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Western Christendom after the fall of Rome
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“The Catholic church, centered on Rome, remained the most powerful institution
of Europe. Plagues strengthened it more than weakened it, for it provided hope.
All-embracing, it catered for merriment as well as sadness. Inside the village
church the birthday of the parish’s patron saint might be honored with a festival in
which villagers would sing, dance, eat much and drink more. In larger cities some
of the popular fairs – a blend of flea market, supermarket, and buskers’ parade –
were staged just before a holy day. In Padua the 15-day fair was held just before
the feast of St. Anthony. In adjacent Venice the fair was held close to the feat of the
Ascension. The holy day ended the fair.
Far from Rome, the Christianity practiced might be only a coat of varnish, or a
rough undercoat of paint. Peasants worshipped not only Christ but also divinities
whose names were not to be found in the Bible. In Russian forests, as late as 1550,
many people worshiped the old god of thunder. In the cold mountains of
Scandinavia, many people still revered Thursday as a holy day because it
commemorated the god Thor, to whom they prayed.
In contrast, many medieval Christians were so dedicated that they turned away
from the world and resolved to live out the remainder of their life in utter solitude,
in a cell, nook or cave. Sometimes a bishop formally blessed the chosen cell,
sprinkled it with holy water and doused the air with incense. Often the cell was
adjacent to the parish church, or attached to a monastery or convent. Such men
who cut themselves off from the world were called anchorites and the women were
anchoresses, the names being derived from a Greek word meaning ‘to withdraw.’
Living alone in silence, they spent their days in prayer and penitence. As a useful
pursuit some of the women embroidered clothes.” ~ A Short History of the World
1- Identify two significant facts about the Catholic Church in medieval Europe.
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2- How was the Catholic Church more than a religious institution in the Middle
Ages?
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3- Explain what the author means by stating “the Christianity practiced might
be only a coat of varnish.”
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4- While some “Christians” maintained pre-Christian beliefs in the medieval
period, others were very religious. What demonstrates the intensity of
religious belief in the medieval period?
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5- Describe the life of the anchorite.
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6- It has been written that during the medieval period in Western Europe, the
Roman Catholic Church provided unity and stability. Defend this statement.
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7- What factors may have increased the power and wealth of the Roman
Catholic Church during the medieval period?
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Notes:
I. Fiefs and Faith
A. Western Europe after the fall of Rome  a highly fragmented and
decentralized society with great local variation
B. Independent, self-sufficient, and largely isolated landed estates or manors
C. Powerful lordsin constant competition
D. Lesser lords and knights swore allegiance to lords thus becoming vassals
1. Vassals received land in return for military service to lords (Feudalism)
E. Roman slavery gave way to serfdom
1. Serfs were not personal property and could not be arbitrarily thrown off
the landallowed to live in families but bound to masters’ estates
F. Absence of central Roman authority, only security lay in communitiesties
to kin, manor, and lord constituted primary human loyalties
G. Also filling vacuumRoman Catholic Church
1. Hierarchical organization (popes, bishops) modeled on Roman Empire
2. Began the process of converting many of Europe’s “pagan” peoples
3. Provided unity and stability during a time of political fragmentation
4. December 25th was selected as birthday of Jesus, for it was associated
with winter solstice, coming of more light and rebirth of various deities
5. By 1100, most of Europe had embraced Christianity
H. Church Controversies
1. Investiture Controversy during the eleventh and twelfth centuries
developed as Church officials, kings and emperors debated who had the
right to make Church appointmentseventually Church appointed
II. Pace of change in West picked up in several centuries after 1000
A. By 1000, invasions had been checked and invaders absorbed into societies
B. A warming trend after 750 reached its peak in the 11th and 12th centuries
1. Commonly called High Middle Agesexpansion and growth occurred
III. Stability and Trade
A. A center of commerceNorthern Europe from England to Baltic coast
A. Anothernorthern Italian towns (Florence, Genoa, Venice) and trading
partners: Islamic and Byzantine
B. Urbanization was proceeding as towns and cities attracted people
1. Groups organized themselves into guilds or associations of people
pursuing the same line of work in order to regulate professions
C. Womeninitially active in urban professions, but by 15th century, less active
1. But religious life provided opportunities for womenAs in Buddhist
lands, nunneries offered relative freedom from male control
D. A further sign of change lay in the growth of territorial states with more
effective institutions of government commanding the loyalty of subjects
1. In 11th through 13th century, monarchs of Europe became more powerful
IV. The Crusades
A. Beginning in 1095, the Crusades or a series of “holy wars”
B. Crusadersoffered an indulgence, which removed penalties of confessed sins
C. But by 1291, Muslim forces had recaptured all of the temporary Christian
states established in the eastern Mediterranean
1. “Successful failures”Europeans lost permanent control of the land but
gained ideas from Islamic golden age
2. But also tremendous crueltyslaughtered Muslims and Jews
3. Crusading elsewhere tooSpanish and foreign, waged war for centuries
to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim hands (Reconquista)
4. Europeans also learned techniques for producing sugar on large
plantations using slave labor from Muslims
5. Muslim scholarship, together with Greek learning it incorporated, also
flowed into Europe, largely through Spain and Sicily
6. European empire building (Americas) continued crusading spirit
D. Yet More Reasons for Europe’s Rise Like Technological Borrowing
1. Gunpowder from China, but Europeansfirst to use it in cannons, in
early fourteenth centuryby 1500, had most advanced arsenals in world
2. A three-way struggle for powerkings, warrior aristocrats, and church
 enabled urban-based merchants to achieve an unusual independence
from political authoritypaved way to development of capitalism later
3. Earlier cathedral schools became “zones of intellectual
autonomy”interest in rational thought
4. Scientific study of nature, known as “natural philosophy” began to
separate itself from theology
5. Stimulated European scholars to seek out original Greek texts
Questions:
1- Describe the political, social, and economic aspects of the medieval feudal
system.
2- Discuss the significance and role of the Roman Catholic Church in the
medieval period.
3- Explain the significance of the investiture controversy.
4- Explain the changes that occurred during the High Middle Ages.
5- Discuss the effect of increased trade in the High Middle Ages.
6- Discuss the role of women in the medieval period.
7- Discuss the causes and effects of the Crusades.
8- Explain the reasons for Western Europe’s rise.
Strayer Questions:
 What replaced the Roman order in Western Europe?
 In what ways was European civilization changing after 1000?
 What was the impact of the Crusades in world history?
 In what ways did borrowing from abroad shape European civilization after 1000?
 Why was Europe unable to achieve the kind of political unity that China
experienced? What impact did this have on the subsequent history of Europe?
 In what different ways did classical Greek philosophy and science have an impact in
the West, in Byzantium, and in the Islamic world?
1. Why were knights drawn
principally from the nobility?
(A) Nobles were smarter than
commoners.
(B) Monarchs did not believe that
commoners could think
strategically.
(C) The weapons and equipment
required for the knighthood
were too costly for anyone but
members of the nobility.
(D) Only noblemen could serve as
foot soldiers (knights-intraining).
(E) None of the above.
2. In what area did the Vikings
NOT settle?
(A) England
(B) The Arabian Peninsula
(C) Sicily
(D) France
(E) Greenland
3. Which of the following is an
accurate statement about
feudalism in Europe?
(A) Serfs were allowed to own
land.
(B) The basic unit of feudal
landholding was the village.
(C) Feudalism led to major class
differences in society.
(D) Feudalism embraced the
practice of chivalry.
4. Women in medieval Europe
(A) All lacked property rights
(B) Had equality before the law,
especially in matters of
reproductive rights
(C) Had some legal protections,
but their rights often
depended on where they lived
and which class they belonged
to
(D) Could become members of the
clergy
(E) Could enter religious life only
in Orthodox Byzantium
5. The Hanseatic League
(A) Was a trade union based in
the Mediterranean region
(B) Fought in the Middle East
during the Crusades
(C) Was a powerful banking
house in Italy
(D) Dominated trade in the Baltic
region
(E) Traded in diamonds
6. Which of the following is NOT a
reason for the Crusades?
(A) Racial and religious prejudice
(B) Geopolitical conflict between
Europe and the Middle East
(C) The Black Death
(D) Religious fervor
(E) The personal greed of many
Europeans to gain wealth and
land