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
The Roman Empire grew for the following
reasons:
a) Roman roads were well-built
b) Legionnaires (Roman soldiers) won battle
after battle
c) Rome's emperors and generals were
competent (capable)
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The Roman Empire was huge! It covered most
of Europe, most of North Africa, and some of
Asia. That created problems.
It was getting difficult to manage the
empire effectively
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Word went out from Rome, but 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
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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, to
support the army and expand the empire.
Also, Rome needed more growth because they
needed new regions to tax, to refill Rome's
treasury (bank accounts).
Emperor Diocletian & Price Controls
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General Diocletian was chosen by the
army to be the new emperor of Rome.
He placed price controls in place to
help stop inflation*.
*A general increase in the prices of
goods and services
He created a law that stated if you
charged more than the price limit,
you could be killed (severe
punishment).
 The Solution:
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Emperor Diocletian decided it would be easier to
manage Rome if it was split in half.
This created two Roman empires - the Western
Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.
Each side had a ruler in charge of it.
But the ruler who was in charge of Rome was the
senior ruler.
The Western • Europe/North
Africa, included
Roman
the city of Rome
Empire
The Eastern • Turkey/parts of
Asia, included the
Roman
city of Byzantium.
Empire
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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
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As we already learned, Rome was first a
monarchy, then a republic, then an empire – all
roads led to Rome for over 1200 years.
In the Mediterranean, Rome was in charge.
Although Rome had some wonderful emperors,
it also suffered from a series of bad, corrupt
and just plain crazy emperors.
There were lots of reasons why Rome fell.
Problems towards the end of the Empire
included:
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The empire was too large to govern (manage/rule)
effectively.
The army was not what it used to be. There was
corruption in the military - dishonest generals and
non-Roman soldiers.
Civil wars* broke out between different political
groups (A war between citizens of the same
country).
Emperors were often selected by violence (killed
off the competition), or by birth, so the head of
government was not always a capable leader.
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The increased use of slaves put many
Romans out of work.
The rich became lazy and showed little
interest in trying to solve Rome
problems.
The poor were overtaxed and
overworked. They were very unhappy.
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Prices increased (people couldn’t afford to
buy), trade decreased (less business).
The population was shrinking due to
starvation and disease. That made it
difficult to manage farms and government
effectively.
The Empire starting shrinking. The Huns,
Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Saxons and other
barbarian tribes overran the empire.
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Romans tried to solve some of their problems
by splitting the Roman Empire in half, hoping
that would make the empire easier to manage.
Each side had an emperor, but the emperor in
charge was the emperor of the western half,
the half that included the city of Rome.
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The Western Roman Empire did not do well
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Instead of getting stronger, they became weaker.
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By 400 AD, it was pretty much over. The Huns,
Franks, Vandals, Saxons, Visigoths – any of these
barbarian tribes might have been the group that
finally brought Rome down.
They were all attacking various pieces of the
Western Roman Empire.
In 476 AD, the Visigoths sacked (plundered and
destroyed) Rome. Europe entered the Dark Ages.
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The Eastern Roman Empire received a new
name – the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine
Empire did fine. It lasted for another 1000
years!
Workbook
Pages 154,
158 & 159
The Barbarian Kingdom
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BARBARIANS 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.
The Return of Christianity
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Most barbarians were pagans. Pagans 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 (mostly from Ireland) to teach about
Christianity.
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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.
 Mosques were built everywhere in Arabia.
 Islam was spread by merchants and soldiers.
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Charlemagne’s Empire
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768 AD
Prince Charles was crowned KING
Inherited most of land we now call France.
Brilliant soldier and strong Christian.
Became known as “Charlemagne” which means
Charles the Great.
Wanted to create a CHRISTIAN empire as
great as the Roman Empire.
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Wanted to conquer non-Christians and convert
them to Christianity.
Charlemagne 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
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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
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For safety and for defense, people in
the Middle Ages formed small
communities around a central lord or
master.
What about the lord of the manor? His
job was to defend the common people.
Most people lived on a manor, which
included the castle, the church, the
village, and the surrounding farm land.
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The king awarded land or fiefs to his most
important nobles, barons, and his bishops.
A fief meant more than land. Each fief was a
complete unit.
That unit 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
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The peasants, also called
serfs, worked and lived on
the land. In exchange, the
lord protected them.
They were heavily taxed
and were required to give
much of what they
harvested to their lord.
The lords played the roles
of judges in carrying out
the laws of the manor.
Role of Women
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Women, whether they were nobles or
peasants, held a difficult position in
society.
They did household tasks such as cooking,
baking bread, sewing, weaving, and
spinning.
They also hunted for food and fought in
battles.
Vassals
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The word vassal means servant.
Vassals could promise their loyalty to more than
one lord.
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It was important that the lord had strong vassals.
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The peasants were not armed (defenseless).
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The lord of the manor protected his subjects.
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The lord had to count on his vassals.
The Catholic Church
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The Catholic Church was the only church in
Europe during the Middle Ages.
With the exception of a few Jews, everyone in
Europe was a Christian during the Middle Ages.
Every person was required to live by the
Church's laws and to pay heavy taxes to support
the Church.
In return, followers were shown the way to
everlasting life and happiness.
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The Church also accepted gifts of all kinds from
people who wanted special favors or wanted to
be certain of a place in heaven.
These gifts included land, flocks, crops, and
even serfs. This allowed the Church to become
very powerful, and it often used this power to
influence kings to do as it wanted.
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Although the people in the medieval times were
very religious, the mass was said in Latin, a
language most people did not understand.
The Catholic Church believed in labor and in
prayer. People were taught that "to labor is to
pray".
The church also made it very clear that if you
wanted to get to heaven, you had to participate
in the sacraments.
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What were the sacraments? They were a simple set
of steps that, if followed, would open the doors to
heaven.
The thought of escaping to heaven was attractive
for most people who lived a harsh life.
The Church charged people money for some of the
sacraments and demanded donations to feed the
poor and to build new churches.
Seven (7) Sacraments
Enemies of the Church
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It was dangerous to behave
differently from the way the
leaders of the church
expected.
People who questioned the
teachings were punished.
They were known as heretics.
They were often tortured and
killed by inquisitors.
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Jews were cruelly persecuted.
They were attacked and killed.
They were forced to leave England, France, and
Spain.
They were forced to wear special clothes.
People were often accused of witchcraft.
They were put on trial by using water. They were
innocent if they sank and guilty if they floated.
The Pope
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The head of the Church is called the Pope.
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In the past, popes had a great amount of power to
influence kings.
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He wanted the power of all the rulers in Europe.
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He always argued with Holy roman emperors and
kings of France.
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If someone went against the Church, the Pope had
the power to excommunicate them.
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
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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. This meant he had to give
up all his worldly goods.
2. Vow of chastity. This meant he had to stay
single.
3. Vow of obedience. This meant he had to
promise to obey the church and the rules of
the monastery.
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Medieval Health
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As the populations of medieval towns and cities
increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to
health problems.
Medical knowledge was limited and medieval Europe
did not have a health care system.
Antibiotics weren't invented until the 1800s and it
was almost impossible to cure diseases without
them.
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There were many myths and superstitions about
health and hygiene as there still are today (i.e.
believed that disease was spread by bad odors).
It was also assumed that diseases of the body
resulted from sins of the soul.
Early surgery, often done by barbers without
anesthesia, must have been excruciating.
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
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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.
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.
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Can you imagine the fear people must have felt?
People were sick everywhere. Whole families
were wiped out. Whole villages were wiped out.
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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.
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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.