised the pope on legal and spiritual maters.

○ 1100s on, only cardinals could elect the pope

The Church

MonasticismTwo types of clergy: priests, bishops, and

the pope were secular clergy. Second group of clergy was called the regular

clergy. Male monks

Nuns lived in accordance with strict rules, but they were not considered clergy because only men could fulfill that role in the church.

The Church

Monastic lifestyles: Monks and nuns believed that they had to

withdraw from the world and its temptations to live a Christian life.

Monks lived alone, and practiced their devotion to God in many ways

Sometimes inflicted extreme physical suffering on themselves to prove their dedication.

Monasticism- refers to the way of life in convents and monasteries.

The Church

The Benedictine Rule:Young Roman named Benedict became

disgusted with the worldly corruption he witnessed.

He left Rome to worship God as a hermit. He attracted many people because of his

reputation for holiness.Established a monastery at Monte Cassino,

in the mountains of central Italy.

The Church

The Benedictine RuleLater became Saint Benedict- created rules to

govern monk’s lives. Monasteries and convents all over Europe

adopted these standards, called the Benedictine Rule.

An abbot- was the elected head of the community and controlled and distributed all property.

abbess- served a similar role for women in convents.

The Church Church and Medieval Life:

In the Papal States the pope was both political and religious leader.

Many popes said they held political power and spiritual power over all monarchs.

Church had its own code of law, called canon law. Canon law- church's law, and the church had its

own courts. The clergy could be tried in this court and the

court would rule accordingly. Most times people would get excommunicated.

The Church

Church could also issue an interdict against an entire region. Interdict- all churches in the region could be

closed, and clergy would be forbidden to perform marriages, burials or other sacraments.

People who question the basic principles or who preached beliefs not approved by the church considered heretics.

The Church

Heretics- viewed as unbelievers whose sinful beliefs attacked the church and who thus deserved eternal damnation.

Medieval church had power to tax. Parish priest collected a tithe-or one-tenth of a Christian person’s income.

1200s church was at its height of power, wealthiest single institution in Europe.

The Church

Problems of the Church:King appointing a friend or relative to be a

bishop or abbot. Church leaders said only a member of the clergy could grant spiritual authority to another member.

Simony- people could buy high positions within the church hierarchy.

Two religious groups dedicated themselves to reform the church.

The Church

Saint Francis of Assisi founded the order of Franciscans in 1209

Saint Dominic founded the order of the Dominicans in 1216.

Members of these orders were called friars, lived and preached among the people.

The church ordered the Dominicans to go out and seek heretics, this was known as the Inquisition.

Question:

Would you fear the powers of the king or church?

Struggle of Power

Anglo –Saxon and Norman England: 100s kings and lords often struggled for

powerKings would try to control the nobles Roman rule left England and Germanic

tribes moved into the island. Culture that emerged from this Germanic

tribe was the Angles and the SaxonsFormed several independent kingdoms

(Norhumbira)

Struggle of Power

Anglo –Saxon and Norman England: Northumbria (is in northern England) Mercia (central England) Wessex (southern England) Three kingdoms divided into governmental

districts called shiresShire was governed by a shire-reeve

(sheriff)

England

Alfred the Great: Kings of Wessex controlled almost all of

England.Viking raiders from the north challeged the

rule of the Wessex Alfred the Great came to the throne of

Wessex and wanted to drive out the Dans (Vikings)

Was defeated by the Dans and made temporary peace.

England

5 years spent building his army and fleet of fighting ships.

Attacked the Danes and weakened and exhausted them.

England

Danish Rule: Alfred’s successors were able to win more

land back from the Danes/ expanded their land

Christianity spread throughout the land.In 1013 the Danish controlled the entire

country. 1016 King Canute of Denmark took the

throne of England and combined the kingdom of Scandinavia

England

Danish Rule:1042 Danish line had died out and the

Anglo-Saxon nobles chose Edward the Confessor as their new king!

He was part Anglo-Saxon and NormanDutch of Normandy was located in

northwestern France. Died without leaving an heir in 1066- duke

William of Normandy claimed the English throne.

England

Anglo-Saxon refused to recognize his claim.

They selected Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold of Wessex to be king

William crossed English Channel with Norman knights and defeated Harold’s army at Hastings in October 1066.

December was crowned King William I of England.

England William the Conqueror Norman’s laws customs, and language was

introduced in England. Anglo-Saxons didn’t like this they were a

Germanic tribe (spoke a Germanic language)

Norman’s spoke French (nobility in England spoke French)

Most people in England spoke the Anglo-Saxon language.

England

William brought over the Feudalism from France.

Shaped it so that the king held authority not the nobles

He required each lord to swear loyalty to him

New centralized government was taking shape, and a strong monarchy

Kept records of land called, and taxes

England

Reform under William’s sonsHenry I Williams first son1100-1135Changed the land legal system/ sent

traveling judges throughout the country to try cases, this weakened the feudal lords because the king’s royal court, not the lords feudal courts.

England

Reform under William’s sonsHenry the II 1154-1189 decisions that

increased royal authorityMade the vassals pay him a fee, he was

able to pay other people to fight in the army and be loyal to him.

No longer nobles to fightTraveling judges established routes, or

circuits that strengthened royal law throughout England.

England Reform under William’s sons

12 member jury developed in the court system, they decided civil as well as criminal cases.

Henry also wanted to try certain members of the clergy even though they had already been judged in the church courts.

Thomas Becket- Archbishop of Canterbury, refused his clergy to be tried in royal courts.

Four of the kings knights, believing that they were helping Henry ,murdered the archbishop in his cathedral.

England

Reform under William’s sonsHenry did penance to appease the church,

had to abandon his attempts to reduce the power of the English Church.

Henry’s sons plotted against him and his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine was not so good.

Eleanor was French, when they married her dowry was the land, caused England to be in conflict with the French.

England

King John & Magna CartaKing John- was famous for the revolt among

England's nobles Wanted the nobles to pay more taxes to

support the wars in France. 1215 powerful nobles called barons of the

kingdom joined together. Threats of an armed uprising against the

throne forced John to accept the Magna Carta.

England

King John & Magna CartaMagna Carta protected the liberties of the

nobles. Provided a limited outline of rights for England’s ordinary people.

King John also agreed not to collect new taxes without the advice of the Great Council.

Now the King had to obey the law or face revolt ant overthrown

Magna Carta made the law the supreme power in England.

England

Parliament and Common Law After the Magna Carta – the growth of

Parliament and common law began to grow Parliament:

○ Revolt of nobles against Henry IIII ○ Simon de Montfort powerful noble led the

revolt, wanted to get the middle class on his side.

○ Wanted middle class to meet with the Great Council ( knights and nobles and clergy)

England

Parliament and Common Law They meet and this council became known

as the English Parliament, later divided into two parts.

House of Lords( Nobles, and the clergy) House of Commons (knights, leading

citizens from the several major towns) Advise the king and refuse new taxes if they

wanted to.

England

Parliament and Common Law Common Law:

○ Edward I ruled from 1272-1307 ○ Divided the court into three branches ○ The Court of the Exchequer kept track of the

kingdom’s financial accounts and tried tax cases.

○ The Court of Common Pleas heard cases between ordinary citizens.

○ The court of the Kings Bench conducted trials that concerned the king or the government.

France

Capetain Kings in FranceAfter the Carolingian king died, a group of

nobles chose Hugh Capet to be King of France.

Descendants called the Capetians ruled for 300 years.

Many of the Capetians kings married noble women who came with a lot of land and took land that belong to nobles whose families died out.

France

Capetain Kings in FrancePhillip II favored the policy of taking English

holdings in France. Ruled from 1180-1223 he took land from the

royal landholdings by taking Normandy and Maine from the English.

Capetians’ struggled for power under Philip IV Increased royal power by taxing the clergyPope Boniface VII opposed Philip, the king

had him arrested

France Capetain Kings in France

After Boniface’s, Philip influenced the elcetion of Clement V.

Looked to the Estates General – a representative body made up of three major social classes. ○ Commoners, nobles and clergy○ Widespread support ○ 1300s Philip had three sons, none produced a line

of heir, the last Capetian ruler died Charles IV 1328 and the new line of French Kings the Valois came into power.

Italy & Germany

Italy was in ruled by many different people to the North and in the center was ruled by the pope ( Papal States)

Sicily was ruled by Muslims In Germany the lords elected Otto I to

be king in 936 Otto was interestedv in Italy.