3/6 – Medieval Europe and Byzantine
Empire
• AIM: What happened to Western Europe
after the fall of the Roman Empire?
• Opener: How did the Roman Empire fall?
What were the causes?
Defining the Medieval Period
Classical Civilization
(Beginning of European Civilization
Roman Empire)
Medieval Europe
(Fall of Rome Before the Renaissance)
Modern Times
(Renaissance Today)
The time period has also been called the “Middle Ages” and the “Dark Ages”
The Fall of the Roman Empire
• Beginning
of the
Middle
Ages
• Invasions
• End of the
Roman
emperors
The Barbarian Invasions
• From Asia:
Huns and
Magyars
• From the
Germanic
north:
Saxons,
Angles, and
Goths
Rise of the Germanic Peoples
– Ostrogoths: Italian
peninsula
– Visigoths: modernday Spain
– Angles and
Saxons: modernday Britain
– Franks: central
Europe
“Invasion of the Goths into the Roman Empire,”
a 19th-century painting
How did the Roman Empire fall? What
were the causes?
• Nomadic invasions from Northern Europe
• Farmers / lower class debt & taxes on lower
classes
• Inflation
• Assassinations and fighting for power
– Generals with personal armies fought each other
• Disease
• Corruption
• Slave revolts
Medieval Europe: Stages
Early Medieval Europe
(c. 500–1000)
High Medieval Europe
(c. 1000–1300)
Late Medieval Europe
(c. 1300–1500)
Timeline:
• Three periods during the “middle ages” – Early,
High, and Late:
• Early Middle Ages (500 – 1000 CE)
–
–
–
–
Fall of Roman Empire (476 CE)
Clovis unites Franks under Catholicism (~500 CE)
Franks defeat Muslims in France (732 CE)
Charlemagne (Carolingian family) calls himself
“Emperor” and attempts to reestablish empire over
Western Europe (~800 CE) Later kings called
themselves the “Holy Roman Emperors”, but did not
have much power.
– Viking invasions bring more instability to Western
Europe (~800 – 1000 CE)
Clovis (466–511)
• Established a
Frankish kingdom
in central Europe
• Conquered many
competing tribes
and regional
Roman political
leaders
• Converted to
Christianity
Charlemagne (742–814)
• Powerful leader, strong
Christian
• Created the
Carolingian Empire
• Crowned by Pope Leo
III as the first Holy
Roman Emperor
• Warrior
culture from
Scandinavia
• Raided
Europe
• Established
settlements
throughout
Europe and
even in North
America
The Vikings
A Viking longboat
Viking Lenses: To detect the location of
the sun in cloudy weather, start fires
Did the Vikings make a telescope?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/702478.stm
Rock Crystal Lenses from the Viking Harbor
Town of Fröjel, Gotland in Sweden.
Timeline:
• Three periods during the “middle ages” –
Early, High, and Late:
• High Middle Ages (1000 – 1300CE):
– Feudalism emerges as the dominant political
system.
– Population growth due to better agricultural
technology and warmer weather. (1000- 1347)
– Rise of Manorialism as economic system
– Crusades (1096 – 1270CE)
– Nobles force King John to sign the Magna Carta,
enshrining the rights of the nobility. (1215 CE)
– First English parliament (1265)
See, infer, wonder
Feudalism
•
•
•
A French vassal receiving a feudal grant from the king
A political, economic,
and social system in
which land was
allocated in exchange
for services; roles and
obligations were clearly
defined for all
participants
Grew out of Roman
practices of
clientage/patronage
Originally developed as
a means of protection
and defense
Feudal System Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
Lord
Vassal
Fief
Manor
Serf
Feudal serfs
The Feudal Power Relationship
Monarch
Nobles
Lesser Nobles/Knights
Peasants
Knights
• Elite military
soldiers
• Usually from
the noble
classes
• Stages of
training:
page, squire,
knight
• Chivalry =
code of
behavior
Statue of a
medieval knight
The Medieval Tournament
Means of practicing military skills
Castles
• Centers of
noble life
• Purposes:
– Intimidation
– Military
defense
– Residence
Warwick Castle, England
England
• 1066: Norman
Invasion
• William the
Conqueror (1027–
1087)
– Brought feudalism to
England
• Henry II (1154–1189)
– Instituted a single common
law code, unified court
system
William the Conqueror
England: Magna Carta (1215)
• Conflict between King
John and the English
nobility
• Nobles rebelled against
excessive taxation,
forced King John to sign
the Magna Carta in 1215
• Limited power of the
monarch
• Formal recognition that
the king was not above
the law
A
photograph
of the Magna
Carta
England: Development of Parliament
• Henry III (1216–1272)
• Edward I (1239–1307)
• Original parliament
– House of Lords: nobles and
church lords
– House of Commons: knights
and residents
Edward I
• Approved taxes,
discussed policies,
worked with the
monarch to make laws
Economic System - Manorialism
See, infer, wonder
Why Crop Rotation?
3/14 – Medieval Obligations
• AIM: What were the benefits and drawbacks
of the feudal and manorial systems?
• Opener: An obligation is a duty or
commitment. What obligations do you have
at home (to your parents, etc.)?
The “Feudal Contract”
• Feudalism and manorialism both were based on a
series of agreements between the different social
classes in the middle ages.
• Although there were no formal “contracts”
signed, each social class had obligations towards
the other classes.
• As your read your passage, underline obligations
you have towards others and star obligations
others have towards you.
• Additionally, make sure to note how your basic
needs – food, shelter, safety – are met.
Roles:
• 1 - Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
• 2 - George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
• 3 - Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a
famous knight
• 4 - Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Task: You will be given a scenario. Based on your
knowledge of Feudalism, you are to engage in
conversation with your group, pretending to be
your character. Try to remain historically
accurate, but don’t be afraid to get creative and
have fun!
Roles:
• 1 - Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
• 2 - George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
• 3 - Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a
famous knight
• 4 - Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Task: Get the creative juices flowing:
– What’s your character’s overall personality? (Happy,
grumpy, kind, mean, fierce, shy, intelligent, dull, etc.)
– What does your character spend most of his/her day
doing?
– My character likes to _____________, and hates
_______________!
Roles:
•
•
•
•
Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a famous knight
Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Scenario 1: It’s harvest time, but an early frost
has killed off many of the crops.
– Who might you owe food to? (Or expect food
from?)
– How will the crop failure affect your life?
– What are your concerns?
Roles:
•
•
•
•
Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a famous knight
Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Scenario 2: There’s talk of a serious dispute
between Lord Porter and Lord Mead.
– How can this dispute be handled?
– If fighting breaks out, who will fight, and for whom?
– How will you be affected by this dispute & what
might you need from others?
Roles:
•
•
•
•
Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a famous knight
Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Scenario 3: Sir Knightly, a vassal to Lord
Highbrow, has died without a male heir. He
does have two daughters.
– What will happen to Sir Knightly’s manor? To his
daughters?
– Can you profit from this situation?
Roles:
•
•
•
•
Lord Porter – the owner of 5,000 acres of land
George Stout – a vassal to Lord Porter
Lady Knightly – the wife of Sir Knightly, a famous knight
Mary Cooper – a serf on Sir Knightly’s manor.
Scenario 4: King DuBois has decided to tour his
kingdom.
– Where will he stay?
– How will his visit affect you?
Wrap-Up!
• What were the strengths of the feudal
system?
• What were its weaknesses?
Aim: How did the Catholic Church
become the most powerful and unifying
force in Medieval Europe?
Google images
The Age of Faith
• Why do you think that the Middle Ages in
Europe is also known as the Age of Faith?
The Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church
The
Pope
Cardinals
Archbishops
Bishops
Priests
The Monastic Movement
St. Benedict
• Became popular in the 5th
century
• Arose as a reaction against
the increasing
“worldliness” of the
Church
• Monasteries: secluded
religious communities
• Benedictine monasticism:
vows of chastity, poverty,
obedience
• Monasteries were centers
of scholarship in the early
middle ages
Excerpt of a letter from Pope Innocent III
(1198)
“The Creator set up two great lights in the heavens; the
greater light to rule the day the lesser light to rule
the night. In the same way, the Church has set up
two great lights on earth; the greater light, being the
Pope, to rule over souls; the lesser light, being the
king, to rule over bodies. Just as the moon’s light
comes from the sun, does the power of the king
come from the Pope. The more closely a king is
willing to follow the Pope’s rule, the greater his light
will be.”
Q: According to Pope Innocent III, what ought to be the
relationship between Church and State?
NYC Curriculum
An Age of Faith and Superstition
•
•
•
•
•
Faith in the Roman Catholic Church did not erase
superstitions in Medieval Europe. Below were some
common superstitions:
An evil witch could exchange a healthy child for a
sickly one (the “changeling” was the substitute)
Preparing a table with three knives pleased good
fairies
A person could change into the shape of a wolf
The croak of a raven would bring bad luck
Meeting a priest would bring good luck
Patterns of Interaction
Primary Source Document Analysis Discussion Questions
• What can we learn about the religious
practices of the Anglo-Saxons from Bede’s
account?
• In what specific ways did the pope urge
toleration? Why did he encourage tolerance?
• What implication might Gregory’s policies
have for the beliefs and practices of English
converts?
Islam in Europe
• Islamic forces
took control
of Spain in
the early 8th
century
• Muslim
innovations
– Agriculture
– Architecture
– Math and
science
Great Mosque of Córdoba
The Reconquista of Spain
• Muslims ruled the
Iberian Peninsula
for nearly 800
years
• Reconquista:
Struggle between
Christians and
Muslims to control
Spain
• 718–1492
• King Ferdinand of
Aragon and
Isabella of Castile
Isabella and Ferdinand
The Crusades
• 1095–1291
• Goals of the Crusades:
– Convert nonbelievers
– Eliminate heretics
– Regain control of the Holy Land from the Muslims
Louis IX of France
leads crusaders
against
Damietta(port city),
in Egypt
Pope Urban II
• 1095:
Pope
Urban II’s
speech
– Promised
spiritual
rewards
– Thousands
responded
to the call
for religious
warriors
Pope Urban
II calling for
the
Crusades
The First Crusade (1096–1099)
• 1096: Mostly
French knights
• Captured
Jerusalem in 1099
• Crusader states
• Jerusalem taken by
Muslim forces
under Saladin in
1187
A depiction of the capture of Jerusalem by crusaders
Other Crusades
• Major and minor
crusades took place
between the 12th and
14th centuries
• Christians unsuccessful
at recapturing the Holy
Land
• Popes invoked crusades
more often and for nonspiritual purposes
• Legacy of the Crusades:
– Increased trade
– Religious tensions arose
The Crusade on Constantinople
Crusade questions
• What problem began to emerge after the
Viking raids ended?
• How did the Church attempt to solve this
problem?
• What was the purpose of the Crusades?
• How did the Crusades affect Europe?
• What factors helped bring Europe out of the
“dark ages”?
Timeline:
• Three periods during the “middle ages” –
Early, High, and Late:
• Late Middle Ages (1300 – 1453CE):
– Rise of university system, Gothic architecture
– Increase in trade and banking
– Guild system
– Black Death (1348)
– Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
The Plague
Spread of the Plague
• Started in China
• Reached Europe
in 1347 via a
merchant ship
on the island of
Sicily
• 1347–48:
southern
Europe
• 1349–50:
central Europe
and the British
Isles
Attempted Medical “Cures”
for the Plague
A costume
worn by
doctors to ward
off the Plague
• Doctors wore strange
costumes
• Bathing in human urine
• Wearing excrement
• Placing dead animals in
homes
• Wearing leeches
• Drinking molten gold
and powdered
emeralds
• Burning incense to get
rid of the smell of the
dead
Effects of the Plague
• Killed 25–30
million
Europeans
• Undermine
d faith in
religion
• Economy
• Culture
influenced
Societal Effects of Black Death
• Economy destroyed
– Labor shortage led to more bargaining power for
serfs.
• Peasant uprisings
• Feudal / manorial system weakened
• The Church:
– People’s faith in church/religion was shaken
– Church officials highly affected by disease, their
deaths weakened the institution of the Church
• Jews persecuted, displaced
• Stirred interest in medicine/science
The Hundred Years’ War: Battles
• England had early
victories
• The French
eventually
expelled the
British from
mainland Europe
• English military
innovation: the
archer
• Archer weakened
power of knights
& feudal system
The Battle of Crecy, the first major battle of the
Hundred Years’ War
Hundred Year’s War: Joan of Arc
• Heroine of
the war
• Had visions
that told her
to free
France
• Fought with
the army
• Captured,
burned at
the stake
Joan of Arc being burned at the stake
Trade and Economy (Guilds) in
Late Middle Ages
Medieval Trade Routes
Identify major
Centers of trade:
Hamburg,
Bruges,
Florence,
Venice
http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/Ashley/HY104/images/MapKeys
/medievalmaps.htm
Hanseatic League (Trade Organization)
The League regulated taxes and had rules for fair trade among its members
The Guilds
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/guilds.html
Guild Rules
• Price Control: The guild decided on the price of each item.
All bakers, for example, changed the same price for a loaf
of bread, the price set by the guild.
• Wage Control: All workers had to be paid the same, so that
the best workers could not be enticed away with better
wages somewhere else.
• Quality Control: Everyone had to satisfy the quality
standards set by their respective guild. No one was allowed
to sell shoddy goods.
• Advertising Control: No guild member could advertise their
wares. The guilds wanted people to think that all wares
offered the same quality, no matter what shop sold them.
Jews were not allowed to join guilds
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/guilds.htm
Climbing the Ladder to Success
Master
Journeyman
Apprentice
• Masters: At the top of the ladder were people called
“Masters,” who owned their own shops.
• Journeyman: After he had learned something about his
craft, a man could move up to the level of journeyman. He
was paid a little money, along with free food and a place to
sleep. He could only work under a master. To become a
master, a journeyman had to submit a "masterpiece" - to a
committee of masters in his guild. If they approved his
work, he could become a master himself.
• Apprentice: During the period an apprentice was learning a
skill, he received food, a place to sleep, and training, but
was not paid.
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/guilds.htm
l
Middle Ages Inventions
Penn State University: Medieval Technology and American History
The Cam (or Camshaft)
http://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/photos/photos_saugus.htm
The Cam or Camshaft operation
Animation: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/hari1/ci335/3c.html
The Clock
The earliest of these is
credited to Jacopo de Dondi,
who designed an astronomical
clock for the cathedral tower
in Padua in 1344. Curiously,
almost every zodiac sign
surrounds the clock face
except for the balanced scales
of Libra. (As the story goes, it
was deliberately left out of the
lineup by guild workers who
felt they weren't treated fairly
in salary negotiations.)
http://www.newyorkcarver.com/inventions4.htm
Eyeglasses (1268)
The Cannon
Architecture
• Many churches
and cathedrals
built during the
Middle Ages
• Church designs
– Romanesque:
cross, nave
– Gothic: ribbed
vault, flying
buttress,
stained glass
Chartres Cathedral in France, a prime example of medieval
Gothic architecture
Legacy of the Medieval Era
• Transitional period
• New kingdoms
evolved
• The Church became
a dominant force
• Modern institutions
originated
3/11 – Western Europe and the
Byzantine Empire
• AIM: 1) How did Christianity spread to
Western Europe? 2) What were the
PERSIA+G features of the Byzantine Empire?
• Opener: Would you consider the Byzantine
Empire to be a continuation of Rome? Explain
why or why not.
Taking Notes: What to look for in the
textbook
• Rough time periods / eras (think centuries)
• Bolded names
• Events leading to CHANGE
– Note what changed – compare before and after
– Notice what stayed the same
• Think connections to other civilizations we’ve
studied
– Look for similarities and differences
• Patterns / repeated facts
Political Features – Byzantine Empire
• Military
– Recruited troops in exchange for land grants
– Did not rely on mercenaries
– Had an army and navy
• Government Bureaucracy
– Educated; recruited from a range of social classes
– Gov’t regulated many aspects of life (e.g. food prices)
• Similarities to China
– Strong central emperor who was ordained by God
(head of church and state)
– Extensive bureaucracy
Economics – Byzantine Empire
• Trade
– Center of extensive trade networks (Russia to
north; Asia to the East; grain in Italy)
– Silk and luxury goods played a role
• Wars put economic pressure on the Empire
• Tax system & agricultural production =
revenue for gov’t
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• Political Characteristics:
– Constantinople, founded by Roman Emperor
Constantine, was the capital.
– Greek was the official language
– Constantly under attack from barbarians to the
west, and Persians (and later Muslims) to the east.
– Justinian (533-565 CE) was a famous emperor.
Tried to reclaim lands of the Roman Empire.
– Developed “Justinian Code” based on Roman Law
– Power peaked towards end of 10th century
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• More Political Characteristics:
– Emperor was infused with divine characteristics –
was considered head of state & church. There
were elaborate court rituals
– Extensive bureaucracy recruited people from all
social classes
– Military gained power and influence over time
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• Economic Characteristics
– Bureaucracy regulated trade and controlled food
prices.
– Peasants heavily taxed; food prices kept artificially
low
– Extensive trade (located at center of many transAsian trade routes).
– Merchants’ influence was limited
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• Religious & Social Characteristics
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• Intellectual & Artistic Characteristics
– Hagia Sophia church
Byzantine PERSIA+G Review
• Geographic Characteristics
– Ruled Balkans, northern Middle East,
Mediterranean coast, and North Africa
3/12 - The Spread of Christianity in
Medieval Europe
• AIM: 1) How did Christianity spread in
medieval Europe? 2) What were the political
and economic structures of medieval Europe?
• Opener: In a short paragraph, summarize
Pope Gregory’s message to the English Church
(from yesterday’s reading).