APWH 600-1450

1. APWH 600-1450 Medieval Europe T&E Chapters 17 & 20

2. Early Middle Ages • Germanic invasions bring about the final collapse of the Western half of the Roman Empire • Last Roman emperor abdicates in 476ce • Several Germanic tribes begin to set up small, regional kingdoms in territory that was once Roman • Ostrogoths • Visigoths • Vandals • Angles • Saxons • Lombards • Franks

3. Early Middle Ages (cont.) • Most influential of these Germanic kingdoms will be the kingdom of the Franks • Clovis – First Frankish king to convert to Christianity • Charles Martel – Defeats the expanding Moors at the Battle of Tours (732) • Charlemagne : • Most important ruler • Crowned ‘Emperor of the Romans’ in 800 (what?!?) • Following his rule, empire will be split in three at the Treaty of Verdun (843) • Frankish kings want to associate themselves with the Catholic Church in order to consolidate/legitimize their rule in western Europe.

4. Early Middle Ages (cont.)

5. Early Middle Ages (cont.) • Invasions begin to plague Western Europe between the 8th and 11th centuries: • Muslims • Magyars • Vikings • Invasions are taking place at a time when central authority is breaking down in Frankish territory

6. Early Middle Ages (cont.) • People of Europe need protection from invaders • Land owners need armies to protect their lands & people to work the land • Result of the breakdown of central authority, coupled with the constant attacks from outsiders, results in the development of Feudalism: • Social construct based on reciprocal relationships based on land ownership • Lords <-> Retainers (also known as Vassals) • Medieval society by the High Middle Ages: • Those who pray • Those who fight • Those who work

7. Early Middle Ages (cont.) • Feudalism was supported by an economic system known as the Manor System or Manorialism • Large agrarian estates which produced everything the lord needed, and housed the serfs and peasants that worked the land. • Rigid social hierarchy; no social mobility • Knights - Chivalry • Christianity becomes the dominant religion in the continent: • Catholic Christianity dominates almost all aspects of life including non-religious ones • Church hierarchy: • Pope • Cardinals • Archbishops • Bishops • Parish Priests • Monasticism develops thanks in part to the efforts of people such as St. Benedict and Scholastica

8. High Middle Ages • Regional states: • England & France • Norman conquest (1066) – Bayeux Tapestry • Magna Carta • Hundred Years’ War • Spain • Muslim invasion (711) • Reconquista (10th – 15th centuries) • Spanish Inquisition • Italy • Trading city-states dominate Mediterranean trade

9. High Middle Ages (cont.) • Holy Roman Empire (HRE) • Loose confederation of neighboring states • Think McDonald’s: Emperor is CEO, each state is a franchise • Investiture Controversy • Emperors and popes battle for power • Showdown between Henry IV and Gregory VII ends with the drafting of the Concordat of Worms (1122)

10. High Middle Ages • Medieval economy: • Increased agricultural technology • Increased yields • Larger population • Urbanization & trade • Mediterranean trade & Hanseatic League

11. High Middle Ages (cont.) • Crusades: • Siege of Constantinople leads Byzantines to ask Pope for help • Pope Urban II issues a call for Crusade • Forgiveness of sin for Crusaders • Series of military invasions of the Holy Land by western European Christians • For Christians: • Increased contact with the Muslim world leads to increased knowledge • For Muslims: • Crusades result in a feeling of bitterness and mistrust towards westerners