THE RISE OF THE
MIDDLE
AGES
1
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
330-1453
• 330 Emperor Constantine moved the capital of
the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium,
Greek city in the eastern part of the empire
• Renamed city Constantinople
• Byzantine emperors were all powerful like the
roman emperors
• At first official language of government was Latin,
but was replaced with Greek
2
EASTERN
ORTHODOXY
• Own form of Christianity (separate from the
Catholic Church)
• Did not recognize the Pope as the head of their
church, they had their own Patriarch
• Decorated their churches with icons – images of
Jesus and the saints
3
JUSTINIAN
• Justinian (527-565) re-conquered much of the old
Roman Empire
• Collected all of the existing Roman laws and organized
them into a single code. (Code of Justinian)
• It had all the laws and opinions on each subject
• It also had special laws relating to religion
• Required all persons in the empire belong to the
Eastern Orthodox Christian faith
4
SELJUK TURKS
• Empire declined further in 11 th century
• Turks from central Asia defeated Byzantine army in
1071 and took possession of most of Asia Minor
• Crusaders attacked city in 1204
• City-states in Italy began to compete with
Constantinople for Mediterranean trade
• Yet Byzantine Empire still controlled the Balkan
Peninsula and survived another 400 years
5
END OF BYZANTINE
EMPIRE
• Eventually unraveled from continuous attacks on
all sides
• By 1440s, empire reduced to small area just
around city of Constantinople itself
• In 1453, Constantinople finally conquered by the
Ottoman Turks
6
BYZANTINE LEGACY
•
•
•
•
Preserved Ancient Cultures
New form of Christianity
Code of Justinian
The Arts
7
RISE OF THE FRANKS
•Established largest of new Germanic kingdoms in
what is now France.
•Clovis king of the Franks
•Charles Martel, powerful nobleman, helped unite
the Franks.
•732: Battle of Tours, Martel stopped advance of
Muslims into France.
8
PEPIN III
•In 751 Charles’ son Pepin III seized power and
became King of the Franks
•Had support of the Pope
•Took control of Northern Italy
•Frankish kings created a powerful army by granting
lands to nobles in exchange for service in army with
king’s knights
9
CHARLEMAGNE’S
EMPIRE
•Frankish King 768-814
•Worked to build a new Rome
•Spent much of his life at war
•United much of western Europe for the first time in 400
years
•A devout Christian he helped spread the church’s
teachings
•He tried to recreate the glory of the Roman Empire.
10
POPE LEO III CROWNED
CHARLEMAGNE “HOLY
ROMAN EMPEROR”
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CHARLEMAGNE’S
EMPIRE
• Divided into regions
• Each governed on the emperor’s behalf by an official known
as a count.
• Appointed officials helped him run his empire they were
called the “lord’s messengers.”
• Gave them a great deal of authority to make decisions in his
name
• Established new capital at Aachen which he turned into a
center of learning
12
CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE
EDUCATION AND LEARNING
•
•
•
•
Education had declined
Created schools for his own children and young nobles
Created a Curriculum for all schools
Brought scholars together to produce a readable Bible.
13
DECLINE OF THE
FRANKISH EMPIRE
• The great empire Charlemagne built didn’t survive his death
in 814.
• Charlemagne’s son Louis the Pious next king.
• Charlemagne’s grandsons; Lothair, Charles the Bald, and
Louis the German drew the Treaty of Verdun which
divided the empire amongst themselves.
14
DECLINE OF THE
FRANKISH EMPIRE
•The most feared invaders of Western Europe were the
Vikings from Scandinavia in the north.
•While spreading fear and destruction, they also created new
trade routes
•The Vikings were ruled by kings and nobles
•Government surprisingly democratic for their time
•Created new settlements in Northern England, Normandy in
France and on island of Sicily even Iceland and Greenland and
North America
15
16
FEUDALISM
• Feudalism: A political system of local government based
on the granting of land in return for loyalty, military
assistance, and other services.
• Important Characteristics:
• Loyalty
• Hierarchies of power
• Service
• Protection
17
IMPORTANT KEY TERMS
OF FEUDALISM
King: Grants land to nobles
Lord(Noble): A person who grants land
Vassal(Knight): The person who
received the Fief(land)
Fief: the actual grant of land
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19
KING AND ROYALTY
• Highest position
• Controlled large amounts of land
• Provided Fiefs (land) to nobles in exchange for
loyalty and service.
20
LORDS (NOBLES)
• Received Fief (land) in exchange for service to the king.
• Controlled large amounts of land
• Lived on a Manor
• A large farming estate included house, land, and villages.
• Serfs and peasants worked the land
• Provided food, services, and clothing for the Nobles
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22
CHURCH OFFICIALS
•
•
•
•
Served the Lord and the Manor
Lived in monasteries or churches on the Manor
Focused on serving the church
Received support from the Lord’s Manor
• Lords, Knights, and serfs provided needs
23
KNIGHTS
• Received land from the Lord
in exchange for fighting
• To become a Knight you had
to be part of the noble class
• Began training at age 7 and
they began as a “page” or an
assistant (learn manners and
how to use weapons)
• Lived by the Code of
Chivalry
Chivalry:
Be Brave in battle
Fight fairly
Keep promises
Defend Church
Treat women well
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PEASANTS AND SERFS
• Served the Lord and the Manor
• Lived in villages on the Manor
• Lords allowed them to live on the land in
exchange for food and services
• Gave most of the crops to the Lord
• Serfs couldn’t leave without the consent of the
Lord
25
MANORIAL SYSTEM
• Manorial System: An economic system during the middle
ages that revolved around self sufficient farming estates
where lords and peasants shared the land.
• The manor included the village and the land around it.
• Each group in society had their own job and responsibility to
fulfill
• Every noble had at least one manor, some
powerful/wealthy ones had many
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THE CHURCH
• The church filled the need for leadership by performing
many of the functions that modern governments provide
today.
• The Church was one of Europe’s leading landowners and
many of its leaders were powerful feudal lords.
27
THE CHURCH
• Each rank within the clergy had different responsibilities
and powers.
• Parish priest held the lowest rank in the church
• Responsible for their religious instruction and for the moral
and spiritual life of the community.
• Could administer 5 of the 7 sacraments
28
THE CHURCH
• The Bishop managed a group of parishes called a diocese.
• Bishops performed the sacraments of confirmation and the
taking of the holy orders.
• Appointed parish priests
• Managed church property
29
THE CHURCH
• Archdiocese were managed
by the archbishops.
• Had all the powers of a
bishop and had authority
over the bishops of the
archdiocese.
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THE CHURCH
•
•
•
•
Cardinals: Princes of the church
Advised the pope on legal and spiritual matters
Only cardinals elect the pope
Pope had supreme authority in the church.
31
POPE BENEDICT
XVI
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MONASTIC LIFESTYLES
• Monks and Nuns believed they had to withdraw from the
world and its temptations to live a Christian life.
• They chose to serve God through fasting and prayer.
• Saint Benedict: Drew up a set of rules for the Monks and
Nuns to live by
33
MONASTIC
LIFESTYLES
• 3 Vows:
• Obedience to the Abbot or Abbess
• Poverty
• Chastity or Purity
• Each day was broken up into periods for worship, work, and
study.
• Hildegard of Bingen
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35
POLITICAL ROLE OF THE
CHURCH
•Canon Law: the church had its own code of law.
•They also had their own court system
•Interdict: an order excluding the entire town,
region, or kingdom from receiving most sacraments
or Christian burial.
•Heretics: People who preached beliefs not approved
by the church.
36
PROBLEMS IN THE
CHURCH
• The practice of lay investiture: A noble or king
appointing a friend or relative to be a bishop or
abbot.
• People began to buy high positions in the church
(Simony). People usually expected to gain wealth
through the position.
• Inquisition: The search for Heretics
37
ST. AUGUSTINE
• Wrote “The City of God”
• Asked why God let barbarians destroyed Rome
• Only “City of God” in Heaven is eternal
• One must put faith in God, who will reward in the
afterlife
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ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
• Famous book Summa Theologica: Summary of Christian beliefs
• Aquinas showed how works of Aristotle were compatible with
Christian teachings
• God gave man power of reason to help explain and interpret
world
• Believed in existence of “natural law”: laws based on reason
• Use understanding of natural law to evaluate laws of government
39
CRUSADES
• “Holy War” against Muslims
• 11th Century Seljuk Turks took control of “Holy Lands” and
drove out the Christians.
• Pope Urban II called on all Christians in Europe to unite and
fight a holy Crusade – war to recapture Holy Land from
Muslims
• The Church promised salvation to all who participated
• Several Crusades fought over the next two centuries
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EFFECTS OF
CRUSADES
• New ideas and products
• Increased trade
• Growth of Intolerance
41
LATER MIDDLE AGES
•
•
•
•
Trade was revived
Increased interest in luxury goods from East
New merchant class was created
Merchants and craftsmen organized into powerful
associations known as guilds
• New inventions – better watermills, windmills and
mechanical clock improved life
• Founding of first universities in Bologna and Paris
• 1st Gothic church built in France in 1231
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43
KING JOHN
•
•
•
•
During Middle Ages England developed traditions of
liberty and limited self-government unique in Europe
King John demanded that nobles pay more taxes to support
his wars in France
A group of high nobles joined together against the king
and his demands.
Forced John to accept a document known as the Magna
Carta.
44
MAGNA CARTA
•“Great Charter”
•Protected the liberties of the nobles
•Provided a limited outline of rights for England’s ordinary
people
•Could not collect any new taxes without the consent of the
Great Council
•Promised not to take property without paying for it
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MAGNA CARTA
•Promised not to sell, refuse, or delay justice
•Any accused person be judged by his peers
•The king like all his subjects had to obey the law or face revolt
and overthrow.
•Magna Carta made the law the supreme power in England.
46
1347-1351 in Europe & Mediterranean
World.
 Black rats on ships carried the disease.
 Spread Quickly in crowded cities.
 An estimated 35 million people died.

47
Brought terror and bewilderment
because there was no way to stop the
disease.
 Some people believed it was God’s
punishment.
 Christian's blamed Jews for the plague.

48
Economy plunged to a new low.
 Inflation occurred
 Sparked revolts in England, France, and
Germany.
 Europe would not fully recover for nearly
100 years.

49







Develops fever and pains
Feels tired and weak, but finds it difficult to sleep.
Body temperature increases.
Feels giddy, appears dazed –and begins to talk
wildly.
Swollen glands appear in groin, armpit or neck
Bleeding under the skin causes blue, black or purple
blotches.
Red rash with small red spots appears on glands
50
Person with the plague may die within 4
to 7 days of first showing symptoms.
 The plague killed 50%-75% of its victims.

Bulbous (swollen gland)
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Ring around the rosy: rosary beads give you God's
help.
 A pocket full of posies: used to stop the odor of rotting
bodies which was at one point thought to cause the
plague, it was also used widely by doctors to protect
them from the infected plague patients.
 Ashes, ashes: the church burned the dead when
burying them became to laborious.
 We all fall down: dead.

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