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300-1000 CE
 After Roman order broke down
 Western Roman Empire taken over by
Germanic rulers
 Rome lost political importance

› Still retained influence in Western church with
the bishop of Rome
› Led to position of pope

Few were educated: Priests and monks
› Retained Latin
Uneducated developed Romance
languages
 Europe divided into 3 zones

1. Spoke Romance languages (west and south)
2. Spoke Germanic and Scandinavian dialects
(north and northeast)
3. Spoke Slavic languages (east)
New threats (Arabs
Spain)
 Military effectiveness key to emergence of
Carolingian Empire

› Charlemagne: 1st Emperor of Western Europe

Empire divided by Treaty of Verdun (843)
1. Eastern portion
2. Middle portion
3. Western portion
› Ruled by Charlemagne’s grandsons
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Fall of Rome
fall of Roman
institutions
Wheat went to Constantinople
Germanic lords replaced Roman governors
Disappearance of literacy and civilized life
Manors: self-sufficient farming estates
Serfs: agricultural workers in manors
Feudalism: kings gave land for military
service
Claimed jurisdiction over Europe’s pop.
 Problems: paganism and worship of
nature
 Papacy: office of pope
 Church hierarchy intended to ensure
Christian belief

› Disagreement: Jesus
the Holy Spirit

God, the Father,
Schism: formal division from
disagreements over doctrine

Holy Roman Empire
› Confederation of German princes
› Represented general Christian interests

The law of church
› Pope jurisdiction over clergy and church
property
› Secular rulers vs. Pope

Investiture controversy: struggle between
popes and kings/emperors

Western Europe had 3 traditions
1. Feudal law with Germanic custom
2. Church law of a single institution with
jurisdiction over all Western Christendom
3. Roman law (studied)
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Monasticism: way of life practiced in
monastery
Monasteries were centers of literacy
›
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Benedictine Rule: independent monasteries
Cluniac movement: set patterns for
organizations of monasteries, cathedrals, and
preaching friars

Christian society
changed Europe
› Discouraged overt sexuality
› Discouraged slavery
› Non-Christians were feared and dangerous
Pope either protected or expelled Jews
 Christianity provided framework for
society

› Preserved features of Roman and German
past
The Byzantine Empire was a European
Christian Empire and represented the
continuation of Roman Imperial rule.
 They excersized Caesaropapism which
made a role of an all powerful Christian
Monarch.

Byzantium was a millennium old Greek City
that in 324 CE, Constantine decided would
become his new capitol of
Constantinople.
Despite the fact that he erected a large
statue of Apollo and still kept the name of
pontifex maximus or chief priest, he was still
partial to Christianity.
Rome eventually claimed
independence and authority over
Western Christendom.
 The Byzantine Emperor appointed the
patriarch of Constantinople and overall
the Byzantine Empire was torn for
centuries over theologies and quarrels
between patriarchs of the important
cities such as Alexandria and Antioch.

Being ruled by a single leader,
Byzantium’s leader had sole power over
legislation and religion.
 In the fourth century Germanic Goths
and nomadic Huns threatened the North
and The Sasanid family’s Iranian Empire
threatened from the East.
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By the twelfth century, two-thirds of the
Christians in the former Byzantine territory
had adopted Muslim faith due to the
followers of Muhammad’s take over of the
Sasanid Empire and several other countries.
 Latin Principalities were established on the
Byzantine Empire because the Fourth
Crusades decision to sack Constantinople.
This occurred due to the loss of most of the
Christian populace for that had caused the
Byzantine Empire’s permanent degradation
on a political stand point.

The disappearance of the local urban
notables led to a gap between the rural
landowners and peasants which allowed a
family-based military aristocracy to emerge.
 Women gradually were forced to a more
rigid lifestyle, only talking to male relatives
and when in public they had to veil their
face. In the period from 1028-1056 though
women ruled with their husbands.

Byzantine Emperors still were able to
traditionally set prices, control the
provision of grain to the capitol, and
monopolize trade in goods. (EX: Tyrian
Purple Cloth)
 There was little recognition of the
deterioration of the Economy due to the
inheritance from the Roman Empire.

The Emperor had ultimate control over
religious disputes and his power persisted
in legal affairs.
 The Emperor Justinian (527-565 CE)
ordered a collection of the laws and
edicts to be made which were then
compiled into Latin and called Corpus
Juris Civilis.

Of cultural importance was the dome
architecture of the Byzantiums as these
types of buildings were very rare in the
western lands of the Roman Empire.
 A cultural achievement of the Byzantium
Culture was when the two brothers Cyril
and Methodius traveled to The Slavs of
Moravia (modern day Czech Republic)
where they preached in the local language
and perfected the writing system of Cyrillic.
 Cyrillic was used by the Slavic Christians
adhering to the Byzantine rite.
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Constantinople was felled by the Fourth
Crusade in 1204 and The Byzantium Empire
fell in 1453. The Byzantiums knew their time
was coming due to the fact that the were
being surpassed by the Western Europeans
and that they had lost most of their most
valued territories.