1. Warm Up for 11/1/13
What do you know about Europe?

2. Germanic Kingdoms

3. Germanic Kingdoms Small kingdoms replaced Roman provinces
Government changed
Micro-managed

4. Franks Settled in Gaul during 400s Clovis- Early king
Converted to Christianity
511 united all Franks into one kingdom

5. Charles Martel “The Hammer”
Frankish ruler
Battle of Tours 732
Drove the Moors (Muslims) out of France
Huge victory for Christians

6. Vikings Germanic people from Scandinavia Called Norsemen
Warriors and traders
Attacked by ships
Explored into Russia and North America
Adopted Christianity and farming
The Carolingian Empire began to fall apart soon after Charlemagne’s death in 814 and by 844 had been divided into 3 kingdoms by his grandsons. Invasions added to the problems already in existence.
One group, the Vikings, were both marauding raiders as well as skilled farmers, sailors and explorers. They were called “Norsemen” because they were “north men”. Settled areas along rivers in northern Europe like Kiev in what is today Russia.

7. Other invaders Magyars Muslims Turkish, came from East
Sold captives into slavery
Attacked villages and monasteries
Muslims
Attacked from South
Tried to settle Europe
Controlled Med. Sea
Looters
All of these invaders posed a threat to the safety of the people, especially in the absence of a strong central government. People began to turn to local aristocrats or nobles to protect them. This change lead to the new political, social system called feudalism.

8. Feudalism Social order
Granting land in return for loyalty and military service
King/Monarch
Nobles
Clergy
This system came about between the 9th and 10th centuries and lasted for 400 years. In this system the Monarch or King provided land to the lords who, in return, promised to support the monarch with knights. The Lords provided knights with land and food in return for the knights promising to fight for the lord. The lord also provided serfs/peasants with land and protection in return for the peasants producing food for the kingdom.
Knights
Peasants/Serfs

9. Social Classes Status determined power Lord- landowner
Fief- land grant
Vassal- receiver of fief
Serfs- couldn’t leave birthplace

10. Feudal Terms Vassal: a man who served a lord militarily.
Fief: land the lord granted to the vassal.
Knight: heavily armored, mounted warriors.
The heart of the feudal system was the idea of vassalage. It came from Germanic society, where warriors swore an oath to their leader. The Frankish army was initially made up of foot soldiers in mail (armor made of metal links or plates) armed with swords and horsemen who threw spears. In the 8th century, larger horses and the stirrup were introduced. Horsemen now wore mail and used long lances as battering rams. For the next 500 years, heavily armored cavalry were called knights and they dominated warfare. They had great prestige and formed the backbone of the European aristocracy.
By the 9th century the land the lord granted to a vassal was known as a fief. Vassals had political authority in their fields. The number of separate powerful lords and vassals increased; many different people were now responsible for keeping order.
Feudalism became complicated. Kings had vassals who themselves had vassals. Feudalism came to be characterized by a set of unwritten rules known as the feudal contract. These rules determined the relationship between lord and vassal. The major obligation of a vassal was military service, about 40 days a year.
Vassals also were summoned to advise the lord and had financial obligations to the lord on such occasions as the marriage of the lord’s eldest daughter, knighting of his eldest son, or ransoming the lord. The lord had responsibilities to the vassal. He supported the vassal with a land grant (fief) and protected him militarily and in court.

11. Pepin the Short Son of Charles Martel
Crowned “King by the Grace of God”
Began Carolingian Dynasty

12. Charlemagne Pepin’s son Spread Christianity
Crowned “Roman Emperor” by Pope
Revived learning
Reformed government

13. Charlemagne's Empire

14. Empire divided Charlemagne’s heirs were weak
Grandsons fought over the land
Treaty of Verdun
Split empire into 3 kingdoms
Carolingian kings lost power

15. Feudalism Discussion Copy down the following pyramid in your notes.
In your own words, be able to explain how this feudal pyramid functions. We will have a class discussion!