The Middle Ages

Fall of the Roman Empire

• Political Weakness—bad leaders

• Economic Problems—no $$$$

• Military Decline—no army

• Invasion--barbarians

Justinian the Great The Byzantine Empire

• After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Western half fell into chaos.

• The Eastern half became the Byzantine Empire.

• The size varied but under Justinian it reconquered much of the old Roman Empire.

• Greatest achievement was the Code of Justinian—all of roman laws under one code

Byzantine Church

• The Byzantine empire was united by their own form of Christianity—Eastern Orthodoxy—separate from the Catholic Church.

• They do not recognize the Pope

• Church of Hagia Sophia

Church of Hagia Sophia

Western Europe in TurmoilMiddle Ages

• The Barbarian Invasions—Germanic tribes

Feudalism• To protect themselves from violence and to

provide for basic needs, people throughout Western Europe adopted the system of Feudalism

Feudalism: a strict class structure based on control of land and military power.

manors

• During feudalism, people lived on Manors—each produced its own food, clothing and shelter

Catholic Church

• During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church remained the most powerful organization in Western Europe.

• The head of the Church was the Pope in Rome.

• Catholics believed the Pope took the place of St. Peter in running the Church.

Reasons for the Church’s Power

• The Role of Faith—believed the Church held the power to send people to Heaven or Hell

• Power and Wealth—grew wealthy as many nobles left their land to the church to gain entry to Heaven

• Center of learning-church officials were often the only people who could read and write

Two Christian Thinkers

• St. Augustine—we must put our faith in God

• who will reward us in the afterlife

St. Thomas Aquinas• He said that men could judge government

laws laws against natural law and

• and could overthrow unjust

• rulers

The Crusades

• Christians had been traveling to the Holy Land for hundreds of years. But in 1095 the Seljuk Turks took control of the Holy land and drove out Christians.

• Pope Urban II called on all Christians in Europe to unite and fight a holy Crusade—a war to recapture the Holy land. The church promised salvation to all who participated

Effects of the Crusades

• The Crusades were a failure in that the Holy City was never recaptured HOWEVER it changed Europe:

New Ideas and Products

• The use of zero in math

• Silk, rice, spices, coffee. Perfumes, cotton, raisins, glass mirrors

Increased in Trade

• Because now Europe had seen good stuff they wanted to trade with the Middle East and the rest of the world and new inventions from the Chinese and the Muslims like the Compass, astrolabe—made sailing less scary.

Growth of Intolerance

• The Crusades led to the Christian persecution of Jews and Muslims, as well as to the Muslim persecution of Christians---Not a good thing

English Political Traditions

• In 1215, the English nobles rebelled against the taxes and forced loans being collected by King John and forced him to sign the Magna Carte—guaranteeing free men certain rights

The Black Death

• Rats with fleas carrying the disease entered Europe from Asia on trading ships. Between 1347-1351 25 million people died. About 1/3 of Europe's population.

• Many questioned the Church

• Many blamed the Jews

• The Black Death created a labor shortage in Europe

The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)

• The Hundreds Years war broke out between France and England when the French king died without an heir, and the King of England claimed the French throne.

• Joan of Arc: a young French maiden, rallied French troops and turned the tide by driving out the English out of the French city of Orleans. She was captured and burned at the stake by the English.