1. Medieval Europe “The Middle Ages”

2. Why was this period referred to as “The Middle Ages”?

3. It was the period between two very important times…the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.
In the middle – The Middle Ages
Many people thought that nothing important happened during this period. They were wrong!

4. WHY WAS NORTHERN EUROPE OPEN TO INVASION?

5. Northern Europe
Many people settled in towns along the rivers. In the open fields around the cities, a variety of crops were grown on the fertile soils. The flat land made farming and transportation easier, but it also had a major drawback. What happened because there were no mountains?

6. INVASIONS!
There were no mountains in Northern Europe for protection against invaders. The most frightening invaders of all were the Vikings from Scandinavia. The Vikings could sail their ships up rivers, so the raids weren’t limited to the coastal areas. The attacks were swift and savage, and Europeans lived in terror of Viking raids.

7. Europe After The Fall of Rome
Europe was a dangerous place after Rome fell..
CHAOS!

8. Without the Roman government, Europe had no central authority to keep order.

9. Violence was common. People looked for ways to bring order to their lives.

10. The rulers of these states, usually warlords, called themselves kings
The rulers of these states, usually warlords, called themselves kings. These kings often fought among themselves.

11. The creation of these kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages.

12. 7.6.3 Student Learning Objective
The students will summarize how feudalism provided a social, political, and economic structure for Medieval Europe on a graphic organizer.

13. Focus Question:
What was feudalism and why was it important?

14. Please turn to page 242 in your textbook.

15. Where have we seen this guy before?

16. Why did Feudalism begin
Why did Feudalism begin? What word within a word do you hear in feudalism?

17. FEUD!!!

18. For protection against invasions.
Frankish kings were unable to defend their empire.
Nobles had to defend their own lands because they couldn’t depend on protection from the kings.
To defend their lands, nobles hired knights, warriors who fought on horseback.

19. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR Defeated the English king in the
Battle of Hastings.
Declared himself
the new king of
England.
To reward his
knights for their
part in victory,
he gave them
land. That
marked the
beginning of
FEUDALISM.

20. What was a knight who promised to support a lord in exchange for land called?

21. A vassal. This was the heart of feudalism.
SERVICE
LAND

22. LAND!!! Aka FIEF!!!!

23. Why was land such a big deal?
There was no Savemart
There was no Food For Less
You had to grow your own food!

24. What was the noble called that gave land to the knight in exchange for protection?

25. A LORD

26. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH…

27. OR THIS…

28. A lord. Lived more comfortably than other people on the manor.
A businessman.
His word was law on the manor.
Had servants and a
large house, but life
is still not easy.
Collected taxes
from people who
lived on the manor.
Lords who survived
diseases faced the
possibility of being
killed in war.

29. What were the large estates owned by the lords called?

30. A manor.

31. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH…

32. Who worked the land?

33. WHO DO YOU THINK???!!! THE PEASANTS AND SERFS Peasants were poor
Serfs were not slaves, but were tied to the land.
Peasants were poor
workers. They were
not tied to the land.
Some asked to be
serfs for protection.

34. WHAT MADE LAND VALUABLE?
The people who worked it…the peasants.
In return, they received protection too.
When the peasants left, land lost value.

35. WAIT A MINUTE… WHAT ABOUT THE LADIES?

36. Women in the Middle Ages
Fewer rights (surprise, right?)
Had to obey the wishes of their fathers or husbands.
But, women still had important ROLES in society.

37. Women in the Middle Ages
Peasant women
worked to support
their families.
Noblewomen ran
manors when their husbands were gone.
Noblewomen ran
manor households
and supervised
servants.
Some women who
wanted power and
influence joined the
Christian Church.

38. ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE One of the most powerful people of
the Middle Ages.
Was a noblewoman
who had great political
power.
Became Queen
of France when she
married King Louis VII.
Divorced Louis
and became Queen of
England when she
married King Henry II.

39. Towns and Trade Grow As Europe’s food Until 1,000 most people lived on
manors or
small farms.
As Europe’s food
supply grew, so
did it’s population.
As the population
grew, so did trade.
New technology
in farming led to
larger harvests.

40. THE DECLINE OF FEUDALISM
Serfs and peasants left their manors for towns, slowly weakening the
manor system. REMEMBER…the land was only valuable if it was
worked.
Do you think the Lords of the Manor were far behind? No! They were
already skilled businessmen, so they moved to town and became
merchants.