1. Warm Up Early Middle Ages
REVIEW from content yesterday:
Who was Alexander Nevsky and why was he important?
Why are the monks Cyril and Methodius important to the Kievan Rus?
What was The Great Schism and what year did it take place?
Explain two differences between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
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Read THE INSIDE STORY on p. 361 about Alfred the Great and answer the question.
Read the “Benedictine Rule” on p. 363, answer questions.
1. Saved the Kieven Rus several times 2. Created the Cyrillic alphabet and converted the Slavic people 3. Split in the Christian church into Catholic and Orthodox branches, 1054 AD.

2. Early Middle Ages in Europe

3. New Germanic Kingdoms
By 500 AD- the Roman Empire was replaced by Germanic Kingdoms (Germany does not become a country until the 1800’s, however most of Europe was composed of Germanic tribes)
1. Angles and Saxons spread to Britain
Britain/England was united under Alfred the Great
pushed the Danes back North
1st King of England (land of the Angles)
Established school system
2. Franks in Gaul (modern day France), Visigoths in Spain
Merging of German and Roman culture
Let go of Roman law codes/systems
Germans had trials by physical ordeal (tests)
If you were thrown in a river and floated, you proved you were a witch because you weighed too much not to sink. However, if you sink and drown, it showed you were either innocent but still drowned, or that you were guilty and the God didn’t save you. Ordeals could be interpreted any way the people wanted to- so, it was NOT based on logic.
Believed in divine intervention on behalf of innocent

4. Trial by Ordeal
Notice: The hand of God coming from the heavens to help the person through their ordeal of walking across sharp objects/ sometimes hot coals, etc.
If you survived the ordeal, it was believed that God, the saints, and the angels had intervened to help you because you were innocent.
However, we KNOW the body has physical limitations, which we KNOW does not prove innocence nor guilt.
This is a clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “She’s a witch”.
Women's Rights and Trials

5. Frankish Empire Clovis
king of Franks, converted to Christianity c. 500 AD
Gained support of Roman Catholic Church
Pepin took crown in 751 AD
Charlemagne (“Shar-lu-main”) – means “Charles the Great” in French
son of Pepin became king, expanded territory
Defeated the Lombards and protected Pope Leo III
Thus, crowned “emperor” by pope 800 AD
Renewed interest in Latin/Greek works
Monks copied works by hand
Empire fell apart after his death, 814AD
(3 grandsons split empire 3 ways- where divisions start with what we recognize as France and Germany)
Spread Christianity to conquered people, or else death…sent missionaries to live with them
Written law Charlemagne Music Video
– Charlemagne Music Video

6. Notice: Lombardy is a territory in northern Italy and tried to invade the Papal States (territory controlled by the Pope), thus Charlemagne knew if he defended the Pope it would be a tactical move because the Pope would back him- giving legitimacy to his control over his own territory. It worked. The Pope crowns Charlemagne showing the power of the church in Western Europe.

7. The split of Charlemagne’s empire after his death: shows the divisions that eventually become France, the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), Italy, Denmark, Hungary, northern Spain, etc.

8. Invasions of 9th and 10th Centuries
Scandinavia:
not good for farming
Vikings/ “Norsemen” (men from the north) raided other communities
Used long, narrow, shallow dragon ships to sail up rivers into European continent
Eventually Europeans tired of Viking raids
gave land to Vikings/Norsemen and they settled down
Ex: “Normandy” in France
Crash Course: The VIKINGS!
– Crash Course The Vikings

9. Vikings

10. The Holy Roman Empire Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire
Confused yet? Shows the power of the church over the territory since the Pope crowns the emperors, and it was a way to try to keep the former Roman Empire alive in the west, even though it was really just a territory controlled by one leader.
After Viking raids calmed down:
some centralization in Europe
962 AD Otto Ist: crowned Holy Roman Emperor
Not Frankish lands, but German lands
Most emperors preoccupied w/ power struggle with popes, European politics
German city-states stayed very independent and were NOT fond of being part of the “Holy Roman Empire”.

11. England 1066 AD: (need to know this date!)
William of Normandy invaded and conquered England (called William the Conqueror)
Defeated Anglo-Saxons at Battle of Hastings
Slow merging of Anglo-Saxon and Norman culture, language, etc.
Henry II became king c. 1142
Expanded royal courts
to put ALL people through the same legal process (to treat all people the same)
Catholic church was outraged, they didn’t believe the state had the power to try religious leaders, only the church could discipline their own leaders.
Common law – same law throughout kingdom
Tried to control clergy
(Thomas a Becket- Archbishop of Canterbury, England, was killed in his cathedral, had a huge disagreement with King Henry II over church v. state and who had the most power. People blamed the king for possibly having him assassinated. Henry II was famously quoted as saying to his knights “Who will rid me of this man?”)
Married to Eleanor of Aquitaine

12. Battle of Hastings

13. Eleanor of Aquitaine
Very unusual woman for Middle Ages (wealthy landowner)
Controlled her own land in south west France (territory of Aquitaine)
Married to King of France: Louis II
Had two daughters
Traveled to Constantinople & Jerusalem on Crusade with him
Annulled marriage (pseudo-divorce)
He wanted sons?
Married King Henry II England
He had her imprisoned for over 15 years (she was NOT your typical subservient woman, she was raised powerful, he did NOT appreciate that trait in her)
Had 3 sons with him
Kept her own court in France
Her famous son- Richard the Lionheart (famous good king in the Robinhood stories)

14. Aquitaine- in yellow

15. Magna Carta (means “Great Charter”)
~English nobles resented power of King John
-revolted
~Forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in which limited the king’s power
Read the Magna Carta on p. R59 and answer questions #1-3.

16. ACTIVITY: Create a rap/song…
With a partner….. (YES, you can use your phones in class to assist with this assignment) 
Create a rap or song about the greatness of Charlemagne and his influence throughout Europe, OR on the Magna Carta, OR Eleanor of Aquitaine, OR William the Conqueror, OR Henry II and Thomas a Becket, etc.
Take a popular song or nursery rhyme and re-write the lyrics
Must:
Be “G” rated (language and content)
At least ½ page
On topic with academic content
With specific details about the topic chosen
Be turned in on a piece of paper with both names
Extra credit for presenting (5 pts. on a quiz)
– William the Conq. Music video 
Charlemagne Music Video to "Call Me“
William the Conqueror Music Video