Download Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages
The Middle Ages lasted from 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. The Middle Ages refers to the era
between ancient and modern times. The “Early Middle Ages” lasted from 500 A.D. to 1000
A.D. After the fall of Rome, there was a breakdown of society. There was less education
and fewer advancements in Western Civilization. Germanic tribes conquered Europe that
was once under the Roman Empire. Europe was broken into small kingdoms of Franks,
Goths, Vandals, and Saxons. This led to a slow blending of Roman heritage, Christian
beliefs, and German customs.
Foundations of Early Medieval Society:
- Classical heritage of Rome.
- Christian beliefs.
- Customs of Germanic Tribes:
- Population made up of mostly farmers
and herders.
- The people lived in small communities.
- Government of unwritten customs. No
written laws.
- Kings elected by tribal councils.
- Warriors were loyal to king in exchange for weapons and stolen goods.
Influence of the Roman Catholic Church:
The Roman Catholic Church grew in importance after Roman authority declined. It became
the unifying force in Western Europe.
The Pope in Rome became the strongest political leader in Western Europe. The Catholic
Church taught that all people were sinners and
dependent on God’s grace. People would receive God’s
grace through church rituals called sacraments.
Sacramental rituals included baptism, penance,
confirmation, communion, and matrimony.
During the Middle Ages, the Pope anointed the
Emperors, missionaries carried Christianity to
Germanic tribes, and the Church served the social,
political, and religious needs of the people.
Influence of the Church:
- Secular (non-religious) authority declined, while church authority grew. Secular clergy
included the Pope, bishops, and priests who lived among people or “in the world.” Regular
clergy included monks and nuns who lived apart from society.
- Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural achievements.
- Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet to Germanic tribes.
- Pope anointed Charlemagne Emperor in 800 A.D. (C.E.).
- Parish priests served religious and social needs of the people.
Feudalism
The decline of Roman influence in Western Europe left people
with little protection against invasion, so they entered into feudal
agreements with landholding lords who promised them protection.
Invasions shattered Roman protection over the Empire, leading
to feudalism.
Feudalism is alliances of mutual protection between
monarchs and nobles based on exchanging land grants
for loyalty.
Feudal Society during the Middle Ages:
- Fief – Estates with peasants. A peasant refers to a
poor farmer who rents or owns land.
- Vassals – A vassal is a noble who served a lord of
the next higher rank.
- Serfs – A serf is an agricultural laborer bound under
the feudal system to work on his lord's estate
- Feudal obligations. An homage is an official
ceremony of obligation between a lord and a vassal.
- Knights are mounted warriors.
Manorial System during the Middle Ages:
- Manorialism is an economic system linking nobles
and peasants on their land.
- Rigid class structure.
- Self-sufficient manors, maintained by
serfs/peasants.
Age of Charlemagne and European Invasions
Frankish kings used military power to expand their territory.
Franks are people from German tribes who dominated Western
Europe in the Middle Ages. Eventually, by the mid-700’s, the
Franks would reunited Western European lands as a Christian
Empire.
In 800, Pope Leo II crowned Frankish king Charlemagne emperor
of the Romans. This marks the first time that a German was
named an Emperor. It united the Christian community.
The alliance between Frankish kings and the Church reestablished
Roman culture (Christianity) in Western Europe.
Age of Charlemagne:
- Frankish kings emerged as a force in
Western Europe.
- Pope Leo II crowned Charlemagne the
Emperor in 800 A.D.
- Power of the Church was established in
political life.
- Roman culture was reinterpreted.
- Most of Western Europe was included in the
new empire.
- Churches, roads, and schools were built to
unite the empire.
Invasions and Migrations into Europe
From about 700 to 1000 A.D., invasions by Angles,
Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings disrupted the social,
economic, and political order of Europe. Warfare
became a way of life for medieval nobles. This created
a warrior culture, which included knights, who
protected the peasants and nobles. A system of
chivalry (warrior conduct) developed out of this.
Areas of Settlement of Migratory Invaders of
Europe:
- Germanic Angles, Saxon, and Jutes from Central
Europe invaded England.
- Magyars from Central Asia invaded Western Europe.
- Danes from Scandinavia invaded England and
northern France and Europe.
- Vikings from Scandinavia invaded Russia and
Europe.
Influence of the Angles, Saxons, and Magyars:
- Manors with castles provided protection from
invaders, reinforcing the feudal system.
- Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the
feudal system was strengthened.
Important Events of the Middle Ages
324 - Constantine became Emperor of the Roman Empire.
455 - Vandals sacked Rome.
476 - Fall of the Roman Empire.
481 - Clovis became King of the Franks.
570 - Birth of Muhammad.
732 - Battle of Tours.
800 - Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
896 - Alfred, King of England, defeats Danish invaders.
988 - Christianity reaches Russia.
1066 - William of Normandy conquers England.
1096 - First Crusade to the Holy Land.
1206 - Genghis Khan founds the Mongol Empire.
1337 - Start of Hundred Years' War between France and England.
1347 - 1351 - Black Death (plague) in Europe.