The Middle Ages500 - 1500

AP European History

The Germanic Kingdoms

• Roman empire overran by Germanic groups with repeated invasions and constant warfare

• Breakdown of trade: money became scarce• Cities abandoned – no longer center of economy or

administration• Population became rural• Decline of literacy – priests and other church officials were

the few that were literate• Breakup of unified empire – language began to change. No

longer Latin• End of Democracy

End of Democracy

Rome• Unified by loyalty to

public government and written law

• Orderly government

Germanic• Family ties and personal

loyalty• People lived in small

communities governed by unwritten rules and traditions

• Ruled by a Chief who led a band or warriors loyal only to him – not some emperor they’d never seen

European Empire Evolves

After the decline of the Roman Empire small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe

The largest and the strongest was controlled by the Franks• Lead by Clovis – first Christian king• Area that is now France• Greatest king was Charlemagne• most powerful king in Western Europe• Reunited large part of the Western Roman Empire• encouraged learning

Invasions

• Treaty of Verdun divided the Empire into three kingdoms

• Magyars – nomadic people from Asia• Vikings– Farmers and traders from Scandinavia– Were both raiders and settlers– 911 CE – given part of northern France – Normandy to

settle– Sailed inland and invaded into Russia– Invasions seriously disrupted Western Europe

• Marked by a lack of central political authority • Local lords are bound to a king by ties of loyalty

Feudalism Manors

The lord’s estate • The lord provided

the serfs with housing, farmland and protection

• Serfs tended the lands, cared for the animals, maintained the estate

Feudalism Manors

• Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from the manor

• Was home to 15 – 30 families

• Self-Sufficient community

• Peasants heavily taxed, including a tithe – a church tax of 1/10 their income

A violent society

• Noble’s constantly fought each other– Defend estates– Seize new territories– Increase wealth

• Kept Europe fragmented• Glorification of warriors

The Age of Chivalry

• The mounted Knights were the most important part of an Army

• Professional solders – main obligation was to serve in battle– Rewarded with land– Devoted lives to war

The Age of Chivalry

• Chivalry – a complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters1. His feudal lord2. His Heavenly Lord3. His Lady

• Meant to protect the weak and the poor• Be loyal, brave, and courteous

The Age of Chivalry

• Sons of nobles began training at an early age for knighthood– Page – at 7 they were sent to another lord to be

trained– Squire – at 14 they act as a servant to a knight– Knight- at 21 they become a knight and gain

experience in local wars and tournaments

The Age of Chivalry

• Tournaments – mock battles that combined recreation and combat training

• Fierce and bloody competitions

Power of the Church

While the Roman Empire declined the Church remained • Missionaries succeeded in spreading Christianity• Adapted to rural conditions by building monasteries –

religious communities– Rules established by Benedict– Became best educated communities

• Missionaries succeeded in spreading Christianity• Adapted to rural conditions by building monasteries –

religious communities• Rules established by Benedict• Became best educated communities

Power of the Church

•Provided a unifying set of spiritual beliefs and rituals

• Created a system of justice to guide peoples conduct – Cannon Law – the law of the church

excommunication – banishment

interdict – the denial of sacraments - important religious ceremonies (baptism, last rights)

The ClergyReligious officials had different ranks within the church structure

HIGH MIDDLE AGES1050-1350

Economic Trends

• Italian merchants engage in Mediterranean trade• Hanseatic League formed– 80 large towns & cities in Northern Germany– Used fishing fleets to trade wool– Dominated northern European shipping

• Increased trade resulted in the growth of towns• Craft Guilds began to regulate standards and

prices

Medieval Culture• Art & Architecture

– Flying buttress– Romanesque & Gothic architecture– Stained glass

• Literature– Use of vernacular language– Song of Roland, Divine Comedy, Canterbury Tales

• Learning– Church run university centers– Rediscovery of classical writings

• Science & Technology– Roger Bacon & scientific method– A variety of inventions

Flying Buttress

The Crusades

• 1095 – Pope Urban called for crusade to free the Holy Land from Muslim control

• 1096 – First Crusade– 1099: captured Jerusalem– Set up four feudal estates

• 1189 – 1192 Third Crusade– 1187 Muslims under Saladin recaptured Jerusalem– King Richard the Lionhearted signed truce

• Fourth Crusade – sacked Constantinople weakening the Byzantine Empire

• Muslims slowly regained control of the Holy Land

Results of the Crusades

• Ended the isolation of Western Europe• Increased trade and travel• More widespread use of money• Rise of Italian city-states• Hardships for Jewish communities in Europe• Fourth Crusade tarnished the reputation of

the Church

Royal Power in England

• Political power was fragmented during the Middle Ages

• Increased trade led to a rise in the power of monarchs

• 1066 – Battle of Hastings– William the Conqueror – led Norman invasion– Established a central power in England

• The Magna Carta limited the power of the king• 1295 – Model Parliament established

Royal Power in France

• French monarchs slowly won land from English kings

• Set up royal bureaucracies to run government• Paid officials who then supported the king

Royal Power in Spain

• Spain became a center of Muslim learning• Prospered under Muslim control• Spanish knight launched their own crusade

against Muslims – the Reconquista• 1469 – the marriage of Isabella & Ferdinand

united most of Spain• Used the Inquisition to end religious toleration

Struggle between Popes and Kings

• German nobles established ties with the Church

• Gained the authority to appoint bishops – lay investiture

• Pope Gregory VII worked to reestablish the authority of the Church over kings1122 – Concordat at Worms settled issue of lay investiture

• Popes held power of excommunication

Decline of the Middle Ages

• The Black Death– Killed 1/3 to ½ the population of Western Europe

• The Papal Schism– Controversy over rightful Pope– Resulted in two Popes – one in France, one in Rome

• Famines – Climate became colder and rainier– Harvests shrank– Population doubled– People moved to towns

The Hundred Years’ War1337-1453 (Do the math)

• Efforts of English & French kings to build centralized power involved them in conflict

• Early in the war the English won many victories• English had two new weapons – the longbow &

gunpowder• 1429 – Joan of Arc inspired French troops to

many victories• Fueled feelings of nationalism among French

Decline of Feudalism

• Effects of Hundred Years’ War– Rise in French national pride– Death of large numbers of nobles– Kings established efficient governments– War of the Roses (England) enabled Henry II to

establish the Tudor Dynasty• Strong government could protect the people• Changing nature of warfare – arrows &

cannons made knights & armor obsolete