Download A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe

A New Civilization Emerges in
Western Europe
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• During the Middle Ages, land was the most
important source of wealth and power.
• Wealthy aristocrats created estates (called
“manors”) which became the center of
political, economic, and social life for most
Europeans.
• A typical manor consisted of arable fields,
vineyards, meadows where animals could
graze, and woodland, all scattered about
the countryside rather than in a compact
unit.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• All peasants owed dues or services to
their manor’s lord.
• Peasant men spent most of their time
working in the fields; women were often
found at the lord’s house where they
wove cloth and sewed garments, or
served as cooks or kitchen/domestic help.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Manorialism: Power and prestige of the
noble class based on land (the fief), which
supported the lord, his family, and his
soldiers.
• Landed estates were organized as
manors; each a self-supporting economic
unit; the lord provided the land and
protection; the serfs provided the labor.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Gray - Woodlands; the building
blocks of the manor;
• Green - The 3 Fields; crops were
rotated each season on land owned
by the Lord and worked by the serfs;
• Purple - The Lord's house, land and
pond;
• Burnt Orange - The villager's homes;
• Yellow - Small plots of land serfs
could work themselves for their own
benefit;
• Blue - the stream used by all.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Serfs (peasants) were bound to the land; they
could not be bought or sold individually; they
were passed onto new owners when the land
changed hands (ie through inheritance).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• A serf's life was difficult and usually short.
• A serf usually lived out his entire life without
leaving the manor (village) where he was
born.
• He owed his lord labor on the lord's land; he
paid the lord in kind to have his wheat ground,
his bread baked, and his grapes pressed.
• He owed his lord labor on roads and
buildings.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• A serf could not leave the manor without his
lord’s permission; and his marriage might
be arranged by his lord.
• In return, the serf had the right to live on the
manor and to farm his strips of land.
• A certain degree of security and order
governed the serf's existence.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Medieval farming methods were primitive;
the yield was low.
• By the 9th century, the three-field system
was used, with one field planted in the
autumn, one in the spring, and one fallow.
• In the autumn: winter wheat or rye.
• In the spring: oats, beans, or barley.
• Third field left fallow.
• This replaced the two-field system (which
kept ½ the land fallow).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Cultivated fields were
farmed in strips,
largely because of
the turning radius of
the heavy plow (the
moldboard).
• The moldboard
required 2 to 4 oxen
to pull so it led to
cooperative farming.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Horsepower replaced oxen (widespread
by 12th century)– a horse could work for
more hours a day and moved 50% faster.
• Oats were grown for the horses (oxen can
work on grass alone).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• When the horse collar was developed
(8th-9th century), it allowed a horse to pull
4 or 5 times more weight than an ox.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• By the 11th
century, iron
horseshoes had
been developed
enabling horses to
work in wet fields.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• During the 11th century, an agricultural
revolution swept northern Europe:
• Four factors allowed it to happen:
• 1. the end of the wave of raids (Viking, Muslims, etc)
that swept Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries;
• 2. the clearing and cultivation of new land and the
spread of the three-field rotation system;
• 3. technological innovations like the moldboard plow
and the horse collar;
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• 4. and the use of wind & water mills for power.
• Water mills had been around since Roman times, but
rarely used through the 5th century…they gained in
popularity during the 8-9th centuries.
• Wind mills (12th century) used where land was flat or
streams froze in winter.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The results: a dramatic increase in the
supply of food in western Europe leading to a
dramatic population growth.
• This led to a revival of trade and the rebirth of
towns (the medieval urban revolution).
• Economic prosperity produced an energy that
drove Medieval Europeans to make
numerous political, economic, social, and
intellectual advances.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Medieval Revival of Trade: Two sorts of
commercial activity after 1050: 1. Local: surplus
grain and products from small industries sold in
local markets; and
• 2. long distance trade, especially in textiles, wine,
and luxury items.
• The Mediterranean reopened to Europeans after
Italians defeated Muslim raiders; Italian cities,
which took a leading role in the revival of
commercial activity, traded with the Byzantine
Empire.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Europeans wanted silks, spices, and other
luxury items from the east; Venice, Genoa,
Milan, and Pisa became market centers.
• Elsewhere: trade developed between
Scandinavian cities and cities along the
Atlantic coastline (the Hanseatic League);
between England, northern France, and
Flanders; and along the rivers linking the
Baltic Sea with the Black Sea and
Constantinople.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The impact of such towns and their economic
and political activities was:
• 1). It introduced a new class, the bourgeoisie,
which had no place within the medieval
system of lord, church, and peasant; the
bourgeoisie were master artisans, merchants,
lawyers, and their families.
• Their world was governed by market
relationships; they believed in bettering their
lot in this world through individual initiative.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The affluent bourgeoisie began to demand a
role in government.
• 2). Merchant and craft guilds developed
(organizations of local artisans and
businessmen).
• Their purpose was to control, protect, and
promote specific economic activities by
ensuring a stable market, quality, and prices
(the “just price”).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Guilds also controlled
admission to specific
crafts by establishing
a complex series of
steps-apprenticeship,
journeyman, and
master--through
which an aspirant had
to go.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Merchants established international trading
groups like the 13th-century Hanseatic
League which connected London, Bruges,
Novgorod, Danzig, and Bergen.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• 3) In cities the bourgeoisie developed
concepts of self-government and freedom
from the feudal system.
• Many cities gained charters either by fighting
or by purchase which granted them selfgovernment, individual freedom, an exemption
from manorial obligations, urban rather than
feudal justice, and commercial privileges.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Serfs often fled their
manors, finding refuge in
cities.
• In cities religious and
intellectual life flourished;
their wealth made
possible the building of
great universities and
cathedrals of the High
Middle Ages.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Results: Trade expansion made necessary
the creation of new forms of business
organization (partnerships); a money
economy; and a money-changing or
banking system.
• Trade stimulated the development of trade
fairs.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Medieval trade revival laid foundations for
the development of a modern market
economy which eventually evolved into
capitalism.
• This greater commercial activity also
stimulated the growth of towns which in
turn stimulated even greater economic
growth.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Medieval Urban Revolution: Urban life
declined significantly after the fall of Rome,
as western Europe fragmented,
decentralized, and became increasingly rural.
• Urban life began to revive during the 11th
century.
• Why? Increased food supply produced by
the Medieval agricultural revolution which led
to population growth which led to the revival
and expansion of trade.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Where? Towns either revived or were founded
where merchants gathered: along communication
links like seacoasts, rivers, and roads; near places
of security like castles; or where fairs were
sponsored, like monasteries.
• Some medieval towns (Paris [150,000], London
[40,000], or Florence [100,000]) were Roman in
origin; others newly built.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Political issues: Barbarian Germans like the first
Frankish king Clovis (481-511) sought to create
monarchies.
• Struggling monarchies fought each other for
domination, and began to establish the basis for
the nations of modern Europe.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Church undertook a major effort to
convert barbarians like Clovis (496).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The conversions of Clovis (and other
barbarian warrior chieftains) caused the
Church to assert that their spiritual authority
was superior to political authority.
• The Church set up monasteries (mostly
Benedictine) which helped spread Christian
values and create a religious focus, preserve
some learning and literacy, and improve land
cultivation.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Gregorian chants,
named after Pope
Gregory I (590-604) also
developed.
• Believed to be created
during the Carolingian
period, the chants
originally were a
combination of Latin and
Frankish chants of
psalms and prayers.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Carolingian Period, ca 714-987
• The Carolingians are important in Frankish
(French) history from 714 (Charles Martel)
to 987 (the coronation of Hugh Capet).
• By 750, institutions & culture of the
Germanic/Frankish lands were still taking
shape; then there was a revival for about a
century (under Charlemagne).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Under Charles Martel (“Charles the
Hammer”), the Franks halted a Muslim
advance into France at the Battle of Tours (or
Poitiers, 732).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charles Martel (with axe) at the Battle of
Tours.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Close ties between the Frankish Monarchy
and the Church were important because the
Church (and Pope) needed a military
protector (like the Carolingians) and the
Carolingians wanted to use Christianity to
justify their claims to the throne and unify the
Franks.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne was a natural
leader and a man of great
energy.
• He could read and speak Latin,
but he couldn’t write it.
• He transformed the Frankish
kingdom into a great empire
and he then presided over a
remarkable cultural flowering
(the Carolingian Renaissance).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne enjoyed
great success as a
military leader, as he
successfully conquered
the Lombards in
northern Italy, the
Saxons in Germany, the
Muslims in northern
Spain, not to mention
numerous other
peoples.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• He was returning from an expedition in Spain
in 778 when the Basques ambushed and
wiped out his rear guard.
• This incident became the subject of the
famous epic poem The Song of Roland.
• In the poem, however, the ambushers were
the Moors, (the Muslims) who ruled Spain.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• By about 800, he had created the largest
state in Europe after the fall of Rome.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Within his kingdom, Charlemagne
provided good government.
• Royal commands were usually issued
after consultations with the great nobles
and the clergy.
• These commands were carried out by
missi dominici, royal officials who served
as representatives of the king and who
prevented abuses by local officials.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne was a genuinely religious
man who believed that God made kings
responsible for the Church.
• He encouraged missionary work,
converting the Saxons by the sword when
necessary.
• He enhanced the prestige of the papacy
by advocating reform of the Church under
papal guidance.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Pope Leo III crowned
Charlemagne
Emperor in Saint
Peter's Basilica on
Christmas Day, 800;
some historians see
this coronation as the
beginning of the Holy
Roman Empire, which,
in various forms, will
exist until 1806.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Under Charlemagne, there
was a remarkable cultural
flowering that received royal
support.
• This is Charlemagne’s
Cathedral at his capital city
Aachen (Aix-la
Chapelle),Germany.
• It was built in 786 and when
finished, it had the largest
dome north of the Alps .
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne also improved education
and culture by establishing a school at his
palace in Aachen.
• The Palace School at Aachen attracted
the best teachers and students in Europe
so Aachen became a great cultural center.
• It educated clergymen, strengthening the
church, and trained teachers for schools
throughout the empire.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Scriptoria at
Aachen produced
books in a new and
clear script, Carolingian
miniscule, which later
became the basis for
modern script and
typefaces.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne’s empire did not survive for
long after his death.
• The Empire itself was never truly unified; it
contained ethnically and linguistically diverse
peoples.
• It was threatened by enemies on all its
frontiers (Muslims to the south; Slavs and
Magyars to the east; Vikings and Norsemen
to the north).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charlemagne's heirs were not
outstanding; his son, Louis the Pious, was
indecisive, and he divided the empire into
thirds, giving each of his sons a kingdom.
• He made the eldest grandson, Lothair,
emperor and gave him vague authority
over the others.
• Not unexpectedly, civil war resulted.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Charles the Bald ruled the West Franks
[France], Louis the German ruled the East
Franks [Germany], and Lothair ruled the
central lands.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• To a certain extent, the history of Western
Europe from the 10th to the middle of the
20th centuries has been dominated by the
struggle between the descendants of
these groups over the old Frankish Middle
Kingdom.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• By the 10th century, many peasants lived in
rural villages and began to develop a sense of
community with the church as the focal point
for local activity.
• Villagers often shared oxen, horses, and they
often had a sense of common purpose.
• The status of peasants varied from region to
region, and some had to work the land on
more than one estate, owing service to more
than one lord.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Warriors were
differentiated by rank
(king, duke, count at the
top; ordinary knights
below), yet all shared a
common way of life.
• Knights and their lords
fought on horseback
wearing metal armor and
helmets.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• This armament and the adoption of
horseshoes and stirrups created a military
revolution because they allowed knights to
fight better, travel farther, and use heavier
weapons than ever before.
• Lords, and their vassals, often lived, ate,
hunted, and fought together.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Rise of National Monarchies, 10501300: two themes dominate the political life
of the High Middle Ages:
• 1) The successful development of national
monarchies in England and France, with
medieval England laying the foundations for
a parliamentary monarchy and France
establishing the basis for absolutism.
• 2) The failure to develop strong national
monarchies in Germany and Italy.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Holy Roman Empire (the Germanies):
• The Holy Roman Empire in 1050 was the
most centralized and best governed territory
in Europe.
• By 1300, its central government had lost its
power and the Empire had fragmented into a
large number of warring states.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Nevertheless, there was no central
government and the real power was in the
hands of dukes and other nobles who
elected their king.
• The resulting power vacuum lasted until
1871, when modern Germany was
created; and it is this Germany that helped
bring about two world wars and was from
1945-1990 a divided country.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• One of the biggest problems the facing the
emperor of the HRE (and one of the great
struggles of the Middle Ages) was control over
the Church.
• Believing the well-being of the Church
depended on them, German kings claimed the
right to appoint bishops, even the pope, and to
“invest” them with their office through a
special ceremony.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The result of
investiture was a
bitter dispute
between the Church
and the Holy Roman
Emperor (it came to a
head under Henry IV
1056-1106).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Investiture Controversy reached its
peak between Pope Gregory VII and
Henry IV, the Pope banned investiture and
threatened Henry with ex-communication.
• Henry tried to depose the Pope, who
promptly excommunicated him and
released his subjects from any allegiance
to the emperor.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Henry's lords
rebelled and forced
him to make peace.
• The Emperor lost
the right to appoint
bishops while
retaining the right to
grant them land and
secular political
power.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Church won the Investiture struggle,
and in doing so it weakened the Holy
Roman Empire.
• This resulted in political de-centralization of
Germany.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• England, in contrast to the HRE, saw the
beginnings of parliamentary government in
the 13th century.
• In France, absolutism began to take root.
• Medieval England: In 1066, William, Duke
of Normandy (William the Conqueror),
invaded England and defeated the Saxons
at the Battle of Hastings.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Opening Scene from the Bayeux
Tapestry.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The king coined money, supervised
justice, and built castles.
• Local government was dependent
upon the kings; and the Domesday
Book (1086), a land survey, compiled
for tax levies.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• William centralized
power: all lands
(fiefs) were held
directly or indirectly
from the king; a
personal oath of
loyalty made each
lord the vassal of
the king.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Over time, Norman and Anglo-Saxon
cultures blended, producing a uniquely
English culture.
• Henry II (r. 1154-1189) allowed feudal
nobles to avoid military service by paying
the king.
• Henry used the money to hire mercenaries
loyal to himself.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• Henry struggled for control of the
English church with Thomas a
Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Becket was murdered, perhaps on
the orders of Henry, and Henry had to
back down before the Church.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• But futile efforts to
hold on to
possessions in
France weakened
English kings,
beginning with the
unpopular John I
(1190-1216).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• To fight wars in France, wars which he
frequently lost, John needed money, and
this weakness gave the great barons the
opportunity to force him to sign the Magna
Carta (1215).
• It asserted that the king was subject to the
law of the realm and that he had respect
such feudal customs as taxation only with
the consent of the great lords.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Magna Carta also stated that an
accused person had the right to a trial by a
jury of his peers.
• Originally, the Magna Carta applied only to
the lords, but over the years the rights
listed were extended to all Englishmen.
• In this manner, limits on the power of the
English king was established.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The signing of the Magna Carta (1215).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Magna Carta (1215).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Magna Carta led to the development of
English parliamentary government.
• Origins were Anglo-Saxon: the king had to
consult powerful nobles and officials.
(Arthurian legends).
• William the Conqueror had consulted a Great
Council.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• During the reign of Henry III (son of John r.
1216-1272), nobles rebelled and seized the
English crown.
• Representatives were called of the gentry (two
knights from each shire) and middle classes
(two burgesses from each town) to meet with
the great lords and clergy of the Great
Council. The first parliament was in 1264.
• The rebellion was crushed, but the practice of
calling this representative body continued.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Model Parliament (1295) was enacted,
which each county and town sent two
representatives to advise the king and to
vote on taxes.
• In time, Parliament divided into Houses of
Lords and Commons, and it used the
power of granting taxes to win the right to
pass laws.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• In France, the Capetian
Dynasty (r. 987-1328)
arose after the fall of the
Carolingians.
• Named after Hugh Capet,
the Count of Paris, he
was elected king by the
most powerful nobles.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• The Capetians set the French monarchy
on the path to absolutism (concentration of
all power in the hands of the king).
• The Capetians were able to conquer most
of the land held in France by the English
(which was a major problem for the
French nobility).
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• English kings claimed the French territories
of Normandy, Brittany, Maine, Anjou, Poitou,
Aquitaine, and Gascony.
• Under the Capetians, John of England was
defeated which added large tracts of land to
the royal holdings;
• They provided effective government and
fairly efficient tax collection;
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• They began building Notre Dame Cathedral
in Paris.
• The Capetians also helped found the
University of Paris.
A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe
• No parliament developed in France; the
Estates General (made up of clergy,
nobles, and bourgeoisie) lacked power and
it met infrequently.
• Since French kings could establish taxes
without calling the Estates General, they
tended to ignore it.
• By the end of the Middle Ages, France had
become an absolute monarchy.