The Middle Ages

Medieval Period 500-1500 CE

After the Germanic Invasions:• Disrupted Trade: tribes made it hard to

travel, economy suffers

• Cities are abandoned

• Population Shifts from cities to rural communities

Due to invasions, Europe enters a

• Dark Period:

• Decline in Learning: tribes can not read or write and cities were the centers of learning and are now abandoned. Church officials are only literate people.

• Loss of common language: dialects turn to new languages, Latin official language but not understood.

GERMANIC KINGDOMS

• -With the fall of Rome, a government no longer provided security. Since the Church survived the falls, it was the constant and a secure source of order!

400-600 AD: Germanic Kingdoms replaced Roman Provinces

CHARLEMAGNE: “Charles the Great”

• -Built empire up, spread Christianity.

• -Pope Leo III crowned him HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR

• When Charlemagne Dies:• kingdom is divided into 3

kingdoms- TREATY OF VERDUN:

• BUT: The division of power in Europe left Europe weak and open to invasions!

VIKINGS

• -Northmen or Norsemen, a Germanic People• -Vik: journey to pillage and plunder• -Raided Europe: especially Monasteries:

sources of wealth• -Traveled far: EX: Leif Ericson: made it to N.

America 1000AD.

FEUDALISM

• FEUDALISM: political and military system of Middle Ages.

• WHY? Since control could not be kept on central gov’t level, it had to be kept locally.

• Feudal System: in exchange for military protection, a LORD or landowner, granted land called a FIEF. The person who received this land was called a VASSAL. Lord must pay the king HOMAGE, a pledge of loyalty.

KINGS

Powerful VASSALS: Nobles and Bishops

KNIGHTS: mounted horsemen who pledges to defend lord’s land in

exchange for fiefs.

PEASANTS or SERFS: people who could not lawfully leave the place where they were born. Bond to land but

not slaves! Could not be bought or sold.

Status determined power and prestige! Social class was usually inherited!

MANORS• Manor: the lord’s estate• Manor System: basic economic arrangement

which rested on a set of rights and obligation between a lord and his serf.

Troubles of the Life

• Rarely traveled 25 miles away from manor• -Peasants (serf or free) - paid tax on all grain,

marriage• -Lived in crowded cottages warmed by pigs,

slept in insect ridden straw.• -Many children did not survive to adulthood

(malnutrition and illness)• -Ave. Life expectancy: 35 years• -Ave. Lifetime radius of living: 25 miles

Why did they do it?

• The believed (told by church) that God predetermined a person position in society. Being good Christians, they accepted their position of servitude.

KNIGHTS

• Knights: Being good Christians, they accepted their position of servitude

• Code of chivalry: complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely

• -expected to be loyal, brave, and courteous!

CASTLES

• knights protected their castles• -scattered the landscape, surrounded by walls,

moats• -Lords and their Lady and family, and Knights lived

in them• -the siege of a castle was brutal

RISE OF ISLAM

• Another religious group besides Christians called Jerusalem a holy city! They were called Muslims, followers of Islam. They came from the desert home land of Arabia. (Current Saudi Arabia)

• Founded by Mohammad

• People who agreed to this were called Muslims and their religion Islam.

• -Islam: In Arabic means “submission to the will of Allah”

THE SPREAD OF ISLAM

• 640-660 AD: Islamic Armies swept through Syria, Persia, and Egypt. They also conquered Palestine: THE HOLY LAND.

• -eventually spread into North Africa and up into Spain.

• Conquered people had to accept Islam or face death…except Jews and Christians….they could keep their faith.

• Why? Muslims respected those who followed 1 God and the words of a Holy Book.

MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS COLLIDE!!• Just as Muslims made pilgrimages to the Holy

Land, so did Christians. • Arab Muslims respected Christians and allowed

them to visit.• Seljuk Turks took power in Jerusalem, although

Muslims, they were not friendly with the Christians.

• Pope Urban II got Christian Europeans to fight for their right to go the Holy Land.

• -The Christian armies set forth on Crusades.• -The Crusades (Holy Wars) lasted for 300 years.

THE CRUSADES BRING CHANGE TO EUROPE

• The Crusades introduced Europeans to many new products and foods!

• -Crusaders brought back new cloths and spices for food!

• With the new trading networks that were created, Europe’s whole economy became stronger!!!

Changes of the Crusades cont.

• Also…a new interest in travel flourished!

• -People learned to make better maps

• -People also learned new battle techniques and acquired new weapons!

• The Feudal Society had kept medieval people tied down to the manors. The Crusades sent them out into the world!

CHANGES IN AGRICULTURE

• Switch from oxen to horses: Horses could plow three times as much land!

• Plowshare: made of sharp, curved iron

• THREE FIELD SYSTEM: had 3 fields instead of 2

– Impact on Farming:

• Farmers could farm even the hardest soil• More land could be farmed resulting in more

food being grown: SURPLUS: more than what is needed

• The surplus food could be used in trade!

POPULATION GROWTH• During the 1000s…population grew!• -With more food grown, there was more to trade.• -Shops and businesses were built in towns• -Towns were often surrounded by a wall and

very crowded• -garbage was thrown into the streets, no fire

department or police!• -Regardless of problems…towns grew!• Now…people were using money to buy goods…

instead of exchanging!

THE FEUDAL SYSTEM WEAKENS!

• -As business and trade increased…towns became stronger and so did merchants!

• -Towns wanted to govern themselves…not be ruled by a Lord.

GUILDS

• -Towns offered opportunities…especially to the peasants. They could learn a trade or craft.

• Guild: an organization of individuals in the same business or occupation working to improve the economic and social conditions of its members.

• -Each trade had a guild• -Guild helps set prices and standards of quality• -Guilds set up working hours

PROGRESS IN HUMAN RIGHTS

• As a population grows…more and more people not of the royal or privileged class exist!!

• These people wanted protection from unlawful governments!

• Example: ENGLAND

THE MAGNA CARTA

• June 15, 1215!

• King John showed little interest in anyone’s rights

• forced to sign the Magna Carta (Great Charter)

• Magna Carta (Great Charter)• -guaranteed basic political

rights• -limited the power of the King• -eventually…all citizens

benefited• -No taxation without

representation!

THE 1300s!

• EVENTS: #1 Schism, #2 Plague, #3 War!

#1 THE GREAT SCHISM

• AVIGNON, FRANCE

• 1305: French king persuaded the French Cardinals to appoint a French Archbishop to become the next Pope!

• CLEMENT V: became the new pope and moved from Rome to Avignon, France! Popes would live there for the next 69 years!

• -Reformers tried to move papacy back to Rome

• -when the pope in Avignon died, a new pope was chosen in Rome.

• But…they did not like their choice…so they appointed another pope in Avignon…results: 2 popes!!

• -Popes excommunicate each other!

• Result of Schism: Papacy weakened!!

#2: PLAGUE: Black Death

• -Kill 1/3 of population

• -20-25 Million people killed

• -spread by the fleas on rats

BUBONIC PLAGUE

• Background:

• -1347 or 1348- A ship from the East docked at an Italian port!

• -The sailors aboard brought on to land the terrible plague!

Plague cont.

• -got name BLACK DEATH because of the black and purple spot it formed on the skin

• -believed to spread from rats’ fleas biting humans

• -Killed between 20-25 million Europeans, 1/3 of population

DURING THE PLAGUE:

• -few doctors existed, those that exist could not help

• -little known about medicine or treatment of diseases

EFFECTS OF PLAGUE

• -town populations fell

• -trade declined

• -serfs left their manors, Nobles angered

• -Peasant revolts

• -Jews were blamed in many areas, many killed

• -Church lost people’s faith when its prayers failed to stop the suffering

#3 HUNDRED YEARS WAR

• ENGLAND VS FRANCE!!! • -over the French Throne…the English

wanted it! • -The war over the throne lasted off and

on from 1337-1453• -Although both sides fought hard in the

end…France won!

JOAN OF ARC 1429

• -French Peasant girl who claimed to speak to God

• -believed she was chosen to rescue France from English conquerors

• -she led a French army to victory in a decisive battle in war!

• -When the English captured her and turned her over to church authorities, the French King did nothing!

• -Burned at the stake May 30, 1431

IMPACT OF HUNDRED YEARS WAR

• England must look elsewhere to expand its power: exploration

• Feeling of Nationalism in both countries: King was fighting for Country, not feudal land.

• Monarchs’ power strong!• SIGNIFICANCE: The End of the Hundred Years

War also marks the end of the Middle Ages!! Religious devotion and chivalry both no longer exist.

• Next….RENAISSANCE…rebirth!