Download A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe

Mrs. Mills
 The postclassical period began with the fall of the
Roman Empire and lasted until the 15th century.
 This period is known as the MIDDLE AGES in
European history, or the medieval times.
 Features of the Middle Ages
 Gradual recovery from the shock of Rome’s collapse
 Growing interaction with other societies
 Center of postclassical west is central plains of Europe
(France, southern and western Germany)
 When one says “postclassical era” what years are they





referring to?
A) 1000 BCE to 500 BCE
B) 500 BCE to 500 CE
C) 500 CE to 1450 CE
D) 1000 CE to 1500 CE
E) 500 BCE- 1500 CE
 Why is the terminology “the fall of Rome” deceiving?
 A) All of Rome fell at once but under different rulers and




for a variety of reasons
B) Even as the Roman empire began to decline the eastern
portion remained strong and essentially never “fell”
C) Even as the Roman empire began to decline, the western
portion remained strong and essentially never fell
D) Justinian codified the laws that kept Rome from falling
in the 6th century
E) The fall of Rome became religion and ultimately had
nothing to do with a literal “falling” of the empire
 What empire did the eastern portion of Rome





ultimately become, and what was the location of its
capital?
A) Italian, Rome
B) Byzantine, Constantinople
C) Byzantine, Rome
D) Italian, Byzantium
E) Byzantine, France
 Christian missionary efforts led most western
Europeans to convert from polytheistic faiths in the
initial postclassical centuries.
 Became a society with a mixture of religions:
 Beliefs in spirits and magic
 Fervent Christianity
 Religions coexisted
 Postclassical western Europe was hit hard by Roman
collapse.
 550 CE-900, western Europe suffered from many
problems such as:
 Italy divided politically
 Spain, another key region, lay in the hands of the
Muslims for the majority of the Middle Ages
 Growing intellectual and economic life, but out of
“western mainstream”
 Frequent invasions prolonged the weaknesses of the
west
 Still connected to Roman heritage, and lagging behind
the times
 How did the spread of Christianity affect polytheistic





religions already existent in northern Europe?
A) All traces of the earlier religions were eradicated
B) Conversion produced a religious amalgam of
Christianity and beliefs in magic and supernatural spirits
C) Many areas of Europe retained purely polytheistic
religions
D) Christianity achieved few conversions, and most of
western Europe retained polytheistic religions
E) In order to gain converts, Christianity allowed people to
continue certain polytheistic rituals
 After the fall of Rome, where was the center of the post





classical west?
A) In the former Roman colony of Spain
B) In Italy, particularly Rome
C) In the central plain of northern Europe
D) Greece
E) Constantinople
 Between Rome’s fall and the 10th century, effective political
organization was largely local.
 Manorialism was the system of economic and political
relations between the landlords and their peasant laborers.
 Most people are serfs: agricultural workers
who lived on self sufficient agricultural estates
called manors.
 Serfs received some protection, including the
administration of justice from the landlords
but in return they must turn over a part of their
goods and remain on the land.
 Landlords also could provide military
protection for the serfs as many were also
military leaders.
 Serfs were not slaves: they could not be bought or sold,
and they retained essential ownership of their houses
and lands as long as they kept up with their
obligations.
 Life was still difficult for serfs
 Some escaped control of their landlords and became
wanderers which added to the disorder of the early
Middle Ages

A system of obligations that bound lords and their
subjects in Europe during much of the Middle Ages. In
theory, the king owned all or most of the land and gave
it to his leading lords (nobles) in return for their
loyalty and military service. The lords (nobles) in turn
held land that peasants, including serfs, were allowed
to farm in return for the peasants' labor and a portion
of their produce.
A complex web of duties and obligations governed relationships
between people in the Middle Ages.
 In simple terms, feudalism is where lords gave land to vassals in
exchange for protection (GOVERNMENT SYSTEM OF MIDDLE AGES)
and manorialism is where lords gave land to serfs in exchange for food
(ECONOMIC SYSTEM OF THE MIDDLE AGES)
Kings
Lords
Knights
Peasants & Serfs (those
legally tied to the land)
 Manorialism was the system that
 A) described economic and political relations
between landlords and their peasant laborers
 B) secular authorities utilized to name bishops
 C) defined relationships between members of the
military eilte
 D) united the traditions of classical rationalism
with medieval Christianity
 E) provided a comfortable living for all involved
 Which of the following statements concerning the





manorial system is not true?
A) It was comprised of essentially self sufficient
manors
B) It had originated in the Roman Empire
C) Its obligations bore heavily on serfs
D) Agricultural productivity was low
E) It was technologically sophisticated
 Vassals were
 A) grants of land given to the lesser members of
the military elite in return for military service
 B) agricultural workers
 C) members of the military elite who receive land
in return for military service
 D) greater lords within the military elite who
commanded military bands
 E) special oaths made between lesser and greater
lords
 After collapse in 6th century, Catholic church was the
only solid example of organization in western Europe.
 Hierarchy of Catholic church:




Pope in Rome= top authority
Bishops= head of regional group of churches
Priest= individual church authority
“Papal”- of or pertaining to the Pope or the Roman
Catholic Church
 The royal house of the Franks grew in strength during
the 8th century
 A new family comes to power and takes over monarchy
: Carolingians
 Charles Martel: part of Carolingian line who was
responsible for a defeat of the Muslim’s in 732. Helped
confine Muslims to Spain and preserve Christianity for
Europe.
 “Charles the Great” or Charlemagne
 800 CE- establishes a substantial empire in France and
Germany
 Achievements of Charlemagne
 Restores church based education
 Attracted Scholars from around Europe
 Level of intellectual activity begins to increase
 Charlemagne dies in 814, and empire does not long
survive him
 It is split between his three grandsons who do not
prove to be successful rulers
 Beginning around 10th century term “Holy Roman
Emperor” is applied to rulers of Germany and
northern Italy, however, it is a hollow term.
 Local lords start to go their own way, and
monarchies of individual states begin to arise.
These states later become nations.
 The imperial title formerly held by the Carolingians





was later claimed by:
A) France
B) Italy
C) England
D) The Byzantine Empire
E) The Holy Roman Empire
 What Frankish monarch was able to establish a





substantial empire in 800?
A) Clovis
B) Charles Martel
C) Pepin III
D) Charlemagne
E) Louis
 By 900- Western society begins to strengthen
 New agricultural techniques from contacts with





eastern Europe and Asia
Three field system
Even more military dominance for the landlords as
they begin fighting on horseback
European nobility=land ownership and military power
Raids (Vikings) begin to taper off
Population growth that in turn encourages economic
innovation to create jobs
 Literacy spreads
 Merchant activity and craft production expands
 Schools form around cathedrals- train students for
church careers
 11th century- enough interest to sustain first
universities
 Universities in Italy for medicine and law
 Medieval art and architecture also becomes very
popular spurred by this cultural movement
 From 6th century and collapse of Rome, there had been
key political and military links within a system known
as FEUDALISM.