The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages: 500 – 1500 The Medieval Period Rise of the Middle Ages Decline of the Roman Empire

Western Europe

Feudalism Think of a chess set

Feudalism Based on mutual obligation Military protection Provide knights in times of war service Fiefs – land grants protection

Feudalism Manors The lords estate –  The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland and protection  Serfs tended the lands, cared for the animals, maintained the estate

Feudalism Manors  Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from the manor  Was home to 15 – 30 families  Self-Sufficient community  Peasants heavily taxed, including a tithe – a church tax of 1/10 their income

Early Middle Ages

Rome Unified by loyalty to public government and written law Orderly government All peoples followed the same rules Germanic Family ties and personal loyalty People lived in small communities governed by unwritten rules and traditions Ruled by a Chief who led a band or warriors loyal only to him – not some emperor they’d never seen

Roman empire overran by Germanic groups with repeated invasions and constant warfare Breakdown of trade: money became scarce. Cities abandoned – no longer center of economy or administration Population became rural. Decline of literacy – priests and other church officials were the few that were literate. Breakup of unified empire End of Democracy

European Empire Evolves After the decline of the Roman Empire small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe. The largest and the strongest was controlled by the Franks Lead by Clovis – first Christian king Greatest king was Charlemagne most powerful king in Western Europe encouraged learning

His father, Pippin, left Charlemagne his Frankish empire when he died in 768 AD. The Franks were already very powerful when Pippin died, but Charlemagne made them more powerful still. Charlemagne organized a centralized system of governors (counts) throughout his kingdom, sending out men he knew to keep order all over his kingdom, and then sending out other men to check up on the counts. Charlemagne also greatly expanded the size of his kingdom. He conquered France down to the Pyrenees mountains, and even into northern Spain. He crossed the Rhine river and conquered Germany, Switzerland and Austria, even into modern Hungary. To the north, he conquered Belgium. And in 774 AD Charlemagne also conquered the Lombards in northern Italy

On Christmas Day, 800, Pope Leo III repaid Charlemagne for defeating the Lombards. As Charlemagne rose from prayer, Leo placed a crown on his head and proclaimed him "Augustus," emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire." The coronation united Christendom under Charlemagne's rule, but it troubled him. If the Pope had the power to crown Charlemagne king, did the Pope also have the right to remove the crown? When Charlemagne named his son as his successor, he presided over the ceremony himself and did not invite the Pope. What did this indirectly tell the Pope about Charlemagne’s feelings for him?

High Middle Ages

A violent society  Noble’s constantly fought each other  Defend estates  Seize new territories  Increase wealth  Kept Europe fragmented  Glorification of warriors

The Age of Chivalry  The mounted Knights were the most important part of an Army  Professional solders – main obligation was to serve in battle  Rewarded with land  Devoted lives to war

The Age of Chivalry  Chivalry – a complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters 1. His feudal lord 2.His Heavenly Lord 3.His Lady  Meant to protect the weak and the poor

The Age of Chivalry Sons of nobles began training at an early age for knighthood  Page – at 7 they were sent to another lord to be trained  Squire – at 14 they act as a servant to a knight  Knight- at 21 they become a knight and gain experience in local wars and tournaments

The Age of Chivalry Tournaments – mock battles that combined recreation and combat training Fierce and bloody competitions

Division of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church 1054 and 1378 “Great Divide” “Western-Eastern Schism” “Great Separation” Reasons Charlemagne not inviting pope to the “party” Meant he had ultimate power over the church Caused Tension (1054 – Eastern and Western Churches) Death of Gregory XI and the mob Started getting along again French people and priests were not happy Elected their own pope

Reasons (cont’d) People Involved Pope Urban VI – Italy Pope Clement VII – France Other Random pope for the rest Council of Constance 1414 – 1418 Outcomes Kicked them all out a picked someone new

Causes: European Expansionism Agricultural advances increase food supply  More people = need of more land to grow more food Roman-Byzantine Rivalry  Help Great Schism  Capture land back to obligate the Byzantines  Reclaim the Holy Land  Bored Soldiers or Knights

1. Relate the outcome of the Crusade to something that is happening today. (ie: 1 of the Crusades had a 3 against 1 battle. There are many countries helping us in Afghanistan right now) 2. What were the 2 sides of the battle trying to win? 3. How did this Crusade affect the lives of the people fighting? 4. How did this Crusade affect the relationship between the people of the Roman Catholic Church and the Byzantine Orthodox Church? 5. How did this Crusade affect the relationship between the people of the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslims?

 Crusade I  Achieves all major objectives in Holy Land  Turkish threat blunted, though not eliminated  Area not strategic to Muslims, could have been held indefinitely with a little skill.  Initial gains lost through diplomatic bungling.  Crusaders attempt to destabilize neighbors

 Crusade II,  Military failure, discredits Crusaders as military threat  Crusade III,  Well-known in literature (Robin Hood)  Involved Richard I of England, Phillip II of France, Frederick I of Holy Roman Empire  Saladin on Muslim side.

Crusade IV,  Western-Greek relations always strained, mutual contempt.  Crusaders sack Constantinople, 1204  Chance to heal Great Schism utterly lost.  In 1453, when attacked by Turks, Byzantines preferred surrender to asking Rome for aid.

V Crusade Capture Damietta, swap for Jerusalem Muslims agree Crusaders try to conquer Egypt, are routed VI Crusade1229 Frederick II of Germany did little fighting and a lot of negotiation Treaty gave the Crusaders Jerusalem and all the other holy cities and a truce of ten years He was widely condemned for conducting the Crusade by negotiating rather than fighting.

Crusade VII Led by Louis IX of France Nearly an exact repeat of the Fifth Crusade Crusade VIII 1270 Led by Louis IX of France Louis’ brother, Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily, had strategic plans of his own and diverted the expedition to Tunisia, where Louis died. The last Crusader cities on the mainland of Palestine fell in 1291 One small island stronghold lasted until 1303.

 Died out – Causes for the end  Lack of interest, rising European prosperity  Repeated military defeats  Effects  Fatal weakening of Byzantine Empire  Stimulated trade  Weakening of Nobles but rise of middle class  Banking  Literature – Fiction Novels

Richard I and John “Softsword” Lords revolted against John Forced Him to sign the document Stated he no longer had ultimate power King had to follow the laws

Late Middle Ages

b. The Hundred Years War Fought between the French and English for the French throne Gun powder and heavy artillery b. The Papal Schism 3 popes Loss of respectability due to political involvements c. The Fall of the Byzantine Empire Turks begin assault on Western boarders

e) Black Death The Bubonic Plague killed 1/3 – ½ of European population d) Famines Climate became colder and rainier Harvests shrank Population doubled Move back to towns

Castles and Keeps