Download The Middle Ages or Dark Ages

The Middle Ages
or
Ages (get it?)
Europe after the Roman Empire
Fall of the Romans
• Empire was split into 2 parts
– Rome (west) and Byzantium (east)
• Rome was under attack from invaders
• Weak leaders
• Ultimately, Rome collapses to Barbarian
invaders
Rise of the Franks
• Franks were a Germanic tribe
• Lived along the Rhine River
• Clovis
– First German leader to become Christian
– Pope began to support
Charlemagne
• Means “Charles the Great”
• Huge- 6’4”
• 2 Goals
– Unite Western Europe
– Convert all Germans to Christianity
• Convert or die
• Became very powerful
• Created a large empire made of self sufficient
manors
Charlemagne cont’d
• 800 AD- crowned Holy Roman Emperor
• Unified the Empire through Christianity
• Helped spread Christianity to the middle of
Europe
• Promoted education in Aachen
• Kingdom divided into 3 parts after his
death
• Division weakened kingdom
The Vikings
• Norseman
• Lived in Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, &
Finland)
• Culture
– centered around the sea
– valued battling and conquering; not education
– Polytheistic
Where did they raid?
• Raided coastal villages throughout Europe
• Dominated after the fall of Charlemagne
• Impact in Europe
– Terrorized most of the kingdoms
– Turned to local leaders to protect them
– Led to the development of feudalism
Medieval Castles
• Early castles were built for protection not
living
• Lack of strong central government made
local lords build them to protect his people
Feudalism
• The king allows the nobles to use his land
in exchange for their loyalty
• Revolves around the lord’s manor
• Belief that God intended some people to
be superior to others
The System
• Fief
– Lesser nobles get a
grant of land
– To maintain himself
and his household
– Promise Loyalty,
military assistance and
other services
• Vassal
– The grant of land.
• Fief becomes
hereditary.
• Primogeniture
• Women had few land
rights
Manorial System
• Manors are large farm • Lord kept about 1/3 of
estates.
the land for himself.
• Needed to be self• In trade for the land
sufficient because
the peasants gave the
there wasn’t a good
lord some of their
trade system.
crops
• Lord would have
• Peasants also paid
several peasant
taxes.
families working on
the manor.
Lifestyle of Nobles
• Didn’t really live in
luxury.
• They were dependant
on the entire family.
• Marriage was a way
to increase your
wealth.
Chivalry
Code of Conduct
Rules by which Knights
had to live and how
they were supposed
to behave
Included stages of
training for boys
Included Courage,
loyalty and courtesy
to women and others
of his class
Warfare
• Common during the
middle ages.
• Knight was the center
of Warfare
• Rode large horses
• Often between
landlords or the
nobles.
Justice
•
•
•
•
Trial by battle
Oath taking
Trial by ordeal
Duels
Catholic Church
• Parish Priest
• Lowest rank
• Served the people of
his parish
• In charge of religious
instruction
• Administer 5 of seven
sacraments; baptism,
Communion, penance,
matrimony, and
anointing of sick and
dying.
• Bishop
– Manages a diocese
(group of parishes)
– Taught out of a
cathedral
– Many were feudal
lords and had Manors.
• Archbishop managed
bishops.
Heirarchy
• Archbishop is in
charge of a group of
Bishops.
• Cardinals are the
“princes of the
church” and advise
the pope
• Pope has the highest
authority.
– He is elected by the
cardinals
Monasticism
• Monks and Nuns
– Believed they had to
withdraw from world to
be Christian.
– They began to group
together in
monasteries and
convents.
• Benedictine Rule
– A set of rules that was
written by Benedict
about how monastic
life should be.
• They begin to take
care of the poor and
spread Christianity.
• 400-500 they took
Christianity to
England.
Church in Medieval Life
• Canon Law
– Church code of law
and court system.
• They did not allow
people to question or
challenge the basic
principles of the
church: Heresy.
• Had the power to tax
called tithe.
• Considered the family
a sacred institution
Problems in the Church
• Lay investure.
– Appointing a friend or
relative to be a bishop
or an abbot.
• Simony.
– Purchasing an office in
the church.
Franciscans: group of
church reformers.
• Heresy
– Dominicans called
friars.
– Seek out heretics and
stamp out the
opposition to the
church.
– Inquisition. Saw a
great need to stop
heresy.
Anglo Saxon England
• Alfred the Great
– Came to power in 871
– Wessex then rest of
England
• He attacks the Danes
and they finally sued
for peace.
• Edward the
Confessor becomes
king.
William the Conqueror
• Edward the Confessor dies; no heir
• Battle between 3 nobles for the throne
– Harold- direct heir
– Hardrada- King of Norway
– William of Normandy- Edward’s cousin
• 1066- Battle of Hastings
– William defeats Harold to claim the
throne
Reforms
• Henry II 1154-1189
– Made vassals pay a
fee.
– Hired soldiers
– Legal System
improvements
• Thomas Becket
– Refused the Legal
improvements
– He was murdered
• Eleanor of Aquitaine
– Henry’s wife
– Controversial because
of Eleanor’s lands that
came with her dowry.
King John & Magna Carta
• English nobles were upset with kings:
– High taxes for crusades
• John was a weak and unpopular king
– Poor warrior (soft sword)
– Poor leader
– Gave people less and higher taxes
– Kicked out of Catholic church
Magna Carta
• 1215
– John signed a contract limiting the power of
the king
• No jail without a trial
• Consult nobles before raising taxes
• Not interfere with the church
– Importance
• Idea of limited government/executive
• Influenced American government
Common Law
• Laws based on
customs rather than
written law.
• Simon de Montfort
– Led a revolt against
the king by trying to
unite the middle class
and the nobles.
• Basically he began
Parliament.
• Edward I divided the
courts.
– Exchequer kept
financial books.
– Common Pleas for
ordinary citizens.
– King’s Bench things
concerning the king.
Capetian Kings
• Hugh Capet was
chosen as king of
France and is the first
Capetian ruler
• Begin marry women
with a good dowry
• Philip II began to take
lands back from the
English.
• Well trained officials
ran the government.
• Philip IV (the fair)
• Capetian rulers will
die out with Charles
IV and the Valois
family will take
control.