1. The Middle Ages in Europe

2. The Middle Ages
The period of time from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. to the 1400s was called the Middle Ages, often called the Medieval Times.
It was the time between ancient and modern times, a time of knights and damsels in distress.
In Western Europe there was a lack of a powerful central government after Rome was overrun by the barbarians.

3. Byzantine Empire 330 A.D. to 1453 A.D.
In 330 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium in the eastern half of the empire.
Constantine named this new capital Constantinople

4. Constantinople
Constantinople was ideally located on land that connects Europe and Asia.
It controlled the Bosporus, a narrow waterway connecting the important trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

5. Byzantine Culture Develops
The western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, but the eastern half survived for another 1,000 years.
A new Byzantine culture developed, but the people of Byzantium saw themselves as simply continuing the Roman Empire.
The Byzantine Empire became a powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe.
Even though the western empire was destroyed the Byzantines preserved the Greco-Roman culture of Greece and Rome.

6. Byzantine Empire and Christianity
Byzantine Empire created its own form of the Christian religion called Eastern Orthodoxy.
This church was separate from the Catholic Church of Rome.
Byzantines did not recognize the Pope as head of their church, they had a Patriarch.
Byzantines used icons, images of Jesus and saints
Byzantines even had a different shaped cross.

7. Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia was a magnificent church with a giant dome and tall spires (towers).
Valuable metals were used to decorate the church.
Colorful icons and glass mosaics were created to decorate it.

8. Reasons for Survival of Byzantine Empire
Benefitted from influence of Greek, Roman, Christian, and Middle Eastern cultures.
At the crossroads of Europe and Asia which was a major center for trade.
It had a strong central government ruled by powerful emperors with a single set of laws.
A powerful army paid by taxes.
Constantinople in now called Istanbul

9. Justinian and ‘The Code of Justinian’
Justinian became emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527 A.D.
His rule was greatly influenced by his wife Theodora, and women in his empire had greater rights and privileges.
He reconquered much of the old Roman Empire, but at a great cost .

10. Justinian’s Empire During Justinian’s reign he was able to reconquer much of the western half of the Roman Empire

11. Justinian’s Code
The Code of Justinian was the greatest accomplishment of the Byzantine Empire and had the greatest effect on other cultures by serving as a model of law for future cultures.
Like the ‘Code of Hammurabi’ or the ‘Twelve Tables’, the code collected all of the old Roman laws and listed them into a single set of laws, plus these laws were written down.

12. Decline of the Byzantine Empire
After Justinian’s rule came to an end the Byzantine Empire began to suffer from invading forces, just as Rome had.
The Slavs from the north, the Persians from the east, and the Muslims in the south.
By 1071 the Seljuk Turks gained controlled of much of the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire.
By 1453, the capital city of Constantinople itself was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

13. Byzantine Influences on Russia
Because the Byzantine Empire controlled access to the Black Sea, it greatly influenced the region that would become Russia.
Byzantine Empire influence is still felt today:
Orthodox Christianity
Cyrillic alphabet

14. The Barbarian Invasions
Romans considered those who lived outside the boundaries of the Roman Empire to be ‘barbarians’.
In the 4th century a war-like tribe called the Huns came to Europe from Central Asia.
The Huns forced the barbarians to move onto lands controlled by the Roman Empire.

15. The Barbarian Invasions
The Visigoths moved into the Roman Empire and by 410 A.D. they sacked Rome.
Various other barbarians invaded Europe:
Angles & Saxon invade England
Visigoths continued toward Spain
Lombard's take northern Italy
Franks settle in Gaul (aka France)
See barbarian invasion map on next page

17. The Rise of the Franks
The Franks built the largest of the barbarian empires in the area known as Gaul, (aka France).
Charles Martel
helped unite the Franks by defeating Muslim invaders
Martel’s victory over the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 731 A.D, saved Christianity in Europe.
Pepin
Charles Martel’s son, gained control of northern Italy,
but Pepin is more famous for his son Charlemagne.

18. Charlemagne Became king of the Franks in 768 A.D..
Name literally means “Charles the Great”
Developed the feudal system by giving land to his nobles in return for their loyalty & services.
Enlarged the Kingdom of the Franks.
Wanted to educate the children of his kingdom.
Crowned “Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire”

19. Europe Faces New Threats
After Charlemagne’s death his empire was divided.
The authority Charlemagne had exhibited disappeared.
The empire began to crumble under attacks by:
barbarian invaders from the east.
Muslims invaders from north Africa.
Vikings from Scandinavia

20. The Vikings
Vikings from Scandinavia launched fear and destruction on northern Europe.
They used their sailing skills to established trade route and create new settlements.

21. Changes in Europe
The invasions by the Vikings and other barbarians brought many negative changes.
There was a lack of a strong central leadership as governments were abandoned.
Trade and cultural interactions decreased as people became too fearful to travel.
Cities decreased in size and importance as its citizens were killed or moved to the country to avoid the invasions.
Education, skills, and artistic abilities diminished.

22. Feudal Society
The feudal system of giving land to nobles in return for their loyalty and military services to the king had begun with the Franks.
To protect themselves from invading attacks feudalism became necessary when the authority of the central government broke down, as in the death of Charlemagne.
Feudalism has 3 major traits:
Social, Political, and Economic

23. Feudal Society Social –
led to the development of a social class structure, much like the, Hindu caste system
You were born a king, a lord, a knight, or a peasant and it never changed.
Knights had a special code of honor called chivalry, where they swore to protect the weak.
“It’s good to be king”

24. I kick a little butt for my lord and I get land
Feudal Society
Political –
Nobles or lords built large castles for protection.
There was little money available to pay the knights so everything in a feudal society was based on the amount of land you had, land was money & power.
Just like the king gave land to nobles for loyalty and services, the nobles gave land to knights in return for protection.
I kick a little butt for my lord and I get land

25. I got this big fork, but no food
Feudal Society
I got this big fork, but no food
Economic – aka manorialsim
The manor was the lords house and surrounding lands.
The manor produced everything it needed.
Peasants or serfs worked the lands and gave a share of their production to the lords in return for protection.

26. The Age of Faith
In Europe the most powerful organization was the Roman Catholic Church, often replacing the powers of a government.
Reasons for this power:
People were very religious and felt the Church represented God and it held the power to send a person to Heaven or Hell.
The Church was largest land owner and the tithes (money given to the church) increased its wealth.
Churches were centers of learning, often they were the only people who could read and write.

27. The Age of Faith
The Catholic Church was based in Rome and was led by the Pope.
The Church controlled the lives of the people from birth ‘til death.
Monks lived in monasteries and often were the only people who were able to read and write.
Nuns lived in convents and spent their lives in prayer.

28. Christian Thinkers St. Augustine – St. Thomas Aquinas –
Lived during the fall of the Roman empire.
Asked why God let barbarians destroy the Christian civilization of Rome.
Believed we must put our faith in God to receive reward in the afterlife.
St. Thomas Aquinas –
Lived in the 1200s
Men could judge government laws and overthrow unjust rulers
USA’s founding fathers believed in this idea, it led to the American Revolution.

29. The Crusades
For hundreds of years Christians had been making pilgrimages to the Holy Lands to visit Jerusalem.
In the 11th century the Seljuk Turks (Muslims) gained control of the Holy Lands and refused to allow Christians the right to visit. (see map)
This action would lead to a series of wars lasting hundreds of years.

30. The Crusades
In 1095, Pope Urban II was asked by the Byzantine Emperor to help against the Muslim invasion of Christian controlled Constantinople.
Pope Urban II issued a call for all Christians to fight a Holy Crusade to free the Holy Lands from Muslim control.
Christian people of all types joined the Crusades to gain salvation, freedom, or riches by fighting the Muslims.
Muslim vs. Christian

32. The Crusades The word ‘Crusade’ meant ‘war of the cross’.
Crusaders used a red cross against a white background as a symbol of their strength.
The Crusades brought together rulers and nobles from different parts of Europe.
Several Crusades were fought over the next 200 years, sometimes the Crusaders were victorious and other times the Muslims won.

33. Effects of the Crusades
The Crusades did not achieve the goal of Christians gaining control of the Holy Lands.
But the effects of the Crusades lasted,
Europeans had greater exposure to new ideas
Concept of Zero in math, silk, spices, coffee, perfumes
Increased demand in Europe brought increased trade
Products like lemons, oranges, spices, cotton clothing, rugs and other luxury items became common in Europe
Growth of Intolerance (still happening today)
Christians killed Muslims and Jews
Muslims killed Christians
Feudal system was weakened
because knights were ineffective at fighting in the climatic conditions of the Middle East.

34. The Later Middle Ages
As barbarian invasions began to decease the cities began to prosper.
The Crusades had increased the interest in luxury items from the East.
As trade grew a new merchant class grew trying to provide the wanted luxury goods.
Merchants and craftsmen organized into powerful associations called guilds.

35. Guilds
Guilds were developed to maintain the quality of workmanship and protect the wages of the craftsmen, journeymen, & apprentices.
New inventions like mechanical clocks, windmills, and watermills improved life.
People began to make money and they began to spend it .

36. Cities Grow Cities like Bologna and Paris, started universities.
Towns competed to see who could build the grandest church or cathedral.
A new art style called Gothic was developed.
Churches had pointed arches, high spires, and beautiful stained glass windows that gave the building a heavenly feeling.

37. English Political Traditions
During the Middle Ages, England developed traditions of limited self-government and liberty that were unique in Europe. Parliament – England’s lawmaking body, which influenced the USA’s version of Congress.
USA’s
Congress
England’s Parliament

38. English Political Traditions
Magna Carta – 1215 document signed by English King John that limited the kings powers and increased those of the nobles.
It stopped the king from :
Taking property with due process
Imprisoning a free man without reason
Consent of the noble council before raising taxes
Our U.S. Constitution is based on these ideas in the Magna Carta.

39. TEKS Category 1 Category 4 Category 3 1 C 19 A, B
4 A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Category 3
16 A
20 B
23 A, B
26 A, B
Category 4
19 A, B
22 B
27A