European Middle Ages Update

500-1200

Your family can decide to leave Hackensack if they wished.

A family living in the country side in Medieval Europe did not have that ability

The Map on the right shows 25 miles from Hackensack High School

Charlemagne

Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne’s empire.

POPE

Germanic troops have over run the Western Roman Empire by the 5th Century. Results include:

• Disruption of trade• Downfall of cities• Population shifts• Decline of learning• Loss of common or written language

Holy Roman Emperor

Gaul is a former Roman Province located in Modern –Day France.

Clovis becomes a Christian while fighting another Germanic tribe.

Clovis is believed to be the first Germanic leader to embrace Christianity.

Coin depicting Clovis “King of France”

Clovis gets support from the Christian Church which allows him to defeat the other Germanic Armies.

This alliance marked the beginning of a powerful partnership. Statue of the baptism of

Clovis

To adapt to life outside of cities, the Church built religious communities called monasteries. Men called monks gave up all of their private possessions to become servants of god.

Benedict, an Italian Monk set down a list of strict, yet practical rules for Monks.

Gregory The Great became pope in 590.

Gregory expands the Church’s influence beyond religion into politics.

This is the first time the church is involved in secular activities.

Gregory I raised armies, repaired roads and helped the poor and negotiated peace treaties.

Gregory felt that the region from Italy to England from Spain to Western Germany fell under his responsibility.

The idea of a church influenced kingdom is a central theme of the Middle Ages.

Modern map of the territory Gregory held influence over

While the King held all of the official power in the kingdom. Unofficially the power was held by the major domo which means mayor of the palace.

The major domo commanded the armies and made policy.

Charles Martel, Major Domo, 719Charles Martel, Major Domo, 719Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of

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Charles Martel was major domo of the Frankish kingdom in the 700’s.

Charles Martel means “Charles the Hammer”

Martel extended the Franks’ reign to the north, south and east.

He defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours.

A Muslim victory at Tours would have given them control of Western Europe.

Son of Charles Martel (Martel was not king)

Pepin the Short is a mistranslation.

Pepin defended Rome from attackers.

In return, the pope makes Pepin “King by the grace of god

Father of Charlemagne

Charlemagne is the first great ruler after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Charlemagne used his conquests to spread Christianity.

In 800, Charlemagne traveled to Rome to protect Pope Leo III. In return, the pope crowned him Emperor

Charlemagne united the Germanic Empires, the Church and the heritage of the Roman Empire

Charlemagne sent royal agents to make sure that landowners (called counts) governed justly

Charlemagne regularly visited every part of his kingdom.

He judged cases, settled disputes and rewarded faithful followers

Charlemagne makes his son, Louis the Pious emperor.

Louis’ three sons, Lothair, Charles the Bald and Louis the German fight each other for the empire.

The Treaty of Verdun divides the Empire into three weaker empires.

As central authority breaks down, the lack of strong rulers leads to a new system of governing and landholding.

After the treaty of Verdun, Charlemagne’s three feuding grandsons broke the kingdom up even further.

Part of this territory also became a battleground as new waves of invaders attacked Europe.

The political turmoil and constant warfare led to the rise of feudalism- a military and political system based on land ownership and personal loyalty.

Why do these NFL teams take the names of European invaders from 1000 years ago?

Vikings set sail from Scandinavia, a wintry, wooded region in Northern Europe.

The Vikings are also known as Norsemen.

They took pride in violent names like Eric Bloodaxe and Thorfinn Skullsplitter Modern-day Scandinavia

Tuesday is named for the Norse god Tyr, the Norse equivalent of the Roman god Mars, the Spanish word Martes is based on Tyr as well.

Wednesday is named for the Norse god Woden.

Thursday is named for the Norse god Thor Friday is named for the Norse goddess

Frigg.

A Viking ship, known as a Prow, held 300 warriors who took turns rowing the ships 72 oars

Vikings were traders, farmers and outstanding explorers. Leif Ericson likely reached North America 500 years before Columbus

As Vikings accepted Christianity, they stopped raiding monasteries.

A warming trend in Europe’s climate made farming easier in Scandinavia.

As agriculture increased, the seafaring life of a Viking became less necessary.

The Magyars are a group of nomadic peoples who were superb horseback riders. The Magyars swept across the Danube and invaded Western Europe.

The Magyars captured people to sell as slaves.

They overran Northern Italy and reached as far west as the Rhineland and Burgundy

The Magyars came from present day Hungary.The Hungarians today speak the language of Magyar.

Muslims controlled the Mediterranean Sea and disrupted trade.

The Muslims plundered Europe during the 800s and 900s.

They attacked Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and as far inland as Switzerland

Invasions of Vikings, Magyars and Muslims.

In 911 Rollo the Viking and King Charles the Simple of France made peace.

This marked the beginning of the end of the Viking invasions in Western Europe.

FEUDALISM

Feudalism is based on mutual obligations. In exchange for military protection, a lord or landowner granted land which was called a fief.

The person receiving the fief was called a vassal

1. Military service2. A percentage of crops3. Administration of courts4. Fee collection

Feudalism is based on mutual obligations.

At the peak of the pyramid is the King.

Next are the Nobles The next step are the

vassals and church officials

They were followed by knights, mounted warriors who pledged to defend their lord’s land in exchange for fiefs

The peasants who worked the fields were at the bottom of the pyramid

In the feudal system, status defined a person’s prestige and power.

There were three groups Those who fought (nobles and knights) Those who prayed (Church Officials) Those who worked (peasants)

1. The Clergy – spiritual guidance2. The Nobles – protection and justice3. The Peasants – agricultural labor

Inheritance

Serfs were people who could not lawfully leave the place they were born.

They were not slaves, they could not be bought or sold.

The wealth of the feudal lords came from the labor of peasants

The manor was the lord’s estate.

The lord provided the serfs with housing and fields, in return the serfs worked the fields.

Men and women alike worked in the fields.

Peasants pay a high price for life on a manor

They pay tax on all grain ground in the lord’s mill.

Peasants also paid a marriage tax. Peasant families had to pay a tax to the

church known as a tithe. A tithe represented one-tenth of their

income

The Catholic Church

Church leaders and political leaders competed for power and authority.

Today many religious leaders still voice their opinions on political issues.

Just like feudalism, the Church is structured with different ranks of clergy, or religious officials.

The Pope remained the head of the Church, followed by bishops and priests.

Priests were the lowest level, and the main contact most people had with the Church.

Christians believed that faith led to everlasting life in heaven.

Priests and other religious officials administered sacraments which are important religious ceremonies

Sacraments include baptism, and confirmation. Christians believed these sacraments were the key to everlasting

life in heaven.

All medieval Christians, kings and peasants alike were subject to canon law which is the law of the church.

This law extended to matters such as marriage and religious practice

Courts were also established courts to try people accused of violating canon law.

Excommunication is banishment from the Church. Popes used this threat in disputes with kings and political rulers.

If an excommunicated king continued to violate the pope’s law, he could be faced with interdict, which forbid sacraments and religious services from being performed in the king’s lands.

Without sacraments, the people could not expect eternal life in heaven and would riot

The code of chivalry for knights glorified combat and romantic love.

Chivalry has shaped modern ideas of romance in Western cultures.

Cavalier and Cavalier and chivalrychivalry both come from the French both come from the French chevalier which means knightchevalier which means knight

The final four is the nickname of the The final four is the nickname of the NCAA basketball NCAA basketball tournamenttournament

Charles Martel organized the Frankish army into troops of armored horsemen, knights.

The development of the saddle and stirrups made it easier to fight on horseback.

The knight is still seen as a symbol of war and battle 1000 years later

Chivalry is a complex set of ideas which demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters.

His earthly feudal lordHis heavenly lordHis chosen lady

The chivalrous knight also protected the weak and the poor

The ideal knight was loyal, brave and courteous.

Many knights failed to live to these standards

Sons of nobles began training for knighthood at a young age.

After a year or two of training, they entered mock battles called tournaments

Trumpets blared and lords and ladies cheered. Tournament winners could demand large

ransoms from defeated knights.

Unlike tournaments, actual battles were quite violent and bloody.

Castle battles are among the most bloody.

The home of the lord and lady, a castle under siege

was a gory sight. Defenders poured boiling water, hot oil or molten lead while archers on the roof fired arrows and

bolts at attackers.

A Siege Tower had a platform on top that A Siege Tower had a platform on top that lowered like a drawbridge. It could lowered like a drawbridge. It could

support soldiers and weaponssupport soldiers and weapons A Battering Ram was made of heavy timber with A Battering Ram was made of heavy timber with a sharp metal tip. It swung like a pendulum to a sharp metal tip. It swung like a pendulum to crack castle walls or knock down a drawbridgecrack castle walls or knock down a drawbridge

A Trebuchet worked like a giant slingshot.

It propelled objects up to a distance of 980 feet (More than 3 football fields)

A Trebuchet was used to launch•pots of burning lime

•boulders•severed human heads•captured soldiers•diseased cows•dead horses

A tortoise moved slowly on wheels and A tortoise moved slowly on wheels and sheltered soldiers from falling arrows.sheltered soldiers from falling arrows.

A mangonel flung huge rocks that crashed A mangonel flung huge rocks that crashed into castle walls. It propelled objects up into castle walls. It propelled objects up to 1300 feet.to 1300 feet.

The Song of Roland is one of the most famous medieval poems. It praises a band of French soldiers who dies in

a battle under Charlemagne.

Troubadours were poet-musicians at the castle-courts of Europe.

They composed short songs about the joys and sorrows of romantic love

Troubadours then and now.

The Church viewed women as inferior to men.

Romantic love placed women on a pedestal

As Middle Ages progress, noblewomen possess less power than they had in earlier years.

By 1400 some towns have as many as 10,000 people!

How many people live in Hackensack alone?

Estimated 43, 671

A guild is an association of craftspeople in a particular trade.

Each guild made rules to help its members earn good wages.

Guilds are similar to what we today call unions.

What type of workers today join unions?

To train to be in a guild, a boy who wanted to learn a certain craft became an apprentice.

He worked with different master craftsmen to learn his craft.

Where do we hear the word apprentice today?

The name of Donald Trump’s TV show takes its name from a medieval term