1. The Middle Ages 500-1500 AD, Western Europe
The Medieval Era The Dark Ages

2. The Middle Ages 500-1500 AD, Western Europe

3. The Middle Ages in Europe were influenced by…
Classical heritage of Rome
Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
Customs of Germanic tribes

4. The “Dark Ages” Business & trade declined as a result of invasion.
Money became scarce (hard to find).
People left cities & moved to rural areas, where they could grow their own food.
Learning declined.
The common language, Latin, evolved into many different languages (Spanish, Italian, French, etc).

5. Feudalism A political & economic system based on land ownership
A peasant or serf worked the land of a lord in exchange for military protection.

6. Feudalism

7. Feudalism Structure of society like a pyramid: King at the top
followed by wealthy vassals (nobles & church officials)
knights (protected & fought for their lords in exchange for a small fiefdom)
Peasants at the bottom (who owned no land but provided labor in exchange for protection.
Most peasants were serfs, people who could not lawfully leave the place they were born.

8. Manor The manor was the lord’s estate.
The lord provided serfs with housing, farmland, & protection. The serfs tended the land, cared for animals, & maintained the estate.
Manors were self-sufficient communities, containing their own church, workshops, & mills.

9. Manor

10. Manor

11. Manor

12. Life of Peasants Peasants paid taxes
for grinding grain in the lord’s mill
for marriage
1/10 of their income to the church
Rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their manor
Lived in one & two-room houses, dirt floor, animals often slept in house to add warmth
Illness & malnutrition common
Average lifetime was about 35 years