Download The Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages
World History
SOL WHI.9a,b,c
Essential Questions
How and why did the Church grow in
importance during the Middle Ages?
 How did a feudal society develop in
Europe during the Middle Ages?
 How did the medieval manor function as a
social and economic system?
 How did Charlemagne revive the idea of a
Roman Empire?
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Age of Charlemagne
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After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in
476 c.e. Western Europe entered what is now
called the Middle Ages. This period was once
called the Dark Ages because much of the
knowledge and sophistication of the Roman
Empire was lost or ignored.
During the Middle Ages kingdoms in France,
Germany, Spain, and England became the
leading powers.
Age of Charlemagne
The first major kingdom in Europe after
the fall of Rome was the Kingdom of the
Franks located in modern day France and
extending into Germany. This area was
called Gaul by the Romans.
 Charles Martel, a Frankish King, defeated
a Muslim army at the battle of Tours in
732.
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Age of Charlemagne
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Charlemagne, a grandson of Charles Martel,
founded an empire in the 800s that controlled
most of Western Europe.
In 800, Pope Leo III, asked Charlemagne for
help against rebellious nobles in Rome.
Charlemagne marched south and crushed the
rebellion.
In gratitude Pope Leo crowned Charlemagne
Emperor of the Romans. This revived the idea
of a united Christian community in Europe.
Age of Charlemagne
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Charlemagne wanted to make his court at
Aachen a second Rome. To do so he set out to
revive Latin learning in his empire.
Charlemagne founded a school under the
direction of a respected scholar, Alcuin.
Alcuin created a curriculum based on Latin
learning that included grammar, rhetoric, logic,
arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
Age of Charlemagne
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Charlemagne was also a supporter of the
church and he ordered many churches built
across his empire.
Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the
Pope, implying a connection between the
Catholic Church and the emperors of the
Roman Empire. At the time Byzantium was
considered the Eastern Roman Empire and
they did not look favorably on the coronation.
Cathedral built in Aachen by Charlemagne. It is the
oldest church in Northern Europe.
Age of Charlemagne
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After Charlemagne died in 814, his
empire soon fell apart. His heirs battled
for power for nearly 30 years until his
grandsons split the empire into three
parts.
Division of
Charlemagne’s
Empire
The Church in the Middle Ages
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After the decline of the Roman Empire the major
unifying force in Western Europe was the Roman
Catholic Church.
During the early Middle Ages the Church sent
missionaries to convert the peoples of Northern
Europe to include England and Germany.
Missionaries also brought the Latin alphabet to
Germany and the Germanic languages were written
with it.
As secular authority declined church authority grew.
Spread of Christianity to 600 c.e.
The Church in the Middle Ages
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The parish priest was usually the only contact
the average person had with the Church.
The priest celebrated mass and administered
the sacraments, the sacred rites of the Church.
Priests preached the gospel of Jesus and the
teachings of the Church.
The village church was also a social center.
After services, villagers gossiped or danced.
Some parish priests also ran schools.
The Church in the Middle Ages
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Villages took pride in their church buildings and
decorated them with care.
Prosperous communities replaced wood churches
with stone churches.
Some churches housed relics, or the remains of
martyrs or other holy figures.
Local people as well as visitors made pilgrimages
to pray before the relics.
To support itself the Church required Christians to
pay a tithe, or tax equal to a tenth of their income.
Monasteries
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During the Middle Ages monasteries appeared in
Europe. Monasteries are places where monks or
nuns devote their life to God.
Daily life in a monastery was broken into periods of
study, worship, and work.
In a world without hospitals or schools, monasteries
and convents often provided basic services.
Monasteries and convents amassed large amounts
of land because when nobles died they would leave
money and land to them.
Monasteries
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Monasteries also preserved the cultural
achievements of the Greeks and Romans
because monks were literate and they
copied the works of ancient authors.
Monks made illuminated
manuscripts in the Middle Ages.
These books had small detailed
pictures, elaborate borders, and
stylized lettering. Manuscripts
are usually religious books such
as the bible or prayer books.
Reconstruction of a medieval monastery.
Feudal Society
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In the Middle Ages kings and emperors were
too weak to maintain law and order. In
response to this basic need for protection, a
new system evolved, known as feudalism.
Feudalism was a loosely organized system of
rule in which powerful lords divided their
landholdings among lesser lords. In exchange,
these lesser lords, or vassals, pledged service
and loyalty to the greater lord.
Feudal Society
Feudal contract - An exchange of a
pledge between a greater and lesser lord.
A lord granted his vassal a fief, or estate.
 Fiefs could range from a few square miles
to hundreds of acres. Besides the land
the fiefs included the peasants to work the
land as well as any towns or buildings on
the land.
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Rigid Class Structure
Everyone had a place in feudal society.
Below the monarch were powerful lords,
such as dukes and counts, who held the
largest fiefs. Each of these lords had
vassals, and these vassals had their own
vassals.
 Vassals held fiefs from more than one lord
so feudal relationships grew very
complex.
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Knights
For feudal nobles, fighting was a way of
life. At the age of seven, a boy slated to
become a knight was sent away to the
castle of his father’s lord. There, he
learned to ride and fight.
 When his training was finished he knelt
before an older knight and was “dubbed”
by the flat side of a sword. Then he took
his place among the other warriors.
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The Manor
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The basic unit of the medieval economy was the
manor, or lord’s estate.
Most manors included one or more villages and the
surrounding lands.
Peasants, who made up the majority of the
population lived and worked on the manor.
Most peasants on manors were serfs, bound to the
land. They were not slaves who could be bought
and sold but they were not free. They could not
leave the manor without the lord’s permission.
The Manor
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Peasants and their lords were tied together by
mutual obligations.
Peasants had to work several days a week
farming the lord’s lands. They also repaired his
roads, bridges, and fences.
Peasants paid the lord a fee when they married,
when they inherited their father’s acres, or
when they used the local mill to grind grain.
The Manor
The manor was generally self sufficient
because peasants produced everything
they needed from food and clothing to
furniture and tools.
 Most peasants never ventured more than
a few miles from their villages.
 Life for peasants was harsh. They
worked long hours and ate simple meals.
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