The Middle Ages
SOL WHI.9
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500 – 1500 A.D. Period of history known as the MIDDLE AGES.
Europe in Middle Ages
476 A.D. Western
Roman Empire
collapses due to
Germanic invasions.
Roman Empire
•Large territory
unified under one
government
•Led by an emperor
•Large cities, money
economy, literate
society, etc.
•Small Germanic kingdoms;
boundaries constantly
changed
•Money scarce; trade
disrupted by invasions;
cities faded; illiterate
society
•People entered into
agreements with land
owning lords who provided
them with protection in
exchange for work.
Foundations of medieval society
• Classical heritage of Rome
• Christian beliefs
• Customs of Germanic tribes
Feudalism begins
Invasions shattered Roman protection over the Empire.
The decline of Roman influence in Western Europe left
people with little protection against invasion, so they
entered into feudal agreements with land-holding lords
who promised them protection.
Feudal society during the Middle Ages
• Fief – land worked by the peasants
• Vassals – “landlords”; swore allegiance to
the king; could serve as a knight
• Serfs – peasants that worked the land
• Feudal obligations
Manorial system during the Middle Ages
• Rigid class structure
• Self-sufficient manors
Feudalism
Fiefs – land grants
Provide knights in
times of war
Military protection
Fiefs – land grants
service
protection
Based on mutual obligation
Life on the Manor
Daily Life on the Manor
Influence of the
Roman Catholic Church
during the Middle Ages
• The Roman Catholic Church grew in importance
after Roman authority declined. It became the
unifying force in western Europe.
• The Pope anointed the Holy Roman Emperors.
• Missionaries carried Christianity to Germanic tribes.
• The Church served the social, political, and religious
needs of the people.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican City, Italy
Built 326 A. D.
Influence of the Church
• Roman authority declined, while Church
authority grew
• Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural
achievements
• Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet
to Germanic tribes
• Pope anointed Charlemagne as Holy Roman
Emperor in 800 A. D.
• Parish priests served religious and social needs of
the people
Age of Charlemagne
Frankish kings used military power to expand their territory.
• Franks emerged as a force in Western Europe
• Charles I, Charles the Great = Charlemagne
• Pope crowned the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
The alliance between Frankish kings and the church
reestablished Roman culture in Western Europe.
• Power of the Church was established in political life
• Roman culture was revived
Charlemagne
• Born grandson of Charles
Martel, son of Pepin the Short
• Ruled from 771 - 814 A.D.
• Known as Charles I
• Spread Christianity while
reuniting western Europe
• Crowned by Pope Leo III
Christmas Day 800 A. D.
• Died at age 70
Charlemagne’s Empire
Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings
Vikings
Magyars
Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings
Invasions by Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings disrupted the
social, economic, and political order of Europe.
Areas of Settlement
• Angles and Saxons from continental Europe to England
• Magyars from Central Asia to Hungary
• Vikings from Scandinavia to Russia
Influence of the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings
• Manors with castles provided protection from invaders
• Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the
feudal system was strengthened