Download 13.1 Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne

PAP World History
Notes – Chapter 13
13.1
Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne
 Decline of Roman Empire ushered in European Middle Ages (Medieval Period)
 500-1500
Invasions Trigger Changes in Western Europe
 Invasions in the Roman Empire caused
o Disruption of trade: merchant businesses collapsed; destroyed European cities and
economic centers; money scarce
o Downfall of cities: cities were abandoned
o Population shifts:
 Nobles retreated to rural areas
 Cities left without leadership
 City dwellers fled to rural areas to grow food
 Population became mostly rural
The Decline of Learning
 The Germanic invaders could not read or write
o Rich oral tradition – no language
 Learning declined in Rome as others fled to rural areas
 Only priests and church officials were literate
 Greek culture lost language
Loss of a Common Language
 As German speaking people mixed with Roman population
o Latin changed
o New phrases and words
o No single dialect
o From the difference came French, Spanish etc.
o These new languages matched the break- up of the empire
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
 Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman province
 Church provided order and security
The Concept of Government Changes
 Family ties and personal loyalties bound Germanic society together
 Germanic people lived in small communities
 Governed by unwritten laws and traditions
 Chiefs had warriors pledge to them
 In peacetime
o
o
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Followers lived in lord’s hall
He provided:
 Food
 Weapons
 Treasure
In battle
o Warriors fought to the death
o Was a disgrace to outlive the lord
o Willingly died for the lord they respected
 Had no loyalty to king they didn’t know
o They would not obey officials sent by the emperor
 To collect taxes
 Or to administer justice
o Germanic personal ties made orderly government impossible
In Gaul (Roman province)
o Franks (Germanic people) held power
o Clovis (their leader) brought Christianity to the region
The Franks Under Clovis
 Clovis wife encouraged him to convert
 During a battle that he feared defeat
o He prayed to God for help him
o He won the battle
o Him and 3000 of his warriors were baptized
 Church in Rome welcomed Clovis and supported his military campaign
 He united the Franks into 1 kingdom
 This marked the beginning of a strong relationship between the church and the Frankish
kingdom
Germanic Peoples Adopt Christianity
 Accept Christianity and settle in Roman land
 Missionaries spread Christianity
 Fear of Muslims caused some to convert
Monasteries and Convent
 Church built monasteries to help adapt to rural life
o Monks lived in monasteries
o Nuns lived in convents
o Gave up worldly possessions and devoted lives to prayer and good works
o Benedict (Italian Monk) set up rules for monasteries
 His sister – Scholastica (nun) used his rules in the convents
 Monasteries
o Best educated places
o Opened schools and libraries
o Copied books
o Venerable Bede wrote “History of England”
 Considered the best work of the Middle Ages
o
Copied religious writings
 Decorated with ornate letters and pictures
Gregory I Expanded Papal Power
 Gregory the Great; became Pope
 Made Pope (papacy) secular = meaning worldly power; involved in politics
 Pope Gregory
o Palace – became the center of government
o Used church revenues to
 Raise armies
 Repair roads
 Help poor
o Negotiated peace treaties
o Acted as mayor of Rome
o Was responsible for
 Area from Italy to England
 From Spain to Western Germany
 Churchly kingdom ruled by a Pope became the theme of the Middle Ages
A European Empire Evolves
 After the Roman Empire dissolved
o Europe broke into 7 small kingdoms
o Largest of the seven was ruled by the Franks and led by Clovis (area that was once Gaul)
o by his death he controlled area that is now France
o His dynasty was called Merovingian – after his ancestor
Clovis’ Descendants
 The major domo (mayor)
o Most powerful person in kingdom
o In charge of royal household and estates; commanded armies and made policy
o Ran kingdom – held more power than the king
 Charles Martel (719) (Charles the Hammer) –
o Extended kingdom to north, south and east
o Defeated a Muslim raiding party
 Significant because if he had failed Europe might have become a part of the
Muslim empire
 This battle was won at the Battle of Tours
 Made him a Christian hero
 When Martel died, his power passed to his son – Pepin the Short
o Pepin wanted to be king
o Cooperated with the Pope and church and fought the Lombards who were threatening
Rome
o In exchange Pope made him king
 This began the reign of Frankish rulers called the Carolingian Dynasty
Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule
 When Pepin died the kingdom was strong
o
His son Charles (known as Charlemagne or Charles the Great) took over
Charlemagne Takes Center Stage
 Built an empire greater than any since Rome
 Had many conquests – by doing so he spread Christianity
 He united Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire
 Most powerful king in western Europe
 Charlemagne went to Rome and defeated a group attacking the Pope
o His reward was the Pope crowned him emperor – Roman Emperor
o This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the church and Roman heritage
Charlemagne’s Government
 Strengthened royal power by limiting nobles power
 Regularly visited every part of the kingdom
 Used royal agents to control the counts and made sure they governed their areas justly
 He judged cases, settled disputes and rewarded faithful followers
 Kept close watch on his estates –his source of wealth and power
Cultural Revival
 Promoted learning
o Brought in English, German, Italian, and Spanish scholars
o Opened a palace school for his children and those of the court
o Monasteries opened schools to train monks
o Expanded libraries
o Monks made handwritten copies of books
Charlemagne’s Heirs Are Weak Rulers
 When he died he crowned his son Louis the Pious emperor
o He would have made a better monk
o Ineffective leader
o Louis’ sons proved just ineffective
o The empire is divided after a civil war into 3 kingdoms
13.2
Feudalism in Europe
New Invasions Trouble Western Europe
 Between 800 and 1000 – invasions completely destroyed the Carolingian Empire
o Muslim invaders
o Italy and Germany
Vikings: Raiders, Traders and Explorers
 Scandinavia – Germanic people
 Also called Northmen and Norsemen
 Worshipped warlike gods
 Nicknames like – Eric Bloodaxe and Thorfinn Skullsplitter
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Attacked with speed from sea – then retreated before reinforcements could get there
Ships were huge
o Carry 300 soldiers
o Took turns rowing 72+ oars
o 40 tons when loaded
o Front swept upward like a sea monster
o could move in 3 feet of water (included creeks)
 Allowed to row inland and loot villages and monasteries
o Were also traders, farmers and explorers
o Leif Ericson reached North America in 1000 (500 years before Columbus)
o Once they adopted Christianity their reign of terror ended
o There was also a warming trend in the area of Scandinavia which made farming easier
and fewer left to be seafarers
Magyars and Muslims
 Magyars
o Good on horses
o Picked up terror where Vikings left off
o Invaded Europe from the east
o Magyars did not settle land they conquered
o Instead they sold those they captured as slaves
 Muslims
o Struck from south
o Controlled Mediterranean and disrupted trade
o They conquered and settled but also plundered
o Good sailors
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All the invasions of Vikings, Magyars and Muslims
o Caused widespread disorder and suffering
o Lived in danger and fear
o Central power became powerless
 People began to turn to local leaders for protection = the rise of feudalism
Feudalism Structures Society
 In 911 a peace ceremony took place
o Rollo, a Viking leader, who had been plundering Seine River Valley for years
 Pledged loyalty to Charles the Simple, king of France
 Pledged loyalty because Charles granted him a large piece of French territory
A New Social Order
 Feudalism
o Based on mutual obligations and depended on control of land
 In exchange for military protection, a lord (landowner)would grant a piece of
land (called a fief) to a vassal
The Feudal Pyramid
 The Pyramid
o
o
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King – at the top
Vassals – served the king; usually wealthy landowners
 Nobles
 Bishops
o Knights – pledged to defend the lords land in exchange for fiefs
o Landless peasants – worked the fields
Problems with the system
o For example: sometimes a noble might be a vassal for several lords
o Loyalties were often betrayed
Social Classes Were Well Defined
 Status determined prestige and power
 Often put in 3 categories
o Those who fought (knights and nobles)
o Those who prayed (those of the church)
o Those who worked (peasants
 Social class was inherited
 During the Middle Ages, most were peasants
o Most peasants were serfs
 Those who could not lawfully leave the place they were born
 They were not slaves – could not be bought or sold
 Wealth of lords came from work of peasants
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
 Manor was lords estate
 Basic economic arrangement – prominent in Middle Ages
 About rights and obligations between lords and his serfs
o Lord provided housing, strips of land and protection
o Serfs farmed land, cared for animals and worked for the estate to maintain it
o Serfs and peasants owed their lord a few days labor a week and a portion of their grain
A Self-Contained World
 A manor was usually a few square miles
 Peasants never travelled far
 Contained the manor house, a church and shops
 15 to 30 families lived in the village on the manor
 Some had streams that provided fish – a staple in their diet
 Raised and produced nearly everything they needed for life – self-sufficient
o Crops
o Fuel
o Cloth
o Leather goods
o Lumber
 Only outside purchases
o Salt
o Iron
o Millstones – huge stones used to grind flour
The Harshness of Manor Life
 Peasants paid a high price for living on lords manor
 High tax on all grain ground at the mill
o If did it elsewhere it was a crime
 Paid tax on marriage
o Weddings could only take place with lord’s consent
 Owed village priest a tithe – 1/10th their income
 Lived in crowded one room cottages
 Dirt floors
 Warmed inside by bringing pigs inside
 Straw for beds
 Diet
o Vegetables
o Bread
o Grain
o Cheese
o Soup
 Accepted their lot in life – felt that God determined a person’s place in society
13.3
The Age of Chivalry
 Nobles were always fighting over land and territory during the Middle Ages
Warriors on Horseback
 Europeans had learned the value of horses in combat from the Muslims
Saddles and Stirrups
 Saddles – kept warriors firmly on the back of their horse
 Stirrups – allowed them to stand up and wield heavier weapons
o Without stirrups to anchor them they were likely to topple off their horse
 Mounted knights could attack foot soldiers more effectively and quickly
o Their horses became a status symbol
The Warrior’s Role in Feudal Society
 Europe had become a battleground for nobles vying for power
 Raised their own armies to fight each other
 Offered knights fiefs that made them wealthy
o Then they could devote life to fighting
o Could pay for expensive weapons and horses and armor
 Knights main obligation to fight for the lord
o About 40 days of battle service a year
o Otherwise they were training for war
Knighthood and Chivalry
 Expected to display courage in battle and loyalty to their lord
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Chivalry – complex set of ideals
o Devoted to feudal lord
o Heavenly lord
o Chosen lady
o Also protected weak and poor
o Loyal, brave and courteous
Often failed to meet these standards and treated peasants cruelly
A cowardly knight who disregarded the code faced public shame
o Armor stripped off
o Shield cracked
o Spurs cut off
o Sword broken over head
o Put into a coffin and dragged to the church
 Priest would issue a mock funeral service
War Games For Glory
 Began training for knighthood at an early age (nobles)
 Learned code of chivalry
 After dubbed knighthood they would travel with others and learn to fight in local skirmishes
 Took part in mock battles – tournaments
Brutal Reality of Warfare
 Tournament brutality was minor compared to the real thing
 Castles were built
o Made of stone
o Encircled by massive walls and guard towers
o Home of the lord, their family, knights and servants
o Fortress designed for defense
 It was gory under siege
o Defenders of the castle
 Poured boiling water, hot oil and molten lead on enemy
 Archers used crossbows that would pierce armor
The Literature of Chivalry
 Writings of the 1100’s
o Downplayed brutality of knighthood
o Idealized castle life
Epic Poetry
 Recounted hero’s adventures
o Knights
o Lords
o Legends
o Etc
Love Poems and Songs
 Troubadours – poet-musicians at castle court
o

Sang of perils of love; disappointments in love; lovesick knights who loved lady they
could never win
 Portrayed knights as men who were devoted to love
 Portrayed noblewomen as always beautiful and pure
 Both not always true
o Sent out minstrels to carry songs to other courts
Most celebrated women of the poems and songs was Eleanor of Aquitaine
o Later Queen of England
o Mother of
 Richard the Lion Hearted
 King John
The Shifting Role Of Women
 Church deemed women inferior
 Romantic love put noblewomen on a pedestal
 Knights swore to protect all women
o But could adore one in particular
o Usually from afar
 With feudalism, women’s place declined even further
o Good for only home or convent
o Poor and powerless
o Endless labor
o Baring children
o Caring for family
Women in Power
 Under feudal system
o Women could inherit husbands estate
o Could send knights to war
o When husband was away
 She was military commander and could be a warrior
o Helped defend castle
 Hurled rocks
 Fired arrows
 Some wore armor, mounted horses and mobilized calvary
 Could not receive land in return for military service
o Had less property
o Lords gave land to sons not daughters
Women’s Falling Status
 The exception to the declining power of women was Eleanor of Aquitaine
o She ruled in her husband’s and later her son’s absence
 Church was often responsible for the decline of female status
4.4
The Church Wields Power
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Church emerges in Europe as a power
Shaped people’s lives in all social classes
Strong rulers began to question the pope’s authority
Created increasing tension between popes and emperors
The Scope of Church Authority
 Pope Gelasius
o Used an analogy to demonstrate the potential threat of the conflict of the power of the
church and the power of the king
o He also used this analogy to show how they could also rule in harmony
 There are 2 swords
 Sword of the church - spiritual
 Sword of the king - political
 If the king yielded to the authority of church matters and the pope yielded to
the matter of politics all would be in harmony
o However this is not how it played out
Church Structure
 Ranks of clergy – all had different power; method of organization
o Pope
o Bishops
o Priests
 Bishops settled disputes over teachings and practices
 Priests were the main contact of the church for the people
Religion as a Unifying Force
 Church bonded people together during the time of turmoil during the Middle Ages
o Gave Christians a sense of security and community that they could belong to
o Middle Ages was called Age of Faith because it occupied center stage
 Medieval life was harsh
o But all could follow path of salvation for everlasting life in Heaven
o Priests offered sacraments – religious ceremonies
 Paved way to salvation
 Baptism
 Confirmation
Church Justice
 Scope of church authority was both religious and political
o All were subject to Canon Law – system of justice
 To guide conduct
 Matters of marriage
 Matters of religious practices
 Established courts to try people accused of violating Canon Law
 Harshest punishments
o Excommunication
 Banished from church
 Denied salvation
o
Interdict
 Refusal of sacraments
 For example: if king continued to disobey pope
after excommunication then pope could
institute interdict
o This would deny sacraments to king and
his subjects
o His subjects felt that this would damn
them for all eternity
The Church and the Holy Roman Empire
Otto I Allies With The Church
 Otto the Great – most effective ruler of medieval Germany
 Consciously copied rule of Charlemagne
o Close alliance with the church
o Limited nobles strength
o Sought help from clergy
 Dominated the Church of Germany
o Invaded Italy on pope’s behalf
 Pope crowned him emperor of Italy for his help – just like Charlemagne
Signs of Future Conflicts
 The German-Italian empire Otto created was first called = Roman Empire of German Nation
 Later it was changed to Holy Roman Empire
 Otto’s attempt to revive Charlemagne’s empire caused problems for future German kings
o Italian nobles resented German rule
o Pope began to fear control German emperors had over Italy
Holy Roman Emperor Clashes With The Pope
 The church began to resent the kings (like Otto)
o Resentment was in lay investiture
 Under this policy, kings and nobles appointed church officials
 They named the bishops – they were powerful and if appointed then the king
controlled them
 This made the church under the rule of the king
o In 1075 Pope Gregory VII banned lay investiture
 This anger Henry IV who summoned his bishops
 Henry then sent a letter to Gregory that said he was not a pope but a false monk
and ordered him to step down from the papacy
 Gregory excommunicated him
 After this the bishops sided with the pope
 And Henry tried to win the popes forgiveness
Showdown at Canossa
 In 1077 Henry travels over the Alps to Gregory
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o Gregory makes him wait 3 days in the snow before he lifts the excommunication
All of this solved nothing
o Henry ran home and punished the nobles that did not back him
o The Pope successfully suppressed the proudest ruler of the time
o But lay investiture still remained undecided
Concordat of Worms
 They came to terms with the problem of lay investiture
o The compromise
 Church alone could grant a bishop his ring and staff
 Yet the emperor had the veto power to prevent the appointment of the bishop
Renewed Church Conflicts Under Frederick I
 Germany realized they needed a strong king to keep the peace
o They chose Frederick I
o Called him Barbarossa because of his red beard
o First to call it Holy Roman Empire
 Germany was a patch work of territories
o He dominated the princes of the territories while he was there
 But when he was out of the country – disorder returned
 Like Otto
o He did not focus on building royal power
o Instead he invaded rich Italian cities
 This caused Italian merchants to unite against him
o he angered the Pope (like Henry IV) and he, the pope, united with the merchants against
him and formed an alliance called the Lombard League
 They fought Frederick I and he lost
 He eventually returned to Germany but had lost power over the princes
 After his death the empire dissolved into fragmented provinces
German States Remained Separate