9th grade Global HistoryChapter 14

The Formation of Western Europe

800 – 1500

Western Europe Changing

While Church reform, cathedral building and the Crusades were taking place, other important changes were taking place in European medieval society. Between 1000 and 1300, agriculture, trade and finance made great progress. This was in part due to the growing population and territorial expansion of Western Europe.

A Growing Food SupplyExpanding civilization requires an increased food supply. Farming was helped by a warmer climate that lasted from about 800 TO 1200. Farmers began to cultivate lands in regions once too cold to grow crops. They also developed new methods to take advantage of more available land.

Using Horsepower For hundreds of

years, peasants relied on oxen to pull their plows. Though inexpensive to feed, they moved very slowly. Horses needed better food, but a team of horses could plow twice as much land in a day as a team of oxen.

Before farmers could use horses, a better harness was required. The existing harness would go around the animal’s neck, choking it. A new harness was developed which fitted across the animal’s chest and shoulders enabling it to pull a plow or a wagon. Since horses could plow fields quicker than oxen, more fields could be planted. Great amounts of forests were cleared away to provide more farmland.

Three Field SystemAs more land became available for farming, farmers began using the three field system which was planting on two fields while allowing the third field to remain fallow. The following year, the use of the fields would be rotated. In this way, the soil was not exhausted and allowed to replenish nutrients. Thus, more food could be grown which led to an increase in the population.

Population GrowthIt is estimated that between 1000 and 1150, the population of Western Europe rose from around 30 million to 42 million. Towns began to grow and flourish. The typical medieval town had only 1,500 to 2,500 people but hundreds of these small towns began to spring up across Europe linked together by the beginnings of a trade network.

Growth of TownsPeople were no longer content with their feudal existence on manors and though legally bound to their lord’s manor, many serfs ran away to towns. The new social class of merchants and craftspeople was created as towns grew.

GuildsAnother change in the European economy was the development of guilds. A guild was an organization of individuals in the same business or occupation working to improve the economic and social conditions of its members. The guilds set standards for quality of work, wages and working conditions. Because better products were being produced and sold to buyers, guilds became powerful forces in the medieval economy.

Commercial RevolutionThe expansion of trade and business and the availability of more products is called the Commercial Revolution. No longer was everything produced on the manor. Trading fairs in town brought in products from all over Europe and foreign lands. Merchants needed cash or credit to purchase more items to sell. The need for additional capital or credit caused the European banking system to flourish.

The Revival of Learning

During the Crusades, European contact with Muslims and Byzantines greatly expanded bringing a new interest in learning especially in the works of the Greek philosophers. All at once, Europeans acquired a new body of knowledge including science, philosophy, law and mathematics. In addition, the Crusaders brought back to Europe superior Muslim technology in ships, navigation and weapons.

Universities

At the center of the growth of learning stood a new European institution- the university. For most students, the goal upon graduation would be a job in government or the Church. Universities began in Paris, France and Bologna, Italy followed by Oxford, England. Some students were using Latin while others used a vernacular or the language of their homeland.

St. Thomas AquinasChristian scholars wondered if they could use Aristotle’s logical approach to truth and still keep faith with the Bible. In the mid 1200’s, the scholar Thomas Aquinas argued that the basic religious truths could be proved by logical argument. In his great work “Summa Theologicae”, St Thomas combined the ancient Greek thought of Aristotle with the Christian thought of his time.

England and France Develop

The growth of cities and towns led to the breakup of the feudal system. Gradually, a more centralized form of government evolved and nations developed. The earliest nations to develop a strong central government were England and France.

EnglandSince the 800’s, The “land of the Angles” or England had been invaded by one Germanic tribe after another. In 1016, the Danish king, Canute, conquered England merging Anglo-Saxons and Vikings into one people. In 1066, William the Conqueror, from Normandy invaded and conquered England. His victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 was a turning point in English history.

EnglandAfter his victory, William declared all England his personal property. He kept a large portion of it for himself and granted land to about 200 Norman lords who swore oaths of loyalty to him personally. By doing this, William unified control of the lands and created the foundation for centralized government in England.

England

William the Conqueror’s descendants owned land in both Normandy and in England. Over the next centuries, English kings tried to achieve two goals. First, they wanted to hold and add to their French lands. Second, they wanted to strengthen their power over the nobles and the Church.

Juries and Common Law

Henry II ruled England from 1154 to 1189 and he introduced the use of the jury in English courts. A jury in medieval England was a group of loyal people, usually 12 neighbors of the accused, who answered questions from a royal judge about the facts of the case.

Juries and Common Law

Over the centuries, case by case, the rulings of England’s royal judges formed a unified body of law that became known as common law. Today the principles of English common law are the basis for law in many English speaking countries including the United States.

Magna CartaKing John ruled from 1199 to 1216. He failed as a military leader losing all lands in Normandy and northern France to the French. He raised taxes on his subjects to an all time high ion order to finance his wars. He threatened to take away town charters. On June 15, 1215, his nobles revolted forcing John to sign the most famous document in English history, the Magna Carta or Great Charter.

Magna CartaThe Magna Carta, drawn up by English nobles, guaranteed certain basic political rights and limited the power of the king. These rights include no taxation without representation, a jury trial and the protection of the law. The Magna Carta guaranteed what are now considered basic legal rights in both England and the United States.

ParliamentAnother important step toward democratic government came during the reign of Edward I. In 1295, wishing to discuss a raise in taxes, Edward I summoned all classes of people: knights, commoners, bishops and lords, from every county to meet together in London as a parliament or legislative group.Over the next century, Parliament split into two assemblies or houses reflecting the position of its members: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

FranceBy the year 1000, Charlemagne’s empire had been separated due to the feudal system. France was divided into about 47 feudal territories. After he death of the last of the Carolingian family in 987, Hugh Capet seized control of an area in the center of France and began the Capetian Dynasty of French kings that ruled France from 987 to 1328.

FranceTheir territory, though small at first, was located at the center of important trade routes in northern France. For 300 years, Capetian kings tightened control over these trade routes and gradually spread their kingdom outward. Eventually, the growth of their power would unite France.What does the existence of trade routes indicate?

Philip IIOne of the most powerful Capetian kings was Philip II who ruled from 1180 to 1223. It was Philip who seized the English lands in Normandy from John II. He nearly tripled the size of France and created a strong central government during his reign. He created royal officials called bailiffs who traveled to all parts of his kingdom to preside over courts and collect taxes.

The central government of France became even stronger under the reigns of Philip’s heirs. His grandson, Louis IX, created a royal court of appeals where decisions of local courts could be overturned. This strengthened the monarchy while further weakening the feudal system. Philip IV, who ruled from 1285 to 1314, disputed the right of the pope to control Church affairs in his kingdom.

Estates-GeneralPhilip IV also established the Estates-General, a meeting of lords, bishops and commoners who met to support the king’s policies not to limit his power. Church leaders were known as the First Estate, Lords as the Second Estate and commoners, landowners and merchant were the Third Estate. Unlike English Parliament, the Estates-General was not, at this time, an independent force.

In England and France, the creation of common law and a court system was a first step in increasing centralized government power which could govern over a widespread area. The very beginnings of a democratic tradition was created by including commoners in the process of government.

The Church DividesIn 1305, Philip IV persuaded the College of Cardinals to choose a French archbishop as the new pope. Clement V, the newly selected pope, moved from Rome to the city of Avignon in France. Popes would live there for the next 69 years. The College of Cardinals chose a second pope, Urban VI, who would remain in Rome. Having two popes caused a split in the Church known as the Great Schism or division. The Great Schism ended when popes in both cities were forced to resign and a single pope was chosen to, once again, live only in Rome. This situation weakened the power and authority of the Church.

Scholars Challenge the Church

The papacy was further challenged by an Englishman named John Wycliffe. He preached that Jesus Christ, not the pope, was the true head of the Church. He was offended by the worldliness and wealth the Church displayed. He believed the Bible alone, not the pope, was the final authority for Christian life.

The Bubonic Plague Strikes

During the 1300’s, an epidemic struck parts of Asia, North Africa and Europe. Approximately one-third of the population of Europe died of the deadly disease known as the bubonic plague.

Effects of the PlagueThe economic and social effects of the plague were enormous.

- Town populations fell- Trade declined and prices rose- The manor system crumbled as serfs left in

search of jobs or food- Nobles resisted peasant demands for wages

which caused peasant revolts- Jews were blamed for bringing the plague

bringing on persecution and massacres- The Church suffered a loss of prestige as prayers

failed to stop the plague

The Hundred Years’ War

From 1337 and 1453, a series of battles between the English and the French over the possession of land on continental Europe became known as the Hundred Years’ War. Victory passed back and forth between the two countries when finally between 1421 and 1453, the French drove the English out of continental Europe.

Joan of ArcIt was during the Hundred Years’ War, in 1429, that a young French peasant girl, Joan of Arc, felt moved by God to rescue France from the English. It was at the siege of Orleans in 1429 that Joan rallied the French army to defeat the English.

Joan of ArcIn 1430, Joan was captured by the English who handed her over to Church authorities to stand trial. She was declared a heretic, labeled as a witch and sentenced to burn at the stake. She died on May 30, 1431.

The impact of the Hundred Years’ War was:

- The concept of nationhood emerged in England and France.

and- The power of the French

monarch increased.