Chapter 9: Christian Europe Emerges, 600-1200
-Charles (towered over 6 ft 3, being taller than the average man in his time)
-Crowned king in mid-20’s in 768
-Waged war on Muslim invaders from Spain, Avar, Hungary, and a # of German princes
-Pope Leo III placed a new crown on Charles head.
- Charlemagne- (from Latin Carolus Magnus, “Charles the Great”)
-First in Western Europe to bear the title emperor in over 300 years
-German custom and Christian piety transformed the Roman heritage to create a new civilization
-Irish monks preaching in Latin become important intellectual influences in parts of Europe
-Greek & Roman philosophy faded, urban life continued in decline of Roman Empire
-Medieval- literally middle age
-Comes between era of Greco-Roman civilization & intellectual/artistic/economic
changes of Renaissance in the 14th century
-Charlemagne wasn’t only ruler in Europe to gain title of emperor
Byzantine Empire- Eastern Roman Empire
-After 7th century, this empire was known to Muslims as Rum
-Authority blended with influence of the Christian church to form cultural synthesis
(helped shape emerging kingdom of Kievan Russia
-Byzantium‘s centuries-long conflict w/Islam helped spur crusading passion that overlooked
western Europe in the 11th century
-Comparison between western/eastern Europe is paradoxical-West Europe could not achieve political unity & suffered economic decline
-East Europe showed renewed vitality by late 1200s
-The Byzantine Empire, 600-1200
-Established Christianity as their official religion
-Represented a continuation of Roman Impeal rule
-Inherited imperial law intact
-Emperors made a transition to the role of powerful Christian monarchs.
-An Empire Beleaguered-A series of territorial losses shaped empire’s strength
-Arab armies destroyed the Sasanid Empire & captured Byzantine Egypt, Syria, & Tunisha
-End of the 12th century: 2/3rds of Christians adopted the Muslim faith
-Shook empire and reduced power (lost land near 10th century in doing so)
-Slavic and Turkic peoples appeared on the northern frontiers as part of Eurasian Steppe lands
- Relations between popes/princes in West Europe slowly worsened
-Schism- a break that has been only partially mended
-Society and Urban Life-In many places/areas barter replaced money transactions
-Urban elite class shrank, importance of high-ranking aristocrats at imperial court & rural
landowners increased
-End of 11th century- family-based military aristocracy emerged
-Alexias Comnenus (ruled from 1081-1118)
-Considered himself lord not a god
-7th century women:
-Confined to home
-Only men allowed to socialize with were family members
-Ruled the Byzantine (1028-1056) Empire w/husbands
-Emperors continued late Roman inclination to set prices.
-Government intervention: slowed technology development/economic innovation
-The Western Church-The Christian population:
-Followed religions guidance of patriarch of Constantinople appointed by Emperor
Byzantine
-Wanted similar power over church affairs
-Territory to Christendom with attack into the British Isles and German lands
-Roman nobles lost control of papacy (office of the pope)
-Papacy became powerful international office after 10th century
-Council of bishops set rules called canons to regulate priest and lay people
-Disagreements on church: lack of education/train clergy
-Political disorder, difficult communication, & the people felt unsecure
-Clerics prohibited worshiping nature
-Church problems:
-lingering polytheism
-little enforcement against nepotism or marrying close kin
-simony/selling ecclesiastical appointment to non-clergy members
-Papacy asserted itself to make secular ruler recognize the pope’s authority
-Politics and the Church-Pope heeded allies in politically fragmented western Europe
-Son Charlemagne- strong supporter of papacy
-Kings/popes considered them ultimate authorities- relationships between them were tense
-Pope crowned first “Holy Roman Emperor” (962)
-made Christian interest more apparent than real
-A loose confederation of German princes that named one of their own to highest offices
-Holy Roman Emperor didn’t have much power past Rhine River
-Pope crowned the early Holy Roman Emperor, didn’t mean he was politically superior
Bishops who held land were vassals
-owned military support and other services
-Secular rulers wanted to appoint Bishops- only way to fulfill their duties as vassals
-pope disagreed
-Conflict over control of ecclesiastical appointment continued over the 11th century
-Next pope was Hildebrand (Italian monk, career was recognize church finances)
-Cardinals (senior bishops) selected him to be Pope Gregory VII (1073)
-Personal notion:
-Pope can be judged by no one;
-Roman church has never erred & never will;
-Pope alone can depose & restore bishops;
-He alone can call general councils & authorize canon law
-He can depose emperors;
-He can absolve subjects from their allegiance
-All princes should kiss his feet
-These claims antagonize lords & monarchs
-Investiture controversy- struggle between church and lay lords to control ecclesiastical
appointments
-Pope Gregory cut Holy Roman Emperor Henry from the church-3 days later was brought back in Gregory
-two years later Henry deposed Gregory and made him flee
-Compromise was reached in a German town, Worms (1122)
-Worms Emperor Henry V gave up his right to choose bishops &abbot or bestow spiritual
symbols
-Pope Calixtus II allowed emperor to invest papally appointed bishop & abbots w/any lay
rights/obligations before their spiritual consecration
-didn’t solve problem, made things less tense
-King Henry II & Thomas á Becket- conflict over assertions of royal authority
-Henry:
-Wanted to make crown stronger & weaken nobility
-Made laws/juries to punish criminals
-Couldn’t control church very well, persuaded Thomas to become priest
-Thomas:
-Arch bishop of Canterbury (highest church office in England)
-Disagreed w/Henry he murdered Thomas
-Canterbury became major pilgrimage center
-Monasticism- way of living for monks/priests/nuns
-Benedict of Nursia- originally started practice
-started as cave hermit, then loaded several monasteries, each headed by an abbot
-Monks & nuns made up a small percent of total population
-Monasteries followed Jesus better than many town based bishops & preserved literacy/learning
in early medieval period
-Monasteries spread Christianity to new lands
-Bishops couldn’t exercise constant vigilance behind monastery wall, but did have power over
abbot
-Some abbots failed to maintain monastic discipline
-Abbots of Cluny in Eastern France pursued a vigorous campaign
-Aligned w/reforming popes like Gregory VII to improve discipline
-With later addition, became largest church in world
-Cultural Achievements-Byzantine religious art strongly influenced painting in West Europe down to the 13th century
-Musical traditions strongly affected chanting employed in Midieval Latin churches
-9th century: brothers Cyril & Methodius embarked on highly successful mission to the Slavs of
Moravia
-Followers perfected writing system- Cyrillic, used by Slavic Christians adhering to
Orthodox
-Early Medieval Europe-Disappearance of imperial legal framework- persisted to final days of Western Roman Empire
& rise of various kings/nobles/chieftains changed legal/political landscape of western Europe
-A Time of Insecurity-Frontier raiding party of Arabs & Berbers
-Acting under authority of Umayyad Caliph in Syria
-Crossed the Strait of Gibraltar
-Overturned kingdom of Visigoths in Spain
-Muslims occupied much of southern coast
-Penetrated as far North as Tours, less than 150 miles from English Channel, before
Charlemagne’s grandfather, Charles Martel, stopped their most advanced raiding party
-Peak of Charlemangian’s power- Carolingian Empire encompassed all of Gaul & parts of
Germany & Italy w/pope ruling part of the latter
Louis the Pious, Charlemagne’s son- died
-Treaty of Verdun was made
-split empire into 3 parts
-New threat to Western Europe (793)
-Vikings (sea raiders from Scandinavia) attacked monastery on English coast
-Settled on lands they seized in Normandy (Northwestern France) organized most
important & ambitious expedition in terms of #s of men and horses & long-lasting
impact
-Normans attacked Muslim Sicily in the 1060s and severed it from Muslim world
-A Self-Sufficient Economy-Most cities lost populations & became villages
-Roman roads fell into disuse & disrepair
-Small thatched houses strung up beside abandoned villas, & public buildings
-Trade across Mediterranean did not entirely stop after Muslim conquest, but most of western
Europe came to rely on meager local resources
-Roman governors were replaced by Germanic lords who found riches of their own culture more
appealing than those of Rome
-Manors became primary centers of agricultural production
-A well-appointed manor possessed fields, gardens, churches, etc. & a village where
farmers depended on lord of manor
-Manor life (reflected personal status):
-Nobles and their families exercised almost unlimited power over serfs
-Serfs could not leave the manor where they were born
-Early Medieval Society in the West-Mounted warriors became the central force of the Carolingian army
-Constant warfare to protect land rights (10th century)
-Stirrups- allowed a rider to stand in saddle & absorb impact when struck at full gallop
-Before invention, horsemen gripped mounts w/legs & fought w/bows & arrows
-Knight’s emerged as central figure in medieval warfare (11th century)
-Lord of manor provided governance & justice- direct loyal government being quite limited
-Women:
-Noble woman- triangle of obligations as heiresses & candidates for marriage
-Administered their husband’s estates when he was away at war
-Women could own land
-The Rise of the Kieven State-Vladimir I (980) - ruler of Novgorod fell from power
-Went to Kiev w/Varangians
-Made himself grand prince
-What he did:
-Built temple w/six statues of gods
-Picked Orthodox Christianity over Latin version (988)
-Thought Islamic religion was not logical
Writing was introduced- using Cyrillic alphabet
-Society and Culture-Kievan Russia’s political power- trade, not landholding
-Agriculture system never developed=less food
-Focused on horse breeding, not farming
-Christianity grew slowly
-some rejected burials & encouraged cremating
-eventually grew to political & economic affairs
-Western Europe Revives, 1000-1200-Emerged from almost 7 economies- most when people worked for own food
-Population & agriculture grew supporting larger number of jobs
-lead to new technology & geography
-Self-governing cities- seaborne trade
-Monarchs- central administration, becoming stronger kingdoms
-Cities and the Rebirth of Trade-Silk Road/Indian Ocean trading system important
-Crusade Time: maritime commerce in Mediterranean depending heavily on ships from Genoa,
Venice, Pisa
-Raw wool from Europe became woolen cloth for large market (1200)
-Silver coins began because gold came from Muslim lands/Byzantine Empire
-The Crusades, 1095-1204
-Four Great expeditions
-Crusades impacted culturally in Western Europe:
-Noble courts, burgeoning cities consuming move goods from the East
-Later adoption of ideas:
-Artistic styles
-Industrial processes from Byzantium and lands of the Islam
-Roots of the Crusaders-Crusaders made possibly several socially economic currents of 11th century
-1st reforming leaders of Latin Church (popularized the Truce of God)
-2nd ambitious rulers looking for new lands to conquer
-3rd Italian merchants wanted to increase trade in Mediterranean acquire trading posts in
Muslim territory
-W/o rivalry between popes/kings & desire of church to demonstrate political authority over
Western Christendom, crusades might never have occurred
-Pilgrimages played an important role in European religion
-Pious Pilgrims journeyed to visit old churches
-Knights followed a popular pilgrimage route
-Umayyed Caliphate in al-Andalus broken up in 11th century leaving smaller successor
states prey to Christian attacks from the north
-1492 surrender of last Muslim king
-Muslims a proper target for Christian militancy
-Muslim rulers protected Christian pilgrims
-After 1071, Turkish nomads spread through the region & security along the pilgrimage route
-Decline of Byzantine power threatened ancient centers of Christianity, under imperial control
-Byzantine emperor Alexius commends asked the pope and western European rulers