1. The Middle Ages

2. Transition from Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire
Eastern half of the Roman Empire (while the West slowly crumbled, the East survived
Tightly centralized rule and smaller Empire made it easier to maintain
Combined Church and State (religious leader was the Emperor)
Tensions between East and West
Constantinople (Eastern capital)- Greek, combination of Church and State, believed Father and Son were separate and unequal in power
Rome (Western capital)- Latin, separation of Church and State, Father and Son were equal and coeternal

3. Transition from Roman Empire
Tensions resulted in Schism of 1054
Religious leaders attempted to excommunicate each other
Founding of the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church was the main church in Western Europe during the Middle Ages
Church officials had authority over secular officials
Religious officials such as Bishops and Archbishops sat on the King’s Council
Byzantine Empire faced the threat of the growing Islamic State
Competition for land and converts in the Middle East
Drawn into the Crusades (in-between the two warring groups inevitably got them involved)

4. Feudalism Combination social structure and economic arrangement
King and Queen
Ruled over all the land except for the Church
Nobles/Lords
Paid taxes to royals for favors and positions at court
Power over local villages
Knights and Vassals
Served nobles in exchange for land
Serfs
Commoners
Did not own the land they worked on
Manor System was made up of Lords, Vassals, and Serfs
Each provided a service for the others
Largely self-sufficient

6. Rise of Islam Misconceptions-
Muhammad- considered to be a great prophet and founder of Islam
The archangel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad who shared teaching from God/Allah
These teachings were written down and are now known as the Qur’an
5 Pillars of Islam- 5 acts that all Muslims should do as a commitment to their faith
Testimony
Prayer
Alms-giving
Fasting
Pilgrimage
Misconceptions-
Females have rights according to the Qur’an
The Qur’an condones slavery
There is no mention of 72 virgins in the Qur’an
ISIS members are not Muslim

7. The Crusades
Pope Urban II called on the Christian nations of Western Europe to fight the Muslims and take back the Holy Land
Holy Land = Jerusalem
Known as the First Crusade
Muslims vowed to take back their land which led to numerous wars
Crusades refers to a series of 9 different wars fought between the Christians and Muslims
The Byzantine Empire eventually allied itself with the Europeans
Promised to share conquered land and technology
Europeans never made good on their promises
Crusades slowly died out as Papal authority in the Church began to decline (we will see that at the end of this unit and throughout the next

8. Characteristics of Medieval Literature
Romance
Tells of exploits of knights
Often a super natural element involved
Heroism
Beowulf
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Moral lesson
Loyalty to king
Chivalry
Sacrifice
Christian message
Concern with salvation
Interest in spiritual change