Medieval Europe• Describe military and governmental events that

shaped Europe in the early Middle Ages (600-1000)

• Describe major cultural changes in Western Europe in the High Middle Ages (1000-1350)

Geography of Europe

1. After the fall of the Roman Empire (AD 476), Western Europe was divided into many kingdoms.

2. Continent; peninsula made of many peninsulas3. Rivers and waterways connected people and made

travel/trade easy but some geographical features separated people:

English Channel separated Britain and Ireland from the rest of Europe

Alps separated Italy from central Europe***Mountains and rivers separated lands and CULTURES from one another…French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.

Germanic Kingdoms1. The Angles and Saxons invaded Britain from Denmark and

Germany and became the Anglo-Saxons; they pushed the Celts into Ireland, Scotland, and Wales

2. The Franks were a Germanic people living in the area that is now France. King Clovis became Catholic and a lot of his kingdom followed.

3. After Clovis died, many fought over land. Nobles called mayors settled these disputes, gave out land, and fought each other.

4. Charles Martel was a Frankish mayor who wanted to control all the nobles. The Catholic church supported him.

5. Muslims conquered Spain in AD 711 and threatened to spread Islam throughout Europe…732, Martel defeated Muslims

6. Pepin, Martel’s son, became mayor after Martel’s death. Pepin’s army defeated the Lombards (Germanic), who threatened the Pope. He donated the land he won to the pope…PAPAL STATES

7. Pepin’s son Charles continued t defend the pope against the Lombards and he conquered Germany and Spain. Eventually, Charles’s empire covered most of Europe. Charles=Charlemagne, “Charles the Great”

8. The pope crowned Charlemagne the new Roman emperor.9. Charlemagne believed in education! He grew up not knowing

how to read and knew first-hand how important it was to know how to read.

10. After Charlemagne’s death, his son divided the empire into three kingdoms. They were weak and suffered invasions.

11. Scandanavia is a country in north Europe and was the home of the Viking people. The Vikings were skilled sailors and raided Europe and conquered part of western France (Normandy).

12. The three kingdoms of France were destroyed by raids and the eastern kingdom became Germany. Otto I was a powerful German king who fought the Magyars and protected the pope. The pope rewarded him by making him emperor of the Romans. Otto’s territory became known as the Holy Roman Empire.