Western Europe
Problems 550-900 CE
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Rome’s decline left Italy fragmented but Rome
still the center of the growing Catholic church
Spain in the hands of Muslims
Center of the postclassical west (France, Low
countries, and southern/western Germany) had
new civilization
Frequent invasions by the Vikings
No intellectual life (only Catholic church
monasteries kept some scholarship alive)
Vikings
The Manorial System:
Obligations and Allegiances
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Political organization largely local
Manorialism- system of economic and political
relations between landlords and their peasant
laborers where most people were serfs
(agricultural workers who received some
protection from landlords)
Life of serfs not easy
Serfs were not slaves; they could not be bought or
sold and they retained ownership of their lands as
long as they kept up with their obligations
Feudal Monarchies
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Feudal relationships linked military elites, mostly
landlords, who could afford the horses and iron
weaponry to fight. Greater lords provided
protection to the lesser lords called vassals
Early feudalism local, while Charlemagne’s
feudalism more stable- he paid his bureaucrats
with estates- this inhibited the development of
strong central states
France
England- 1066- William the Conqueror- Duke of
Normandy- invaded England and extended his
tight feudal system to England
Limited Government
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Strong monarchies didn’t develop evenly
throughout Europe- west divided and diverse
Growth of monarchy cut into aristocratic power
but this led to new statements on the limits of
kings
1215 – Magna Carta- confirmed feudal rights
against monarchical claims
Late 13th century- creation of parliamentsrepresented nobles and church
Charlemagne and His
Successors
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Royal house of the Franks grew in 8th century and
Carolingians took over the monarchy (Charles
Martel- or Charles the Hammer- defeated the
Muslims in the battle of Tours in 732 and helped
confine the Muslims to Spain)
Around 800 Charles the Great, or Charlemagne,(
part of the Carolingian line) established strong
empire in France and Germany
Helped restore some church-based education in
western Europe and there was a slow recovery of
intellectual activity
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Died in 814 and empire split into three portions of
inheritance for three grandsons (modern France, Germany,
and low countries of Switzerland, and northern Italy) but
these were weak rulers and this lead to gradual emergence
of regional monarchies and absence of strong bureaucracy
Strong cultural unity with Christianity but no single
language or government
Royal houses claimed the title of emperor around 10th
century and called themselves Holy Roman emperors
(merging Christian and classical themes)
The West’s Expansionist
Impulse
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East central Europe-from 11th century- Germanic knights
in Germany and Poland
Spain- small Christian states in the north slowly attacked
Muslim government, which ultimately was pushed out by
1492
Crusades against the Muslim control of the Holy Land
1095- Pope Urban II called for First Crusade
1097- met in Constantinople- then conqueror Jerusalem,
which they held for a century, until Saladin recaptured it in
the 12th century
Showed the aggressive spirit of the western middle
ages but also exposed the west to new cultural and
economic influences from the middle east and a thirst for
The Church: Political and
Spiritual Power
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Catholic church only example of solid
organization after Roman collapse
Extensive missionary activities in England,
Germany, Scandinavia, and some parts of eastern
Europe
Development of a chain of monasteries helped
those intense believers, provided some education,
and provided an example of holy life
Religious Reform and
Evolution
Church went through periods of decline and
renewal
 Wealthy institution
 Franciscan order
 Gregory VII (1073-1085)- tried to purify
church and free it from interference by
feudal lords
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The High Middle Ages
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12th-13th centuries- creative tensions
Feudal political structures balanced by emerging
central monarchies
Authority of the church and cultural dominance of
Christianity with the intellectual diversity of
university life
Social order and economy based on agriculture
and serfs with important cities , merchants, and
new opportunities for farmers
Theology: Assimilating Faith
and Reason
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Before 1000 clergy continued efforts to preserve and interpret past
wisdom. High interest in classical principles of rhetoric, particularly
logic. Aristotle considered the philosopher.
From 1000 onward merged reason and faith- importance of absolute
faith to God but human reason could move towards understanding
certain aspects of religion and the natural world
Peter Abelard- 12th century- took logic to the extreme
Bernard of Clairvaux- challenged Abelard- stressed the importance of
mystical union with God- reason was dangerous
Similarity with Arab intellectuals in 10th and 11th centuries whose faith
also relied on the revealed word but who questioned the faith with
reason
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Part of this led to universities increasing
importance, to growing interest in knowledge
imported from the classical past and from the Arab
world
Thomas Aquinas – taught at University of Parismaintained that belief came first but expanded the
scope given to reason
Not much new scientific work produced at the
time
Popular Religion
Christian life ran deep but people really
didn’t question it or know it
 Content of popular belief changed- by 12th
century veneration of Mary in order to
stress the merciful side of Christianity.
People still believed in various magical
rituals
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Religious Themes in Art and
Literature
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Medieval art and architecture were there to serve the glory
of God
Western painters used religious subjects exclusively
Architecture followed Roman models early on and then
developed own Gothic style, which showed increased
money, technical skills, and growing Western ability to
find new means of expression
Literature and music also reflected religious themes. While
scholarly works were in Latin, more and more produced in
the vernacular with expanding interests, such as romance
and adventure
Set in motion series of developments that would be the
building blocks for later western art and culture
New Strains in Rural Life
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Improvements in agriculture in 800 changed rural lifemost peasants were able to shake off constraints of
manorialism and become free farmers
Nobles still served military functions and would do so until
end of medieval period
Serfs pushed to pay higher rent because lords wanted to
improve social condition and this tension would turn into a
series of peasant-landlord battles until 19th century
On the whole lives of peasants increased during the middle
ages
Economic and Urban Vigor
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New developments, such as farming and fighting
techniques, bring new sources of strength to west and
European nobility defined by land ownership and military
power. Monasteries also promoted better agricultural
methods
Viking raids slow down
Increase in population growth 10-13th centuries- this
encourages economic innovation- more people mean more
markets- landlords look for new land- serfs ultimately gain
more independence b/c landlords need to woo workers
Rise of cities ( a few with 100,00- whereas China had
about 52 cities with 100,000)- this means increase in
literacy, new forms of religious life, languages, etc.
11th century 1st universities for law and medicine
Growth of Trade and Banking
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Urban growth allowed more specialized manufacturing and
commercial activities
Italians develop banking to facilitate long-distance
exchange of money and goods
Christian thinkers like Aquinas looked down upon bankers
Rising trade- European elite develop taste for luxury items
of Asia
Hanseatic League- group of cities in northern Germany
and southern Scandinavia that joined to encourage tradepart of a growing trend in commercial alliances
Roots of capitalism- willingness to invest in trading
ventures with the expectation of profit
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Still- European traders less tolerant than Muslim and
Indian counterparts and less wealthy than some
counterparts
Rising merchant class gaining powerful and independent
role (paid taxes to royal government)
Development of guilds- grouped people in the same
business together- stressed security and mutual control
Contrasts- commercial and capitalist elements jostled
against the slower pace of economic life in the countryside.
Most people remained peasants but some escaped to the
cities
Limited Sphere for Women
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New limits on conditions of women- women’s
work still vital in families, Christian emphasis on
equality of all souls, veneration of Mary and other
female figures. In some ways held higher status
than sisters in Islam.
By late middle ages new literature that stressed
women’s roles as comforters and assistants.
Patriarchal structures taking deeper root
The Decline of the Medieval
Synthesis
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After 1300 change. Strong monarchies adjust state
boundaries, Hundred Year’s War between France
and England in 14th and 15th centuries (kings
eventually had to reduce dependence on nobility
and new military methods challenged the
monopoly of feudal lords)- ended with French
victory (Joan of Arc) but showed signs of stress in
French monarchy
Agriculture couldn’t keep up with population
growth- led to famine
Disease- Black death 1348
Signs of Strain
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14th century ruling class showed signs of confusion. Claim
to power always in control of land and military prowess
but now open to question. Chivalry gained ground. Upper
class became more cultivated.
Shift in balance between church and state. French kings
wielded great influence over papacy in early 14th century.
Pope moved to Avignon and then back to Rome. Religion
still popular but the church as an institution not popular
Breakdown in intellectual synthesis – church officials less
tolerant of intellectual daring.
The Postclassical West and Its
Heritage
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After 900 gains in population, trade and cities, and
intellectual activity created a vigorous period in
European history
Lasting impacts- universities, gothic style of
architecture, new ideas about government
Change in the relationship between Europe and
the regions around it as Europe gained strength.
Advance by imitation.
Crusades a distinctive expansionist spirit