Postclassical Western Europe

1. Postclassical Western Europe Postclassical Period – fall of Rome (5th century) to 15th century Source St. Godric

2. Fall of Rome and Splitting of Europe 285 – administration of empire is split (E and W) 330 Constantine founds capital Constantinople 395 permanent division of E and W 476 last W Roman Emperor overthrown by Germanic peoples Saint Ambrose and Emperor Theodosius by Rubens

3. A Century of Crisis • PaxRomana came to an end with Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180) • The rulers that followed were unable to manage the large empire and its growing problems. • Result: The Roman Empire began to decline Read through the next SIX slides and answer the following questions in your notes. What led to the fall of the Roman Empire? Which cause was most responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire?

4. Problems Economic • Trade was disrupted by hostile tribes and pirates • No new gold or silver sources = raise taxes • Created more money = inflation (bad) • Soil in Italy and Western Europe became increasingly less fertile Romans did not foster a strong industrial base in their empire—they farmed, they fought, they traded, they enslaved and organized the world around them—but they did not cultivate industry. The did not have something to sustain their economy outside of subjugating and exploiting conquered peoples. When their foreign conquests began to slow down and eventually faltered, they had nothing firm to fall back on.

5. The Fall of the Roman Empire Political • Citizens were losing their patriotism towards Rome • Government began to be controlled by military • Emperors such as Nero, Commodus, & Caligula murdered, raped, and impoverished their people Emperor Nero in 64 AD A colossal fire broke out at Rome, and destroyed much of the city. Rumors stated Nero himself was responsible. He took advantage of the situation by building a lavish private palace on the site of the fire. Perhaps to divert attention from the rumors, Nero ordered that Christians should be rounded up and killed. Some were torn apart by dogs, others burnt alive as human torches.

6. The Fall of the Roman Empire Social • People were slowly losing their confidence in the Empire • Gap between rich and poor was still very wide • Decline in interest in public affairs

7. The Fall of the Roman Empire Military • Low funds for defense • Mercenaries (foreign soldiers) hired who accepted lower pay • Soldiers were less disciplined and loyal Inflation was a persistent and corrosive influence from the third century on—to the point that people began avoiding work altogether, to dodge taxes. This led to the abandonment of cities, the failure of central government and the inability to pay soldiers defending the empire. The weakened army was not able to protect the frontier borders which kept the barbarians living outside the boundaries of Rome at bay.

8. The Fall of the Roman Empire Reform Attempted • Emperor Diocletian • Ruled with iron fist and limited personal freedoms • Doubled size of army • Sought to control inflation • Divided empire in two: Greek Speaking East & Latin Speaking West • Separates the Western Empire from wealthier East (285 C.E.)

9. What led to the fall of the Roman Empire? Which cause was most responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire? Or…. Did the Roman Empire collapse in 476 C.E.?

10. The Fall of the Roman Empire Germanic Invasions • Mongol nomads, The Huns, forced Germanic peoples on empire’s borders to push into Roman lands • Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, ousted by Germanic forces in 476 AD

11. European Migration 300-700

13. Post-Classical Europe – 2 Christian Civilizations Byzantine Empire Western Europe Barbarian Kingdoms, ca. 526

14. Byzantine and Christianity 312 Constantine Embraced Christianity due to vision he had at the battle of Milvian Constantine's conversion, by Rubens (1622) 313 - Edict of Milan No more persecuting Christians in East or West Sylvester I - Constantine gives a palace to Bishop in Rome 391 - Theodosius I – Christianity became the state religion Polytheistic religions condemned 395 – Emperor Theodosius I dies – splits empire between two sons.. Permanent split 476 – Fall of Western Empire

15. Europe after the Fall of Rome • 6th to 10th centuries • Fragmentation prevails • Catholic church strong • Iberia • Arab Muslims • Core: France, Low Countries, Germany • Later, England • Scandinavian Vikings • Raids from 8th to 10th centuries • Literacy declines • except among churchmen

16. Quest for Political Order Fall of roman Empire Germanic Successors The Franks External invasions Emperor Charlemagne

17. Fall of the Western Roman Empire

18. Germanic Successor States • Decentralized Society • German chieftains replace Roman rule • Germanic tradition replaced Roman law • Peasants turn to local lords for safety • Subsistence Agriculture • Power shifts from Italy to France

19. The Franks Battle of Tours, 732 • Clovis I (466-511) • United the Franks • Converted to Christianity • Charles Martel (688-741) • Defeated Muslim at Tours • Charlemagne (742-814) • Centralized authority • Temporary revival of learning • Empire fell less than 30 years after his death

20. External Invasions External invasions by Vikings (purple), Magyars (green), and Muslims (red) completed the destruction of centralized rule in Western Europe. European lords built a system of military and political relationships to protect their land. This system is called feudalism.

21. Medieval Society (600-1000) Feudalism Serfs and manors The medieval Christian Church

22. European Feudalism • Kings and nobles gave land (fief ) to vassals (nobles) in exchange for military service • Control of land was hereditary • Vassals gave land to knights in exchange for military service • Knights were bound by a code of chivalry

23. European Feudalism

24. Knights and Castles The Knight The Castle Castle Rising in England was built in 1138

25. Serfs and Manorialism Serfs were required to work their lords land three days a week. The rest of the time they could work the small plots of land provided to them by their lord. • Agricultural manors were essential for maintaining the feudal system • Manors included a mill, church, workshops, and a village • Serfdom • Bound to the land • Cultivated land for lords in exchange for protection and a small plot of land • Also were responsible for weaving, building, etc.

26. Manorialism

27. The Christian Church • Created moral standards • Owned extensive land throughout Western Europe • Struggled with secular rulers to be the dominant authority in Europe • Supported monasticism • Monks preserved literacy and learning • Nuns provided an additional opportunity for women

28. The Pope A symbol of papal authority, Pope Gregory VII declared the church infallible and capable of removing emperors • Papal authority grew during early medieval period • Canon law • Excommunication • Investiture • Frequent power struggles between monarchs and the papacy • Henry IV and Gregory VII

29. Expansion of Europe Vikings Spanish Reconquista The Crusades

30. Viking Expansion

31. Spanish Reconquista • Began in small Christian states in northern Spain • By 1150 Christians had recaptured over half of Muslim Spain • Aided by organization and wealth of Catholic Church • Ended in 1492 with conquest of Granada • Drove Jews and Muslims from Spain • The Spanish Inquisition

32. The Crusades

33. Impact of the Crusades 1091-1204 • Creation of Slavic Kingdoms • Seljuk Turks seize territories • Venetians gain trading advantages • Crusaders turn on Byzantines 4th 1202

34. High Middle Ages (1000-1500) Establishment of regional states European Economic Revival social developments Christianity during the high middle ages

35. Rise of Regional States • Holy Roman Empire (Germany) • “neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire” • Conflicts with church prevented creation of a powerful state • France • Capetian dynasty consolidated feudal estates into a centralized government • Feudal monarchy • Italy • Dominated by powerful city-states: Rome (papal state), Florence, Genoa, Milan, Venice, etc.

36. Europe in the High Middle Ages

37. Rise of Monarchy in England King John, enemy of Robin Hood, was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 • William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 • Feudalism with centralized approach • Magna Carta signed by King John in 1215 • Created parliamentary system • Parliament must approve changes in taxation • Does NOT create a democratic system

38. European Economic Revival • Changing Agricultural Economy • Technology: improved plows, watermills, the horse collar, and the horseshoe • Crop rotation and the three-field system • Population growth • 800 CE—29 Million • 1100 CE—44 Million • 1300 CE—79 Million • Population growth led to urbanization • London, Paris, Toledo, etc. • Some towns challenged the authority of their feudal lord

39. European Economic Revival • Urbanization increased specialization of labor • Guilds created regulations between craftsmen • Protect prices, regulate production, etc. • Specialized labor increased manufacturing • Manufacturing focused on wool textiles • Woolen textiles dominated by Italy and Flanders (Belgium) • Increased manufacturing led to increased trade • Italian merchants dominated trade in the Mediterranean • Increased involvement in the Afro-Eurasian trade network • Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan, etc. • Hanseatic League promotes trade in northern Europe

40. Trade in the High Middle Ages Venetian and Genoese merchants established colonies in major trade ports of Alexandria, Constantinople, Cairo, Damascus, etc.

41. Social Developments Cathedral of Notre Dame or “Our Lady” • Status of women improved • Chivalry promoted respect for women • Urbanization created more job opportunities for women • All-female guilds • Worked same jobs as their husbands • Increased veneration of the Virgin Mary • Mary symbolized ideals of womanhood, love, & sympathy

42. Christianity in the High Middle Ages • Cathedral schools become universities • University of Paris, Oxford University, etc. • Rediscovery of works of Aristotle • Increased commerce with Muslims provided the West with access to Greek works • New intellectual movements • Thomas Aquinas and scholasticism • Combining Aristotle’s logic with Christianity to create the most truthful system of thought possible • Some reformers within in the church were worried about the materialism of the church

43. End of the Middle Ages Bubonic Plague Hundred Years War The Italian Renaissance

44. Bubonic Plague • Silk Roads spread bubonic plague across Eurasia in the 14th century • In October 1347 a ship from the Crimea sailed into Messina. The crew had a "sickness clinging to their very bones.“ • Rats carrying fleas got on shore spreading disease • Increased trade helped spread the plague • Close proximity, unsanitary conditions facilitated the spread into cities • 25 million people died in the next several years, 1/4 to 1/3 of the population of Europe • Population rebounded within 200 years

45. Spread of Bubonic Plague

46. The Black Death Victims “ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise” -Geovanni Boccaccio

47. Impact of the Bubonic Plague • Profound impact on manorial economy • Labor became scarce in some places • Tenants, rent payers, made gains as feudal obligations were lowered • Some serfs were freed to keep them from running away to better opportunities • Wages rose in towns to keep workers happy • “The path to the Industrial Revolution began with the Black Death. The population fall increased labor mobility by creating many vacant farms, and that mobility undermined serfdom.” - Robert Allen

48. Hundred Years War (1337-1453) Burning of Joan of Arc, 1431 • A series of periodic military campaigns between England and France • New technology • Crossbows, longbows, pikes, firearms, and cannons • Castles & knights outdated • Monarchs maintain permanent militaries

49. Italian Renaissance It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. • Started in Italy during the 13th century • Why Italy? • Urban Growth & Wealth • Merchant Class Values • Classical Heritage • Main Idea: humanism • Study of human beings and human potential • Celebration of human life • Many different approaches to humanism