Download Middle Ages--Background and Charlemage

Day 13 Skinny 25-26
Unit 3 Europe in the Middle Ages
Group Evaluation
Write down all the people in your group. Do not identify yourself.
Write a score next to their name from 0 to 5. Add up by using the
following formula.
1 point for staying with group during classtime
1 point for contributing information from the book or notes
1 point for helping write/draw/get materials/clean up, etc.
1 point for getting along with others in the group
1 point for trying their hardest
Add a bonus point if this person did more than their fair share on
the project.
(Possible top score of 6)
Essential Questions

What political and economic systems emerged in the
Middle Ages?

How was the Roman Catholic Church a unifying force?
Themes for this Unit

Empire Building

The Roman Empire has broken into many small kingdoms.

Charlemagne and Otto the Great will try to save the idea of
Empire.

Both allied with the Roman Catholic Church.
Power and Authority


Weak rulers and lack of central authority led to a feudal
system which was based on local lords with large estates who
assumed power.

This led to struggles with the Church
Religious and Ethical Systems


The Roman Catholic Church unified and guided people's lives.
Security vs. Freedom
 Edward Snowden for example

“Snowden is wanted by the
US for leaking details of
government surveillance programmes to the
Guardian. He has not been seen in public since he
landed in Moscow on a flight from Hong Kong in June.
He spent several weeks in the transit zone of
Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, before he was
granted asylum by Russia and left the airport on 1
August.”
Walker, Shaun. “Edward Snowden Living Incognito in Russia.”
The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 17 Sept.
2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.

Check your card. Is everything there for an online
entry?
Page 352--Softcover

Discuss why you might give up freedom for security if you
were a peasant in the Middle Ages.
Middle Ages
a.k.a. Medieval Times
A.D. 500 to 1500
Classical heritage
of Rome
Customs of various
Germanic tribes
Beliefs of
Roman Catholic
Church
Invasions!!
5th Century (Was that 401-500 or 501-600?)
Those pesky Germanic invaders again!
See page 351 for a breakdown of the breakdown
Economy
Government
Invaders destroyed
Old Roman-built
cities, markets, ports— government cities were
businesses collapsed abandoned after raids
Society
Nobles & most others
moved to the country
to farm, leaving cities
with no strong leaders;
Why do I come to school? To avoid this...
Germanic invaders could not read or write—no
written language
Families left cities and any chance for formal
schooling
People forgot Greek and Roman knowledge and
the Latin language
BUT-Germans had a rich oral tradition of songs
and legends
New Languages
Latin was still the official language but no one could
speak it!
Latin incorporated into dialects
By 800s, new languages reflected breakup of
empire
•
•
•
French
Spanish
Others (what do you think)
Germanic Kingdoms
Replaced Roman provinces between 400 & 600
Still fighting over territory, so borders change a lot
New attitude toward government—very UNRoman
•
•
Loyalty to family or chief of warrior band
No allegiance to a central government
“Why am I going to pay taxes to a king I don't
know and have never seen?” --Fritz, Germanic
tribesman, circa 548
Clovis—Ruler of the Franks
From Gaul (now France and
Switzerland)
Brought Christianity
Converted after a battlefield prayer was
answered
Roman church welcomed him and
supported his raids on other Germanic
tribes.
By 511, Franks were united into one
kingdom
Church & State
Strategic alliance begins
FRANKS
CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Franks spread Christianity to other Germans
Monasteries, Convents, Manuscripts
Monastery
Convent
Give up all your worldly possessions
Devote your life to serving God
Men only
Women only
“monks”
“nuns”
Benedict & Scholastica
Around 520—wrote book
about rules for monasteries
Ran her convent
according to
these rules
Focus--Devotion to prayer and good works
Monasteries
Opened schools
Had libraries
Copied books with
beautiful writing
Illuminated manuscript
Papal Power Expands
Pope Gregory I (or Gregory the Great)
Office of pope now secular, involved in politics
Pope's palace (in Rome) is center of Roman
government (which now spreads from Italy to
England, from Spain to Germany)
Built stuff-------helped the poor------made treaties
This kind of churchly kingdom was a theme of the
Middle Ages
Empire
After Rome fell, the kingdom splintered
Franks controlled the largest portion by 511
719—Frankish major domo, Charles Martel, (not
the official king, but the guy with the military
power)
•
•
Expanded Franks' kingdom
Defeated Muslims at Battle of Tours 732
– This made him a Christian hero
Church and State
Charles, the Christian hero, passed power to his
son Pepin the Short
Pepin fought the Lombards for the Church
Pope named him “king by the grace of God”
Thus begins the
Can you say “Dynasty”
Pepin's son Charlemagne (or Charles the Great)
ruled after him
Charlemagne
•
•
•
•
•
•
Extended Frankish rule further than any
since Rome's heyday
Fought Muslims in Spain
Fought other Germanic tribes
Spread Christianity after conquering people
In 800, helped the pope defeat an unruly
mob
CROWNED “ROMAN EMPEROR” by Pope
Leo III (This while the Eastern Empire had a
lovely but weak empress at the time ruling
from Constantinople)
Charlemagne
Strengthened power by limiting authority of the
nobles under him
His royal agents supervised the “counts” who
ruled the land
Managed his vast, wealthy estates
Encouraged learning; opened schools
Dynasty Divided will Fall
Charlemagne's son crowed in 814
Louis the Pious—Charlemagne's son crowned in
814
His three sons
Lothair
Charles the Bald
Louis the German
843—brothers signed Treaty of Verdun to divide the
empire in three kingdoms
Loss of central power led to breakdown of authority
Sound familiar? Make the connection to another
instance of this happening we've learned about.
Exit Activity
One connection to something
we learned before
Two questions that
need to be answered.
Three things you learned today