Chapter 17
Words, Terms and People to Know
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wodan
Alaric
Visigoths
Attila
Vandals
Odoacer
Valhalla
Thor
•
•
•
•
•
•
Theodoric
Ostrogoths
Hospitality
Blood Feud
Wergeld
Balkan
Peninsula
• West Goths
1
The Empire in Crisis: 3c
Letts and Lithuanians
1000 B.C. Huns begin to
Move into Russia by 370
Celts
1000 B.C.
Thanks to the half Goth missionary
Wulfila, by the late 3rd cen. many
Germanic people were already
Christians--heretical Arian Christians.
Germans
1000 B.C.
In 324 Constantine concluded
a treaty with the Visigoths,
Made them confederates of the
Empire and in return for an annual
subsidy they agreed to help defend the empire.
Empire in the east remained powerful enough
To either defeat the barbarians or rich
enough to pay them to move west
2
C-17 Upheaval in the West
Huns, Agriculture and
Collapse! OH MY!
Political chaos in northern China caused the Huns (yellow dots) to
move into south Russia by 370. In the following century they
continued their migration into what is now known as Hungary, from
whence they pillaged under their leader Attila as far west as central
Gaul. With the death of Attila in 454, they returned to the Danube
basin. Their fierce incursions had forced the Visigoths (purple dots)
to cross the Empire’s border and threaten Constantinople. They then
passed through Italy and Gaul, ultimately establishing kingdoms in
Spain. The Ostrogoths (green dots), under pressure from the Huns,
took control of Italy, effectively ending the Roman Empire in the
West.
3
Roman court intrigue and the jealousy of rivals helped
bring an end to the empire in the West.
• Honorius struck a serious blow to his own cause by allowing the
assassination of his best general, a man named Stilicho, in 408 CE. So,
with the Roman Emperor having done him the favor of eliminating his best
defense against them, Alaric and his Visigothic forces invaded Italy with
brutal barbarian dispatch and headed for the city of Rome itself. Panicking
again, Honorius abandoned the capital, evading the Visigoths by fleeing
to another Roman city in Italy, Ravenna, where he watched and waited out
their wrath from a safe distance.
• Now unprotected, the eternal city, the heart of the Roman Empire, took the
full brunt of the Visigoths' rage. In this infamous Visigothic Sack of Rome
(410 CE) Alaric and his comrades plundered the city for three days, a
devastation which turned out to be actually less physical than psychological
but, even so, a wound which went deep into the heart of an already ailing
state. When Saint Jerome, the great Latin translator of the Bible, heard the
news of the Visigoths' capture of Rome, he wrote "My tongue sticks to
the roof of my mouth." The shock was registered in deafening
silence empire-wide.
4
• “If the decline of the Roman Empire was
WHO TURNED
OUT THE
LIGHTS?his
hastened
by the conversion
of Constantine,
victorious religion broke the violence of the fall,
and mollified the ferocious temper of the
conquerors.”
•
Edward Gibbon famously placed the blame on a loss of civic virtue among the Roman citizens. They gradually entrusted the role of
defending the Empire to barbarian mercenaries who eventually turned on them. Gibbon considered that Christianity had contributed to
this, making the populace less interested in the worldly here-and-now and more willing to wait for the rewards of heaven.
• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter 38 Edward Gibbon
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788.
5
Chapter 17
The Germans
300 A.D.—550 A.D.
•
Feudalism and
Transitions
3. Describe the conditions that gave
rise to feudalism, (map) as well as
political, economic and social
characteristics of feudalism, in Asia
and Europe.
4. Explain the lasting effects of
military conquests during the
Middle Ages including:
a. Muslim conquests;
b. The Crusades;
c. The Mongol invasions.
The Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna was built in 520 by
Theodoric the Great as his future tomb. Its current structure is
divided into two decagonal orders, one above the other and both
made of Istria stone. It is roofed with a single 300 ton Istria stone
of 10 metres in diameter. A niche leads down to a room which
was probably a chapel for funeral liturgies. A stair leads to the
upper floor. A circular porphyry tub located at the centre of
the floor, in which Theodoric was supposed to be buried.
His remains were removed during Byzantine rule.
6
Upheaval in the West
Weakened by economic, social, and political decline,
Rome had turned to the most extreme forms of
absolutism in order to survive.
Unfortunately for Rome, even this was not enough as
increasing pressure from the east in the form of the Huns
caused two pulses of migration across Western Europe
beginning in 376 and lasting until roughly 380; and then
another, beginning in 405 and lasting until 408.
It was this mass migration of Germanic people that would
ultimately bring about the destruction of an already
faltering empire.
7
Increased use of agriculture by formerly forest dwelling
populations caused a barbarian population explosion.
• The origins of these tribes are shrouded in mystery. They
were most likely a people derived from the Celts, but they
have much in common with other European cultures.
• For the most part, the term "Germanic" is almost entirely a
linguistic rather than a cultural term—it refers mainly to the
tribal groups in Europe that spoke similar languages.
•
Germanic languages had most likely been derived from
Celtic sources—but, who knows?
• Germanic languages probably came into existence around
the second century BC—that is, they became distinct from
Celtic languages. In both Celtic and Germanic, the word,
"German," means something like "the fierce men" or,
contrarily, "the friendly men." Once again--who
8
knows?
• “Germanic tribes” included the Vandals,
Lombards, Alamanni, Goths, Franks,
and Burgundians. Most of the tribesmen
did not know how to read, but unlike the
Huns,
they
tended
to
farms
and
were
not
Relics are the material remains of a deceased saint or martyr and objects closely associated
with
those remains. Relics
can be of
entirethe
skeletons,
but more gave
usually theyup
consist
of a part such
nomadic.
Most
tribes
their
For
the Germans,
a people
with
written
tradition,
and no easy
access
to the
as
a bone,
hair or tooth.
Pieces
of no
clothing
worn
by the deceased
saint
or even
an deep
object that
has
come in nuances
contact with
a relic is
also considered
a relic.
haveofplayed
an important
theological
of Roman
Christianity,
the lives
andRelics
workings
the saints
became role
pagan
beliefs
and
became
Christians.
inimportant
Christian concrete
ritual since
the earliest
of the church
were a major
of popular
examples
theycenturies
could understand.
Theand
veneration
of thepart
saints
th cen. French reliquary
religion
in an
theimportant
Middle Ages.
Shown
becomes
part of the religious
live of 12
the western
church
However, most were originally converted to Arianism—a heresy!
Of course, these warrior people had a somewhat different view of the faith.
9th century depiction of Christ as a heroic warrior. In the Early Middle Ages
the Germans became more Roman Christian and the Church became more
9
barbarous. (Stuttgart Psalter, fol. 23, illustration of Psalm 91:13)
After the fall of Rome
 The “fall” was a real decline in quality
of life for people and populations who
had been primarily urban dwellers.
 The church, the primary inheritor of
Roman governmental institutions, was
primarily urban and in no position to
control rural areas.
 Pagan comes from Latin pagus,
countryside
 Traditional Roman cults persisted until 600
A.D and beyond in rural areas
10
Triggers Change in
Western Europe
• Disruption of trade—business collapse
• European cities destroyed as centers of
trade
• Money becomes scarce—barter
replaces money
• Downfall of the cities—cities were
abandoned as centers of
administration.
– Rome in AD 100– over 300,000 eventually
reaches 1,000,000 people at its height.
– Rome in AD 900 --50,000 people
11
– Lyon France AD 100 --100,000 people
– Lyon France AD 900 –15,000
– Trier Germany AD 100 —100,000 people
– Trier Germany AD 900 —15,000
• Population Shifts
– Nobles retreat to rural areas (often
their villas)
– Population of Western Europe
becomes mostly rural
12
• Loss of common languages Greek
and Latin become rare and
regional vernacular becomes
common = national languages
• Concept of government changes
– Loyalty to public government and written
law had unified Roman society
– Replaced by clan loyalties
–
–
Some clans were undoubtedly of mixed culture. They may have assimilated to
Germanic. Long-lasting ethnic identities changed population base and language over
the centuries. As for genetic characteristics, they must be considered unrelated to
clan names.
Apart from these limitations, it is probably safe to assume that, on the whole, most of
these populations spoke some branch of Germanic and contributed to pools of
descendants who currently live in the Germanic-speaking countries.
13
Cornelius Tacitus
(ca. 56 – ca. 117) Roman senator and historian wrote of the
Germans…
• .”For myself I accept the view
that the peoples of Germany
have never been tainted by
intermarriage with other
peoples, and stand out as a
nation peculiar, pure and
unique of its kind. Hence the
physical type, if one may
generalize… “
14
The Western and Eastern Roman Empires by 476
15
List of Germanic Tribes in alphabetical order
Alamanni
Ambrones
Ampsivarii
Angles
Angrivarii
Batavii
Bavarii
Bructeri
Burgundians
Canninefates
Chamavi
Chasuarii
Chauci
Cherusci
Chatti
Cimbri
Dani
Dulgubnii
Fosi
Franks
Frisians
[edit]
Geats
Gepidae
Goths
Harii
Helisii
Helvetii
Heruli
Hermunduri
Ingvaeones (North Sea Germans)
Irminones (Elbe Germans)
Istvaeones (Rhine-Weser
Germans)
Jutes
Lemovii
Lombards or Langobardes
Lugii
Manimi
Marcomanni
Marobudui
Mattiaci
Naharvali
Nemetes
Nervii
Njars
Quadi
Rugii
Saxons
Scirii
Semnoni
Sitones
Suebi
Suiones
Sugambri
Tencteri
Teutons
Treviri
Triboci
Tudri
Ubii
Usipetes
Vandals
Vangiones
16
The Barbarian Wave
17
: compares the cultures of
the Romans and the Germans
• Model of type of
home used in
eastern Europe
by Slavic and
Germanic people
Alemanni houses
18
Most Historians Today Divide the Middle
Ages in Western Europe as Follows:
• EARLY MIDDLE AGES 500 - 1000 A.D.
• CENTRAL (High) MIDDLE AGES 1000 - 1350 A.D.
• LATE MIDDLE AGES 1300 - 1500 A.D.
19
I. Village Life
– A. villages surrounded by farmlands and pastures
– B. long thatched roof huts with one end for the family and
the other for the animals
– C. basically herders who traded with the Romans, came
into the empire looking for grazing lands
– D. most farm work done by women, children and slaves
– E. German dress
• women wore long skirts, scarves or shawls
• men wore woolen tunics, close fitting trousers and cloaks
fastened with a brooch
– F. Germans believed in hospitality; esp. when dealing with
strangers
– G. Took part in organized sports—boxing, wrestling
– H. Spoke language similar to modern German -- could not
read or write
• gradually learned to speak and write Latin and put their
language into that language
20
•
I. Warriors
•
•
1. German men were warriors
2. boys reached manhood after a special
gathering held in which he was vested with a
spear and shield
• 3. Germans divided into clans based on
family ties. Their greatest loyalty was to
their clan.
(Read Tacitus Germania Government. Influence of Women)
•
•
4. chieftains were elected by a band of
warriors—later their title became hereditary
5. little strategy used in fighting, each band
fought on its own
6. successful attacks provided warriors with
slaves, cattle and other treasures
(read Tacitus Germania Arms Military Manoeuvres and Discipline)
•
•
http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/teutonic.html#Wodan
21
Great Hall of Vahalla
Thor’s hammer Mjollnir“—
• 7. Germans had many gods and
their religion was closely linked to
their love of battle. Warriors who
died in battle would live and fight
and feast forever in a place called
Valhalla
Comic book Thor
pronounced "Mole-near".
Odin as Alfdaur
(All-father),
•
•
People to Know: Wodan
People to Know: Thor
– (a. ) Wodan—Chief Germanic god. god of War,
poetry, learning and magic
• (b. )Thor—Wodan’s
son,thunder
godgod
of thunder
Thor - Norse
Thor with Mjolnir
22
– 8. Germans admired bravery and
expected warriors to win or die
fighting
–warriors who died in battle went
to Valhalla (see next slides)
23
Cosmology
Aesir
• (from Greek, kosmos, "universe";
and -,
logia, "study"), in strict usage, refers to the
Elvesstudy of the Universe in its totality as it is
now (or at least as it can be observed
now), Vanirand by extension, humanity's place
in it. Ancient cosmology is sometimes
The
Norse
gods were mortal,
and only through Iðunn's
could
very
difficult
to reconstruct
andapples
even
they hope to live until Ragnarök. Aesir and Vanir. The Æsir
more difficult
modern
people
to
maintained
their eternalfor
youth
artificially (through
the consumption
of Iðunn's golden apples), they could also be slain (for instance,
understand.
many were preordained to perish at the cataclysmic battle of
are the principal gods
of the Norse pantheon
mysterious creatures associated
with thick forests and clear rivers
gods of fertility,
wisdom, ability to see the future.
Ragnarök). (Idun, Iduna) FEW tales remain of this engaging Goddess. She is regarded as the
Goddess of Spring and is therefore approximate to Persephone
24
VALHALLA- NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY.
• 1. Southward from the world of mist was
the world of light. From this flowed a warm
wind upon the ice and melted it. The
vapours rose in the air and formed clouds,
from which sprang Ymir, the Frost giant
and his progeny, and the cow
Audhumbla, whose milk afforded
nourishment and food to the giant.
• 2. The cow got nourishment by licking the
hoar frost and salt from the ice. While she
was one day licking the salt stones there
appeared at first the hair of a man, on the
second day the whole head, and on the
third the entire form endowed with beauty,
25
agility, and power.
• 3. This new being was a god. His wife, a
daughter of the giant race, would give him
three brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve. They
slew the giant Ymir, and out of his body
formed the earth, of his blood the seas, of
his bones the mountains, of his hair the
trees, of his skull the heavens, and of his
brain clouds, charged with hail and snow.
Of Ymir's eyebrows the gods formed
Midgard (mid earth), destined to become
the abode of man.
26
• 4. Odin then regulated the periods of day
and night and the seasons by placing in
the heavens the sun and moon, and
appointing to them their respective
courses. As soon as the sun began to
shed its rays upon the earth, it caused the
vegetable world to bud and sprout. Shortly
after the gods had created the world they
walked by the side of the sea, pleased
with their new work, but found that it was
still incomplete, for it was without human
beings.
27
• 5. They therefore took an ash tree
and made a man out of it, and they
made a woman out of an alder, and
called the man Aske and the woman
Embla. Odin then gave them life and
soul, Vili reason and motion, and Ve
bestowed upon them the senses,
expressive features, and speech.
Midgard was then given them ason the
Sö 56 in Södermanland, Sweden.
theirrunestone
residence,
and they became the
progenitors of the human race.
Midgard (an Anglicized[1] form of Old Norse Miðgarðr), is an old Germanic name for our world,
the places inhabited by humans, with the literal meaning "middle enclosure".
a:miþkarþi for Old Norse à Miðgarði meaning "in Midgard" - "in Middle Earth",
28
• 6. The mighty ash tree Ygdrasill was supposed to
support the whole universe. It sprang from the body of
Ymir, and had three immense roots; extending one into
Asgard (the dwelling of the gods), the other into
Jotunheim (the abode of the giants), and the third to
Niffleheim (the regions of darkness and cold). By the
side of each of these roots is a spring, from which it is
watered. 7. The root that extends into Asgard is
carefully tended by the three Norns, goddesses, who are
regarded as the dispensers of fate. They are Urdur (the
past), Verdandi (the present), Skuld (the future). The
Níðhöggr gnaws the roots of Yggdrasill in this illustration
spring
ata the
side
is Ymir's well, in which
from
17th Jotunheim
century Icelandic
manuscript.
wisdom and wit lie hidden, but that of Niffleheim feeds
the adder Nidhogge (darkness), which perpetually
gnaws at the root. Four harts (male deer) run across the
branches of the tree and bite the buds; they represent
the four winds. Under the tree lies Ymir, and when he
tries to shake off its weight the earth quakes.
29
• 8. Asgard is the name of the abode of
the gods, access to which is only
gained by crossing the bridge Bifrost
(the rainbow). Asgard consists of
golden and silver palaces, the
dwellings of the gods, but the most
beautiful of these is Valhalla, the
residence of Odin. When seated on his
throne he overlooks all heaven and
earth. Upon his shoulders are the
ravens Hugin and Munin, who fly every
day over the whole world, and on their
return report to him all they have seen
and heard.
30
• 9. At his feet lie his two wolves, Geri and
Freki, to whom Odin gives all the meat that is
set before him, for he himself stands in no
need of food. Mead is for him both food and
drink. He invented the Runic characters, and
it is the business of the Norns to engrave the
runes of fate upon a metal shield. From
Odin's name, spelt Woden, as it sometimes
is, came Wednesday, the name of the fourth
day of the week.
•
• (Odin is frequently called Alfdaur (All-father), but this name is
sometimes used in a way that shows that the Scandinavians
had an idea of a deity superior to Odin, uncreated and eternal.)31
THE JOYS OF VALHALLA.
• 10. Valhalla is the great hall of Odin, wherein he
feasts with his chosen heroes, all those who have
fallen bravely
inconsumes
battle,
for all who die a peaceful
Heiðrún
the leaves
of Læraðr atop Valhalla
death are excluded.
The flesh of the boar Schrimnir
18 century
is served upIcelandic
to them,
manuscript.and is abundant for all. For
although
boar
is cooked
every
morning,
Far from
being anthis
account
of gross
debauchery,
there
is mystical be
meaning
becomes
whole
again
every
For drink
hidden
in every detail
of the
description
of night.
Odin's domain
and ofthe
the feasting
abundantly
with540
mead
theeach
of hisheroes
warriors.are
For supplied
example, Valhalla
is said to have
doors,from
through
she-goat
Heidrum.
WhenThis
themakes
heroes
are not
feasting
of which
800 warriors
issue abreast.
the number
of One-harriers
totalthey
432,000,
an oft-recurring
number
in Hindu
and Babylonian
timethey
tables
amuse
themselves
with
fighting.
Every day
dealing
with
mystic
mythic
history.
Theirand
message
is in
fact one
of the
ride
out
intoand
the
court
or field
fight
until
they
cut
noblest
and other
most inspiring
of mythic
tales,
between but
the lines
of
each
to pieces.
This
is when
theirread
pastime;
when
allegory,
fortime
here the
warriors
emerge
willingly
to betheir
"slain"
daily in the
meal
comes
they
recover
from
wounds
causeand
of humanity's
evolutionary
progress. (?)
return to
feast in Valhalla.
th
(or so goes one interpretation)
• http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/bulf/bulf37.htm
32
Cosmology
Aesir
• (from Greek, kosmos, "universe";
and -,
logia, "study"), in strict usage, refers to the
Elvesstudy
of the Universe in its totality as it is
Thor and the Midgard ( Nidhogge ) Serpent (1905) by Emil Doepler
now
(or at least as it can be observed
Ragnarök (Ragnarok) was the doom of the gods and men, and heralded the
destruction of the Nine Worlds. To the Germans, Ragnarök was called
now),
and(Gotterdammerung).
by extension, humanity's place
VanirGötterdämmerung
Nothing
will
escape the coming
destruction, whether youis
live sometimes
in heaven and on earth.
in
it.
Ancient
cosmology
The war will be wage between the goods and the evils. The goods were the Aesir, led
by Odin,
ruler
of thewere
gods.mortal,
The evils,and
wereonly
the giants
and monsters,
led
by Loki.could
The
Norse
gods
through
Iðunn's
apples
very
difficult
to reconstruct
and
even
Yet the
strangest
things
about
Ragnarök was
that and
the gods
already
what was
they
hope
to live
until
Ragnarök.
Aesir
Vanir.
Theknew
Æsir
going to happen
through thefor
prophecy:
who will be killed
and by whom,
who would
more
difficult
modern
people
to
maintained
their
eternal
youth
artificially
(through
the
consumption
survive, what happen to those in the other world and so forth.
of Iðunn's golden apples), they could also be slain (for instance,
understand.
Despite, knowing their fates, the gods will still defiantly face their destiny, as brave as
many
were preordained to perish at the cataclysmic battle of
are the principal gods
of the Norse pantheon
mysterious creatures associated
with thick forests and clear rivers
gods of fertility,
wisdom, ability to see the future.
any hero in a saga. The Norse gods knew what was to come, and knew they could not
Ragnarök).
(Idun,
Iduna)
FEW tales
remain to
of this
engaging Goddess. She is regarded as the
do anything to
prevent
prophecy
coming
pass.
Goddess of Spring and is therefore approximate to Persephone
33
J. Law
–
–
–
1. Germans believed the law came from the people
2. based on customs of ancestors
3. passed on in the oral tradition
–
4. much law aimed at preventing revenge
sought by descendants of people who had
quarreled called, blood-feuds
–
–
5. accused helped by oath-helpers explanation (compurgation)
6. if no oath-helper could be found the accused
underwent an ordeal (trial) (lasted until the 13th cen. When it was
outlawed by Pope Innocent III and various secular rulers.)
•
•
•
•
(a.)
(b.)
(c.)
(d.)
walk barefoot over red-hot coals
arm put into boiling water
if burns healed in three days—innocent
ordeal by water—if they sink—innocent, float—guilty
– 7. courts could impose fined called
wergeld
•
•
(a.) sliding scale of fines
(b.) legal system did not treat all equally
34
:describes the Germanic
invasions and the end of the Roman Empire
II. The Conquerors
•
•
•
•
People to Know: Atilla
People to Know: Alaric
People to Know: Odoacer
People to Know: Theodoric
– A. Goths lived in Balkan Peninsula
• 1. two subdivisions—Ostrogoths (east)
Visigoths migration (west)
35
retired Roman Soldier and historian, Ammianus Marcellinus,
writing at the end of the fourth century, described The Huns
• “The nation of the Huns . . . surpasses
all other Barbarians in wildness of life .
. . And though [the Huns] do just bear
the likeness of men (of a very ugly
pattern), they are… “
• “I say half-raw, because they give it a
kind of cooking by placing it between
their own thighs and the backs of their
horses....”
36
II. Continued
– B. In late 300’s both groups
(Ostrogoths (east) Visigoths (west) )
Pope Leo I appeals to Attila
were attacked
by the Huns
At Mantua (near Ravenna) to
Turn around—he does!
led by Atilla the “scourge of God”
– C. Huns conquer East Goths
Die Hunnen im Kampf mit den
Alanen, (The Huns in battle with the
Alans), Johann Nepomuk Geiger,
37
1873.
– D. West Goths ask for protection of
Roman emperor
• 1. trouble breaks out between West
Goths and Rome
• 2. Goths had to pay high food prices
and many young West Goths were
kidnapped and sold into slavery
• 3. West Goths rebel and defeat them
at battle of Adrianople in 378 A.D.
–(a.) 410 A.D. Alaric captured and
loots Rome
39
II. more
The deposed emperor was retired to a palace at Misenum in Campania with an annual
pension of six thousand solidi. The date of his death is unknown. Though some accounts
indicate that he may still have been alive in AD 507-11.
– E. West Goths move into Spain, conquer
the Romans and another Germanic group
called Vandals
– F. Vandals cross Mediterranean to North
Africa and become pirates known for
their acts of destruction.
– G. In 455 the Vandals attacked and
burned Rome
•
1. spared the lived of the Romans
–
H. Generals in the west fight for control of
Rome and Italy
–
I. 476 German general Odoacer (Flavius Odoacer
(Odovacar).
kingdom map
40
• "The wretch cannot have had a bone in his
body," Theodoric upon cleaving Odoacer (Theodoric had accepted a commission from the
emperor in the East to reimpose imperial authority over Italy. In 488 Theodoric, after much fighting-and the treacherous incident mentioned above-- est. a strong Ostrogothic kingdom with its capital at
Ravenna. Theodoric maintained classical culture on a high level.)
• 1. rules in his own name for 15 years
• 2. group of Goths invade Italy and kill
Odoacer read and set up their own
kingdom under Theodoric
– J. By 550 Roman Empire in West was
gone
• 1. replaced by 6 major and many minor
Germanic kingdoms
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Roman Empire in the East and Barbarian
Europe after the Fall of Rome
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Chapter 17 Essay Question
• What are some ways in which
our modern civilization reflects
ideas and practices of the early
Germans?
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