1. The European Middle Ages 500 - 1200

2. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe went through what is known as the Middle Ages.  Years: 500 – 1500 During these centuries, a new European society emerged

3. Roots of the New Society: –Classical heritage of Rome Many of the Europeans were raised in cities and towns that were a part of the Holy Roman Empire. –Beliefs created by Roman Catholic Church The Roman Catholic Church was the main religious governing instrument in all of Europe –Customs of various Germanic tribes began to thrive throughout the Holy Roman Empire. This was a product of the past invasions

4. Invasions of Western Europe In the fifth century, Germanic invaders overran the western half of the Roman Empire. These repeated invasions caused a series of changes in the Empire’s economy, government, and culture

5. 1. Trade was disrupted: - Many merchants were attacked by the Germanic invaders. - This breakdown of trade devastated Europe’s trust in their cities as economic centers - Money became scarce

6. 2. Downfall of cities: - With the fall of the Roman Empire, cities were abandoned as centers of authority. - People moved out of the cities - The majority of the population retreated to the country side and rural areas to grow own food and live off of the land.

7. 3. Decline in Learning: -The Germanic invaders who stormed Rome could not read or write. -Education became less important as people left the city  Fewer people went to school. -Few people except for priests and other church officials could read or write

8. 4. Loss of a Common language: -As the German-speaking people mixed with the Roman population, Latin changed -Though still the Roman Empire’s official language, it was no longer understood. -By the 800’s French, Spanish, and other Roman- based languages had evolved from Latin.

9. Kingdoms Emerge Between the years 400 and 600, small Germanic kingdoms began to replace Roman provinces. Wars between the Kingdoms changed borders and ownership of territory. The Church survived the fall of the Roman Empire –The majority of these Kingdoms preserved the Catholic faith.

10. Instead of pledging loyalty to a public office or a governing group like the Romans, Germanic people lived in small communities that were governed by unwritten rules and traditions. Every Germanic chief led a band of warriors who pledged loyalty to him, not a country or province. –Did not obey or honor a king or any other official who they did not know.

11. Germans adopt Christianity In 496, the leader of the Franks, Clovis, led his warriors against another Germanic army. * The Franks were a Germanic people who inhabited the Roman Province of Gaul. * Gaul was located in present day France and parts of Switzerland.

12. During a break in the war, Clovis prayed to the Christian God. He admitted that he believed in him for a long time and asked him for assistance in battle. The battle shifted in Clovis’s and the Franks favor and they won the war. –Afterward, Clovis and 3,000 of his warriors traveled to Rome in order to have a bishop baptize them.

13. The Roman Church welcomed Clovis’s conversion and supported his military campaigns against other Germanic peoples. By 511, Clovis had united the Franks into one kingdom. This alliance between Clovis’s kingdom and the Church marked the start of a partnership between two powerful forces.

14. Frankish Authority was just what the church needed in order to remain in the new European society. By 600, the Church had converted many of the Germanic people settling in Rome’s former lands.

15. Missionaries and Monasteries aided the spread of Christianity throughout Europe. Missionary: Religious travelers who converted whoever they met to Christianity Monastery: Religious communities built by the church. Monks and nuns lived in the monastery and educated the community about Christianity.

16. Monasteries became Europe’s best educated communities –Remember, the majority of Europe couldn’t read or write Monks opened schools, libraries, and copied books. In the 600’s and 700’s, monks made beautiful copies of religious writings. –These images preserved at least a part of Rome’s intellectual heritage –Known as illuminated manuscripts

17. Illuminated manuscripts:

18. Papal Power expands under Gregory I In 590, Gregory I, also called Gregory the Great, became pope. As head of the Church in Rome, Gregory broadened the authority of the papacy beyond its spiritual role. *Papacy= Pope’s office

19. Under Gregory, the papacy became a secular power involved in politics Secular: Concerned with international (or worldly) matters rather than strictly religious. Gregory used church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor. According to Gregory, the region from Italy to England and from Spain to Germany fell under his responsibility.

21. Gregory strengthened the vision of Christendom. –It was a spiritual kingdom flowing from Rome **Religious officials would now play a greater role in European political events. This idea of a churchly kingdom ruled by a pope, would be the central theme of the Middle Ages Meanwhile, secular rulers expanded their political kingdoms.