Download World History

The High Middle Ages





During the Middle Ages monarchs struggled to
exert royal authority over nobles and clergy and
slowly built the framework for the European
nation states of today
Feudal monarchs of Europe stood at the head of
society but had limited power
While they ruled their domains they relied on
vassals for military power
Nobles and the Church often had more power
than monarchs. They had their own courts,
collected taxes and had their own armies
Monarchs strengthened ties with middle class
who in turn supported the kings








In England rulers generally kept their kingdoms united
In 1066 King Edward died without an heir so a council
chose his brother in law Harold to rule
But William of Normandy also claimed the English
throne.
They answered this dispute on the battle field
Duke William raised an army and won support of the
pope
At the Battle of Hastings William defeated Harold on
Christmas Day 1066
William the Conqueror assumes the crown of England
Over the next 300 years we have a blending of Norman
and French and Anglo Saxon customs, languages and
traditions








William maintains tight control over his new lands
He granted fiefs to the Church and his Norman lords
He required vassals to swear first allegiances to him
not lords
To learn about his new kingdom he had a census taken
in 1086
The results were put into the Doomsday Book
The Doomsday Book contained a listing of every kind
of property in England. It was the final judgment that
no one could escape
The information helped William and later monarchs
build an efficient tax system
William’s successors continued to increase royal
authority by creating the royal exchequer or treasury to
collect taxes, fees, fines and other dues




In 1154 Henry the II inherited the English throne
He broadened royal justice by accepting customs into
new written laws.
He established traveling royal courts that became the
foundation of English common law or legal system
based on customs and court rulings. Because royal
courts charged fees the exchequer benefited too
Developed early Jury System a group of men who
were traveling justices visiting an area to determine if
the cases should be brought to trial. These juries
were the ancestors of today’s Grand Jury. Later juries
were composed of 12 neighbors of the accused, this
became the ancestor of today’s trial jury








Henry’s attempts to extend royal power to disputes
within the Church
Henry claimed the right to try clergy in royal courts
Thomas Beckett, the archbishop of Canterbury and one
time close friend opposed Henry’s move
When Henry exploded in anger one night his knights
murdered Beckett in 1170 in his own cathedral
To make peace with the Church he eased attempts to
regulate the clergy
Becket was declared a saint
English rulers repeatedly clash with nobles and the
Church
Most battles were about monarchs efforts to raise
taxes or impose royal authority over traditional feudal
rights





Henry’s son John faced three powerful enemies
1. King Philip of France
2. Pope Innocent
3. His own English nobles
In 1205 John suffered a set back when he lost the war
thus losing vast lands in France
John battled Pope Innocent over the pope’s rejecting
John’s selection for new archbishop of Canterbury
The pope responded by excommunication him an
placing England under the interdict
To same himself and his crown, John accepted England
as a fief of the papacy and paid yearly fees to Rome






Finally John angered his own nobles with oppressive taxes
and other abuses of power
In 1215 a group of rebellious barons cornered John and
forced him to sign the Magna Carta or Great Charter which
included
protection of their privileges
recognition of the legal rights of town’s people and the
church
protects every freeman from arbitrary arrest, imprisonment
and other legal actions except by legal judgment of his
peers or law of the land. This was called the” Due Process”
King would not raise new taxes without the consent of his
Great Council of lords and clergy
The most important parts of Magna Carta:
1. It gave nobles and then later all English citizens rights
2. The monarch must obey the law







In keeping with the Magna Carta, rulers often called on the
Great Council for advice
During the 1200’s this body evolved into Parliament
In 1295 Edward I summoned the Parliament to approve
money for wars with France
He had representatives of the “Common People” to join the
lords and clergy
Much later the assembly became known as the Model
Parliament because it set the framework for England’s
legislature
In time Parliament developed a two house legislature with
the House of Lords with the nobles and high clergy and the
House of Commons with knights and townspeople
Later, English monarchs would summon Parliament for their
own purposes since Parliament had the power of the purse,
this could check or limit the power of the monarch





Monarchs in France did not rule over a unified kingdom
They had little power over the French territories ruled by
great feudal nobles
In 987, feudal nobles elected Hugh Capet to fill the vacant
throne
He and his heirs slowly increased royal power
1st: they made the throne Hereditary passing from father
to son
2nd: they added to their lands by playing rival nobles
against each other and won support from the Church
3rd: They built an effective bureaucracy, collected taxes
and imposed royal law over the kings domain
by establishing order they added to their prestige and
gained the support of the middle class








Philip II strengthened the royal government by
Instead of appointing nobles to government
positions he used paid middle class officials who
owed their loyalty to him
He granted charters to many new towns
He organized a standing army
He introduced a new national tax
He quadruped royal land holdings by
He began taking over southern France
Before his death in 1223, he became the most
powerful ruler in Europe




Ascended to the throne in 1226 and was one of
the most admired rulers who was declared a
Saint 30 years after his death
When it came to religion, he was deeply religious
man who persecuted Jews, and heretics, and led
thousands of knights into wars against Muslims
He improved government by sending out officials
to check on the local officials, expanding royal
courts, outlawing private wars, and ended
serfdom on his lands, even heard cases to ensure
justice
When he died France had an efficient centralized
monarchy






Louis’ grandson, Philip IV the Fair, ruthlessly extended
royal power
To raise money he tried to collect new taxes from the
clergy, causing clashes with the pope
Pope Boniface VIII forbade him to tax the clergy
without consent
Philip IV countered by threatening to arrest any clergy
who did not pay up
Finally Philip sent troops to capture Boniface but the
pope escaped but did die shortly there after fro his
beatings
Shortly after a Frenchman was elected the pope and
moved the papal court to Avignon in southern France ,
thus ensuring future French rulers would control
religion within France



Philip rallied French support by setting up the
Estates General in 1302
This body had representatives from all three
estates or classes: Clergy, Nobles and everyone
else
Estates General does not develop like the English
Parliament, never gaining the power of the purse or
balancing royal treasury





1066 Norman Conquest: William of Normandy
defeats Anglo Saxons (Harold) at Hastings
1086 Doomsday Book: William I uses this survey as
a basis for taxation
1060-1180’s Common Law: Henry II lays
foundation for English legal system
1215 Magna Carta: John signs this document
limiting royal power and extending rights
1295 Model Parliament: Edward I summons
Parliament, which includes representatives of
common people












With monarchs trying to advance their power, conflicts between
monarchs and Church officials erupted
In 936 Otto I of Saxony took the title King of Germany
He worked closely with the church by
He appointed bishops to top government jobs
Took army to Italy to help Pope defeat rebellious Roman nobles
The pope crowned Otto emperor
Otto’s successors took the title Holy Roman Emperor
Holy because they were crowned by the pope
Roman because they saw themselves as heirs to emperors of
ancient Rome
German emperors claimed authority over much of central and
eastern Europe and parts of France and Italy
The real rulers were the emperor’s vassals
Another problem was conflicts with the Popes over appointment
of Church officials. Emperors often decided who would become
bishops and abbots in their realm but with the Cluny Reforms the
pope’s tried to end ruler’s selecting them




Pope Gregory VII was one of the greatest and most
controversial of the medieval popes
Gregory was determined to make the Church
independent of secular rulers
He banned the practice of lay investiture, the
creation of bishops by anyone who is not a
member of the clergy with presentation of a ring
and staff symbols of office
Only the pope had the right to appoint and install
bishops in office






Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV argued that bishops
held their lands as royal fiefs and as such he was
entitled to give them the symbol of office
The two men exchanged insulting letters
Meanwhile, rebellious German princes saw a chance to
undermine Henry by supporting the pope
In 1076 Gregory excommunicated Henry freeing his
subjects from their allegiance to the emperor
Faced with revolts, he was forced to make peace with
the pope. In January he crossed the Alps and
presented himself to the pope as a repentant sinner
Gregory had no choice but to forgive the confessed
sinner and lift the excommunication



The struggle over lay investiture went on for 50
years
Finally in 1122 both sides accepted a treaty known
as the Concordat of Worms which ends the
investiture problem
Both sides agreed that the Church had sole power
to elect and invest bishops with spiritual authority
and the emperor had the right to invest them with
fiefs






During the 1100’s and 1200’s ambitious nobles
sought to control Rome
German nobles grew more independent
The Holy Roman Empire survives but remained
fragmented into many states
Southern Italy and Sicily faced centuries of
upheaval, battles and chaos that leave it in ruins
Pope Innocent III claimed over all other rulers
Often clashing with rulers, he would threaten to
excommunicate the king and place his kingdom
under interdict








The Crusades were a series of wars that took part beginning in
1086 with Christians and Muslims battled for control of lands in
the Middle East
In 1050 Europe was emerging from a period of isolation while
other civilizations were thriving
Islam gives rise to a brilliant civilization that stretched from
Spain to India with its scholars spreading ideas and goods even
further
In India, there were thriving cities, beautiful temples/palaces
being built and mathematics and a number system that would be
passed to Europeans
China had a strong central government, culture and advances in
technology with paper, printing, gunpowder and use of coin and
paper money
West Africa had great empires
Mayans/Incas built great cities dominated by temples
The Byzantine empire was prosperous and united until the Seljuk
Turks invaded it in 1071





Motivation of
Crusaders:
Religious zeal
Hope to win wealth
and land
Escape troubles at
home
Search for adventure




Motives of the Pope:
Increase his power
Heal the schism or
split, between the east
and west churches
Hope knights would
fight the Muslims
instead of each other






The transformation of medieval society began with a
holy war over the city of Jerusalem
The Crusades were a series of military expeditions, 9
total, to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims
The city of Jerusalem was considered a holy city to
three faiths
Jews: the city was seen as holy because the city was
seen as Zion or God’s own city and site of the ancient
temple built by Solomon
Christians: city is holy because it was the place where
Jesus was crucified and resurrected
Muslims: Jerusalem was their third holiest city after
Mecca and Medina. Muhammad ascended to heaven
from Jerusalem







Only the First Crusade was successful for the Christians in
capturing Jerusalem in 1099. They massacred the Muslim
and Jewish residents there
The Crusades continued for over 200 years with crusaders
capturing lands and Muslims destroying them thus
prompting new crusades
By 1187 Jerusalem fell to the Muslims
After the third crusade Saladin did reopen Jerusalem to
Christian pilgrims
Europeans launched other crusades in North Africa, all were
defeated
During the Fourth Crusade Christian crusaders captured and
looted Constantinople
By 1291 Muslim armies captured the last Christian outpost
at the port city of Acre. The victors massacred the defeated
enemies, this time Christian





The Crusades left a bitter legacy of religious
hatred behind them
Both sides committed atrocities in the name
of religion
In Europe crusaders sometimes turned on the
Jews massacring entire communities
The Crusades failed to conquer the Holy Land
They quickened the pace of change in Europe







Prior to crusades Europeans had tasted the luxuries
from the Byzantine Empire
The Crusades
Increased Trade
Introduced fabrics, spices, foods, and perfumes
Merchants built fleets to carry crusaders then used
them for trade
Further encouraged the growth of a money
economy
Serfdom was undermined









The Crusades helped increase the power of Monarchs
Rulers won the right to levy or collect taxes to support
the crusades
For some rulers, the crusades added to their prestige
Crusades brought papal power to its height
Still had bitter clashes with feudal monarchs
Byzantine resentment against the West hardened
because of the Fourth Crusade
Contacts with the Muslim world encouraged curious
Europeans to visit far away places
In 1271, Marco Polo went to China with his merchant
uncle and father and came back with wonderful stories
of China
Crusaders and travelers expanded European horizons
and expanded world view





Muslims had conquered Spain in the 700’s
The campaign to drive the Muslims out of Spain
became known as the Reconquista or the reconquest of Spain
The first success in expelling the Muslims came in
1085 with the recapturing of the city of Toledo
For the next 200 years Christians slowly pushed
southward until 1300 with Christians controlled
the empire Iberian Peninsula except Granada
Muslim influence helped shape the art and
literature of Christian






In 1469 Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon married
uniting two powerful kingdoms
Using their combined forces they captured Granada in 1492
and the Reconquista was complete
In an effort to unite their people they joined with the towns
people against the nobles
While under Muslim rule, Spain enjoyed toleration or policy
of allowing people to worship as they choose but Isabella
ended that policy with the support of the Inquisition, a
church court set up to try people accused of heresy
Isabella launched a brutal crusade against the Jews and
Muslims burning those who refused to convert to
Christianity
More than 150,000 people fled including skilled, educated,
people who contributed to Spain’s economy and culture
Creating a ”Brain Drain”



By the 1100’s Europe was experiencing major
changes with the improvements in agricultural
technologies, the increase in food and population,
revival of trade and the growth of towns were
signs of its increasing prosperity and growth in
culture and arts
As economic and political conditions improved so
did the need for education
With an education, sons of wealthy townspeople
could qualify for high jobs in the Church or royal
government









By 1100’s schools were built around Cathedrals to train
the clergy
Some of these cathedral schools evolved into the first
universities
They were organized like guilds with charters to protect the
rights of members and set standards for training
Solerno and Bologna in Italy had the first universities
By 1200’s many cities had universities
Women could NOT attend universities
This exclusion seriously affected their lives depriving them
of mental stimulation and jobs
Women should raise children, manage the house, do
needlework
The explosion of knowledge boosted the Knowledge Ideas
from ancient Greece had been lost since the fall of Rome




Challenges to Christian scholars came with
Aristotle’s use of reason to discover truths and
with Christianity’s faith in the Church as the final
authority on all questions
To resolve this conflict between faith and reason
Christian scholars used scholasticism or the use of
reason to support Christian beliefs
Muslim scholars had translated the works of
Aristotle and other Greek thinkers into Arabic and
were spread across the Muslim world
In Spain the Jewish scholars translated these works
into Latin and by 1100’s these translations swept
through Western Europe









Works of science translated from Arabic and Greek also reached Europe
They studied Hippocrates on medicine and Euclid on geometry
Science make little real progress in the Middle Ages because most still felt
that true knowledge must fit with Church teachings
European’s adopted Arabic Numerals
Latin was the language of scholars and churchmen
More writings began appearing in the vernacular or the everyday languages
of ordinary people like French, German or Italian
Medieval literature included epic poems or long narrative poems, about
feudal warriors and common people
Dante's Divine Comedy Poem abut an imaginary journey into hell and
purgatory , where souls await forgiveness “Abandon all hope, ye that enter
here
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, about a band of English
pilgrims each with their own tale








With increased prosperity from trade and commerce came a
flurry of building
There greatest achievements were the large stone
Cathedrals and served as symbols of wealth and religious
devotion
Many buildings were built of stone and reflected Roman
influences
Churches had thick walls, to support the barrel vaulted roof.
Few, if any windows resulting in dark and gloomy interiors
In attempting to allow more light inside architects
developed what became known as Gothic style
A key feature of this style was Flying Buttresses or stone
supports that stood outside the church, allowing builders to
construct Higher walls and leave space for huge stained
glass windows
Cities all over Europe competed to build grander, taller
Cathedrals


Between 1300-1400
Gothic style was
applied to paintings
and illuminations or
artistic decoration of
books created by
monks and nuns
Gothic styles were
bold brilliant colors
and decorative detail








In Europe during the mid 1300’s there was
Widespread corps failures bringing famine and starvation
The Bubonic Plague or Black Death killing millions
Wars
By 1348 the Plague began ravaging Europe, 1 in 3 die
The Bubonic Plague spread by fleas on rats
In 1200’s armies set off the new epidemic or outbreak of a rapid
spreading disease
Rats infested ships, towns, homes, everywhere
In the 1300’s rats in crowded Chinese cities spread the plague
killing about 35 million
The Story of Mankind: http://www.history.com/shows/mankindthe-story-of-all-of-us/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-ussurvivors




The plague brought tension and
bewilderment
◦ Responses:
turn to magic or witchcraft
wild behavior” I’m going to die anyway”
felt it was God’s punishment
persecution/death of Jews
The economy plunged because of the plague
Workers and employers died causing production to decline
As the cost of labor soared with inflation or rising prices
Merchants and landowners wanted laws limiting wages to stop
raising prices
◦ Landowners converted croplands to sheep raising that required
less labor
◦ Villagers forced off land sought work in towns
◦ Guilds limited apprenticeships and refused to accept new
members and denied journeymen the chance to become masters
Restrictions and the plague sparked revolts As the plague
spread so did social unrest
◦
◦
◦
◦













The Middle Ages brought spiritual crises, scandal and division in the
Roman Catholic Church. Many clergy died from the plague
The Church was unable to provide strong leadership in this time
Babylonian Captivity of the Church: time period when Pope Clemete V,
in 1309 moved the papal court from Rome to Avignon in southern
France
Criticisms about the lavish papal court, and anti-clergy sentiment grew
French cardinal responded by choosing a rival pope_
For decades there was a schism or split in the Church, Sometimes
referred to as “The Great Schism”
* Not until 1417 did the church council end the crisis electing one pope
A weakened church faces problems
Popular preachers challenged its power
John Wycliff insisted the Bible not the Church was the source of all
Christian truths and translated the Bible into vernacular so people could
read it for themselves
Jan Hus called for reforms in the Czech Republic
The Church responded by persecuting Wycliffe and his followers and
suppressing the Hussites and burning him at the stake
◦ Top Disasters of the Middle Ages!
1.
2.
3.
4.




Famine
Plague
Upheaval In The Church
Hundred Year War (Hundred Years War, between
France and England from 1337-1453
When Edward III of England claimed the French crown
in 1337 war erupted again between these rival powers
Once fighting started economic rivalry and a growing
sense of National Pride made it hard for either side to
give up the fight
At first the English won the battles,
English success in battles was in part because of the
longbow

◦ In 1429 a 17 year old French peasant woman, Joan of Arc told
Charles VII, the uncrowned king of France, that God had sent her
to save France
◦ She persuaded the king to let her lead his army against the English
◦ She was able to inspire the troops leading them to numerous
victories
◦ She was eventually take captive by the English who tried her for
witchcraft. She was convicted and burned at the stake but was
later declared a saint by the Church
Her execution rallied French troops who saw her as a martyr and
with the help of a new weapon called the Cannon they defeated the
English and by 1453 the English held only the port of Calais in
northwestern France
◦ The Hundred Year War set France and England on different
tracks
◦
In France:



The Crusades helped kings to expand their power
◦
In England:
English rulers turned repeatedly to Parliament for funds
which helped that body win the “ Power of the Purse
The loss of French lands shattered English dreams of a
continental empire but soon began looking at overseas
The Hundred years War brought many changes to late
medieval world
1. The longbow
2. Cannon
3. Monarchs needed large armies
4. There was no longer a need for knights, castles and
feudal vassals
• In the 1400’s as Europe recovered for the
Black Death other changes occurred
1. population expanded
2. manufacturing grew
3. trade increased
4. Italian cities flourished into centers of
shipping
5 new technologies developed