The Middle Ages

From the Roman Empire to 1500

The Early Middle Ages

From 500 - 1000

Europe in Early Middle Ages

768 A.D

Christian Church

• Middle Ages begins after fall of Roman Empire

• Much disorder in Europe

• Church became stronger and spread through Europe

• Church led by the Pope (father)

Pope St. Gregory the Great

590 A.D.

Role of the Christian Church

• Organized territories

• Governing law

• Settled disputes

• Gained great wealth and land

• Determined Latin as written language

• Some Christians became hermits and joined together to form monastaries

Monastaries

• Monks– Committed to God– Prayed 5 hours a day– Committed to simple living– Centre of learning– Copied books by hand

Monastary

• Church• Refectory• Dormitory• Library• Scriptorium• Infirmary• Guest House

Feudal System

• System of owning land • Land owned by lords

and worked by serfs• Serfs had to pay rent

and taxes to the lord. • Life was short and few

lived past the age of 40.

Manor Life

The Manor

• A world within itself. • Included several villages and many acres of

farmland. • Things that were needed were grown or made

on the manor. • This meant that money was not needed to buy

goods. • It also meant that most people seldom left the

manor during their entire lives.

Knights

• Sons of lords

Page: Age seven. • left home to live an train in a knight's household. There he

learned to behave with courtesy and handle small weapons.

Squire: ages of 15 to 20.• The squire was blessed by a priest and given a sword and

a belt. The young noble began to ride into battle alongside the knight.

• Knight: Becoming a knight marked "graduation." In a special ceremony he knelt before the king who dubbed him a knight by tapping him with a sword three times.

Problems with Manor Life

• Infertile Soil

• Crude farming tools

• Shortage of Food

• Famine

• Epidemics

• Decrease in population

Islam in the Arab States

• Religion founded by prophet Muhammed from Mecca in early 600 AD

• Means submission to God

• Followers are Muslims

• Faith spread quickly in Arab States

• Wanted to conquer surrounding territories to spread religion

What did this cause?

• Tension between the two cultures

The Crusades 1095 - 1200

• Islam and Christian engage in holy warfare

Eight Crusades

• First Crusade in 1095 captures Jerusalem

• Led by knights• Later crusades failed• Many commoners

joined the later crusades

Effects of the Crusades

• Trade stimulated

• Soldiers returned to Europe with rare goods, spices and silk fabrics

• New clothing styles emerged

• New technologies brought back to Europe from more advanced Muslim civilization

• However, great hostility between Christians and Islams remained

The Late Middle Ages

From 1000 - 1400

Countries in the Middles Ages

Positive ChangesThe Growth of Towns

• Nobles began to spend less time in battle and more time on the manors.

• Nobles increased their farmlands and crop surpluses occurred.

• Towns developed to provide a marketplace for the surpluses.

• The marketplaces flourished with European traders exchanging goods like grains, wool cloth, and wine for spices and silk from Asia and Africa.

Lifestyle

Church

• Remained powerful

• 500 cathedrals built in Europe

• Gothic Style architecture

• Gargoyles

• Religion was the focus of everyday life

Gothic Style

However

The Black Death 1347 - 1350

• Caused by a rat flea brought from the orient back to Europe through tradesmen

• High fever and black spots

• 1/3 of Europe’s population died within three years

Path of the Plague

Effect on Europe

The Black Plague

Post Plague and Crusades

• Population needed to increase

• Increased trade

• Rise of social classes

• Looking to the future…….

• And rebirth……

Sources

• www.warrennet.org/wtsd/medieval/ • www.ucalgary.ca/.../tutor/imagemid/bigfrank.gif• www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20I...• http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/images/feudal-system.gif• www.eiaonline.com/.../medieval-707963-753580.jpg• east.mesa.k12.co.us/library/images/KIRK6479Cu

• bss.sfsu.edu/jrodriguez/courses/331/331image.jpg