Medieval Europe500 - 1350

Dark Ages 500 – 800

High Middle Ages 800 – 1350

The German Kingdoms

• Romans loyal to Rome vs. Germans loyal to local war chiefs

• Romans speak Latin Germans speak German.

• German law based on custom:I. few written laws, officials, or taxes.II. German soldiers unpaid, service based on promises, tribal loyalty, and family

honor.

Kingdom of the Franks

• Clovis 481 – 511converts to Christianity

in 496 in order to gain support from the Pope and the Catholic church

• Clovis dies in 511, the kingdom is divided up between 4 sons.

• Kingdoms created office called Mayor of the Palace, to strengthen royal power

Carolingian

Dynasty

Early 700’s Spain invaded by Muslims from North Africa.

Mayor of the Palace, Charles “ The Hammer” Martel takes control of Frankish forces and Defeats Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732

Kings of The Franks

• Charles rules from 732-

751

• PePin “ The ShorT” 751-768

The Tithe of Pepin

• CharleS “The greaT”

CHARLEMAGNE

768-814

• 12/25/800 Crowned by Pope

Leo III

• Holy Roman Emperor

• Education: Alcuin the

Anglo Monk

could read, could not

write

• Illumination Bibles

Charlemagne promoted Christianity throughout the empire.

Strongly supported the missionary work to convert the Saxons.

Required all Christians in his kingdom to pay a TITHE of their income.

• After Charlemagne's death in 814

• The kingdom fell into civil war

• 843 The Treaty of Verdun

The Pope divided the kingdom into 3 parts and gave them to Charlemagne’s 3 surviving sons

The Treaty of Verdun

Charlemagne’s Kingdom

Charles“The Bald”

Western Kingdom

LotharHoly Roman emperor

Middle Kingdom

Louis“The German”

Eastern Kingdom

The Normans

• 911= Viking raids made life so difficult that the German Kingdoms gave them a portion of the northern Kingdom (France) to the Vikings.

• This area became known as Normandy and those who live there Normans.

• Eventually, the Catholic missionaries would convert the Vikings of Normandy to the Catholic faith.

Feudal Society

• Government system of rule by local lords who were bound to a King by ties of loyalty.

• Feudalism grows out of German custom.• It in Based on a mutual exchange of

obligations• Warriors , Knights, fight for a King, who in

turn provides for their needs

The Feudal Contract

1. The Lord provided his Vassal a Fiefa. The fief could be a few acres of land or hundreds of miles square, depending on the power of the Lord and his vassal

2. In turn. The vassal gives military service and Taxes to his LordA. Military service usually 40 days a yearB. Taxes came from the production of goods

from the land. And relief, an annual fee for use of the land (rent).

King

Lord

Lesser Vassal

Knight

Pope

Bishop

Priest or Monks

Feudalism is a Complicated

SystemIn Theory, everyone in the Feudal society

had a ruler except the King.In Reality, These Feudal King’s power was

very limited. They couldn’t collect taxes or enforce

laws outside their estates. This practice of competing loyalties

fragmented power.

Feudalism is a Complicated System cont.

Feudalism emerged as a result of invasions so Warfare was at the very heart of the system.

Among the Nobility, warfare was a way of life

Most battles were small, involving a few hundred to a few thousand men

Knights were more likely to be captured rather than killed.

Medieval warfare involved tough hand-to-hand combat, most wounds were fatal

Knights= heavily armored soldiers on horses.

Feudal Lords built strong stone castles for defense.

In order to tell one side from the other Families carried flags with special symbols

Chivalry: • It is a code of

conduct for Knights

• Combines Christian values w/ the virtues of a warrior

• Chivalry dictated the rules of warfare

1. you couldn’t attack a Knight until he put on his armor

2. Knights protected local peasants

The Manor Manorialism is the self-

contained Economic system of the Medieval world.

It consist of the lands administered by the Lord, a village, church, and all the surrounding lands.

The people who work on the Manor are:

Serfs = people tied to the land

Peasants= village people not tied to the land

Improvements in Agriculture

• Improvements began between 700 and 800

• 3 field system

• Heavy plow

• Horseshoe

• windmill

The Medieval Church

Influence

Importance of Salvation

Religious Orders

A force for civilization

The Medieval Church

• Two goals of the Medieval Church

1. Convert all non-Christians.2. Adjust church organization to new world conditions.

Church to become an Essential part of

Medieval Society

1. Fill royal position with educated Priest.

2. Have church control over large parcels of land.

3. Require church blessings on social ceremonies and contracts.

The Importance of Salvation

• Because life was hard, medieval people found comfort in Christian teachings.

• Early Christians believe that their earthly life is less important than everlasting life in Heaven

• The process of getting through this existence is known as Salvation

• The tools used by the Medieval church to help people w/ salvation were called the sacraments

7 Sacraments

• Baptism• Communion• Conformation• Penance• Ordination• Marriage• Extreme unction

The Churches' Goals

The Medieval Church helped to make Christian values an important part of everyday life in Western European culture.

The Church worked to care for the poor, educate, and preserve some ancient works.

It also rejected any religious teaching different from its own.

Establishment of

Religious Orders

In the early centuries, some men and women believed the best way to serve God was to withdraw from the world. This tradition gave rise to RELIGIOUS ORDERS, groups of monks and nuns that dedicated their lives to God through hard work and solitude.

• Each Religious Order established Monasteries (for men) and Convents (for women) through out Europe.

The first of these Monasteries was that of St. Benedict at Monte Casino in Italy.

• Benedictine Monks vowed a lifetime of poverty, purity, and absolute obedience to the Abbot.

Other Orders• Around the 13th century,

two other orders became prominent.

A. The Franciscans, started by St. Francis of Assisi

B. The Dominicans ,created by Dominic a Spanish Priest.

Both orders vowed lives of poverty, as well as help the poor and set

up schools.

Challenges to Church Authority

• Like its secular counterparts the leadership of the church faced many challenges to its authority.

• Control of the clergy (priesthood)

many priest were corrupted by the wealth they acquired. They became immoral, some sold church offices, a practice called Simony.

The Church was also in a constant battle against Heretics.

Height of Medieval Civilization

• In the 11th and 12th

centuries, warfare slowed

the Manorial system

became more productive.

• Greater AG productivity

causes increase in

population, growth of

towns and cities and a

revival of trade.

Annual Trade fairs

• Annual Trade fairs were held in centrally located areas. These areas were usually where trade routes crossed.

• Local land lords encouraged these fairs.

a. provided protection for merchants.

b. Rented booths and hired money exchangers.

c. profited from fees and sales taxes imposed on all transactions.

The Growth of Towns As trade increased… Some traders established

more permanent arrangements.

Growth of towns stimulated local economies.

Eventually, those who lived in these new towns asked the local lord for a charter to better define their rights and obligations

As towns grew so did the nature of the people who lived there.

Towns people were neither noble or peasant, These merchants and artisans made up a new middle class.

Eventually, towns and sometimes entire areas, became known for special products

Because these products carried the honor

(good name) of a family, town, or region, towns formed GUILDS, associations of people who do like work, to ensure quality of product

• Training for a profession was a long and demanding process.apprentice= earned no wages, taken care of by Master, learned the processjourneyman= earns a wage, is allowed to perfect his skills master=on his own, masterpiece

Trade Guilds

Merchants dominated the

earliest Guilds. Later

artisans set up craft guilds.

The Guilds…

1. imposed standards of

quality

2. provide training

3. set prices and wages,

regulate work hours

Town Life

• Typically, towns had a population of between a few hundred and a few thousand.

• Medieval Towns were:CrowdedDirtyDangerous

ThugsFiresEpidemics

Town Attractions

• Education

Universities

• Cultural Events

• Work

Medieval

Art/Architecture

Romanesque= 10th-12th century, attempt to link Roman/Medieval architecture.

Heavy in appearance Rounded or slightly pointed arches or vaults

Gothic= 12th-15th century, Early French style. Very tall, light in appearance.

Flying Buttresses Stain Glass Windows Pointed Arches Ribbed Vaults

Medieval Literature

• Latin

• Vernacular= language of the common person

• 2 important works

1. The Divine Comedy

2. Canterbury Tales