CAUSES OF THE FALL OF ROME

•Roman Empire became too large

•Roman leaders argued among themselves

•Remote areas began to govern themselves

•The Empire divided into two parts

•Barbarians invaded in 476 A.D.

EFFECTS OF THE FALL OF ROME

•Europe became a collection of small pieces of land, each ruled by a different lord•Roman roads no longer safe to travel

•Cities and towns became isolated•People moved from the cities to the country so they could grow food•People stopped using money; they bartered instead

•No law and no protection against crime

THE KING

NOBLES AND KNIGHTS

SERFS

FEUDALISM: A society in which an individual owes loyalty to those above him in the pyramid, and receives obedience from those below him in the pyramid.

There were three classes of people in the Middle Ages:

•Those Who Fight (Nobles)

•Those Who Pray (Clergy)

•Those Who Toil (Serfs)

KNIGHTHOOD

What makes a knight a knight is his skill at horsemanship.

TRAINING OF A KNIGHT

It took many years of training to become a knight.

•Age 7-12 A candidate was a servant and student. He was known as a page

•Age 13-18 A page became an apprentice knight called a squire.

A squire was granted knighthood only when he was considered worthy by the knight he served.

THE CLERGY

The clergy are the priests and other officials of the Catholic Church, such as the Pope.

The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church.

WHY THE CHURCH WAS IMPORTANT

•The Church was one of the few things that was the same wherever you went in Europe during the Middle Ages.

•Because it was the same everywhere it gave all Christians in Europe something in common. It was a unifying force.

WHY THE CHURCH WAS IMPORTANT

People interacted with the church at least three times in their lives:

•When they were baptized

•When they were married

•When they were buried

WHY THE CHURCH WAS IMPORTANT

The church could excommunicate those people who did something the Pope did not like.

Church members could not talk to or help people that were excommunicated.

People believed that if you died while excommunicated, you would not go to Heaven.

Even kings could be excommunicated.

This made the Church and Pope very powerful.

SERFS

Most people were serfs.

They worked their lord’s land in return for their protection.

THE TIME PERIODS IN ORDER

Ancient GreeceAncient Rome

Middle Ages

Renaissance

Age of Exploration

Age of Empires

Modern Age