Download The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages
The time between the fall of
Rome and Modern Era
The Middle Ages
• AKA
–Medieval period
–Medieval Times
–The Dark Ages
Medieval Period
• The medieval period in history was between the 5th and
15th centuries. Also called the Middle Ages, it was a time
of change in Western Europe. It began with the fall of the
Roman Empire to invading German tribes. Western
Europe broke into many separate kingdoms. Trade
collapsed, people made their living from the land, and
the feudal system began. The early Middle Ages are
called the "Dark Ages" because the learning and culture
of ancient Greece and Rome almost disappeared. The
medieval period ended when the Renaissance swept
across Europe.
Medieval Society
• When the fall of Rome came, Europeans
no longer had a leader or protector of their
society.
• Many small kingdoms emerged from the
fall of Rome.
• However, the Roman created roads, and
water systems were not kept up.
• Foreign invaders were a tremendous
threat to Europe at this time.
Medieval Society
• Invaders such as:
– Huns (Asia)
– Moors (Middle East)
– Vikings (Scandinavia)
Medieval Society
• One great military leader by the name of
Charlemagne.
• Charlemagne conquered part of France
and Spain and claimed it as his Kingdom.
• He worked with the Pope to streghten his
kingdom through the church.
• After his death Europe became
disorganized again, yet kept the church
and the new political system.
• In medieval times, there were three major
groups of people - the nobility, the church,
and the commoners. Relationships
between groups and people were based
on a balance system, a sort of 'you do this
for me, and I'll do this for you' approach.
Roles of Feudalism
The King
• The King was in complete control under the
Feudal System. He owned all the land in the
country and decided who he would lease land
to. He therefore only allowed those men he
could trust to lease land from him. However,
before they were given any land they had to
swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at all
times. The men who leased land from the King
were known as Barons, they were wealthy,
powerful and had complete control of the land
they leased from the King.
Vassal
In the feudal system, everyone was a vassal. The word
vassal means servant. At the top of the secular heap was
the local king. At the bottom were the knights, the
professional fighting men. In the middle were the lords,
other nobles, counts and officials.
Knights
• Knights were given land by a Baron in
return for military service when demanded
by the King. They also had to protect the
Baron and his family, as well as the
Manor, from attack. The Knights kept as
much of the land as they wished for their
own personal use and distributed the rest
to villeins (serfs). Although not as rich as
the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy.
Serfs (Peasants)
• They were not slaves. These people could not
be bought and sold. Serfs could buy their
freedom, but where would they get the money?
Serfs could not leave the manor without
permission. If they did not work, they were
punished. If the manor land was sold or
reassigned to a new owner, the serfs stayed with
the land. Serfs had many jobs on the manor
including craftsmen, bakers, farmers, and tax
collectors - serfs did all kinds of jobs. Their job
was assigned. They had to do the job they were
assigned to do.
Why did feudalism come to an
end?
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The Crusades and travel during the Middle Ages opened new trade options to
England
England started to move from land based economy to a money based economy
The Black Death - this reduced the population of England by one third. Labour
became a valuable commodity
The Peasants Revolt - Peasants realized their worth and demanded changes.
Charters were granted but ignored by nobles
More trade saw the growth of more towns
Peasants moved away from the country into towns they were eventually
allowed to buy their freedom
Land was rented and the rights of lords over labor decreased
The Feudal Levy was unpopular and as time went by Nobles preferred to pay
the King rather than to fight and raise troops
Armed men were paid a wage and Medieval warfare was financed by taxes and
loans
Nobles became weaker - the Kings took back their lands and power
A centralised government was established