UNIT 1

THE EARLYMIDDLE AGES

IES JARIFA

NURIPROFEDESOCIALES

BEFORE YOU START

Byzantine imagesThe Byzantine Empire continued after the Roman Empire’s western territories fell to invaders from northern Europe. It lasted for more than 1.000 years and it had a very important economic, cultural and military role in Europe. Byzantine artistic achievements were mostly related to religious work.

Look at the pictures below; they are icons (from Greek eikon: image). This type of religious image was used to decorate Byzantine churches. Artists followed specific rules of proportion to represent figures. For example, in the case of a face you can see how there are three imaginary circles. The length of the nose determined the radius of the first circle. This first circle contained the eyes, the forehead and the nose; the second circle doubled the length of the first radius and encircled the head; the radius of the third circle is three times longer than the first and marks the halo (a ring of light that surrounds a saintly figure).

EXERCISES

1. Try to paint your own icon using a model of a face that you like (from a magazine, for example), and the method of the three concentric circles.

2. What does the word icon mean?

3. What does the first circle contain?

4. Look for the meaning of three words that you don`t know and write them in your notebook.

1. THE END OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Most historians date the end of ancient history and the beginning of the Middle Ages to 476, with the fall of the Western Roman Empire as a result of the invasions of Germanic tribes. The end of the Middle Ages is usually mark either by the fall of Constantinople to the Turks (1453) or the discovery of America (1492).

Key vocabulary

Empire, emperor, Western Roman Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, kingdom,

Byzantine Empire, barbarians, Muslim

Activities

1.When did the Middle Ages start? And when did they end?

2.Which empire did the Germanic peoples replace?

2. THE EMPIRE OF BYZANTIUM

The Byzantine Empire survived after the fall of Rome and managed to keep the ideals and traditions of the Roman Empire alive for more than a thousand years. The capital was established in Constantinople, a city founded by Emperor Constantine over the old Greek colony of Byzantium, which gave its name to the Empire. The city is now called Istambul (Estambul).

Key vocabulary

Crusader, civil servant, trade, craftwork

ACTIVITIES

1. Answer the questions:

a) Where does the name of the Byzantine Empire come from?

b) Which territories did Justinian conquer?

c) Which territories did the Muslim conquer?

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHURCH

The Church had a very important role in society, it crowned the emperor, it was a very rich and powerful landowner, and it had enjoyed spiritual authority over the population. However, it also had to confront many problems such as the iconoclastic controversy and the East-West Schism.

Key vocabulary

Brick, marble, dome, mosaic

ACTIVITIES

1. Who did crown the Byzantine Emperor?

2. What problems had to confront the Byzantine Church?

4. THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE

Among the Germanic kingdoms established in the territory of the old Western Roman Empire were the Franks. The Franks governed the north of France (Gaul). In 751 King Pippin the Short founded a new dynasty, the Carolingian dynasty, which took the name from Charlemagne, Pippin’s son. Charlemagne created a large empire that included the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Belgium, the north of Italy and Germany.

Key vocabulary

Franks, Carolingians, Carolingian Empire, dynasty, pope, march, marquis, county, count, feudalism, serf.

ACTIVITIES

1. Name the modern-day countries that were part of the Carolingian Empire.

2. Who did found the Carolingian dynasty? Who did give the name to the dynasty?

KEY VOCABULARY UNIT 1

Empire: a group of states ruled by a single monarch, called emperor or empress.

Emperor: ruler of an empire; his authority was higher than that of a king.

Kingdom: a territory ruled by a king or a queen.

Eastern Roman Empire: the Western part of the Roman Empire, with its capital in Rome.

Western Roman Empire: the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, with its capital in Constantinople.

Byzantine Empire: former Eastern Roman Empire, capital Constantinople; it lasted from 395 to 1453 when was conquered by Ottoman Turks.

Muslim: followers of Islam, the religion preached by Muhammad and based on the belief in one God, Allah.

Barbarians:name given by the Romans to the tribe that settled outside the border of the Roman Empire, like Visigoths, Franks, Saxons, Vandals…

Crusader: a member of the military expeditions that fought to recover Holy land from the Muslims.

Civil servant: a member of the state administration

Trade: the activity of buying or selling or exchanging goods or services between people or countries.

Craftwork: making things by hands by a craftsman, specially beautiful things.

Brick: a block of clay used in building.

Marble: a hard crystalline rock used in sculpture and building.

Dome: hemispherical roof.

Mosaic: picture or design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass.

Franks: barbarian tribe that settle in Gaul (modern France and Belgium)

Carolingians: dynasty founded by Pippin the Short

Carolingian Empire: empire founded by Charlemagne, which cover the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula and the centre and south of Europe in the 9th century.

Dynasty: line of rulers belonging to the same family

Pope: highest authority of the Catholic Church.

March: territory lying on frontiers areas or recently conquered and governed by a marquis with special powers.

County: a territorial division forming a unit for local administration and it was ruled by a count.

Feudalism: political, economic and social system that existed in Western Europe between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Serf: peasant who was not free, tied to the land he worked on and not allowed to leave without the lord’s permission.