Objectives

To examine the political, social, religious, economic, and technological developments that occurred in Western Europe during the Middle Ages (500-1500).

Western European Middle Ages

I. The “Dark Ages”

• After fall of Roman Empire, a new culture emerges– Mix of old Rome, Germanic customs, and beliefs of

Roman Catholic Church• End of civilization??? (no)– Disruption of trade– Downfall of cities– Population shift– Decline of learning– Loss of common language

• New languages evolve from Latin and Germanic-languages– French, Spanish, Italian

Move to the country

II. Germanic Kingdoms

• Small, shifting kingdoms become dominant form of governing

• Loyalty to family and personal relationships more important than citizenship in an empire

• Church becomes a stabilizing factor in chaotic times

• The Franks– Held power in Gaul (France) in late 400s, 500s

• Clovis – leader of the Franks– Converted to Christianity– Church supported his campaigns against

other Germanic peoples

III. Expansion of Christianity

• 600 – many Germanic people have converted to Christianity (sometimes out of fear)

• Monasteries – religious communities started in rural areas– Monks, nuns – gave up worldly possessions, devoted

to spiritual life– Benedict – developed strict set of rules for

monasteries (520 C.E.) – Centers of education – opened schools, libraries

Pope’s authority expands Uses power to raise armies, negotiate treaties with

kings/enemies

IV. Charlemagne (742-814)

• 4th in line of Carolingian Dynasty– Charles the Hammer (1st) – extends Frankish kingdom– Pepin the Short (2nd) – cooperated with the pope– Carloman (3rd) – brother of Charlemagne

• Known as Charles the Great, Charlemagne takes throne in 771

• Built Western European empire greater than any since ancient Rome

• 800 – larger than Byzantine Empire– Charlemagne crowned emperor of Holy Roman Empire

• Signified the combining of powers of Church and Germanic peoples

IV. Continued…United most of Western Europe

Spreads Christianity throughoutCentralization of power

Limited authority of nobles Ruled justly through royal agents

Return to learning Promoted education, surrounded himself with scholars

Died 814 After death, 3 grandsons fight over empire Treaty of Verdun, 843 – breaks up empire into 3

kingdoms Erodes centralized power structure Development of new way of governing – feudalism

V. Feudalism (or Manorialism)

What is it? A system of governing and landowning based on

specific rights and obligations Lord = landowner Fief = piece of land owned by lord Vassal = received a fief in exchange for protection

and services to lord Serfs = peasants who could not lawfully leave the

place where they were born Not slaves What they produced on the land belonged to the lord

V. Continued…

KINGS

NOBLES & BISHOPS

KNIGHTS (VASSALS)

PEASANTS (SERFS)

Landowners

V. Continued…

Manor system – the lord’s estate (property) was called a manor Basic economic system of middle ages Serfs provided with housing, farmland,

protection from bandits Manor life was not easy

No protection against vengeful knights/nobles

Taxes – on food, marriage Tithe – church tax

VI. Women’s Role

Women considered inferior to men View of Church and general society (patriarchal)

Noblewoman Could inherit estate from husband Wife was in charge when husband was away Still limited – mostly stayed at home or lived in a convent

Property was not handed down to a daughtersPeasants

Life based on raising families, working land Daughters not formally educated (unlike noble daughters)

VII. Church Power

By 800 – Church was looking to strengthen its power

Church and kings competed for authority over population

Law of Church Canon law = church law

All medieval Christians were subject to certain religious laws

Could face punishment for not following canon law Excommunication = banishment from Church Interdict = the removal of sacraments/religious

services from a person or region

VII. Continued…

Emperor clashes with the pope Church disliked the practice of lay investiture – kings

and nobles appointed church officials Whoever appointed church officials held real power in

church Concordant of Worms, 1112 – compromise over lay

investiture Only church had power to appoint bishops, but emperor

had power to veto (override)

VIII. Medieval European EconomyBy 900s, new agricultural techniques

Moldboard plow – curved iron plate, allowed deeper turning of soil

New horse collar – would not choke horse Three-field system – leave 1/3 of land

unplowed (fallow) to regain fertilityPolitical stability began to take hold

in 10th centuryCombination leads to population

growth, which leads to economic growth (Commercial Revolution)

VIII. Continued…Growth of towns and cities, beginning in 900sTrade & Banking

Growth of cities leads to specialization of manufacturing & artisanal techniques

Exchange of goods between Europe and Asia Crusades into Middle East helped bring Asian goods and

ideas into Europe Guilds – Groups of people in the same business/trade

Offered some level of control over prices, quality Banks – Helped facilitate long-distance trade by

standardizing monetary system Banking and profit-making were looked down upon by

many Christian scholars

IX. Changes in Medieval Government

Conflicts between nobles and kings led to compromises over power Magna Carta (Great Charter)

1215 – King John of England agreed to sign the charter, promising to limit his power over nobles and Church No new taxes w/out nobles’ permission Could not appoint bishops w/out Church permission

Parliaments Governing bodies representing interests of

nobles, Church, urban leaders (three estates) 1265 – first English parliament

IX. Continued…

Emerging nations By 14th century, England and France begin to develop

as independent nations Hundred Years War

Battle over territory and feudal rights between England & France

Lasted more than 100 years, weakened both France & England

Kings relied less on feudal lords and their knights, more on paid, professional armies

X. Expanding the West

Political and economic advancements allowed western Europe to expand Reasons:

Population growth Memory of Rome Christianity

Where? From central to eastern Europe – Germanic people settled

in modern-day eastern Germany and Poland Christian “reconquest” of Spain – beginning in 11th century

and ending in late 15th, Christians pushed against Muslims rulers

Vikings established settlements in northern Atlantic – Iceland, Greenland, Hudson Bay (Canada)

X. continued…

Crusades represented the most dramatic expansion effort by the West First crusade called by Pope Urban II in 1095

Successful in reclaiming Jerusalem, but would eventually lose it to the great Muslim leader, Saladin.

Later Crusades varied in levels of success Motives

Reclaim Holy Land, reunite Christendom Remove “undesirables” from society Profits – merchants made money off of loans, sales of

goods, prospect of opening new trade routes A guaranteed spot in heaven, all sins forgiven if died in

battle

X. continued…

Effects of Crusades Expanded trade between Europe and Asia Weakened the power of the pope, increased power

of kings People were upset with the Church after Crusades

seen as unsuccessful Legacy of intolerance/prejudice between Christians

and Muslims Increased persecution of

Jews in Europe Women in position of authority –

had a chance to run estates

XI. Leaving the “Dark Ages”

Rapid population growth causes problems Agricultural techniques can’t keep up - famine and

starvationBlack Death

Series of plagues, beginning in 1348 – severe decrease in population (at least 1/3)

Resulted in increase of peasant rights, decline of feudalism

Growth of professional armies/weapon technologies strengthen kings/emerging nations

Slow development of arts and secular thinking eventually paves way for Renaissance (thanks to the Byzantines and Muslims)

5 Minute Response

In your opinion, is the term “Dark Ages” an appropriate label for the time period after the decline of Rome and before the Renaissance in Western Europe? Provide examples in your argument.

Key Vocabulary – Ch. 10

Middle AgesMoldboardThree-field systemClovisCarolingiansCharlemagneHoly Roman emperorsMagna CartaThree estatesparliaments

Urban IIInvestitureGuildsBlack DeathScholasticism