High Middle Ages Sources of Law & Power

Regional Powers

Regional Powers cont. England (king controlled whole country) France (King only really controlled own fief and dukes & counts largely controlled surrounding provinces) Spanish/ Portugese kingdoms – more independent and varied culturally/ constant dispute over territory Holy Roman Empire – less unity because still concerned with acquiring territory- elected kingship rather than inherited

In General Under the feudal system, the King had power over the justice system The lord of a manor was in charge of law among those living on his land

Law & Order Courts existed with a judge and jury like today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9BQQqPLA4 Courts existed with a judge and jury like today However, anything that brought evil into a person’s life could be brought to court (rats, toads, insects!)

Trials Medieval courts had some interesting ways of determining innocence and guilt: TRIAL BY ORDEAL: The accused could be exposed to a number of awful situations including, drinking poison, exposure to burning or being dropped in water. If the person didn’t heal or died s/he would be found guilty! TRIAL BY BATTLE: Two noblemen would fight and the person who died was found guilty because God was believed to protect the innocent A noblewomen could appoint a nobleman to fight on her behalf * The idea behind both trial by ordeal and trial by battle was that the outcome rested in God’s hands

Let’s Take a Look Crime & Punishment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snVbGOrHZaY Trial by Ordeal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzh1oT0b_8

Manor Court Was a place to settle minor disputes (farming, property, petty crime) Serfs could sue Was like a village meeting – depended on witnesses who could be fined for lying Jury of villagers & lord or representative was judge Sentences were usually fines - sometimes stocks/ exile

Royal Court Tried serious crimes (murder, treason-crime against state, etc.) Used Common Law: law common across the kingdom formed from the results of many previous cases This court could order execution – it would take all the sentenced person’s property after The royal court conflicted with the church and the nobility because they often governed themselves

Church Court Tried clergy accused of crimes (witchcraft, heresy-against church, blasphemy-against God) and were often not strict The Inquisition was set up to stop heresy (challenges to church authority) Accused people did not have the same rights as secular court and were considered guilty before inquisition took place The Church could not execute, but those who refused to admit sins would be sent to a secular court to be sentenced (and often executed) If a person did repent his sins the Church would often take that person’s property **Inquisition did not work in areas like England that already had a strong system to deal with heretics

Henry II and the Murder of Thomas Beckett The pope had power over the king when it came to religion. This caused tension at times In 1164 King Henry II wanted people who held office in the church to be sentenced more severely if they were convicted of committing a crime The archbishop at the time, Thomas Beckett refused to go along with this idea, so Henry II took away all his property and forced him to flee to France 6 years later Henry allows Beckett to return to England as head of the English church Beckett managed to anger Henry II again (probably wasn’t too hard to do) and apparently said “ Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” 4 knights heard this and killed Thomas Beckett!

The people were outraged Bad Call… The people were outraged The pope forced the king to submit to a public flogging and ordered him to stop interfering with church affairs Thomas was canonized (declared a saint) and became the saint of Canterbury

Monarchy A Monarch had the power to make & change laws, collect taxes and give titles & land However, the monarch still had to obey the feudal code the power of the monarchy was kept in check by barons who could war against the monarch using their large armies that they could rally quickly – it would take weeks for a monarch to collect his army from across the kingdom

Abuse of Power http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzaqEtJCok What do we already know about the story of Robin Hood? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzaqEtJCok

Discussion Time What was King John like? Is he breaking the feudal code? How? What do you think happens as a result of this behavior? How is power checked in Canada? We do not have the feudal system, we have a different kind of governing system. What is it called?

King John & The Magna Carta King John I was so hated because of ruthless taxation, fighting with the pope and military defeats that he caused a rebellion In 1215, the Barons forced him to sign into action the Magna Carta (“The Great Charter”) People would not be exploited by a ruler Taxes could not be taken without consent of parliament No person could be imprisoned without a fair trial However, it really only addressed the concerns of the nobility and left the other 90% ignored https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_5My8XH-n0

The Crusades

Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Crusades were holy wars in which European Christians fought Muslims to try to regain control of the holy land the Seljuk Turks had taken over the Byzantine Empire (holy land) in the 11th century) Holy Land = Jerusalem. Jerusalem is important to: Jews (Appears repeatedly in holy book) Christians (Jesus resurrected) Muslims (Mohammad ascended to heaven) 1096-1291, 8 military Crusades, 2 non-military (over 100 years) Medieval knights saw fighting in a holy war as a way to get into heaven and/or win land First Crusade began after Pope Urban II urged people to retake the holy land in 1096

How Does the Pope justify the crusade? If you were a knight, would you fight?

Were the Crusades Successful? The First crusade created a Christian Kingdom in the Middle East. It lasted 100 years. But in 1187 Sultan Saladin recaptured Jerusalem The Holy Land switched between the Christians and Muslims several times, but was ultimately won by the Muslims as they were a more united fighting force and the Christians lacked clear direction

Review Crusades in 5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcGzQ3ga5R8

Movie & Socratic Seminar Richard the Lionheart and Saladin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEW1Ofs7-_Q *Identify a quote, scene, and/or idea that struck you from the film. Ask an open-ended question about it.

What effects did the Crusades have on Europe? Society: The deaths of so many young men weakened feudal society Not enough workers on feudal lands Nobles without heirs gave their fiefs back to the king Some nobles had sold their land to pay for their Crusader armies As a result kings became more powerful and less dependent on their barons

Knowledge and Trade: Western Europe learned from the highly advanced Muslim world and Jewish scholars Gained knowledge of medicine, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and literature this would ultimately lead to the Renaissance Crusades sparked trade – fabrics, spices, perfumes Led to an improved standard of living in Europe and more exploration

https://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=_GeBou75D hU Read page 166 & 171 – 172 Q # 1-4