1. The Rise of the Middle Ages

2. Setting the Stage Western Roman Empire has just collapsed in 476 CE
Germanic tribes are attacking and terrorizing all areas of Europe
People are fleeing the cities to avoid the attacks of the Germanic tribes
Power, learning and trade are all no longer as strong as they once were
Only area where there is growth is in the Catholic church (Christian religion)

3. The Middle Ages
Definition: medieval period in Europe leading from CE
Took place as a result of the gradual decline of the Roman Empire and fragmentation of Europe
Primary unifying force: Roman Catholic Church (AKA THE Church)
How?
The Pope anointed Holy Roman Emperors
Missionaries carried Christianity to the Germanic Tribes
Church served social, political, and religious needs of the people

5. Foundation of Early Medieval Society
Classical heritage of Rome: Roman culture still important, even though in decline—giving way to Germanic culture
Christian Beliefs: most of Western Europe (including most Germanic tribes)
Customs of Germanic Tribes: i.e. oral tradition of song and language, no written language, violence, and warfare

6. Changes in Western Europe
Disruption of Trade: frequent invasions caused trade to break down, causing a decline in cities and a lack of money in Western Europe
Downfall of Cities: cities were abandoned, lack of leadership
Population shifts: people left cities for rural areas
Decline of learning: invaders!! Couldn’t read or write, Roman culture in decline, knowledge of Greek nearly disappeared, only literate people= monks and priests
Loss of a common language: different dialects of Latin gave rise to Romance languages—(ie French and Spanish)

7. Disruption of Trade

8. Feudalism

9. The Rise of Feudalism Background
Invaders destroyed Roman ability to protect the people of Western Europe
People, in response to this lack of protection, entered into feudal agreements with land-holding lords who promised them protection
Start with peasants and king. (4 groups of 4 and 1)
Add lords (3)
Add knights who travel around to see what the groups have to offer (8)

10. Fief: piece of land
Lord: landowner—granted land to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military service
Vassal: one who received land from a lord, pledged loyalty and military service
Serf: workers/peasants who were tied/bound to the land—worked to maintain the manor
Feudal obligations: see above

12. Medieval Manor: lord’s estate—houses and land. Had its own:
Rigid class structure (social)
Self-sufficient economy (economic system)

13. Chivalry
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before the enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

14. Influence of the Roman Catholic Church in the Early Middle Ages
Roman authority declined, while church authority grew
Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural achievements
Monks were the few who could read and write=literate
Missionaries carried Christianity and the Latin alphabet to Germanic tribes
Pope Leo III anointed Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor in 800 CE
Parish priests served religious and social needs of the people

15. Medieval Monks-Learning

16. Pope Leo III and Charlemagne

17. Charlemagne & the Carolingians
The Carolingians united various Frankish kingdoms into a larger empire.
Under Charlemagne, this empire includes Gaul and parts of Germany and Italy.
Empire was subdivided by Charlemagne’s grandsons and never united again.

18. Charlemagne

19. Charlemagne’s Empire

20. Charlemagne’s Church

21. Politics and the Church
Popes sought to combine their religious power with political power by forging alliances with kings.
Finally did so by choosing a German king to be “Holy Roman Emperor” in 962.
In reality, the Holy Roman Empire was not more than a loose coalition of German princes.

23. Vikings
Attacked England, France, and Spain in the late eighth and ninth centuries.
Settled Iceland and Normandy, from which the Norman William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066.

24. The Holy Roman Empire Crown of the Holy Roman Empire
After the emperor, Charlemagne, died, his empire broke up into separate states.
In 936, Duke Otto I of Saxony took the title of King of Germany.
Otto I worked closely with the church, appointing bishops to top government jobs and helping the pope to defeat rebellious Roman nobles.
In the pope’s gratefulness, Otto I was crowned emperor.
Crown of the
Holy Roman Empire

25. The Holy Roman Empire (Continued)
Otto’s successors were titled, “The Holy Roman Emperor”. “They were “holy since they were crowned by the Pope, and “Roman” because they saw themselves as heirs to the emperors of Rome”
“German emperors claimed authority over much of central and eastern Europe, as well as parts of France and Italy”, but the real rulers were the emperor’s vassals.
A problem for the emperors was disagreement over appointment of Church officials with the papacy. As the church was strengthened, popes tried to stop non-church interference.