The First Feudal Age ( AD) -Key Concepts-

I. Successors to Rome: “Shadows of the Empire”

A. Byzantine Empire  Greatest Emperor: Justinian ( AD)  Handed classical learning and science back to the west --Justinian’s Code of Laws (533)  Rebuilding program in Constantinople  The Hagia Sophia (537)

A. Byzantine Empire (cont)  The Hippodrome  Justinian’s wife Theodora—life and influence  Autocratic nature of the Eastern Emperors  Selection of the Emperor and his administration

A. Byzantine Empire (cont)  Warfare and the enemies of the Empire -- “Greek fire” --Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople (1453)  Tension between the eastern and western churches over icons  Solemn, otherworldly preoccupation

B. Islam and the Islamic World  The life of Muhammad ( AD)  The Koran: “recitings”  “Islam”: submission to Allah  The “Hegira” or flight to Medina (622)  The notion of “jihad”  The Ka’ba and the Black Stone

B. Islam and the Islamic World (cont)  The relationship of men to women  No distinction between clergy and laity  The five pillars of Islam  Differences from Christianity

B. Islam and the Islamic World (cont)  Successors to Muhammad --Shi’ites vs. Sunnies  The Muslim Empire ( AD)  Muslim intellectual and scientific achievements --studied the Greco- Roman classics --the number “0”

C. The Kingdom of the Franks

(1) Germanic Culture  Centrality of the tribal unit or family  The leadership of the war chieftain  Characteristics of Germanic law -- “wergeld” --trial by ordeal  Germanic treatment of women

(1) Germanic Culture (cont)  Blending of Germanic and Roman culture  The decline of town life and trade  The role of forests in Germanic thinking  Settlement patterns

(1) Germanic Culture (cont)  Views of Disease  Treatment of Disease --Eye Disease --Frequent Stomach Disorders -- “Leech” --Broken bones, wounds and burns  Cavities below the gum line were prevalent  The role of monasteries in providing medical care

(2) The Merovingian Dynasty  The Franks: least romanized and most orthodox of the Germanic tribes --Clovis: 1 st Frankish King  The struggles and ineffectiveness of the Merovingian kings  The “Mayor of the Palace”  Charles Martel’s defeat of the Muslims at Tours

(3) The Carolingian Dynasty and Charlemagne  Pepin the Short, the first Carolingian king (751) --The “Donation of Pepin”  Pepin’s son, Charles the Great, or Charlemagne ( )  Charlemagne’s military exploits  Continued reciprocal relationship with the Pope

(3) Charlemagne (cont)  Crowned Holy Roman Emperor (Christmas Day, 800)  Charlemagne’s palace city of Aachen  Charlemagne’s challenges in administering such a vast empire --missi dominici

(3) Charlemagne (cont)  The Carolingian Renaissance --Alcuin of York  The Disintegration of the Carolingian Empire  The Treaty of Verdun (843) --Louis the German --Charles the Bald --Lothair

II. The “Dark Ages” (9 th and 10 th Centuries)  Agricultural Difficulties and Violence  Population Decline  Muslim and Magyar invaders  Chief Threat = Vikings  Viking strategy of terror  Effectiveness of Viking boats  The extent of Viking raids

III. The Role of the Church

A. Physical Protection  Offered safe haven to neighbors  Some churchmen were renowned fighters  Monasteries preserved important arts of manufacturing  Popes fill political vacuum in the west --Leo I and Attila the Hun --Gregory I and the Lombards

B. Preservers of Greco- Roman Culture  Significance of copying manuscripts  The role of Pope Gregory I --had been secular Roman administrator  Realized early on that no help would be forthcoming from the Byzantine Empire  Church split in 1054

C. Spiritual Protection  Superstitious, illiterate age  The Church was the door to salvation  Seven Deadly sins: pride, envy, anger, greed, lust, gluttony, and sloth  Seven sacraments  Sacraments of ordination and extreme unction

C. Spiritual Protection (cont)  Sacrament of Matrimony  Sacrament of the Eucharist -- “transubstantiation”  Duties and categories of the clergy -- “regular” vs. “secular” clergy  The Sacrament of Penance -- “Purgatory”

C. Spiritual Protection (cont)  The Power of “Holy” Intercessors  Veneration of the Saints  Shift in the pattern of sainthood into the Middle Ages  The growing importance of female saints --In 1100, only 10% of saints were female; by 15 th Century, 29% were female

C. Spiritual Protection (cont)  The cultural power of calling on saints for help  The Supernatural power of Relics  Christian burial near the Church altar

IV. Feudalism and Vassalage

A. Physical Protection  The origins of feudalism  The lord as the central figure of the feudal system  The expense of medieval warfare  Contractual nature of feudalism  The local and emotional nature of feudalism

A. Physical Protection (cont)  The lord’s obligations to his vassal --fief  The vassal’s obligations to his lord --scutage  The complexity of feudal relationships -- “subinfeudation” --liege lord

B. Life in a Medieval Castle  William Manchester’s A World Lit by Fire and Joseph and Frances Gies’ Life in a Medieval Castle  Interior and furnishings of the castle  Servants in the castle

B. Life in a Medieval Castle (cont)  Daily routine and dining  The marriage of aristocratic women  The life of aristocratic women  The church’s view of women  Women and sex  The early life of young noblemen  The ceremony of knighthood

B. Life in a Medieval Castle (cont)  The travels of the young knight  Tournaments and Jousts  Tension surrounding the life of a young knight  The ideal of chivalry -- “troubadours”

V. Manorialism

A. Function  Western Europe was much more rural than Eastern Europe  Manorialism was the economic foundation of feudal society  The “open field” system of medieval farming  Origin and status of serfdom  By 800 AD, nearly 60% of western Europe was enserfed

A. Function (cont)  Composition and administration of the manor  “Custom of the Manor”  Tax obligations of the serfs -- “banalities”  Other limitations on the activities of the serfs

B. Life in a Medieval Village  Living conditions of the serfs  Striking lack of privacy for family members  Variety of dietary options for peasants  The central role of bread in the peasant diet— 80% of caloric content

B. Life in a Medieval Village (cont)  Types of meals eaten by villagers  Beer: the universal drink of northern Europe  Accidents as a way of life in manorial villages  The role of women and village clothing  Medieval view of children

B. Life in a Medieval Village (cont)  Center of manorial life was the village church  Village church services  Life was short and frightening for village peasants  Village life was strictly hierarchical  Village life was also very communal  Village life was always very local