Europe in the Middle Ages
500-1350 CE
Western Europe changes . . .
the western Roman Empire falls to invasion in 400s
People leave the cities – too much fighting (disrupts trade and government)
Decline of Learning
As cities are abandoned, level of learning declines
Knowledge of Greek language and culture is almost completely lost
Changes in language as well – introduction of German language change Latin; dialects
develop
Welcome to the Middle Ages
All of these changes add up to a new era called the Middle Ages (500 – 1350)
The early Middle Ages
New Kingdoms Emerge
400 – 600 CE are years of struggle
New kingdoms pop up and replace the old Roman empire
Constant warfare changes borders between kingdoms
A different kind of government
Government like we are used to is non-existent
German communities are held together by family ties, loyalty, unwritten rules, and
traditions – not by a standard government
German warriors pledge loyalty to their chief and they live in their lord’s hall
Who was in charge?
Clovis (481 – 511)
Charles Martel (714 – 741)
-Halted Islamic expansion
Pepin the Short (752 – 768)
Carolus Magnus (768 – 814)
Clovis
The Franks are power holders in the old Roman province of Gaul
Clovis, their leader, converts to Christianity in 496
Leads his warriors against other Germanic armies
With the Church’s help, is able to unite everyone into one kingdom
Christianity is adopted
How did the Christian word spread??
Franks control the largest of the Germanic kingdoms
Missionaries travel throughout Europe to convert pagan groups
Monasteries, Convents, & Manuscripts
The Church builds monasteries where monks live, study, and serve God
Benedict (an Italian monk) wrote the rules that governed monastic life
His sister, Scholastica, adapted rules for nuns living in convents
Monks established schools, helped preserve learning through their libraries
Gregory I
In 590, Gregory I (Gregory the Great) became pope
Under him, the church became secular (a worldly power – a political power)
His palace in Rome becomes the center of church government
Uses church money to raise armies, care for the poor, and negotiate treaties
Established Christendom – a Christian kingdom that fanned out from Rome
Europe continues to change . . .
The Franks still control the largest and strongest of Europe’s kingdoms
The most powerful official in the kingdom in the major domo (the mayor of the palace)
In 719, Charles Martel is major domo
He is well-known because he defeated Muslims at Tours in 732; he becomes a Christian
hero
His son, Pepin, begins the Carolingian Dynasty – a family that ruled large chunks of
Europe from 751-987
Charlemagne
Charlemagne
(or Carolus Magnus)
Pepin dies in 768 and leaves his kingdom to 2 sons (one son dies in 771); the other,
Charlemagne, rules the kingdom
Charlemagne = Charles the Great
Charlemagne, cont.
Charlemagne reunites Western Europe under one kingdom; spreads Christianity
In 800, he travels to Rome to protect Pope Leo III from mobs
Pope crowns Charlemagne emperor; gives him the title “Roman Emperor”
Charlemagne’s Empire
Charlemagne, cont.
Charlemagne leads a revival of European power
Limits nobles’ power by governing through royal agents
Encourages learning and has monasteries open schools
Charlemagne, cont.
Charlemagne dies in 814; his son, Louis the Pious, isn’t a very good ruler
Louis’ 3 grandsons fight for control
Charles the Bald
Lothar I
Louis the German
Treaty of Verdun – they divide the kingdom into 3 parts
Feudalism
Feudalism = a political and economic system based on land-holding and protective
alliances
Feudalism develops . . .
Between 850-950 feudalism develops
Provides a new structure for society
Political system based on land control
A lord (landowner) gives fiefs (land) in exchange for services
Vassals (those who receive the fief) become powerful landholders
The Feudal Pyramid
Power in the feudal system much like a pyramid, with the king at the top
Kings are served by nobles
Lords (nobles) are served by knights
Knights (horsemen) defended their lord’s land in exchange for fiefs
Peasants were at the bottom
Social Classes are defined
The medieval feudal system classifies people into three social groups
Those who fight (nobles/knights)
Those who pray (monks/nuns/church leaders)
Those who work (peasants)
Social classes were generally inherited
Majority of people were peasants
Most peasants were serfs
Lawfully bound to their place of birth
Not slaves, but what they produce belongs to their lord
The Manorial System
A lord’s estate – an economic system
Serfs and free peasants maintain the estate, give grain
The lord provides housing, farmland, and protection
Manorial System, cont.
It was a self-contained world
Included lord’s house, church, workshops, and village
Covered a few square miles of land
Self-sufficient
Manor Life was not always great…
Peasants pay taxes
Pay to use the mill and bakery
Pay church tax
Serfs live in crowded cottages with dirt floors, straw beds
Poor diet, illness, malnutrition = 35 year life expectancy
Believed that their existence was part of God’s plan
William the Conqueror
aka William of Normandy
Born to a Norman duke and a tanner’s daughter
His father went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem when William was 8 yrs old (he never
made it back) – his father’s vassals had to swear an oath of allegiance to William in case
anything happened to dad
The vassals didn’t really keep their promise
William and Matilda
William married Matilda of Flanders – he was a tall man, she was a short woman
They had at least 9 kids . . . yikes
Battle of Hastings
King Edward the Confessor (a very religious man) died and the English throne went to
his brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson
William was furious
William landed on the coast of England in 1066 and, on October 14, defeated Harold’s
army (and proclaimed himself to be king)
Bayeux Tapestry
Commissioned by Odo to celebrate the Battle of Hastings
231 feet long; housed in Bayeux, Normandy (France)
Represented are 626 humans, 55 dogs, 202 horses, 41 ships, 49 trees, almost 2000 Latin
words, over 500 mythical and non mythical creatures (i.e. birds and dragons)
Medieval Law
Magna Carta
 King John I
 Runnymeade
 “Great Charter”
 monarchs were not
above the law
 kings had to
consult a council of
advisors
 kings could not tax
arbitrarily