Download Medieval Unit Review

 Divided into 3 periods:
The Medieval Period begins with the fall of Rome
1. Early Middle Ages –
Religion is the center of people’s lives
Small Germanic kingdoms developed in areas
previously controlled by the Roman Empire.
Government was not centralized and was more
disorganized than what was the case in the Roman
Empire.
Dark Ages – despair disorder, disunity, etc.
Cities were in decline.
Feudalism
2. High Middle Ages
Decline of Feudalism
Growth in cities
Culture
Chivalry
3. Late Middle Ages
3 Disasters
Plague – Black Death
100 Years War
Western Schism
The Early Middle Ages: Germanic Kingdoms Unite
under Charlemagne
What happened to Western Europe after the fall of the
Roman Empire? Why?
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Invasions from land and sea
Businesses collapse
Destruction of cities- people move out of the cities.
Money scarce
Decline in learning. Fewer people could read or
write.
Disruption of trade
Loss of common language
What was the one institution to survive the
fall of the Roman Empire? How did the
survival of this institution impact the
Middle Ages?
The Church
-Became the center of people’s lives.
-Provided order and security.
Clovis & his accomplishments?
- Frankish ruler
- Brought Christianity to the area
- United Franks into one kingdom
- His conversion to Christianity began a
partnership between the Roman Catholic Church
and Frankish kingdoms.
Charles Martel & his accomplishments?
- Frankish ruler.
- Defeated a Muslim raiding party from Spain in
the Battle of Tours
-Made him a Christian hero.
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Charlemagne
What land was included in Charlemagne’s Empire?
-
2/3 of Italy
All of present day France
Small part of Spain
All of German Saxony
Charlemagne the “Roman Emperor” – why was he crowned & what
was the significance of this event?
- he helped the Pope by crushing a mob that was threatening the
Pope
- the significance is that it reunited western Europe for the first
time since the fall of the Roman Empire.
- Legitimized Charlemagne’s rule over the former Roman Empire.
- German King is the successor to the Roman emperors.

Charlemagne’s Accomplishments
Learning?
 Revived Latin learning
 Started the first schools
 Curriculum included grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic,
geometry, music, and astronomy
 Became the educational model for medieval Europe
Government?
 Appointed nobles to rule over local regions.
 Strong, efficient and orderly
Charlemagne’s Heirs, Civil War & the Treaty of
Verdun?
- Charlemagne crowns his only surviving son, Louis the Pious
as emperor.
- Louis had 3 sons, Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the
German
- They fought for control of the empire
- The civil war ended in 843 with Treaty of Verdun
Treaty of Verdun
 Divided Charlemagne’s Empire into 3 kingdoms…one for
each grandson.
What is feudalism?
Political, economic, and social system based on mutual
obligations between lords and vassals
Based on the manor system and land ownership was very
important.
*land ownership meant power
What led to the development of feudalism?
-Central authority was unable to provide protection from
chaos.
-People looked to the landowners (lords) for for help
What was feudalism a response to?
-Political turmoil, economic decline, enemy invasions and
constant warfare.
How was feudal society structured and what
were the mutual obligations?
• Lord- protection and land for his vassals
• Vassal- Loyalty to his lord in exchange for a
fief
• Knight – loyalty to his lord and defense of his
lord’s land in exchange for a fief.
• A Vassal could be a lord and a knight.
Castles
• Purpose of the Medieval Castle?
Castles were needed for protection from constant warfare.
• Common structures of Medieval Castles?
Stone, thick walls, rounded towers, reinforced doors, moat and a
keep
The World of Nobles
Knighthood
The 3 stages of knighthood?
Page
Squire
Knight
The purpose of tournaments?
Mock battles in order to train for the real thing.
Chivalry?
A code of conduct followed by knights. Defined
relationships between noblemen and noblewomen.
What was the role of manorialism
within the feudal system?
This is the economic side of feudalism.
 Self sufficient.
 Included the lord’s house, pastures, fields,
forests, a church, and a village where the
peasants lived.
 Most peasants were serfs.

serfs – peasants bound to the land.
The Church
What was the role of religion during the Middle Ages?
Why?
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The center of most people’s lives.
Most powerful institution in western Europe
The Church Hierarchy?

priests, bishops, archbishops, pope (ascending order)
Secular Clergy v. Regular Clergy?

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Regular clergy includes Nuns and Monks (lived apart)
Secular clergy ( worldly) includes Pope, Archbishops, Bishops and
Priests.
The Benedictine Order?

An order for monks founded by Benedict
Primary example for monks in other communities.
What was the role of monasticism during the Middle
Ages?
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Preserved ancient religious works, copied scrolls and books
Aid for the sick
Schools for children
Food for needy
Guest houses for travelers
How & why did the church become corrupt?

Church became very wealthy. Nobles donated money to ensure
their salvation. Nobles began to dominate and control church. This
led to corruption.
SACRAMENTS
Holy rituals important for salvation
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Baptism
Communion
Confirmation
Confession
Marriage
Last Rites
Holy Orders

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Excommunication- banishment from the church
Interdict -many sacraments and religious services
could not be performed on king’s land

Heresy – when a person denies church teachings

Simony- bishops sold positions in the church

They collected taxes/tythes
The Crusades
What was the primary cause of the Crusades?
To take Jerusalem back from the Muslims.
List the motives for JOINING the Crusades.
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Religious zeal- forgiveness of sins,
Hope for prestige, wealth and zeal- release from feudal obligations.
Desire for adventure
List the Church’s motives for PARTICIPATING in the Crusades.

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Reclaim the Holy Land
Increase power
End fighting between Christian knights
How did the Crusades impact Western Europe?
 Pope loses power, feudalism declines, monarchs stronger, money
economy, trade increases
Culture & the Late Middle Ages
The Development of Universities
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begin as learning guilds.
limited to theology, law and medicine.
development of academic degrees.
Scholasticism
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Intellectual movement that attempted to reconcile faith and reason.( church teachings and Aristotle’s
logic.
St. Thomas Aquinas- basic religious truths could be proved through logic
Vernacular Literature
Dante Alighieri- The Divine Comedy- author’s journey through heaven, hell and
purgatory
Geoffrey Chaucer – Father of Modern English Canterbury's Tales
Medieval Architecture – Romanesque Architecture v. Gothic Architecture

Gothic – pointed arches, flying buttresses, stained glass windows, rose
windows, elaborate, ornate, taller, airy, lots of light , sculpture.

Romanesque – rounded arches, barrel vaults, thick walls, darker, simple
interiors, small windows at the top of walls.
The Late Middle Ages – Death & Destruction
The Hundred Years War
What was the cause of the Hundred Years War?
Dispute between the English and French over the French
throne.
Who was the victor? Why and how?
• France wins, French King Charles VII was crowned.
What were the overarching effects on Western Europe?
• Nationalism
• King more powerful than feudal lord or church
The Great Schism
What was the cause of the Great Schism?
 There was a disagreement over who should be pope.
 The disagreement was between the French king the
Pope
How was the Schism resolved?
 For awhile there were two popes – one French and one
Italian
 Lasted until 1417 when church council finally decided on
one pope.
What was the impact of the Great Schism?
 People thought that many clergy were more concerned with
wealth and power than religion and faith.
The Black Death
What was the Black Death?
 wiped out 1/3 to ½ of the population of Europe.
 It was spread by fleas carried on rats but the people did not
know this.
What was the impact of the Black Death on
Western Europe?
 Population declined, less trade, serfs left the manors and
serfdom ended, people lost faith
How did the Jewish community become a
scapegoat during this time period?
 People thought Jews had poisoned the water
 People
question traditions
 They lose faith in the church
 Nationalism
 Kings more powerful than church
 Money economy
 Serfdom ends
 Fall of Rome
 Clovis converts to Christianity, unites Franks
 Charles Martel defeats Muslims at Battle of
Tours
 Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of Rome
 Louis the Pious becomes king
 Civil War over Charlemagne’s empire
 Treaty of Verdun dividing the empire
 Growth of feudalism
 Crusades
 Black Death begins
 Hundred Years War
 The Renaissance begins