Medieval Europe
“The Middle Ages”
Why was this period
referred to as
“The Middle Ages”?
It was the period between
two very important
times…the Fall of the Roman
Empire and the Renaissance.
In the middle – The Middle
Ages
Many people thought that nothing important
happened during this period. They were wrong!
The Early Middle Ages
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The Geography of Europe
Europe After the Fall of Rome
Feudalism and Manor Life
Feudal Societies
Today we will study Europe after the
Fall of Rome.
PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 234
IN YOUR TEXT
EUROPE AFTER
THE FALL OF ROME



CHAPTER 9
LESSON 2
The students will describe the spread of
Christianity and the roles played by the
early church and monasteries in a oneparagraph summary.
In your summary you might
include the following…
*Who was the head of the church?
*Which group of people traveled far
distances to spread Christianity?
*Were they all sent by the church?
*Which group of people lived apart from
communities, and where did they live?
*What services did they provide that
helped spread Christianity?
TODAY’S FOCUS QUESTION:

How did the church and monasteries
contribute to the spread of Christianity?
Europe After The Fall of Rome

Europe was a dangerous place after
Rome fell..
CHAOS!
Without the Roman government, Europe
had no central authority to keep order.
As a result, outlaws and bandits
became common.
Violence was common. People looked
for ways to bring order to their lives.
As the Roman Empire fell, various
groups moved into former lands and
formed their own states.
The rulers of these states, usually
warlords, called themselves kings.
These kings often fought among
themselves.
The creation of these kingdoms
marked the beginning of the Middle
Ages.
Christianity Spreads to Northern
Europe
Missionaries
The Pope sent missionaries into northern
Europe to spread Christianity.
 Missionaries are people who try to convert
others to a particular religion.

Monks
Monks spread Christianity, but unlike
missionaries, they did not travel.
 They spent their time in prayer, work, and
meditation.

Monasteries
Monks lived apart from society in
monasteries.
 The monks had to follow rules that told
them how to dress and what to eat.

Monastery
• A place where
monks or nuns live
and work.
Monks
In addition to giving aid to people in their
communities, monks
 Ran schools and copied books for those
who couldn’t read or write.
 Collected and saved ancient writing from
Greece and Rome
 Served as scribes and advisors to local
rulers.

The Benedictine Rule

Look at page 236 in your text.
There is a special day named
after a monk. See if you can
guess what it is.
Hints:
 It involves pinching.
 You are to wear green.
 It is during the month of March.
 It is of Irish origin.

Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a monk who helped
convert the Irish to Christianity.
 According to legend, he won favor with
the Irish by driving all of the snakes in
Ireland into the sea.

Charlemagne
A Christian king who conquered much of
the old Roman Empire and spread
Christianity.
 Built schools.
 Look at page 237 in your text.

Invaders Threaten Europe
Even while Charlemagne was building his
empire, new threat appeared in Europe…
Muslim armies poured in from Africa
and the Middle East.
Fierce warriors called the Magyars
invaded from Asia attacking fields
and destroying towns.
From Scandinavia came the most
frightening invaders of all, the
Vikings.
Vikings looted towns and monasteries.
 They took prisoners to sell into slavery.

The spread of Christianity
helped restore order to
Europe following the fall of
the western half of the
Roman Empire.
Remember: CHAOS!!!
Religious men who lived apart
from society in isolated
communities were
Priests
 Monks
 Monasteries
 Ministers

One of the first missionaries to
travel to northern Europe and
took it upon himself to teach
people about Christianity was
Saint
 Saint
 Saint
 Saint

Benedict
Patrick
Peter
Paul
Who was a brilliant warrior
and strong king who led the
Franks in building a huge
empire?
Saint Patrick
 Saint Benedict
 Charlemagne
 William the Conqueror

Monks live in communities
called
Churches
 Cathedrals
 Monasteries
 Castles

An Italian monk who created a
set of rules that most European
monasteries followed was
Saint
 Saint
 Saint
 Saint

Peter
Paul
Benedict
Patrick
Another name for the Middle
Ages is
Medieval period
 Unimportant period
 Post Rome period
 Ancient history

TODAY’S FOCUS QUESTION:

How did the church and monasteries
contribute to the spread of
Christianity?
In your summary you might
include the following…
*Who was the head of the church?
*Which group of people traveled far
distances to spread Christianity?
*Were they all sent by the church?
*Which group of people lived apart
from communities, and where did
they live?
*What services did they provide that
helped spread Christianity?