Chapter 10
Western Europe
Pgs 210-232
DIRECTIONS:
•
•
•
THOROUGHLY READ
Chapter 10
Print the Power Point outline
(select “handouts”, 3 slides
per page)
Take notes AND answer the
questions within the outline
Periodization

550-900 CE—Period of recovery


Agriculture, trade and politics slowly revive
Catholic church becomes a spiritual and political power
9th through 11th c.—Period of
Transition
 12th and 13th c. —Period of Growth



Gains in population, trade and intellectual activity as
well as political growth
14th and 15th c. —Period of Decline
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

Why might the Middle Ages be a
misnomer for this period?
550 to 900 CE

Characterized by:
 The
Manorial System
 Based
on mutual obligations between
rulers and ruled
 Gave structure to both political and
economic relationships
 Develops due to a lack of centralized
rule
550 to 900 CE

Characterized by:
 The
Consolidation of Church
Power
 Bureaucratic
hierarchy of church
officials
 Promotes unity within society,
especially through work at local level
(monasteries)
550 to 900 CE

Characterized by:
 Decentralized
 Carolingian
Rule
family is the exception
 Charlemagne temporarily unites part
of Europe
 Cultural unity, rather than political
unity, becomes the basis for eventual
nation states
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

What is the difference between
manorialism and feudalism?
9th and 10th centuries

Characterized by:
 Expansion of economy
 Agricultural techniques/technology
 Population growth and economic innovation
 Expansion of urban centers

Evolution of Feudalism (from 6th c. onward)

Growth of Limited Government (from 10th c.)
 A Characteristic form not found in other
societies
11th Century

Expansion of Christian
states



Crusades
Reconquest of Muslim
Spain
Evolution of the
Catholic Church

Cycles of decline,
reform and renewal
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

What postclassical themes are present in
Western Europe between 550 and 1000
CE?
12th and 13th Centuries
Characterized by:
 Growth in political, religious, intellectual,
social and economic life.

High Middle Ages (12th and 13th C.)

Western civilization’s high point
12th and 13th Centuries

Religion

Is represented in art and architecture



Romanesque and Gothic styles
Vernacular literature (Beowulf, Canterbury Tales) and
secular art forms develop as well
Scholasticism combines faith and reason



Peter Abelard
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

What can you infer about the role of the
Catholic church in medieval society from
the picture of Strasbourg, France in the
previous slide?
12th and 13th Centuries

Economy

Improvements in Agriculture


Peasant condition improves; landlord power weakens
Growth of Trade and Banking



Use of currency
Market system develops
Guilds organized
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

What was the status of women during the
Middle Ages?
14th and 15th Centuries
Decline of Postclassical Society in Western
Europe
 Characteristic Medieval Institutions
Disappear




Ruling class loses power
Church loses power to State
Intellectual inquiries decline as Church
becomes less tolerant of secular views
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

Why is the term Western Civilization hard
to define?
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

What is the place of Medieval Europe in
the Postclassical world?
QUESTION SLIDE

Answer the following question in your note
taking space:

Compare Postclassical Europe to the
Byzantine and Muslim Empires.