Chapter 11 Section 3 The Middle Ages and Renaissance

The Middle Ages or Medieval Era The Middle Ages is the time period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern era.

Medieval From the Latin word for “Middle Ages”.

The Middle Ages or Medieval Era After the collapse of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476, the next 1,000 years was dominated by warfare, turmoil, and bloodshed in Europe.

Charlemagne French king who conquered much of western Europe and ruled from 768 to 814. During his reign there was the only period of peace in the Middle Ages.

Charlemagne He improved education, enforced laws, and supported the Christian Church.

Feudalism A decentralized government in which a weak monarchy attempts to control the lands of the realm through agreements with regional leaders.

Feudalism

Kings and Lords Land owning nobility. Owned a lot of land, but had little money.

Vassals Military officers who were given large tracts of land, called a fief (feef), by the King or Lord of the manor.

Knights Land holding nobles. They served as police and soldier defending their lord’s lands

Serf Poor farmer who moved onto plots of land and agreed to work the land for the lord of the manor in exchange for protection. Serfdom became almost slavery once the serf promised to work for a lord.

The Church During the Middle Ages the Christian Church grew extremely powerful. It formed its own governing body, laws, courts, and systems of taxation.

The Crusades Series of military campaigns from 1096-1204 led by Christians to retake the Holy Lands from Muslims.

Results of the Crusades Europeans learned of discoveries of Muslim scientists and reconnected with the histories of ancient Greece and Rome. Opened trade between the Middle East and Europe.

The Black Death Occurred in the late Middle Ages, 1348-1350, and was called the “black death” because of the dark blotches that appeared on the skin of victims.

The Black Death In western Europe the Black Death killed up to 25 million people, roughly 1/3 of the population.

The Renaissance Period of “rebirth” coming out of the Middle Ages beginning in the 1300s. Was sparked by a renewed interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Renaissance Was a time of great artistic and intellectual achievement.

Patrons Wealthy Italian traders who supported artist and their work.

The Renaissance People began to see life as more than a time to prepare for eternity but a time to for personal achievement.

The Renaissance The combination of the Black Death and this new thinking during the Renaissance led many to question the Church.

Martin Luther A German priest that was troubled by some of the teachings of the Church.

Martin Luther In 1517, Luther wrote a list of 95 things he found wrong with the church and nailed it to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, and sent copies to church officials.

Martin Luther The ideas of the ways to change the Catholic Church became known as the Reformation.

Martin Luther Those who followed Luther’s teachings became known as Protestants, because they protested against the church.

Gutenberg Press New device invented by a German named Johannes Gutenberg that revolutionized the printing of books by having moveable letters that could be used time and time again. Ideas could be spread more quickly.

Gutenberg Press