1. Western Europe Chapter 10
Post-Class: Ch. 10 Reading Outline
Western Europe Chapter 10
…it is all in the name, “Post-Classical”

2. Rome’s Waning Empire
Bishops (Christian leaders of cities) given judicial powers & responsibility of urban poor
Weakened by debt, peasants became tenants of landlords
Late Rome pressured by Germanic barbarians (Goths, Vandals, Franks)
Mercenaries, migrations

3. Post-Class: Ch. 10 Reading Outline

4. W. Europe: Timeline 500-1000 CE— Early Middle Ages 900-1100—Transition
Agriculture, trade & politics slow but reviving
Catholic church becomes a spiritual & political power
= Charlemagne
—Transition
1096 = Start of the Crusades
— High Middle Ages
Gains in population, trade & intellectual activity as well as political growth
— Late Middle Ages

5. ~the Foundations of Christian Society
W. Europe:
Early Middle Ages
(500 CE to 1000 CE)
~the Foundations of Christian Society
in Western Europe~
Foundations:
Economic recovery
Restoration of political order
Framework that allows the Christian Church to provide leadership & unity
Dark Ages?

6. In Summary: Economic Recovery & Restoration of Political Order
500 to 1000 characterized by:
Manor System
Self-sufficient farming manors organize society
Mutual obligations b/t lord & serf
Feudalism
Decentralized, informal military rule
Mutual obligations b/t lords & lords
Gave structure to political & economic relationships. Developed due to a lack of centralized rule

10. Christianity & Political Order
Unites masses amid chaos
Barbarians convert for legitimacy

12. Christianity & Political Order
Hierarchy provides practical leadership
Judges & educators
Based on tradition, land ownership, ceremonies

13. Political Order & Christianity
But, little formal government
Violence & blood feuds common
Some order from Roman landlords & barbarian warlords
Aristocrats: control of land lends resources (peasants, food, new warriors)
Germanic warriors: military might lends order
Franks were most powerful Germanic state
Example: Clovis

14. Life of the Peasantry Culture minimal & rough Hierarchy of needs?
Rome: population from 500,000 to 80,000
Paris: population of 20,000
Rural villages as population centers
Little education or literacy
Little trade
Focus on subsistence

15. Life of the Peasantry → Peasants become serfs
Unfree farm labor tied to land
Subsistence difficult while lacking technology
Sought safety through landlords

16. Carcassonne: A Medieval Castle

17. Men of Cloth; Men of Letters
Culture maintained by Christian clergy
Only literate members of society
Latin
Scriptoriums
Aided religious & political authority
“Rome” lived on in churches & became spiritual capital

19. Decentralized…sort of
If Western Europe can be characterized by decentralized rule between 500 and 1000, then:
Carolingian family is the exception
Charlemagne temporarily unites part of Europe
Cultural unity, rather than political unity, becomes the basis for eventual nation states

20. Carolingians & Charlemagne
Exception to divided informal rule
Carolingian dynasty (686 – 9th c)
Frankish
Charles Martel: starts dynasty
noted for ending Muslim attempts to conquer France
Charlemagne: most important ruler

22. Carolingians & Charlemagne
Desired Christianizing & politically uniting all Germanic peoples
Centralized authority
Crowned by Pope in 800 CE (reflected church power)
Gave land to warriors to cement loyalty
Traveled 2000 miles/yr to maintain direct contact with those governed

24. Carolingians & Charlemagne
Fostered “Carolingian Renaissance”
Trade initiated
Minted silver coins
Manufacturing improved (swords, pottery, glassware)
Learning emphasized
Punctuation, capitalization, & spacing added to script
Curriculum standardized (grammar, rhetoric, logic, math, astronomy)

25. The Carolingian Renaissance

26. Carolingians & Charlemagne
Still…comparatively weak
15 mil inhabitants vs. 50 mil in Abbasid or 100 mil in China
50 acre palace complex vs. 250 acres in Baghdad
Personalist rule meant that when reign ended, so to did many advancements

29. Carolingians ended by invasion
Muslims, Magyar nomads, Vikings

30. The Vikings

31. Post-Class: Ch. 10 Reading Outline
Viking Origins
Norse people from Scandinavia
Think: North, Normans, Normandy, Norway
“Vik” = on the war path
Lifestyle:
Tribal, warrior culture
Polytheistic
Expansion fueled by population pressure
Lifestyle: based on sea: Viking = pirate; a-viking = to go on an overseas adventure; both sexes wore long hair; married women were respected
Government: tribal units, ruled by jarl
Values: culture of war; blood feud common
Education: not important, most illiterate, boys = warriors, girls = wives
Religion: worshiped many gods, used crop and animal sacrifices

32. Viking Expansion

33. Vikings in Western Europe
Explored & raided coastal France & Britain
Longships & weapons became sources of fear
Plundering, killing, burning
Wealth & prisoners aided exploration & expansion of slave trade
Settle eventually & Christianized
Normans

34. Vikings in Eastern Europe
Sailed Russian river systems until reaching Black Sea & Constantinople
Opened trade links b/t Russia & Byzantium
Exported furs & slaves for Byzantine manufactures
Kievian-Rus (proto-Russia)
Mixture of Viking & Slavic ethnic groups
Christianized by Cyril & Methodius (Orthodox)

35. Viking Impact Fostered expanded trade links in Europe
Intensified local rule
Eastern Europe = city-states
Western Europe = feudalism
Looked to local lords to protect them

37. Review
In groups of 4:
Analyze the daily life of each of the following people during the Carolingian dynasty:
Charlemagne; Nobleman; Priest; Serf
What is their motivation? What is their fear? How is their life impacted by other members of society?
Create a script for a skit or write a series of / diary entries letters

38. Medieval Social Structure

39. Post-Class: Ch. 10 Reading Outline
Halloween
What does the interaction between cultures suggest about how Christianity spread in Europe during the postclassical period?
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