the dark ages ii

8/3/2019 The Dark Ages II

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The Dark Ages II

Invasions and Feudalism

y While the Catholic Church grew and established itself as a rich and influential power in WesternEurope, the same could not be said of the emerging kingdoms in this region. Invasions from the

south and north combined with internal conflict led Europe into the darkest period of the dark

ages where constant warfare ravaged the weak and unified regions.

Islamic Invasion

y After the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D., Islam continued to spread out ofArabia throughsuccessors called Caliphs in an attempt to convert surrounding neighbors to Islam willfully and

sometimes by sword.

y Rashidun Conquest (632 661 A.D.)y Both the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire were weak following a lengthy war for

control over Egypt and the Middle East.

y 637 639 A.D. Byzantine territory in the Middle East was conquered.y 639 Egypt fell to Muslim Invaders

y 633 651 the Persian empire fell to Muslim invadersy By 650 A.D., the Muslims had conquered the Byzantine Army in the Middle East and Egypt as

well as the Persians

y Upon the end of the

Rashidun dynasty, the

Umayyad Dynasty developed expanding Islamic

influence even further.

Umayyad Conquest (662 750 A.D.)

- 665 709 A.D. Islamic forces advanced from Egypt conquering the Berbers along the coast ofNorth Africa as well as Carthage with their defeat, the rest of Northern Africa fell to the

Muslim Invaders.

- 711 A.D. a combined Arab and Berber force known as the Moors cross the Strait of Gibraltarinto Spain and defeat the Visigoths marks Islams first and only major spread into mainland

Europe- By 725 A.D., Spain was under Muslim control

- The Muslim Moors quickly begin crossing into Gaul to conquer the barbarian Franks- Battle ofTours (732 A.D) a battle between Muslim Moors and Christian Franks

- Frankish King, Charles the Hammer, led a unified Frankish army to engage the invading army andordered a small group to attack the Moors camp behind enemy lines to a victory for the Franks.

- The Moors return to Spain to defeated marks the end of Islamic (Arab) expansion of Europe.


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- Despite two failed attempts to take Constantinople in 674 A.D. and 717 A.D. the Arab Muslimsstill managed to expand into the largest empire at that time, but by 750 A.D. the Muslims

advance had been halted

Reign of Charlemagne

(Grandson of Charles the Hammer)

y Ruler of the Frankish Kingdom who became the most powerful Christian ruler and greatest kingof the Dark Ages.

y Expanded the Frankish kingdom into the Carolingian Empire with an expansion into Italy.y Territory created from the Frankish kingdoms under Charlemagne.

y Symbolize the combination of three distinct influences into the new empire. Roman Christian German

y Was instrumental in converting the central and Western Europe to Christianity with conqueredpeople given a simple choice: convert or die!

y At Verdun (northern Germany) Charlemagne had 4,500 Saxons beheaded for worshipping falseidols.

y Charlemagne micromanaged (very hands on) the empire spending most of his time visiting localrulers to ensure his will was being done he later employed court officials to do this task

y Charlemagne encouraged and appreciated education and built schools to improve the educationof future generations for religious and secular (worldly) offices in the kingdom Charlemagne

himself tried to become literate (one of the few outside of the clergy (religious)

y Charlemagne was also instrumental in the creation of the feudal system in Europey In 800 A.D., Charlemagne is crowned by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope

the division between the West and the Byzantine Empire widens as Rome relies more on the

Franks for protection than the Byzantines.

y 814 A.D. the Carolingian Empire falls apart after Charlemagnes death and is divided up intothree sections.

Feudalism

y In the absence of strong centralized government and the constant threat of famine, disease, andinvasion led the weak to seek out protection from the strong, which led to the creation of the

feudal system

y A political system in which land was divided out by a rich noble in exchange for services and rentby weaker nobles


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y Weaker nobles (called vassals) were expected to fulfill military obligations to the stronger noble(lord) together these men formed an unwritten contract of allegiance to one another:

y Lord promises protection and landy Vassal promise work and military aid (knights)

y Fiefs lands or revenue-producing property granted by lord to a vassal to return for theirallegiance and military service.

y )y Fiefs lands or revenue-producing property granted by lord to a vassal to return for their

allegiance and military service.

y Serfs enforced laborer in a condition of modified slavery who worked under the vassals peasants farmers, and craftsman.

y The central focus of feudalism was the manor house where the lords lived which started assquare towers encircled by wooden walls as time passes, they became imposing castles with

turrets and slanted windows from which archers could shoot attackers and moated fortresses

accessible only by crossing a drawbridge.

y These castles began to dominate the countryside across central and Western Europe.y As more and more people took up arms or rakes in service to their lords, cities shrank smaller

and smaller.

Scourge of the North

Vikings

y Germanic people from Scandinavia who successfully invaded and raided Europe for nearly 250years.

y 793 A.D. the Vikings first attacked a monastery on the British coast. because of the richesheld in them, monasteries looked like banks ready for robbing.

y Vikings were great sailors and ship builders due to their raided narrow ships. The Vikings wereable to sail long distances up river and raid far and wide from Spain to Russia and

Constantinople although the British Isles were always a favorite.

y 1000 A.D. Leif Eriksson becomes the first European to discover America landing in what is nowNewfoundland although they established a settlement, it doesnt last.

y Over time the Vikings converted to Christianity and were given land by the Franks in Normandyin 911

A

.D. and integrated and settle inB

ritain by 1042A

.D.y With the Viking threat gone, Europe was overrun with trained knights with nothing to do this

led to internal conflicts as knights became gangs roaming the countryside attacking

neighboring kingdoms including peasants

y Catholic Church attempts to Christianize the knights and issues two proclamations as to Godsposition on warfare:


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o Peace of God = women, children, monks, those who could not defend themselvesshould be protected

o Truce of God = periods of time when warfare should not fight = Sundays, lent Christmasseason

Chivalryy Ideal civilized behavior that knights and proper gentlemen were expected to follow

y Duties to countrymen and fellow Christians: protect the weak and the poor with courage,fairness, honesty

y Duties to God: be faithful to God and the church, protecting both for the cause of good againstevil

y Duties to women: a knight was to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies with respect,gentleness and grace

y Now armed with a code of ethics many knights were itching for a cause to take up. They wouldfind their cause at the turn of the new millennium as a growing movement to retake the Holy

Land from the Muslims gains momentum leading to the Crusades in 1095

the dark ages ii

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