The Middle Ages
Outcome: Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
1. The Middle Ages: What is it?
a. Name given to the time period after the gradual decline of
the Roman Empire.
b. Lasts roughly 1000 years, 500-1500
c. Sometimes called The Dark Ages or medieval period.
d. Often seen as a very bleak and dangerous period
e. Had roots in:
i. The classical heritage of Rome
ii. The beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
iii. The customs of various Germanic tribes
Fall of Rome
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
2. Causes of the Middle Ages
a. Fall of Rome
b. Invasions
i.
Disruption of Trade: Merchant trade collapsed and
Europe’s economic centers were destroyed. Money also
became scarce.
ii. Downfall of cities: Cities were abandoned as centers of
administration.
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
b. Invasions
iii. Population shifts: Roman cities left without strong
leadership. Europe became mostly rural.
iv. Decline of learning: Germanic invaders could not read or
write. Learning became less important as people moved to
rural areas.
v. Loss of a common language: Latin changed as Germanic
people mixed with Roman population.
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
c. Early Plague
i. Plague of Justinian
1. 541-542 AD
2. Affects Byzantium including Constantinople
3. Justinian has it but does not die of it
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
3. Effects of the Middle Ages
a. New Germanic Kingdoms Emerge (Holy Roman
Empire)
b. Rise of feudalism in Europe
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
3. Effects of the Middle Ages
c. The power of the Church grows rapidly
d. Europe became rural
e. No major emphasis on learning
Causes/Effects of the Middle Ages
3. Effects of the Middle Ages
f. New languages replace Latin
g. Early signs of modern European countries start to appear
(England & France)
The Middle Ages
OUTCOME: GERMANIC KINGDOMS EMERGE
& CHARLEMAGNE
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
1. Germanic Kingdoms
a. In the upheaval between 400 and 600, small Germanic
kingdoms replaced Roman provinces
b. Borders changed constantly
c. Family ties and personal loyalty were more important
than public government and written law
d. Germanic stress on personal ties made it impossible to
establish orderly government
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
2. Clovis and the Franks
a. The Franks had power in Gaul (modern day France and
Switzerland)
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
b. Clovis was leader of the Franks
c. Clovis brings Christianity to the region
i.
Fears defeat by another Germanic tribe and appeals to Christian
God:
ii. Battle shifts in his favor and Franks win
iii. Clovis and 3,000 of his warriors ask a bishop to baptize them
d. By 511, Clovis had united the Franks in one
kingdom
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
3. Christianity
a. Christianity was a constant variable
i.
Monasteries provided education and a place to serve god for
men
ii. Convents for women (nuns)
iii. The church was extending its influence into politics and everyday
life
iv. The power of the pope was rapidly expanding
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
4. An Empire Evolves
a. After the fall of Rome, small kingdoms popped up all over Europe
b. Franks controlled the largest and strongest of Europe’s kingdoms
c. When Clovis died in 511, the Franks controlled most of modern day
France
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
e. Mayor of the Palace:
i.
Position which had become the most powerful in
Frankish kingdom
ii. Official power: Had charge of the royal households and
estates (like a lord)
iii. Unofficial power: Led armies and made policy,
essentially ruling the kingdom
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
f. Charles Martel or Charles the Hammer
i.
By 719, Charles held more power than the king
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
f. Charles Martel or Charles the Hammer
ii. Defeated Muslim raiders from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732
iii. Victory was highly significant for European Christians, Charles was a
Christian hero (lose battle, lose Europe?)
iv. At his death, he passed his power to Pepin the Short
v. Pope anoints Pepin “King by the grace of God,” thus beginning the
Carolingian Dynasty- family that would rule the Franks from 751987
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
5. Charlemagne Becomes Emperor
a.
b.
c.
d.
Pepin the short died in 768
Charles the Great, better known as Charlemagne takes over
in 771
Imposing figure standing 6 foot 4 inches tall
Charlemagne built an empire greater than any known since
ancient Rome
Charlemagne
e. His conquests against the Muslims and to the south and east
spread Christianity
f. He reunited Western Europe for the first time since the
Roman Empire
g. Was now the most powerful king in western Europe
h. In 800, he traveled to Rome to protect the pope  the pope
rewards Charlemagne by crowning him emperor
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
6. Charlemagne as King
a. Charlemagne strengthened his power by limiting
authority of the nobles
b. Sent out royal agents to check on powerful landowners
c. Regularly visited his kingdom
d. Encouraged learning- surrounded himself with scholars
and opened new monasteries
e. Charlemagne died in 814, his sons split up the kingdombad idea- Carolingian kings lost power and authority
broke down
f. This lead to the rise of feudalism
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• Result: Historic coronation, which gave the pope the right to
confer the title of Roman Emperor on European kings.
Signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the
heritage of the Roman Empire.
The Middle Ages
OUTCOME: THE POWER OF THE CHURCH
The Power of the Church
1. Christianity in the early Middle Ages
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
By 600, Christianity had spread to many Germanic peoples
Missionaries risked their lives to spread Christianity
Attacks by Muslims spurred people to convert to Christianity
The Christian Church became more secular, or worldly--->
Involved in politics
Pope Gregory I used church revenues to raise armies, repair
roads, and help the poor
The Power of the Church
2. Monasteries
a.
b.
c.
d.
Religious communities for men. Men were called monks
Gave up possessions and devoted a life to serving God
Women, or nuns, lived in convents
St. Benedict wrote a book setting a practical set of rules
for monasteries
e. Best place for an education
The Power of the Church
3. Far-Reaching Authority of the Church
a. The Church sought to influence spiritual and political
matters when it crowned Charlemagne Roman Emperor in
800
b. Pope Gelasius I suggested that God had created two
swords:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
One sword was religious ----> held by pope
One sword was political ----> held by the emperor
Pope bows to emperor in political matters
Emperor bows to pope in spiritual matters
If each kept authority in own realm, the two could live in harmony
The Power of the Church
c. Structure of the Church
i. Different ranks of clergy, or religious officials
ii. Pope was head of Church
iii. All clergy, including bishops and priests fell under pope’s authority
iv.
For most people, local priests served as the main contact with the
Church
The Power of the Church
d. Religion as a Unifying Force
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Feudalism created division but Church teachings
bonded them together
Provided people with a sense of security and of
belonging to a religious community
Priests and other clergy administered sacraments
(religious ceremonies)
All were subject to canon law, or Church Law
This included matters such as marriage or religious
practices because the Church was both religious and
political
The Power of the Church
4. The Emperor Clashes with the Pope
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
When Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in 800,
he unknowingly set up future conflict
Otto the Great crowned king of the Holy Roman Empire in
936
Church unhappy with Otto’s use of lay investiture, ceremony
where kings and nobles appointed church officials
Popes would threaten with excommunication, or banishment
from the Church
Future kings would attempt to exert power over the papacy
(pope)
These attempts would weaken German provinces in Europe
and weaken royal authority
The Middle ages
Outcome: Church Reform & The Crusades
Church Reform & The Crusades
1. Age of Faith
a. Between 500-1000 Europe was a dark age
b. Around the 900s, a new spirit invaded the church and
brought about a spiritual revival in the clergy
Church Reform & The Crusades
c. Problems in the Church
i.
Village priests were married and had families --->
against Church rulings
ii. Bishops sold positions in the Church, this was called
simony
iii. Kings used lay investiture
Church Reform & The Crusades
d. Reform
i.
Popes Leo IX and Gregory VII enforced Church laws
against simony and marriage
ii. Papal Curia (pope’s advisers) acted as a court
1.
2.
Developed canon law on matters such as marriage, divorce, and
inheritance
Decided cases based on canon law
iii. Church used taxes to pay for the sick and poor- most
hospitals in Europe
Church Reform & The Crusades
• Result: The Age of Faith helped push the Church closer to an
empire rather than being simply a religious order. Wars of
conquest were inspired which would give way to the violent
holy wars known as the Crusades.
Church Reform & The Crusades
2. The Crusades
a. What is a crusade?
i. A holy war involving the journey of thousands of
Europeans to reclaim the holy land of Jerusalem in
the name of Christianity
ii. In all, there were 8 or 9 Crusades (depending on your
source)
Church Reform & The Crusades
b. Why crusade? Social, Economic, Spiritual, &
Political reasons
i. Pope Urban II called for a holy war against Muslims
controlling holy lands
ii. Social: Opportunity to get knights to stop fighting each
other and fight a new foe. These knights threatened
peace in Europe.
Church Reform & The Crusades
b. Why crusade? Social, Economic, Spiritual, & Political
reasons
iii. Economic: Younger sons who did not stand to inherit
father’s property were looking for wealth and adventure
iv. Economic: Merchants supplied loans to finance the
journey
Church Reform & The Crusades
b. Why crusade? Social, Economic, Spiritual, & Political
reasons
v. Political: A chance for the pope to gain territory instead
of Byzantine rival
vi. Spiritual: Kill Muslims = ticket to heaven (Christian
contradiction)
Church Reform & The Crusades
c. When were the Crusades?
i. Starts in 1093 and lasts for nearly 300 years
Church Reform & The Crusades
3. What happened:
a. First and Second Crusade
i. Urban’s call brought tremendous support for the
Crusade
ii. Those who died on Crusade were assured a place in
heaven
iii. “God wills it!” was the battle cry
iv. 3,000 mile journey from Europe to Jerusalem
v. Eventually, 12,000 approached Jerusalem and
besieged it for a month
vi. On July 15, 1099, the Christians captured the city
Church Reform & The Crusades
a. First and Second Crusade
vii. The Second Crusade was organized to recapture the city of
Edessa
viii.In 1187, Europeans were shocked to learn that Saladin
and the Muslims had captured Jerusalem again
Church Reform & The Crusades
b. The Third Crusade
i. Led by 3 of Europe’s most powerful monarchs
1. Philip II of France – went home
2. German Emperor Frederick – drowned on journey
Church Reform & The Crusades
b. The Third Crusade
3. English King Richard the Lion-Hearted
a. Fought many battles against Saladin
b. Agreed to a truce with Saladin in 1192
i. Jerusalem stayed under Muslim control
ii. Saladin promised unarmed Christians could freely visit
the city’s holy places
Church Reform & The Crusades
c. Other attempts
i. 4th Crusade failed to recapture Jerusalem
ii. In the 1200s, four more Crusades were also
unsuccessful
iii. The Children’s Crusade
Church Reform & The Crusades
4. Effects of the Crusades
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Example of Church power
Trade was expanded between Europe and Southwest Asia
Failure of later crusades lessened the power of the pope
The Crusades weakened the power of the feudal nobility
Increased power of kings
Thousands of knights and other participants lost their
lives
g. Began a legacy of bitterness and hatred of Christians for
the Muslims
h. Persecution of Jews
i. Those who survived brought back culture to Europe