Chapter 15: Medieval Europe - Boone County Schools 4 chapter 15...Chapter 15: Medieval Europe - Boone County Schools

Caerphilly Castle in South Wales, United Kingdom

MedievalEurope

A.D. 496King Clovisbecomes aCatholic

1095FirstCrusadebegins

1346Black Deatharrives inEurope

A.D. 500 A.D. 825 1150 1475A.D. 500 A.D. 825 1150 1475

c. A.D. 800 Feudalismbegins inEurope

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Chapter PreviewBetween A.D. 500 and 1500, Europe was ruled by warriors

much like those in early Japan. Despite constant fighting,Europeans made advances in their culture. European ideasabout government and religion still shape our lives today.

View the Chapter 15 video in the World History:Journey Across Time Video Program.

Chapter Overview Visitjat.glencoe.com for a previewof Chapter 15.

Sequencing Information Make this foldable to help you sequence importantevents that occurred in medieval Europe.

Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,write the importantevents and dates thatoccurred in medievalEurope on each sectionof your time line.

Step 1 Fold two sheets ofpaper in half from top tobottom. Cut each in half.

Step 2 Turn and fold thefour pieces in half from topto bottom.

Step 3 Tape the endsof the pieces together

(overlapping the edgesslightly) to make anaccordion time line.

Cut alongthe fold lines.

Pieces of tape

The Early Middle AgesDuring the Middle Ages, Western Europe built a new civilization based onChristian, Roman, and Germanic ways.

FeudalismGovernment weakness and the need for safety led to the rise of feudalism.

Kingdoms and CrusadesAs the kingdoms of England and France established parliaments, Russiasrulers laid the foundations for its government.

The Church and SocietyReligion in medieval Europe helped to shape European culture.

The Late Middle AgesDisease and war took the lives of millions of people in the late Middle Ages.

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Just AskAnswering questions about what you have read is one way to show

what you know, but asking thoughtful questions about the topic canoften show even greater understanding. How do you learn to ask greatquestions? 1. Use question starters such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.2. Do more than just read the words on the pagethink deeply about

the concepts. For example, ask questions such as What would havehappened if . . .?

Read the following passage from Section 5, and look at the questionsthat follow.

Questioning

Here are some questions you might ask aboutthe above paragraph: What did Joan say to persuade Charles to let

her ride with the army? How did Joans faith stir the soldiers? Why did Joan believe saints wanted her to free

France? What happened to Joan after the French took

the city?

Charles, the prince who ruled southern France,wanted to take back the north. In 1429 a Frenchpeasant girl named Joan was brought to him. Shetold him that her favorite saints had urged her tofree France. Joans honesty persuaded Charles tolet her go with a French army to Orlans. Joansfaith stirred the soldiers, and they took the city.

from page 557

Make studying like

a

game. Create quest

ions

and then read to fi

nd

answers to your ow

n

questions.

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Ask and AnswerRead this passage about the Black Death.

Write a What Ifparagraph based onyour reading. Forexample, what if Joanhad become Queen ofFrance, or what if fleascarried the Black Deathtoday? Add lots ofdetails as if you wereanswering questionsothers might ask aboutyour What If ideas.

Read to Write

511

As you read the chapter, look foranswers to section headings that arein the form of questions. For the othersections, turn the headings into ques-tions that you can answer as you read.

A terrible plague, known as the BlackDeath, swept across Europe andAsia. A plague is a disease thatspreads quickly and kills many peo-ple. Most scientists think the BlackDeath was bubonic plaguea dis-ease caused by a type of bacteria car-ried by fleas. These fleas infestedblack rats, and in the Middle Ages,these rats were everywhere.

from page 554

Create three questions basedon the above paragraph.Remember that not all ques-tions have answers.

Mus

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pain

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BRITAIN

SPAIN

HOLY ROMANEMPIRE

SCANDINAVIA

Rome

Aachen

A.D. 500 A.D. 800 1100 A.D. 500 A.D. 800 1100

The EarlyMiddle Ages

Whats the Connection?After the fall of Rome came a

period called the Middle Ages, ormedieval times. It is a fitting name for the period that lies betweenancient and modern times.

Focusing on the Geography influenced where

medieval Europeans settled and whatthey did. (page 513)

The Franks, Angles, and Saxons ofWestern Europe built new societiesand defended them against Muslims,Magyars, and Vikings. (page 514)

The Catholic Church spreadChristianity through Western Europe.(page 519)

Locating PlacesAachen (AHkuhn)Scandinavia (SKANduhNAYveeuh)Holy Roman Empire

Meeting PeopleClovis (KLOHvuhs)Charles Martel (mahrTEHL)Charlemagne (SHAHRluhMAYN)Otto I (AHtoh)Gregory the Great

Building Your Vocabularyfjord (feeAWRD)missionary (MIHshuhNEHRee)excommunicate

(EHKskuhMYOOnuhKAYT)concordat (kuhnKAWRDAT)

Reading Strategy Organizing Information Create atable to show the major accomplish-ments of medieval leaders.

512 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe

A.D. 496King ClovisbecomesCatholic

A.D. 800Charlemagne iscrowned by pope

c. 1050Most people inWestern Europeare Catholic

Leader Major Accomplishments

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The Geography of EuropeGeography influenced where medieval

Europeans settled and what they did.Reading Focus If you wanted to go sledding or swimming, where would you go? Your answer will be based partly on geography. Read to learn how geography shaped life in Europe during the MiddleAges.

The Roman Empire had united all theland surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.When the last Roman emperor in the Westfell from power in A.D. 476, that unity waslost. Western Europe was divided intomany kingdoms as wave after wave ofGermanic invaders swept south and west,conquering large areas of Europe.

Now that Rome no longer united peo-ple, Europes geography began to play amore important role in shaping events.Europe is a continent, but it is also a verylarge peninsula made up of many smallerpeninsulas. As a result, most of Europe lieswithin 300 miles (483 km) of an ocean orsea. This encouraged trade and fishing andhelped Europes economy to grow.

Rivers also played an important role inEurope. The Rhine, Danube, Vistula, Volga,Seine, and Po Rivers made it easy to travelinto the interior of Europe and encouragedpeople to trade.

The seas and rivers provided safety aswell as opportunities for trade. The EnglishChannel, for instance, separated Britain andIreland from the rest of Europe. As a result,

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Europes Geography and People c. A.D. 500

Following the fall of the Western RomanEmpire, many different peoples livedthroughout Europe.1. Which peoples lived in the British Isles? 2. Where, in general, did the Franks settle? Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

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people there were sheltered from the manywars fought on Europes mainland. Theywere able to develop their own distinctways of life. Within Europe, wide rivers likethe Rhine also kept people separated andenabled different cultures to develop.

Europe also has many mountain ranges. Inthe east, the Carpathians cut off what is nowUkraine and Russia from southeast Europe. Inthe middle, the Alps separated Italy from cen-tral Europe. To the southwest, the Pyreneesisolated Spain and Portugal. The mountains,like the rivers, made it difficult for one groupto rule all of Europe and encouraged thedevelopment of independent kingdoms.

Identify What did Europesseas and rivers provide for its people?

The Germanic KingdomsThe Franks, Angles, and Saxons of

Western Europe built new societies and defendedthem against Muslims, Magyars, and Vikings.Reading Focus Have you ever moved to a new place?What adjustments did you have to make? Read to learnhow the Germanic peoples who invaded Europe had toadjust to the lands they occupied.

After Rome fell, Western Europe wasdivided into many kingdoms. These king-doms developed different societies basedon their locations. The Visigoths in Spainand the Ostrogoths in Italy were close to thecenter of the old Roman Empire. As a result,they adopted many Roman ways. Peoplefarther from Rome held on to more of theirGermanic traditions.

In Britain as the empire began toweaken, Roman culture declined quickly.In the A.D. 300s, the Roman legions inBritain began heading home to fightGermanic invaders. By the early A.D 400s,the Romans had pulled out of England.Soon the Angles and Saxons invadedBritain from Denmark and Germany. Intime, they became the Anglo-Saxons.

When the Angles and Saxons conqueredsoutheastern Britain, they pushed aside thepeople living there. These people werecalled the Celts (KEHLTS). Some Celts flednorth and west to the mountains. Otherswent to Ireland. Scottish, Welsh, and Irishpeople today are descendants of the Celts.

Who Were the Franks? During the A.D. 400s,a Germanic people called the Franks set-tled the area that is now France. In A.D. 496King Clovis (KLOH vuhs) of the Franksbecame a Catholic. This won him the sup-port of the Romans living in his kingdom.Before long, nearly all of the Franksbecame Catholic.

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Germanic Kingdoms c. A.D. 500

Germanic kingdoms developed in Europeafter the Western Roman Empire fell.1. Which were the largest Germanic

kingdoms?2. What geographic features helped the

Ostrogoths to hold Italy?

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After Clovis died, his sons divided thekingdom among themselves. Later, theirsons divided these kingdoms even further.These kings often fought over land. Whilethey fought, the nobles under them tookover many royal duties. The most impor-tant of these nobles was called the mayorof the palace. By A.D. 700, the mayors weregiving out land, settling disputes, and fight-ing their own wars.

Of all the mayors, the most powerfulwas Charles Martel (mahr TEHL). Hewanted to unite all the Frankish noblesunder his rule. The Catholic Church wantedto restore order in the lands of the WesternRoman Empire and was willing to supportGermanic rulers who were Catholic. Thepopethe head of the Catholic Churchoffered his support to Charles Martel.

First, however, Europe had to be keptChristian. In A.D. 711 a Muslim army fromNorth Africa conquered Spain. Later, Muslimforces invaded southern France. In A.D. 732Charles Martel led the Franks against theMuslims. He defeated them at the Battle ofTours. This stopped the Muslim advance into

Europe, and Christianity remained WesternEuropes major religion.

When Charles Martel died, his sonPepin (PEH puhn) became mayor of thepalace. With the help of the pope and mostFrankish nobles, Pepin became the newking of the Franks. When a Germanic groupcalled the Lombards threatened the pope,Pepin took his army into Italy and defeatedthem. He donated the land he had con-quered to the pope. The pope ruled theselands as if he were a king, and they becameknown as the Papal States.

Who Was Charlemagne? After Pepindied, his son Charles became king. Like hisfather, Charles went to the aid of the popewhen the Lombards tried to regain their ter-ritory. He also invaded eastern Germanyand defeated the Saxons living there. Heordered them to convert to Christianity. Hethen invaded Spain and gained control ofthe northeastern corner from the Muslims.

By A.D. 800, Charless kingdom hadgrown into an empire. It covered much ofwestern and central Europe. Charless

In A.D. 800 the popecrowned CharlemagneEmperor of theRomans, officiallycreating a new RomanEmpire. How large was Charlemagnesempire in A.D. 800?

The Crowning of CharlemagneThe Crowning of Charlemagne

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The Frankish Kingdom c. A.D. 500800

A bronze statue of Charlemagne

Cloviss kingdomAdded by Martel and PepinAdded by CharlemagneBattle

KEY

conquests earned him the name ofCharlemagne (SHAHR luhMAYNE), or Charlesthe Great.

The pope was impressed withCharlemagne. On Christmas day in A.D. 800,Charlemagne was worshiping at the churchof St. Peter in Rome. After the service, thepope placed a crown on Charlemagnes headand declared him the new Roman emperor.Charlemagne was pleased but also con-cerned. He did not want people to think thepope had the power to choose who wasemperor.

Charlemagne made Aachen (AH kuhn)the capital of his empire. To uphold his

laws, he set up courts throughout theempire. Nobles called counts ran the courts.To keep the counts under control,Charlemagne sent out inspectors calledthe lords messengers to make sure thecounts conducted their duties properly.

Unlike other earlier Frankish rulers,Charlemagne believed in education. He hadtried late in life to learn to write and wanted his people to be educated too.He asked a scholar named Alcuin (ALkwuhn)to start a school in one of the royal palaces.Alcuin trained the children of governmentofficials. His students studied religion, Latin,music, literature, and arithmetic.

The Frankish kingdom expandedgreatly under Charlemagnes rule.1. Under whose reign did the Franks

conquer part of Italy? 2. Who controlled Spain while the

Franks ruled much of WesternEurope?

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CHARLEMAGNEA.D. 742814

Charles the Great (Charlemagne) became king of the

Franks at age 29. He married and divorced many different

women and had at least 18 children.

Charlemagne was an intelligent person. He studied many

subjects and especially enjoyed astronomy. He could speak

many languages, including German and Latin. He also could

read but had trouble writing. Einhard, the kings historian and

scribe, wrote that Charlemagne used to keep tablets under

his pillow in order that at leisure hours he might accustom

his hand to form the letters; but as he began these efforts so

late in life, they met with ill success.

Charlemagne was disappointed to learn that the Franks

were not as educated as the people of Britain and Ireland. In

A.D. 782 he arranged

for several famous

scholars to come to

his capital in Aachen

and create a school in

the royal palace. During

his reign, schools

opened throughout his

empire, and many

people were educated.

517

Charlemagne

The Palatine Chapel at

Charlemagnes palace in Aachen

Charlemagne realized the importance of

education. He arranged reading and writing

lessons for his people. What types of school

programs does our government fund?

No one shall . . . bekept back from theright path of justiceby . . . fear of thepowerful.

Charlemagne, as quoted inThe World of Charlemagne

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Invasions of Europe c. A.D. 8001000

Europe Is Invaded After Charlemagnedied in A.D. 814, his empire did not lastlong. His son Louis was not a strong leader,and after Louis died, Louiss sons dividedthe empire into three kingdoms.

These three kingdoms were weakenedfurther by a wave of invaders who sweptacross Europe in the A.D. 800s and A.D. 900s.From the south came Muslims, who raidedFrance and Italy from Spain and NorthAfrica. From the east came the Magyars, anomadic people who had settled in Hungary.From Scandinavia (SKAN duh NAY vee uh)came the Vikings, whose raids terrified all ofEurope.

Scandinavia is in northern Europe.Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are all partof Scandinavia today. Much of Scandinavia

has a long, jagged coastline. It has manyfjords (fee AWRDS), or steep-sided valleysthat are inlets of the sea. The Viking peoplelived in villages in the fjords. They wereknown as the Norsemen, or north men.

Scandinavia has little farmland. Thisforced the Vikings to rely on the sea forfood and trade. They became skilled sailorsand built sturdy boats called longboats.These boats could survive the roughAtlantic and also navigate shallow rivers.

In the A.D. 700s and A.D. 800s, theVikings began raiding Europe, probablybecause their population had grown too bigto support itself at home. The word vikingcomes from their word for raiding. Theyrobbed villages and churches, carrying off

Vikingships

Magyars

KEY

MuslimsVikings

Settlements and invasion routes:

A number of different groupsinvaded and settled in earlymedieval Europe.1. Which group invaded England?2. Which group settled the area

of Hungary?

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grain, animals, and anything else of value.They even conquered part of westernFrance. This area was named Normandy,after the Norsemen who ruled it.

The Holy Roman Empire The raids byMuslims, Magyars, and Vikings helped to destroy the Frankish kingdoms. In theA.D. 900s, the eastern Frankish kingdom,which became known as Germany, wasdivided into many tiny states ruled bycounts, dukes, and other nobles. In A.D. 911a group of these nobles tried to uniteGermany by electing a king. The king didnot have much power, however, becausethe nobles wanted to remain independent.

One of the stronger kings of Germanywas Otto I (AH toh). He fought the Magyarsand sent troops into Italy to protect the pope.To reward Otto for his help, the popedeclared him emperor of the Romans in A.D. 962. Ottos territory, which includedmost of Germany and northern Italy, becameknown as the Holy Roman Empire.

Most of the emperors of theHoly Roman Empire were notvery powerful. Two of thestrongest ones, Frederick I andFrederick II, tried to unite north-ern Italy and Germany under asingle ruler with a strong centralgovernment in the 1100s and1200s. The popes fought againstthese plans because they did notwant the emperor to controlthem. They banded togetherwith Italys cities to resist theemperors forces. As a result,both Germany and Italyremained divided into smallkingdoms until the 1800s.

Explain Whowere the Vikings, and why did theyraid Europe?

The Rise of the Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church spread Christianity

through Western Europe.Reading Focus Do you have a goal you would devoteyour life to reaching? Read to learn the goals of theCatholic Church in the early Middle Ages.

Both religion and geography played animportant role in shaping life in Europe. Bythe time the Western Roman Empire col-lapsed, Christianity had become the officialreligion of Rome. After the Roman govern-ment fell apart, the Roman Catholic Churchbegan to play an important role in the growthof a new civilization in Western Europe.

Why Were Monks Important? At thetime Rome fell, much of northwest Europewas not yet Christian. One exception wasIreland. In the A.D. 400s, a priest namedPatrick traveled to Ireland, where he spreadthe Christian message and set up churchesand monasteries. For several hundred years,

Pope Gregory I helped spread Christianity in a numberof ways. Here he is shown teaching boys the songs thatbecame known as Gregorian chants. Which area ofnorthwest Europe had accepted Christianity before thefall of the Western Roman Empire?

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Irish monks played an important role inpreserving Roman learning and passing iton to the people of Europe.

Patricks success inspired others, includ-ing Pope Gregory I, or Gregory the Great.Gregory I was pope from A.D. 590 to A.D.604. He wanted all of Europe to becomeChristian, and he asked monks to becomemissionaries (MIH shuh NEHR eez)peoplewho are sent out to teach their religion.

In A.D. 597 Gregory sent 40 monks tosouthern Britain to teach Christianity. Themonks converted Ethelbert, ruler of thekingdom of Kent. Ethelbert allowed themissionaries to build a church in his capitalcity of Canterbury. Meanwhile, Irish monksbrought Christianity to northern Britain. ByA.D. 800, monks were spreading Christianitythroughout Europe. Most people in WesternEurope had become Catholics by 1050.

Monasteries played an important role inmedieval Europe. Monks schooled people,provided food and rest to travelers, andoffered hospital care for the sick. Theytaught carpentry and weaving and devel-oped better methods of farming. They alsohelped to preserve knowledge.

Many monasteries had scriptoria, or writ-ing rooms, where monks made copies ofimportant works. The monks copiedChristian writings, including the Bible, as

well as works of Roman and Greek writers.The literary efforts of these monks helpedto preserve the Latin language.

Over time, monasteries began to play arole in Europes politics. Monks took a vowof poverty, wore simple clothes, and ate sim-ple food, but their monasteries could makemoney. Each monastery produced goodsand owned land, and over time many ofthem became wealthy. The leader of amonastery is called an abbot (A buht), andmany abbots became involved in politics.They served as advisers to kings and actedas rulers of the lands near their monasteries.

Why Is Gregory VII Important? Thegrowing role of abbots and other Churchleaders in politics caused many argumentsover who was in charge. Kings wantedChurch leaders to obey them, while thepope claimed he could crown kings.

In 1073 Gregory VII was elected pope.He wanted to stop nobles and kings frominterfering in Church affairs. He issued adecree, or order, forbidding kings fromappointing high-ranking Church officials.

The popes decree angered Henry IV, theHoly Roman emperor. For many years, theHoly Roman emperor had appointed bish-ops in Germany. Without them, Henry IVrisked losing power to the nobles.


Monks eatingtogether in amonastery

The monastery at Mont St. Michel in France is a beautifulwork of architecture that took several hundred years tocomplete. How did monasteries help local people in Europe?

Illustratedpage createdby monks

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Reading SummaryReview the During the Middle Ages, Europes

geography affected where peoplelived, their ways of life, and theirrelations with other people.

The Angles and Saxons invadedBritain, the Franks created anempire in Western Europe, andthe Saxons created a Germankingdom that became the HolyRoman Empire.

Monks helped spread Christianitythroughout Europe, and theCatholic Church became strongin the early Middle Ages.

1. What happened at the Battleof Tours, and why is the battlesignificant?

2. Why were monasteries impor-tant to medieval Europe?

Critical Thinking3. Summarizing Information

Draw a diagram like the onebelow. Use it to describe therole of monks in medievalEurope.

4. Analyze How didCharlemagne demonstrate his support for education?

5. Describe Imagine you live incentral Europe in medievaltimes. Prepare a poster thatdescribes the Vikings and thedangers they pose to yourtown.

6. AskingQuestions Henry IV stoodbarefoot in the snow to gainthe popes forgiveness. If you were asked to interviewHenry IV about this experience,what three questions wouldyou ask?

What Did You Learn?

Study CentralTM Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 521

Henry refused to obey Gregory. Hedeclared that Gregory was no longer pope.Gregory then stated that Henry was no longeremperor. He excommunicated (EHK skuh MYOO nuh KAY tuhd) Henry. This means toexclude a person from church membership.Catholics believed that if they were excom-municated, they could not go to heaven.

When the German nobles defended thepope, Henry backed down. He traveled toItaly and stood barefoot in the snow outsidethe popes castle asking to be forgiven.Gregory forgave Henry, but the Germannobles still chose a new king. When Gregoryaccepted the new king as emperor, Henrywent to war. He captured Rome and named anew pope. Gregorys allies drove out Henrysforces, but the dispute was not resolved.

In 1122 a new pope and the Germanking finally agreed that only the pope could

choose bishops, but only the emperor couldgive them jobs in the government. This deal,called the Concordat of Worms, was signedin the city of Worms. A concordat (kuhn KAWR DAT) is an agreement between thepope and the ruler of a country.

By the time Innocent III became pope in1198, the Catholic Church was at theheight of its power. Innocent was able tocontrol kings. If a ruler did not obey,Innocent would excommunicate him orissue an interdict (IHN tuhr DIHKT) againstthe rulers people. An interdict forbidspriests from providing Christian rituals to agroup of people. The pope hoped that byusing an interdict, local people would pres-sure their ruler to obey.

Contrast How did GregoryVII and Henry IV disagree?

Monks

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Feudalism

Whats the Connection?In the last section, you read

how the Vikings spread fear anddestruction throughout Europe.During the Middle Ages, villagers andtownspeople looked to nobles toprotect them.

Focusing on the Feudalism developed in Europe in

the Middle Ages. It was based onlandowning, loyalty, and the power of armored knights on horseback.(page 523)

Knights followed a code of chivalryand lived in castles, while peasantslived in simple houses and workedhard all year long. (page 526)

Increased trade led to the growth of towns and cities and the rise ofguilds and city governments.(page 528)

Locating PlacesVenice (VEHnuhs)Flanders (FLANduhrz)

Building Your Vocabularyfeudalism (FYOOduhl IHzuhm)vassal (VAsuhl)fief (FEEF)knight (NYT)serf (SUHRF)guild (GIHLD)

Reading StrategyCompare and Contrast Complete aVenn diagram like the one belowshowing the similarities anddifferences between serfs and slaves.

c. A.D. 800sFeudalismbegins in Europe

ENGLAND

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Serfs Slaves


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What Is Feudalism?Feudalism developed in Europe in the

Middle Ages. It was based on landowning, loyalty,and the power of armored knights on horseback.Reading Focus What would it be like to live in a coun-try where the government has fallen apart? Read tolearn how the fall of Charlemagnes governmentchanged life for people in the Middle Ages.

When Charlemagnes grandfather,Charles Martel, needed an army to fightthe Muslims invading France, he begangiving estateslarge farmsto nobleswilling to fight for him. The nobles usedthe resources generated by the estates toobtain horses and weapons. AlthoughMartel did not realize it, he was using a

new way of organizing society that wouldeventually spread across most of Europe.

When Charlemagnes empire collapsed,Western Europe lost its last strong centralgovernment. Landowning nobles becamemore and more powerful. They gained theright to collect taxes and to enforce laws ontheir estates. When invaders spread ruinthroughout Europe, the peasants, or farm-ers, could not rely on kings. Instead, theylooked to nobles for protection.

During the A.D. 800s, this shift of powerfrom kings to nobles led to a new socialorder known as feudalism (FYOO duhl IH zuhm). Under feudalism, landowningnobles governed and protected the peoplein return for services, such as fighting in anobles army or farming the land. By A.D.

1000, the kingdoms of Europewere divided into thousands offeudal territories. Some of theseterritories were large, but mostwere very small, smaller eventhan the city-states of Greece andSumeria. At the center of each,however, was not a city but anobles castle, or fortress.

The Role of Vassals and KnightsFeudalism was based on ties ofloyalty and duty among nobles.Nobles were both lords and vas-sals. A vassal (VA suhl) was anoble who served a lord ofhigher rank. In return, the lordprotected the vassal.

The tie between a lord andhis vassal was made known in apublic ceremony. The vassal puthis hands together and placedthem between the hands of hislord. Then the vassal swore tokeep faith and loyalty to youagainst all others.


Kings and queens

Peasants and serfs

Lords and ladies

Knights

Under feudalism each level of society had duties to thegroups above and below it. Which group in the diagramserved as vassals to the lords and ladies?

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FieldsIn the spring, serfs planted crops such as

summer wheat, barley, oats, peas, and beans.Crops planted in the fall included winter wheat

and rye. Women often helped in the fields.

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A medieval manor usually consisted of the lordsmanor house or castle, the surrounding fields, anda peasant village. While minor knights or nobleswould own only one manor, more powerful lordsmight own several. A powerful lord would spendtime at each of his manors during the year.What duty did lords have to their serfs?

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A vassal showed his loyalty by servingin his lords army. In return for the vassalsmilitary service, a lord granted his vassalland and permission to rule the people wholived on it. This grant to a vassal wasknown as a fief (FEEF).

These vassals were knights (NYTS), orwarriors in armor who fought on horse-back. Up until the A.D. 700s, nobles inWestern Europe mostly fought on foot.They wore coats of mailarmor made frommetal linksand carried swords andshields. In the A.D. 700s, a new invention,the stirrup, made it possible for an armoredman to sit on a horse and charge whileholding a lance, a long heavy spear. Knightswould charge enemies, spearing them withtheir lances. From the A.D. 700s to the 1200s,armored knights on horseback were themost powerful soldiers in Europe.

Europe was not the only place with afeudal society. As you remember from an

earlier chapter, Japan had a similar systembetween A.D. 800 and 1500. Powerfulnobles owed only a loose loyalty to theJapanese emperor. The nobles in turn reliedon samurai. Like knights, the samuraiowed loyalty to their lords and providedmilitary service for them. Also like knightsin Europe, the samurai wore armor andfought on horseback.

What Was the Manorial System? Thelands of the fiefs of the Middle Ages werecalled manors. The lords ruled the manor,and peasants worked the land. Some peas-ants were freemen, who paid the noble forthe right to farm the land. They had rightsunder the law and could move wheneverand wherever they wished.

Most peasants, however, were serfs(SUHRFS). Serfs could not leave the manor,own property, or marry without the lordsapproval. Lords even had the right to try

A Medieval ManorA Medieval Manor

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CastleCastles were built in a variety of forms and were usually designed to fit the landscape.

ChurchVillage churches often had no

benches. Villagers sat on the flooror brought stools from home.

Serfs HomeSerfs had little furniture. Tables were made from boards stretched across benches, and most peasants slept on straw mattresses on the floor.

serfs in their own court. Serfs were notenslaved, however. Lords could not sellthe serfs or take away the land given toserfs to support themselves. Lords alsohad a duty to protect their serfs, providingthem the safety they needed to growcrops.

Serfs worked long hours on the lordsland and performed services for the lord.They spent three days working for the lordand the rest of the week growing food forthemselves. They also had to give a portionof their own crops to the lord and pay himfor the use of the villages mill, bread oven,and winepress.

It was not easy for serfs to gain theirfreedom. One way was to run away to thetowns. If a serf remained in a town for more

than a year, he or she was considered free.By the end of the Middle Ages, serfs inmany kingdoms were also allowed to buytheir freedom.

How Did Farming Improve? During theMiddle Ages, Europeans invented newtechnology that helped increase the amountof crops they could grow. Perhaps the mostimportant was a heavy wheeled plow withan iron blade. It easily turned over WesternEuropes dense clay soils.

Another important invention was thehorse collar. The horse collar made it possi-ble for a horse to pull a plow. Horses couldpull plows much faster than oxen, allowingpeasants to plant more crops and producemore food.

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Europeans also found new ways to har-ness water and wind power. Europesmany rivers powered water mills thatground grain into flour. Where rivers werenot available, windmills were used forgrinding grains, pumping water, and cut-ting wood.

Peasants also learned to grow more foodby rotating crops on three fields instead oftwo. The rotation kept soil fertile. One fieldwas planted in fall and another in spring.The third field was left unplanted. Thethree-field system meant that only one-third, rather than one-half, of the land wasunused at any time. As a result, more cropscould be grown. Greater food productionallowed the population to expand.

Explain How could a noblebe both a lord and a vassal?

Life in Feudal EuropeKnights followed a code of chivalry and

lived in castles, while peasants lived in simple housesand worked hard all year long. Reading Focus Have you heard the phrase knight inshining armor? Read to learn why these words apply tohow a knight acts as well as how he dresses.

During the Middle Ages, nobles werethe most powerful people in Europe. Greatlords had much more wealth and land thanordinary knights. However, their belief inthe feudal system united lords and knightsin defending their society.

How Did Nobles Live? Knights followedcertain rules called the code of chivalry(SHIH vuhl ree). A knight was expected toobey his lord, to be brave, to show respect to

women of noble birth, to honorthe church, and to help people. Aknight was also expected to behonest and to fight fairly againsthis enemies. The code of chivalrybecame the guide to good behav-ior. Many of todays ideas aboutmanners come from the code ofchivalry.

When noblemen went to war,their wives or daughters ran themanors. This was no small jobbecause manors had many offi-cials and servants. Keeping trackof the households accounts tookconsiderable skill. The lady of amanor also had to oversee thestoring of food and other suppliesneeded to run the household.

The center of the manor was acastle. At first, castles were builtof wood. Later, they were built ofstone. A castle had two basicparts. One was a human-made or


Nobles celebrated special occasions with largefeasts, which included many courses of meats, fruits,and vegetables. What were the wifes duties when anobleman went off to war?


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naturally steep-sided hill called a motte(MAHT). The bailey was an open space nextto the motte. High stone walls encircled themotte and bailey. The keep, or central build-ing of the castle, was built on the motte.

The keep had a number of stories. Thebasement housed storerooms for tools andfood. On the ground floor were kitchensand stables, and above the ground floorwas a great hall. Here the people of thehousehold ate and sometimes slept, and thelord of the castle held court and receivedvisitors. Smaller rooms opened off the greathall. They included chapels, toilets, andbedrooms with huge curtained beds.

In the later Middle Ages, nobles ownedmore jewelry, better clothes, and exoticspices. They also built more elaborate

castles with thicker walls, more towers,finer furniture, and richer decoration.

What Was Peasant Life Like? The homes ofpeasants were much simpler. They lived inwood-frame cottages plastered with clay.Their roofs were thatched with straw. Thehouses of poorer peasants had a single room.Better cottages had a main room for cookingand eating and another room for sleeping.

Peasants worked year-round. They har-vested grain in August and September. InOctober they prepared the ground for win-ter crops. In November they slaughteredlivestock and salted the meat to keep it forwinter. In February and March, theyplowed the land for planting oats, barley,peas, and beans. In early summer they

A Medieval CastleA Medieval CastleCastles were built to withstand attack duringtimes of war. They were often constructed onhigh ground or surrounded by moats to makeattacks more difficult. What was the centralbuilding of the castle called?

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weeded the fields, sheared the sheep, andtended small vegetable gardens.

Peasants took a break from work andwent to church on Catholic feast days. Theycelebrated more than 50 feast days eachyear. The most important were Christmasand Easter. On feast days and at Sundayworship, the village priest taught them thebasic elements of Christian belief.

Peasant women worked in the fieldsand raised children at the same time. Theyalso gathered and prepared their familysfood. Each day they mixed bread doughand baked it in community ovens. Breadwas a basic staple of the medieval diet.Peasant bread was dark and heavy.Peasants ate it with vegetables, milk, nuts,and fruits. Sometimes they added eggs ormeat, and they often had ale to drink.

Identify What was thecode of chivalry?

Trade and CitiesIncreased trade led to the growth

of towns and cities and the rise of guilds and citygovernments.Reading Focus What effect would a new shoppingmall have on your community? Read to learn how thegrowth of trade and the rise of cities changed the waypeople lived and worked in medieval Europe.

When the Roman Empire collapsed,almost all trade in Western Europe came toan end. Bridges and roads fell into disre-pair. Law and order vanished. Money wasno longer used. Most people spent theirentire lives in the tiny villages where theywere born and knew almost nothing aboutthe rest of the world.

By 1100, feudalism had made Europesafer, and new technology enabled peopleto produce more food and goods. Nobles


This scene shows a marketin a medieval town. Whicharea became the center oftrade for northern Europe?

A mayor of London from the early 1200s

Medieval City LifeMedieval City Life

(l)Scala/Art Resource, NY, (r)Guildhall Library, Corporation of London, UK/Bridgeman Art Library

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A stained glass window showing the arms,or symbol, of a blacksmiths group

This illustration from a medieval bookshows glassblowers at work. What weresome of the items exchanged at trade fairs?

repaired bridges and roads, arrested ban-dits, and enforced the law. As a result, traderesumed.

As trade increased, towns grew larger,and several cities became wealthy fromtrade. For example, the city of Venice (VEH nuhs) in Italy built a fleet of trading ships. Itbecame a major trading center by A.D. 1000.Venice and other Italian cities began tradingwith the Byzantine Empire and soon becamethe center of trade in the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, towns in Flanders (FLAN duhrz)which today is part of Belgiumbecame the center of trade for northernEurope. This area was known for its woolencloth. Merchants from England, Scandinavia,France, and the Holy Roman Empire metthere to trade their goods for wool. Flemishtowns such as Bruges and Ghent became cen-ters for making and trading cloth.

By 1100, Flanders and Italy wereexchanging goods regularly. To encourage

this trade, the counts of Champagne innorthern France began holding trade fairs.Northern European merchants exchangedfurs, tin, honey, and wool for cloth andswords from northern Italy and silks, sugar,and spices from Asia.

During the early Middle Ages, peoplebartered, or traded goods for other goods.As trade increased, demand for gold andsilver coins rose. Slowly, people beganusing money again to pay for goods.Merchants set up trading companies andbanks to manage the sale of goods and theuse of money.

Web Activity Visit jat.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 15Student Web Activity tolearn more about the Middle Ages.

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How Were Cities Governed? Towns wereoften located on land owned by lords. Thismeant the towns were under their control.However, townspeople needed freedom totrade. They wanted to make their own lawsand were willing to pay for the right tomake them. In exchange for paying taxes,people in towns were granted certain basicrights by their lords. These included theright to buy and sell property and the free-dom from having to serve in the army.

Over time, medieval towns set up theirown governments. Only males who hadbeen born in the city or who had livedthere for a certain length of time were citi-zens. In many cities, these citizens electedthe members of a city council. The councilserved as judges, city officials, and law-makers. Candidates from the wealthiestand most powerful families were usuallyable to control the elections so that onlythey were elected.

Crafts and Guilds Trade encouraged man-ufacturing. People produced cloth, metal-work, shoes, and other goods right in theirhouses. Over time, these craftspeople organ-

ized guilds (GIHLDZ), or business groups. By1200, tanners, carpenters, bakers, andalmost every other type of craftspeople hadguilds. The rise of towns and guilds createda new middle class in medieval Europe.People in the middle class were not lords,vassals, or serfs. They did not own land, butthey did have some wealth and freedom.

Craft guilds set standards for quality inproducts. They decided how goods were tobe made and set the prices at which the fin-ished goods were sold. Guilds also decidedwho could join a trade and the steps theyhad to follow to do so.

A person could become an apprenticearound the age of 10. An apprentice learneda trade from a master craftsperson who pro-vided room and board but no wages. Afterfive to seven years of service, the apprenticebecame a journeyman and worked forwages. To become a master, a journeymanhad to produce a masterpiecean outstand-ing example of the craft.

What Was City Life Like? Medievalcities had narrow, winding streets. Houseswere crowded against one another, and the


Medieval streets were narrow and oftencontained wastewater and garbage. Whywas fire a major threat in medieval cities?

A street in France datingback to medieval times

(l)akg-images, (r)Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection

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Reading SummaryReview the Under feudalism, Europe was

divided into thousands of territo-ries owned by nobles with thelands worked by serfs.

During the Middle Ages, nobleslived in large castles, while serfslived in small wood cottages.

As medieval trade increased,towns grew and craftspeopleorganized guilds.

1. What was a vassal?

2. Describe the system of croprotation used in the laterMiddle Ages, and explain how itincreased the amount of foodbeing grown.

Critical Thinking3. Compare and Contrast

Draw a chart to compare theduties and obligations of lords,knights, and serfs.

4. Summarize Explain the shiftof power from kings to noblesduring the Middle Ages.

5. Cause and Effect How didan increase in trade lead to thegrowth of towns and cities?

6. Conclude What were guilds,and why were they important?

7. Creative Writing Write a ForSale advertisement for amedieval castle. Describe thecastles rooms and surround-ings, including the manor andits residents.

What Did You Learn?



second and third storieswere built out over thestreets. Candles and fire-places were used for lightand heat, and the houseswere built mostly of wood.As a result, medieval citiescould be destroyed rapidlyonce a fire started.

The cities were often dirty and smelly.Wood fires in peoples homes and shopsfilled the air with ashes and smoke.Brewers, dyers, and poor people who couldnot afford wood burned cheap coal, pollut-ing the air even more. Butchers and tannersdumped blood and other animal wastesinto the rivers. Because of the pollution,cities did not use the rivers for drinkingwater but used wells instead.

City women ran their households, pre-pared meals, raised their children, andmanaged the familys money. Often they

helped their husbands in their trades. Somewomen developed their own trades to earnextra money. Sometimes when a mastercraftsperson died, his widow carried on histrade. As a result, women in medievaltowns could lead independent lives. In fact,many women became brewers, weavers,and hatmakers.

Analyze In what ways doyou think the shift from a barter system to amoney system changed medieval Europe?

Lords Knights Serfs

This painting shows a medieval woman spinningwool as her husband warms himself by the fire.What were some responsibilities of women inmedieval cities?

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532

Feudalism: Good or Bad?Feudalism was the major social and political order in medieval

Europe. It developed as power passed from kings to local lords.

Feudalism brought together tw

o pow-

erful groups: lords and vassals.

The lords

gave vassals land in return fo

r military

and other services. Feudalism w

as a help

to Western Europeans for the

following

reasons: Feudalism hel

ped protect communi-

ties from the violence and warfa

re

that broke out after the fall of

Rome and the collapse of strong

central government in Western

Europe. Feudalism secured

Western Europes society and ke

pt

out powerful invaders.

Feudalism helped restore trad

e.

Lords repaired bridges and road

s.

Their knights arrested bandits,

enforced the law, and made it

safe to travel on roads.

Feudalism benefited lords, vas

sals,

and peasants. Lords gained a

dependable fighting force in

their vassals. Vassals received

land for their military service.

Peasants were protected by

their lords. The lord also built

mills to grind grain and black-

smith shops and woodworking

shops to make tools.

Feudal ceremonies, oaths, and

contracts required lords and

vassals to be faithful and

to carry out their duties to

each other. These kinds

of agreements and rituals

later helped shape the

development of Western

governments.

Feudalism did not allow

one person or organization

to become too powerful.

Power was shared among

Good?

Serfs workingthe land

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533

many people and groups.

This was the first step to European

ideas about limited government,

constitutions, and civil rights.

Bad?Feudalism did not

always work as

well in real life as it it did in theory, and

it caused many problems for society.

Feudalism provided some unity and

security in local areas, but it often

did not have the strength to unite

larger regions or countries. Small

feudal governments could not

afford big projects, such as building

aqueducts, sewers, or fleets of ships,

that might benefit society.

Because there was no strong central

government to enforce laws fairly,

it was easy to use force, violence,

and lies to get ones way. This led

to many wars among lords.

Feudalism protected Western

Europe from outside invaders,

but it did not bring peace to a

region.

Lords or vassals often placed their

personal interests over the inter-

ests of the areas they ruled. Feudal

lords had complete power in their

local areas and could make harsh

demands on their vassals and

peasants.

Feudalism did not treat people

equally or let them move up in

society. A person born a serf was

supposed to remain a serf, just as a

person born a lord received special

treatment without earning it.

Most peasants were serfs. They were

not allowed to leave their lords

lands. Serfs had to work three or

four days each week as a payment

to the lords or vassals for allowing

them to farm for themselves on

other days. The serfs were restricted

in movement and even daily

activities because they could not

leave the land without permission.

Checking for Understanding1. Do you think feudalism helped

or hurt Western Europes development?

2. Is there any way feudal lordscould have worked their landswithout using serfs?

3. Imagine what your life wouldhave been if you were born into a feudal society. Write at leastthree brief diary entries. Describeyour daily life as a lord, vassal, orserf and your relationship withthe other two groups.Your entriesshould show feudalism as either good or bad.

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Landowningnobles oftenserved asknights.

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KingdomsCrusadesand

Whats the Connection?In the last section, you read

about how Western Europeans livedduring the Middle Ages. This sectiondescribes the political changes thattook place while people went abouttheir daily lives.

Focusing on the England developed a system in which

the kings power was shared withParliament. (page 535)

French kings called the Capetiansconquered lands held by the Englishin western France and set up Francesfirst parliament. (page 538)

After the Mongols destroyed theKievan state, the rulers of Moscowbuilt a new Russian state headed by aczar. (page 539)

European crusaders capturedJerusalem but were later driven outby the Muslims. (page 541)

Locating PlacesNormandy (NAWRmuhndee)Kiev (KEEEHF)Moscow (MAHSkoh)

Meeting PeopleWilliam the Conqueror

King John

Philip II (FIH luhp)Saladin (SA luhDEEN)

Building Your Vocabularygrand jury

trial jury

clergy (KLUHR jee)

Reading StrategyCause and Effect Complete adiagram to show the causes andeffects of the Crusades.

c. A.D. 871Alfred becomesEnglands king

1095Pope Urban IIcalls the FirstCrusade

1480Ivan the Great endsMongol rule

ENGLAND

SPAIN

FRANCE

RUSSIA

PALESTINE

HOLYROMANEMPIRE

RomeClermont

Kiev

Jerusalem

Moscow A.D. 900 1150 1400A.D. 900 1150 1400


Causes Effects

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England in the Middle AgesEngland developed a system in which

the kings power was shared with Parliament. Reading Focus Do you know anyone who has had togo to court or has served on a jury? Read to learn howthese institutions began in medieval England.

In section one, you learned thatGermanic peoples called the Angles andSaxons invaded Britain in the early A.D. 400s. They took over much of thecountry from the Celts and set up manysmall kingdoms. In the late A.D. 800s,Vikings attacked Britain. King Alfred ofWessex, later known as Alfred the Great,united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms anddrove away the Vikings. Alfreds unitedkingdom became known as Angleland,or England.

Alfred ruled England from A.D. 871 toA.D. 899. He founded schools and hiredscholars to rewrite Latin books in theAnglo-Saxon language. However, the

Anglo-Saxon kings who came after himwere weak rulers.

Who Was William the Conqueror? In theA.D. 900s, the Vikings conquered part ofwestern France across the English Channelfrom England. This region came to be calledNormandy (NAWR muhn dee), after theVikings, or Norsemen, who ruled it. By themiddle of the A.D. 1000s, Normandy wasruled by William, a descendant of theViking ruler who had conqueredNormandy. William was also a cousin ofKing Edward of England.

When Edward died, a noble namedHarold Godwinson claimed Englandsthrone. However, William believed that he,not Harold, should be king of England. In1066, William and his army of knightslanded in England. They defeated Haroldand his foot soldiers at the Battle ofHastings. William was then crowned kingof England and became known as Williamthe Conqueror.

This painting of the Battle of Hastings shows Norman knights onhorseback led by William the Conqueror attacking the English footsoldiers. What area did William rule before he attacked England?

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At first the Anglo-Saxons resistedWilliams rule. He had to find a way to stopAnglo-Saxon revolts and to control his ownsoldiers. He did so by giving land to hisNorman knights. Then he made themswear loyalty to him as ruler of England.

William wanted to know all about hisnew kingdom. So he took the first census inEurope since Roman times. This census wasknown as the Domesday Book. It countedpeople, manors, and farm animals.

The Normans who ruled Englandbrought Europes customs to England.

Under Williams rule, officials and noblesspoke French. Ordinary Anglo-Saxons still spoke their own language, which laterbecame English. They also learned new skills from Norman weavers andother artisans. The Normans, in turn, keptmany of the Anglo-Saxons governmentpractices. For example, they depended on local officials, called sheriffs, to keeporder. As more and more Normans andAnglo-Saxons married, their ways ofdoing things merged into a new Englishculture.


In the United States, citizensare chosen at random for possiblejury duty. Some states have reduced

the number of jurors from 12 to 10, 8,or 6. Juries usually decide a verdict and

sometimes decide a sentence. What is thedisadvantage of choosing the same people to

serve on juries again and again?

The Jury System

The right to a jury trial in England wasgranted in the Magna Carta, but jury trials beganin Europe about 50 years earlier. For each case,12 jurors were chosen. In some villages, thesame jurors were chosen again and againbecause of their wisdom or status. Jurorswere always men. The jury decidedwhether the accused was guilty orinnocent.

A modern jury

A medieval court

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Henry II and the Common Law Thepower of the English king increased underHenry II. Henry ruled England from 1154 to1189. Henry used the law courts to increasehis power. He set up a central court withtrained lawyers and judges. Then heappointed circuit judges, who traveledacross the country hearing cases. He alsoestablished common law, or law that wasthe same throughout the whole kingdom.

Henry set up juries to handle argumentsover land. In time, two kinds of juries devel-oped. The grand jury decided whether peo-ple should be accused of a crime. The trialjury decided whether an accused personwas innocent or guilty.

What Was the Magna Carta? Henrysson John became king of England in 1199.King John raised taxes in England andpunished his enemies without trials. ManyEnglish nobles resented the kings power.They refused to obey him unless he agreedto guarantee certain rights.

The nobles met with King John at ameadow called Runnymede in 1215. Therethey forced John to sign a document ofrights called the Magna Carta, or the GreatCharter. The Magna Carta took away someof the kings powers. He could no longercollect taxes unless a group called theGreat Council agreed. Freemen accused ofcrimes had the right to fair trials by theirpeers, or equals. Habeas corpus was intro-duced, which protects a person from beingimprisoned indefinitely without a trial.The Magna Carta also stated that the kingand vassals both had certain rights andduties. The Magna Carta was importantbecause it helped to establish the idea thatpeople have rights and that the power ofthe government should be limited.

In the 1200s, another English king,Edward I, called for a meeting of people

from different parts of England. Their job was to advise him and help him make laws. This gathering, called theParliament, was an important step towardrepresentative government. At first,Parliaments were made up of two knightsfrom every county, two people from everytown, and all high-ranking nobles andchurch officials. Later, Parliament dividedinto two houses. High-ranking nobles andchurch officials met as the House of Lords.Knights and townspeople met as theHouse of Commons.

Explain How did the MagnaCarta affect the kings power?

Magna CartaThis excerpt fromthe Magna Cartadescribes the rightto a trial by jury:No free man shallbe taken, impris-oned, disseised[seized], outlawed,banished, or in anyway destroyed, norwill We proceedagainst or prosecutehim, except by thelawful judgment ofhis peers and by thelaw of the land.

Magna Carta

Why do you think this part of the MagnaCarta is important?

King John signing the Magna Carta

Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection

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The Kingdom of FranceFrench kings called the Capetians con-

quered lands held by the English in western Franceand set up Frances first parliament.Reading Focus Has a poll ever been taken in yourclass? Read to find out how one French king found outwhat his people were thinking.

In A.D. 843 Charlemagnes empire wasdivided into three parts. The western parteventually became the kingdom of France.In A.D. 987 Frankish nobles chose HughCapet to be their king. Hugh was the first ofthe Capetian (kuh PEE shuhn) kings ofFrance. The Capetians controlled the areaaround Paris (PAR uhs), the capital. ManyFrench nobles had more power than thekings did. This began to change whenPhilip II (FIH luhp) became king of France.

Philip ruled from 1180 to 1223. Whenhe took the throne, Englands king ruledparts of western France. Philip went towar against England and conquered mostof these territories. As a result, Frenchkings gained more land and became morepowerful.

Philip IV, called Philip the Fair, ruledfrom 1285 to 1314. In 1302 he met with rep-resentatives from the three estates, orclasses, of French society. The first estatewas the clergy (KLUHR jee), or people whohad been ordained as priests. Nobles madeup the second estate, and townspeople andpeasants were the third estate. This meetingbegan the Estates-General, Frances firstparliament. It was the first step in Francetoward representative government.

Describe How did KingPhilip II bring power back to French kings?


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In 1160, feudal Europe was fragmentedinto many small kingdoms and states.1. What kingdoms controlled lands that

today belong to France?2. Who controlled lands that today

belong to Spain?

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Eastern Europe and RussiaAfter the Mongols destroyed the

Kievan state, the rulers of Moscow built a newRussian state headed by a czar.Reading Focus Why do you think some of the citiesin your state grew large while others stayed small? Readto learn how the cities of Kiev and Moscow grew tobecome the centers of large Slavic states.

About A.D. 500, a people called the Slavsorganized villages in Eastern Europe. Eachvillage was made up of families related toeach other. The villagers shared their land,animals, tools, and seeds. Each family builtits house partly underground. This kept thefamily warm during the cold winters.

In time, the Slavs divided into three majorgroups: the southern, western, and easternSlavs. The southern Slavs became the Croats,Serbs, and Bulgarians. The western Slavsbecame the Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks. Theeastern Slavs became the Ukrainians (yoo KRAYneeuhnz), Belorussians (BEH lohRUHshuhnz), and Russians (RUHshuhnz).

By A.D. 600, the eastern Slavs controlledthe land between the Carpathian Moun-tains and the Volga River. In the earlyMiddle Ages, the eastern Slavs createdfarmland by chopping down the forests andthen burning the trees to fertilize the soil.They planted barley, rye, and flax.

What Was the Kievan Rus? In the lateA.D. 700s, Vikings began moving into theSlavs territory from the north. Over time,the Vikings became rulers of the Slavs. TheSlavs called their Viking rulers the Rus.Over time, the Vikings and Slavs intermar-ried and blended into one people.

Around A.D. 900, a Viking leader namedOleg created a Rus state around the city ofKiev (KEE EHF). Called the Kievan Rus, thisstate was really a group of small territories.

The main ruler was the Grand Duke ofKiev. Local princes, rich merchants, andlandowning nobles called boyars (boh YAHRZ) helped him govern.

The rulers who came after Olegincreased the size of the Kievan Rus. Intime, it reached from the Baltic Sea in thenorth to the Black Sea in the south. Itstretched from the Danube River in thewest to the Volga River in the east.

The growth of the Kievan Rus attractedmissionaries from the Byzantine Empire.One Rus ruler, Vladimir, married theByzantine emperors sister. He became anEastern Orthodox Christian and declaredhis people Eastern Orthodox.

Ibn Fadlan Describes the Rus

In A.D. 921, the Muslim official Ibn Fadlan encountered the Rus while visiting a settle-ment on the Volga River.I have seen the Rus as theycame on their merchantjourneys and encamped bythe [Volga River]. I havenever seen more perfectphysical specimens, tall asdate palms, blonde andruddy; they wear neither[coats] nor caftans [longshirts], but the men wear agarment which covers oneside of the body and leavesa hand free. . . . They buildbig houses of wood on the [Volga] shore, each holding ten to twenty persons more or less.

Ibn Fadlan, Risala

Of what occupation are the Rus that IbnFadlan describes?

Statue of aRus leader

Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures

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Kiev Falls to the Mongols About 1240, theMongols swept into the Kievan Rus. TheSlavs called the Mongols Tatars becauseone of the Mongol tribes was the Tata peo-ple. The Mongols destroyed nearly all themajor cities and killed many people.

The only major city of the Kievan Rusthat was spared was the northern city ofNovgorod. Nonetheless, Novgorods rulersas well as other Russian rulers, had to paytribute to the khan, the Mongol leader, andaccept the Mongols as their rulers.

Although Novgorod had been sparedby the Mongols, it faced attacks from thewest by Germans and Swedes. Led by

Alexander Nevsky, theSlavs of Novgorod defeatedthe Swedes and Germans.For his help in defendinglands controlled by theMongols, the Mongol khanrewarded Nevsky with thetitle of grand duke.

The Rise of Moscow As the Slavs recoveredfrom the damage caused by the Mongols, thecity of Moscow (MAHSkoh) began to grow.Moscow was located at the crossroads of sev-eral important trade routes. AlexanderNevskys son Daniel and his descendantsbecame grand dukes of Moscow.

The dukes of Moscow married womenfrom the ruling families in other Slavictowns. They also fought wars to expandMoscows territory. Moscow became evenmore important when it became the head-quarters for the Russian branch of theEastern Orthodox Church. When Ivan I, theGrand Duke of Moscow from 1328 to 1341,was given permission to collect taxes for theMongols, Moscow grew even greater.

In 1462 Ivan III, known as Ivan theGreat, became the grand duke. He marriedSophia, the niece of the last Byzantineemperor. Afterward, Ivan began living inthe style of an emperor. He had architectsbuild fine palaces and large cathedrals inthe Kremlinthe fortress at the center ofMoscow. He even began calling himselfczar. Czar was a shortened version ofCaesar. In Russian, czar means emperor.

Ivan III lived up to his title. In 1480 hefinally ended Mongol rule over Moscowsterritory. Then he expanded his territory tothe north and west. When Ivan III died in1505, the Russians were well on the waytoward building a vast empire.

Cause and Effect Whywas Alexander Nevsky important?


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Located along trade routes, the city ofMoscow grew in power and in area.1. Describe the territory acquired by Moscow

by 1462.2. By what year had Moscow acquired

territory bordering on the Arctic Ocean?

Growth of Moscow

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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 541(l)Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS, (r)Robert W. Nicholson/National Geographic Society Image Collection

The CrusadesEuropean crusaders captured

Jerusalem but were later driven out by the Muslims.Reading Focus Have you ever put all your energyinto making something important happen? Read tolearn why Europeans thought capturing the city ofJerusalem was important.

During the Middle Ages, the ByzantineEmpire in the East came under attack. In1071 an army of Muslim Turks defeated theByzantines and seized control of most of theByzantine lands in Asia Minor.

The Byzantine emperor did not haveenough money or troops to drive out theTurks. In desperation, he asked the pope tohelp him defend his Christian empireagainst the Muslim invaders.

In 1095 Pope Urban II spoke before alarge crowd in eastern France. He askedEuropes lords to launch a crusade, orholy war, against the Muslim Turks. Heurged them to capture Jerusalem and freethe Holy Land where Jesus had lived from

the Muslims. The pope explained why thecrusade was needed:

Jerusalem is the navel [center] ofthe world. . . . This is the landwhich the Redeemer [Jesus] ofmankind illuminated by hiscoming. . . . This royal city,situated in the middle of theworld, is now held captive by hisenemies. . . . It looks and hopesfor freedom; it begs unceasinglythat you will come to its aid.

Pope Urban II, as quoted in The Discoverers

As the pope spoke, the excited crowd criedout, It is the will of God, it is the will ofGod. The Crusades had begun.

Early Victories Several thousand soldierson horseback and as many as ten thousandon foot headed east. Many of them wore ared cross on their clothes as a sign of theirobedience to the popes call.

In 1098 the First Crusade capturedAntioch in Syria. From there, the crusadersentered Palestine, reaching Jerusalem in1099. After a bloody fight, they stormedthe city, killing Muslims, Jews, andChristians alike.

In the painting above, Pope Urban II callsfor a crusade against the Muslims. At right,the crusaders attack Jerusalem with siegetowers and catapults. What was the popesgoal for the crusade?

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Having driven the Muslims from theregion, the crusaders created four states: theKingdom of Jerusalem in Palestine, thecounty of Edessa and the principality ofAntioch in Asia Minor, and the county ofTripoli where Lebanon is located today.These four states were surrounded byMuslims and depended on the Italian citiesof Genoa, Pisa, and Venice for supplies.

The Muslims fought back, however, andin 1144 they captured Edessa. In response,European rulers sent another crusade to

regain the lost lands. This Second Crusade,however, was a total failure.

In 1174 a Muslim named Saladin (SA luhDEEN) became ruler of Egypt. He unitedMuslims and declared war against theChristian states the crusaders had built.Saladin proved to be a brilliant commander.He defeated the Christians and capturedJerusalem in 1187.

The fall of Jerusalem led to the ThirdCrusade. Emperor Frederick of the HolyRoman Empire, King Richard I of England,


The Crusades 10961204

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KEY

Crusaders from all across Europe traveledoverland and by sea to fight in the Holy Land.1. From what port cities did warriors on the First

Crusade leave to travel to the Holy Land? 2. Describe the route of the Third Crusade.

Medieval painting of a battle during the Crusades

MotionIn


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Reading SummaryReview the The English king granted rights to

his people in the Magna Cartaand established a parliament.

French kings regained French ter-ritories from the English and, likethe English, created a parliament.

Russia had its beginnings in theterritories of the Kievan Rus andMoscow.

West Europeans launched cru-sades to capture Jerusalem andPalestine from the Muslims.

1. What is the significance of theBattle of Hastings?

2. What groups developed fromthe three major divisions ofSlavs in Eastern Europe?

Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information

Draw a chart to list the kingsof England and France andtheir achievements.

4. Evaluate What was theimportance of the MagnaCarta?

5. Summarize Describe thedevelopment of EnglandsParliament, and discuss its role in changing government.

6. Explain Why did cities suchas Venice flourish as a result ofthe Crusades?

7. Expository Writing Write anessay describing how theCrusades affected feudalism.

What Did You Learn?



(known as Richard the Lion-Hearted), andKing Philip II of France gathered theirarmies and headed east to fight Saladin.

The Third Crusade had many problems.Frederick drowned crossing a river. TheEnglish and French arrived by sea and cap-tured a coastal city but were unable to pushinland. After Philip went home, Richardsecured a small territory along the coast. Hethen agreed to a truce after Saladin prom-ised that Christian pilgrims could travel toJerusalem in safety.

Around 1200, Pope Innocent III calledfor a Fourth Crusade. Merchants fromVenice used the crusade to weaken theirtrading rival, the Byzantine Empire. Theyconvinced the crusaders to attackConstantinople, the Byzantine capital. Forthree days, the crusaders burned and lootedthe city. The attack shocked WesternEuropeans and weakened the Byzantines.

Six more crusades were launched overthe next 60 years, but they achieved very lit-tle. Gradually, the Muslims conquered all ofthe territory they had lost to the FirstCrusade. In 1291, a bit more than 200 yearsafter the First Crusade had set out, the lastChristian city fell to Muslim forces.

The Crusades affected Europe in twoways. They increased trade betweenEurope and the Middle East, and theyhelped break down feudalism. Nobles whojoined the Crusades sold their lands andfreed their serfs. This reduced their powerand helped kings build stronger centralgovernments. Kings also began taxing thenew trade with the Middle East. Thesetaxes helped them build stronger kingdomsin Western Europe.

Compare and ContrastWhat did the First Crusade accomplish? What didthe Third Crusade accomplish?

King/Country Achievements

534-543 Ch15 S3-824133 3/17/05 1:17 PM Page 543


Church and SocietyWhats the Connection?

Kings and popes had a powerfuleffect on the lives of medievalpeople, as did religion. In this section,you will learn how religion inmedieval Europe shaped its culture.

Focusing on the The Catholic Church played an

important role in medieval Europeand used its power to uphold itsteachings. (page 545)

Church and government leaderssupported learning and the arts inmedieval Europe. (page 549)

Locating PlacesBologna (buhLOHnyuh)

Meeting PeopleFrancis of Assisi

(FRANsuhs uhv uhSIHSee)Thomas Aquinas

(TAHmuhs uhKWYnuhs)

Building Your Vocabularymass

heresy (HEHRuhsee)anti-Semitism

(ANtihSEHmuhTIHzuhm)theology (theeAH luh jee)scholasticism

(skuhLAStuhSIHzuhm)vernacular (vuhrNAkyuh luhr)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Complete a Venn diagram to show the similaritiesand differences between Romanesqueand Gothic cathedrals.

1233 Catholic Churchsets up theInquisition

c. 1267 Thomas Aquinasbegins writingSumma Theologica

1209 Francis of Assisi foundsFranciscan order

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545

Religion and SocietyThe Catholic Church played an impor-

tant role in medieval Europe and used its power touphold its teachings.Reading Focus Have you ever noticed how manythings in society have been influenced by religion?What examples can you give? Read to learn about theimportant role religion played in the lives of people liv-ing in the Middle Ages.

Between 1050 and 1150, a strong wave ofreligious feeling swept across WesternEurope. As a result, more monasteries werebuilt, and new religious orders, or groupsof priests, monks, and nuns, were started.

New Religious Orders The Cistercian (sihs TUHR shuhn) order was founded in 1098.Cistercian monks farmed the land as well asworshiped and prayed. They developed

many new farming techniques that helpedEuropeans grow more crops.

The most famous Cistercian monk wasBernard of Clairvaux (klar VOH). Bernardhelped promote the Second Crusade. Healso advised the pope and defended thepoor against the rich.

Many women entered conventsbetween A.D. 1000 and 1200. Most of themwere from noble families. They includedwidows and women unable or unwilling tomarry. Women who were scholars foundconvents ideal places for study and writing.

Most educated women in medievalEurope were nuns. One famous womanwas Hildegard of Bingen (HIHL duh GAHRDuhv BIHNG uhn). She headed a convent inGermany and composed music for theChurch. Her work is remarkable because atthat time, men wrote most church music.

This religious painting from the wall of a church in Italy depicts the popeand other Christian leaders, a number of saints, and Jesus ruling over all.How did Cistercian monks aid European society?


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Until the 1200s, most people in religiousorders stayed in their monasteries separatefrom the world. They lived a simple life ofprayer and hard work. In the 1200s, severalnew religious orders were created. The menin these religious orders were called friars.Friar comes from a Latin word for brother.

Friars were different from monks. Theydid not stay in their monasteries. Instead,they went out into the world to preach. Friarslived by begging. They could not own prop-erty or keep any personal wealth.

The first order of friars was founded byFrancis of Assisi (FRANsuhs uhv uhSIHSee) in 1209. These friars became known asFranciscans. They lived in towns and taught

Christianity to the people. In addition,the Franciscans helped the poor andserved as missionaries.

A Spanish priest named Dominicde Guzmn founded another group offriars called the Dominicans. TheDomincans goal was to defendChurch teachings. Dominican friarsspent years in study so they couldpreach to well-educated people.

The Role of Religion Throughoutmedieval Western Europe, daily liferevolved around the CatholicChurch. Priests ran schools and hos-pitals. They also recorded births, per-formed weddings, and conductedburials. On Sundays and holy days,people went to massor the Catholicworship service.

During mass, medieval Christianstook part in Church rituals calledsacraments. The most importantsacrament was communion, in whichpeople took bread and wine toremind them of Jesus death on thecross for their sins. Only clergy couldgive people the sacraments.

Many Christians also prayed to saints.Saints were holy men and women who haddied and were believed to be in heaven.Their presence before God enabled the saintsto ask favors for people who prayed to them.

Of all the saints, Mary, the mother ofJesus, was the most honored. Many churcheswere named for her. Several French churchescarried the name Notre Dame, or Our Lady,in honor of Mary.

Some people tried to make a connec-tion to the saints by touching relics. Relicswere usually bones or personal belongingsof saints. People believed that relics hadspecial powers, such as the ability to healthe sick.


The Franciscan Way of Life

Francis of Assisi recorded instructions for living in the Franciscan order. This passage is about the nature of love.

Blessed that friar who loves his brother as much when he is sick and can be of no use to him as when he is well and can be of use to him. Blessed that friarwho loves and respectshis brother as much whenhe is absent as when he ispresent and who wouldnot say anything behindhis back that he could notsay charitably [nicely] tohis face.

Francis of Assisi, as quoted in Admonitions

Does Francis of Assisi think that love foranother person should be constant, orchanging? How do you know?

Francis of Assisi


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Medieval Christians also believed thatGod blessed pilgrims, or religious travelerswho journeyed to holy places. The holiestplace was Jerusalem in the Middle East.

What Was the Inquisition? The CatholicChurch was very powerful in medievalsociety, and most of its leaders wantedeveryone to accept the Churchs teachings.Church leaders feared that if peoplestopped believing Church teachings, itwould weaken the Church and endangerpeoples chances of getting into heaven.

Using its power, the Church tried to putan end to heresy (HEHR uh see), or reli-gious beliefs that conflict with Churchteachings. At first, it tried to stop the spreadof heresy by sending friars like theDominicans to preach the Churchs mes-sage. Then, in 1233, the pope established acourt called the Inquisition (IHN kwuh ZIH shuhn), or Church court. To Church leaders,

heresy was a crime against God. TheInquisitions job was to try heretics, or peo-ple suspected of heresy.

People brought before the Inquisitionwere urged to confess their heresy and toask forgiveness. When they confessed, theInquisition punished them and thenallowed them to return to the Church.People who refused to confess could be tor-tured until they admitted their heresy.Those who did not confess were consideredguilty. The Inquisition turned them over topolitical leaders, who could execute them.

How Were the Jews Treated? Churchleaders persecuted Jews as actively as theypunished heretics. Many Europeans hatedJews for refusing to become Christians.Others hated them because many Jewswere moneylenders who charged interest.At that time, Christians believed charginginterest was a sin.

This painting shows an accused heretic being questioned by theInquisition. What happened to people who refused to confess to theInquisition?

Borromeo/Art Resource, NY

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When disease or economic problemshurt society, people blamed the Jews. Jewsbecame scapegoatspeople who areblamed for other peoples troubles. Hatredof Jews is known as anti-Semitism (AN tih SEH muh TIH zuhm).

Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages tookhorrible forms. Christian mobs attackedand killed thousands of Jews. Governmentsmade Jews wear special badges or clothing.In some places, Jews had to live in separate

communities known as ghettos. Jews alsolost the right to own land and to practicecertain trades. This was why many of themhad to become peddlers and moneylenders,jobs that Christians despised.

Beginning in the 1100s, European rulersbegan driving out their Jewish subjects.England expelled Jews in 1290. Franceexpelled groups of Jews several times.Some German cities also forced Jews toleave. Many of these Jews settled in Polandand other Eastern European countries.Over the years, the Jews of Eastern Europeestablished thriving communities based ontheir religious traditions.

Contrast How did themain goal of the Franciscans differ from the maingoal of the Dominicans?


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Chapter 15: Medieval Europe - Boone County Schools 4 chapter 15...Chapter 15: Medieval Europe - Boone County Schools