Early Medieval
Europe
Collapse of Western Roman Empire
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Empire Divided (300’s AD)
 Byzantine Empire (Greek & Autonomous)
Latifundias replace centralized rule
 Decentralized, self-sufficient (E,S,P)
 Isolated Kingdoms of Landlords/Serfs
Constant Barbarian Invasions
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Empire collapses (476): Isolated, Primitive =
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Barbarian w/ Roman (Latin) influence
Rise of Christianity (Unifying Force)
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First Phase: (Roman) conversion through
original disciples (church fathers) Bishop of Rome (Pope) replaces emperor
2nd Phase: ‘Papal Primacy’ – divine authority
of (rock) = Pontifex Maximus over Church
 Hierarchal Order - Church = key to
salvation & protection
Viceroys (bishops) – oversee church & state
Monastic Culture – converts/scholars
The New Economy
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Early Middle Ages = Manor & Serfdom
Trade = Bartering/Exchange of Services
Agricultural Developments
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Heavy Plow, Padded Horse Collar, and Three
Field System
Gradually Transform Economy & Challenge
‘System’
Impact of Agricultural Improvements
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Communal - Manorial
Population Growth
Surplus /Diversity Crops
Markets - $ exchange
Rise of Towns (Burgs)
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Merchant (Middle Class)
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Feudal Order?
Protection to Guilds
Banking & Investments
Church & Profit
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Trade Routes
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Mediterranean, Baltic,
Overland
Feudal Strains
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Lord, Serf, Communes
Kings support M.C. –
offset power of nobles
Towns = Independence
– coin $, laws & juries,
taxes, militias, foreign
goods
Feudalism
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Political & Social Order
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Feuda – land holding bearing
obligation (Vassal)
Franks – first centralized
political power of Europe
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Hierarchal – mutual obligations
Stirrup – mounted warrior ($)
System becomes increasingly
complex– loyalty / succession
The Frankish Empire
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How were the Franks able to unify much
of the Western Roman Empire?
Why is Charlemagne’s reign viewed as the
model for European feudal monarchies?
Treaty of Verdun
Eastern Empire (Byzantine)
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Division – linguistic, cultural, political
Eastern Influence (Asia/Islam)
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Mediterranean Trade and Exchange
Russian and Southern, Eastern Europe
Greek influence
 Greater reliance on Bible (not Pope)
 Filioque - Western belief that Christ & God
the Father one essence – not lesser
 Religion under Political Authority of Emperor
England: Development of Common Law
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1066: Norman Conquest (William of Normandy)
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Feudal Monarchy: Norman vassals, Fiefdoms,
Loyalty Oaths, Sheriffs
War, Gov’t, & Legal System
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Holding W. France & England
Permanent Royal Bureaucracy (Barons)
Representative (lower) bodies emerge
“Common Law” – judicial reviews
English Monarch unmatched, but challenged by
Church (courts) & Barons (taxation)
Magna Carta (1215)
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Which groups benefited most from the signing
of the document?
What will be the implications and lasting effects
of the document?
Royal vs. Papal Power
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Unam Sanctum (1302)
Challenges to Feudalism (cont.)
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Dynastic Succession
Liege Lords – Loyalty
Taxation – Rents replace
serfdom & heavier
reliance on towns (MC)
Rise of Trade & Guilds
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Autonomy & Power
Lords – Advisors
(Growing Influence)
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Use of Mercenary
Warriors/Bastard
Feudalism
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Continual Warfare ($)
Introduction of Firearms:
psychological to tactical
Royal Monopolies &
Centralized Authority
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Profit & Competition
Church – Wealth, land,
Motives (Crusades,
Indulgences, simony)
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Demands for
Reform/Questioning
Authority/Nationalism
14th Century European Monarchs
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Political Power Struggles
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Monarchs vs. Nobility – Magna Carta (1215)
Papal vs. Monarchs – “Unam Sanctum” (1302)
Fiscal Pressures
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Introduction of Firearms & modern warfare
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Bastard Feudalism – Emerging Professional Armies
Taxes and Monopolies
Navigation – expand trade & “national” prestige
 Church Tithes vs. State Revenues
 Monarchial support for Middle Class (Profit Driven)
 Monarch’s Monopolize Products
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The Black Death and its Impact
Population Growth and Crisis
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Over Population & Marginal Farming Lands
1347 Plague Strikes – Without Discrimination
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Disruption of Growing European Identity
Psychological Strain – Value of Survivors
Impact on Agriculture / Trade
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Supply & Demand – Production < Prices
Profits < Labor (Natural cycle, but profit driven)
New Techniques, Scale Back Lands, Labor Supply
Enclosure: England’s Wool Industry
Protectionism & Upheaval
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Statute of Laborers (1350) – wages/jobs
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Guild Restrictions – limit losses & competition
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Rural Unrest: Feudal ties & dues, taxes, tithes
Urban: Wages, taxes, guild power
Shift: Free men vs. return to feudal ties
Hanseatic League – protect Northern trade
Upheavals = Resentment/Uncertainty
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Value of Labor: Supply & Demand
Devotion: Church response (mixed) = heavier
reliance on faith
Crisis in the Church
1309-1377 Avignon Exile
 Unam Sanctum & Royal Authority
 Fiscal & Moral Crisis
 1378-1417 Great Schism
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100 Years War (1337 – 1453)
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HW – Take Notes on . . .
The Causes of the Conflict
Its Impact on European States & Gov’ts
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Holy Roman Empire, England, France
AP World History – Middle Ages
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Restructuring of Europe
Decentralization - Medieval society
Division of Christianity
Revival of Cities
Early Medieval Europe

Unique cultural and political outlook
 Romanized
w/ barbarian customs
 Religion = salvation (Active Life?)
 Cut off from Eastern Empire
 Growing
threat of Islam (survival)
 Trade, science, philosophy, math, etc.
 Political Decentralization
 Mutual Obligations / Stability
Brain Tickler
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How did the rise of the middle class and free
towns impact Medieval European order?
How did the emergence of nations challenge
Papal authority (Church) and the traditional
roles of the lords/nobility?