Early Middle Ages AD 500- 1000 Medieval = Middle Ages; sometimes refered to as the Dark Ages, esp. this early period

Early Middle Ages A. Learning and Civilization Declined, but it was a great time for Germanic Kings and Warriors B. New society had three roots: 1. Classical heritage from Rome 2. Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church 3. Customs of Germanic tribes Also for Celts and Slavs

Early M. A. C. By 600, Priests were almost the only literate Europeans D. Changes in citizenship: 1. German tribes took over Roman lands 2. Family ties and personal loyalty bound society together (beginnings of Feudalism) – a contract between serfs (produce food), nobility (protection) 3. People belonged to a family and followed one leader (like a TRIBE or CLAN) 4. They felt no obligation to obey a king who was a stranger Beginnings of Feudalism – lord and vassal

Early M. A. E. Christianity won new followers 1. Roman Catholic Church was the strongest civilizing force in W. Europe 2. In the 300s and 400s Christian missionaries spread beliefs to German & Celtic groups 3. Clovis, leader of N. Gaul, converted to Christianity – won more German tribes over 4. AD 511 Kingdom of Clovis was divided among his heirs F. Benedictine rule 1. Monasteries – communities of Christian men or women E.3.Merovingian kings – family of Merovius; Clovis (481-511)/ not called king but “Mayor of the Palace”

Early M.A. 2. Lived according to rules of: poverty, chastity, obedience 3. Benedict was a monk who wrote a book of rules for monastic life (Benedictine rule) 4. Monasteries operated schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (manuscripts); these were the leading scholarly centers of the day

Monk copying a book

Early M.A. G. Pope Gregory the Great 1. Made the papacy an office of political & spiritual power 2. Foresaw a churchly kingdom, ruled by a pope – this idea became a central part of the Middle Ages H. Charles Martel – “The Hammer” 1. Led the Franks and defeated a Muslim army in Spain at Battle of Tours in 732 ; this checked the spread of Islam in Europe 2. Son, Pepin the Short, takes control in 741: forced the Lombards out of Rome area, giving control to the Pope (Papal States) H.2. Pope now independent of any king (756-1870) ; Pepin now called a king – the Carolingian dynasty

Frankish lands, 700s AD

Early Middle Ages AD 500- 1000, Day 2

Charlemagne and the Vikings: I. Charlemagne 1. King of the Franks (768-814) 2. Forced people to become Christian 3. Conquered with his armies: by 800, had lands in Italy, France, Germany, and N. Spain (larger than Byzantine Empire) 4. First to unite W. Europe since the Romans 5. His court became a center of learning – the Carolingian revival 6. Crowned emperor by Pope LeoIII – Holy Roman Empire Charlemagne YouTube Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, is Pepin’s son; he was very tall, unable to write but learned to read Latin Restored Latin, improved handwriting and spelling, encouraged Benedictine monks to copy important books Franks = France / crowned by pope Leo III on Christmas Day 800 HRE collapsed after Charlemagne’s death; revived to an extent by Saxon king of Germany Otto in 962; lasts till Napoleon ends it in 1806

Charlemagne

Europe, 800 AD

II. The Vikings: 1. From Scandinavia; still pagans, worshiped warlike gods (Thor, etc.) and had names like “Eric Bloodaxe” 2. Raided European settlements from Ireland to Russia, AD 800-1000 3. Were traders, farmers, and explorers 4. Settled Iceland; explored Greenland (Eric the Red) and Newfoundland in N. America (Leif Ericson) 5. Had kingdoms in Ireland and much of England – stopped there by Alfred the Great in 886 Old Norse word for “fjord” is VIK, viking a person from here long, shallow, swift boats carrying 300 warriors. Founded Dublin in Ireland; England = Angle land Established a state at Kiev, conquered Slavs; gave their name RUS = russians attacked Constantinople in 865 and 907 Vinland – Ericsons’s colony, forgotten and abandoned

Vikings (Cont.) 6. Last great raiders of W. Europe 7. Settled down in many areas; such as French Normandy (Northmen or Norsemen = Normans) 8. Adopted Christianity, decline after AD 1000 Converted to C. by English monks (Leif Ericson was Christian) Merged with Celts in Ireland, Anglo-Saxons in England, French in Normandy

Feudalism: A. A highly decentralized form of govt. that stressed mutual protection b/w monarchs & nobles. B. Land for loyalty & military aid. C. Most of Europe was using this system

Feudal Relationships: A. Fief-estates w/peasants, became manors B. Manors were self sufficient C. Lords took oath of loyalty in exchange for power over Manor D. Knights provided protection for Manor & King

Knights: Code of Chivalry: 1. be brave in battle 2. fight fairly 3. keep promises 4. defend the church 5. treat women of noble birth in a courteous manner