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CHAPTER 9
EMERGING EUROPE
AND THE
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
SECTION 1
The New Germanic Kingdoms
• By 500, the Western Roman Empire had
been divided into a number of states ruled
by German kings. Ostrogoths controlled
Italy & Visigoths controlled Spain.
• The Angles & Saxons settled in Britain.
• Clovis, a Frankish king, established a
powerful kingdom in France & western
Germany. Converted to Christianity &
gained support from the Roman Catholic
Church. After death, sons divided it.
• Germans & Romans married & created a new
society.
• Extended family lived & worked together and
provided protection for each other. Concept
of family influenced law. Crimes were
personal & could lead to feuds & bloodshed.
• Wergild “money for a man”- amount paid by
wrongdoer to the family of person
killed/injured. More money for nobility.
• Ordeal- physical trial. Divine forces would
protect the innocent. They would be
unharmed.
The Role of the Church
• By 4th century, the church had organization. Priest
head of parish, Bishop head of a group of
parishes/diocese (bishopric), Pope head of
parishes.
• Pope Gregory I took control of Rome & its
surrounding territories (Papal States). Had political
power. Active in converting pagans to Christianity.
Used monks & missionaries.
• St. Benedict founded a community of monks. Lived
in monasteries that were self-supporting & learning
centers.
• Monks provided schools, hospitals, & hospitality for
travelers.
• Women joined the ranks as nuns.
Charlemagne & the Carolingians
• During 600s & 700s, Frankish kings lost power
to chief officers of the household called mayors
of the palace.
• Pepin, one of these mayors, became a king. Son
of Charles Martel, who defeated the Muslims at
the Battle of Tours. Pepin died & his son became
king.
• Charles the Great or Charlemagne began the
Carolingian Empire. He expanded the Frankish
kingdom & used his household staff & counts to
run the empire. Used missi dominici
“messengers to the lord king” to check on the
counts. In 800, he became Emperor of the
Romans. Brought together Roman, Christian, &
Germanic cultures.
• Charlemagne promoted learning despite
not being able to read or write. Renewed
interests in Greek & Roman works.
• Monasteries copied books for the people
who could afford them.
SECTION 2
The Invaders
• Within 30 yrs. after Charlemagne’s death, the
Carolingian Empire was split into 3 major
sections: the western Frankish lands, the
eastern Frankish lands, & the Middle Kingdom.
• 9th & 10th centuries saw invasions in Europe.
Muslims attacked southern France, Magyars
attacked Western Europe, & the Vikings
attacked inland.
• Vikings of Scandinavia were warriors, great
shipbuilders, & sailors. Given a section of land
that would become Normandy. Converted to
Christianity.
The Development of Feudalism
• Because of the invaders, people turned to the
aristocrats (lords) for protection & were willing to
serve them in return. New political & social
system formed.
• Warriors (vassals) swore an oath to a lord. Lord
gave them a piece of land (fief), which they
supported their family.
• In feudal society, loyalty to one’s lord was the
chief virtue. These unwritten rules became
known as a feudal contract. Vassal performed
military service (40 days), give advice at court, &
make payments on special occasions. Lord gave
him land, protect him (militarily or in court).
• Frankish army changed. Went from foot
soldiers in mail (armor made of metal
links/plates) to soldiers on horseback
(cavalry) or Knights.
The Nobility of the Middle Ages
• Nobles were kings, dukes, counts, barons,
& bishops who had large estates.
Aristocracy that had the most political,
economic, & social power.
• 12th century- Tournaments held for knights
to show their fighting skills, including joust.
• 11th & 12th century- Chivalry, a code of
ethics that knights were suppose to follow.
Defend the Church & defenseless people,
treat captives as honorable guests, & for
them to fight for glory, not material
rewards.
Aristocratic Women
• Could own property, but remained under
control of their fathers/husbands.
• Lady of the castle managed the estate
while the lord was away. Supervised the
servants, took care of financial accounts,
& oversee the supplies.
• Expected to be subservient, but some
strong women advised or even dominated
their husbands.
SECTION 3
England in the High Middle Ages
• Late 9th century, King Alfred united the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England.
• 1066, William of Normandy defeated King
Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned
king of England. Took a census
(Domesday Book). Developed a system of
taxation & royal courts.
• A new culture emerged with the merging of
Anglo-Saxon & French language &
customs.
• Henry II enlarged the English monarchy. More
criminal cases tried & property cases in royal
courts.
• Common Law was established & replaced laws
that varied place to place.
• Thomas a Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury,
claimed only that the Roman Catholic Church
courts could try clerics. Knights killed him.
• Many English nobles resented the growing
power of the kings. During King John’s reign,
they rebelled. Forced him to sign the Magna
Carta (The Great Charter). It put into writing the
relationship between the king & vassals were
based on mutual rights & obligations. King’s
power was limited, not absolute.
• 13th century- During Edward I’s reign, the
English Parliament emerged. Helped to
develop a representative government.
Nobles & bishops formed the House of
Lords. Knights & townspeople formed the
House of Commons. They passed laws &
taxes.
The French Kingdom
• After the last Carolingian king, Hugh Capet, a
Frankish noble became the new king. French
kings had little real power.
• King Phillip II Augustus waged war with England.
Gained control of Normandy, Maine, Anjou, &
Aquitaine. Increased the income of the French
monarchy & expanded its power.
• Philip IV, strengthened the monarchy by
extending the royal bureaucracy. Met with
French parliament (Estates-General): 1st EstateClergy, 2nd Estate- Nobles, & 3rd EstateTownspeople.
The Holy Roman Empire
• 10th century- Saxon dukes became kings of the
eastern Frankish kingdom.
• Otto I, king of Germany, was crowned emperor
of the Romans in 962. Tried to rule both German
& Italian lands.
• Frederick I tried to conquer all of Italy. Believed
Italy was center of a “holy empire”. The pope &
northern Italy cities defeated the army of
Frederick I.
• Struggles between popes & emperors weakened
the Holy Roman Empire. German lords ignored
emperors and created their own independent
kingdoms. They didn’t develop national
monarchies because of this.
Central & Eastern Europe
• The Slavic people divided into 3 major
groups:
1. The western Slavs formed the Polish &
Bohemian kingdoms & were converted
into Christianity. Hungary were also
converted. Part of the Roman Catholic
Church
2. The eastern & southern Slavs were
converted to Eastern Orthodox
Christianity. The Croats, Serbs, &
Bulgarians. Linked to the Byzantine
culture.
The Development of Russia
• Eastern Slavs also settled the Ukraine & Russia.
• 8th century, Swedish Vikings came in. Native people
called the rulers Rus.
• Oleg settled in Kiev in the 10th century & expanded it.
• Vladimir, married a Byzantine emperor’s sister and
accepted Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 988. It
became the official religion of the state.
• Civil wars & invasions brought to an end the first Russian
state in 1169.
• 13th century, Mongols conquered Russia & made them
pay tribute.
• Alexander Nevsky, a Russian prince, defeated a
Germany army & was given the title of grand-prince by
the Mongols. His descendents became princes of
Moscow & eventually leaders of all Russia.
SECTION 4
The Reign of Justinian
• Justinian became the emperor of the
Eastern Roman Empire in 527.
Determined to reestablish the Roman
Empire in the Mediterranean.
• Riots destroyed Constantinople & he
rebuilt it. An appearance that will last for
almost a thousand years.
• He simplified Roman laws into “The Body
of Civil War”. It became the basis for much
of the legal system of Europe.
From Eastern Roman Empire to
Byzantine Empire
• Justinian’s conquests left the Eastern
Roman Empire with serious problems: too
much territory to protect, an empty
treasury, & new threats to the frontiers.
• After his death, much of the empire’s land
was lost.
• 8th century, Eastern Roman Empire
consisted of the eastern Balkans & Asia
Minor and historians call this the Byzantine
Empire.
• The Byzantine Empire- spoke Greek,
Eastern Orthodox Church, believed that
God told them to preserve the true
Christian faith & that he had chosen the
emperor (patriarch). Controlled both
church & state.
• The Western Roman Empire- spoke Latin,
Roman Catholic Church,
Life in Constantinople
• Constantinople was the largest city in
Europe. Chief center of trade until 12th
century. Raw materials imported for
industry. Silk industry developed &
became city’s most desired product.
• Immense palace complex, hundreds of
churches, & huge arena (Hippodrome).
Most built during Justinian’s reign.
Greatest achievement was the famous
Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy
Wisdom.
New Heights & New Problems
• 867-1081, Macedonians ruled the
Byzantine Empire. Expanded the empire
to the largest it had been in 1025.
• Created a time of prosperity by expanding
trade with western Europe.
• Late 11th century, there were struggles for
power between military leaders &
aristocratic families. Led to political &
social disorder.
• 11th century- split between Eastern
Orthodox Church & Roman Catholic
Church because EOC refused to accept
the pope as the sole head of the Christian
faith.
• 1054, Pope Leo IX & Michael Cerularius
(patriarch) excommunicated each other.
Began the schism, or separation, between
the two.
• Byzantine forces defeated by Turkish
armies at Manzikert.
The Crusades
• 11th-13th century, European Christians carried
out a series of (Crusades) to regain the Holy
Land.
• Started when Byzantine emperor Alexius I asked
for help against the Muslims. Pope Urban II
agreed to help & challenged Christians to take
up weapons & join in a holy war to liberate
Jerusalem & the holy land (Palestine).
• 1st Crusade- made up mostly by knights seeking
adventure, gain territory, riches, & possibly a
title. Captured Antioch & later Jerusalem,
massacring the inhabitants. Created 4 crusader
states who depended on Italian cities for
supplies. Genoa, Pisa, & Venice become rich &
powerful.
• 2nd Crusade- Muslims struck back. Jerusalem
fell to Muslim forces under command of Saladin.
Complete failure.
• 3rd Crusades- Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of
Germany, Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) of
England, & Philip II Augustus of France. Failure
to regain Jerusalem. Richard the Lionhearted
negotiated free access to Jerusalem for
Christians.
• 4th Crusade- Pope Innocent III. Venice leaders
wanted to eliminate Constantinople, their trade
competitor. Sacked the city. Byzantine Empire
no longer great Mediterranean power.
• Ottoman Turks conquered it in 1453.
• Crusades helped the Italian ports prosper.
• Attacks on Jews “murderers of Christ”
started during the Crusades.
• Many believed Jews & Muslims needed to
be eliminated.