The Rise of Europe

1. The Rise of Europe Chapter 8

2. The Middle Ages An Introduction

3. Why do they call it the Middle Ages?

4. Main Ideas of the Middle Ages: • Feudalism • Christianity/ Crusades • Chivalry • Plague • War

5. Vocabulary • Any thing from the Middle Ages is considered to be Medieval. Examples: Medieval Castle Medieval Knight

6. The Early Middle Ages By A.D. 500, the Roman Empire had fallen apart. Historians call the 1000 years following the fall of Rome the Middle Ages. These years are in the middle between the fall of Rome and the rebirth of learning in Europe in the 1500s. During the Middle Ages, the eastern part of the old Roman Empire grew strong as the Byzantine Empire, but the western part broke into many parts and fell into decay.

7. The Early Middle Ages The fall of Rome brought important changes to Western Europe. Germanic tribes slowly moved south and took over Roman lands. People did not obey Roman laws any longer. Roman soldiers could not keep order. For 500 years there had been one Roman Empire. Now hundreds of little kingdoms took its place. These kingdoms had no system for collecting taxes and rulers had no money for a government

8. Also called the “Dark Ages” • Why? • Not much emphasis on • Thought • Government • Art • Philosophy

9. The Early Middle Ages From about 500 to 1000, the region was a frontier land (underdeveloped area on the outskirts of a civilization with vast natural resources). Dense forests flourished in the north. Beneath the earth’s surface lay mineral resources, and the seas and rivers provided fish, energy, and trade routes.

10. The Early Middle Ages Between 400 and 700 A.D., Germanic tribes carved western Europe into small kingdoms, the most successful of which was that of the Franks. They began a civilization that later developed into the modern countries of France, Germany, and Italy. In 481 A.D., a warrior named Clovis united the Franks and became their king. He made Paris his capital. He was the first Germanic king to become a Roman Catholic.

11. The Early Middle Ages While Germanic peoples conquered western Europe, Muslims from the Middle East won victories in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. They conquered North Africa and Spain but were defeated in France at the Battle of Tours. European Christians viewed Muslims with hostility and fear, but gained knowledge from them.

12. The Early Middle Ages In 800 A.D., one Frank king became strong enough to unite all of Western Europe. His name was Charlemagne, or Charles the Great. One of history’s great kings/curious, driven, intelligent, strong warrior, devout Christian/ was illiterate, but strongly supported learning Ruled from 768 to 814/ Expanded the Frankish kingdom into Carolingian empire = covered much of western & central Europe

13. Charlemagne • Reunites most of the western empire • He defeated the other Germanic tribes and united them into one kingdom, • Spreads Christianity • The pope Leo III crowned him “Emperor of the Romans.”

14. The Early Middle Ages Charlemagne tried to create a united Christian Europe and to revive Latin learning. He also established a school at Aachen (Germany), where the scholar Alcuin set up a Latin-type curriculum in which students studied grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

15. The Early Middle Ages Charlemagne appointed powerful nobles to rule local regions. He gave them the land so they could offer support and supply soldiers for his armies. To keep control of these rulers, he sent out officials called missi dominici to check on roads, listen to grievances, and see that justice was done.

16. Charlemagne’s Empire But then, his kids screw it up…

17. Charlemagne’s Empire But then, his kids screw it up…

18. The Early Middle Ages His rule brought law and order back to Western Europe, but less than 30 years after his death in 814, his empire broke apart and civil war began. New invaders threatened his kingdom. In 843, his grandsons drew up the Treaty of Verdun, which split the empire into three regions: Lothair in Italy, Louis the German in Bavaria, and Charles the Bald in Aquitaine.

19. The Early Middle Ages

20. Muslims invaded southern France • Magyars settled on the plains of Hungary • Vikings (Norsemen of Scandinavia) attacked the empire • Vikings were superb warriors & shipbuilders/ famed dragon ships carrying about 50 men could go shallow rivers to attack inland • 9th century, Vikings settled in Europe • 911, Frankish king gave Vikings land of Normandy

21. No strong, centralized rule • Is this a good thing? • Why would you want a ruler anyway? • What does a government provide for you? Here’s a hint…

23. Magyars from the East And the biggest threat came from the North, the Vikings Muslims from the South Europe under attack!

24. The Early Middle Ages One of the invaders that attacked Charlemagne’s empire was the Vikings, which came from northern Europe. They were sailors who built excellent ships. Viking explorers traveled to Russia, all across Europe and to America. They were not just destructive raiders, but also traders and explorers

26. The Early Middle Ages Around the year 1000, a Viking named Leif Eriksson landed on and island northeast coast of North America. He called it Vinland… today Newfoundland! Statue of Leif Eriksson in Duluth, Minnesota

27. The Early Middle Ages After the Romans left Britain in the fifth century, different Germanic tribes invaded the island (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes). They destroyed and invaded. In 1016 A.D., a Viking named Canute became the ruler of England. In 1042 A.D., Edward the Confessor, an Anglo-Saxon, became king.

29. Feudalism and the Manor Economy After the fall of the Roman Empire, a new political and military system arose based on the holding of land. It was called feudalism and it evolved in response to invasions by Vikings, Muslims, and Magyars. Under the feudal system, the king (lord) owned all the land, he gave it to nobles (lord), who could then give the land to other people (vassals) and ask for their loyalty. The land given to the vassal was called fief and peasants farmed it.

30. Feudalism • Invaders posed a threat to the safety of the people due to decentralized government • People began to turn landed aristocrats or nobles for protection/ led to feudalism • Feudalism arose between 800-900/ similar system in Japan- Samurai • Vassalage = center of feudalism/ came from Germanic society where warriors swore oath to their leader • Vassal = man who served a lord militarily

31. Feudalism: Military Service for Land

32. Feudalism • Knights = heavily armored warriors • Male = armor made of metal links or plates • Frankish army initially set up foot soldiers in mail • Heavily armored knights dominated warfare for over 500 years • Knights had great prestige & formed much of European aristocracy • Early Middle Ages (500-1000) wealth was based on owning land/very little trade • Nobles gave a piece of land to vassals in exchange for fighting = fief

33. Feudalism • Vassals had political authority in their fief/in charge of keeping order • Feudalism became complicated = kings had vassals who had vassals • Feudal contract = unwritten rules that characterized feudalism/relationship between king & vassal/knights for about 40-60 days a year • Vassals were to advise the lord, financial obligations to the lord, knighting of his eldest son, • Lord supported the vassal with land grant & protection in military & court

34. Feudalism and the Manor Economy To protect the fief, each vassal needed his own soldiers, but sometimes money was scarce so the vassal would offer land, dividing it into smaller and smaller pieces. Only the son of a noble could become a knight. At the age of seven, a boy was sent away to learn to fight and ride.

35. Feudalism and the Manor Economy During the long winter nights, the lord and his guests drank and sang. They also held tournaments, contests between knights. A lord would invite knights from the surrounding area to enter contests of fighting skill. Two knights in armor would ride toward each at full speed and try to knock the other off his horse. The tournaments were as dangerous as real battles.

36. Joust

37. Feudalism and the Manor Economy Noblewomen played active roles in the warrior-society. While the husbands or fathers were off fighting, the “ladies of the manors” took over their duties. They supervised vassals, managed the household, and perform necessary agricultural and medical tasks. The daughters of the nobles were sent to friends for training: they were expected to know how to weave and spin and how to supervise servants.

38. Feudalism and the Manor Economy Once a lord knighted a squire in a special ceremony, the knight would adopt a code of conduct called chivalry: the knight promised to defend the church, to be loyal to the lord, protect the weak, and be polite to women. Chivalry placed women in a pedestal. Troubadours, or wandering poets, adopted the view of chivalry and their love songs praised the perfection, beauty and wit of women.

39. Feudalism and the Manor Economy The whole feudal system was based on the control of land. A manor was that part of the fief that peasants farmed to support a lord’s family. A manor was self-sufficient because the people who lived on it grew, raised, or made nearly everything that they needed. The majority of the people who lived during the Middle Ages were peasants; a few were free, but most were serfs (they were not slaves, but bound to the land), no one could buy or sell them

40. Feudalism and the Manor Economy Men, women, and children serfs worked on the manor farms from early in the morning until late at night. They did the farmwork, cut wood, and built fences. The men planted with his wife along next to him. Children helped plant seeds, weeded, and took care of pigs or sheep. At night, the family and any animals slept together in their one room hut.

42. The Medieval Church During the early Middle Ages, the Church’s most important achievement to Christianize the diverse peoples of Western Europe. Missionaries were sent to spread their faith among Germanic tribes. Women also spread the faith by marrying pagan kings and bringing the into the Church. Clothilde, the wife of Clovis (king of the Franks), persuaded him to accept Christianity.

43. Role of the Church • Christianity became main religion of Roman empire by 4th century • Roman church developed a system of organization Priests was head of parishes – local communities Bishop was head of diocese - a group of parishes or bishopric Archbishop – head of groups of diocese Bishop of Rome became known as Pope – the head of what is now known as the Roman Catholic Church

44. Pope Patriarch Archdiocese/Archbishop Bishop/Diocese Gregory I Priest/Parish

45. Roman Catholic Church • Pope claim was based on the belief that Jesus gave Peter the keys to Heaven • Peter was considered to be the chief apostle & the first bishop of Rome • Bishops who succeeded Peter were called popes = Latin word for “papa” – father • Western Christians accepted the pope as the church’s leader, but could not agree on the pope’s powers • Gregory I strengthened power by taking political control of Rome & surrounding territories

46. The Medieval Church In manor villages, the priests of the parish was the only contact people had with the Church. The priests celebrated the mass and administer the sacraments (the sacred rites of the Church). Christians believed that faith in Christ and participation in the sacraments would lead them to salvation. The church was a social center. Peasants gossiped or danced. Later on, priests ran schools.

47. The Medieval Church To support the parish, the Church required Christians to pay a tithe, or tax equal to a tenth of their income. The Church taught that men and women were equal before God, but on Earth, women were viewed as “daughters of Eve,” weak and easily lead into sin. At the same time, the Church offered a view of the ideal woman, as modest and pure as Mary, the mother of Jesus.

48. The Medieval Church About 530, a monk named Benedict organized the monastery of Monte Casino in southern Italy. He drew up a set of rules to regulate monastic life: monks lived in monasteries and nuns lived in convents. Under the Benedictine Rule, monks and nuns took three vows: obedience to the abbot who headed the monastery or convent, poverty, and chastity or purity. Each day was divided into periods of worship, work, and study.

49. St. Benedict

50. Role of Church • Monks meditated & read privately/ They prayed together seven times a day • All aspects of Benedict life was communal • Abbot (father) ruled each Benedictine monastery • Monks spread Christianity throughout Europe/Irish & English monks were enthusiastic missionaries