Download Middle Ages – 1110 to 1400 C.E.

Middle Ages PowerPoint
Lecture Notes
Mr. Rockwood
Feudalism: a system of political, economic, and
social organization
Middle Ages – approx. 476—1500 C.E.
– the time after the Classical Age of ancient Greece
and Rome and before the Renaissance
•Less often called Medieval times (not mid-evil)
•Early middle Ages sometimes called the
Dark Ages – 476 to 1000 C.E. Dark Ages is an
unfair term since a lot was going on during this
time.
•High middle Ages 1000-1300 C.E.
•Late middle Ages 1300-1500 C.E.
Fall of Rome / Middle Ages
• In 476 C.E., warriors attacked the city of Rome
and ended more than 800 years of glory for the
“eternal city.” Historians mark the fall of Rome as
the end of ancient history. The next 1000 years
were called the Middle Ages.
• The beginning of the Middle Ages is often called
the Dark Ages (Renaissance term) because Rome
had fallen and life in Europe was hard. Very few
could read and write, and no one expected
conditions to improve. The only hope for most
was their belief in Christianity, and the hope that
life in heaven would be better than life on earth.
Europe in the 6c
Politically:
Religiously:
Chaos and Reorganization
Age of Faith
• Barbarian invasions
• Merged in with
existing populations
• feudalism
• Roman Catholic
church was a strong
institution that
created stability in
the face of rapid
secular change.
• Church was often the
only way to get an
education.
The Role of the Church
After the fall of Rome the Church took over the
central role in society.
The Church, despite its faults, did a lot of work
in Medieval communities. The Church helped
the poor and helped provide a sense of unity
for the people through a common religion.
Organization of the Church
The lowest level of Church Organization was a
Parish which was led by a Priest.
Above a Priest was a Bishop.
The Bishop led a Diocese,
or Bishopric.
The Papacy
• The head of the Catholic Church was the Pope.
• The Pope was the Bishop of the city of Rome.
• This Bishop claimed that they were descended
from St. Peter who was the “Rock” upon
which Jesus built his church.
The Pope: Head
of All the Church.
Was centered in
Rome
Arch Bishops and
Cardinals
Bishops who ruled over a Diocese
Priests who ruled over a Parish
Theocracy of Europe
• Popes, Cardinals anoint
Kings
• Europe is united in
Christianity
• Political and Religious
hierarchy is similar
• Some diversity in
practices and beliefs
• Church, Good Works,
Sacraments, Key to
Salvation
• Preoccupation with
death and salvation
How the Church Saved Civilization
• Church Monopolizes
education
• Monasteries centers of
education and literature
• Monks study and copy
ancient texts
• Some classic works are
preserved
• Others destroyed because
of the cost of paper
Monks: Scriptorium
Illumination:
Decorative borders on
manuscripts the monks
copied.
Calligraphy:
Fancy script used by monks.
Monastaries produced many
well-educated men
prepared to serve as
administrators for
uneducated kings and lords.
Art and Literature
• Christian focus
• Very little realism
What about Women?
Women could also dedicate their lives
to the church and its spiritual mission.
Women who dedicated their lives to
the church were known as Nuns.
Nuns lived in convents which were
headed by an Abbess.
Convents offered women
opportunities they would not have if
they stayed home and became wives
and mothers. In convents women
could get an education and be involved
in a community.
The Power of the Medieval Church
 bishops and abbots played a large part in
the feudal system.
 the church controlled about 1/3 of the
land in Western Europe.
 tried to curb feudal warfare  only 40
days a year for combat.
 curb heresies  crusades; Inquisition
 tithe  1/10 tax on your assets given to
the church.
 Peter’s Pence  1 penny per person
[paid by the peasants].
Common Elements between
the Rich and the Poor
in the Middle Ages:
• Subservience to God’s
church
• Church played a big
role— 7 sacraments
baptism, communion
(excommunicated)
• No salvation outside of
church
• Belief in God, heaven,
and hell
• All actions had
consequences
• Your soul was immortal
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty and
military service.
Feudalism: A Political System
KINGS:
• Kings at top of
hierarchy; collected
from barons
• As God’s deputy on
earth (“divine right of
kings”), can’t question
the king’s authority
BARONS (other titles):
• Important noblemen
• Rich and powerful
• Barons collected from lords,
lords collected from
peasants, etc.
• Land was almost the only
form of wealth; Rank and
power were determined by
the amount of land you
had.
Vassal Promis ed to Lor d
Loyalty
Military Service
Advice and
Tax Collection
Feudal
relationships could
become very
complicated.
A man could end up
being both a Lord
and Vassal at the
same time.
Feudalism
The lord
gave a
parcel of
land to a
vassal
Lord
Controlled all of the
land
Vassal
Homage and oath of fe alty
Lord give s
Vassal
Promised to be loyal to
his lord-took a public
oath to the effect
Included
land and
everything
on it
Fief
Pea sants
Considered part
of the land
Feudal Contract
• The Feudal contract was the
agreement that a vassal made with
his lord.
• The Fief: Was land that was given to
the vassal by the lord.
The Nobility of the Middle Ages
Medieval Noblemen spent their
lives preparing to fight or
fighting.
Noblemen were kings, dukes,
counts, barons, and even
bishops and archbishops who
had large landed estates and a
lot of political power.
Aristocratic Women
While men spent their lives focused on warfare,
the lives of women were much different.
Women could own property, but were under the
control of men.
Women were to manage their household or
castles. The lady was also to oversee the food
supply and maintain the household supplies
PEASANTS:
PEASANTS (a.k.a
• More than 90% of the
SERFS/VILLEINS)/SLAVES):
population were
• Lived on the lord’s manor.
peasants (serfs,
• Peasants’ work:
freemen)
EVERYTHING—land,
animals, animals’ dung,
homes, clothes, BELONGED
TO THE LORD OF THE
MANOR.
• Couldn’t leave the manor
property without
permission
FREEMEN:
FREEMEN:
• owned their own land independently of a lord
• In early feudalism, freemen were limited to
the LORDS’ APPOINTED OFFICIALS, and A FEW
MERCHANTS AND CRAFTSMEN (much more in
later middle ages as economy changed).
Social History
• Peasants
• Agrarian society
• Very little opportunity for
social mobility
• Labor/product is currency
• Peasant are producers and
consumers
• Life is short, days are long,
goal salvation
• Service for Protection
• Women and Family
• High infant Mortality
• 20%of Women die in child
birth
• Family works together to
farm small plots of land
• After Marriage women are
husbands property
• No rights to inheritance
• Education (skills) takes place
in the home
Parts of a Medieval Castle
Castles
• Castles were designed to be a place of
protection and a place of retreat in the event
of an attack (no gunpowder/cannons).
• They were offensive weapons built to control
surrounding lands.
• They evolved into residences for the King or
Lord who built them.
Feudal Economy
• Manor: estate-self sufficient • Hierarchical system in
and all life revolved around it
which every man is
• Lord: head of manor
another man’s vassal (or
• Lady: wife of lord
servant)
• Knight: Lord/son of Lord
• hardly any movement at
• Vassal: underlord; feudal
all through the system in
tenant
early MA
• Serf: workers; bound to the
lord of the castle; 4/5 of
• A bit more movement in
income went to the lord; no
high and late MA
chance to change your life if
you were a serf; no way to
work your way up; no time for
theater, etc.
The Medieval Manor
Chivalry: A Code of Honor and Behavior
Chivalry:
• medieval institution of knighthood; qualities
idealized by knights—bravery, courtesy,
honesty
• Flowering of Poetry about Courtly Love
• Rules of warfare: killing and destroying was
not a goal
• Jousting, hunting, and chess-all practice for
warfare
The Road to Knighthood
KNIGHT
SQUIRE
PAGE
Some Important Cultural Changes:
Flowering of Poetry About Courtly Love:
• For nobles only
• Troubadours (professional
singers) sang of
courtliness, brave deeds,
and Romantic love
accompanied by a harp or
lute.
• Courtly love poetry
praised an idealized,
distant, unattainable lady
love (e.g. Beatrice in
Dante’s Divine Comedy)
• Artificial passion with
strict rules.
• For instance, a loved one
could be married to
someone else.
• Developed in literature –
stories of unrequited love
and heroic knights.
• E.g., Arthurian legends in
France; best is Lancelot
by Chretien de Troyes
about the court of King
Arthur, a Celtic chieftain
of 6th century Britain who
fought the Anglo-Saxon
invaders.
Flowering of Poetry About
Courtly Love, cont.:
• As often seen in
lit/art: Told in
manner of late
Middle Ages with
forbidden love,
knightly combats,
and colorful
pageantry.
• Hearty, masculine
culture of early
Middle Ages was
giving way to a more
tranquil, confident,
and leisurely society.
• Over time, a noble’s
castle became more of
a theater for refined
pleasures than a
barracks for fighting
men.