Download Chapter 13: Middle Ages

Chapter 13: Middle Ages
Invaders
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The most feared invaders were the Vikings from Scandinavia
Germanic Tribes
o The Angles and Saxons settled in Britain
o The Magyars settled in Hungary
Learning declined during the last years of the Roman Empire because the invaders didn’t read or
write or understand Latin.
Battle of Tours (In France) 732 A.D.
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Charles “The Hammer” Martell defeated the Muslims in 732 A.D.
This defeat stopped the Muslim advanced into Western Europe.
Battle of Hastings: (1066 A.D.)
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William the Conqueror lead the Normans to victory.
The Normans took control of England
Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Norman Invasion.
Franks: (France)
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Charlemagne:
o most powerful of the Frankish kings
o Ruled from 768-814 A.D.
o United western Europe
The Franks conquered the former Roman providence of Gaul.
(Hint: not on the test) Gaul is now modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, western
Switzerland and western Germany.
Eleanor of Aquitaine is famous because
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She was the wife of two Kings - Louis VII of France and Henry II of England,
the mother of 2 kings - Richard I of England and John of England
Magna Carta
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(Summary) Magna Carta is a document or text that King John of England was forced into signing.
The document was a succession of written promises made between the king and his subjects
that he would govern England and its people in accordance with the customs of feudal law.
Signed in 1215 A.D.
Limited royal authority in England
Insured a jury trial for free men accused of a crime
Guaranteed the rights of all English people
Originally intended to protect the rights of the English barons
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Chapter 13: Middle Ages
Feudalism and manor system are related:
o Feudalism: political and military order
o Manorial system was the economic arrangement that supported the
Feudal system.
o Kings, nobles and church leaders constantly struggled to gain power over
each other during this time.
Feudalism
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Was developed because of the need for protection in the absence of a central government.
Most of the power was held be the local lords
1. By 900’s governed almost all lands in Europe
2. Granted temporary use of the land to lessor nobles
3. These nobles are known as vassals
The lessor nobles would receive a fief in return for
1. Swearing loyalty
2. Providing military assistance
3. Other services
Fief: often lands or revenue-producing real property
Eventually a fief became a hereditary possession
 Primogeniture: ownership of land passed from father to son.
Chivalry: a code of honor that governed the behavior of knights
A boy became a page at approximately 8 years of age
A page became a squire at approximately 14 years of age
A squire could be come a knight at approximately 21 years of age
Peasants and serfs made up the largest part of the population at this time
Manorial
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Characterized be estates containing villages in which peasants farmed the lord’s lands and
provided other services to the lord.
Was self sufficient (grew/built/made everything that the people who lived there needed)
War and invasions made trade difficult so it was important that the manor was self sufficient
A moat was water around the building for defense, the manor used it to prevent an enemy from
reaching the castle walls.
Farmers began using the three-field system which allowed them to produce more food and the
villagers had more to eat.
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Chapter 13: Middle Ages
The Church
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In the early 1200’s the most powerful and wealthiest single institution in Europe was the church
The Church served as a unifying force in a chaotic time.
Canon law deals with issues under the authority of the church
Heresy: denial of basic church teachings
Inquisition: the goal of the inquisition was to seek out and punish heretics
The monks and nuns cared for the sick and the poor
Lowest ranking member of the clergy was the priests
 Lay investiture :
Lay investiture was the appointment of bishops, abbots, and other church officials by
feudal lords and vassals. No one questioned a king or noble's right to grant a bishop or abbot a
fief and have him become a vassal, but the church did object to kings and nobles naming
bishops or abbots.
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Bishops were often selected by the king or powerful nobles
This caused Major arguments between church and kings: power struggle
Lay means: people who are not members of the members of the church or clergy .
Concordat of Worms: was an agreement that ended the struggle between emperors
and popes.
 Henry IV was excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII.
o Why:
1. Pope Gregory issued a series of Cannon Laws that said that the church was the
only one who could name a bishop or abbot.
2. Henry IV kept picking his own bishops/abbots.
3. Pope Gregory then excommunicated him:
4. ( A person is excommunicated from a church when they are partially or totally
excluded from that religious body (for example, participation in various rites and
services). Such exclusions can be permanent or only temporary.)
Important people in the Church
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Clovis: the first Frankish ruler to accept Christianity
Thomas Becket: archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered by four of King Henry II knights
Philip Augustus: French king who dared to tax the Church and arrest Pope Boniface
Innocent III: the most powerful pope of the Middle Ages who believed that kings and emperors
were servants to the pope.
Benedict: wrote the book of strict rules to be used for governing monks and monasteries
Henry IV: demonstrated the power of the pope during the Middle Ages by traveling to Canossa
to talk to the pope.
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Chapter 13: Middle Ages
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