MEDIEVAL EUROPE
Chapter 14
GEOGRAPHY
Europe is the second smallest continent.
Borders – North: Arctic Ocean
South: Mediterranean Sea
East: Ural Mountains
West: Atlantic Ocean
Land Regions: 1. Northwest Mountains – Its thin
soil and steep slopes makes it
poor for farming
2. North European Plain – (part of
the Great European Plain) The
flat and rolling land includes
some of the world’s most
fertile farmland.
3. Central Uplands – low
mountains, high plateaus &
forests - Much of the land is
rocky, but some is suitable for
farming.
4. Alpine Mountain System –
includes the Alps & the
Carpathian Mountains – Lower
mountain slopes and wide
valleys provide good farmland.
Heavy forests cover many of the
higher slopes.
Rivers: The many navigable rivers of Europe
serve as major transportation routes.
Longest river – Volga River
Second longest river – Danube River
Backbone of the busiest inland system of
waterways – Rhine River
Climate: Europe generally has milder weather than
parts of Asia and North America at the same
latitude. This is due to the winds warmed by the
Gulf Stream.
Economy: Farming, Fishing & Trading
RULERS AND INVADERS
The Domesday Book was written to help the
rulers keep track of people in England during the
Middle Ages. The rulers used this information for
tax purposes. Similar to the census in our country
taken every ten years.
Charlemagne – crowned emperor by the pope in
A.D. 800
He gave large areas of land to loyal
nobles in return for their loyalty.
Much of Europe was united under
his rule. Despite his efforts, the
kingdom fell apart after his death
and the empire was invaded by the
Vikings.
Vikings (from Scandinavia) – invaded empire,
looted and killed many people.
William the Conqueror – leader of the Normans
(group of Vikings) that settled in northern
France (present day Normandy). Under his
leadership, his rule extended to England and
southern Italy.
King John – governed around A. D. 1200
ruled with more force than previous
rulers forced into signing the Magna
Carta by the lords
The Magna Carta limited the powers
of the king.
The Magna Carta was used as a model
for our Constitution.
LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES CHURCH
The Church was the center of life in the
Middle Ages. In order to show their devotion
to the church, they built beautiful cathedrals.
Entire town worked on the project of building
the cathedral.
Monks studied, prayed & lived in
communities called monasteries. These
monasteries, like the manors, were self-
sufficient (provided everything they needed
themselves). Some monks spent their time
copying the Bible and other manuscripts.
(Remember: There were no copiers). Thanks
to them we have the writings of Plato and other
classics. Nuns lived in similar communities
called convents.
FEUDALISM
Feudalism was a political, social and
economic system. It provided needed
protection for the people from the invading
Vikings. Life revolved around the manor or
fief. They were self-sustaining (able to provide
for all they needed). If there was a surplus, it
was sold in the local towns. People very rarely
ventured outside the manor. However, as the
number of raids from the northern invaders
began to decrease, people started to venture
outside the manor and into the towns.
Gradually towns and cities began to grow.
REFER TO YOUR NOTES FOR THE
SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF FEUDALISM,
STEPS TO BECOMING A KNIGHT AND
STEPS TO BECOMING A MASTER
CRAFTMAN.
A guild was a group of people united by a
common interest. The guild bought large
quantities of goods cheaply and to control the
market (supply and demand). Also guilds set
quality standards for different crafts.
Feudalism started to decline as a result of
the Crusades and the Plague. SEE THE
SECTION ON THE CRUSADES AND THE
PLAGUE.
CRUSADES
In the mid-1000’s the Muslim Seljuk Turks
took control of the Holy Land. Pope Urban II
called for Christian knights and other able
Christians to become crusaders and take back the
holy land from the Muslims. Christians set out on
this “sacred” mission. However, along the way
they looted and killed Muslims they encountered.
This was not very Christian.
Many of the crusaders fought for
themselves. They sought to increase their power,
territory, and riches. After the Crusades, the
wealthy lords became independent of the monarch.
They began to pay in money rather than military
support. The framework of feudalism was starting
to collapse.
The Crusades exposed the people from the
East and the West to goods from other regions.
These contacts led to additional trade. In addition
to trade, the Crusades brought about the spread of
religions, ideas, and diseases.
TRADE
As the demand for goods that were not
available on the manor grew and the decrease of
invasions by the Vikings continued, towns and
cities grew and trade flourished with the East.
A network of European trade routes developed
to supply the town fairs where people shopped.
One of these trade routes was the Silk Road. Gold,
ivory and precious stones went to the East.
Furs, silks, ceramics, jade, bronze objects, lacquer,
and iron came from the East to Europe.
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant from
Venice who traveled the Silk Road to China, stayed
in China for 17 years and wrote about his
experiences. He was responsible for introducing
the Chinese noodle to Italy. It later developed into
spaghetti.
THE PLAGUE
The bacteria that triggered this bubonic
plague was carried by rodents. Fleas
transferred the bacteria from rodents to humans
through a bite. Some historians believe that the
plague began in Central Asia and spread to
Europe via the Silk Road. Rodent infested
cargo ships would also travel from port to port
spreading the rodents carrying the deathly
bacteria.
The plague killed close to one third the
population of Europe.
Effects of the Plague
 One third of the population dies in Europe
 Businesses go bankrupt
 Deaths cause labor shortages – serfs become
more valuable to the lords on the manor
 Trade declines and towns disappear
 Construction and building projects stop
 Food supply decreases and people starve
All of the above reasons contributed to the decline
of feudalism.