Download The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages
476 – 1500
Version 3
Before the Middle Ages…

THE ROMAN
EMPIRE


27 BCE – 476 CE
Largest Empire of
history to that date
REMEMBER
Rome was not built
in a day
 AND it did not fall in
a day.
 Rome’s peak was
about 200 CE.
 It took 276 years to
collapse.

Benefits of the Roman Empire





More people had
education.
Better roads and
bridges
Sanitation in the
cities and clean
water.
CULTURE
LAWS
So What Happened to Rome?

Despotic – and crazy
– emperors.

Caligula was only
one example.
So What Happened to Rome?
Not enough soldiers.
 The Germanic Tribes
figured out how to
fight the Romans –
and WIN.

So What Happened to Rome?
Not enough tax
money to support
the military or public
structures.
 The Church
(Catholic) was
unsure about
fighting and giving
up tax money in the
300s – 476.

So what happened to Rome?

Not enough slaves
to support the
Roman way of life.

Problem began in the
300s.
So what happened to Rome?

The lead water
pipes???


Creates infertility?
Creates slower brain
abilities?
So what happened to Rome?

476 – A tribe called
the Vandals invaded
and sacked Rome.


End of the Empire.
THAT is where we
get the term
“vandalism”!
What happened
after Rome fell?
The Dark Ages
About 400 years of
chaos.
 Germanic tribes only
seeking loot taking
from the weak.
 The Norsemen
(Vikings) raiding
from the sea.

The Dark Ages: 400 - 800
Not much is known
from this period.
 Few people could
write.
 Few people had time
to write.
 No real art comes
from this time in
Europe.

The Dark Ages

There were “spots”
where civilization
hung on.
Christian
monasteries in
remote locations.
 Tended to be looked
at by people as
another type of
magic.
AND ….

The Age of Arthur?

Was there a King
Arthur?
Somewhere between 500 –
600 - ARTHUR
The Mabniogion
 Arthur wasn’t really
a “king” like we
think of it.
 He was probably a
Roman – Celt
cavalry commander
left after Rome
deserted Britain.

Arthurian Legend in Britain

What we can guess at
being true about Arthur:
 He kept the invading
Angle and Saxon
tribes from taking
complete control.
 He had a huge
victory that kept the
Angles/Saxons away
for a generation..
 He had the time to
try to care about
justice.
Later in the Middle Ages the Arthur
story was made “appropriate”





Le Morte D’Arthur in
1485.
Arthur was made a
king.
Christianized story.
Women were
subservient / unfaithful.
Round Table and
Knights searching for
the Holy Grail.
There were probably other
“Arthur’s” in the Dark Ages ..
Stories and legends.
 The “Arthur’s”
tended to lose in the
end.
 And History is
written by the
victors.

Now – for some of
the “real” history
Things we know for sure!
By the 500s

Germanic invasions
had all but
destroyed the
Roman world.


Law and order
disappeared.
Infrastructures like
roads, bridges,
buildings fell apart.
Frankish Rulers

Franks – (France) –


Merovingian kings
Charlemagne and
the Frankish Empire
The Merovingians
400s the Franks
Germanic Tribe
conquered and
settled in France /
Germany.
 481 Clovis became
king of the Franks.

King Clovis
Brutal king
 BUT became a
Christian.


Saw that Christianity
had some educated
people that he
needed to help rule
his domain.
Problems for the Merovingians
Frankish custom to
divide your land
among all your sons.
 Heirs began to kill
each other for their
inheritances.
 So busy fighting the
governing was left
to the MAYORS OF
THE PALACE.

Charles Martel – Mayor of the
Palace
714 Charles Martel
(Charles the
Hammer) more or
less took over in all
but name.
 Led the Franks to
defeat the Muslim
invasion in 732.

Charles the Hammer’s son:
Pepin the Short
752 – Pepin finished
off the Merovingians
and bought off the
Church and nobles.
 Became King of the
Franks.
 Convinced the Pope
that he could be his
“protection.”

Pepin’s Son: CHARLEMAGNE
771 Charlemagne
became king.
 Doubled the size of
his kingdom to
include Germany,
France, northern
Spain and most of
Italy.
 Created the Frankish
Empire

Charlemagne needed help
with his empire
Needed
communications
 Needed educated
men to help
 Charlemagne
needed …..

THE CHURCH



The Church started to
create schools and
monasteries to teach
reading and writing.
Made illuminated copies
of the Bible and Roman
manuscripts.
Spread the knowledge
around the empire.

First time in 300 years.
A Christian Realm under
Charlemagne

Defending the Pope
against the
Lombards (another
Germanic tribe) in
800 – Charlemagne
had an interesting
“problem” come up.
Charlemagne an EMPEROR?
Pope Leo III thought
it was a great idea if
HE crowned
Charlemagne
emperor.
 Charlemagne liked
the idea of the
power of being an
emperor too - BUT

Charlemagne as Emperor?

BUT what does it
mean if the Pope
crowned him?


The pope had more
power than the
emperor.
Charlemagne did not
like that idea.
Emperor Charlemagne

Pope tricked
Charlemagne into
being emperor.
Charlemagne’s Empire

Divided land among
COUNTS.




Solve local problems
Stop feuds
Protect the weak
Raise taxes and
armies.
Charlemagne’s Empire
Sent royal
messengers on
inspections to tell
him how counts
were doing.
 Charlemagne was
constantly traveling
to see for himself his
kingdom.

814 Charlemagne died.
Son Louis the Pious
was more concerned
about the purity of
his soul than ruling.
 Charlemagne’s
grandsons went to
war for his kingdom.

The end of the Franks
Charles the Bald
took over what is
today France.
 Louis got what is
today Germany.
 Lothair took a strip
between the North
Sea to Italy.

800 – 1000: New Invaders
VIKINGS!
The VIKINGS
Came from
Scandinavia
(Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, Holland)
 Called themselves
Northmen or
NORSEMEN.

Viking Invasions
TRIVIA: Viking
comes from AVIKING (fight as a
warrior).
 Had GREAT boats




Sturdy in oceans
Shallow enough to
go up rivers.
Could be carried past
fortified bridges.
Viking Invasions
Brutal. No mercy in
battle.
 What couldn’t be
stolen they’d burn.

Viking Trade

They also explored
and settled in other
countries.

Dublin (capitol of
Ireland) was a Viking
settlement.
Viking Trade
Since no one else
but Vikings were
using the waterways
– trade happened
through them.
 Sometimes trade
was more profitable
than war.

Viking Culture
Worshipped many
gods.
 Told EPICS about
gods and men.
 Storytellers had
special status.
 So did the CRONES.

Vikings accepted Christianity

BUT not until the
1100s.
The Effects of the Germanic /
Viking Invasions
People became very
isolated.
 Not much
centralized control.



Nobles and local
people had to defend
themselves.
Trade declined.
Medieval Life
Feudalism
 Life of the Nobility
 Manorial System
(castles)

Feudalism: 900s - 1500
With weak central
government –
feudalism
developed.
 Alliances of mutual
protection between
monarchs and
nobles of varying
degrees of power.

Feudal Relationship

Military service =
land ownership.

Fiefs – land with
peasants.


Warriors got a way to
make money in
exchange for being a
warrior for a king or
greater noble.
This is where the
knight began.
Knights
USUALLY cavalry
fighters .
 Cost a lot for
upkeep of horse and
armor.

In exchange for land nobles
swore oaths of loyalty
To kings or greater
nobles.
 Promised to provide
so many mounted
warriors for the
armies.
 Nobles, if they did
their duty, could
pass on their land to
their heirs.

Feudalism: A Pyramid Scheme




King at the top.
Middle was the various
ranks of lords.
Vassals were nobles
who served a higher
ranked lord.
Nobles could pledge
services to more than
one lord!

One Siboto of Falkenstein
was pledged to 20
different lords!

Worked as long as one
of his lords didn’t
declare wary on the
other!
Feudal Obligations

Homage: The
ceremony of making
promises.


Knight promises
service to the king.
The king promises
fiefs to the knight.
Usual Feudal Obligations
Promised to bring a
certain number of
knights to fight for the
king.
 40 – 60 days a year of
service to the king.
 Serve in the lord’s court
 Provide food and
lodging if the lord came
to visit.
 To pay for educating /
dowry of the lord’s kids.
 Pay ransom for the lord.

Castles for Defense
No big surprise –
warfare happened
quite a bit.
 Every noble built a
castle – fortified
manor house – for
defense.

Castles for Defense

In the beginning –
mostly wooden fortlike structures with a
great hall that
everyone lived in.
Castles for Defense
Around 1100s
castles began to be
made of stone.
 Built on a hill or
mound for defense.
 Maybe a moat?

Inside the Castle Walls

Square towers called
KEEPS.




Strongest part of the
castle.
Usually had the great
hall for meals /
celebrations.
Some housing for
the family of the
noble.
Dungeon?
Inside the Castle Walls

Surrounding the
keep was the
BAILEY.


Large open area.
Had buildings like
barracks,
storerooms,
workshops, stables,
chapel.
Life in the castles
Not so glamorous as
the movies make
out!
 Castles were for
security – NOT
comfort.


Nor sanitation!
Life of the Nobility

Within his fief, a
lord, or nobleman,
had almost total
authority.



Collected rents
Administered justice
Keep away invaders
who might try to
take his fief.
Life of a noblewoman




Few – if any – rights.
Could be wed by her
twelfth birthday
(sometimes younger)
Husband chosen by
father / brother.
Have children and take
care of the household.

Often the doctor.
Life of a noblewoman

SOMETIMES, their
husbands / fathers /
brothers trusted
them to do
themen’s duties
when they were at
war or the king’s
court.
Entertainment for Nobles
Tournaments!
 Hunting!



Women and men did
falconry and archery.
Eating!

Entertainment by
traveling minstrels.
Becoming a Knight
Boy’s training began
at 7.
 Became a page /
assistant / in the
house of another
lord.
 Began to learn the
use of weapons and
some manners.

Becoming a Knight
At 15, if good
enough, they
became a SQUIRE.
 Assisted the knight,
practiced using
weapons.
 Had to prove himself
in battle before he
could become a
knight.

The Code of Chivalry

Code for knights to
be brave and…




Fight fair
Keep promises
Defend the Church
Treat women of
noble birth
courteously.

RARELY kept to the
code!!!!
The Manorial System

Usually the manor
only produced
enough food to
support the
peasants and lord’s
household on the
fief.

Hunger could be a
real problem with a
bad crop year.
Peasant Life
Poverty and
hardship.
 Rarely lived beyond
the age of 40.
 Famine, diseases,
war – peasants
hardest hit.

Peasant Life
Lived in one room
hovels, dirt floor, no
chimney, maybe one
or two stools and a
table.
 Warmth came from
sleeping together.
 Grain diet – very
little meat.

Strange thing:
People rarely
questioned the
social order of their
society.
 They accepted that
nobles were “better”
than serfs /
peasants and had
more rights.

But:

Acceptance of the
social ladder also
meant you knew
your place and
might have a bit
more protection
than if you were out
on your own.