~450 AD- ~1400 AD
 Invasions
end Roman protection of
empire
 Advances slow and people begin to
forget the Roman’s advances
• Literally, people lived right next to a Roman
aqueduct, but had no idea how to make it
 Breakdown

of trade: money became scarce.
Cities abandoned – no longer center of
economy or administration
 Population
became rural.
 Decline
of literacy – priests were the few
that were literate.
 Languages
slowly changed from Latin
(Romance languages)
 After
the decline of the Roman Empire small
kingdoms sprang up all over Europe.
 The
largest and the strongest was controlled
by the Franks
• Lead by Clovis – first Christian king
• Area that is now France
• Greatest king was Charlemagne
• most powerful king in Western Europe
• encouraged learning
 Lack
of a strong central government
 Church is powerful
 King less powerful
 Europe divided into thousands of small
feudal kingdoms
 Rural
 Education
 Less
decreases
trade
 Barter system
 Living conditions harsh
 Laws based on customs
 Feudalism
becomes the dominant
political system. At its head is a king.
The king trades land to a lower noble for
loyalty.
 Fief:
 Vassal:
 Manor:
 Serf
(or peasant):
Feudalism
Provide knights in
times of war
Fiefs – land grants
Military protection
Fiefs – land grant
service
protection
Based on mutual obligation

Nobles constantly fought each other
 Defend estates
 Seize new territories
 Increase wealth

Kept Europe fragmented

Glorification of warriors
 Economic
system of the Middle Ages
 Manor – self sufficient farming
communities
 Little trade between manors
 Typical had 200-300 people
 Heart of the manor was the manor house
/ castle
 Europe
continues to suffer invasions
• Further disrupts trade
• The need for protection strengthens feudal
system
 Lived
in Denmark and Germanyinvaded/immigrated to England between
500- 700 AD
 The modern name England or English
comes from Angle
• Anglo- is also a root word
 What is an “Anglophone?”
 Also, the French word anglais (English)
 Some people think the word “Yankee” comes from a
corruption of the pronunciation “l’anglais”
 People
from Scandinavia (Norway,
Sweden, Denmark)
• Due to rising populations in those countries,
Vikings sought places to expand- so they started
sailing to Western Europe and further
• In the process, became famous for raiding towns
and monasteries throughout Western Europe
 By
the 900’s AD, the Vikings (also called
Northman, Norseman, and Norse) are
beginning to settle in parts of Russia,
France, Ireland, and England
• In fact, modern day Normandy in France takes its
name after the Northman
 Nomadic
people from central Europe
• Modern day Hungary
 Raided
villages and monasteries
throughout Germany, Italy, and France
often selling people into slavery

Chivalry – a complex set of ideals,
demanded that a knight fight bravely in
defense of three masters
1. His feudal lord
2.His Heavenly Lord
3.His Lady

Meant to protect the weak and the poor

Be loyal, brave, and courteous
 Sons
of nobles began training at an early
age for knighthood
 Page – at 7 they were sent to another lord to be
trained
 Squire – at 14 they act as a servant to a knight
 Knight- at 21 they become a knight and gain
experience in local wars and tournaments
 Tournaments
–
mock battles
that combined
recreation and
combat
training
 Fierce
and
bloody
competitions
 Beginning
with Clovis and cemented by
Charlemagne was an alliance between
the Catholic Church and the secular
(worldly, not religious/spiritual) rulers
like kings.
 Papal
bull is a written order by the Pope
 Used by the Church to justify actions like
going to war
 Also used to control kings in Europe
 Set
of church laws that govern religious
practices.
 Excommunication
means you get thrown
out of the church. For kings, it can also
mean vassals no longer owe loyalty.
 Even
stronger than Excommunication is
interdict, which means the Church will
not perform the Sacraments (baptism,
marriage, last rites, etc.) in the King’s
land
• Catholics believe this means you would go to
Hell
 If
the Pope wanted to control a King, he
would threaten to excommunicate him or
even his whole kingdom. This usually
forced the King to do what the Pope
wanted him to do.
 In this way, the Church controlled many
of Europe’s kings
The Catholic
Clergy (priests,
leaders of a
religion):
Pope
Cardinals
Bishops
Parish Priests
The People
 Preserver of learning
 Art
 Shelter for poor
 Church offered salvation
sacraments
through the
 Amassed
wealth
 Owned land
 Some where
dishonest
 Political
involvement
 Corruption
 Monasteries

+ Monks
Monasticism:
St. Benedict – Founds Benedictine Monasteries.
Monks swore to poverty, celibacy, obedience
Copied books including Bible- preserved writing
 monks
became missionaries to the
“barbarians,” like the Germanic
peoples.
 Raise
your hand. Tell me if it’s
Romanesque, Islamic, or Classical
(Greek/Roman)
Classical- Triumphal Arch
Islamic
Romanesque
Islamic
Romanesque
Classical- Ampitheater
Islamic
Romanesque
Classical
Classical
Romanesque (The Church on Left)