Download 15:3 Notes “Kingdoms and Crusades” England in the Middle Ages

15:3 Notes “Kingdoms and Crusades”
England in the Middle Ages
*Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and drove the Viking invaders out.
-This kingdom became “Angleland,” or England.
*William the Conqueror
-Normandy was an area in western France, across the English Channel from England.
-Normandy was ruled by William, a cousin of King Edward of England.
-When Edward died, William invaded England and defeated the English.
-He became king and was known as William the Conqueror.
*William ordered a census called the Domesday Book which counted people, manors, and
animals in England.
*The Normans brought their northern French customs to England and eventually the customs
of the two cultures merged.
*Henry II was a powerful ruler of England who created the jury system to address arguments
over land.
1. grand jury: decided whether people should be accused of a crime.
2. trial jury: decided whether an accused person was guilty or innocent.
*King John was Henry’s son and successor.
1. He angered many royals by raising taxes and punishing people without trials.
2. The nobles met with King John and forced him to sign the Magna Carta, or Great Charter.
*The Magna Carta took away some of the king’s powers and helped establish people’s rights and
limited government.
*In the 1200s, King Edward I gathered representatives from across England to advise him and help
him make laws.
-This gathering was called the Parliament.
*The Parliament eventually divided into two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The Kingdom of France
*After Charlemagne’s empire was divided, the western part of the empire became France.
*The Capetians
1. The Frankish nobles chose Hugh Capet as king in 987.
2. He was the first Capetian king.
3. The Capetians controlled the area around Paris.
4. The Capetian nobles had more power than the kings.
*Philip II
1. took the French throne and warred with England
2. captured land in Western Europe that had been controlled by England
*French society had 3 classes
1. Clergy
2. Nobles
3. Townspeople and peasants
*In 1302, King Philip IV met with representatives from the 3 classes
-This was the first meeting of the Estates-General which became France’s first parliament.
The Crusades
*During the Middle Ages, Muslim Turks invaded the Byzantine Empire.
*Pope Urban II asked European leaders to capture Jerusalem and free the homeland of
Jesus from the Muslims.
*Crusade: Holy War
*Thousands of soldiers captured Jerusalem in the First Crusade, conquering lands along the way.
-The conquered lands were divided into four states.
*The Muslims fought back, and the Europeans began the Second Crusade.
1. Saladin, a Muslim, became ruler of Egypt.
2. His troops captured Jerusalem for the Muslims.
3. The Europeans lost the Second Crusade.
*France, England, and the Holy Roman Empire banded together to fight the Third Crusade against
Saladin The Third Crusade ended in a truce which meant no side won or lost. They just agreed to
stop fighting.
*A Fourth Crusade began around 1200. Merchants used it as an excuse to attack
Constantinople and seize its riches. The Byzantine Empire became weaker.
*Six more crusades were staged, but they did not accomplish much.
*Muslims gradually regained the territory lost in the First Crusade.
*The breakdown of feudalism:
1. Nobles who joined the Crusades sold their land and freed the serfs.
2. This reduced the nobles’ power.
3. When the nobles had less power, kings could build stronger central governments.
*Effects of the crusades.
1. The Crusades helped break down feudalism.
2. The Crusades increased trade between Europe and the Middle East.