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Western Europe / Middle Ages
Rise of the Franks
 For hundreds of years following the
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breakup of the Roman Empire, Europe was
in chaos and disorder.
Barbarians invaded the area and settled,
bringing their ways of living and their
customs.
Eventually, customs and political patterns
merged between the barbarians and the
people from the former Roman Empire.
Gradually, order was restored and between
the 400’s and 1500, historians consider this
the transition into the development of
Western culture.
Middle Ages: The period of European
development. The time in history that
marks the end of the Classical Age and the
beginning of the Modern World.
The Franks
 After the fall of the Roman Empire, Many
Germanic Tribes invaded Western
Europe and created small kingdoms.
 The Franks: organized the Germanic
people and shaped the post-Roman
Europe culture.
 In 481, a ruler named Clovis became king
of one of the Frankish tribes.
 Clovis traced his family back to an
ancestor named Merovech, thus Clovis
and his tribe were called Merovingians.
 The Merovingians, with the support of the
Christian church, conquered other
Frankish tribes and controlled northern
and southwestern Gaul.
 This is the area of today’s France, which
is named for the Franks.
 When Clovis died, his son divided the
kingdom.
 After the death of Clovis, the Merovingian
kings were generally weak.
 Eventually the chief of the royal
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household, known as the “mayor of
the palace”, became the real ruler of
each kingdom.
Pepin II - ruled as “mayor of the
palace” from 687 to 714.
Charles Martel – A.K.A. Charles the
Hammer. Son of Pepin II, who became
“mayor of the palace” after Pepin II
died.
Charles Martel and his cavalry fought
off raid attempts in France from the
Spanish Moore’s and the Muslims.
(Battle of Tours)
After Charles Martel’s death, his son,
Pepin III (The Short) and his brother
Carloman served as joint “mayors of
the palace” over the Merovingian
kingdom.
In 751, Pepin III overthrew the last
Merovingian ruler (Childeric III) and
claimed the Frankish throne. Pepin
was anointed king of Franks,
establishing a new line of Frankish
rulers: the Carolingians.
 Charlemagne: Pepin III’s son and greatest of all Frankish
kings.
 Charlemagne inherited and rules the Frankish throne
from 768 to 814.
 Charlemagne was a devout Christian and helped spread
Christian beliefs.
 Charlemagne and the Christian church saw him as the
inheritor of Roman authority.
(Christmas 800 – Pope Leo III crowned him emperor.)
 Charlemagne established a court and capital at Aachen
(Modern day Germany), but spent most of his time
traveling through his realm to maintain his authority.
 Charlemagne relied on aristocratic deputies known as
Counts, who held political, military, and legal authority in
local jurisdiction.
 Because many of the counts often had their own political
ambitions and pursued policies contrary to the interest of
the central government.
 To tighten control, Charlemagne instituted a new group of
imperial officials known as missi dominici “envoys of the
lord ruler”, who traveled yearly to all local jurisdictions
and reviewed the accounts of local authorities.
Charlemagne contributions:
* Fought in many battle and defeated many tribes and
invaders (Lombards in Italy, the Saxons in N. Germany,
* United much of Western Europe
* Strengthened the political powers of the
Franks
* Influenced a cultural rebirth throughout
Europe by supporting education, copying
ancient Roman manuscripts, creating libraries.
* The pope preformed the coronation for
Charlemagne, strengthening the ties between
the Franks and the Christian church.
* Charlemagne set the example for later kings
in Medieval Europe.
 After Charlemagne’s death in 814, his
descendants, Louis the Pious, did not inherit
his ability to manage a kingdom.
 By the mid-800 the Carolingian dynasty had
begun to divide and collapse.
 Invasions from Eastern Europe tribes such as
the Slavs and the Magyars terrorized Europe
and broke apart Charlemagne’s empire.
 Muslims invaded from the south and the Norse
(Vikings) invaded from the north.
Answer the following
questions….
1. Who were Missi Dominici?
2. What Pope coronated Charlemagne Christmas
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Day of 800 A.D.
Who was Louis the Pious?
What 3 groups invaded Gaul from the North,
South, and East?
Where did the term “Vikings” originate from?
Explain the Feudal System.
Explain the relationship between lords and
serfs.
 Vikings: Most feared group of invaders
from Scandinavia.
 The Vikings sailed shallow draft boats
that could cross heavy seas, but could
also navigate the many rivers offering
access to interior regions of Europe.
 The Vikings were ruled by kings and
nobles, but were somewhat democratic.
Assemblies of landowners made the
laws.
 The Vikings would raid and loot
settlements and then take captives back
to Scandinavia to work as slaves on their
farms.
England
 450 A.D. Roman rule had ended in
Britain.
 Germanic Tribes moved into the islands:
1st as Raiders
2nd as Settlers
 Invasions prompted a series of small
kingdoms established earlier by Angles,
Saxons, and other Germanic people
merged into a single large realm.
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Anglo-Saxon England – named for two
Germanic tribes.
The leader of this effort, King Alfred,
expanded form his base in southern
England to territories farther north held by
Danish invaders.
Alfred the Great – came to the throne in
871 and was determined to drive the
Danes out.
Danes were also referred to as Vikings.
Alfred built a navy to challenge the
Vikings at sea and constructed a fortress
on land to secure areas that he conquered
from the invaders.
876 Alfred attacked the Danes and by 886
the Danes were weakened and a treaty
was established with them. They were
allowed to live in parts of Mercia and
Northumbria and where able to govern
themselves.
Over time, the Anglo Saxons formed
several independent kingdoms, which
eventually were divided up into
governmental districts: Shires
A shire was governed by a shire-reeve.
(Today’s sheriff)
 Alfred’s successors had established
themselves kings of all of England.
Danish rule
 After the death of Alfred, the Danes began to
attack again and by 1013, the Danes again
controlled the entire country.
 1042, Edward the Confessor (part AngloSaxon part Norman) becomes king
 Edward the Confessor didn’t leave a heir to
the throne so a distant relative, Duke William
of Normandy took the English throne.
 Anglo’s refuse to recognize him as king, so
Edwards’s brother-in-law, Harold of Wessex
became king.
 Determined to become king, William along
with Norman knights crossed the English
Channel to battle against Harold and the
Anglo-Saxon army. (Battle of Hastings - 1066)
 Harold was defeated & William of Normandy
(William the Conqueror) became king.
 At first there was resistance from the AngloSaxons, but eventually they accepted him and
his laws.
Reforms under William’s successors:
 Strong, efficient, well-financed government
 King John and Magna Carta – protected
liberties of nobles and outlined rights for
ordinary people
 Parliament: Nobles and clergy made up
House of Lords, knights and burgesses
made up House of Commons
 Common law: Collection of decisions that
were applied equally and in common
Germany
 When Carolingian authorities were unable
to prevent invasions from the Magyars,
local lords took matters into their own
hands. The most successful, King Otto I of
Saxony
 Otto I was elected king in Germany 936.
 Otto I was a powerful leader and would later
be known as Otto the Great. Otto I worked
to develop a strong kingdom in Germany
 951, Otto moved to seize
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northern Italy with the support
of Pope John XII. Otto would
later be crowned Emperor of
the Romans. (962) Overtime,
the Holy Roman Empire was
weakened by internal division.
Henry III became Emperor in
1046.
Henry III, like Charlemagne,
expected the church to actively
support the empire and its
ruler. (Henry III chose the popes
during his reign.) Henry III
viewed the church as a branch
of the imperial government.
Henry III died in 1056, so his 5
year old son, Henry IV, took the
throne.
Many nobles and church clergy
saw his youth as an opportunity
to gain power.
Feudalism
 The Feudal System was introduced to England
following the invasion and conquest of the
country by William I (The Conqueror).
 The system had been used in France by the
Normans from the time they first settled there
in about 900AD. It was a simple, but effective
system, where all land was owned by the King.
One quarter was kept by the King as his
personal property, some was given to the
church and the rest was leased out under strict
controls.
The King
 The King was in complete control under the
Feudal System. He owned all the land in the
country and decided who he would lease land
to. He therefore only allowed those men he
could trust to lease land from him. However,
before they were given any land they had to
swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at
all times. The men who leased land from the
King were known as Barons, or Vassals, they
were wealthy, powerful and had complete
control of the land they leased from the King.
Barons / Vassals (Nobles)
 Barons leased land from the King which was known as a manor. They
were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this
land. They established their own system of justice, minted their own
money and set their own taxes. In return for the land they had been given
by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and
provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it.
They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court
when they travelled around the country. The Barons kept as much of their
land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their
Knights. Barons were very rich.
Knights
 Knights were given land by a Baron in return for military service when
demanded by the King. They also had to protect the Baron and his family,
as well as the Manor, from attack. The Knights kept as much of the land
as they wished for their own personal use and distributed the rest to
villeins (serfs). Although not as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite
wealthy.
Villeins (Serfs)
 Villeins, sometimes known as serfs, were given land by Knights. They
had to provide the Knight with free labour, food and service whenever it
was demanded. Serfs had no rights and were poor. They were not
allowed to leave the Manor and had to ask their Lord's permission before
they could marry.
Medieval Life - Food
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A Norman lord dined in the great hall of his castle or
manor house. He sat in a high-backed chair at one end
of the large room with his family and special guests.
Less important people ate sitting on stools or benches
at trestle tables lower down the hall. The lord’s table
stood on a platform of wood or stone.
The Normans ate their meals off wooden plates or out
of bowls. They also used large slices of day-old bread
as plates for the meat. Although they had knives and
spoons, there were no forks, so most people used their
fingers a great deal. Dogs, and sometimes beggars,
wandered around the tables looking for scraps.
The lord ate well, even during winter. Unlike most of the
people who lived on his manor, he could afford to buy
salt to preserve his meat all the year round. He could
also afford pepper to spice tasteless food or food which
was beginning to go bad.
The peasants’ main food was dark rye bread. They
grew peas, beans and onions in their gardens and
collected berries, nuts and honey from the woods.
Peasants did not eat much meat. Many kept a pig or
two but could not often afford to kill one. They could
hunt rabbits or hares but might be punished for this by
their lord.
Manorial Systems
A Medieval Manor
This map illustrates the layout of a
typical manor. Each manor was
largely self-sufficient, growing or
producing all of the basic items
needed for food, clothing, and
shelter. To meet these needs, the
manor had buildings devoted to
special purposes, such as the mill
for grinding grain, the bake house
for making bread, and the
blacksmith shop for fashioning
metal goods. Notice that one of the
fields has been left fallow, or
unplanted, so that the soil can
replenish its nutrients.
Life in the Middle Ages
A normal day of a regular peasant would
generally start--and end like this:
6:00 AM - Roosters would wake most villagers up.
At this time, most peasants started they daily
activities normally by dressing and eating
breakfast. A peasant's breakfast consisted of
mostly vegetables, water, fruits and bread.
7:00 AM - The castle's bells would ring (if any) and
serfs were required to start work at this time In
winter, peasants were most likely to wake up until
8 AM.
8:00 AM - Work continued, There were not many
interludes for serfs; in the other hand, free
peasants; could have many breaks.
9:00 AM - Work for serfs continued; they were not
allowed to drink or eat anything in the farms, but
nevertheless; most of them managed to
contraband goods such as water. Peasants would
farm a lot as well, but serfs were the true workers.
10:00 AM - The first interlude for serfs. When a
noble was generous, he'd let the serfs rest for up
to half an hour at this time. Draconian nobles
would impose rules against resting.
11:00 AM - Labor was at its peak. Peasants were
required to work and work at this time. In the
interim, nobles were usually riding their horses or
taking care of business. Most nobles would live
out of the work of their serfs.
12:00 AM - Serfs continued working
1:00 PM - Serfs would be normally given a time-off
at this time since the sun would burn them
otherwise. Farms were very hot places in which the
sun was strong enough to make very painful burns.
Serfs usually died at an early age
2:00 PM - Work at farms continued. Children were usually
playing in the gardens or farming as well. Their mothers
spent a great amount of time at home--preparing food,
teaching their kids new knowledge and doing house-work.
Nevertheless, a women could also be a serf; thus some of
them worked many hours at the farms.
3:00 PM - Work continued.
4:00 PM - This was the official resting time. Nobles would
normally have glorious feasts with more food than a serf
would see in a month. Serfs usually ate bread, vegetables
and water. Under good circumstances, they had meat
(usually in holidays).
5:00 PM - Serfs were required to return to work.
6:00 PM - Work continued.
7:00 PM - Work for serfs continued.
8:00 PM - Labor usually finished for the day. Serfs were
paid a very small amount of money; from which, they were
required to pay a lot of taxes.
9:00 PM - Serf's dinner.
10:00 PM - Serfs would often go to sleep at this time. In the
meantime, at the castle, nobles would be having another
feast. Dinner was their favorite meal and castles were full
of servants to provide nobles with whatever they wanted.
The Middle Ages was a period of glory for some--and
misery for others.
A Monk’s Day
The life of a monk in the Middle Ages was far more structured
than that of most people of today. Time was spent in
attending church services, meditating and reading,
working, sleeping, and eating—and nothing else.
Brain Break
Use your books
•Role of male serfs
•Role of female serfs
•Agriculture
•Economy (Trade)
•Who did they trade with?
Feudalism Quiz
Take and Turn-in
True or False
1. Feudalism was introduced to England by William the Conqueror.
2. Knights leased land from the king.
3. A baron (nobles) was known as 'Lord of the Manor'.
4. Barons (Nobles)had to provide food for villeins (serfs).
5. Knights had to fight for the king when the barons told them to.
6. Knights were quite wealthy.
7. Villeins (Serfs) were also known as serfs.
8. The king gave food to everyone.
9. Villeins (Serfs) were rich.
10. Barons set their own taxes.
The Church
 The medieval church had control over political power
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due to the weak central governments throughout
Europe.
It’s power extended throughout kingdoms and through
every social and political level.
When the Roman empire collapsed, the papacy
survived and claimed spiritual authority over all the
lands formerly connected to the empire.
For a century, the pope cooperated closely with
Byzantine emperors who appeared to be the natural
heirs to the emperors of Rome.
In the late 6th Century, the popes acted more
independently and devoted their efforts to
strengthening the western Christian church based at
Rome and clearly distinguishing itself from the eastern
Christian church in Constantinople.
After the 11th Century, the 2 branches were identified
as the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox
churches.
Pope Gregory I, aka Gregory the Great reasserted
papal primacy – that the bishop of Rome was the
ultimate authority in the Christian Church.
 The church was a great economic force: By the 1100’s,
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the medieval church was one of the leading landowners
throughout Europe.
Within the church, clergy members were organized
according to strict hierarchy of rank.
Each rank had different responsibilities.
Parish Priest: Lowest Rank
The Parish was the smallest division of the church
and the priest directly served the people in his
parish.
Responsible for religious instruction and the moral
and spiritual life within his community.
Administer five of the seven sacraments:
Ceremonies at which the participants received God’s
direct favor, or grace to help ward off the
consequences of sin.
The 5 Sacrament ceremonies the parish priest could
perform were:
Baptism
Holy Communion
Penance
Matrimony
Anointing the sick and dying.
Sacraments
 Bishop: Manages a group of parishes called a
diocese.
 The cathedral serves as the bishop’s official church.
 The king or powerful nobles usually controlled the
selection of bishops on the basis of family
connections and political power.
 Many bishops were feudal lords or vassals in their
own right and had vassals themselves.
 Bishops also perform the sacraments of confirmation
and taking holy orders.
Church leadership
 A group of several dioceses is called an archdiocese,
which is managed by an archbishop. Archbishop: had
all the powers and responsibilities of a bishop and
also had authority over the bishops of the
archdiocese.
 The Pope has supreme authority in the church.
 The Pope was advised by the curia, a group of
counselors drawn form the highest ranks of the
clergy.
 The Curia’s most important and powerful members
were cardinals.
 Cardinals: “The princes of the church” advise the
pope on legal and spiritual matters.
 Only cardinals can elect the pope.
 It didn’t happen often, but a man of great ability,
regardless of birth, could rise to great heights within
the church.
The Church and Medieval Life
 The pope was both political and religious leader.
 Many popes claimed that the church held political and
spiritual power over all monarchs.
 The church had its own courts and code of law, called
canon law.
 Clergy members of the church could be tried in this court
and could possibly be excommunicated: cut off from the
church and could not receive the sacraments or be
buried on sacred ground. It also effectively removed an
individual from society.
 The court could also issue an interdict against an entire
region: All the churches in that region would be closed
and the clergy would be forbidden to perform any of the
sacraments.
 The people in this region would be at risk of eternal
punishment.
 The people did not allow anyone to question the basic
principles of the Christian religion.
 The church would use the threat of interdiction to turn a
region’s people against a ruler that might oppose the
church power and policies.
 Heretics: People who denied the truth of the church’s
principles or preached beliefs not approved by the
church.
Monasticism
 The first group of clergy was called secular clergy.
Secular comes from the Latin word saeculum, which
means “the present world.” The secular clergy gave the
sacraments and preached the gospel among the people
of the everyday world.
 The next group of clergy was called regular clergy.
 Male monks made up regular clergy because they had
to live in accordance with strict rules.
 Female nuns also lived in accordance with strict rules,
but they were not considered clergy because only men
could fulfill that role in the church.
 Monks and Nuns believed that they needed to
withdrawal themselves from the world and its
temptations.
 They chose to serve God through:
1. Fasting
2. Praying
3. Self-denial
*4. Inflict extreme physical suffering on themselves to
prove their dedication. (Not always done)
 During early centuries of Christianity, monks and nuns
lived alone to practice their devotion to God.
 Eventually, monks and nuns gave up the hermit
lifestyle and formed religious communities.
 Monk communities are called monasteries, and nuns
lived in convents.
 Monasticism refers to the way of life in convents and
monasteries.
 Abbot: elected head of the community and controlled and
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distributed all property.
Abbess: served a similar role as an abbot for women in a
convent
In some areas, efforts were made to organize monastic
communities before the 500’s.
A young Roman named Benedict became disgusted by the
worldly corruption he saw around him.
Benedict left Rome to worship God as a hermit and his
reputation for holiness spread and he attracted many
followers.
Because of his growing popularity, Benedict established a
monastery at Monte Cassino (Central Italy) 529.
Saint Benedict created rules to govern monks’ lives –
The Benedict Rule required monks to take vows to lead
communal, celibate lives under the absolute direction of the
abbot. (Virtues of Poverty, Chastity, & Obedience)
Through the influence of St. Benedict, his twin sister, St.
Scholastica, adapted the “Rule” providing guidance for
religious life of women living in convents (nuns).
Within a century, most of European monasteries & convents
observed the Benedict Rule.
Clash over Germany and Italy
 Henry III died in 1056, so his 5 year old son, Henry
IV, took the throne.
 At age 15 Henry IV moved to strengthen the
imperial rule. This led him into conflict with Pope
Gregory VII.
 Pope Gregory felt that the church was the supreme
spiritual power on earth. He felt that rulers and
ordinary people were subject to the will of the
church and the pope.
 Pope Gregory used the threat of excommunication
as a way to resolve conflicts between church and
state.
 Pope Gregory releases the emperor’s subjects from
their vow of loyalty to the ruler and urged them to
elect another emperor.
 Fearing rebellion, Henry sought the pope’s mercy.
 Imperial submission – Pope Gregory revoked the
king’s ex-communication
 After humiliation, Henry’s excommunication was
lifted.
 Concordat of Worms: limited imperial power over
German churches. This was an agreement between
Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V
near Worms, Germany.
 It brought to an end the first phase of the
power struggle between the Papacy and the
Holy Roman Emperors.
 The King was recognized as having the right
to invest bishops with secular authority in
the territories they governed, but not with
sacred authority.
The Crusades
Causes
 The Seljuk Turks (Muslims) gained control
over Palestine in the late 1000’s.
 This area was known as the “Holy Land” to
Christians.
 The Turks attacked part of the Byzantine
Empire. When they threatened to attack the
capital city, Constantinople, The Byzantine
Emperor called Pope Urban II for help.
Pope Urban II preaches the First
Crusade at the Council of Clermont
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Pope Urban wanted to regain the “Holy
Land” from the Turks, so he called a
meeting of church leaders and feudal lords
to stop the fighting amongst themselves
and unite to fight for the “Holy Land”.
Crusades: A series of military expeditions to
regain the Holy Land.
The Pope made an appeal to crusaders that
if they fight in this war, they would go
straight to heaven.
Others fought to gain money and land.
1St Crusade (1096 – 1099)
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French and Italian lords led several armies
of Crusaders from Europe to
Constantinople.
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Although they were glad to receive help
against the Turks, the Byzantine Empire
was suspicious of the Crusaders and their
motive to possibly capture the city.
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As the Crusaders traveled across Asia
Minor, they suffered casualties due to:
1) Hot wool and leather garments
2) Heat
3) Food and Water Shortage
4) Few packed animals to carry
supplies
The Crusaders finally reached their
target: Jerusalem.
Through several vicious battles, the
Crusaders capture Jerusalem and
massacre the Muslim and Jewish
inhabitants
After the 1st Crusade, much of the Holy
Land was brought back under
European control.
As a result, customs and trade was
established by the Europeans amongst
the Holy Land and in Southwest Asia.
Change also occurred within Europe
and many Christians and Muslims
began to respect each other and live
amongst each other.
The Fall of Jerusalem during 1st Crusade
2nd Crusade ( 1147 – 1149)
 By 1146, the Turks had united forces and
taking back cities the crusaders had
captured.
 King Louis VII of France and German King
Conrad III led separate armies across
Europe in 1147.
 At Damascus, the 2 armies joined forces,
but failed to defeat the Turks. The
Crusaders returned to Europe in disgrace.
3rd Crusade ( 1189 - 1192)
 In 1187, the Muslim leader Saladin gained
control of Jerusalem.
 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa, King Philip II of France, and
King Richard I of England led separate
armies.
 Barbarossa drowned on the way to the Holy Land,
so his army turned back.
 King Philip took his army back home to seize
English lands in France.
 King Richard was forced to fight alone in the Holy
Land, but they couldn’t recapture the Holy Land.
 Richard settles for a truce with Saladin, which
allowed the crusaders to receive control of some
towns along Palestine and allowed Christians to
enter Jerusalem freely.
4th Crusade
 Pope Innocent gathered a group of French knights
in 1202.
 1204 Crusader looted attacked Constantinople.
Other Crusades
 Children’s Crusades: 1212
Results of the Crusades: Cultural Diffusion
 Trade
 Politics
 Weapons
Late Middle Ages
Terms
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Expansion of Arable Land
The Improvement of Agricultural Techniques
New Agricultural Tools and Technology
New Crops
Textile Products
Hanseatic League
The Three Estates
Cathedral Schools / Universities
The Urban Woman
Late Middle Ages
Growth of Towns
 As towns and trade grew in the Middle Ages,
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townspeople saw they did not fit into the manorial
system.
Townspeople now made their living by making and
trading goods.
Manor lords still controlled the towns. They would
only give up control for something in return.
Some towns won self-government peacefully, but
many resorted to violence.
Some lords granted their towns charters of liberties.
Charter: A written statement of the town’s rights.
The Basic 4:
Anyone who lived in a town for a year and a day
became free. This included serfs who escaped from
a manor to a town. (Freedom)
Townspeople won the right of being exempt, or free,
from ever having to work on the manor. (Exemption)
Towns had their own courts. Leading citizens tried
cases that involved townspeople. (Town justice)
Townspeople could sell goods freely in the town
market. They could also charge tolls to outsiders
who wanted to trade there. (Commercial privileges)
 Merchants and workers began to unite in associations
called guilds.
 In each town, a merchant guild had the sole right to trade
there.
 Merchants from other town could trade there only if they
paid a fee.
 Merchant guilds also helped their members and members’
families. (Example: Guilds looked after members who were
in trouble and made loans to members. Guilds also aided
the widow and children if a guild member died. Guilds also
looked after ill members and those who could no longer
work.)
 Craft guilds also formed over time.
 Each guild member had a single craft (shoemaker,
weaving, etc. ) and the craft guild would set rules for
wages, hours, and working conditions. They also set
standards for quality of work.
 Master workers of each guild trained boys and men who
wanted to join their guild.
1) Apprentice: Parents would pay a master worker to house,
feed, clothe, and train the boy. (Take 5-9 years)
2) Journeyman: A skilled worker who is paid wages by a
master.
3) After some time, the journeyman can become a master
himself by creating a masterpiece. (A piece of work worthy
of a master) If the journeyman’s guild approves his
masterpiece, the journeyman could open his own shop.
 Some girls also served as apprentices.
Rise of the Middle Class
 In time, towns’ guild members became the
middle class.
 Middle class: between the class of a noble
and that of a peasant and unskilled
workers.
 The middle class favored kings over
nobles because kings could provide stable
government that would protect trade,
business, and property. The king also
looked to the middle class for advice.
 Kings also gave members of the middle
class government jobs.
 Trade & Commerce became a large part of
the European society.
 In time, the middle class started to gain
power.
 The growth of towns during the Middle
Ages could be exciting, but the growth of a
town was also filled with turmoil and
hysteria:
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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
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The growth of towns during the middle ages were also
dark, unsafe, dirty, and unhealthy.
No Street lights
No Police
Robbers (Crime)
Waste was dumped into open gutters
Disease spread quickly through crowded cities.
The Black Death: Originated in 1347 (in Asia)
Many believed that noxious smells caused the disease,
so they held flowers to their faces and nose for
protection.
Ring Around the Rosie. What does this game mean?
The popular children’s game originated during the Black
Plague:
“Pocket full of Posies (type of flower), Ashes, Ashes, we
all fall down!” (A reminder that death could be near)
The plague spread through ports by trading ships.
Black Rats on the ships carried the disease and the
plague spread to people by bites from fleas on the rats.
Estimate of 25 million people died in Europe from 1347 to
1351
Relationship from upper-class and lower-class changed.
(Peasant uprisings)
The church lost some power (People lost their faith)
Wars and the Growth of Nations

In 1328, the last male member of France’s
Capetian dynasty died. Edward III of England
claimed the French throne.

The French assembly chose Philip VI of
Flanders as king instead.

1337, Edward III of England brought an army
to Flanders, hoping to gain control of this
rich trading area.

Edward started the Hundred Years’ War
between France and England.(1337 – 1453)

For 116 years, a series of battles and raids
occurred between England and France.

France suffered the most because the war
took place on French soil.

England won many battles, but lost the war
to France.

The Hundred Years’ War saw the use of new
weapons:
1) Longbows (England)
2) Gunpowder (England and France)
3) Cannons (England and France)

The war also increased the power of the
English House of Commons.

Its members won the right to advise the king
and consider all new taxes.
The Hundred Years’ War by 1431
In the opening decades of the 1400s, it looked as if
English fortunes in the Hundred Years’ War were going
to remain bright. In 1415, the English defeated the
French at Agincourt. Among the French losses were 3
dukes, 5 counts, 90 barons, and more than 5,000
knights of noble birth. English casualties included only
13 men-at-arms and some 100 foot soldiers. But the tide
turned in favor of the French in 1429, when Joan of Arc
led French forces against the English at Orléans and
recaptured the city. Joan of Arc was captured in 1430,
however, and burned at the stake in 1431.
England

After the Hundred Years’ War, two
royal families fought for England’s
throne.

The War of the Roses was between
the House of York, whose emblem
was a white rose, and the House of
Lancaster, whose emblem was a red
rose.

Henry Tudor of Lancaster defeated
Richard III of York.

Henry Tudor, A.K.A. King Henry VII,
set up a strong monarchy for
England.
France

France suffered during the Hundred
Years’ War:
1) English soldiers robbed the people
and destroyed property.
2) Many people in France starved
3) An internal fight broke out in the
French royal family.
* The House of Burgundy sided with the
English. Charles VII of the House of
Orleans became king with the help of
Joan of Arc.
 At the time of Joan's childhood the land of France was
caught up in the Hundred Year's War.
 Joan started hearing voices at the age of 13. These voices
originally only exhorted her to pray often and attend
church.
 Joan believed God was speaking to her and was telling her
that she must help the future king of France be crowned.
(The dauphin, Charles VII, had to be coroneted at
Reims by tradition, but at that time Reims was held by the
English, with their own hopes of crowning Henry VI, who
was but a child, when he was old enough.)
 In 1428, Joan left her home town without telling her parents
and managed to get to the King and convince him of the
sincerity of her mission.
 She was supplied with an army to raise the siege of
Orleans, leading France to victory against the English.
(From there it seemed that Joan could do no wrong in battle.
Joan's success started declining, mainly thanks to the lack
of monetary support from King Charles VII. She was
captured at Compiègne when the drawbridge was raised too
hastily, resulting in Joan being left outside.)
 Joan was tried by an English inquisition court, found to be
heretical, and burned at the stake.
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During the war, French representative assembly (The Estates General) controlled
finances and passed laws.
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After the war, it lost power to Louis XI.
1) Strengthened the monarchy
2) Set up a harsh, but efficient
government with high taxes
3) Seized lands of the House of
Burgundy
4) United the country , reducing the power of
French lords
Spain
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Became a united nation under Ferdinand and Isabella.
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Ferdinand and Isabella took power away from the church court and from the nobles.
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The Spanish Reconquista: In 1492, the Spanish army finally captured the last of the
Moors. They also ordered all Jews to become Christians or leave Spain. (Later they
gave the Moors the same choice)

Most Jews and Moors left, robbing Spain of leaders of industry and trade.
The Holy Roman Empire

The Roman Empire remained divided into independent states.

1273, A member of the Habsburg family became emperor and ruled a state that is now
Switzerland

Habsburgs became the most powerful family in Europe through powerful marriages
and careful strategies of armed conquest.

They couldn’t however unite the Holy Roman Empire facing opposition from German
princes and Italy (which was ruled by the pope at that time.)
Factors that Led to the
Rise of Defined Nation
The decline of feudalism
The decline of city-states
The decline of church-controlled
lands
The existence of warfare
Nations
Church Conflicts
 After Pope Innocent III, the power of the church weakened.
 The kings of England, France, Spain formed strong gov’t.
 Townspeople supported the kings; Many felt that church
laws limited trade and industry.
 Also, people found fault with the church’s great wealth &
the worldly lives of some of its clergy.
 Soon conflicts arose between the pope and a monarch:
*** King Philip IV of France ordered the clergy to pay taxes.
Pope Boniface VIII was angry because he ordered that popes
had power over worldly rulers. Philip called together the Estates General. He charged
the pope with heresy and with selling jobs in the church. He wanted a church council
to put Boniface on trial. King Philip’s took the pope prisoner, but Boniface was quickly
released. Boniface died shortly after his release.
 After Boniface died, King Philip had a French bishop elected pope: Clement V
 Clement V moved the center of the church from Rome, where it had been for 1,000
years, to Avignon, France.
 6 more French popes lived in Avignon.
 This period when the pope lived in Avignon is known as the Babylonian Captivity:
Named for the years when the ancient Hebrews were forced to live in Babylon.
 People lost respect for the church, believing that the popes were controlled by
French kings.
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1377, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome, but soon died.
The cardinals in Rome elected an Italian pope to please local mobs.
Later they elected a French pope, who went to Avignon.
This period of church history is known as The 2nd Schism: The church was
divided into 2 opposing groups, each with its own pope.
Finally a church council met in 1414, removing all of the popes and elected
a new Italian pope.
The pope’s authority weakened and increased criticism, often within the
church:
1324, 2 teachers @ the University of Paris wrote that the pope was elected to
only have power over the church clergy and lay people, not over worldly
rulers.
1300’s, John Wycliffe, an English priest and teacher attacked the church’s
wealth and immorality of some of its clergy.
Wycliffe wanted to replace the authority of the church with
that of the Bible.Wycliffe promoted the first translation of
the Bible into English, so that English people could read
it and decide for themselves what it meant.
The church accused Wycliffe of being a heretic,
but the English royal court defended him. Wycliffe wasn’t
executed, but was banned from teaching.
Jan Hus, a religious reformer and teacher @ the University of Prague, also
criticized abuses in the church.
Hus was excommunicated and was called before a council where he was
declared a heretic and burned at the stake in 1412.
Wycliffe and Hus had a profound impact on people and their questioning set
the stage for later reformers.