Download Medieval Ages

THE RISE OF
MEDIEVAL EUROPE
WORLD HISTORY
I.
The Rise of Medieval Europe
A. Germans adopt Christianity
1. Clovis united the Franks and converted to
Christianity
2. Charles Martel – defeats the Muslims at Tours in 732
B. Charlemagne (Charles the Great)- son of Pepin the Short
1. Used royal agents to keep tabs on counts
(governors)
2. Doubled the size of his kingdom – a.k.a.
Frankish Empire
a. Germany, France, & Northern Spain &
Northern Italy
3. Defended the Pope against Roman nobles
a. Pope Leo crowns Charlemagne the
Roman Emperor
1. sets a precedent – church officials
superior to rulers (?)
4. Died in 814 A.D.
a. Louis the Pious’ (son of Charlemagne)
sons fought one another for control
b. Treaty of Verdun divides the empire between
the sons
1. France - Charles the Bald
2. Germany – Louis the German
3. Lothair – North Sea to Italy
Louis the German
Charles the Bald
No hair & lots of hair
Get it?
Lothair
C. The Vikings - raiders from Scandinavia
a. used long, deckless, one sail ships with
long oars
1. were ocean worthy and shallow
enough for river travel
b. became known for surprise
attacks and speedy retreats
1. would plunder, steal, and burn
c. motivated by adventure, riches, and
an
overpopulated homeland
2. Were ferocious fighters and showed no
mercy
3. Were explorers and settlers
a. North Atlantic - Greenland, Iceland, & North
America
b. Europe – England, Normandy (NW France),
Ukraine, & Russia
4. Effects of Viking raids on Europe
a. isolated European communities
b. severely weakened the central authority of
monarchs
c. trade decline led to economic collapse
d. nobles and local officials take over local
defense
Leif Ericson
D. Feudalism – political relationship between nobles
1. Emerges in the A.D. 900s as a result of
Viking (& others) raids - Arabs & Magyars
(Hungarians) too
2. Highly decentralized form of government
a. alliances of mutual protection between
monarchs & nobles
b. land given to nobles in exchange for
loyalty & military aid
1. raised armies & dispensed justice
c. peasants farmed the land
3. Fiefs – estates with peasants
4. Vassal – a noble who served a lord of a
next higher rank
a. most important obligation was
military service (knights served)
b. also served in the lord’s court,
provided food & lodging,
contributed funds, and paid ransom
5. Castles built for defense – every noble
a. built of stone on a hill w/moat, keep, hall,
dungeon, & bailey
E. The Manorial System – economic system of
agricultural production
1. Peasants worked the land in exchange for
the lord’s protection
2. Manor – estate that produced everything its
residents needed
3. Serfs – peasants bound to the land
4. Provided a stable and secure way of life
5. Agricultural production increased with the
three field system and the mold board plow
F. Catholic Church – dominant spiritual influence of
western Europe
1. Pope – became the strongest political leader
in western Europe
a. claimed spiritual authority over all
Christians
2. Administered sacraments - baptism,
penance, Eucharist (communion),
confirmation, matrimony, anointing of the
sick, and holy orders
3. Monasteries/monks & convents/nuns
a. took vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience
b. provided schools, hospitals, food, & guest
houses
4. Catholicism spread to England, northern
Germany, Ireland
5. Nobles influence church policies through appointments
(investiture)
6. Call for church reform because of scandal and corruption
a. drunkenness, feasting, & dancing among
the clergy
b. heresy increased – conversion and
excommunication used
c. Simony & priests marrying and raising
families
7. Inquisition (mainly in Spain)– for seeking and punishing
heretics
a. confess or be punished (imprisonment, loss
of property, or execution)
G. Jews – lived peacefully with Christians until 1000s
1. Anti-Semitism develops
a. seen as outsiders and as a threat
b. blamed for plagues, famines, and other
social problems
c. blamed for Jesus’ death & resented for not
converting to Christianity
d. forced to wear badges and live in
separate communities
e. could not own land & practice certain
trades
1. became peddlers, merchants, or money
lenders
f. some are expelled and settle in southern and eastern
Europe
H. England – native Celts defeated by Germanic
Angles
1. Alfred the Great unites Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms & defeats Vikings
2. Norman Conquest (1066)
a. William the Conqueror wins at Battle of
Hastings
3. Magna Carta (1215) – King John signs
a. placed clear limits on royal power
b. consent of Great Council (Parliament)
needed to tax
I. France – strong monarchy develops
1. Capetian dynasty, Philip Augustus,
Louis IX, & Philip IV
J. Holy Roman Empire (Germany & Northern Italy)
1. King Otto I crowned Holy Roman
Emperor by Pope John XII (962)
2. Problems
a. wars - powerful German lords prevent a
strong unified state
b. disputes between Holy Roman emperors
& Catholic Popes
3. Neither “holy,” nor “Roman,” nor an “empire”
K. Crusades
1. First Crusade – called by Pope Urban
II which captured Jerusalem
2. Second Crusade – called by St. Bernard of
Clairvaux that was a dismal failure
3. Third Crusade – led by King Richard the
Lionhearted to recapture the city of
Jerusalem from Islamic forces led by
Saladin; failed in attempt
4. Fourth Crusade – Crusaders attack and sack
Constantinople
5. Motivated by reunification of
Christendom, desire for land, adventure,
riches, religious fervor, feudalism, chivalry,
and forgiveness of sins
6. Impact: increase in trade, cultural
diffusion, Byzantine Empire weakened,
legacy of bitterness/hatred, decline of
feudalism, lessened power of pope