Topic 8
The Middle Ages
Objectives
Knowledge 1. To understand people’s life under the feudal system and Christianity in the
Middle Ages.
2. To understand the characteristics of the Middle Ages
Skills
To build concept: ‘characteristics’, ‘similarities’ and ‘differences’ in the
studying of history
Attitude
1. To judge inequality under the feudal system and waging wars
2. To treasure equality and freedom in the present world
Teaching Flow
1
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
Content
Question to
ponder
Question &
brief
introduction
Data based
questions
To provide an
overview on the focus
of the chapter
To help students
understand the
background of the
emergence of
feudalism in medieval
Europe
To help students think
if it is worth being
faithful to feudal lords
What are the characteristics
of the Middle Ages?
2
Task 1
3
Task 2
Data based
questions
4
Task 3
Data based
questions
5
Task 4
Data based
questions
6
Conclusion
Filling up table
and
Summary
Chart
To help students find
out how powerful the
Church was in the
Middle Ages
To help students
understand the reasons
for the Christians to
stage the Holy Wars
To summarize the
focus of this unit
Social life after the collapse
of the Roman Empire
To study the relationship
between feudal lords and
vassals under the feudal
system
To study the power of the
Church in the Middle Ages
To understand the reason for
the Christians to send
Crusaders to fight
To conclude the
characteristics from Tasks 1-3
1
Question to ponder
What are the characteristics of the Middle Ages?
Task 1: What happened to social life after the collapse of the Roman
Empire?
The social institutions which made the Roman Empire great were collapsing by the 4th
century. One of them was the currency system. The devaluation of the currency in the 4th
century destroyed trade. As the Roman Empire receded, trade receded. When there was no
trade, there was little use for money. What happens when money disappears? Let’s imagine
that you are living in society without using money, complete the following table.
2
What do you use
money for?
How would you get these things and services without using
money?
Suggested answer:
1. To buy things
1. Make them yourself
2. To employ people
2. Make your family work for you
3. To get a place to live
in
3. Somebody will have to give you a house, but what do you give
in return?
4. To pay your taxes
4. Pay in goods or in service
As the money society collapsed, new social institutions emerged in Europe. That was
feudalism.
Task 2 FAITHFUL TO FEUDAL LORDS! ... Was it worth doing?
Source A
The following is a description of a 12th century ceremony of someone becoming the vassal
of a lord.
The vassal promised he was willing to become completely his man by swearing an oath:
“I promise on my faith that I will in future be faithful to count William, and will observe
my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit.”
Source: Homage and Fealty to the Count of Flanders, AD 1127, from Galbert de Bruges, Chronicle of the
Death of Charles the Good, ed. Henri Pirenne, Paris, A. Picard, 1891. p. 89, Internet Medieval Source Book,
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/feud-fief1.html
Source B
The following is the customary text of Traditional Roman Catholic
wedding vow.
I, _______, take you, ______, to be my lawful (husband/wife). I
promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and
in health. I will love you and obey you all the days of my life.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_vows#Traditional_Roman_Catholic_vows
Topic 8
The Middle Ages
Source C
The following is the description of feudalism in the Middle Ages.
Feudal law was very different from our law. In our law, if I give you something, it is yours. In
feudal law, I can give you something, and it remains mine, but you are allowed to use it as long
as you remain my man. So, when you die, I get that thing back as you were my man. A man so
bound to another was not free. If he was killed, the lord would be compensated. That’s why
some people escaped to the cities. In the cities, they became free men.
1.Do you think the vow of vassal to the feudal lord as shown in Source A is similar to the vow
of the bride and groom to their partners as shown in Source B?
Suggested answer:
Similarity
- Both promise to be faithful to another.
- Both give the promise which is expected to last for life
Difference - The vassal becomes the property of the lord with the implication of ranking
but the bride and groom will become the partner of another with equal
status.
2. According to Source C, why did some people decide to escape from their feudal lords to
the cities?
Suggested answer : They were unhappy because they were the men of the lords, i.e. the
properties of feudal lords. They had no freedom.
Task 3: POWERFUL CHURCH … How powerful?
3
Source D
The following article is about the growing strength of the Church in the Middle Ages.
1) The Church had a clear organisation under the Pope, who claimed authority from God.
2) From the 5th century, the Church was supported by the monasteries. The monasteries
were communities of devoted people who lived together in order to pray and to serve
the Christian religion. They lived a simple life under strict puritanical religious rules.
Many monasteries are mutually connected. Some even owned land at different places
on the principal highways, providing shelter for travelers. At a time when governments
were weak and money was little used, they provided very useful services.
3) The monastic orders and the priests were among the best educated people in Europe.
Most people in the Middle Ages were illiterate. Monasteries and churches kept books
and trained people to read them. When the Church provided the principal means of
education, it was a great preserver of knowledge.
4) In the Middle Ages, many people were firmly religious. For most people, life was short
and they desired salvation after death.
5) Even kings and emperors had to take the Pope seriously. The Pope had the power of
excommunication, that is, of driving them out of the church. Without the protection of
the Church, they could not legitimately be king or emperor.
1. Who would benefit a lot from the rising power of the Church in the Middle Ages? Find the
answer from Source D.
4
Suggested answer：
Travelers: because the Church provided them shelter on the principal highways
People who would like to learn: because the Church kept books and trained people to read
them
Kings/emperors: because the Church gave kings or emperors to rule their countries
2. What problems might appear with the rising power of the Church? Identify any TWO
problems and explain your answer.
Suggested answer:
The Church might become too powerful as it even held the certifying power to control the
kings and the emperors.
The Church might control the ideas and thinking of people as they provided the principal
means of education to people.
OR any other reasonable answers.
3. Do you think the Church nowadays is as powerful as it was in the Middle Ages? Explain
your answer.
Suggested answer:
No. In many countries today, the right and power to rule is not given by the Church.
The Church cannot control the ideas and thinking of people. In many countries it is the
government, not the Church, that provides people the principal means of education.
OR any other reasonable answers.
Topic 8
The Middle Ages
Task 4: CRUSADERS…Why did the Christians fight for the Holy Land?
Source E
The following is the description about the crusaders in the Middle Ages.
For most of the 300 years after the Battle of Poitiers, although there were wars between
Christians and Muslims in Spain, the Muslim world and the Christian world were kept apart.
From the 11th century, the Christians sent the Crusaders to fight in the Holy Land (roughly
the territory of Israel, the Palestinian territories and parts of Jordan and Lebanon today).
What happened?
Firstly, Christians travelled to the Holy Land on homage and the Holy Land was controlled
by the Muslims. Secondly, the Turks who were in control of the Arab world were in conflict
with its neighbour the Eastern Roman Empire (called the Byzantine). Although the
Byzantine was not under the jurisdiction of the Pope, it also believed in Christianity. When
it was threatened, it would call for help from the Christians in the West.
Source F
An English philosopher Roger Bacon (1214-1292) said the crusade was not effective against
Muslims since the Church is sometimes defeated in its crusades. … Those who survived
became angry with the Christian faith because of the violence.
The Crusades did not conquer the Holy Land. But the movement of people increased contact
between Christians and Muslims. Increasing trade and organising for war also encouraged
the growth of the power of the kings in some parts of Europe, especially in England and
France.
Source: John Derksen, “Peacemaking Principles-Drawn from Opposition to the Crusades, 1095-1276”, P.7
5
1. Draw the symbols which represent Christianity and Islam in the relevant boxes
below.
Suggested answer:
Christianity
Islam
2. In Source E, who were the Muslims and Christians respectively?
Suggested answer:
Muslims
Christians
6
Turks (the Arabs)
Eastern Romans
3. Why did the Christians send the Crusades to fight in the Holy Land as reflected in
Source E?
Suggested answer:
The reason was that the Christians could not go to the Holy Land on homage easily as it
was controlled by the Muslims.
The second reason was that the Eastern Romans called for help from the Christians in
the West against the Turks (the Arabs)




.
4. What were the advantages and disadvantages of sending Crusaders to fight for the
Holy Land as reflected in Source F?
Suggested answer:
Increased contact between Christians and Muslims
Increased trade
Encouraged the growth of the power of the kings in some parts of Europe, especially in
England and France
Lost people’s support of the Church as more and more people became embittered
against the violence associated with Christianity
Topic 8
The Middle Ages
Conclusion
What are the characteristics of the Middle Ages as reflected in Task 1-3? Choose the
appropriate words/phrases in the box below to describe such characteristics as shown in the
column of evidence.
Useful words/phrases
Conflicting
Warring
Restricted
Feudalistic/ ranking
Powerful church
Largely illiterate
Unfair
Suggested answer:
Task
1
2
3
Characteristics
Evidence
Feudalistic/ ranking

Feudal lords were the masters and vassals were
servants
Unfair

Feudal lords could own vassals as their private
properties
Restricted

Vassals had no freedom
Powerful church

Churches could provide education and give the ruling
power to kings and emperors.
Largely illiterate

Priests were the best educated people and most people
seldom received education.
Warring

Lots of Crusaders’ battles
Conflicting

Lots of conflicts between Christians and Arabs
7
Summary chart
Feudalism
Churches
 Claiming the
authority

8

from God
Certifying
the
legitimacy of
kings
Providing
education

Lords vs vassals

Inequality

No freedom
Middle
Ages
Crusades


Lots of
Crusaders’ battles
Lots of conflicts
between
Christians and
the Arabs