WARM UPUSE YOUR NOTES, BOOK, AND ATTACHED HANDOUT TO COMPLETE THE BOXES ON THE “SURVIVAL OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE”. YOU MAY WORK WITH A PARTNER TO HELP COME UP WITH THE INFORMATION.

THIS WILL BE PLACED IN THE WARM UP SECTION OF YOUR INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK. Y0U WILL HAVE 10 MINUTES OF CLASS TIME. IF YOU DO NOT FINISH, YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE IT ON YOUR OWN.

THE MIDDLE AGES (Medieval Period)From the Dark Ages to the High Middle Ages and the late Middle Ages

The Big Questions:

• How was Western Europe affected by the collapse of Rome?• How did the system of feudalism restore order to

Western Europe?• How did religious beliefs shape life-styles in this

period?• What events contributed to the end of the

Middle Ages?

Introduction

• While the Byzantine Empire survived in the east, important changes were taking place in Western Europe.• Historians call this period of history (from the fall

of Rome in 476 A.D. to the 1400s) the Middle Ages (medieval period) – the period between ancient and modern times• Barbarian invasions contributed to the defeat of

the Romans, and after a period of invasions, they established their own kingdoms in many parts of the former Roman Empire.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE DAY:

• Constant warfare disrupted trade• Violence made travel unsafe• Bridges and roads fell into disrepair, and cities and

towns were abandoned• Bandits roamed freely• Wealthy families moved to the safety of fortified

homes in the country• No interest in learning• Shortages of food and goods grew• Churches and monasteries became the only places

where people could read and write

THE FRANKISH KINGDOM• The largest of the Germanic kingdoms (in what is now France)• Charles Martel (a powerful nobleman)• Helped unite the Franks• In 732, stopped the advance of Islam at the Battle of Tours (from Spain into France)

• Pepin (son of Charles Martel)• Became king in 751• Took control of northern Italy with the support of the

Pope• Set the precedent by Frankish kings of creating a powerful

army by granting lands to their nobles in exchange for service in the king’s army with their knights

CHARLEMAGNE (Pepin’s son)• Became king in 768• Enlarged his kingdom• Established a new capital at Aachen, which became a center of learning• Constructed a beautiful palace (modeled after court of Rome)• Used riches from his conquest to attract scholars and start a school for noble children

• Was crowned “Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire” in 800 (announcing to the world that Western Europe was separate from the Byzantine Emperor)• After Charlemagne’s death, his empire was divided

among his heirs

Charlemagne’s Empire

NEW THREATS TO EUROPE• New Invasions from the East• Slavs and Magyars invaded Central Europe• Muslims from N. Africa invaded S. Italy• Vikings from Scandinavia were the greatest threat• Between 800 and 1000, they launched repeated

attacks on Western Europe• Spread fear and destruction and committed

brutal atrocities• Created new trade routes and new settlements

(England, Normandy, and Sicily)

InvasionsVikings

Magyars and Slavs

Muslims

Feudalism (800-1400)• The system of government of the Middle Ages• To protect themselves from violence and to

provide for basic economic needs• Kings offered nobles a grant of land (fief) in

exchange for loyalty and service• The nobleman (vassal) gave homage

(allegiance) to the king• Helped people survive the breakdown of

central government and order• Characterized by key social, political, and

economic relationships

LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY• Draw a feudal

hierarchy chart in your notebook

Political Roles• Leading nobles controlled political life• Built large castles for protection• Created large armies of knights• King relied on his nobles for his own army• Nobles often fought among themselves or

challenged the king• Civil wars were frequent and nobles grabbed

land for themselves• Nobles and vassals were responsible for settling

disputes and dispensing justice on their fiefs

Social Roles• Feudalism provided for a strict class structure based on the

control of land and power• People were born into a social class and could not change

their position• Nobles (lords)• Knights• Serfs

• Women • Obedient to men• Had large numbers of children (many died in infancy)• Noble women spent their time in prayer and domestic chores• Few received an education• Peasant women worked closely with their husbands, ran the home,

and looked after livestock• People lived in extended families (large households)

Economic system - Manorialism• The Manor• The Lord’s home and surrounding territory (peasant

homes, village, and farmland)• Produced its own food, clothing, and shelter (trade was

dangerous)• Varied in size depending on wealth (some nobles had

many manors)• Peasants (Serfs)• Farm laborers gave a portion of their harvest to the lord

in return for the lord’s protection• Bound to the land and had no voice in most matters• Worked long hours to produce the food for all members

of society

Manor House

Lord and Lady

Peasant home

Medieval KnightPeasants

Manorialism continued…• The Nobles• Provided land and protection to the people on his manor• Passed laws, required labor, and acted as judges• Had almost complete control of everyone living on his land

• Farming • No knowledge of how to enrich the soil or rotate crops• 2/3 of the land was cultivated each year (1/3 remained

fallow or uncultivated). This was the 3 field system• One field devoted to winter crops• One to summer crops• The other was fallow• Bad weather and poor harvests often led to famine and

death

LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY

Draw a diagram of a typical Medieval Manor

THE CHURCH• Roman Catholic Church was single most powerful

organization in Western Europe• People believed the Church represented God and held the

power to send a person to Heaven or Hell.• Many nobles left land to the Church when they died,

hoping to gain entry into Heaven. (Church was the largest landowner)• Church gained additional wealth through tithes (Church

taxes)• The Church was the main center of learning (Church

officials were usually the only ones who could read or write). Rulers often relied on Church officials because they were educated.

Gothic Cathedral

THE CHURCH CONTINUED…• The head of the Catholic Church was the Pope

in Rome• Regarded as successor of St. Peter (leader of

Jesus’ apostles)• Catholics believed the Pope inherited the role

of Peter in running the Church• Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops helped the

Pope run the church• The Church owned monasteries, abbeys, and

convents that were run much like manors

MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN THINKERS• St. Augustine (Lived at the time of the fall of Rome)• Questioned why God would let barbarians destroy the

Christian civilization of Rome• Concluded that no earthly city could last forever, only the

“City of God” in Heaven is eternal• St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)• Showed how pre-Christian works of philosophy were

compatible with Christian teaching• Said people should trust both faith and reason• Believed in the existence of “natural law” – laws based on

reason• Believed that citizens have the right to remove rulers who

continually enact unjust laws (ruler’s power came from God through the people)

THE CRUSADES (War of the Cross)• A series of holy wars between Christian Europeans

and Muslims in the Middle East• In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks took control of

the Holy Land (Jerusalem) and drove out Christian pilgrims (for hundreds of years, Christians had regularly visited there)• In 1095, Pope Urban II called on all Christians to

unite and fight a holy crusade to recapture the Holy Land (he was answering a plea from the Byzantine Emperor)• Brought rulers and nobles from all over Europe

together to fight a common cause

OUTCOME OF THE CRUSADES• Brought new goods to Europe,

stimulating a rebirth in trade• Weakened the Byzantine Empire

(silk, rice, spices, coffee, etc.)• Contributed to the break down of

feudalism• Europeans learned about new

technology (zero, weapons, etc.)• Christian persecution of Jews and

Muslims and Muslim persecution of Christians

THE LATER MIDDLE AGES• Growth of towns• Increased trade led to the growth of towns and cities• Rise of a new merchant class• Formation of guilds (powerful associations of merchants and

craftsmen)• New inventions (mills, mechanical clocks)• Cities founded Universities• Gothic architecture (pointed arches, high spires, stained glass,

flying buttresses)

POLITICAL TRADITIONS• England developed traditions of liberty and limited self-

government• Magna Carta• Signed by King John in 1215• Nobles forced him to sign an agreement promising not to

take away any free man’s property or imprison any free man without following procedures established by law• It guaranteed all free men right to trial by jury, forced the

king to get consent from a council of nobles before raising taxes, and limited powers of the king

• Parliament• Established by the tradition of later English kings

summoning nobles and representatives of towns to grant them new taxes

KEY EVENTS THAT LED TO THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES• THE GREAT FAMINE (1313-1322)• Heavy rains and flooding spoiled crops and killed livestock• Millions of people died• Many questioned the Church why it was happening

• THE BLACK DEATH (1347-1351)• Rats with fleas carrying the disease entered Europe from

Asia on trading ships• About 1/3 of Europe’s population died• Some blamed Jews, others claimed it was God’s punishment

for sins (Cordoba became a safe haven for Jews in Spain)• The labor shortage it caused led large numbers of peasants

to escape serfdom (landowners and towns offered them freedom in exchange for work)

Continued…• THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR (1337-1453)• Between England and France (king of England claimed the French

throne)• Strengthened royal power in both countries (kings developed large

standing armies instead of relying on feudal lords)• Created greater national feelings• Knights became less important in battle• New military technology was introduced (long bow, gunpowder,

cannons)• Joan of Arc became an inspiration and martyr

for the French• A young peasant girl who rallied the French

troops around the heir to the throne• Successfully drove the English out of Orleans

and crowned the new French King• Was captured and burned at the stake by

the English

Continued…

• THE GREAT SCHISM (1378-1417)• The Pope clashes with secular (non-religious) rulers• In 1305, a Frenchman was elected Pope and moved

the papacy to Avignon in France (it fell under the French King’s influence)• In 1378, an Italian was elected Pope and moved the

papacy back to Rome• French Cardinals claimed the election was unlawful

and elected a French Pope to keep the papacy in France• This schism (split) greatly weakened the church