Emerging Europe and the Byzantine

Empire Ch 2

The New Germanic Kingdoms

• Germanic peoples began to move into the lands of the Roman Empire.

• The Visigoths and the Ostrogoths took control of Spain and Italy.

• The Anglo-Saxons took control of Britain. The long lasting influence of the Franks (present day France) came from Clovis.

• In 500 A.D., he became the 1st Germanic ruler to convert to Christianity.

• He gained support from the Roman Catholic Church.

King Clovis

Germanic Laws• The Roman ways of handling

crime changed. • The Germanic laws allowed

feuds to take place in which acts of violence could mean blood shed.

• Later, a fine called wergild was placed.

• Wergild allowed payment to be made from a wrongdoer to the family of the person that was injured.

• The value varied according to social status.

• Another way to determine guilt was the ordeal.

• The ordeal was based on divine intervention.

• All involved a physical trial of some sort; holding a red-hot iron is one punishment.

• If the person was innocent, divine forces would not allow the person to be harmed.

The Role of the Church• The Church played a major role in

developing European civilization. Communities (or parishes) were led by priests.

• Bishops were over a group of parishes whose area of authority was called bishopric or diocese who took directions from an archbishop.

• The bishops of Rome believed they were the successors of Peter (1st bishop of Rome) and called themselves popes.

• Christians accepted the pope as the head of the Church but did not agree on how much power the pope should have.

• Gregory I (590-604), strengthened the papacy by serving as the leader of the city of Rome and established the Papal States giving the papacy a source of political power.

Hierarchy of the Catholic Church

The Monastery• Monks are men who took

themselves out of society to dedicate their life to God.

• Practice of living life of a monk is called monasticism.

• Saint Benedict set up rules for a community of monks to follow.

• A Benedictine monastery was ruled by an abbot (or father).

• Monks took on a vow of poverty. • They provided schools for the young

and hospitals for the sick. • The monasteries had great influence

over society (by 1050, most western Europeans were Catholic).

• Women (nuns) also moved into religious communities, known as convents, they were headed by an abbesses.

Charlemagne and the Carolingians

• Kings of the Frankish Empire eventually lost power to mayors of the palace, who were chief officers of the king’s household.

• Pepin became king over all of the Frankish state for himself.

• Pepin was son of Charles Martel who defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732.

• After Pepin’s death, his son took the throne.

• Known as Charles the Great or Charlemagne, he was a very intelligent man and a fierce warrior.

• He was a supporter for learning and a strong Christian.

• Charlemagne created the Carolingian Empire and it became the largest empire in Europe until Napoleon Bonaparte.

• Counts (German nobles) were appointed to be the king’s representatives in local areas.

• Two messengers known as missi dominici were to inspect and report on provinces.

• Charlemagne gained the title of emperor of the Romans (crowned by the pope) in 800 due to his prestige and Christianity.

• His coronation symbolized the coming together of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements. A new civilization had emerged.

• His reforms led to a revival in learning.

• The works of the Romans and Greeks were emphasized.

• Benedictine monks would incorporate Charlemagne’s policies by creating scriptoria’s (writing rooms) inside of the monasteries.

• Monks would copy the Bible and works of Latin authors as well.

• Most of the Roman literature we have today exist because they were copied by Carolingian monks.

The Invaders• The Carolingian Empire began to fall apart after

Charlemagne’s death in 814. • His grandsons divide the empire into three parts. • Three different groups helped to defend the Frankish

kingdoms: Vikings from the North, Muslims from the South, and Magyars from the West.

• The Vikings, known as Norsemen of Scandinavia, were great shipbuilders and sailors.

• Their ships were known as dragon ships and could hold up to 50 men.

• They could sail up rivers and attack places far inland. • By 911, the Vikings were given land in the Frankish

kingdom known as Normandy. • The Vikings converted to Christianity and were made part

of the European civilization.

The Development of Feudalism

• The Vikings and other invaders posed greater threat to the safety of people throughout Europe.

• Rulers found it harder to defend their subjects. • People began to turn to local nobles to protect them. • The people found powerful lords who could offer

protection. • This system became known as feudalism.

• In feudalism, warriors swore an oath of loyalty to their leaders and fought for them.

• Warriors who served a lord were called vassals.

• The army now could ride horses with the introduction of stirrups to keep them on the horse.

• The warriors wore coats of mail (armor made of metal links or plates).

• Heavily armored cavalry became known as knights.

• The more powerful lords granted land to vassals.

• Land was the most important gift a lord could give.

• This land was known as a fief. • Vassals became powerful and started

granting land to their own vassals. • Unwritten rules known as a feudal contract

were the common service by the vassal. • He performed services (worked 40 days a

year, give advice, and making financial payments) as the lord protected him (military and taking his side in court).

Nobility of the Middle Ages• Nobles – kings, dukes, counts,

barons, bishops, and archbishops. • These individuals held political,

economic, and social power. • The knights simply fought. • Tournaments - contests where

knight show their skills by hand to hand combat, jousting, and other activities that helped them train for war.

• The knights took on civilized behavior called chivalry.

• This was a code of ethics that knights were to uphold.

• Chivalry implied that knights were to defend the castle, defend the community, and treat captives as honored guests.

Medieval Tournaments

Aristocratic Women

• The Lady of the castle had to manage the estate while the lord was away as well as oversee the food supply of the household.

• Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century France) married at age 15 to King Louis VII.

• Their marriage was annulled and 8 weeks later married to Duke Henry of Normandy and had 8 children.

The Growth of European Kingdoms

England in the High Middle Ages

• Alfred the Great - United (860) Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and defeated the Danes – land became known as “Angle-land” or England.

• He had the history of England written in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

• William of Normandy - conquered England in the Battle of Hastings (1066) - William took a census in a book called the Doomsday book (taxes and courts).

• Henry I – developed the exchequer (system of royal finances).

• Henry II – developed a court system which strengthened his rule. He incorporated a common law – laws that were followed by the entire kingdom.

• Henry’s reforms placed the Church under his jurisdiction.

• An archbishop named Thomas `a Becket claimed that only the Roman Catholic Church courts could try clerics (Church officials).

• Henry II was furious and stated “Who will free me of this priest”.

King Henry II

• Four knights took the challenge, went to Canterbury, and killed the archbishop.

• Many nobles resented the power of the king and during King John’s rule, they revolted.

• At Runnymeade in 1215, King John was made to sign the Magna Carta or (Great Charter).

• It limited the King’s power. • Why is this important? It was

a written document that placed limits on the king’s power.

The French Kingdom

• Hugh Capet - chosen as the new king of France in 987 (begins the Capetian dynasty).

• These kings only ruled over the royal domain (in and around Paris.

• Philip II Augustus (1180-1223) – waged war against England who ruled French territories of Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine and gained most of the land.

Capet

• Louis IX (1214-1270) – greatest French medieval king and is known for his strong faith in Christianity (became a saint).

• By 1300, France was the largest and best governed monarchial state in Europe.

• Philip IV (1285-1314) established parliament by creating 3 estates (classes) to meet with representatives from each estate (1st – clergy 2nd nobles 3rd commoners) to discuss government.

Louis IX

Holy Roman Empire• Saxon dukes became kings of the eastern Frankish

kingdom which came to be known as Germany. • In 962, Otto I became the emperor of the Romans by

offering protection to the pope. • Kings Frederick I and Frederick II tried to take over

Germany and Italy with Italy becoming the state as a source of revenue and the most holy (Holy Roman Empire comes from).

• Frederick I and II both attacked northern Italy and were opposed by the pope fearing that Rome and the Papal States would fall under their empire.

• They were unsuccessful in gaining Italy. • Germany and Italy failed to become powerful states like

France and England due to struggles between the popes and emperors.

• These states consisted of many small independent states.

Central and Eastern Europe

• Slavs divided into three groups in Eastern Europe (western, southern, and eastern).

• Czechs, Poles, and Hungarians made up the western slavs and accepted the Catholic faith as well as Latin culture.

• The eastern and southern slavs, (Moravia, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Croats) converted to Orthodox Christianity (brought by Cyril and Methodius, 2 Byzantine missionaries).

• Their culture was linked to the Byzantine state.

The Development of Russia• Eastern Slavs moved into parts of Ukraine and Russia.

Swedish Vikings also moved into the regions and began to take over the land.

• The native people called these Vikings the Rus (where Russia gets its name).

• One Viking ruler named Oleg created the Kievan Empire (city of Kiev).

• Kiev attracted missionaries from the Byzantine Empire. • Vladimir (Rus ruler) married a Byzantine emperor’s sister

and the Orthodox faith spread into the region. • In the 13th century, Mongols conquered Russia. • Alexander Nevsky (prince of Novgorod) became the grand

prince of the Mongol territory and his descendants became the princes of Moscow who would later be leaders of Russia.

The Byzantine Empire• During the 5th century, the western part of the Roman Empire was

attacked by Germanic tribes while the eastern part centered around Constantinople but was being pressured by Islamic forces.

• In 527, Justinian became emperor (known as the Emperor who never Sleeps) of the Eastern Roman Empire.

• He tried to rebuild the old Roman Empire in the Mediterranean ( 565). • Only 3 years after his death, much of the empire had been taken over

by Lombards.

Justinian and Theodora• Justinian’s most important

contribution to the empire was the codification of Roman law in the Mediterranean.

• The Body of Civil Law lasted until the empire fell in 1453.

• Justinian’s wife, Theodora, was important because she became regent (temporary ruler who served while the emperor was away) from the throne.

• She also is given credit for saving the empire during a riot.

From Eastern Roman Empire to Byzantine Empire

• Justinian’s attempt to rebuild the Roman Empire left the treasury empty.

• A plague decreased the population. • Islam was the most powerful threat to the empire. • The Muslims had taken Palestine& Syria; the Eastern

Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire (consisting of the eastern Balkans and Asia Minor).

• The Byzantine Empire followed Christianity. • Because of their strong Greek influence, the official language

of the empire became Latin. • The Church became known as the Eastern Orthodox

Church. • The emperor held absolute power and appointed the

patriarch who was ahead of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Life in Constantinople

• In 532, a riot destroyed much of Constantinople and Justinian rebuilt the city.

• Constantinople was the largest city in Europe. • Traders from India and Southeast Asia were brought in

to the city and sailed to the west through the Mediterranean Sea.

• The city had prestigious buildings such as arenas and the Hippodrome where gladiators fought and chariot races were held.

• Public work projects by Justinian: roads, bridges, walls, public baths, law courts, schools, colossal underground reservoirs to hold the city’s water supply.

• Justinian’s greatest achievement was the Hagia Sophia - Church of Holy Wisdom (537).

New Heights and New Problems• The Byzantine emperors who

ruled from 867-1081 were known as the Macedonians.

• They helped expand the empire and revive trade.

• The split between the churches: The Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church.

• The patriarch was unwilling to accept the pope as the head of the Christian faith.

• In 1054, Pope Leo IX and patriarch Michael Cerularius, excommunicated (to take away the right of church membership) each other and created a schism (or separation) of the two branches of Christianity.

• The Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine forces at Manzikert in 1071, and Emperor Alexius I turned to Europe for military aid.

Crusades• From the 11th to the 13th

centuries, Christians carried out a series of military expeditions to rescue the Holy Land from the Muslims.

• They became known as the Crusades.

• Pope Urban II saw a great opportunity to provide papal leadership to liberate Jerusalem from the infidels or unbelievers (Muslims).

• At the Council of Clermont in 1095, Pope Urban II challenged Christians to take arms against the Muslims (if they died in battle, they would be forgiven of all their sins).

• Many were attracted to the Crusades for religious fervor, fighting, land, and gold.

• The 1st crusade was successful in gaining Jerusalem, however, the Crusades were unsuccessful overall.

• King Richard I of England (the Lionhearted) negotiated with Saladin to allow Christians access to Jerusalem.

• Other crusades helped revive Constantinople for a short time until the Ottoman Turks took the city in 1453.

Children’s Crusade• In Germany in 1212, a

youth named Nicholas of Cologne announced a “Children’s crusade”.

• Other youth in France also were attracted and a pope agreed to send these children to the Holy Land on 7 ships.

• 2 of the ships were lost in a storm near Sardinia while the other 5 sailed to Africa and sold into slavery.

• The Crusades failed to free the Holy Land from the Muslims, however, many port cities in Italy benefited from the Crusades.

• The Crusades also was thought to have caused the widespread massacre of Jews because they were the ones who “murdered Christ”.