middle ages ppt

Chapter 14 Medieval Europe

Geography of Europe

Europe-The second smallest continent

I.Four Major Land Regions

a. Northwest Mountains-poor farming soil

b. North European Plain-flat lands make for Europe’s most fertile farmland

c. Central Uplands-much rocky land; minimal farmland

d. Alpine Mountain System-mountain chains, wide valleys, good farmland

II. Rivers a. Many rivers served as major transportation routes.

i. Volga River: Europe’s longest riverii. Danube River iii. Rhine River

III. Climate a. warm, mild climate because of the Gulf

Stream, a current which carries warm water to Europe from the Gulf of Mexico.

b. Deforestation: cutting down forests to clear land-allowed for planting on fertile farmlands

Lesson 2: Rulers and InvadersA European Empire

I. Domesday Book

a. keep track of the number of people in England

b. helped ruler set up a tax system

II. Charlemagne a. ruler crowned emperor by Pope Leo III b. Controlled a large empire and worked to keep it strongc. The kingdom fell apart after his death due to attacks by the Vikings

Invaders

III. Vikings a. Fierce pirates or

warriors from Scandinavia that invaded the empire

b. At first they raided to steal goods, then set up trading centers and trade routes.

IV. William the Conqueror a. ruler of Vikings in the Northb. settled troops in northern Francec. became Christians and church leaders

A Change in GovernmentV. King John’s leadership

a. Most kings of Europe were strong and just, exceptexcept King John.b. demanded more military service and greater amounts of tax money from the peoplec. sold royal positions to highest bidderd. When he lost an important battle, a civil war broke out in England.e. Instead of facing defeat he signed the Magna Carta.

VI. Magna Carta a. Document that contained a list of promises made by King John in order to end the civil war in Englandb. also known as the “Great Charter”c. contained 63 clauses that mostly helped the lords and other landholdersd. Most important about the Magna Carta was that it limited the power of the king The king now had to obey the law.

Lesson 3: Life in the Middle Ages

The Church

I. Christianity a. During the Middle Ages, Christianity played a major role in the lives of Europeans.

b. The Pope was as powerful as a king.

c. Focus: Built cathedrals with magnificent stain- glass windows

i. entire town worked for years on churches

d. Monasteries and convents, home to monks and nuns, served as centers of religion and education.

Feudalism

II. Feudalism a. Because the Middle Ages did not have a strong central government, a system of Feudalism was created by people to meet their needs for justice justice and protection.and protection.

b. Social structure

Monarch

Lords

Knights

Serfs

c. Lords pledged loyalty and military support (protection) to the monarchy.

d. In return, the monarchy gives these lords an estate.

e. On lord’s land, the lord receives a large % of crops and income, taxes others, maintains order, enforce laws, and protect serfs.

Feudalism DeclinesIII. Serfs

a. Lower class of people that live and work on the land (sometimes called

peasants)b. Unlike the other three groups,

they had no loyalty no loyalty to one another.c. Could not be bought or sold separate from the landd. Could not leave land without

lord’s permission

IV. Knights a. trained warriors on horseback b. gave military supportc. Code of Chivalry: a code of behavior in which the knight agreed to certain

behaviorsi. ready to die for the churchii. give generously to alliii. used strength to stand against

injustice

The Manor System

V. Manor System (NOT FEUDALISM)a. the way of organizing agricultural labor (farm

help) and manage feudal landsb. allowed the lord of the manor, along with knights

and serfs to be self-sufficient (meet one’s needs)

c. Parts of the Manor System:i. Manor house and village: home to the lord,

church, serfs’ cottages (make small village)

ii. Farmland -three-field rotation • Serfs were assigned one strip of land from each of the fields•One field planted in fall, one field planted in the spring, third field left alone to stay fertile.•As a result, each piece of land stays fertile.

iii. Meadowland: animals grazed on the landiv. Wasteland: unusable land

d. Surplus food was sold in market places.e. Towns grew because of surplus foods from the manors.

GuildsVI. Guilds

a. group of people united by a common interestb. Merchants, bakers, goldsmiths, etc. had guilds that allowed the group to:

i. work together to buy large quantities of goods cheaply and control the marketplace of each town.ii. control the quantity and quality of productioniii. disallow non-members of the guild to sell goods within the town.iv. guarantee a fair price for goodsv. prevent competition

Medieval Women

VII. Medieval Women a. Married women had few rights in making their own decisions. b. Unmarried women who owned land did have some rights, but they lost them once they were married.c. A LADY (or noble woman)’s actions were always directed by either her father or her husband.

Lesson 4: Crusades, Trade, and the Plague

The Crusades/ East and West

I.Crusadesa. Constant fight between Christians and

Muslims over Palestine which was considered the Holy Land for both groups.

b. Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus asked Pope Urban II to provide Christian knights to help fight against the Turks (Muslims from Central Asia)

c. Crusades i. Eight major military expeditions organized by

Christians in western Europe

ii. Kings, nobles, knights, peasants and townspeople became crusaders in attempt to win back Palestine.

iii. Crusaders also fought to gain more economic or political standings.

iv. During the Crusades while on journeys to the Holy Land, crusaders traded and increased commerce with people from around the world.

Trade Grows/The Silk Road

II. Tradinga. Most people’s needs were met on the Manor but still bartered for other goods they wanted that were unavailable on the manorb. Local guilds set up tents and stalls to sell goods at many fairs.c. To serve these fairs, European trade routes linked up with Muslim trade routes, and the Silk Road.

d. Goods from other lands would reach the traderthrough a series of middlemen.

e. On the Silk Road, caravans toto China carried ivory,gold, and precious stones.

f. On the Silk Road, caravans from from China carried fur, silk, and ceramics.

The Plague

III. Bubonic Plague a. Epidemic that killed 1/3 of the European

population between 1347-1352

b. First seen in China.

c. First European case in Genoa, Italy, a seaport town.

i. Because of traveling sailors, it then spreadto many different areas.

d. Fewer people (due to the deaths from the plague) led top serfs being more valuable to the lords and able to move up in society.