Chapter 9: Christian Societies Emerge in Europe

Warm Up1. Trade brought Arabs into contact with:2. Most important trading town of Arabian peninsula:3. Ancient building that was considered sacred:4. Who started Islam and how did he get the idea?5. What two religions influenced his thinking:6. Year of revelation for Muhammad:7. Sacred text of Islam:8. What is God called in Islamic faith?9. Caliph:10. Caliphate:

• I. Byzantine Empire, 600-1200– A. An Empire Beleaguered– Muslim Arabs took wealthy provinces from

Byzantine Empire (converted them to Islam) permanently reducing power of Byzantine Empire

– Great schism in 1054: Popes in the Orthodox Church disagreed with Latin princes of the Latin Church, the Latin and Orthodox church broke from each other

– B. Society and Urban Life– Byzantine Empire had a great gap between

wealthy aristocrats and the poverty of the peasants

– During the rule of Justinian I a bubonic plague broke out and created this social gap

– Women: confined to the home and wore veils, some women in royalty ruled along side husbands

– Economy: Byzantine emperors set prices, controlled provision of grain in capital, and monopolized trade on certain goods

– Impact: Constantinople was well supplied butt cities and rural areas were left behind in terms of wealth and technology

– C. Cultural Achievements– Body of Civil Law (Corpus Juris Civilis) : Law Code

of Justinian I of Byzantine Empire bringing back civil laws from Rome

– Written in Latin, most people spoke Greek– Byzantine architects adopted the technique of

dome buildings – Greatest architectural building in Constantinople

was Hagia Sophia

• II. Early Medieval Europe, 600-1000– A. Time of Insecurity– After the fall of Rome, Muslim Arabs and

Germanic kingdoms begin to create larger empires– In Gaul (France) Clovis established the Frank

empire in 400 AD– He converted to Christianity around 500 when his

troops won a difficult battle– First Germanic ruler to do so– Massive public baptism of Clovis and 3,000 Franks– This conversion won Clovis the support of the

Roman Catholic Church

– Charles Martel led his forces who defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours (732), which stopped the spread of Islam into Europe

– Charles earned the nickname Martel, which means “hammer” for his military skills and victories

– Charlemagne is Charles Martel’s grandson (how he comes to power)

– Charlemagne, which means “Charles the Great” ruled from 768 – 814

– Warrior and a devout Christian, unified Europe for the first time since the fall of Rome

– Expanded the Frankish kingdom – Carolingian Empire

– Became the most powerful Christian leader when in 800 he was crowned as Emperor of the Roman People

– Restored the pope back to power after he had been run out of Rome

– The pope thanked Charlemagne by making him a Roman emperor

– The title implied that Charlemagne had restored the glory of the Roman Empire in Europe

– Charlemagne’s rule had the full backing of the church and God

– In 843 the Treaty of Verdun divided the empire among Charlemagne’s three grandsons

– Vikings invaded England, France, and Spain, settled in Iceland

– Scandinavia’s land was not good for farming and food shortages became a problem

– Normandy was given to the Vikings as a peace offering

– Vikings are not interested in taking territories just taking goods and gold and leaving

– Quick attacks

Vikings

– William the Conqueror: invaded England in 1066 and establishes his empire

– Defeats the English at the battle of Hastings

– B. Self Sufficient Economy– Fall of Rome and gap in social status led to decline

in trade and de-urbanization– Self sufficient farming estates called manors and

were primary centers of agriculture. Grew from the need for self sufficiency and self defense

– Lord of the manor had unlimited power over the farmers (serfs) just needed to provide defense for the farmers

– C. Early Medieval Society in the West– Class of nobles developed into mounted knights– Relationship between landholding and obligation

to provide military service to a lord is referred to as feudalism

– Vassal: knights who owed military service to a lord or king

– Need for military service led to military technologies: stirrup, bigger horses, armor and weapons for the knight

– equipment was expensive knights needed land to support themselves

– Kings and nobles granted land (fief) to man in return for promise to supply military service

– Kings were weak and had little ability to tax or raise an army. The land of the Church was tax free, for most people their lord was their government

Warm Up

1. What leader is publicly baptized? Why?2. Explain why the Vikings journey south and attack the

mainland of Europe?3. Explain how feudalism starts:4. How do the kings lose power?5. Define: serf and vassal:6. Charles the Great AKA:7. What empire does Charles the Great reign over?8. What was the only real (stable) power in feudalism?

• III. Western Church– A. Politics and the Church– Pope looked to gain both religious and political power by

crowning Charlemagne the king of the Holy Roman Empire– Western Europe was under 3 legal traditions: Germanic

Feudal law, church law, Roman law– Germanic law: ordeal vs. wergild– Wergild – “money for a man” – a system using a fine was

developed to avoid bloodshed after crimes such as murder• Injured party’s family was paid a set amount of money

(varied by social status)– Ordeal – one way of determining guilt, based on a belief

that the gods would not let an innocent person be punished• If the accused was unharmed after a physical trial, they

are presumed innocent

– B. Monasticism– Monasteries arise in Egypt focusing on the

practice of celibacy, devotion to prayer, and isolation

– Functions of a monastery: centers of literacy, learning, refuges for widows and women, inns, and orphanages, they also farmed and managed their own land

• IV. Kievan Russia, 900-1200– Rise of Kievan State– Russian cities that became the centers for trade:

Kiev and Novgorod– 980, Vladimir I became prince of Kiev and made

the state religion Orthodox Christianity– Vladimir imitated the culture of the Byzantine

Empire, building churches, adopting the alphabet, and trading with Constantinople

– B. Society and Culture– Poor agricultural land, short growing season, and

primitive farming technologies led to Kievan state relying on trade more than production

– Christianity spread slowly through Russia but polytheism was still persistent until 12th century

• V. Western Europe Revives, 1000-1200– A. Role of Technology– Populations began to grow because of new

technologies– Technologies: horse collar, heavy moldboard plow,

and strap harness

Moldboard Plow

– B. Cities and Rebirth of Trade– Independent city states begin to arise in Italy– Venice: emerged as a dominant sea power, trading

with Muslim sea ports for spices and other goods

– The recovery of trade was due to the use of high value gold and silver coins, which were not used during the Middle Ages

– During the 12th century Europeans began to mint silver and then gold coins

• VI. The Crusades, 1095-1204– A. Roots of the Crusades– Series of Christian military campaigns against

Muslims between 1100 and 1200. – Fight over the holy land of Jerusalem, Muslims

and Christians both want to control– Pope Urban II in 1095: initiated the first Crusade

when he called upon the Europeans to stop fight each other and fight the Muslims instead

– he promoted the concept of a "Truce of God" which would restrain violence at home; and he called for the first crusade.

• "...advance boldly, as knights of Christ, and rush as quickly as you can to the defense of the Eastern Church. For she it is from whom the joys of your whole salvation have come forth, who poured into your mouths the milk of divine wisdom, who set before you the holy teachings of the gospel."

• All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring comes, let them eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide

– B. Impact of the Crusades– Helps to end the stronghold of feudalism– The Crusades increased trade and some Italian

cities benefited economically– Led to the deaths of many knights and nobles– Kings gained power as they took over unoccupied

lands– Brought knowledge of Muslim culture to Europe