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Foundation of Feudal Europe• Hard-won political order: based on highly-
decentralized but flexible system that vested political, military, & judicial authority in local & regional rulers
• Long, slow process of economic recovery – manorial system followed by increased trade, industry, commerce, & reurbanization
• Cultural unity – the Church – papacy & monastic movement
The Quest for Political OrderThe Germanic Successor States, c. 500 CE
• Last Roman emperor deposed by Germanic Odoacer, 476 CE
• Administrative apparatus still in place, but cities lose population
• Germanic successor states:– Spain: Visigoths– Italy: Ostrogoths– Gaul: Burgundians, Franks– Britian: Angles, Saxons
Successor States to the Roman Empire c. 500
The Frankish Empire
• In the territory known as Gaul, and what is currently the country of France, the Franks emerged as the dominant tribe in the area.
• In the late 400’s, Clovis was the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler. His conversion to Christianity gained him a great ally in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Franks
• Heavy influence on European development
• Strong agricultural base
• Shifts center of economic gravity to Europe
• Firm alliance with western Christian church
Essential Question
What is the significance of Clovis’s conversion to Christianity?
Clovis (ruled 481-511)
• Major Frankish leader
• Destroyed last vestiges of Roman rule in Gaul
• Dominated other Germanic peoples
• Franks establish themselves as preeminent Germanic people
Clovis’ Conversion to Christianity
• Paganism, Arian Christianity popular among Franks
• Clovis and army chooses Roman Catholicism
• Influence of wife Clotilda• Political implications:
– Alliance with western church
The Carolingians
• Charles “The Hammer” Martel begins Carolingian dynasty
• Defeats Spanish Muslims at Battle of Tours (732)– Halts Islamic advance into western Europe
Charles de Steuben's Bataille de Poitiers en Octobre 732 depicts a triumphant Charles Martel (mounted) facing
‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi (right) at the Battle of Tours.
The Carolingian Empire
Essential Questions
What were the contributions of Charlemagne’s reign?
Why did it ultimately fail to last very long?
Charlemagne (r. 768-814)
• Grandson of Charles Martel
• Centralized imperial rule
• Functional illiterate, but sponsored extensive scholarship
• Major military achievements
Charlemagne’s EmpireCharlemagne’s EmpireCharlemagne’s EmpireCharlemagne’s Empire
Charlemagne’s Administration
• Capital at Aachen, Germany• Yet constant travel throughout empire• Spread Christianity• Set Up Education System
– Increased Scriptoriums– Alcuin, the leading scholar and educator under
Charlemagne introduced the 7 liberal arts• Begins Romanesque Architecture• Expansion of Territory• Imperial officials: missi dominici (“envoys of the
lord ruler)– Continued yearly circuit travel
Romanesque church in Poland
Romanesque church in Normandy
Charlemagne as Emperor
• Hesitated to challenge Byzantines by taking title “emperor”– Yet ruled in fact
• Pope Leo III crowns him as emperor in 800– Planned in advance?– Challenge to Byzantium
Pope Crowned CharlemagnePope Crowned CharlemagneHoly Roman Emperor: Dec. Holy Roman Emperor: Dec.
25, 80025, 800
Pope Crowned CharlemagnePope Crowned CharlemagneHoly Roman Emperor: Dec. Holy Roman Emperor: Dec.
25, 80025, 800
The Carolingian RenaissanceThe Carolingian RenaissanceThe Carolingian RenaissanceThe Carolingian Renaissance
Carolingian MinisculeCarolingian MinisculeCarolingian MinisculeCarolingian Miniscule
Louis the Pious (r. 814-840)
• Son of Charlemagne
• Lost control of courts, local authorities
• Civil war erupts between three sons
• Empire divided in 843
Charlemagne crowns Louis the Pious
Charlemagne’s Empire Collapses:Charlemagne’s Empire Collapses:Treaty of Verdun, 843Treaty of Verdun, 843
Charlemagne’s Empire Collapses:Charlemagne’s Empire Collapses:Treaty of Verdun, 843Treaty of Verdun, 843
Invasions
• South: Muslims• East: Magyars• North: Vikings
– Norse expansion begins c. 800 CE– Driven by population pressure, hostility to
spread of Christianity– Superior seafaring technology– Sailed to eastern Canada, northeastern US
The dissolution of the Carolingian Empire (843 CE – divided amongst Charlemagne’s grandchildren) and the
invasions of early medieval Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries
Essential Questions
Who were the Vikings?
What were the motivations behind their behavior?
What were their accomplishments?
How did they disrupt European society?
The Vikings
• From village of Vik, Norway (hence “Viking”)
• Boats with shallow drafts, capable of river travel as well as open seas
• Attacked villages, cities from 9th century– Constantinople sacked three times
• Carolingians had no navy, dependent on local defenses
England
• Viking invasions force consolidation of Angles, Saxons and other Germanic peoples under King Alfred (r. 871-899)
• Built navy
• Fortified cities against attack
Germany and France
• King Otto of Saxony (r. 936-973) defeats Magyars, 955
• Proclaimed emperor by Pope in 962
• Establishment of Holy Roman Empire
• France endures heavy Viking settlement
• Loss of local autonomy
Essential Questions?
What were the obligations of lords toward their retainers and the retainers toward their
lords?
Why was this arrangement often unstable?
Early Medieval Society
• Concept of Feudalism– Lords and vassals– Increasingly inadequate model for describing
complex society
• Ad hoc arrangements in absence of strong central authorities
FeudalismFeudalismFeudalismFeudalismA political, economic, and
social system based on loyalty and military service.
Organizing in a Decentralized Society
• Local nobles take over administration from weak central government
• Nominal allegiances, esp. to Carolingian kings
• But increasing independence
Lords and Retainers
• Formation of small private armies• Incentives: land grants, income from mills,
cash payments• Formation of hereditary class of military
retainers• Development of other functions
– Justice, social welfare
Potential for Instability
• Complex interrelationship of lord-retainer relations
• Rebellion always a possibility
• Nevertheless, viable large states developed (Germany, France, England)
Essential Question
What role did the serfs play in early medieval Europe?
What was life like on the manor?
Origins of Serfdom
• Slaves, free peasants in both Roman and Germanic societies
• Heavy intermarriage
• Appeals to lords, special relationships
• Mid-7th century: recognition of serf class– Midway between slave and free peasant
Serfs’ Rights and Obligations
• Right to pass on land to heirs
• Obligation to provide labor, payments in kind to lord
• Unable to move from land
• Fees charged for marrying serfs of another lord
Manors
• Large, diverse estates
• Lord provides governance, police, justice services
• Serfs provide labor, income
The Medieval ManorThe Medieval ManorThe Medieval ManorThe Medieval Manor
Life on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval ManorLife on the Medieval Manor
SerfsSerfs at work at work
Women in the Middle Ages
• Noblewomen were responsible for the entire running of an estate while her husband was in battle.
• All women had very limited inheritance rights, as all possessions went to the oldest son.
• In the Middle Ages, the Church portrayed women as weak and easily tempted into sin. Yet, women were also portrayed as modest and pure in spirit.
• Learning was generally discouraged for women.
Essential Questions
What was the significance of the invention of the heavy plow for the European economy?
Although trade constricted in the early middle ages, where and how was it still
going on?
The Economy of Early Medieval Europe
• Agricultural center moves north from Mediterranean
• 8th century iron-tipped plow introduced in Europe
• Draft animals bred• Water mill technology• Agricultural output insufficient to support
growth of cities• Strong Mediterranean trade despite Muslim
domination of sea
Norse Merchant Mariners
• Commerce or plunder as convenient
• Link with the Islamic world for trade
Population Growth of Europe, 200-1000 CE
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
200 400 600 800 900 1000
Millions
The Formation of Christian Europe
• Clovis’ conversion forms strong alliance with Roman Christianity
• Church supplies Clovis with class of literate information workers:– Scribes– secretaries
The Franks and the Church
• Protectors of the Papacy
• Charlemagne destroys Lombards, who threatened Pope, Rome
• Spreads Christianity in northern areas
• Support of scholarship, scribal activity
The Spread of Christianity
• Charlemagne fights pagan Saxons (772-804)– Saxons later adopt Christianity
• Scandinavia, other pockets of paganism until c. 1000 CE
Essential Questions
What was the role of the pope in the early middle ages?
How did his role evolve over this period of time?
Pope Gregory I (590-604 CE)
• “Gregory the Great”
• Asserted papal primacy
• Prominent theologian– Sacrament of penance
• Major missionary activity, especially in England
Essential Questions
How did monasticism develop in early medieval Europe?
What was the significance of the monasteries to the European society and
economy?
Monasticism
• Egyptian origins, 2nd-3rd centuries
• Monastic lifestyle expands 4th century
• Large variety of monastic rules– Range from extremely ascetic to very lax
St. Benedict (480-547)
• Established consistent rule for monasteries– Poverty– Chastity– Obedience
• St. Scholastica (482-543)– Sister of St. Benedict– Adapts Benedictine Rule for convents
Pope Gregory I, by Francisco de Zurbarán
St. Benedict by Fra Angelico, c. 1437-1446
A late 15th-century Scriptorium by of Jean Miélot
In the strictest definition of illuminated
manuscript, only manuscripts with gold
or silver would be considered illuminated.
Monasticism and Society
• Accumulation of large landholdings, serfs
• Social welfare projects– Esp. labor contributions
• Expansion of literacy
• Inns, orphanages, hospitals
The Power of the Medieval The Power of the Medieval ChurchChurch
The Power of the Medieval The Power of the Medieval ChurchChurch
The church controlled about 1/3 of the land in Western Europe.
Tithe 1/10 tax on your assets given to the church.
Threat of excommunication and an inderdict gave the church
tremendous control over European peasants and nobles.
The selling of indulgences, canon law and simony also fortified the church’s power, but led many to recognize these acts as corrupt.
Church Secular Influence & Pope Innocent III
• The Church claimed authority over all secular rulers, many of whom did not recognize this authority, often resulting in power struggles between monarchs and popes.
• When King John of England challenged Pope Innocent III over the appointment of an archbishop, he was excommunicated in 1209.
Magna Carta, 1215Magna Carta, 1215
King John I
“Great Charter”
Monarchs were not above the law.
Kings had to consult a council of advisors.
Kings could not tax arbitrarily.
The Medieval Church• Everyday Life
– Christians attend village churches
– Priests run village churches
– All Christians pay tithe
• Power of the Church– Pope leads– Canon Law– Excommunication/
interdict
• Reform-Church wealth & influence- Some clergy corrupted- Reformers
• Nuns & Monks-Set up housing, hospitals, schools- Missionaries Preservation of learning