Middle Ages
500 C.E. – 1300 C.E.
Unit 6 - Sections 1 & 2
Key Terms
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Feudalism
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Clergy
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Fiefs
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Vassel
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Act of Homage
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Knight
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Castles
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Keep
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Ladies
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Code of Chivalry
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Page
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Squire
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Dubbing
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Tournaments
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Joust
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Manors
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Seneschal
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Bailiff
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Freemen
What Was Happening in the West?
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The Early Middle Ages are a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western
Roman Empire, spanning roughly the five centuries from AD 500 to 1000.
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Roman Decline and Effect
on all Tribes
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The decline of the empire in 476 C.E. led to disorder everywhere in the west. The East was
thriving.
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German tribes were too weak to rule well.
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Towns and villages fell into ruin.
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Roads and bridges were not repaired
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Robbers roamed the countryside, making it difficult to travel.
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Trading and business slowed down.
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Shortages of food an other goods.
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People were no longer interested in learning, and many books and works of art were
damaged or lost!
The Germans - 500s A.D.
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300 CE – The Roman Empire allows groups of German to cross into their territories.
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Were civil until the Romans took advantage of their warriors.
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Similar to Spartan in their military beliefs.
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What events brought the Germans into contact with the Roman Empire?
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The violent _____ pushed the Germans out of their lands in Northern Europe and into
the Roman Empire.
What events brought the Germans into contact with the Roman Empire?
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The violent Huns pushed the Germans out of their lands in Northern Europe and into
the Roman Empire.
They loved battle
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Goths (one major tribe) were divided into 2 groups
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Ostrogoths
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Visogoths
These groups were attacked by Attila and the Huns.
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Asked the Roman Emperor for protection
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Was given with conditions.
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Goths eventually rebelled against Rome and began invading other territories.
Vandals (another German tribe) conquered areas in Spain and Northern Africa
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From their attacks we get the English work vandalism.
The Franks - 800s
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Also a Germanic people
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Built a new civilization that became France.
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Quickly converted to Christianity (Catholic)
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Clovis, Charles the Hammer, & Charlemagne
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Clovis
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Gained support of the Romans in his kingdom
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Began speaking a form Latin, which later became modern French.
Charles the Hammer
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Truly known as Charles Martel
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Nicknamed the “Hammer” because of courage in battle.
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Defeated the Arab Muslims in Spain which enabled Christianity to survive in western
Europe.
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Charlemagne “Charles the Great”
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Charlemagne’s Empire
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Coronation of Charlemagne by the Pope in 800.
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Charlemagne
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Grandson of Charles Martel
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Charlemagne means Charles the Great
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Extremely powerful leader!
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Considered as powerful as any Roman Emperor.
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Tried hard to push back the darkness that fell after Rome.
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Encouraged learning and the arts
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Attacked and defeated the Lombards, Saxons, and Muslims.
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By 800 Charlemagne created a huge Christian empire.
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Empire collapsed soon after his death.
Other Influential Groups
Irish and Anglo-Saxons
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Lead by clans or family groups.
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Ireland was Christian, but the Anglo-Saxons were not.
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Pope Gregory sent a monk named Augustine to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons.
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By 700 most Anglo-Saxons were Christians
Alfred the Great
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Alfred, King of Wessex was chosen by the English Kingdoms to protect them against the
Danes who were invading.
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Given the title first King of England when he successfully unified the tribes of England.
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Original homeland of Scandinavia
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Brutal and extremely feared
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Sea faring people who depended on the sea to make their living.
The Vikings
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Warriors were called berserkers.
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Traveled the sea setting up trading towns in the areas they conquered.
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Society
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In most Western European kingdoms society was set up in a very similar manner.
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The type of hierarchical society that developed in known as Feudalism (a system where power
passes from kings to local lords and vassals).
Feudal Society
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After the death of Charlemagne, central government collapsed. Power passed from kings to
nobles, who took on the duty of raising their own armies and protecting their property.
Power also passed from kings to local lords giving rise to a system known as feudalism.
Land owning nobles governed and protected the people in exchange for services.
The clergy, or religious leaders, also owned land and held power.
With western Europe divided into thousands of feudal societies, the Catholic Church served as a unifying
force and exerted a very strong influence over the culture of the Middle Ages.
Land and Government
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Power was based on ownership of land
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Charles Martel began giving soldiers, fiefs, or estates. This gave the soldiers power.
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Other kings of Europe began following Martel’s idea.
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From that time on, land ownership was tied to military service.
Rise of Feudal Territories
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Around 900, nobles took the responsibility of protecting their lands and people from the Vikings.
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Built fortresses on hilltops
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Peasants asked the nobles for protection, in return the peasants promised to work for them in
the fields.
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Most peasants ended up giving the nobles their land and also their freedom.
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By 1000, western Europe was divided into feudal territories, about the same size of a Greek citystate.
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No central city
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Noble owned all land and had all power
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Made all laws on his fief.
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Peasants and towns people had few rights
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Few people tried to improve society, or change their way of life
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Most people remained in the group to which they were born.
Lord and Vassal
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A vassal is a noble that served a noble of higher rank and paid him loyalty.
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All nobles were vassals to the king, who might even be a vassal to another king.
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Act of Homage was an official ceremony tying together lord and vassal.
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Vassal had certain duties to perform.
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Help the lord in battle
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Vassals had to bring their own knights with them.
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Vassals had to make payments to their lord
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Had to attend the lords court
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Provide food and entertainment
The Nobility
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Life was not always easy or pleasant for nobles in feudal times.
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From 800’s to 1000’s, noble and their families lived in wooden houses.
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People ate with fingers, threw scraps of food on the floor for dogs, houses were very dirty from
ash and soot from fires.
Castles
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By 1100’s nobles were living
in castles.
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Made of stone
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Designed as fortresses
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Did have drawbridges and motes
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People of the household lived in the keep
Castle Life
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Noble women were called ladies
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Once married, their husband had complete control over them
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Most marriages were arranged to unite important families
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Women were married by 12. If not married by 21, they would remain single forever.
Knighthood
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Almost all nobles were knights
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Expected to follow a code of rules known as the Code of Chivalry.
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Nobles began training to be a knight when they were 7.
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Learned to be a page, or a person who helps knights.
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Pages learned good manners
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Taught to ride and fight
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At age 15, became a squire, put under the care of one knight.
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Went into battle with knight
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If he was a good fighter, he was rewarded by becoming a knight.
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Done in a special ceremony called a dubbing.
Manor
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Nobles, knights, and peasants all depended on the land for everything they needed.
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Land was divided into manners.
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Manors were found on fiefs.
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Nobles chose officials to run the manors.
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One official was the seneschal.
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Bailiff
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Looked after the noble’s fiefs by visiting regularly
Made sure the peasants worked hard in the fields.
Poor transportation isolated manors from each other
Freemen and Serfs
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Two groups of peasants worked in the manors.
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Freemen
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Serfs
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Paid the noble for the right to farm the land
Serfs and their descendants were the property of the nobles.
Serfs could not:
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Move to anther area
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Marry without permission
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Difficult to gain freedom
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If a serf escaped to a city and was not caught for one year, they were considered
free.
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By the end of the middle ages, serfs were able to buy their freedom.
Advancements for the Peasants
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By 1200’s peasants began to learn better farming techniques
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Used a 3 field system
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Used a heavy iron plow
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Horse collar was invented
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Began to grow more food
Section 2 - The Church
The Church – Key Terms
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Mass
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Tithes
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Cathedrals
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Unions
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Chancellor
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Crusades
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Emires
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Gregory VII
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Urban II
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Saladin
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Richard the Lionheart
Catholic Influences
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The Roman Catholic Church had great influence in the middle ages
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The goal of the church was to create a society based on Christian ideals.
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It was the center of every village and every town.
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United western Europe
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Lead in government, law, art, and learning
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Passed the heritage of the Roman Empire
Daily Life
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Daily life centered around the church
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No meat on Friday’s
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Went to mass on Sunday’s
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Church leaders ran schools and hospitals
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The church was the keeper of records, such as births, deaths, marriages, and burials.
Politics and the Inquisition
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Church officials helped govern western Europe
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Catholic Church was and still is the largest landowning body in the world
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Church told people how to obey the kings laws.
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Had to obey kings laws unless they went against the canon laws, or laws set by the
church.
People who disobeyed the Pope, or the canon laws were excommunicated, or lost their
membership in the church.
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A worse punishment than death.
Inquisition
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In 1129, a counsel of bishops set up the inquisition to combat heresy, or speaking out against
the church.
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Gave people they suspected of heresy one month to confess.
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Those who appeared before the Inquisition, or Church court, where whipped, or sent to prison.
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Those who did not show up were seized and sent to prison.
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Heretics who refused were very often tortured, and even burned at the stake.
Reform of the Church
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Became the wealthiest body on earth during the middle ages.
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Wealth lasted until the late 20th century 1990’s – 2000’s)
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Member paid tithes equal to 10% of income
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The wealthier it became, the more corrupt it became.
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During the late 900’s monks and priest worked to turn the church back to its Christian ideals.
Pope Gregory VII
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Ruled from Rome
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Two goals
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Rid the church of control by nobles
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Increase the Pope’s power
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Bishops and priest were were now forbidden to marry.
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1075, Gregory stated the the Pope was above all kings and nobles.
Learning
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Clergy set up schools in Cathedrals
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Schools were set up to teach sons of nobles prepare for service in the church.
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Also trained students in:
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Government workers
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Lawyers, teachers, etc
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Teachers and students began to complain that not enough subjects were being taught, and that
many untrained people were teaching.
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Students and teachers decided to make changes by forming unions.
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These unions became universities.
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By 1200’s universities had spread throughout Europe
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Church officials called chancellors headed the different universities.
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No one could teach without his permission.
The Crusades
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For hundred of years Christians visited shrines in Jerusalem
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1071, Seljuk Turks conquered Jerusalem and took control of the Christian shrines.
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Western European were shocked and angered
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A series of Holy Wars called the crusades soon began.
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Byzantine Emperor asked the Pope for help.
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Pope Urban II agreed to help
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Hoped the Byzantines would reunite with the western church
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Pope urged the people to fight for the cause.
Peasants Crusade (First Part of the First Crusade)
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Urban spent 9 months journeying around to different cities.
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Christians felt it was their duty to win back the Holy Land
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Peasants grew impatient waiting for the nobles to form their armies.
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The Peasants created their own armies.
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Spring of 1096, 12,000 French peasants began the long journey to Palestine
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By the time the Peasant armies reached Constantinople, they massacred all Jews, looted fields,
and attacked farmers.
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They lost 1/3 of their numbers.
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They roamed the streets of Constantinople looting, stealing, and attacking innocent people.
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Byzantine Emperor was worried.
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He sent them to fight the Turks in Asia Minor.
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There they were almost completely wiped out.
Noble’s Crusade (Second Part of the First Crusade)
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In 1097 the Nobles set out on their own crusade.
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Great lords led each army
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The Crusade was very costly
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They defeated the Turks
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1099 they recaptured Jerusalem for the Christians.
New Kingdom
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Crusaders lost much of their religious enthusiasm
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Westerners were not accustomed to the environment.
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The heat taught them how to bath
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Women began wearing Muslims veils and makeup when outdoors
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Men began wearing turbans and silk robes.
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Too hot to eat heavy meals, so they ate more fruit and vegetables
Saladin and the Crusade of the Kings
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1174 A Muslim leader, Saladin, united Arabs and started a war against the Christian occupation
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In 1187, he recaptured the city and refused to massacre the remaining Christians.
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After Saladin’s victory, the Pope urged another crusade.
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The Crusaders put up a good fight with a new weapon called a crossbow, which fired an arrow
with great force and speed.
Powerful Kings
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King Richard I (the Lionheart) of England
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Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany
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King Phillip II Augustus of France
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Most powerful kings in Europe
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Crusade of the kings was a failure
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Frederick died in Asia Minor
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Richard of England and Philip of France hated each other and were always quarreling
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Both Richard and Philip gave up.
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Richard was always a brave warrior, therefore he was nicknamed “the Lionheart”
Other Crusades
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There were other crusades that followed
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The Muslims eventually won the crusades and all Christians were expelled.
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1291 – Muslims took over the city of Acre, the last Christian stronghold.
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The Muslims had won the crusades.
Effects of the Crusades
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The Crusades effected both east and west
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Byzantines were so angry and so weakened that it could no longer defend itself.
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This left Europe open to Turkish attacks.
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Helped break down feudalism
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While the nobles were fighting over seas, the kings authority grew.
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Religious ideal were clouded by the desire for wealth, power, and land.
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Contact with the Muslims and Byzantines gave western European an new desire for
learning.
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Demand for eastern luxury goods grew in the west, therefore, towns and trade grew!