Download The High Middle Ages

Barbarian invasions
threatened European
safety & stability
Led to the development of
Feudalism =
1000-1300 C.E.
Feudalism = political & social system of the High
Middle Ages
 Royal governments were powerless to
defend people against the Barbarian
invasions
 Lords granted land and protection to
vassals who served them
 Vassal = men who fought for lords
 Feudal contract = unwritten rules between
a lord and his vassal
Feudal Contract
•vassals = gave military service
• Knights = heavily armored
soldiers on horseback
• Advised their lords
• Pay the lords on special
occasions
• Special occasions = marriages,
knighting ceremonies, ransom
of the lord if he was kidnapped
Lords
• Nobility = aristocracy
• Held large estates
• Had political, economic, & social
power
• Duties to their vassals under the
feudal contract =
• land grants
• protection: militarily or in court
•Warfare dominated Medieval
society
• Tournaments = contests
between knights; helped them
practice their fighting skills
• Chivalry = code of ethics
- Defend the Church
- Defend the helpless
- Treat captives humanely
The May Jaunt
• A pageant celebrating the "joli
mois de Mai"
• Celebrants wear green
garments (“livree de mai”)
• The riders are young princes,
princesses, noblemen and
women
• In the background is a chateau
thought to be the Palais de la
Cite in Paris.
• Excerpt from Tres Riches
Heures, a French prayer book
Noble Women
• owned property
• controlled by men
• married for political
alliances and economic
advantages
• managed the castles &
estates
• 15th-century
illuminated
manuscript page from
the Romance of
Tristan
• Shows ladies
watching knights
participate in a
tournament
Gianni Dagli Orti/CORBIS-BETTMANN
Peasant Women
• controlled by men
• married for economic
security
• managed home &
children
• servants in the lord’s
castle or in the fields
Feudal structure
Development of the
mercantile class
Burghers = bourgeoisie
Trade guilds
High Middle Ages =
population doubled
Islam spread throughout Africa, Asia, and
Europe
The
Crusades
In the 7th Century. Muslims, conquered Palestine
where Jesus Christ had lived and preached
Muslims were tolerant
let Christians/Jews and keep their faiths
Christian pilgrims visited the Christian 'Holy Land‘ & shrines freely
In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Jerusalem
Persecuted Christian pilgrims
1071, defeated the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert;
Threatened Byzantine Empire; Emperor Alexius asked the Pope for help
 Pope Urban II called for a “Holy War” or “Crusade” against the Muslim
“infidels” (unbelievers) and occupiers of the Holy Lands
1000s responded and pinned crosses on their tunics
The Crusades
continued
Between 1096-1212, there were 7 crusades
1000s responded and pinned crosses on their
tunics & marched to fight/die for God
1st Crusade: (1096-1099)
 French, German, and Italian armies captured
Jerusalem
 Sacked the city, slaughtered many Muslims &
Jews; stole/ransacked goods
 Many Crusaders went home--left surrounding
territories vulnerable
 Muslim leader, Saladin captured Edessa
2nd Crusade: (1147-1149)
 2nd Crusade failed to win Edessa back
Additionally, Saladin re-captured Jerusalem in
1187 for the Muslims
The Crusades
continued
3rd Crusade: (1189-1192)
 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany drowned in a local river
 English King Richard & French King Philip II of France arrived by sea
 captured the coastal cities
 unable to move inland & capture Jerusalem
 Saladin was impressed with King Richard’s fighting on the coast
 King Richard earned the nickname the “Lionhearted” here
 Saladin agreed to allow Christian pilgrims free access to Jerusalem
 Muslim leader
 Established the
Ayyubid Dynasty
 Very devout
 Legendary chivalry
 Defeated
Europeans in the 2nd
& 3rd Crusades
Saladin (1138-1193)
 Spared Jerusalem
 Made Cairo a
vibrant medieval city
The Crusades
continued
4th Crusade (1202-1204)
 Venetian leaders used the opportunity to weaken their largest
economic competitor
 Diverted Crusaders to Constantinople; sacked the city and ruled it
until 1261
 Byzantine army recaptured Constantinople in 1261
 Byzantine Empire never regained their great power
 Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453
What was the main effect of the Crusades?
 Italian port cities prospered economically
 Opened Europeans to a variety of goods and products: silks, spices,
coffee, tea, science, and knowledge
 Access to the compass/astrolabe provided Europeans with the means to
travel away from the coastline and to seek new goods
 Access to information about gun powder will enhance their more
aggression and lead to imperialistic tendencies in
Asia, Africa, and the Americas
 4th Crusade sacked Constantinople;
weakened the Byzantine Empire
 Led to Anti-Semitism in Europe
 Broke down feudalism;
Paved the way for the development of European nation-states
Lasting impact: bred centuries of distrust
& enmity between Muslims &Christians
Crusaders sacked Constantinople
Collapse of the Byzantine Empire
Mehmet II
 1453 – the Muslim
Ottoman Empire
surrounded and
conquered
Constantinople
 Constantinople was
renamed Istanbul
 Istanbul = the capital of
the Ottoman Empire.
Constantine XI
In 1000 C.E., Agricultural Revolution
• Innovations
- Heavier plows
- Windmills
• 3-field system
- Peasants rotated crops
- Planted 2 fields
- 1 field left fallow
The Bettman Archive
• Estates called manors =
produced the food to feed the
lord, all of the knights, and the
peasants
• Serfs = peasants who were
legally tied to the land
Serfs
gave part of their crop = rent
payment
subject to many other
payment obligations and taxes
Serfdom = slavery
Serfs could own property
 could not be sold
 Theoretically, serfs could
purchase their freedom from
their lords
Culver Pictures
• Harvesting honey from
beehives in the 15th century.
• During the Middle Ages,
families that often kept bees.
• Honey was used as a
sweetener and to ferment to
make mead, an alcoholic
beverage.
• They used the beeswax to
make candles
The lord gave the serfs
• a crude house
• a small adjoining
plot of ground
• a share of the
surrounding fields
• some farm animals
• protection from
outlaws and other
lords
Feudalism Characteristic
Obligations
Nobles
page 292-296
 Vassals –
Peasants
page 317-319
Define, page 293
Monks/Nuns
page 325-326
• Serfs -
 Knights –
Rights and
Benefits
• Feudal Contract –
Protection by the Lord:
• Fief• Manor• Manorialism-
Lives
• Tournaments:
Life of religious service:
• Chivalry:
 Inquisition -
• Aristocratic Women:
 heresy -
• Eleanor of Aquitaine:
Feudalism -
European vs. Japanese feudalism
Cowney Castle
of Himeji castle in Kansai, Japan
• Nobles lived in Castles
• Provided safety from Barbarian
attacks
• They were built on hills (motte) so
that they could see their enemy’s
approach. Thick walls surrounded
the fort.
• The family lived in the keep (tower)
• The keep contained bedrooms,
kitchens, stables, storerooms, and a
Great Hall. The lord held court and
entertained in the Great Hall
• Tapestries were hung on the floor to
keep out the cold. Straw was thrown
on the floor to soak up discarded
trash and food.
Bodiam Castle
Arundel Castle
Rhodes castle
In the Dark Ages, trade and cities
had declined
Trade revived in the High Middle
Ages
Medieval towns and cities grew
 Permanent trading centers
 craftsmen & traders sold their
goods
 farmers sold their excess
produce for cloth, tools, etc..
Fair = permanent trading markets
Florence, Italy
Many Medieval
towns and
cities were
ringed by walls
or other
fortifications for
defense
Stapleton Collection, UK/Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York
• Italian cities were major centers of commerce
• Florence was a major banking and manufacturing center.
• Venice developed a mercantile fleet and traded with Byzantium
• mercantile = used for merchants & trade.
Flanders
- Major trade center in Northern
Europe
- Renowned for high-quality wool
- Major trade cities: Bruges & Ghent
• As trade increased, a money
economy developed
• Money economy = based on gold
& silver coins instead of bartering
(trading goods for other goods)
• Commercial capitalism = an
economic system in which people
invest money (capital) in trade and
goods.
- Bankers & wealthy people loan
small businesses capital.
- The lender gets a percentage
of the profits from the business
• As trade revived,
merchants began to
move into old Roman
cities that were
abandoned in the Dark
Ages
• Artisans followed =
skilled people who
made things that
merchants sold
- carpenters
- stonemasons
- blacksmiths
- tailors
• Businesses hung signs
to illustrate their
profession
• Most people were
illiterate
• New cities developed
near trade routes,
castles, or monasteries
• Burghers = someone
who lives in a city near a
burg (German for castle)
• Smaller than ancient or
modern cities
Medieval cities were walled, crowded, and unsanitary
Medieval cities were:
• walled
• polluted = wood fires, dyers,
brewers
• crowded = more men than
women
• unsanitary = human & animal
wastes everywhere
• Women kept the house and watched
the kids
• unclean water = butchers
and tanners dumped garbage
in the rivers and wells
• Helped in their husband’s trade
• fire was the greatest hazard
• Many women were independent
brewers, weavers, and hatmakers
• Sometimes, widows inherited the
husband’s trade
• Cities were tied to the nearby manors for
food and protection
• Part of a lord’s territory
- Townspeople wanted freedom to trade
- exempt from military service
- written law guaranteed townspeople
their freedom
- escaped serfs were free if they lived in
a city for 366 days
- Self-governed
- city council
- elected patricians = wealthiest & most
powerful families
• Craftsmen began to
organize themselves
into trade guilds
• Trade guilds =
business associations
for specialized trades
• Guilds set quality
standards
• Set prices
• Established
standard production
methods
• 3 Levels in a Guild = Apprentice,
Journeyman, and Master
• Apprentice = young person who
learns a skill while working for a
master craftsmen. They are not
paid -- receive free room & board.
- Journeymen = After 5-7 years,
they apprentices receive wages
from other masters
- Master = produce a masterpiece
that is evaluated for quality by other
guild masters
Stained glass window in
Notre Dame showing the
cloth-making guild
Hanseatic League
Culver Pictures
• Active between the 12th17th centuries
• Powerful trade
association of over 100
German merchants &
cities
• Hamburg was one of the
most important cities
• The league’s ships and merchants
monopolized trade in the North and
Baltic seas
• Established trade enclaves (kontors)
in major cities to represent their interests
England
 5th Century = Germanic tribes,
Angles & Saxons invaded England
 Ruled England for centuries
1066 = Battle of Hastings
William of Normandy
defeated King Harold
Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York
The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Norman conquest of England by
William I in 1066. It is one of the most famous tapestries in the world.
The inscriptions worked into the design help describe the action. The
depictions of costumes, weapons, and other details are realistically
portrayed.
William the Conqueror
 Reorganized the system
of lords & vassals in
England
 Built castles all over the
English countryside
 Gave each knight a fief
 Required landholders to
swear loyalty to him
 French = the language of
the Nobility
Tower of London
William the Conqueror
Ordered a Census (1086)
Hulton Deutsch
Called the Domesday Book
Meticulous survey of
English estates
Survey of the whole realm’s
wealth
Determined taxes his
subjects owed him
1st census in Rome since the
Roman Empire
Public Record Office, Surrey, England
Henry II (1154 – 1189)
One of the most powerful English kings in
history
 Centralized English justice
 Combined Common Law with the existing
local legal codes
 Implemented modern court procedures
 Created royal courts
 Later, he unsuccessfully tried to impose his will
on the Church
 Thomas Becket opposed Henry. Becket was
murdered by 4 of Henry’s knights.
 The people protested. Becket was later
martyred
(1122-1204)
 Legendary Medieval Queen
 Wife of King Louis VII of
France. She accompanied
Louis to Jerusalem in armor
on the 2nd Crusade.
 After their marriage was
annulled, she married Henry II
of England.
 Highly educated – spoke &
wrote Latin. Also schooled in
literature, music, hawking, and
hunting.
 Mother of King Richard & King
John of England
 Ruled England as Regent between
1189-1204 when Richard was on the
3rd Crusade
 Stopped John from stealing his
brother’s throne
 Her court was reputed for its
intellectual and cultural attractions
 On her tomb, she is holding a book
because she loved to read so much
1215 – King John signed
the Magna Carta
Limited the King’s
power
Spelled out
king/vassal
relationship
1295 – King Edward I established Parliament = 1st
representative assembly
Wat Tyler led a rebellion against King Richard II in 1381. The rebellion led
to the abolition of the poll tax. Wat Tyler became a local hero. King
Richard watches while the mayor, William Walworth, slays Tyler.
French Kingdom
• 843 – Carolingian empire
was divided
• 987 – Hugh Capet started
Capetian Dynasty
• Weak rulers
• Controlled by nobles
• Royal domain = areas
around Paris
Philip II Augustus (1180-1223)
• Strengthened French
monarchy
• Warred against English
rulers who controlled
French territories
• Expanded French
territory
• Expanded the
monarchy’s power
Philip IV (Philip the Fair)
• Expanded the bureaucracy
• Expanded royal power
• Made France the largest and
best-governed monarchy in
Europe
• Established the French
Parliament
1302 French King Phillip IV created the Estates-General
•10th century = Holy Roman
Emperor
•Saxon dukes united parts
of the eastern Frankish
empire
•Modern day Germany
•Contained parts of
Germany, Switzerland,
Austria, eastern France,
Belgium, the Netherlands,
Poland, Czechoslavakia,
and Italy
• Slavs settled Eastern
& Southern Europe
• Western Slavs
• Poland, Hungary,
Czechs in Bohemia
• Christians
• Roman Catholics
• Southern Slavs
• Moravians, Croats, Serbs, Bulgarians
• Eastern Orthodox
• Late 8th Century: Vikings
attacked Slavic villages south
of the Baltic Sea
• Vikings dominated the area
• Natives called the Vikings
the Rus
• Kiev became a major trade
center
• Both trade partner and
enemy of the Byzantines
Kievan Rus
Vladimir I (980)
• Very war like Kievan ruler
• Invited missionaries from
Judaism, Islam and
Christianity to offer reasons
for conversion
• Married the Byzantine
emperor’s sister
• Brought Christianity and
Greco-Roman civilization to
Russia
Yaroslav I (1010-1054)
Created a Russian law code
based on Justinian’s Code.
Instituted a Golden Age of
Kievan Russia. Built churches
and a new capital city.
Allied Russia with the rest
of Europe by marrying his
children to European rulers.
Ivan I (1462-1505) = Ivan the Great
Absolute ruler
Took the title of czar
Czar – Absolute ruler of
Russia: from Roman word –
Caesar
Defeated the Mongols, who
had gained control of Russia
Extended Russian territory
Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584)
• Centralized royal power
• Introduced new laws that tied
Russian serfs to the land
• Used terror to consolidate his
power
• Had thousands of people killed
because he suspected a plot.
• Since the 5th Century, the popes claimed
supremacy over Church affairs
• The pope controlled territories called the
Papal states in central Italy
• Popes became deeply involved in feudalism
• Church bishops and abbots were given their
positions by nobles
• This made them vassals to the lord who
appointed them
• Appointees were often chosen from other
noble families for political reasons
• Appointees were more worldly than spiritual
investiture = kings
bestowed the symbols of
office to appointees
 Pope Gregory VII disagreed; felt that Church officials
should appoint clergy leaders
 King Henry IV challenged Pope Gregory
 Concordat of Worms = a bishop is elected by Church
officials
 Concordat is an official agreement, especially between
the pope and a national government concerning the
religious affairs of a country
 After the election, the bishop pays homage to the king
The king invests him with the symbols of his earthly
power
 The pope’s representative bestows symbols of the
bishop’s spiritual office
The power of kings and emperors over the church began to decline. This painting shows how the church viewed the
relationship between church and state. The pope is shown in the center of the picture, with other representatives of
the church to his left. To the right of the pope, and seated slightly lower, is the Holy Roman emperor, and to his
right, other representatives of lay government
Scala/Art Resource, NY
Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)
 forced King Phillip Augustus of France to
take back his wife and queen after Philip tried to
annul the marriage
 forced King John to accept his nominee for
Archbishop of Canterbury
 Wielded power by issuing interdicts =
forbids priests from giving sacraments to
selected individuals
 sacraments = Christian rites
 Made individuals pressure rulers to comply
with papal commands
Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and his family spent three days
barefoot in the snow at Canossa, Italy. Pope Gregory VII
excommunicated Henry after they argued over secular control.
Henry was readmitted to the Church.
Hulton Deutsch collection
New religious Orders developed :
• Cistercians = very strict; ate simple diets;
owned only 1 robe; eliminated all decorations
from all church buildings; active missionaries
– spread Christianity outside the monasteries
• More women joined convents & nunneries
• Franciscans = founded by Saint Francis of
Assisi; very popular amongst the people;
preached repentance & aiding the poor; lived
with the people, not in a monastery
• Dominicans = defended the Church against
heresy (denial of basic Church doctrines).
Served as examiners during the Inquisition
Thomas à Becket was made Archbishop
of Canterbury by King Henry II of
England in 1162. Becket resisted Henry’s
attempts to control the affairs of the
Catholic church. Their conflicts grew
bitter. In 1170, four of Henry’s knights
murdered Becket in Canterbury
Cathedral. The Roman Catholic Church
canonized the martyred Becket in 1173.
• 1233 - Inquisition
- Started in Spain
- Reaction to Muslim Rule
-1000s were accused of
heresy and tortured
- Christians believed that
people who did not accept
Church doctrines were in
danger of eternal damnation
- Accused individuals were
required to do penance to
save their immortal souls
• Philip IV of France argued with Pope
Boniface VIII. Henry wanted to tax the French
clergy.
• Pope Boniface VIII argued that they could not
pay taxes without the pope’s consent. Pope
Boniface VIII believed that the Pope was
supreme
• Philip sent troops to kidnap the Pope.
Boniface died from shock in 1303
• 1305, Philip installed Clement III at Avignon,
near the border of his empire
• The papacy remained in Avignon for 75
years. This period is called the Babylonian
Captivity.
The Babylonian Captivity
 In 1377, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome after
complaints about papal corruption at Avignon.
 He died soon after returning to Rome.
 Urban VI was elected. French cardinals disagreed
and chose a French pope. This created the Great
Schism = 2 popes between 1378-1417.
- Divided European Christians
- Damaged the Church’s popularity and
credibility.
 Council of Constance (1417) ended the schism
and elected Pope Martin V
 By the early 1400’s, the Church had lost a lot of
political power
• Called for Church reform
• Criticized corrupt clergy and excessive papal abuse of
power
• The Council of Constance accused Hus of heresy
• Hus was burned at the stake in 1415
• Many Czech reformers protested in Bohemia
• Violence didn’t end until 1436
1492 – Reconquista =
- Spain’s monarchs,
Ferdinand &
Isabella, defeated the
Moors at Granada
-Ended Muslim rule
in Spain
- Expelled Jews &
Muslims from Spain
Romanesque Church
Notre Dame (Gothic)
Glencoe, page 332
Churches and cathedrals =
the most important
buildings in medieval
towns
Cathedrals were very
expensive = a community
effort
Cathedrals took decades to
complete
Cathedral construction
benefited the community’s
economy
Employed local masons,
carpenters, glaziers, and
other workers
Avila Cathedral, Castilla-Leon, Spain/Index/Bridgeman Art
Library, London/New York
Pisa, Italy
Glencoe, 332
Peterborough, Russia
Maria Leach Abbey
Canterbury Cathedral
Flying Buttresses on
Strasbourg Cathedral
Universities
 University is derived from the Latin
word, universitas = corporation or
guild
 Medieval universities were like
educational guilds that trained young
men
The 1st universities were in Bologna,
Italy and Paris, France
 Teachers, called masters, lectured
by reading read a text aloud while
students followed along
 Liberal arts curriculum = law,
medicine, or theology (most popular)
Cambridge University in Cambridge, England, was founded in the
13th century. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in Europe
and one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
 Scholasticism tried to reconcile faith and reason
 Scholars used the teachings of Aristotle and other Greek
philosophers
 Scholastics believed that basic religious truths could be
proved by logical debate and investigation
 Saint Thomas Aquinas was the most renowned
Scholastic. He wrote Summa Theologica.
 Summa Theologica is organized as a logical intellectual
investigation. He asks questions, then cites opposing views
and documents to support his position
This is a page from the illuminated manuscript known as the Ebbo Gospels
(about 816-835). It shows Saint Matthew writing his gospel. Portraits of the
authors were very popular in illuminated manuscripts in the early Middle
Ages
Latin = the universal language in Medieval culture
In the 12th century, authors began to write in their native vernacular
language.
Vernacular = everyday speech (English, French, Spanish)
 Troubadour poetry = the most popular vernacular literature;
tales of knights inspired by noble ladies to perform courageous feats
 Chanson de geste = heroic epics that describe battles and
political contests – women not really involved much
 Dante Alighieri wrote The
Divine Comedy in Italian
 Christine de Pisan wrote The Book
of The City of Ladies in French
 Geoffrey Chaucer
wrote The Canterbury
Tales in English
 Most people couldn’t read or
understand Latin
 Vernacular Literature became
served a larger audience
 Encouraged more literacy
In the Middle Ages, the most effective method of deterring someone from
acquiring manuscripts from their proper owners was the book curse. The
book curse was a social warning. It warned possible book thieves that
books were valuable. Thieves faced severe repercussions if they took
books without permission.
Source: Sandra Anderson, Alloway Library
A sample curse equates stealing with not returning a borrowed book, For him that stealeth a book from
this library,
Let it change into a serpent in
his hand and rend him.
Let him be struck with palsy
and all his members be blasted.
Let him languish in pain, crying
aloud for mercy and
Let there be no surcease to his
agony til he sink in dissolution.
Let bookworms gnaw his entrails
in token of the worm that dieth not,
And when at last he goeth to his
final judgment
Let flames of Hell consume him
forever and aye.
Source: Sandra Anderson, Alloway Library