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The Creation of Europe: Political and Social Foundations

 

OVERVIEWInvasions by Germanic and Slavic barbarians and nomads from Asia

Invasions of Muslims in North Africa and southern Europe

Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages

The Germanic Kingdoms of the West

The Germanic Barbarians Political and military institutions

Assembly – council and court of justiceComitatus, military war band

Tribal confederacies take over the Western Roman Empire in the fifth centuryTook up Roman ways and often intermarriedNew European eliteEnhancement of the powers of the chieftainsReligionDisappearance of the frontier

The Kingdom of FranksAnglo-Saxons

Christianity

England and Ireland England

Angles and Saxons from northwestern Germany Christian in the seventh century

IrelandCelticsNever conquered by RomeSaint Patrick in fifth centuryMonasteries

Clovis and the FranksLoose confederacy along the lower Rhine RiverClovis Campaigns east in 486 Government Shared the conquered land with principal warriors Conversion to orthodox Christianity Collapse of Clovis’ kingdom upon his death

The Kings, the Nobles, and the Church The kingdom of Clovis divided among his four sons Kings not only landlords but rulers and protectors of the peasants

as well as warriors Give positions and royal lands to keep loyalty of nobility Nobility controls these lands Kings grow weaker

Mayors of the Palace Main elements of the feudal state

Western Christendom, Byzantium, and Islam about 750

Byzantium and Its Neighbors Danube to the Euphrates Rivers

Centralized control

Economic strengths provided support for administration and defense

Sixth and seventh century attempts to regain the western Roman Empire

Empire of Islam

Byzantium and Its Invaders, 565- c. 750

The Survival of ByzantiumReconquest and New Invasions Justinian

Came to the throne in 527Corpus Juris CivilisControl of the Greek ChurchReconquer the territories in the WestSpread too thinHuns, Visigoths, and AvarsLombards

The SlavsIndo-European, living east of the GermansSixth and seventh centuries under the leadership of Avars, the Slavs crossed the Danube River and brokethe defenses of ByzantiumOther Slavs move north and westBy 800, the Slavs occupied almost all of eastern and central EuropeSlav Chieftains had no desire to destroy civilized statesSlavs move south in rebellion against Avars and become influenced by Byzantium

Persian and Muslim InvasionsPersian invasion in late sixth century, conquering Syria and EgyptPersians driven out in 630 -- both sides exhausted Persian and Byzantine Empires easy prey to the

Muslim expansion By 750 all that was left of the Byzantine Empire was

Asia MinorByzantine rulers see themselves as Roman emperors and rulers of the ChurchDefense of Constantinople Falls in 1453

Byzantine Culture and Architecture

Corpus Juris Civilis

Influence of Greek culture through the Hellenistic period

Education

Decorative arts and architecture Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)

The Book and Sword of IslamThe Arabs and MuhammadMuhammad (the Prophet) born about 570 in Mecca No formal education Merchant

Direct revelations from Allah (God) The Archangel Gabriel told Muhammad to take the revelations to the

peopleMecca is where the Kaaba is located which housed idols and the Black StoneFled from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in 622 Hegira is the flight of Muhammad from Mecca

Islam means submissionMuslim is one who had submittedJihad (“striving”)Preservation of the Black Stone when Mecca conqueredMuhammad dies in 632

The Saracen Empire Muhammad left no son as a successor Muhammad’s disciples chose a caliph (successor)

Wars of Abu Bakr and Omar Caliphate is an empire Conquered Persia, Egypt and Syria By 720 Spain was taken from the Christianized Visigoths

Raiding across the Pyrenees into France, stopped at Tours in 732 Arab merchants take over from warriors

Why were the Arab conquests so successful? Share in rich booty if victorious Warrior goes straight to paradise if he falls in battle Effects of bubonic plagues Weakness of Byzantium and Persia Saracen raiders welcomed by Egyptians and Syrians due to heavy

Byzantine taxation and persecution of Christian heretics Tolerance

Islam and ChristianityTeachings of Islam Muhammad never claimed divinity Muhammad was the last and greatest of Allah’s

prophets Set revelations in the context of Judaism and

Christianity Identified Allah with Yahweh (Jehovah) and

Accepted the line of Jewish prophets from Abraham to Jesus Not a new religion but fulfillment of the old

Islamic Social and Ethical IdeasKoran

Does not demand self-denial beyond powers of most people

Moderate polygamy – four wives No limit on concubines

Absence of a formal priesthood Religious scholars – mullahs and ayatollahs

No saints to mediate

No mysterious rites only a priest can perform

Obligations of the FaithfulFive Pillars of Faith “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” Daily prayer – four times a day Giving to the poor, alms Fasting Pilgrimage to Mecca In early Islam a sixth duty was to participate in a jihad

The Five Pillars are only the minimum requirementsDo the will of Allah as revealed in the KoranGod has predestined the ultimate fate of humanityPool of fire and Paradise

Religious and Political DivisionSunnites Ummayad Dynasty Accept certain traditions (Sunna) outside the Koran

Shiites Abide strictly to the Koran Only descendents of the Prophet could become caliph Abbasid Dynasty

Saracen empire breaking up after the eighth centuryThe Muslim Legacy to the West Reached height in 9th and 10th centuries Replaced Greece as the internationally dominant culture in

northeastern Africa and the Middle East

Islam and EuropeLong distance commerce

Exotic goods, knowledge of geography and navigation

Arabic numerals

Medicine

Preservation of philosophical and scientific writings of the ancient Greeks Centers of learning in Cairo, Toledo, and Palermo When Muslim power declined, the rich depositories

seized by European scholars

Islamic Culture

Architecture Blend of Persian and Mediterranean style Geometric and floral designs

Literature Arabian Nights Omar Khyyam, Rubaiyat

The CarolingiansRebuild the Frankish Kingdom

Spread Christianity and Roman civilization

The Rise of the Carolingian Dynasty Charles Martel, 714

Mayor of the palace Tours, 732 Heavy cavalry Light cavalry Expense Church property seized and distributed as military grants

“Feudal compact” – warriors bound themselves to supply an armed cavalry when called upon

The Alliance of the Franks and the Papacy

Pepin, son of Charles Martel Deposes the monarch with the aid of the Pope, 751

Monarchy has special holiness and authority fromGod Popes stress that divine authority to rule is conferred by

the ChurchPope Stephen II appeals for protection from the Lombards Lombards defeated, 756 Donation of Pepin, 756

Papal States Donation of Constantine

CharlemagneSon of Pepin and grandson of Charles Martel46 year reignConquests: Italy, Germany, Spain Pushed the boundaries of Christianity Lombards in Italy Saxons Avars North March East March Spanish March

Song of Roland

Charlemagne’s Empire

Government: The Church and the State

Church only institution accepted by all his subjects

Charlemagne used the religious structure as part of the royal administration No uniform legal code Use of counts in a region called the county Larger units headed by a duke Use of royal inspectors Revenue

Art and Literature: The Carolingian Renaissance

Aachen, Germany Chapel

Modeled on San Vitale in Ravenna and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Art of Constantinople enters the Frankish heartland

Palace school, 780 Alcuin- leading monk Scribes Course of studies

The Restoration of the “Roman Empire”

Christmas Day, 800Pope Leo IIIDefined the relationship between the restored (Western) empire and the ChurchPope set himself up as a donor and thus secured the superior position Papacy had the right to withdraw what it had given

Charlemagne’s empire incorporates three major elements of medieval civilization Roman idea of universality and order Christian religion Frankish military power

Europe Takes ShapeThe Dissolution of Charlemagne’s Empire Internal Collapse and Renewed Invasions Inner weakness of the Frankish Kingdom

Louis the Pious succeeded his father in 814 Tradition dictated equal shares to sons Warfare led by Louis’ son Lothar Treaty of Verdun, 843

Muslim raiders from North Africa established in Sicily and SardiniaMagyars, or Hungarians, appear on the eastern frontier

Treaty of Verdun, 843

The NorsemenVikings out of Scandinavia attack Europe after 800

Northern Europe attacked England, the Danelaw Normandy Attack Constantinople in 860

Invasions of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries

Shift of Power to Leading Nobles With the central government far away, people sought

protection

Peasants bound themselves and their descendant

to labor on the lands of local warriors as serfs Lesser warriors served the greater ones as their

vassals Great warriors secured possession of land Grants from Carolingian rivals

Rise of Western EuropeGovernment did not disintegrate but developed into new formsPrimogenitureReform of the ChurchRevival of Royal Power: France, England, the Holy Roman Empire Hugh Capet, count of Paris, replaced the last Carolingian monarch in 987 New forms of government developed to defend countries against barbarians King Alfred in England Otto I in Germany

Holy Roman Empire of the German nation

Barbarian Conquerors and the Spread of Civilization The Vikings, in Danelaw and Normandy, agreed to become Christian in return for

recognition of their conquests by English and French Kings Christianity and Roman Civilization spread back to Norse homelands by 1000 Duke William of Normandy conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066 Sicily

Absorption of the eastern European barbarians into European civilization

Europe About 1000

The Rise of Byzantine Eastern Europe

Pushed into the areas of the SlavsConversion of the Slavs Wars and migration brought Slavs into contact with Byzantines Sought to bring Christianity of the Greek Church as a means of

control

The Balkans Serbs

Russia Relations with Byzantium Prince Vladimir of Kiev, 988, baptized into the Greek Church

End of Barbarian Way of Life Turmoil comes to an end about 1000 and Europe civilized Unity from Christianity and Greek and Roman inheritance

FeudalismDescribes governmental institutions as well as social and political relationships Begins in northern France during the tenth century As warriors, personal ties of mutual trust and loyalty Rights over lands and peasants Warrior-landholder obligated to protect lesser ones

Feudal Compact Exchange of property for personal service Lord, vassal, fief, feudal duties Fief – piece of land granted by a lord to a vassal

Political responsibilities Nobility

Military service Lord’s court, held once a month

Court procedures rested on custom growing out of Germanic practices Ordeal Payments to the lord Relief, hospitality, and ransom

Homage and KnighthoodHomage was a pledge of personal loyalty

Vow of fealty (faithfulness)

Investiture

Feudal contract lasted until lord or vassal died Primogeniture – eldest son

Knights

Spiritual and religious overtone of the ceremony

Heir

The Feudalization of the ChurchChurch lands held as fiefs by archbishops, bishops and abbots Clerical vassals satisfied military obligations by

assigning portions of their properties as fiefs to warrior-nobles

Feudal StatesHereditary family territories and “royal domain”The feudal monarch was chosen by God Leader in wars of defense or conquest Could build up his power by backing reliable

vassals against unreliable vassals Go directly to vassals for support, bypassing

the Barons Reward trusted followers Increase territory

France: The Strengthening of Monarchy

Power of the king began growing in the twelfth century Duel with English kings

Descendants of Duke William of Normandy rule England independently but also have French territorial possessionsKing Philip Augustus of France In 1204 King John I of England declared an

unfaithful vassal as the Duke of Normandy

King Louis IX

The Holy Roman Empire: The Weakening of Monarchy

Emperor Otto I

Enemies were the Slavs and Hungarians

Control of the Church

Emperor Frederick I of Barbarossa Great lords forced to accept status of vassals

• Church reform movement Popes seek independence from emperors Disruption of the emperor’s power

England: The King’s Government and the Common Law

• Introduction of feudalism by Duke William of Normandy Shires and shirereeve (sheriff)

• King Henry II Standardized justice Use of juries

The Crisis of English Feudal Monarchy: Magna Carta

• King John I

• Rebellion of barons

• Magna Carta, 1215 Consent of baron council for raising taxes Not deprive any freeman of life, liberty,

property, or protection of the law

• Barons want to make sure the government works to their benefit

• The king was under the law

Manorialism• The Manorial Estate

Peasants Fief – average estate about 1000 acres

supporting two or three hundred people

• Farming Methods: Wheeled Plows and the Three-Field System Arable land

Plowshare Lord’s demesne

“Strip system” Three field system and use of open fields

The People of the Manor• The Lord and His Family

The word of the lord was law Overseers (stewards or baliffs) Payments in kind or crops, half the total produce of the manor

went to the lord• Peasants and Serfdom

Serfs bound to the manor Cultivation of strips of land Build roads, clear forests, and other work Freemen

A tenant farmer Can be evicted by the lord at any time

• Manorialism and Increasing Wealth Three-field system led to increased production Internal colonization

The Rise of Trade and Towns• Growth of Trade

Rise of population and increased production Marketed goods in towns Cash Free serfs and charge rents to be paid in money

• Long Distance Trade Intercontinental trade – Byzantium and Islam vigorous

commercial societies Wool and textile goods, weapons, horses, timber, fur,

slaves • Industry and Technology

Technological progress – “industrial revolution” Metalworking

Trading Routes and Towns, 1300

• The Location and Appearance of Towns Trading posts Protection of the merchants Structure of the town

Towers and spiresGuilds

Escape for peasants from the manors

• A New Social Element: The Bourgeois Townspeople who were commoners Charters Governing council

Economic Theory and Control: The Guilds

• Authority over trade and industry was delegated to special corporations called guilds

• Merchant guild Craft guild

Master JourneymanApprentices

Personal and social functions

Discussion Questions• What was the role of the Franks in the development of western

Europe? What kind of institutions were created and how did these have an impact on the people and the land?

• Why and how did Byzantium survive when the western Roman Empire collapsed? What advantages did Byzantium have? How will Byzantium affect the civilization process of eastern Europe?

• How and why did an Islamic Empire develop? What were its strengths and weaknesses? How did this empire affect Europe?

• Define feudalism. How and why did it develop? What were its characteristics and what were its consequences on the development of civilization? How does it affect the higher and lower classes?

• How and why did towns develop? What is their significance in the civilizing process?