1. When were the Middle Ages 1. When were the Middle Ages? What defines and characterises the Middle Ages? Who came up with the term ‘the Middle Ages’?

1. What were The Middle Ages? 5th to the 15th Century Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE Feudalism (government by personal loyalty) distinct from the Roman Empire that defined antiquity and the rise of nation-states characteristic of Modernity. The predominance of the Catholic Church. (Debatable) cultural, economic and political backwardness.

1. What were The Middle Ages? Die Kultur der Renaissance in Italien Jacob Burckhardt, 1860: A few generations of Italian intellectuals and artists had - through a truly cultural revolution - freed Europe from the stifling bonds of a society that was collectively oriented and in which every aspect of life on earth was focused on life after death. Waning of the Middle Ages Johan Huizinga, 1919: Identified typically 'medieval' cultural expressions after the Middle Ages. Others argued that there was a Carolingian Renaissance and Twelfth Century Renaissance as well as the Italian Renaissance.

1. Who came up with the term ‘the Middle Ages’?

1. Who came up with the term ‘the Middle Ages’? European and Eurocentric. Used by late medieval scholars to differentiate themselves from their immediate past and herald the dawning of a new age of reason and prosperity. Eg. Francesco Petrarch (1304 – 1374 CE)

What are the High Middle Ages?

What are the High Middle Ages? 1000 – 1300 CE Preceded by the Early Middle Ages or Dark Ages. Followed by the Late Middle Ages. Characterised by rapid population growth sustained by increased agricultural productivity. Checked in the 13th century by plague and war. The origins of Modern Nation-States. The Crusades.

2. What interests you most about this period of history and history in general? What would you like to find out more about?

3. What do you know about the Crusades?

3. The Crusades Modern-day Israel-Palestine was part of the Roman and then Byzantine empire. Jerusalem conquered by Islam in 638 CE Jerusalem is holy to the three monotheistic religions First Crusade 1096 CE – Jerusalem taken in 1099 CE. Series of subsequent crusades to maintain conquests Crusader States: ‘Outremer’ 1291 CE: Crusades finally defeated

4. What is Magna Carta? Why does it remain so important to us today?

5. What was the Black Death? When did it occur? 1348 – 1350 CE

6. What is meant by the ‘legacy of Rome’?

West falls 476 East falls 1453

The ‘second’ Western Roman Empire, the Carolingian Empire (red), vying with the Eastern Roman Empire, the ‘Byzantines’ (blue), and the Abbasid Caliphate (green) in 811 CE.

The ‘third’ Western Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire (maroon), still vying with the Eastern Roman Empire (blue), with the Caliphate now split into the Ayyubid Sultanate (gold) and Almohad Caliphate (light blue) in 1175 CE.

The other legacies of Rome

The other legacies of Rome