Download Early Middle Ages

The Rise of Europe
Chapter 7
The Early Middle Ages
Section 1
Western Europe in Decline
• The Roman Empire included much of Western
Europe.
• After the fall of Rome, Europe entered a
period of political, social, and economic
decline.
• Waves of invaders, trading slowed down, and
people left the towns.
Medieval
• The period between 500 to 1500 would be
called the Middle Ages.
• The culture during this time was called
medieval.
The Rise of the Germanic
Kingdoms
• The Goths, Vandals, Saxons, and Franks all
conquered parts of the Roman empire.
• Mostly farmers and herders and lived in small
communities.
• Kings were elected by tribal councils and
Western Europe was divided into small
kingdoms.
The Franks extend their power
• King Clovis of the Franks conquered Gaul,
which would later become the Kingdom of
France
• Clovis converted to Christianity
Muslim Empire Threatens Europe
• The Religion of Islam began in Arabia in the
600’s.
• Muslims, or believers of Islam, began to build
a huge empire.
• Muslim armies began conquering Christian
lands from Palestine to North Africa to present
day Spain.
Muslim Empire threatens Europe
• Charles Martel rallied Frankish warriors at the
Battle of Tours In 732 when the Muslim
armies crossed into France.
• The Christian warriors won and the Muslims
advanced no further into Western Europe
The Age of Charlemagne
• Charlemagne, or Charles
the Great, briefly united
Western Europe and built
an empire that stretched
from what is now France,
Germany, and part of
Italy.
A new emperor of the Romans
• Charlemagne became
emperor of the Romans
when he arrested the
rebellious nobles in Rome.
• Pope Leo III was so
thankful that he named
Charlemagne emperor.
• This angered the Eastern
Roman emperor in
Constantinople.
Creating and Unified Christian Empire
• Charlemagne worked closely with the church
to spread Christianity and create a united
Christian Europe.
• Charlemagne appointed powerful nobles to
rule local regions
• Sent out missi dominici to keep control of
provincial rulers and to see that justice was
done.
A Revival of Learning
• Encouraged the creation
of local schools to
encourage Latin learning
throughout the empire.
• Saw the need to keep
accurate records and
write clear reports
Europe After Charlemagne
• After Charlemagne died in 814, his son Louis I
took the throne.
• But Louis sons would later battle for power.
• Finally in 843 Charlemagne’s grandsons drew
up the Treaty of Verdun, which split the
empire into three regions.
Charlemagne’s Legacy
• He extended Christian civilization into
northern Europe
• He set up strong efficient governments.
New Waves of Invasions
• Muslim forces still posed a threat to the
Christian Empire.
• In the late 800’s the Muslims conquered Sicily,
which became a thriving center of Muslim
culture.
• The Magyars overran eastern Europe in about
900 and settled in present day Hungary.
Raiders from the North
• The Vikings were in Scandinavia were they
were independent farmers and expert sailors.
• Starting the the 700 the Vikings set out looting
and burning communities along the coasts
and rivers of Europe.
• Vikings sailed all around the Mediterranean
Sea and across the Atlantic trading.
• Around the year 1000 they set up a short-lived
Viking colony in North America.
The Vikings
Feudalism and the Manor
Economy
Section 2
Feudalism: A Political System
• Feudalism= a loosely organized system of rule
in which powerful local lords divided their
landholdings among lesser lords.
• These lesser lords were called vassals and
they pledged service and loyalty to the greater
lord.
Mutual Obligations
• Feudal Contract= a powerful lord granted his
vassal a fief, or estate, which included
peasants to work the land, as well as any town
or building on it.
• The lord promised to protect the vassal and in
return the vassal pledged loyalty to his lord.
• The vassal also agreed to 40 days of military
service each year.
A Structured Society
• Below the monarch were powerful lords such
as dukes and counts, who held the largest
fiefs.
• Each lord has vassals, and in turn those vassals
had their own vassals.
The World of Knights and Nobles
• Many nobles began training at age 7 for future
occupations as a knight, or mounted warrior.
• He learned to ride and fight and keep his
armor and weapons in good condition at the
castle of his fathers lord.
Knights
• Knights usually fought on
horseback using swords,
axes, and lances, which
were long poles.
• Wore armor and carried
shields
• Knights engaged in mock
battles called
tournaments.
Castles and Defense
• Powerful lords fortified their homes to
withstand attack and eventually created large
stone castles with high walls, towers, and
drawbridges.
• The Knights who defended the castle also
lived there
Noblewomen: Restrictions and Power
• While the husband or father was away
fighting, the “lady of the manor” would take
over his duties.
• Land and fiefs usually passed to the eldest son
in the family.
• The daughters were sent to training and
learned how to spin and weave and how to
supervise servants.
Chivalry: Romance and Reality
• Chivalry= required knights to be brave, loyal,
and true to their word. They had to fight
fairly.
• Knights must also protect the weak. This
usually always placed women on a pedestal.
• The Knights followed this code of conduct.
• Troubadours= wondering musicians
The Manor: An Economic System
• The heart of the medieval economy was the
manor, or lord’s estate.
• Manors included one or more villages and the
surrounding lands.
• Peasants worked the manor and were called
serfs.
• Serfs could not leave the manor without the
lord’s permission
Lords and Peasants: Mutual
Obligations
• Peasants spent several days a week farming
the lords lands and repairing his roads,
bridges, and fences.
• In return for their labor the peasants were
entitled to protection from raids and warfare
and could farm land for themselves
A Self-Sufficient World
• The peasants produced almost everything
they needed, from food and clothing to simple
furniture and tools.
• Most peasants never left their village. So they
had no schooling or knowledge of an outside
world.
• A typical manor included cottages and huts
clustered closely together with surrounding
fields.
Peasant Life
• The peasant family ate a simple diet of black
bread with vegetables such as cabbage,
turnips, or onions. Seldom ate meat.
• Family and livestock slept together
• Still celebrated marriages and births.
• Life was harsh
– Worked long hours from sunup to sundown
The Medieval Church
Section 3
The Sacraments
Main Events of a Persons Life
Monks and Nuns
Vatican City: Rome
Economic Recovery Sparks
Change
Section 4
An Agricultural Revolution
• By 800’s, peasants were using iron plows that
carved deep into the heavy soil.
• A new harness allowed peasants to use horses
rather than oxen to pull the plows
Production and Population Grow
• Brought more land into use by clearing
forests, draining swamps, and reclaiming
wasteland for farming and grazing.
• Rotated crops using the three-field system
– Planted one field with grain, one with legumes,
and left the third unplanted.
– This new method only left 1/3 of land unplanted.
The Revival of Trade and Travel
• As the population grew and people began to
feel safer, they began to travel.
• Crusaders brought luxury goods back to
Europe from the Middle East and Asia.
• Traders began to crisscross Europe to meet
the growing demand for goods.
Trade Routs Expand
• They traveled in armed caravans and followed
regular trade routes to the middle east and
Asia.
The Growth of towns and Cities
• As merchants set up shops in small settlements along
trade routes, populations grew and they eventually
became the first medieval cities.
• Charter= set out the rights and privileges of the town
– Had to ask the local lord for a charter
– In return the merchants paid the lord a large sum of
money
• As populations grew, manors became overcrowded
and lords often allowed peasants to buy their
freedom and move to towns.
The Beginnings of Modern Business
• As trade revived, the use of money increased.
– Need for Capital= money for investment
• Groups of merchants joined together in
partnerships.
– The pooled their funds to finance large-scale
venture that would have been too costly for any
individual trader.
The Beginnings of Modern Business
• Local merchants developed a system of
insurance to help reduce business risks.
• Developed credit
Society begins to change
• As a result of the use of money, many serfs
began selling farm products to townspeople
and paying rent to their lord in cash instead of
labor.
• Most peasants in Western Europe were
Tenant Farmers, who paid rent for their land.
The rise of the middle class
• Merchants, traders, and artisans formed the
middle class.
• The middle class gained economic and
political power through guilds which
cooperated to protect their own economic
interests.
– Merchant Guilds
– Artisans Guilds
Becoming a Guild Member
• At the age 7 or 8, a child
might become an
apprentice, or trainee,
to a guild master.
• Most people became
journeymen, or salaried
workers, who worked
for guild members.
Town and City Life
• Medieval towns an cities were surrounded by
high, protective walls.
• Because of overcrowding, city dwellers added
a second or third story to houses and shops.
• Great cathedral towered above all residences.