The Middle Ages in Europe
• This PowerPoint presentation goes with
the Mastering the TEKS in World History
book by Jarrett, Zimmer, and Killoran.
• Unit 3, Chapter 8
The animation above observes the different areas the Byzantine Empire controlled.
As you can see, as it nears the 1400s (The peaks and existence of the Seljuk
Turks and the Ottoman Empire), the Byzantine Empire becomes smaller
and smaller.
Important Ideas
• Byzantine Empire
• Magna Carta
• Fall of the Roman
Empire
• Trade
• Feudalism
• The Catholic Church
• The Crusades
• Art & Architecture
• The Black Death
• Hundred Year’s War
The Byzantine Empire
• Constantinople:
– 330 AD Constantine
moved the Roman
Capital to Byzantium
– Renamed it
Constantinople
– It was of strategic
importance militarily
and economically
– It was a well built city
with almost
invulnerable defenses
What advantages both militarily
and economically can you see
from the map above?
Byzantine Empire
• Continued 1000 years after
the fall of Western Rome
• Continuation of the Roman
Empire
• All powerful Emperors
• Most citizens spoke Greek
• Eastern Orthodox Church:
different form of
Catholicism in which the
Pope had no significance
or power
Based on the map, what
might be some problems
facing the Byzantine
Empire in 1100 AD?
Eastern (Greek) Orthodox
Church
• PATRIARCH – Selected by the emperor
& rejected pope’s claim to authority
over all Christians.
• Blended Christian beliefs with:
• Greek Science, philosophy, arts, and
literature.
• Chief holiday – Easter
• SCHISM: permanent split between
Western and Eastern churches.
– Pope and Patriarch excommunicated
Classical
Cultures Merged:
Large Army:
•Taxes on
merchants and
peasants
supported a large
army
•Greek
•Roman
•Christian
•Middle Eastern
Why did the Byzantine
Empire Survive?
Strong Central
Government:
•Strong Emperors
•Strong central
government
•Single set of
laws
Location:
Which of the four factors
do you think is the most
important to the survival
of the Byzantines?
Explain.
•Crossroad
between Europe
and Asia
•Major trade route
•Easily defended
Byzantine Empire
• Accomplishments:
– Architecture
– Education
– Artists used gold,
silver, and ivory
– Under Justinian the
empire was almost as
large as the old
Roman Empire
– Code of Justinian:
organized law code
based on Roman law
Compare the church today
as it was in 360 AD. Why all
the changes?
Church of Hagia Sophia today
Drawing of the church in
360 AD
EMPEROR JUSTINIAN
• At the peak of BYZANTINE EMPIRE
power.
• Combination of AUTOCRAT and
spiritual ruler
• JUSTINIAN’S CODE:
• Collected and organized (preserved)
laws of Ancient Rome
EMPEROR JUSTINIAN
• Spread to Western Europe – used by
monarchs and Church
• WRITTEN LAW IN HISTORY (SO FAR):
Hammurabi’s Code (Sumerians), The
Ten Commandments (Hebrews), Law of
the 12 Tables (Rome), Justinian’s Code
(Byzantine Empire)
QUIZ
HAGIA SOPHIA church in Constantinople (built
during Justinian’s rule
QUIZ
Justinian was also a great builder. This
BYZANTINE PERIOD mosaic is from
Constantinople church Hagia Sophia.
The Decline of the Byzantine
Empire
• Reasons for Decline:
– War with Slavs and Avars
in north
– War with Persian Empire
in the East
– Spread of Islam in south
– War with the Seljuk Turks
– Finally conquered by the
Ottoman Turks (becomes
the Ottoman Empire,
which lasts until the end of
World War I, 1918)
What geographic factors
allowed the Byzantine
Empire to last so long
against so many enemies?
Byzantine Empire
• Early Russian cities
traded with the
empire
• Influence on Russia:
– Orthodox Christianity
– Cyrillic alphabet
– Byzantine crafts made
with gold, silver, and
ivory
– Byzantine architecture
How does trade affect
a country’s society?
Preserved
Ancient
Cultures:
Greek Philosophy
Greek Science
Code of
Justinian:
Roman Architecture
Greek and
Roman
Eastern Orthodox
Christianity is still
practiced in much
of the world
New Form of
Christianity:
Eastern
Orthodox led
by a Patriarch
not the Pope
Codified
Roman Law
Legacy of
the
Byzantine
Empire
Influenced
Western legal
systems
Hagia Sophia is
considered one of the
most beautiful
buildings in the world
The Arts:
mosaics,
paintings,
coins,
jewelry,
silks,
architecture
The Barbarian Invasions
• 4th Century
– The Huns forced the
Germanic people into Roman
territory
– Rome allowed the Visigoths to
settle in the empire
– The Visigoths attacked Rome
and sacked it in 410 AD
– Germanic tribes began
establishing their own kingdoms
– Anglo/Saxons invaded England
– Visigoths moved to Spain
– Lombards captured Northern
Italy
– Franks took Gaul
Explain the results of
the invasion by the
Huns into Western
Europe.
The Barbarian Invasions
• Results:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Trade was disrupted
Travel became unsafe
Roads fell into disrepair
Cities were abandoned
Bandits roamed freely
Life became rural
Wealthy moved to fortified
homes in country
– Learning stopped
– Food shortages
– Churches became only place
to learn to read or write
Describe life in
Europe after the
barbarian invasions.
The EARLY MIDDLE AGES
• Invasions and Migrations Divide
Europe
• Germanic Kingdoms – The GOTHS &
FRANKS (most powerful)  Different
from Romans - Farmers / Herders
• No cities or written laws  Main role of
kings  WAR  Carved Europe into
small kingdoms
• WERGILD  $$$ for victims
• ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH fills the
The Medieval Church
• POPE in charge of both religious and
SECULAR (non-religious) world and its
rulers.
• Church acts as advisor to rulers
• Disobedience meant
EXCOMMUNICATION (cut off from the
church)
• MONKS and NUNS  local  cared for
sick and poor  PRESERVED
LEARNING - SCRIPTORIA
The Age of Faith
• St. Augustine: said that the City of
God will last - not earthly cities (in
response to barbarian invasions)
• ST. THOMAS AQUINAS:
summarized Christian beliefs.
– Compared Aristotle’s writings
to Christianity.
– Believed in “natural law” or
law not based on human
governments.
– Said rulers power came from
God but that the people could
remove bad rulers.
– Reason and Christianity exist Are there similarities
in harmony  both led to
between St Thomas
SAME truth
Aquinas’s beliefs and
that of our government
The Rise of the Franks (France)
• Largest Germanic kingdom
• Charles Martel in 732
defeated an Islamic army
at the Battle of Tours and
united the Franks
• His son, Pepin, took control
of northern Italy
• Frankish kings granted
lands to nobles in
exchange for military
service
What might be some advantages to
granting land to nobles in
exchange for military service?
What might be some
disadvantages?
The Reign of Charlemagne
• Son of Pepin
• Established feudal system
– Nobles got land for military service
– Knights got land from nobles for service
– Peasants worked for lord for protection
• Charlemagne’s kingdom included
France, Holland, Germany, Belgium,
and Northern Italy
• He capitol, Aachen, was a center of
learning
• He was crowned “Holy Roman
Emperor” by the Pope in 800 AD
– This showed that the west was
independent from the Byzantine Empire
– This also signified a political and
religious unity under Christendom
• After his death his sons divided up
his land
The Pope
crowned
Charlemagne as
“Holy Roman
Emperor”. How
might this affect
the kings to follow
Charlemagne?
Europe Faces New Threats
• New barbarian invasions:
– Slavs and Magyars from the
east
– Muslims attack Italy from North
Africa
– Vikings invaded from the North
• Vikings:
– Vikings invaded from 800 to
1000 AD
– Very brutal and ruthless
– Created new trade routes
– Built new towns and villages in
conquered areas
What might draw
these “barbarians”
to attack a civilized
country?
Feudal System
• Why?:
– Protection from violence
– Provide basic economic needs
• How it Works:
– King gives land to nobles for
loyalty and service
– Nobles give protection and
food to peasants
– Peasants work for the nobles
as workers and soldiers
Why would nobles and peasants
agree to this system of government?
Characteristics of Feudalism
• Social: no movement between the social
classes, those born a peasant stayed a
peasant
• Political: nobles built large armies and
castles. They fought each other and
often the king. Civil wars were common.
• Economic:
– People lived on manors
– Manors provided their own food, clothing,
and shelter
– Serfs worked for the lord and in turn he
provided protection
– Serfs had almost no rights
– Serfs work the land and used a system of
crop rotation
– Serfs worked long hours mostly growing
crops
Who benefitted the
most from this type
of government?
Characteristics of Feudalism
• Peasant Life-style:
– Peasants farmers produced food
– Some peasants were miller,
blacksmiths, and tavern owners
– Life revolved around farming
– Religious holidays revolved around
the farming calendar
– Peasant homes were small with
straw roofs and bare dirt floors
• Women in the Middle Ages
– Women were considered inferior to
men
– Most people lived in large extended
families
– Noblemen women were often
educated
– Peasant women often worked
along with their husbands
Describe the picture
above
The Crusades
• “Holy War” against the
Muslims
• An attempt to retake the
Holy Land from Islam
• 1095 Pope Urban II
called for a Crusade to
free Jerusalem
• Crusade = War of the
Cross
• United Europeans from
all across the continent
Why would Europeans
want to travel so far to
fight in a war?
Impact of the Crusades
• Trade increases
• Religious hatred  Beginnings of ANTISEMITISM – Jews called “Murderers of
Christ” for 1st time.
• More powerful popes & kings
• Serfdom ends (rent land)
• People learn about different cultures
The Later Middle Ages
• Trade increased
• New merchant class
arose
• Merchants formed guilds
• New inventions improved
life (waterwheels,
windmills, clocks)
• Cities build universities
for learning
• New Gothic architecture
was introduced
Gothic Church; Reims Cathedral; France
QUIZ
QUIZ
GOTHIC CATHEDRAL
FLYING BUTTRESS
BLACK DEATH (BUBONIC
PLAGUE)
– Global epidemic Asia, North Africa,
Europe
– Caused by fleas on rats
– 1/3 of European population dead
• ECONOMIC RESULTS:
– Labor loss & rising prices  landowners
convert to sheep raising
– People forced into towns  revolts
• SOCIAL RESULTS:
– Looking to blame someone  Jews!
English Political Traditions
• Magna Carta 1215:
– King John was forced by the
nobles to sign
– Trial by jury
– King needed permission to
raise new taxes
– 1st limit on the king’s power
• Parliament
– Nobles and town
representatives were needed
to grant new taxes
– This became a legislative body
known as Parliament
Why is the Magna
Carta important?
HUNDRED YEAR’S WAR
• ENGLAND vs. FRANCE (1337 – 1453)
• England wanted French land and
throne
• JOAN OF ARC
– Led French to several victories
– English capture and execute her
– Named a saint  inspired French to win
the war
HUNDRED YEAR’S WAR
• OUTCOMES 
– More power for French kings
– English start looking for trade
opportunities overseas
The Waning of the Middle Ages
The Hundred Years’ War (1337- 1453)
The Great Famine (1313-1322)
Heavy rains led
to flooding
Crops spoiled
and livestock
drowned
Why would the people
question the church about the
famine?
People questioned
the church as to
why this was
happening
Work animals
and seed grain
was eaten
Farm
prices
increased
by more
than 6
times
Millions died
The Black Death (1347-1351)
Rats on trading
vessels from Asia
brought the
plague to Europe
How did the
bubonic
plague help to
end the feudal
system?
Some blamed the Jews for
poisoning the wells. Others
said God was punishing
man for his sins.
1/3rd of the European
population , 25 million
people, died.
This created a labor
shortage in towns. Serfs
left the manor to fill
positions in the towns.
The Hundred Years War (13371453)
King of England
claimed the French
throne when the
French King died
without an heir
England v.
France
Both sides used
professional
standing armies.
This strengthened
both sides royal
power
New weapons
were used such
as the longbow,
gunpowder, and
cannons
How did standing armies help
to end the feudal system?
The Great Schism (1378-1417)
European Kings and the
Pope often clashed over
the right to appoint
Bishops, and the control of
church lands, and the
ability to tax the church.
1305 a French Pope moved from
Rome to France and was greatly
influenced by the French king.
1378 an Italian Pope moved
the Papacy back to Rome.
So the French cardinals
elected a French Pope.
Now there were two Popes.
1409 the Church Council
elected a third Pope. All
of this greatly weakened
the Church.
1417 the Church
Council deposed the 3
Popes and elected a
new one
How do you think
this helped to end
the Middle Ages?