500 – 1500 AD

The Medieval Ages(medium aveum)

An Era of Transition

Backwards and Broken…By 500 AD, Germanic invasions had all but

destroyed the urban world of the Roman Empire.Trade declined. Cities, bridges and roads fell into

disrepair and disuse. Law and order vanished, and education almost disappeared.

Money was no longer used.For most people, life did not extend beyond the tiny

villages where they were born.Compared with other contemporary societies –

Islamic, Byzantine, and Chinese – western Europe was so backward that scholars once called the early part of this period the Dark Ages.

The Western part of the Roman Empire was conquered by invading Germanic tribes, but the Eastern part continued to prosper.Constantinople was the “New Rome’s” capital.At its height the Byzantine Empire was ruled

by Justinian, the emperor who never sleeps. Theodora

ActressActive in government ruleWomen’s rights to own land

Where are the “Romans” again?

Justinian restored the Roman Empire in 554 AD. Although within a

generation it was lost again.Corpus of Civil Law –

Justinian Code, preserved the legal heritage of Rome and later served as the basis for most European legal systems.

Justinian and Co.

In the 700s, a major religious dispute broke out over the use of icons.No images because

of Ten Commandments

Defenders stressed the symbolic nature and creative value of icon worship.

Schisms and other fun words to say…

The pope in Rome and the patriarch of Constantinople did not agree on their roles in the Christian Church.

Lombards invade ItalyByzantine emperor says, “I am busy…”Pope turns to Franks insteadAfter the Franks defeated the Lombards, the pope

gave the leader, Pepin – the Short, the title of emperor (a title which only the Byzantine ruler could grant).

By 1054 AD, doctrinal, political and geographical differences finally led to a schism, or separation, of the church into Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East.

Schisms and other fun words to say…

Frankish Rulers481 AD - Clovis: converted to

Christianity to please wife, and gain support of the people he just conquered.

719 AD - Charles Martel (The Hammer): Led in the Battle of Tours that successfully stopped the Muslim invasion.

741 AD - Pepin (The Short): Supported the pope in his battle with the Lombards in exchange for the pope’s blessing. Gave the papacy the Lombard’s territory around Rome.

Back to the Past…

768 AD – Charlemagne (Chuck the Great): In Latin his name is written Carolus Magnus, which gave the name Carolingian to his dynasty.Doubled the borders of his Frankish kingdom to

include Germany, France, northern Spain, and most of Italy.

To govern successfully and convert people to Catholicism, he needed to restore literacy.

Charlemagne made his court a center for education and research. Scholars from all over Europe gathered to teach in the palace school.These scholars helped preserve classical learning by

making accurate Latin copies of ancient religious manuscripts and Roman classics.

Missi Dominici – local officials to listen/fix/report issues with locals

Frankish Kings continued…

The pope needed Charlemagne again in 800 AD to help in dealing with the Roman nobles.

To show his gratitude Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day.

The official beginning of the Holy Roman Emperor and the church’s alliance.

Who crowns Who?

Why might some scholars label the period of 500 AD to 1500 AD the Dark Ages?

Who was Justinian? Where was his capital? What are some of his accomplishments?

What were the issues leading to the split of Christianity?

Who were the important Frankish leaders and what were they known for?

Why is Charlemagne’s coronation so important?

Thanks for Coming in…

To go a-viking…

To fight as a pirate or warriorlong, deckless ships called Drakkars.

one sail and were designed to slide swiftly through the water propelled by long oars

Could be picked up and carried easilySurprise attacks and speedy retreats without mercy.

These raids isolated European communities and severely weakened the central authority of monarchs.

Nobel and local officials took over the local defense.

Feudalism and other complicated matters…

Feudalism: a highly decentralized form of government that

stressed alliances of mutual protection between monarchs and nobles of varying degrees of power.

Daily LifeHousing

Daub & wattleDirt floorsAnimals

Holy DaysHolidaysTournaments

Life Span (40)

Charles Martel wanted to implement stirrups into the cavalry like the Muslims.To raise such a cavalry, Martel began giving

tracts of land to warriors so they would have a source of income to buy weapons and horses.

With each tract of land, called a fief, came peasant laborers to work it, (serfs)

Feudal Relationships

Frankish kings later enlarged this system by giving fiefs to counts and local officials.

In time many of the powers usually held by government: raising armies, dispensing justice, and in some cases minting coins was done by the local official. In return, the nobles

swore an oath of loyalty and pledged military support to the king.

Feudal Relationships cont…

Vassal/Noble

Peasants

The king was at the topIn the middle were the

various ranks of lords.Each lord was a vassal, that

is, a noble who served a lord of the next higher rank.

At the bottom were the knights.

In practice, however, a noble might be both a lord and a vassal, since a noble could pledge his allegiance to more than one lord.

Vassals and kings of the castles

Homage – a solemn ceremony establishing a contract between a new vassal and his lord.

In return for a fief, the vassal pledged to perform certain duties. most important obligation was military service.provide a certain number of knights for battle

during a period of 40 – 60 days a year.provide food and lodging when the lord came

visiting, and to contribute funds.pay ransom in the event of the lord’s capture in

battle.

Feudal Obligations

The lack of strong central government led to small-scale wars between feudal lords hoping to gain land or to add to their wealth.

The Church tried to limit these battles by issuing a set of decrees:Peace of God Decree: forbade fighting on

Church landsTruce of God Decree: prohibited battles on

holidays and weekends.Eventually fighting was legal on only 80 days of

each year.

A time to fight…

Once knights began to use closed helmets, it was impossible to tell one knight from another.

To identify themselves, knights had individual designs painted on the shields they carried to ward off blows. loose tunics they wore over

their armor had the same designs embroidered.knight’s coat of arms.

Identifying a Knight

The Medieval Castle

How would one argue that vikings were the cause for feudalism?

How does manorialism work?

What are some of the obligations to feudal contracts?

Thanks for Coming in…

Parish/DioceseSacraments

BaptismEucharistReconciliationConfirmationMarriageHoly ordersAnointing of the sick

(last rites)

You all are sinners… have a nice day!

Papal SupremacyLatin

VernacularNo education (reading

or writing)Distrust laterEverything known was

from statues, windows, and oral history

The Medieval Church

Benedict established a monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy.“idleness is an enemy of the

soul” “to labor is to pray”

Benedict drew up a list of rules that alternated hard work with meditation and prayer.

According to the rule: monks could not own goods

(poverty)must never marry (chastity)were bound to obey the laws of

the monastery (abbot/abbess)

Benedictine Order

1-2 plain meals a dayAbbotRule of silencePassages of Bible read for

entertainmentLaborious hand copying of

manuscriptsProvided schools for the

youngHospitalsTaught peasants agriculture,

and made improvements in carpentry and weaving.

Lodging for travelers

Monks and Nuns, GTs.

Heretic: speaking against the church Canon Law Inquisition:

finding those spreading heresy, or the denial of basic Church teachings. Excommunication/ Interdict

Powers of the Church

Discipline weakensMarried priestsSimonyLay investiture

Appointing of church positions by secular leaders

Selling of indulgencesAnti-Semitism

Diaspora to Eastern Europe

Problems of the Church

ChartersAsking permission

from king to establish a town/city in exchange for money

Freeing of serfsChoosing their own

leadersControl of their own

affairs

High Middle Ages (1000 – 1300)

Capital: money for investment Partnership

Larger ventures Less risk

Insurance Bill of Exchange: checking account

Commercial Revolution

Association of artisans, or similar jobs designed to protect their own economic interests.Apprentice,

Journeyman Master

Guilds