The Emergence of European Civilization
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Roman imperial government vanishes
Germanic kings set up new states - decentralized
Kept much Roman govt.; coexisted
Franks – only long lasting kingdom
Clovis – converts to Christianity
Germanic society
o Family – crucial to social structure
o Feuds, acts of violence, revenge
o Crime was personal (unlike Rome – against society)
o Wergeld – fine to victim (differed by social status)
o Compurgation – oath that accused was truthful
o Ordeal – to determine guilt; painful experiences
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divine intervention would save the innocent
Catholic Church
o Plays an increasingly important role
o Diocese – area headed by bishop
o Bishops came to be known as popes (Latin – papa)
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“Bishop of Rome”
o Monks – lived cut off from society; dedicated to god
o Monasticism – living life as a monk
o Later lived and worked together
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prayer, physical labor, meditation
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Nuns also
o Monasticism – important; seen as heroes
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Highest ideal of Christian life
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Social workers, schools, hospitality, hospitals
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Copied Latin manuscripts; centers for learning
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Carolingian kings
Pepin (donation of Pepin – land to Church)
Son – Charlemagne – Emperor of the Romans
o Intelligent (but uneducated), fierce, curious, wise
o United and expanded empire
o Defeated enemies
o Organized kingdom – nobles ran provinces; missi dominici
o Intellectual revival
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Revival of classical studies (Greek & Roman)
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Done by monks in monasteries
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Scriptoria – writing rooms; copied manuscripts
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Carolingian empire falls apart after Charlemagne’s death
o Invasions – 9th – 10th centuries
o Muslims, Magyars, Norsemen (Vikings)
o Vikings – from Scandinavia, superb shipbuilders, sailors
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Raided, plundered, burned cities
Disintegration of centralized authority leads to feudalism (little trade takes place)
o Political and military system based on vassalage
o Vassals protected lords in exchange for land – fief
o Subinfeudation – could be vassal and have vassals
o Improvement in war and weapons
o Knights, chivalry
o Feudal contract based on honor; free men; unwritten code; homage
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ENGLAND
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William of Normandy (William the Conqueror)
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1066 – Battle of Hastings, defeats Harold and the Anglo-Saxons
Sole ruler of England; created new, united England
Anglo-Saxon and French merged into new English language
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Took census (counted people)
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Taxed the people
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Strong centralized monarchy
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Henry II - Greatly strengthened monarchy
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Strengthened royal courts (expanded # of cases tried)
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Common law emerges
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Claimed right to try Church officials
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Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket disagrees
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Becket is murdered
Nobles resented growing power of king
During reign of King John
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1215 forced to accept Magna Carta (Great Charta)
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King’s power is NOT absolute
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Foundation of US govt.
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Edward I
o Development of Parliament (Great Council)
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Invites 2 knights from each county to Council
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Beginning of representative government (basis of US)
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House of Lords – nobles
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House of Commons – townspeople
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Now king and Parliament would work together
FRANCE
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Hugh Capet (after Carolingians) – line of Capetian kings
Philip IV
Formed Estates General (French parliament)
Representative government (3 estates)
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1st – clergy
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2nd – nobles
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3rd – townspeople
ITALY & GERMANY – Holy Roman Empire
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Struggles between pope and emperor
Small, individual states (decentralized)
Leads to Italy and Germany not unifying (like England & France)
Eastern Roman empire flourishes (Constantinople) after Rome
Trade, commerce, science, culture, art, cathedrals
o Crusades
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Holy wars (military expeditions) against the infidel (non-believer)
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Directed at Muslims (growing force since 600’s)
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Pope Urban II calls for Crusades to liberate Holy Land (Palestine)
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Religious fervor, glory, adventure, wealth
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Several crusades – some successful, some failures
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Effects - increase in trade, new products, markets; attacks on Jews
European Civilization in the Middle Ages
Section 1 – The World of the Peasants
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HMA (High Middle Ages) – dramatic increase in population
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Peaceful, good weather, increase in food production
New forms of agriculture
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More land cleared to farm
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Change in technology – iron (scythes, axes, plows)
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Carruca – heavy wheeled plow
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From oxen to horses (faster)
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New collar to shift weight and horseshoe
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Led to farming villages – to share plows, equipment
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Also harnessed power of water and wind
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From 2 field to 3 field system
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One lay fallow; planted spring and fall crops
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More crops; doesn’t deplete the land
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Manorial System – the economic foundation of feudalism
o An agricultural estate worked by peasants
o Had emerged out of chaos of EMA (Early Middle Ages)
o Small farmers gave up land to nobles for protection
o Became serfs – bound to land
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Planted fields, paid rents, paid for use of stream, mills, etc.
o To make more $, lords switched to money payments (rather than service
exchange)
o Serfs could gradually become free
o Hard life – worked in fields, food production, preparation, dried meats, made
bread, sheered sheep
o Festival days, religious days provided some relief
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By 11th and 12th C – agrarian (agricultural) world changes
Revival of trade, emergence of craftsmen & artisans, growth of towns and cities
Due to increased food production (discussed above)
Didn’t all have to grow food, could now buy things needed
Italian cities took the lead – Venice in particular
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Others – Bruges (Flanders); Ghent (Belgium)
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Imports & exports – silks, cloth, furs, tin, honey, sugar
As trade increased – more coins came into use
Money economy – rather than barter; banks emerge
Consumer capitalism – Economic system – invest in trade and goods for profit
(foundation of US economy)
Leads to cities – merchants needed place to live & store goods
Old towns revived with merchants, artisans, craftsmen
Created own laws and governments
Less connected to lords; charters of freedom
Medieval cities small compared to Constantinople, Baghdad, Cairo
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Venice, Florence, London, Genoa, Naples
Surrounded by walls (p. 388); crowded, dangerous, fires, crime, air/water pollution,
Industry – guilds (associations of people with common interests such as bakers,
masons, glass makers, etc.)
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Regulated industries
To learn a trade
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Apprentice (not paid; given room and board)
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Journeyman
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Master craftsman (Masterpiece)
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Church (papal monarchy) – ruled papal states ; greatly influenced feudal life
Involved in politics and foreign matters
Conflicts between popes and kings; new religious orders develop
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HMA – Intellectual and artistic growth
Universities, buildings, cathedrals
Universities – traditional liberal arts curriculum
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Rhetoric (speech), logic, grammar, math, music, geometry, astronomy
Bachelor’s then Master’s degree
Theology (religion) highly valued; took up to 10 years
Scholasticism – attempt to reconcile faith with reason
St. Thomas Aquinas
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Posed question, cited different opinions, drew conclusion
Switch from Latin to vernacular (local language – Spanish, French, German, etc.)
Architecture – magnificent Gothic cathedrals, stained glass
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Black Death – mid 1300’s; horrible plague (bubonic, pneumonic)
o Fleas from infected rats
o Brought from Middle East into Genoa (by merchants); spread
o Panic, chaos, death (over half the population)
o Many feared brought by God as punishment for sins
o Flagellants – whipped themselves
o Outbreak of anti-Semitism also (against Jews)
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Decline
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100 Year’s War (England and France)
o Over claims of land by English king over land in France
o Turning point in warfare – shift from knights to peasant foot soldiers
o Long bows and canons introduced (gunpowder from China)
o Joan of Arc (France) 14 year old girl
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Claims she had visions from God to save France
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Captures Orleans from English
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But captured and burned at the stake as a heretic
o France victorious by 1453
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Political Instability and Political Recovery
o By 14th C. feudal system is breaking down
o New monarchies (England, France, Spain) emerge to establish the strongest
centralized monarchies (beginning of modern nations)
o France – King Louis XI – used taille (tax) to strengthen
o England – Tudor king Henry VII – used diplomacy to avoid war
o Spain – Ferdinand and Isabella unite Spain
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Control Catholic Church
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Spanish Inquisition against Muslims, Jews, etc.
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Expel Muslims from Spain (Granada – 1492)
o Germany and Austria – Habsburgs unites
o Russia – Ivan III unites
of the Church
Great Schism (1378-1417)
Two popes claimed power – Avignon (France) and Rome
Council finally intervened and stopped hostilities
Church lost much power as a result