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The Middle Ages
Periodization
Early Middle Ages: 500 – 1000
High Middle Ages: 1000 – 1250
Late Middle Ages: 1250 - 1500
Introduction
• The gradual decline of the Roman Empire
brought the era of European history called the
Middle Ages, or the medieval period
• 500 to 1500 C.E.
• New society emerged with its roots in
– The classical heritage of Rome
– The beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
– The customs of many Germanic Tribes
Invasions of Western Europe
• 5th century (400’s) C.E. Germanic tribes
were constantly invading Western Europe
• Constant warfare caused changes in
economy, government & culture
Disruption of Trade
• Merchants faced invasions from land and
sea
• Businesses failed
• Breakdown in trade caused the destruction
of Europe’s economic centers; i.e. cities –
they were no long centers for trade
Downfall of Cities
• When the Roman Empire fell, cities were
no long centers for administration
• Synonyms for administration are: direction,
management, organization
Downfall of Cities
• With the fall of the Roman Empire, there
was nobody left in these cities to organize
and take care of all of the things that
government takes care of.
Population Shifts
• Since cities were falling apart, people
moved to rural areas, or the countryside
• Most of the population of western Europe
became rural & they grew their own food
The Decline of Learning
• Germanic invaders = illiterate, couldn’t
read or write; had rich oral or spoken
traditions
• Learning was on the decline as more and
more people left the city for the
countryside
The Decline of Learning
• Few people except for priests and church
officials could read and write.
• Knowledge of Greek was almost
– Almost nobody could read Greek literature,
science and philosophy
Loss of a Common Language
• German speaking people mixed with the
Roman population = change in the
language of Latin
• It was still a language but people didn’t
understand b/c different dialects emerged
• Dialect – different ways of talking in the
same language
Loss of a Common Language
• By the 800’s, French and Spanish had
evolved from Latin
• Development of new and different
languages reflected the changes that were
occurring in what was once a united
empire.
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• 400-600 C.E., Germanic kingdoms
replaced Roman provinces
• They were constantly fighting one another
= political turmoil
• During this time of political chaos the
Church provided order and security
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• Germans have a different idea of
government
– Romans were loyal to the state and valued
citizenship
– Germans stressed personal ties which made
it hard to establish government over a large
area (simply because personal ties could only
extend so far)
Clovis Rules the Franks
• In the Roman province of Gaul (modern
day France & Switzerland), Germanic
people called the Franks were in power
• Leader = Clovis; he brought Christianity to
the region
Clovis Rules the Franks
• Used military campaigns to unite many of
the Franks into one kingdom
• The Church supported Clovis’ conversion
to Christianity and they formed an alliance
(group, treaty, pact, deal)
Germans Adopt Christianity
• By 600, the Church and Frankish rulers
had converted many Germanic peoples
• These converts settled in what was
previously Rome
Germans Adopt Christianity
• To adapt to the change in where people lived
(moving from city to country), the church
established monasteries
–
–
–
–
Monks
Nuns
Devoted lives to prayer and good works
Monasteries became Europe’s best educated
communities
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries and copied
books
• This preserved at least part of Rome’s intellectual heritage
A Medieval Monk’s Day
Charlemagne
• Carolingian Dynasty – family that ruled the
Franks from 751 – 987 C.E.
• Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was a
part of this dynasty, or ruling family
• Crowned emperor in 800 C.E. by Pople
Leo III
Charlemagne
• Revival of the idea of Rome; he is the guy
that combines Rome with the medieval
European warrior mentality
• He combines the pagan Franks with
Christian Romans to create the Holy
Roman Empire
Charlemagne
• This empire lasted for about 1000 years
• Charlemagne set the standard that all
other rulers wanted to live up to; hence
fight between Pople Gergory VII and King
Henry IV of Germany
Charlemagne: 742 to 814
Charlemagne’s Empire
The Carolingian Renaissance
Charlemagne
• Charlemagne’s grandsons eventually took
over and the un-united empire fell to
Viking invasions
• Any leader who could fight of these
invaders gained followers and political
strength
Feudalism
• Feudalism - land for service
• King owns all land and gives out to nobility
in return for service
• Nobility can give out portions of that land
to other people – vassals, knights, etc.
• These people are loyal to nobility; not so
much the king
Feudalism
• Feudal Monarchies – weak kingship; first
among equals; no more power than
anyone else really
• Lords, or the land owning nobility, pledged
loyalty to the monarchy
• Lords may have more land and money
than the king and over throw him
Feudalism
• The lords granted land to a vassal
• This land was called a fief
• Most people were peasants
• Most peasants were serfs who worked on
a manor, or the Lord’s estate
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty and
military service.
The Road to Knighthood
KNIGHT
SQUIRE
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Feudalism
• Serfs were similar to slaves; they couldn’t
leave the place where they were born –
bound to the land. If they produced
anything (crops, made money) it belonged
to the lord.
• Different from slaves in the fact that they
could not be bought and sold
Manorial System
• Manor = Lord’s estate = basic economic
arrangement
• Serfs got housing, farmland and protection
from bandits
• Lords got people who would tend their
land, care for animals, etc.
The Medieval Manor
Life on the Medieval Manor
Serfs at work
Carcassonne: A Medieval Castle
Parts of a Medieval Castle
Manorial System
• Peasants and Serfs alike owed the Lord a
few days labor each week and a portion of
their grain
• Completely self sufficient
Gregory and Henry Feud
• The idea of a churchly kingdom ruled by a
pope was a central theme of the middle
ages
• The pope would also be involved in
worldly power/politics
• Church authority was both political and
religious
Gregory and Henry Feud
• Popes and kings/emperors were
constantly fighting for power
• Otto the Great (Holy Roman Emperor) –
936 crowned king; hero = Charlemagne
and he followed his policies
• Tried to revive Charlemagne’s empire and
did so, but the Popes and Italian nobles
resented German rule of Italy
Gregory and Henry Feud
• Otto controlled clergy by appointing church
officials
• Pope Gregory VII banned this practice of
kings appointing church officlas, which
was called lay investiture
• Otto the Great became furious, called a
meeting with all the German bishops he
had appointed and then ordered the pope
to step down
Gregory and Henry Feud
• Gregory the excommunicated Henry, or
kicked him out of the church
• Then, the German bishops sided with the
pope
• To save his Throne, Henry tried to get the
pope to forgive him
Gregory and Henry Feud
• After making him wait 3 days in the snow, the
pope finally forgave him and let him back in
• This fight over lay investiture continued for
years!
• Came to a compromise known as the Concordat
of Worms
– Only the church could appoint bishops
– Emperor could veto the appointment
Trade = growth of towns
• The feudal system declined as agriculture,
trade, finance, towns and universities
developed
• Trade increases as people move back in
to towns and cities
• Trade supported towns
Trade = growth of towns
• Towns were established
– along rivers
– ports
– crossroads (where trade routes crossed)
• As trade grew, the population of towns
grew
– Economic and social opportunities
Medieval Trade
Late Medieval Town Dwellings
Medieval Guilds
Guild Hall
 Commercial Monopoly:
 Controlled membership
apprentice  journeyman  master craftsman
 Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].
 Controlled prices