Download The Middle Ages - Class Notes For Mr. Pantano

CHRISTIANIZATION OF
THE WEST
(400 A.D.-1500 A.D.)
THE ROMAN EMPIRE IS SPLIT
INTO TWO PIECES

1.
2.
3.


The Roman Empire grew for the following reasons:
Roman roads were well-built
Powerful army
Competent emperors and generals
The Roman Empire covered most of Europe, most of
North Africa, and some of Asia.
This created problems.
MANAGING THE EMPIRE
EFFECTIVELY (WELL) BECAME
DIFFICULT


The provinces did not always do what they were told.
Rome seemed very far away to the people in the
provinces.
THE PROVINCES WERE PUTTING A
GREAT FINANCIAL STRAIN ON ROME

Taxes and trade goods from the provinces were pouring
into Rome, but supplies to support the provinces were
also pouring out.

Money was needed to:
build new roads
support the army
expand the empire
a)
b)
c)

Rome needed more growth because they needed new
regions to tax, to refill Rome's bank accounts.
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN &
PRICE CONTROLS

General Diocletian was chosen by the army
to be the new emperor of Rome.

He placed price controls in place to help stop
the increase in the prices of goods and
services.

If a shop owner charged more than the price
limit, he could be put to death!
SOLUTION:

He decided it would be easier
to manage Rome if it was split
in half.

This created two Roman
empires - the Western &
Eastern Roman Empires.

Each side had a ruler.

But the ruler who was in charge
of Rome was the senior ruler.
The
Western
Roman
Empire
• Europe/North
Africa, included the
city of Rome
The
Eastern
Roman
Empire
• Turkey/parts of
Asia, included the
city of Byzantium.



Diocletian chose to rule the Eastern Roman Empire.
He placed a good friend in charge of Rome.
Before leaving, Diocletian moved a great deal of
Rome's money over to the Eastern Roman Empire.
476 AD: FALL OF ROME



Rome was first a monarchy, then a republic, then an
empire – it all lasted for over 1200 years.
Although Rome had some wonderful emperors, it also
suffered from a series of bad, corrupt and crazy
emperors.
There were lots of reasons why Rome fell.
PROBLEMS TOWARDS THE END OF
THE EMPIRE INCLUDED:
1.
It was too large to manage (govern) effectively.
2.
The army had become corrupt due to dishonest
generals and non-Roman soldiers.
3.
Civil wars broke out between different political
groups.
4.
Emperors rose to power either by killing off the
competition or by inheriting it.
5.
Too many slaves put many Romans out of work.
6.
The rich became lazy and showed little interest in
trying to solve Rome’s problems.
7.
The poor were overtaxed and overworked.






Products became to expensive to affordable.
Businesses began to struggle and trade decreased.
Romans began to starve and die of diseases.
Population decrease made managing farms difficult.
The Empire starting shrinking.
The barbarian tribes* began conquering different parts
of the empire.
*Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Saxons, etc.

Rome tried to solve some of their problems by
splitting the Roman Empire in half, hoping that
would make the empire easier to manage.
DID SPLITTING THE EMPIRE IN HALF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcuVJU
WORK?
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Barbarians - The Goths

The Western Roman Empire became weaker.

By 400 AD, the barbarian tribes finally brought Rome
down.

In 476 AD, the Visigoths sacked (plundered) Rome.

Europe entered the Dark Ages.

The Eastern Roman Empire did fine (renamed “ the
Byzantine Empire”).

It would last for another 1000 years.
THE BARBARIAN KINGDOM

They were tribes of warriors who invaded the Roman
Empire from the Northeast.

They eventually swept across Europe and destroyed the
Roman Empire and settled down in their own
independent Kingdoms.
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=wJYVi16vp8k
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=Plsh2YmfE1g
THE RETURN OF CHRISTIANITY




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Most barbarians were
pagans.
They did not believe in
Christ.
Churches were abandoned
wherever they settled.
By 500 AD churches almost
disappeared in many parts
of Europe.
Church leaders in Rome
decided to send out monks
to teach about Christianity.

The barbarians became Christians.

Churches and monasteries were built all over Europe.

Monks kept holy books in their monasteries and made
handwritten copies of them.
THE RISE OF ISLAM



Mohammed began preaching about Allah.
Many people in Arabia became Muslims and mosques
were built everywhere.
It was spread by merchants and soldiers.
CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE (768 AD)
Prince
Charles was crowned king and inherited most of
land we now call France.
Known as “Charlemagne” (means Charles the Great)
His mission was to create a Christian empire.

Wanted to conquer non-Christians
and convert them to Christianity.

He had churches and monasteries
built throughout Europe.

His empire collapsed soon after his
death due to constant invasions from
Vikings and tribes of Magyars.
FEUDALISM

Life was organized in
Medieval Europe.

People were divided
into four main
categories and each
group had different jobs
to do.

This organization was
called the feudal system.
THE MANOR

For safety and for defense,
people formed small
communities around a
central lord or master.

The lord of the manor’s job
was to defend the people.

The manor included the
castle, the church, the
village, and the
surrounding farm land.

The king awarded land or fiefs to his most important
nobles, barons, and his bishops.

A fief a unit of land that included at least one village,
huts for the serfs, the manor house or castle, and areas
set aside to grow, feed, or catch food - the fields, pasture
land, and woods.
PEASANT LIFE

The peasants (serfs) worked
and lived on the land.

In exchange, the lord
protected them.

Heavily taxed

Required to give most of
their crops to their lord.

Lords acted as judges
(carried out the laws of the
manor).
2 types of lords
Superior lords
called
SUZERAINS
Inferior lords
called
VASSALS
VASSALS (INFERIOR LORDS)

A inferior lord (vassal) promised his loyalty to a superior
lord (suzerain).

It was important that the lord had strong vassals.

The peasants were defenseless and counted on the lord
for protection.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH



It was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages.
The majority of Europeans were Christian.
Everyone had to live by the Church's laws and pay heavy
taxes to support it.
God
Pope
Cardinals, Bishops,
Archbishops
Monks
Believers (peasants)

It also accepted gifts (ex: land, money) from people
who wanted special favors or wanted to be certain of
a place in heaven.

Such gifts allowed the Church to become very
powerful, and it often used this power to influence
kings to do as it wanted.

Although Europeans were very religious, the mass
was said in Latin, a language most people did not
understand.

It believed in labor (work hard) and in prayer.

It also made it very clear that if you wanted to get to
heaven, you had to participate in the sacraments.

What were the sacraments? They were a simple set
of steps that, if followed, would open the doors to
heaven.

The Church charged people money for some of the
sacraments and demanded donations to feed the
poor and to build new churches.
ENEMIES OF THE
CHURCH

People who questioned the
teachings of the Church were
punished.

They were known as heretics.

They were often tortured and
killed by inquisitors.
THE POPE

The head of the Church is called the Pope.

In the past, popes had a great amount of power
to influence kings.

He wanted the power of all the rulers in Europe.

He always argued with Holy roman emperors and
kings of France.

The Pope had the power to excommunicate.

This meant that the person could not attend any church
services or receive the sacraments and would go
straight to hell when they died.

At a time when everyone believed in heaven and hell and
all belonged to the Church, this was an awful
punishment.
MONKS

A monk is a man who has chosen to devote his
life to a certain discipline of prayer.

A priest named Benedict built a monastery in Italy.
The rules he established were called Benedictine Rule.

All monks had to take three vows:
1.
Vow of poverty
2. Vow of chastity (stay single)
3. Vow of obedience (obeyed the church and the
rules of the monastery)
MEDIEVAL HEALTH

As the populations of medieval towns and cities
increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to
health problems.

Medical knowledge was limited (ex: drugs like
antibiotics did not exist) and Europe did not have a
health care system.

There were many myths and superstitions about
health and hygiene (i.e. believed that disease was
spread by bad odors).

It was also assumed that diseases resulted from sins
of the soul.
END OF SERFDOM

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When faced with the need for quick cash, nobles offered
their serfs a chance to buy their freedom.
Because the serfs had sold goods at the marketplaces,
many were able to buy their freedom.
As the serfs left, the feudal system declined.
The serfs were free, but where could they go?
Some stayed on the land and worked for the nobles for
payment.
Some joined the crusades.
Most new freemen moved to the rapidly growing towns
in search of work.
THE BLACK DEATH

In the 14th century (1347 AD), a horrible disease
struck Asia, Africa, and Europe.

A ship returning from Asia to Italy brought a terrible
plague called the Black Death.




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In 6 years nearly 1 in 3 people
living in Europe died.
People were sick everywhere.
Whole villages were wiped out.
It was spread by blood sucking
fleas.
People thought plague was sent by
God to punish them for their sins.
“Flagellant Brothers” tried to stop
the disease by whipping their
bodies. Since plague was
transmitted through contact with
blood they actually spread the
disease.

At first, people locked their doors trying to protect
themselves. They carried flowers to block out the
smell of the dead and dying.

The skies were filled with ashes as people burned
houses filled with the dead. Villages filled with the
dead were burned down, to contain and kill the
disease. Nothing worked.

Outbreaks of the plague continued for two hundred
years.

The cause of the plague was not discovered until the
20th century (1900's.)

Today, this disease is called the bubonic plague. We
have a vaccine for the plague should an outbreak ever
happen again.

We're lucky! The people in the Middle Ages did not
have vaccines to protect themselves from many
diseases as we do today.