Europe After the Romans
Rome Fell Because … No strong or consistent leaders The capital was moved to Constantinople The Roman people became lazy The borders were too big to protect Barbarians were much bigger and attached from the north and east
Constantinople Constantine made Constantinople the new capital He chose that site because it was easy to protect and a great spot for trade Constantinople was modeled after Rome (The New Rome) It quickly became a city of wealth and power Located in present day Turkey
Rome’s Legacy Is famous for bringing the world: Domes and arches The Republic form of government New laws Aqueducts and other architectural advances Latin
The Germanic Tribes The Germanic people were mainly herders They were called Barbarians by the Romans because of their language which the Romans said sounded like babble The Germans had no real form of government Attacked Rome after being pushed from their home lands by the Huns Odoacer became the first German king of the Italian Peninsula
A Changing Life People of Europe began to live on Manors Manors were controlled by Kings, wealthy land owners, or nobles Peasants farmed the land owned by the wealthy In the Manor system, Kings gave land to nobles in return for protection Nobles protected the peasants and gave them land to farm. In return the peasant gave the nobles part of their harvest Life was not good for peasants
The Church in the Middle Ages The Pope was the most powerful person in Europe during the Middle Ages Clovis became the first Germanic leader to convert to Christianity Saint Patrick converted most of Ireland to Roman Catholic Pope Gregory I created rules of behavior for priests and set up monasteries Charlemagne united almost all of Germanic tribes into Christianity
Charlemagne He was a great warrior who conquered much of Spain and central Europe Charlemagne protected Rome and was given the title of Emperor He wanted to unite Europe under Christianity He improved education so more people could read and write
The Vikings The Vikings were from the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark The Vikings were originally farmers who needed more land and crops for their growing population The Vikings traveled by long ships to conquer other lands Reached Newfoundland and Labrador in North America