IN AT LEAST 4 SENTENCES, WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW OF THE MIDDLE AGES. Journal Entry 3 May 2012

Introduction

When Were the Middle Ages? The time period between ancient and modern times is known as the Middle Ages, or medieval times. The middle ages began when the Roman Empire fell. By 395, the Empire was too large to be ruled by only one man. It was split into two parts. One emperor ruled from Constantinople. The other emperor ruled from Rome. In 410 the Goths swept into Rome. They vandalized and terrorized the city. In 455 the Vandals arrived with the same intention and burned Rome as well. Historians generally say the Middle Ages occurred from 400s-1500s.

Characteristics of the Middle Ages The barbarian tribes did not foster advances in art, literature, architecture and government as the Romans had. Once the Romans were conquered they began to follow the customs of the barbaric tribes who had settled in Rome. This combining of two lifestyles changed the way both groups viewed life and their customs.

Religion was one of the most important influences in the middle ages. All things existed for the glory of God. The government of Rome disappeared. It was replaced by thousands of small, regional governments wherein the local lord was in charge and held all the power. This new system is known as feudalism.

Europe Split in 2: East and West Eastern Empire= Byzantine Empire Justinian was emperor and conquered lands in Italy, Africa, and Spain  Began rebuilding the capital  Uniform code of law based on Roman law Western Europe- divided into kingdoms with kings ruling.

The Church Divides Division of the empire affected the Christian church  Caused by different cultural practices, limited contact between areas  In east, emperor had control over head of church  In west, the lack of an emperor gave pope more responsibilities  Western pope claimed control over churches in both east and west  Eastern church rejected authority of pope  Christian church splits in 1054  Roman Catholic Church in west and Eastern Orthodox Church in east  Split led to 2 separate European civilizations

The Role of the Christian church in Medieval Europe Pope claimed authority over Christian emperors and kings  Roman Catholic Church influenced government in the west  Disagreements between church and kings later caused conflicts Byzantine emperor was absolute ruler  Had power over spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Church  Overall, had greater power than rulers in the west Q: How did governments of the Christian churches interact?

Before We Focus on the Western Empire, Let’s Talk about What eventually happens in the East… The Byzantine Empire Collapses Constantinople Falls  New Arabian religion of Islam began in 600s  Muslim armies attacked Constantinople  Civil wars, attacks by Ottoman Turks, Serbs hurt Byzantine Empire  Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453  Ended the Byzantine Empire Islam spreads throughout much of Eastern Europe!