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UNIT III: Regional
Civilizations
400-1500 C.E.
The Rise of Medieval Europe
500-1300 C.E.
Western Europe After the Fall of Rome
● Western Europe After the Fall of Rome:
o By 500 C.E., western Europe had fallen into chaos:
 The Germanic Tribes that had conquered Rome had destroyed all aspects
of civilization in western Europe:
●
cities were destroyed and no longer used.
●
Trade declined.
●
urban centers vanished
●
Infrastructure (roads and bridges) fell into disrepair.
●
Law, government, and education were no longer part of western
European culture.
●
Most people lived in tiny villages, isolated from other communities.
o During this period, civilization took many steps “backwards.” Therefore,
historians refer to this period in world history as the “Dark Ages,” or the
“Middle Ages.”
Frankish Rulers
Frankish Rulers
● As Rome was falling during the 5th century C.E., a Germanic Tribe known as the
Franks settled in present day France and Germany.
● In time, the Franks became the strongest Germanic tribe in Western Europe.
● The Franks soon established a Frankish kingdom, which was ruled by monarchs
styled “King of the Franks.”
● Famous Frankish kings:
o Clovis: The first Germanic ruler to accept Christianity, which made the
Franks a christian kingdom.
o Charles Martel: Ensured that Christianity would remain the dominant religion
of Europe by defeating the Muslims at Tours, France in 732 C.E.
o Pepin the Short: Anointed by the pope and declared a divine ruler in 752
C.E. In return, Pepin became the protector of Christianity and the pope in
Western Europe.
Frankish Rulers
● The most famous Frankish king was named Charlemagne, who would later become
known as Charlemagne the Great.
● Charlemagne became King of the Franks in 768 C.E.
● Charlemagne's Accomplishments:
o The Frankish Empire:
 Charlemagne doubled the size of his kingdom, creating a Frankish
Empire that included Germany, France, northern Spain, and Italy.
 For the first time since the fall of Rome, most of western Europe was
ruled by one government.
 In 800 C.E., Charlemagne was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope
Leo III.
 Emperor Charlemagne became the protector of Christianity and ruler of
Western Europe.
Charlemagne the Great
The Frankish Empire
Frankish Rulers
● Charlemagne's Accomplishments (continued):
o Education:
 After the fall of Rome, most of the people in western Europe were
illiterate (they could not read or write). Therefore, Charlemagne
created a school at Alcuin. At Alcuin, Charlemagne's officials became
educated in the Bible and Latin. By doing so, his scholars were able to
preserve classical learning (Greek and Roman manuscripts and ideas).
o A Government Bureaucracy:
 Charlemagne could not oversee an entire empire by himself, therefore,
like the Romans before him, Charlemagne created a central government
(bureaucracy).
 Charlemagne appointed counts to act as local officials. These men:
●
solved local problems; stopped feuds; protected the weak; and
raised armies for the Emperor of the Romans.
The Fall of the Frankish Empire
● Internal Disorder:
o Emperor Charlemagne died in 814 C.E. Following his death, he was replaced
by his son, Louis the Pious. After Louis died, his three sons fought for control
of the Frankish Empire.
o In 843 C.E., the Frankish Empire was officially divided between the three
brothers, thus ended in the Frankish Empire.
 Charles the Bald: France
 Louis the German: Germany
 Lothair (Roman Emperor): Central Europe & Italy.
● External Threats: The Frankish Empire also fell victim to external threats from
invading peoples.
 The Muslims conquered southern Italy and the Western Mediterranean.
 The Slavs invaded central Europe; the Magyars invaded Eastern Europe;
and the Vikings invaded various kingdoms of Europe.
The Fall of the Frankish Empire
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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The Vikings
The Vikings
● The Vikings:
o A group of Nordish peoples from Scandinavia (present day Sweden, Denmark,
and Norway).
o The Vikings were warriors, in the 800s C.E., they left Scandinavia and began
raiding western Europe and creating a period of chaos that would continue
until the 900s C.E.
● A Seafaring People:
o The Vikings traveled in long boats.
o These boats were deckless, propelled by long oars; built well enough to cross
the Atlantic Ocean; shallow enough to navigate European rivers; light enough
to be carried - they were perfect boats.
o The Vikings used the sea for trade and exploration. Vikings established
colonies in Greenland, Iceland, England, France, Ukraine, and Russia.
o The Vikings also discovered North America before Christopher Columbus.
The Vikings
The Vikings
● Viking Culture:
o The Vikings were a polytheistic people, they worshipped many gods.
o The Vikings collected myths regarding their gods in a collection of written
poems known as the Eddas.
The Vikings
● The Effects of Viking Raids and Chaos:
o Western Europeans suffered greatly at the hands of the Vikings.
o The Vikings raided western European villages; stole anything they could
carry; burned everything they could not; and killed anyone who stood in their
way. The Vikings were known for carrying out surprise attacks.
o The Vikings changed the social and political structures of western Europe.
Due to their raids, pillaging, and terror, western Europeans began to live in
isolated communities. The power of monarchs decreased, as well as trade in
western Europe. Many parts of Europe faced economic collapse. As royal
power decreased, and the central government once established by the
Frankish kings vanished, local officials and nobles began to govern small
European communities and villages.
o In the 900s C.E., new political and social structures were created to help
bring stability to western Europe.
The Vikings
The Vikings
The Vikings
The Vikings
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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Medieval Life
Medieval Life
● With the fall of the Frankish Empire, and the chaos created by Vikings and other
invading peoples, centralized government in Europe vanished.
● In its place, a new system was created - Feudalism.
● What is Feudalism?
o “A highly decentralized form of government that stresses alliances of mutual
protection between monarchs and nobles of varying degrees of power”
(Farah & Karls 298).
● How did Feudalism work?
o A monarch or powerful lord would give land (a fief) to a noble (vassal); In
exchange for the land (the fief), the noble (vassal) would have to provide the
monarch with loyalty and military assistance (knights).
o With the land, the noble (vassal) also received many powers (the power to
raise armies, mint coins, and to enforce the law), while also gaining a
community of peasants to farm the land.
Medieval Life
●
Important Feudal Terms:
o Feudalism: A social, political, and economic system that dominated all aspects of
medieval European life.
o Noble: An individual who has power and authority, such as a person who ruled over a
large area of land in the Middle Ages.
o Lord: An individual who has power and authority, such as a person who ruled over a
large area of land in the Middle Ages.
o Vassal: a noble or lord who received protection and land from a lord in return for
loyalty and service.
o Fief: An area of land given to a person to farm in exchange for certain obligations.
o Knight: A soldier who had a high social rank and who fought while riding a horse and
usually wearing armor
o Homage: Formal ceremony establishing feudal ties between a lord and a vassal.
o Serf: A person who belonged to a low social class and who lived and worked on land
owned by another person (lord).
Medieval Life: The System of Feudalism
Monarch/Powerful Lord
Vassal/Lower-Ranking Lord
● Would grant a fief to a lowerranking vassal.
o The fief would provide that
vassal with land (an estate),
and peasants.
o From this gift, the vassal would
be able to buy military supplies
and weapons to use in
defending the
monarch/powerful lord.
● In exchange for a fief, the vassal
would pledge their loyalty to the
monarch/powerful lord.
o The vassal would provide
military assistance (in the form
of knights) to the
monarch/powerful lord.
o The vassal would perform other
duties for the
monarch/powerful lord.
Medieval Life
● Castles:
o To protect their serfs
(peasants) from the
constant warfare that
characterized medieval
life, nobles (lords) began
constructing castles.
o Castles contained various
buildings and fortifications
that could protect medieval
communities during times
of danger.
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
● Medieval Society could be divided into two separate groups: Nobility & Peasants.
● The Nobility:
o Includes monarchs, lords, ladies, vassals, & knights.
o The Lord (nobleman):
 Had total authority over his estate (land).
 Would collect rents from peasants.
 Settle disputes between vassals.
 Protect his land; peasants; and estate.
o The Lady (noblewoman):
 Did not have any rights.
 Her husband was chosen by her father.
 Primary Responsibilities: Caring for children; taking care of the
household; supervise the estate in the lord’s absence.
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
● The Nobility (continued):
o Knights:
 A nobleman’s son would begin training to become a knight at the age of
seven.
 A nobleman’s son would serve in several positions before actually
becoming a knight, including as a page and squire.
 Once they became a knight, they would have to follow a strict code
known as chivalry.
●
Chivalry stated that knights must be brave in battle; fight fairly;
keep promises; defend the Church; treat women of noble birth with
courtesy.
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
● The Peasants:
o Peasants were members of the lowest class of society. They were poor,
performed difficult work, and had few rights.
o Life as a peasant in medieval Europe was very challenging and difficult.
o Few peasants ever lived beyond the age of 40.
 Peasants died at young ages due to famine, diseases, and warfare.
o Peasants lived in small one room homes. These homes had dirt floors and
very little furniture.
o Peasant diets were limited to bread, vegetables, and grain.
o Peasants were known as serfs. They were “bound to the manor and could
not leave it without permission” (Farah & Karls, 302).
o Serfs were not slaves, they could not be sold by their lord. However, they
were expected to spend their entire lives at the manor.
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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Medieval Society: The Manorial System
Medieval Society: The Manorial System
● What was the Manorial System?
o The Manorial System: “Medieval economic system linking nobles and the
peasants on their land” (Farah & Karls, 1036).
o When Rome fell, most peasants could not afford to own their own land.
Therefore, they began working the land of the nobility - the Manor.
o The manor was the term used the describe a nobleman’s estate (land). A
manor would include:
 Several hundred to several thousand acres of land.
 the manor house (lord’s house)
 Livestock pastures
 Fields for crops
 Forest areas
 A village where the peasants lived
 A church
Medieval Society: The Manorial System
Medieval Society: The Manorial System
● Like feudalism, manorialism was a system of mutual obligations between the lord
and the peasants.
● The lord would provide a peasant with protection from the chaos that
characterized medieval Europe (from vikings and other invaders).
● In return, the peasant would have to:
o Farm the lord’s fields
o Raise and care for livestock
o Make various payments on goods
o Provide labor on the manor (building and/or repairing roads and bridges)
● Due to the chaos of the era, trade did not occur in western Europe. Therefore,
the manors became self-sufficient communities. The manor had farmers,
artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, textile producers, etc - Everything
that an individual needed to survive and live.
Medieval Society: Nobles & Peasants
● An Important Quote on medieval society:
o “In practice . . . society was viewed as a hierarchy with ranked
leaders from top to bottom. Each person-no matter what his or her
place might be in the hierarchy-had certain duties that were
attached to his or her position in life. In general, the people did not
question their standing or obligations. Although the manorial
system seemed to lack freedom and opportunity for most of the
people involved in it, it did create a very stable and secure way of
life during a time that was generally violent and uncertain” (Farah &
Karls, 302).
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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The Medieval Church
The Medieval Church
● During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church became the dominant political,
social, economic, and spiritual institution in western Europe.
● The Catholic Church was led by the pope, also known as the bishop of Rome.
The pope was the most powerful political leader in western Europe during the
Middle Ages.
● Religious Role:
o The Catholic Church taught all people in the Middle Ages that they were
sinners, and dependent upon the Catholic Church for salvation.
o Catholics had to follow church sacraments in order to live a life that would
allow them to go to heaven.
o Since most Catholics were not able read or write, they learned about
Christianity from church statues, paintings, and stained glass windows.
o The Catholic Church provided people living in medieval Europe with ethical
and moral guidelines and teachings.
The Medieval Church
The Medieval Church
The Medieval Church
● Monasteries, Monks, and Medieval Learning:
o Monks and nuns were members of the Catholic Church who lived “apart”
from society.
o Monks and nuns followed a strict code of conduct, never married, could not
own possessions, and had to follow monastic laws.
o Monks and nuns played a very important role in medieval social and
intellectual life.
 Monks and nuns preserved ancient religious works and classical writings
by copying books by hand.
 Monasteries (monks) and convents (nuns) provided many social programs
for medieval European society, including:
●
schools; hospitals; and housing and food for the poor.
 Missionary Work: In 597 C.E., Pope Gregory I sent monks to non-Catholic
lands (England, Germany, Ireland) to successfully spread to Christianity.
The Medieval Church
The Medieval Church
● The Catholic Churches’ non-Religious Roles in Medieval Europe:
o Government & Law:
 The Catholic Pope was the most powerful leader in medieval Europe, all
kings & queens were under his authority.
 The Catholic Church had its own law code, known as canon law, which
was enforced by church courts.
●
The church could prevent people or individuals from receiving the
sacraments, or excommunicate them from the church.
The Medieval Church
The Medieval Church
● Anti-Semitism in medieval Europe
o In the early Middle Ages, Jews and Christians lived as neighbors, and worked
together to survive the difficulties and chaos of the era.
o However, by the 1000s C.E., Christians began to blame Jews for problems in
society, including plagues, famines, and other social problems.
o In result, thousands of Jews were killed by Christian mobs who believed Jews
were evil.
o Many church leaders, who blamed Jews for the death of Jesus Christ, were also
angered by the refusal of Jews to convert Christianity. Working together with
political leaders, the church approved the following measures taken against Jews:
 Jews were forced to wear badges that identified them as Jews.
 Jews were forced to live in separate communities, known as ghettos, and lost
the right to own land and practice certain trades.
 By the 1200s C.E., Jews were forced to leave England, France, and central
Europe, and live in eastern European countries, such as Poland.
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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The Rise of European Monarchy
The Rise of European Monarchy
● After the fall of the Frankish Empire (843 C.E.), kings in Western Europe
gradually lost their lands and political power to their nobles.
● However, during the 1100s C.E., a revival of monarchical power spread
throughout western Europe.
Royal Power in England
The Rise of European Monarchy
● England:
o The Kingdom of England (the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom) was created in 886 C.E. by
King Alfred of Wessex, also known as Alfred the Great.
o Under the Anglo-Saxons kings, a revival of learning occurred throughout England,
English kings created schools and had scholars translate books from Latin to
Anglo-Saxon.
 The last Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, died in 1066 C.E., and the
English throne was fought over by three different claimants.
o In 1066, William, the Duke of Normandy, invaded England from northwestern
France, defeated the Anglo-Saxon claimant to the throne, and won the English
crown - William the Conqueror.
 William created a strong centralized government.
 Made all nobles swear an oath of allegiance to him.
 Created a council of nobles to advise him, and appointed tax collectors,
known as sheriffs, to collect taxes for his government.
The Rise of European Monarchy
England - Characteristics of English Royal Power:
● Common Law:
o King Henry II created a common law system in England. Traveling judges enforced the
law, and all Englishmen were subject to the law, regardless of social ranking. Under
Henry II, the jury system was created to determine if a individual was innocent or
guilty.
● The Magna Carta (1215):
o In 1199 C.E., King John I became the King of England. However, John was a bad
monarch, he increased taxes and punished his enemies without trial.
o In response, the English nobles forced John to sign a document known as the Magna
Carta. The Magna Carta limited the powers of English monarchs:
 The English king was not allowed to collect taxes without the consent of the
Great Council.
 All Englishmen were guaranteed the right of trial by jury, the king could not
punish an English subject without a trial.
 The Magna Carta guaranteed the rights (legal rights) of all English people.
The Rise of European Monarchy
The Rise of European Monarchy
England - Characteristics of English Royal Power (continued):
● The English Parliament:
o During the reign of Henry III, the Great Council of England became known as the
Parliament.
o The Parliament was a government body composed of representatives of the English
upper and middle classes, divided into two separate chambers:
 House of Lords: Clergy and nobles.
 House of Commoners: Knights and burgesses (important townspeople).
o The Parliament advised the English monarch; submitted petitions to the monarch;
advised the king on business matters; and met frequently to discuss English
government.
● By 1400 C.E., England had developed a unique model of royal power.
o The English king did have power over his kingdom, but he was prevented from abusing
his power by the actions of English nobles.
o The establishment of common law, the Magna Carta, and the English Parliament
created representative government in England, in which the king shared power with
The Rise of European Monarchy
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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Royal Power in France
The Rise of European Monarchy
● France:
o France developed a strong central government during the Middle Ages. The
French monarchy had a very different model of royal power than we have studied
in England.
o In 987 C.E., Hugh Capet became the first Capetian King of France.
o By the 1100s C.E., the Capetian kings had centralized royal power, while bringing
all French nobles under the control of the monarchy.
o During the 1100s C.E., King Louis VI stripped the nobility of their power by giving
the clergy and townspeople of France positions in the French court. He also
allowed the French towns to practice self-government, ending feudalism in
France.
o From 1180 to 1223 C.E., France was ruled by King Philip Augustus. Philip Augustus
doubled the size of France. He also further weakened the power of the nobility
by creating a royal army, and giving government positions to local officials who
were loyal to him, not the nobles.
The Rise of European Monarchy
The Rise of European Monarchy
France (continued):
● In 1226 C.E., Philip Augustus’ grandson, Louis IX became the King of France. King Louis IX
further weakened the power of the French nobility. King Louis IX:
o Stated that only the King of France had the power to mint coins.
o Royal courts were superior to feudal courts.
o Banned the right to bear arms.
o Banned private warfare between nobles.
● King Philip IV was the first French monarch to challenge the authority of the Catholic Pope.
Philip IV started taxing the Catholic clergy to pay for France’s wars. Pope Boniface VIII
protested Philip’s actions, but he could not force the French monarch to repeal the taxes.
● In 1314 C.E., the Estates General was formed in France. The Estates General was a
governing body - similar to the English Parliament - composed of French clergy, nobles, and
townspeople. However, the Estates General never gained the power held by the English
Parliament. Until 1789 C.E., the French monarchs would control all power in France.
The Rise of European Monarchy
The Rise of European Monarchy
●
France - Characteristics of French Royal Power:
o The French kings were able to remove all political power from the French nobility by
stripping them of their rights, and destroying all characteristics of feudalism in France.
o The French kings granted government positions to members of French society who
were loyal to them, rather than their feudal lords.
o The French kings did create a representative government body similar to the English
Parliament, however, this body - The Estates General - were never able to limit the
power of the French monarchy.
o Royal power in France was unique and different than royal power in England. In
France, the monarchy held absolute power over all subjects, including the nobility.
o The French monarchs created a strong central government, in which all power over
government and law was controlled by one person - the King of France.
Summary
Who: _______________________________________
What: ______________________________________
When: ______________________________________
Where: _____________________________________
How/Why: __________________________________
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