Unit 4: Teacher’s Copy
The Middle Ages in Europe
600 – 1450
Decline of Rome/Formation of Medieval Europe
Spread of Christianity
Causes and Effects for Decline of Rome
Decline of Rome and formation of medieval Europe:
• Hostile Invaders overrun the empire (Mongols, Huns, Franks, etc.)
-Corrupt Governments
-Loss of morals and values
• Inflation
• Roman army cannot defend the empire
• People’s loyalty and service to the empire decline
• Roman politics decay: Empire is split, an additional capital established (Constantinople), but it doesn’t save it.
• People turn to the Church and lords for security and protection
• Development of feudalism and strong Church authority in medieval Europe
Formation of Medieval Europe
IMPACT OF FALL OF ROME ON WESTERN EUROPE ….
• Disruption of trade opportunities in the Mediterranean that leads to collapse of businesses, no standardization
of currency, inability to collect taxes from the outer edges of the empire, destruction of economic centers, and
scarcity of money as a result of invasions
• Downfall of cities as centers of administration
• Shift to a rural population as Roman citizens abandoned destroyed cities
• Decline of learning since Germanic invaders could not read or write …..which is why we call this period the
Dark Ages.
• Loss of a common language as Latin changes and different dialects develop
• Change in the concept of government from one of loyalty to public government and written law shifts to
governance through unwritten laws and traditions
Early medieval Europe was characterized by less stability and progress.
Feudalism
MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS AND FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO FEUDALISM (POLITICAL AND
SOCIAL) AND MANORIALISM (ECONOMIC)
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Feudalism – the system of political organization prevailing in Europe from the 9 to about the 15 centuries
having as its basis the relation of lords granting parcels of land known as fiefs to lesser knights who are known
as vassals, who in turn, provide military service to the lord.
•
•
Characteristics – Lords grant parcels of land known as fiefs to lesser knights who are known as vassals,
who in turn, provide military service to the lord. Chivalry and fealty between a lord and the vassal
relationship
Contributing factors – Fall of the Roman Empire leaves a gap in protection and services to people,
invaders overrun communities, people turn to lords for their protection
Manorialism
Manorialism – Smallest economic, social unit revolving around an estate, controlled by a lord, who gives land
and protection to his serfs, who in turn give him their services. Land = wealth
• Characteristics – Manors were self-sufficient where serfs raised and produced nearly everything needed
for that community. The open field system allowed several families of serfs to farm strips of the same
parcel of land. Living conditions for serfs were generally harsh on manors.
• Contributing factors – Model of villas in the Roman Empire used to manage rural economies; decline in
overland and sea trade after the fall of the Roman empire as well as threats from invaders also promoted
the self-sufficiency of a manor
Comparing Roman Slaves to Medieval Serfs
Increase
the
standard
of living
Vocabulary
Nation – A group of people sharing a common
language, heritage and strong sense of unity.
Kingdom – is a community or territory over
which a sovereign rules; it is commonly used to
describe a kingdom or other monarchical or
dynastic state.
Nationalism – The belief that people who live
within a nation should be loyal to their nation.
A strong identification with people in the same
nation.
Spread of Christianity
Spread of Christianity:
• Council of Nicea: sets basic tenets of Christianity
• Eastern Orthodoxy develops after the schism between that church
and the Catholic Church
• Church develops in power during the Middle Ages in Europe
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS
• Saint Thomas Aquinas: (1225-1274) Truth is known through reason and faith
 Aquinas came from a noble family from Naples.

He joined the Dominican order against his family’s wishes

Aquinas studied with Albert the Great in Paris and participated
in the Aristotelian revival of the Middle Ages.

He was canonized and became a saint in 1323.

Resisting the temptation of a prostitute and the discovery of Herring
at night were the miracles used to justify his sainthood.

Aquinas’s extensive corpus of scholarship is perhaps a greater miracle
han those mentioned above.
Ultimate Reality
o Aquinas was primarily a Christian theologian.
o He viewed human wisdom as structured like a pyramid with the sciences of ethics and politics at
its base with philosophy above and theology at its apex.
o Natural philosophy are not contradictory but complementary.
o Faith and reason are valid in their own realms.
o Aquinas’ scholastic method integrates Aristotle’s teleological view of nature into the biblical
theology of creation and Christian salvation.
DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY AS UNIFYING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTOR IN
MEDIEVAL EUROPE
Medieval Europe
• Missionaries spread Christianity
• Authority in medieval Europe based on the Church
• Charlemagne crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, which shows the close connection between church and state
• Shared beliefs in Christianity bond the people of medieval Europe
• Church provided stability and security in times of frequent wars
• Middle Ages seen as the “Age of Faith”
• Church creates a system of justice, canon law, to regulate people’s conduct
HOW THE GREAT SCHISM CONTRIBUTED TO END OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE
Great Schism of 1054 divides the Eastern and Western Churches into Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox
Church
Great Schism
• Split in the Catholic Church as two popes claim authority – one in Avignon and the other in Rome; both
excommunicate each other from the Church
• Authority of the pope as head of the Church challenged by John Wycliffe, who believes that God is sole
authority, and Jan Huss, who believes the authority of the Bible is higher than the pope’s authority. Beginning
of challenges to the authority of the Catholic Church that leads to the Reformation.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND EASTERN ORTHODOXY
Roman Catholicism
• Pope has authority over all other bishops, kings, and emperors
• Services conducted in Latin
• Priests cannot marry
• Divorce is not permitted
Eastern Orthodoxy
• Patriarch and other bishops lead the church as a collective group
• Orthodox Services conducted in Greek or local languages
• Priests may marry
• Divorce is allowed under certain circumstances
ORIGINS/IDEAS/SPREAD OF RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS
Christianity – Through the Middle Ages, the Church becomes the centralizing force of the Western culture.
 Begun during the Roman Empire
 Started as an offshoot of Judaism
 Spread throughout the Roman Empire
 Promoted the idea of salvation for all
 Became the most powerful influence in medieval Europe.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
• The Medieval Church as a unifying force:
• Shared beliefs in the teachings of the church
• Provided Christians with a sense of security and a religious community to which they belonged
• At the local level, the church was the religious and social center. People met there for service, social
gatherings and festive celebrations.
• Provided a unifying set of spiritual beliefs and rituals
• Performed social services such as caring for the sick and the poor. By running hospitals and developing social
services for the poor.
• The church operated most hospitals in medieval Europe.