The Middle Ages - The Decline of the Roman Empire  The Roman Catholic Church (based in Rome) became more important as the Roman Empire declined in importance.  The Church played the role of the government, taking care of their political, social, and religious needs.  The Pope picked emperors to rule people.  Missionaries spread Christianity to Germanic tribes.

The Middle Ages – Ends Are New Beginnings  The Middle Ages started with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.  476 A.D. – Rome falls to German invaders.  The Western Roman Empire doesn’t exist anymore after this, but the Roman Catholic Church survives.

The Middle Ages – The German Invaders  With the Western Roman Empire in serious decline, there was really no one to defend people from invaders.  The invaders swept into cities and towns and people fled to the countryside.  This time period became known as the “Dark Ages” because there was little learning or trade.

The Middle Ages – Kingdoms  These Germanic invaders took over lands and set up kingdoms run by kings.  The Kingdom of Franks had a king, Clovis, who took over what used to be Roman Gaul (France).  The Franks converted to Christianity and became allies with the Pope in Rome.

Angles Saxons Franks Germans Magyars

The Middle Ages – The Battle of Tours  Christian vs. Muslim battle  Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) leads Christian Franks versus Muslims moving into France.  Martel and Christians win the battle and the Muslims retreat to Spain, never to try and expand again.

The Middle Ages – Charlemagne  Charles Martel’s grandson, Charles I or Charlemagne, eventually becomes King of the Franks.  He built an empire throughout France, Italy, and Germany, known as the Holy Roman Empire.

The Middle Ages – The Holy Roman Empire  In 799, the Pope asks him for help dealing with a gang of Romans who were after him.  Charlemagne goes to Rome, where he defeats and exiles the gang.  The Pope is thankful to Charlemagne and on Christmas Day, the year 800, crowns him “Emperor of the Romans.”  This leaves Rome and Christianity protected by a Germanic king.

The Middle Ages – Charlemagne’s Legacy  Charlemagne sent missionaries through Europe to spread Christianity.  Those missionaries carried Christianity and the Latin alphabet to other Germanic tribes.  These Germanic tribes worked together to fight off their enemies and invaders, such as the Muslims and Magyars (people from Mongolia who eventually settled in Hungry).

The Middle Ages – Charlemagne’s Legacy (cont’d)  The Franks (Charlemagne’s people) became a major force in Europe, with most of Western Europe in the empire.  The power of the church began to seep into political life - the two became connected.  Churches, roads, and schools were built to unite this Christian empire.

The Church During the Middle Ages – Monastic Life  Monks (Catholic priests) spent most of their day either working the land, praying, or copying texts.  They tried to preserve Greco-Roman cultural achievements by copying the works of Greek and Roman historians and poets.  In western Europe, most of the classical texts were Roman, while Greek texts were preserved by the Byzantine scholars.

The Church During the Middle Ages – The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church  Pope: head of the Church, noble  Cardinal: advisor of the pope, noble  Archbishop: head of an archdiocese = several dioceses  Bishop: head of a diocese = several parishes  Parish Priest: head of a parish (locality)

The Church During the Middle Ages – The Power of the Church  The Catholic Church provided the social and religious needs of the people:  Priests conduct the sacraments of the church, such as marriage, baptism, last rites, etc.  Provided education  Cared for the poor  Managed money

Recap: How Feudalism Works  An incredibly rigid class structure: everyone has a place and a role and it doesn’t change or vary  Lords  powerful men who are rich and own a large amount of land, given to them by the king.  Vassal  Someone who manages a chunk of land (fief) for a lord  In exchange for the fief and protection, lords and vassals pledge their loyalty and military service to their king – this deal is called a Feudal Contract

Recap: How Feudalism Works (cont’d)  The manor (the lord’s estate or land) was the basic unit of the feudal system and usually included one or more villages and the land around it. It was also very self-sufficient, everything you need is there.  The serfs (peasants who were bound to and worked the land) are the backbone of The Manor  Serfs worked the land several days a week and did the manual labor around the Manor.  Serfs had to ask for permission to leave the estate or to marry..  Serfs paid the Lord several times a year.  In exchange for this work and money, they received protection the lord.

The Movement of People  There’s a lot of movement of people around Europe at this time – migration from one area to another.  Angles and Saxons move from Northern Europe into the British Isles (England)  Magyars moved from Central Asia into Hungry (Eastern Europe_  Vikings migrated from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland).  All of this movement and these invasions meant that manors were important for safety and the source of resources because trading between kingdoms wasn’t safe.