RISE OF EUROPEAN NATION-STATES THE GROWTH OF MONARCHIES

England England was invaded by Angles and Saxons in the 5th century

William the Conqueror and the Norman Invasion In 1066 the English king dies without an heir and two men claim the throne Harold – an Anglo-Saxon nobleman William – Duke of Normandy and distant relative to the king The English nobility name Harold as their new king William feels cheated and decides to take the throne by force Many knights join William in this invasion because they are hoping to get land if they are victorious Oct. 14th, 1066 – William of Normandy lands with his army on the shores of England William defeats King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and becomes the new king He is now known as William the Conqueror

One of the first things William does as king was to claim all the land in England as his He divided the land into fiefs and gave it to his Norman knights as a reward These new nobles owed William their loyalty William and the Normans introduced French culture into England French becomes the language of the nobility and the court Only lower classes and peasants speak English Domesday Book – census taken on where people lived, what they owned, and how much they could afford to pay in taxes William used this to create a central tax system

King John and the Magna Carta Many nobles started to fear that the king would abuse his powers and take away nobles’ rights The nobles rebelled against their king and King John is defeated on the battlefield The nobles force King John to sign the Magna Carta – “Great Charter” Gives rights to the nobles that the king can’t take away and places limits on the king’s power Set forth ideas about limiting government and executive power King can no longer arrest and punish people without following legal procedures

Parliament Created by King Edward I of England it included nobles, clergy members, and representatives from every county and town Had the power to create new taxes and advise the king on lawmaking, it was also another way to limit the power of the king

France Most of France was in the hands of powerful nobles, including the king of England This was a problem because these nobles owned more land and had more power than the king and ruled as they pleased The rule of Philip II Augustus was the turning point in the growth of the French monarchy He is known for increasing the income and power of the French monarchy The Estates-General was created by Philip IV the Fair and it is the French version of parliament It included representation of the three estates (classes) First Estate = clergy Second Estate = nobles Third Estate = commoners

Holy Roman Empire This was the German area of the Middle Ages and had been the eastern part of Charlemagne’s empire It was divided into numerous small states, ruled over by dukes and princes It was ruled by an emperor who got into power by being elected by seven Electors This territory became known as the Holy Roman Empire Called holy because it had the pope’s support Called Roman because Charlemagne had held the title Emperor of the Roman People when he ruled that area

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Spain Spain had been conquered by Muslims in the 700s Called Moors by the Christians The Reconquista was a series of campaigns by the Christian kingdoms in Spain to retake their lands from the Muslims in Spain It was led by the largest of the Christian kingdoms, Castile These Christian kingdoms won victory after victory over the Moors In 1492 the last Muslim stronghold was defeated in with the defeat of Granada A major step in unifying Spain occurred with the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 They pursued a strict policy of conformity to Catholicism 1492 they expelled all professed Jews and Muslims from Spain To be Spanish was to be Catholic

The Catholic Church Christianity had become the main religion of the Roman Empire and spread throughout Europe as part of the Roman Empire The Catholic Church played a significant role in the lives of the people by providing unification and stability for people in Europe during the Middle Ages The Church developed a system of organization The pope was the head of the entire Roman Catholic Church – formerly the Bishop of Rome Priest was the head of a local community called a parish

Monk = a man who separates himself from everyday life to dedicate himself entirely to God, lives in a monastery run by an abbot Spent lots of time in prayer and physical labor, took a vow of poverty Monks worked to spread Christianity throughout Europe Called missionaries = people sent out to carry a religious message Nuns were women who dedicated themselves to God and they lived in convents Popes used several things to punish people and show power An interdict forbids priests to give the sacraments (Christian rites) to a particular group of people Could also excommunicate people = to cast out of the Church

Heresy and The Inquisition Heresy = denial of basic Church doctrines, or beliefs that opposed the official teachings of the Church People who committed heresy were called heretics They were usually burned at the stake as punishment The Inquisition was a court created by the Catholic Church to find and try heretics The Spanish Inquisition was the most brutal and was still operating in the 1800s The two groups it went after the most were Jews and Muslims

Decline of Church Power Over time Popes became corrupt and used their position for wealth and power The Great Schism divided Europe religiously and damaged the reputation of the Church This was a time when there were two popes, both claiming power