SECTION 2 Unit 8: The Early Middle Ages Reading Review

The Middle Ages (also called Medieval Ages) was a

period of time in Europe after the fall of The Western

Roman Empire in 476 C.E until the slow re-emergence of

centralized governments and an appreciation for philosophy,

culture, and art in around 1500 C.E.

(REMEMBER ‘C.E’ = ‘COMMON ERA’ AND IS THE SAME THING AS ‘A.D’ OR

‘AFTER DEATH’ -- BOTH WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT THE YEARS IN OUR CALENDAR

ARE BASED ON YEARS SINCE JESUS LIVED)

The Western Roman Empire was a massive empire with a central capital in the city of

Rome in modern day Italy. The Roman government provided consistent laws throughout its

large empire. If you were living in the Roman Empire you could travel relatively safely on

Roman roads under the protection of Roman soldiers that enforced Roman laws. This allowed

for trading and the exchange of ideas throughout the empire (Cultural diffusion).

Roman culture included an appreciation for reading, writing, philosophy, and other

academic and intellectual activities. Many people within the empire that had the money, time,

and resources would travel to Rome either to trade or take part in the many religious and

cultural festivals that were thrown there.

However, The Western Roman Empire slowly decayed because of government

corruption, constant warfare, and a poor economy just to name a few reasons. Eventually the

once massive and powerful empire fell to Germanic invaders in 476 C.E. This brought about

the period that historians now call ‘The Middle Ages.’ When the empire fell, there was no

longer a consistent set of laws throughout Western Europe and the areas surrounding the

Mediterranean sea. Instead of one centralized

government with one single emperor, there was

political chaos. This means that many local kings and

soldiers fought for power over small pieces of land

and territory. Historians have called this social and

political way of organization ‘feudalism.’

Feudalism is a term that is used to describe the small broken up kingdoms of

Western Europe after the fall of The Western Roman Empire in 476 C.E. The Roman Empire

had one single government with a single emperor. After Western Rome fell, many people

fought over control of small and local pieces of land. Unlike during the days when The

Western Roman Empire held power, it was no longer possible for people to travel long

distances under the protection of one single government. Instead, most people stayed close

to where they were in the fear that they would be attacked, robbed, or killed if they left the

relative safety of their homes.

Without the consistent protection of Roman law and Roman soldiers, most people were

desperate to feel safe in a politically chaotic world. It is because of this that the social and

economic system of Feudalism developed! Peasant farmers needed protection, and could

offer their labor (work) to lords and kings in exchange for that protection.

Local kings and lords had land to spare, and could pay for

soldiers to fight for them in exchange for land. The development

of Feudalism in Europe meant that trade slowed down to a trickle,

the exchange of ideas and goods nearly stopped, and culture

became stagnant and relatively unchanging. This is why the

metaphor of a stagnant pond is useful to imagine when thinking

about medieval European society. A stagnant pond doesn’t have

water moving in and out of it. The lack of water flow leads to the

water sitting in one spot, not changing, and becoming stagnant.

Just like a stagnant pond that doesn’t move or change, medieval european culture was largely

unchanging, with very little trade or cultural diffusion. Scientific advancements slowed down

immensely, most people couldn’t read or write, and life generally became worse in many ways

for many European people.

Life for a majority of Europeans meant being almost a slave, although they weren’t

called slaves peasant farmers had very little freedoms and rights and lived dependent on the

whims and will of the lords or kings they worked for in exchange for protection. There were

essentially no public schools, and there was almost no social mobility for a majority of people.

If you were born a peasant, odds are you died a peasant.

Stagnant Pond = Social Stratification of Medieval Europe

Born a peasant -- Die a Peasant!

SECTION 2 UNIT 8 -- Critical Thinking Questions

1)How was the political (government) structure of The Western Roman

Empire different than political structure during The Middle Ages?

2) How was culture in Medieval Europe ‘Stagnant’ like a stangant pond?

3) What does Feudalism mean in your own words?

4) Why did peasants agree to work for lords and kings? 5) Describe what life was like for most European people during the Medieval Ages?