Download Medieval Europe Power Point - Wappingers Central School District

Medieval
Europe
(500 – 1500)
The Middle Ages or
Medieval Europe is the
1,000 year period after
the fall of Rome and
before the Renaissance.
I. Geography:
A. Europe is on the western end of Eurasia.
B. Natural
Resources:
• Dense forests
• Fertile soil
• Rich minerals
• Seas
Tribal Warfare
Fall
of
Rome
No central gov’t
Money is not used
Literacy declined
Greek & Roman learning
forgotten
Dark
Ages
in W.
Europe
A. Farmers and herders
1. No written laws
2. Created small kingdoms
Not these Franks!
B. The Franks- most powerful in
Gaul (France)
1. Clovis
• 1st King of the Franks
• Allied (supported)
with the Roman
Catholic Church
2. The Battle of Tours
- In 732 CE, the Franks defeated the
Muslims in Spain.
DON’T WRITE THIS
This could have changed European history! Christians did not want Islam to spread into
Europe, even though they learned science and math from Arab Muslims.
C. Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
1. 800 CE- king of the
Franks
2. Pope Leo III named
him Roman Emperor
3. Legacy
• Blended and spread Christian,
Roman and German culture
• Efficient gov’t (bureaucracy)
• Set up schools
Don’t write this!
Curriculums, or formal courses of study, included reading,
grammar, math, music, and astronomy.
Don’t write this!
When Charlemagne died in 814, his empire fell apart as his heirs
fought over it.
Peace Out, Charlemagne!
4. The Treaty of
Verdun
divided the
empire.
5. This became the Holy Roman Empire.
Feudal Hierarchy
Draw this in
your notes!
(the best you can)
Feudalism- A political
system that exchanges land
for military service.
DON’T WRITE THIS!
–Lords gradually became
more powerful than kings
as they acquired more
land.
I. Feudalism (Political)
King or lord
Vassal
Was
required to
give a
Was required to
give
fief (land)
loyalty &
military service
II. Social
• Kings and Lords were at the top
of the social hierarchy.
• Knights- mounted
warriors
– Chivalry- code of
conduct for
knights
– be brave, loyal,
polite
• By the 1100’s, fighting declined
so lords held tournaments (fake
battles) to entertain people.
• Serfs- peasants who worked
the lord’s land
– They couldn’t leave without
permission
– They paid for the lord’s
protection in food and labor
(no $$).
DON’T WRITE THIS!
• Role of Women
– Noblewomen managed the household and were in
change when men were away.
– Rights:
• Received a limited inheritance
• Arranged marriages, expected to have many
kids
• Few knew how to read and write
• Chivalry raised women to a new status. They
were protected and cherished.
III. Economic
Manorialisman economy
where land,
not money,
is the basis
of wealth
Manor- the lord’s
estate including
the town,
peasant houses,
church, and
fields
- It was selfsufficient, which
slowed trade
• Three-field
system- two
fields
planted, one
left fallow
(empty) to
regain
fertility
Europe was isolated BUT, there were
advanced civilizations in the Middle
East, South Asia, and China!