Chapter 9:
The High Middle Ages
By: Christina Carousso
Period “F6”
Monarchs, Nobles, and the Church:
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Kings were at the head of society
Monarchs ruled their own domains but relied on vassals for military
support
Nobles and the church had as much power as the king if not more
Rulers used many means to centralize power ; organized a
government bureaucracy, developed a system of taxes, and built a
standing army
Monarchs strengthened ties with the middle class and these people
in turn, supported local rulers
Growth of Royal Power in England:
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During Middle Ages- Angles, Saxons, and Vikings invaded in England
Both a descendant of the Vikings as well as the brother-in-law (Harold) of
the king of England (Edward) claimed the throne after Edward died
This resulted in the BATTLE OF HASTINGS- William and his Norman
knights won over Harold. This took place on Christmas Day in 1066- William
the Conqueror
He kept large land for himself but granted fiefs to the church and his barons
(Norman lords)
He required vassals to pledge loyalty to him and monitored who built castles
and where
Took a census which resulted in a DOMESDAY BOOK- this listed every
castle, field, and pigpen in England. This helped build a system of tax
collecting
Blending of Norman French and Anglo-Saxon customs, languages, and
traditions occurred
Williams successors strengthened tow key areas of government: finances
and law- they created the royal treasury to collect taxes
1154 Henry inherited throne- broadened system of royal justice-English
common law- a law that was common or the same for all people
Early jury system- consisted of jury- group of men sworn to speak the truth
Henrys effort to extend royal power led to disputes with the church
He claimed the right to try clergy in royal courts- four of his nights murdered
the archbishop Thomas Becket
Traditions of Government in England:
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Henry’s son John was a clever, greedy, cruel, and untrustworthy ruler
He was excommunicated by the pope when he attacked the Church
and he placed England under the interdict (papal order that forbade
Church services in the entire kingdom); he had to accept England as a
fief of the papacy and pay a yearly fee to Rome to save himself and the
crown
1215- Magna Carta-great charter set up by a group of rebellious barons
Two basic ideas: # 1- it asserted that the nobles had certain rights; # 2made clear that the monarch must obey the law and all people had
certain legal rights # 3- King agreed not to raise new taxes without first
consulting the Great Council of lords and clergy- eventually this group
evolved into the Parliament
Model Parliament- set up the framework for England’s legislature- then
into the two house party- House of Lords (nobles and high clergy)
House of Commons (knights and middle-call citizens)- it insisted that
the monarch meet its demands before voting for taxes- in this way, the
power of the monarch was limited
Growth of Royal Power in France:
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Monarchs did not rule over a unified kingdom; they had little power of
territories
The Capetians- elected Hugh Capet- and they made the throne
hereditary and they built an effective bureaucracy
Philip Augustus-French king- Phillip II strengthened government
He paid middle-class officials who would owe their loyalty to him;
granted charters to new towns, organized a standing army, and
introduced a new national tax
Louis IX- grandson of Philip- generous, noble and devoted to justice
and the rules of chivalry-declared a saint- deeply religious
Accomplishment include- expanding royal courts, outlawing private
wars, ending serfdom
Louis’s grandson- Phillip IV- always pressed for cash-set up Estates
General in 1302- it had representatives from all three estates: clergy,
nobles, and townspeople- however it was not nearly as affective as the
English Parliament was in serving as a balance of royal power
Holy Roman Empire
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Duke Otto I of Saxony took the title king of Germany- he worked closely with
the Church and he appointed bishops to top government jobs
His successors took the title Holy Roman emperor because they were
crowned by the pope, “Roman” because they saw themselves as heirs to
the emperors of ancient Rome
The real rulers of central and eastern Europe as well as France and Italy
were the emperors vassals
Holy Roman emperors saw themselves as protectors of Italy and the popekey conflict between the emperors and popes rose over who would control
appointments to high Church offices-the holy roman emperor often decided
who would become bishops and abbots- popes did not like this idea
Gregory VII was determined to make the church independent of secular
rulers so he banned the practice of lay investiture ( emperor or another lay
person presented bishop with ring)
Henry IV- emperor had an angry response and because of this he was
excommunicated; to save his throne he made peace with the pope
Concordat of Worms- agreed that the church had sole power to elect and
invest bishops with spiritual authority and then emperor could then invest
them with fiefs
Struggles between Popes and Emperors:
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German emperors wanted to master Italy – Fredrick I called Barbarossa
or “red beard” dreamed of building a huge empire- arranged a marriage
between his son (Henry) and the heiress to Sicily (Constance)
Their son was Fredrick II and he pursued his ambitions in Italy- he did
not succeed and also the Holy Roman Empire was fragmented into
many feudal states
Church under Innocent III:
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Innocent III claimed supremacy over all the other rulers
He excommunicated King John of England when he tried to appoint the
archbishop of Canterbury
He launched a crusade (holy war) against Albigensians in southern
France- these people wanted to purify the church and return to simple
ways of Christianity
The World in 1050:
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Islam: brilliant new civilization that reached from Spain across North
Africa and the Middle East on the borders of India; there were trading
caravans and ships; contact with diverse cultures allowed them to pass
on ideas
India and China: In India, Buddhist and Hindu traditions flourished;
Indian mathematicians invented a numbering system which Arabs
adapted; China- strong central government- in the Tang and Song
dynasties, culture flourished; many advances in technology, printing,
and gun powder
African and American civilizations: Ghana in West Africa- great trading
empire (gold); Central America- Mayas cleared rain forests and built
large cities; Native Americas- created works of art
Byzantine Civilization- generally prosperous and united when Western
Europe was weak; scholars studied writings of Greeks and Romans;
capital was Constantinople; Seljuk Turks overran Byzantine lands and
extended their power over Palestine and attacked Christian pilgrims
because they were Muslim.
The Crusades:
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Byzantine emperor Alexius I sent a plea to Urban II (the pope in Rome) after the
Seljuk threat grew; he asked for Christian knights to help fight Turks
Thousands of men were on their way to the Holy Land and because they had sewed
large crosses on their tunics, they became known as crusaders
Reason for these people taking up the cross included: Religious reasons, wealth
and land, escape troubles at home, adventure
200 years crusaders marched and fought- 1st crusade- 1096 Christians captured
Jerusalem, Asia Minor and Syria. It was the only one that was successful; 2nd
crusade- 1144- The city of Edessa fell to the Muslims; 1187 Saladin (Muslim leader)
took back Jerusalem; 1189 3rd Crusade- King Richard (Lion Heart) It was somewhat
successful but they couldn’t recapture Jerusalem
Impact- bad- the Christians failed to take over the Holy Land and left a bitter legacy
of religious hatred behind them- some massacred Jews; positive impact-increased
trade; they returned with spices, fabrics, perfumes, and fleets; also papal power was
high, feudal monarch power was increased, encouraged growth of money economy
(peasants had to pay with money not with labor), wider world view
Campaign to drive Muslims from Spain- “Reconquista”- Muslim influence was still
there even though Christians captured some places
Ferdinand and Isabella marriage between two rulers of two powerful kingdoms
pushed against Muslim stronghold of Granada- It fell and Reconquista was
complete
Learning, Literature, and Arts
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Need for education developed, better trained clergy, rulers needed literate men
Schools sprung up around great cathedrals to train clergy, organized like guilds
with charters to protect the rights of members and set standards for training
Salerno and Bologna in Italy were the first universities- people rushed from one
to another- classes held in rented rooms or choir loft, hard benches, memorize
Latin text, women couldn’t attend and they couldn’t become doctors, lawyers
and were deprived of mental stimulation
Ideas from ancient Greece, texts were translated into Arabic-spread across the
Muslim world
Aristotle taught that people should use reason to discover basic truths
Christians believed that the Church was the final authority
Thomas Aquinas brought together Christian faith and classical Greek philosophy
Scholars studied math and science-Arabic numerals easy to use system
Christine di Pizan- Italian born woman who came to live in the French court, was
a writer, men felt women should just raise children and fix the house
New writing began to appear in everyday languages (vernacular)
People began writing down oral traditions- poems and short stories; example:
Dante- imaginary journeys in his poems; Chaucer- Canterbury Tales- each
character has own story to tell
Cathedrals served as symbols of their wealth and religious devotion
Romanesque-roman influences- heavy roofs, thick walls, dimly lit
Gotic- buttress allowed buildings to have higher walls, stained glass windows
Sculptures and carvings told stories of the Bible
The Black Death:
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Disease- Black Death raging through Italy, Spain, and France- 1 in 3
people died
Bubonic plague spread by fleas on rats, rats were everywhere and
there was nothing anyone could do about them
Fleas jumped from the rats to infect the clothes and packs of traders
traveling west
Very ill- most did not survive, swellings and bruises, spat blood, and
convulsive coughing
Some people turned to magic and which craft for cures or wild
pleasures to get rid of the disease
People saw this as God’s punishment and beat themselves with whips
to show repentance
Others blamed Jews saying they poisoned the wells
The European economy went down, laws were pushed to limit wages,
everyone was mad and there were many revolts
Upheaval in the Church:
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Priests and monarchs died during the plague
Church was unable to provide the strong leadership needed in this
desperate time
Pope Clement V moved papal court and it remained under French
domination
Reformers elected their own pope to rule from Rome
John Wycliffe challenged the Church’s power by insisting the Bible,
not the church, was the source of all Christian truth; Bible was
translated into English
The Church responded by persecuting and his followers
The Hundred Years’ War:
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England and France fought a series of conflict; the fighting devastated
France and drained England
English first won a set of victories and seemed to bring France under all its
control
Joan of Arc- 17 year old- told King that God sent her to save Franceconvinced French king to let her lead his army against England
She led the French into several victories and planted seeds for future
triumphs
Then she was taken captive by allies of English; tried for witchcraft,
convicted and burned at the stake; then she was declared a saint and she
was definitely a martyr
French attacked English castles; winning the war allowed French kings to
expand power
England kept looking for trading ventures overseas
Weapons gave common soldiers a new importance- result of Hundred
Years’ War
Population expanded after the recovery of the Black Death
Italian cities flourished and served as trading ports
REGENTS QUESTIONS:
#1 Which statement best describes the role of the
Roman Catholic Church in Europe during the Middle
Ages?
1. The Church encouraged individuals to question
authority.
2. Church leaders were only involved in spiritual activities.
3. The Church gained influence as people became more
interested in secular affairs.
4. The Church provided a sense of stability, unity, and
order.
# 2 The Crusades have been called “history’s most
successful failures.” Which statement best explains
this expression?
1. The Crusades did not achieve their original goals, but
they brought about many desirable changes in Europe.
2. 2. Although the Crusaders captured the Holy Land,
they were unable to bring about democratic reforms
3. The crusades helped bring about the fall of the Roman
Empire
4. 4. The Crusaders prevented the Turks from capturing
Constantinople for many centuries
# 3 In Europe during the Middle Ages, increases in trade and
commerce resulted in:
1. lower living standards for industrial workers
2. decreased economic rivalry between kings
3. increased political power for the clergy
4. development of towns and cities
# 4“All things were under its domain...its power was such that
no one could hope to escape its scrutiny.”
Which European institution during the Middle Ages is best
described by this statement?
1. the Guild
2. Knighthood
3. the Church
4. the nation-state
# 5 The art, music, and philosophy of the medieval period in
Europe generally dealt with
1. human scientific achievements
2. religious themes
3. materialism
4. classic Greek and Roman subjects
Answers:
# 1 The Church provided a sense of stability, unity,
and order. (choice 4)
# 2 The Crusades did not achieve their original
goals, but they brought about many desirable
changes in Europe. (choice 1)
# 3 development of towns and cities (choice 4)
# 4 the Church (choice three)
# 5 religious themes (choice two)
*Questions from www.regentsprep.org*