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Chapter 7
The Rise of Europe
500 – 1300
Chapter 7, Section 1
The Early Middle Ages
Western Europe in Decline
After the collapse of Rome, Western Europe
went into a period of political, social, and
economic decline
From 500 – 1000 it was politically divided
– Cut off from advanced civilizations in Middle East,
China, and India
Invaders swept through the region, trade slowed
down, towns emptied, and education stopped
Middle Ages
This time period (approximately 500 –
1500) would become known as the Middle
Ages
The culture of the time would be called
Medieval  Latin term for Middle Ages
Time period symbolizes the change from
ancient times to modern times
Germanic Kingdoms
Goths, Vandals, Saxons and Franks were
all German tribes that conquered Ancient
Rome
Culture was very different than Romans
– Mostly farmers and herders
– No cities
– No written laws
– Lived in smaller communities
Franks Extend Power
486  Clovis (king of the Franks)
conquered the Roman province of Gaul
Gaul later became the kingdom of the
France
Clovis would convert to Christianity which
was the religion of the people in Gaul
– By doing this Clovis gained a powerful ally 
THE POPE
Muslim Empire Threatens Europe
Religion of Islam began in Arabia in the
600’s
From this religion came a huge empire of
people who followed Islam
Muslim armies would overrun Christian
lands in Palestine and North Africa
– This alarmed the Church and Christian
kingdoms very much
Battle of Tours
732  Muslim army crosses in France
Charles Martel rallied the Frankish troops
Christian warriors would be victorious at
the Battle of Tours
The Christians believed their victory was a
sign from God that he was on their side
Age of Charlemagne
768  Grandson of Charles Martel
– Becomes King of France
Briefly united Western Europe
– Built an empire reaching across France,
Germany, and part of Italy (present day)
This man was also named Charles,
became known as Charlemagne which
means “Charles the Great”
Age of Charlemagne
Charlemagne reigned for almost 50 years
Spent much of that time fighting other
groups
– Muslims in Spain
– Saxons in the North
– Avars and Slavs in the East
– Lombards in Italy
New Emperor for Romans
799  Pope Leo III asks Charlemagne for
help against rebelling nobles in Rome
Charlemagne sent people to arrest anyone
against Pope Leo
Pope Leo showed his appreciation by
making Charlemagne the new Emperor of
Rome
– This took place on Christmas Day, year 800
New Emperor for Romans
Declaring Charlemagne emperor outraged
people in Constantinople (eastern Roman
Empire)
Eastern emperor saw himself as the sole
ruler of Rome
– Felt this way because when the Western Empire
was declining, his Eastern Empire had been
flourishing
– This caused a major split in the Roman Empire
Unifying the Christian Empire
Charlemagne wanted to unite all of
Christian Europe
He helped spread Christianity by working
closely with the Church
– Spread the religion to conquered people just
outside of his empire
– Charlemagne appointed powerful nobles to
rule over local regions within the empire
Revival of Learning
Charlemagne saw education as another
way to unify his kingdom
– He could read but not write
Saw a need for officials to keep accurate
records and write clear reports
He encouraged the creation of schools
Brought many of the best scholars in
Europe to the Palace School
Europe after Charlemagne
814  Charlemagne dies…his son Louis I
takes the throne
– Louis’ sons would later battle for power
843  Charlemagne’s grandsons create
the Treaty of Verdun which split the
empire into 3 regions
Charlemagne left a lasting legacy by
extending Christian civilization into
Northern Europe
New Waves of Invasions
Charlemagne’s successors faced many
new threats and invasions
Muslim forces posed a major threat to
Christian Europe
– Late 800’s  Muslims conquered Sicily which
became a thriving center for Muslim culture
– It wasn’t until the 900’s that Muslim attacks
began to stop
The Vikings
Vikings were independent farmers ruled by
land – owning chieftains (leaders)
– Vikings were also expert sailors
These people were responsible for breaking the
last threads of Charlemagne’s empire
Year 1000  Vikings set up a colony in North
America
– Opened up several trade routes that linked northern
Europe to Mediterranean lands
Review
1)
Charlemagne thought which of the following could help
unify his empire?
A
B
C
D
2)
Slavery
Education
Art
Sports
Charlemagne spent time fighting against all of the
following groups except?
A
B
C
D
Lombards
Saxons
Muslims
Americans
Chapter 7, Section 2
Feudalism and Manor
Economy
Feudalism Develops
Because of invasions by several groups
(Vikings, Muslims, etc.) people needed
protection for themselves, their land, etc.
Leads to the development of Feudalism
– Feudalism  loosely organized system of
rule in which powerful local lords divided their
landholdings among lesser lords
The way this government was practiced
varied from place to place
Mutual Agreements
In exchange for land, the lesser lords
(vassals) pledged service and loyalty to
the greater lord
This was established by custom and
tradition
This agreement became known as the
Feudal Contract
The World of Knights and Nobles
Warfare was a way of life for medieval
nobles
Rival lords battled constantly for power
Several nobles began training during
childhood for a future occupation as a
knight
– Knight  mounted warrior
– Some would begin training at age seven
Knights and Warfare
If a boy were to become a knight he would
be sent to his father’s lords’ castle
He would learn to ride horses and fight
Also learned to keep armor and weapons
in very good condition
– Any laziness was punished with a beating
After training was complete, the boy
attended a public ceremony and now was
a knight
Castles and Defense
1100’s  monarchs and nobles owned
very large castles with high wall, towers,
drawbridges, etc.
Knights who worked for the nobles would
defend the castle
These knights also lived in these castles
During war it was very important that the
castle was not attacked
Noblewomen
Noblewomen played active roles in the
warrior society
While husbands were fighting, the wives
took over his duties on the manor
– Supervise vassals
– Manage household
– Perform agricultural tasks
– Also perform medical tasks
Noblewomen
Although women had several
responsibilities, the inheritance of the
estate usually went to the eldest son
A woman could receive some land if she
was a widow with no children
A noblewoman was expected to have
several children and be dutiful to her
husband
Manors Support Feudalism
Heart of feudal economy was the manor
(lord’s estate)
– Most manors included one or two villages and
surrounding lands
Most peasants were called serfs  not
considered slaves but were also not free
either
– Serfs could be bought and sold and were
bound to the land
Lords and Peasants
Had mutual obligations to each other
Peasants would:
– Farm lord’s land several days a week
– Repair roads, bridges, fences, etc
– Have to ask lord’s permission to marry
In return the lord’s would:
– Let the peasants farm a small piece of land for
themselves
– Protect the peasants from warfare
Peasant Life
Life was harsh for men, women and
children
Worked from sunup to sundown
Disease was common in peasant life
Few lived longer than 35 years
Still found time to celebrate life
– Peasants had a week off at Christmas and
Easter
Review
1)
A loosely organized system of rule in which powerful
local lords divided their landholdings among lesser
lords is called:
A
B
C
D
2)
Feudalism
Manor life
Democracy
Monarchy
In return for peasants’ work, a lord would do all of the
following except?
A
B
C
Protect peasants from warfare
Let the peasants decide who to marry
Give them a small piece of land to farm
Chapter 7, Section 3
The Medieval Church
Church Dominates Life
During Middle Ages, Church converted
many diverse people in Western Europe to
Christianity
– Most important achievement
By late Middle Ages, Western Europe had
become a Christian civilization
– Anyone not in the church community was
viewed with suspicion
Role of the Priest
Priest of the parish was often the only
contact people had with the Church
The priest celebrated the mass and
administered sacraments  the sacred
rites of the Church
– Christians believed that participating in
masses and sacraments would lead them to
salvation or everlasting life with God
Village Church
Church was a social center as well as a
place of worship
– Largest public gatherings often took place in
the Church
The main events of each person’s life took
place in the Church
– Baptism
– Marriages
– Funerals
Village Church
People in the villages took pride in their
Church and decorated it with care
Some villages had enough money to build
stone buildings rather than use wood
The Church required people to pay a tax
(1/10 of their income)
– This money supported local parish or was
sent directly to Rome
Women in the Church
The Church tried to protect women
– Mary (mother of Jesus) was the ideal woman
The Church set a minimum age for
marriage
Church courts could fine men for seriously
hurting their wives
However, women were punished more
harshly than men for similar crimes
Monasteries and Convents
Some men and women chose to devote
their entire lives to the Church
– They became monks or nuns
530  monk named Benedict organized
the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy
– Benedictine Rule  used to by monasteries
and convents across Europe
Monks and nuns had to take three vows
Three Vows
1. Obedience - to the abbot or abbess who
headed the monastery
2. Poverty – money was not important
3. Chastity and purity – becoming pure for
God
Each day was broken up into periods of
work, worship, and study
Church Power Grows
Pope is the spiritual leader in the Western
Christian World during Middle Ages
Medieval popes would declare Papal
Supremacy  authority over all secular
rulers (kings and emperors included)
The church would develop its own body of
laws known as Canon Law
– Also developed its own courts
Canon Law
Based on religious teachings
Governed many aspects of life
– Wills, marriages, morals, ethics, etc.
Anyone who disobeyed Canon Law would
be punished
The most severe punishment was
Excommunication  could not receive
Christian burial and were condemned to
hell
Corruption and Reform
Many clergy (members of the church –
monks, nuns, etc) began living in luxury
– This was against their vow of poverty
1073  Gregory VII became pope
– Wanted to reform some areas of the Church
He insisted the Church alone select its
own officials (priests, bishops, etc)
– This sparked conflict with German emperor
Jews in Medieval Europe
During Middle Ages  Jewish
communities existed all across Europe
Christians and Jews lived side by side for
many years
Late 1000s  Western Europe becoming
more Christianized and prejudice against
Jews
– Jews were blamed for bad things happening
– Illness, famine, etc.
Chapter 7, Section 4
Economic Recovery Sparks
Change
Agricultural Revolution
Technology improves farming
– Iron plows were an improvement for farmers
– Faster horses were used to push the plows
Production and Population grow
– Between 1000 and 1300 population in Europe
tripled
– More land was used on manors to grow crops
(less for peasants’ personal use)
Revival of Trade and Travel
1100s  as population was growing,
conflict and foreign invasions had declined
People felt safer and began to travel more
Traders began to travel all over Europe to
meet the needs of the people
1200s  German towns along the Baltic
Sea formed the Hanseatic League 
association that protected trading rights
Commercial Revolution
As trade increased so did the use of
money for investment (capital)
Banking houses began holding money for
people and merchants extended credit to
each other
– Arranged agreement to delay payment for
goods for set amount of time
Beginnings of Modern Business
Europeans began developing new ways of
doing business to meet the people’s needs
Partnerships were formed
– Pooled funds of multiple people to finance a
large scale venture
– These ventures were expensive for one
person
Society Begins to Change
As the economy was changing so was
society
By 1300  most peasants were either
tenant farmers (paid rent for their land) or
hired farm laborers
The Church did not agree with the idea of
“interest” on money
– Did not allow Christians to loan money with
interest
Rise of Middle Class
A new social class emerged which
included merchants, traders and artisans
This social class ranked in between nobles
and peasants (it was called Middle Class)
Nobles were not in favor of this rising
middle class because they did not agree
with the way they made money (interest)
Role of Guilds
Guilds  associations formed by
merchants and artisans (merchant guilds
were formed first)
Guilds could pass laws and also collect
taxes in the towns of Europe
Artisans eventually resented the
merchants guilds and formed their own
associations
Role of Guilds
Artisans guilds represented workers in the
same occupation
– Bakers guild, Goldsmiths guild, Weavers guild
The members of guilds cooperated to
protect their own economic interests
– They made rules to protect the quality of
goods
– They also limited guild membership
Town and City Life
Medieval towns and cities were
surrounded by high, protective walls
As the towns grew, the space within the
walls began overflowing and people
settled outside the walls in tall houses
– These houses had multiple floors with several
dangers within them (fire, sanitary, etc.)
Review
1) Between 1000 and 1300 the population in Europe did
what?
–
–
–
–
A
B
C
D
Doubled
Decreased tremendously
Increased slightly
Tripled
2) Artisans’ guilds represented which of the following?
A
Artisans in the same family
B
C
D
Artisans in the same town
Artisans in the same occupation
Artisans in the same school