The Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages Dark Ages (500 CE- 1000 CE)- scholars named this as a time when the forces of darkness (barbarians) overwhelmed the forces of light (Romans) Rise of influence of barbarians as Roman Emperors had granted barbarian mercenaries land with the Roman Empire in return for military service and it was these barbarians who eventually became the new rulers

Warriors and Warbands in the West Period of change in Western Europe as barbarians were migrating in to areas given up by Romans As more barbarians moved westward, other tribes were forced to move Groups categorized by languages and little else Celtic: Gauls, Britons, Bretons Germanic: Goths, Frank, Vandals, Saxons Slavic: Wends

Decline of Society in Europe Decline in… Urban population Technology Trade Education Employment Engineering Luxuries Medicine Sanitation Overall Standard of Living

Expanding Influence of the Church Christian Church has become an important political, economic, spiritual and cultural force in Europe Leading officials of Church were the Pope and Patriarch Banning of heresy (holding beliefs that contradict the official religion) Inquisition Conversion by force Christian Church has become an important political, economic, spiritual and cultural force in Europe Leading officials of Church were the bishops of Rome (Pope) and Constantinople (Patriarch) As influence grew, laws were passed to forced people to become Christians and banned heresy (holding beliefs that contradict the official religion) Fines were given against heretics, then harsher penalties and even death Eventually, conversion by force Eventually in 11th Century, Church split into two independent branches Eastern Orthodox (Greek) based in Constantinople and Roman Catholic in Rome

You scratch my back… I’ll scratch yours…. Church was granted favours by Kings (land, exemption from taxes, immunity in courts, positions in courts) and in return the Church would endorse kings to help secure their rule Kings looked to Church to supply educated administrators to help run kingdoms and in return kings would enforce laws that prohibited other religions

Monasticism and Saints Monks were people who gave up worldly possessions and devote themselves to a religious life Established between 400-700 communities called monasteries which became centers of education, literacy and learning Strict codes of monastic conduct Saints- one who performs miracles that are interpreted as evidence of a special relationship with God Rule of St. Benedict- years probation, solemn vows of obedience, chastity, poverty and silence, strict rules, 5-6 hours of prayer, 4 hours of spiritual reading, 5 hours of labour

Byzantine Empire Eastern Roman Empire = Byzantine Empire Was much wealthier than the Western Roman Empire that fell Was able to protect itself from invading “barbarians” Had more stable political system (bureaucracy) that held it together Lost more and more territory as Islam grew

Byzantine Empire Eastern Roman Empire = Byzantine Empire Was much wealthier than the Western Roman Empire that fell Was able to protect itself from invading “barbarians” Had more stable political system (bureaucracy) that held it together Lost more and more territory as Islam grew

Constant Warfare and Invasion Threat from outside invaders Vikings Muslims Europe in constant state of fear Militarized Europe Built Castles Trained professional soldiers Knights

Constant Warfare and Invasion Internal conflicts within Europe persisted after threat of invasions. Lords hired Knights as personal armies and law enforcers Wars between Kingdoms over land and power were constant 100 years war Conflict and Violence left little to no time for intellectual and cultural development

Plague: Black Death Devastating pandemics that first struck Europe in the 6th century Plague of Justinian Other plagues and disease epidemics hit Europe over the centuries Killed about half of Europe’s population Devastated population and Economy

The Bubonic Plague Called “black death” because of striking symptom of the disease, in which sufferers' skin would blacken due to hemorrhages under the skin Spread by fleas and rats Most victims died within four to seven days after infection Couldn’t get rid of dead bodies fast enough Towns left empty of people

Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411).

In Europe during the Middle Ages, the feudal and manorial systems governed life and required people to perform certain duties and obligations.

Origins of Feudalism Knights and Lords Nobles needed trained soldiers to defend castles Knights most important, highly skilled soldiers Mounted knights in heavy armor best defenders Being a knight expensive; had to maintain weapons, armor, horses Knights demanded payment for services Feudalism originated partly as result of Viking and Muslim invasions Kings unable to defend their lands, lands of their nobles Nobles had to find way to defend own lands Built castles, often on hills Not elaborate structures; built of wood, used as place of shelter in case of attack

Knights were usually paid for their services with land Land given to knight for service was called a fief Anyone accepting a fief was called a vassal Person from whom he accepted fief was his lord Historians call system of exchanging land for service the feudal system, or feudalism

Oath of Fealty Lords, vassals in feudal system had duties to fulfill to one another Knight’s chief duty as vassal to provide military service to his lord Had to promise to remain loyal; promise called oath of fealty Financial Obligations Knight had certain financial obligations to lord Knight obligated to pay ransom for lord’s release if captured in battle Gave money to lord on special occasions, such as knighting of son Lord’s Obligations Lord had to treat knights fairly, not demanding too much time, money Had to protect knight if attacked by enemies Had to act as judge in disputes between knights

A Knight’s Duties to His Lord included: Therefore, feudalism was built upon relationships of obligation and service. A Knight’s Duties to His Lord included: Provide military service Remain loyal and faithful Give money on special occasions A Lord’s Duties to His Knights included: Give land Protect from attack Resolve disputes between knights

Lord and Vassal Fealty to King Europe’s feudal system incredibly complex Person could be both lord, vassal Some knights with large fiefs gave small pieces of land to other knights, created many levels of obligations One knight could serve many lords; no prohibition against knight accepting fiefs from more than one noble Almost everyone in system served more than one lord Theoretically, everyone supposed to be loyal to the king In practice, not everyone loyal Some powerful nobles as strong as kings they were supposed to serve, ignored duties as vassals Feudal rules specific to time, place; could change over time; England’s rules not same as France’s rules

A lord gave land to a knight in return for protection and loyalty Quick Review: A lord gave land to a knight in return for protection and loyalty

Lords, Peasants, and Serfs The feudal system was a political and social system. A related system governed medieval economics. This system was called the manorial system because it was built around large estates called manors. Lords, Peasants, and Serfs Serfdom Free People Manors owned by wealthy lords, knights Peasants farmed manor fields Were given protection, plots of land to cultivate for selves Most peasants on farm were serfs, tied to manor Not slaves, could not be sold away from manor But could not leave, marry without lord’s permission Manors had some free people who rented land from lord Others included landowning peasants, skilled workers like blacksmiths, millers Also had a priest for spiritual needs

Rotation Small Village Most of manor’s land occupied by fields for crops, pastures for animals Middle Ages farmers learned that leaving field empty for year improved soil In time, practice developed into three-field crop rotation system Rotation Small Village One field planted in spring for fall harvest Another field planted in winter for spring harvest Third field remained unplanted for year Each manor included fortified house for noble family, village for peasants, serfs Goal to make manor self-sufficient Typical manor also included church, mill, blacksmith