High to Late Middle Ages

• High Middle Ages– The Middle Ages in Europe had reached a high

point in the 1200’s.• Life had finally stabilized and become peaceful.

– REVIEW: Why? What events have helped stabilize life?• The Crusades were fought against the Islamic Empire!

– Feudalism was ending– Trade increased– Roman roads were rebuilt.- The Church had much political power

- England and France had become large kingdoms!– Created Magna Carta and Parliaments

High Middle Ages

• Population growth– Manors grew into towns.

• Cities grew– Old Roman cities grew and new

cities developed• Paris: 150,000• London: 40,000• Florence: 100,000

– Construction of cathedrals• Romanesque and Gothic

• Trade began again– Money economy emerged

• Middle class emerged– “Burgers” (German)– “Bourgeoisie” (French)

• Guilds emerged– Business associations

• Set price, establish standards, etc.• Master and Apprentice

Life During the High Middle Ages

Life During the High Middle Ages• Universities emerge

– Oxford, 1264– University of Paris, c.1200– Law, medicine, theology.

• Tried to build upon Islamic knowledge gained during the Crusades!

• Europeans started speaking in the vernacular.– Local languages (not Latin!)

• Famous writers of the time…• Dante (1265 – 1321 A.D.)

– The Divine Comedy (Dante’s Inferno)

• Chaucer (1340 – 1400 A.D.)– The Canterbury Tales– English!

Power of the Church

• As kingdoms became more powerful and European society became more secular, the Catholic Church attempted to hold onto its power…

– Concordat of Worms• Church officials can

only be appointed by higher ranking church officials – not Kings.

– Church is independent.

– Pope Innocent III• Believed the power of

the Pope was superior to any king

“Just as the moon gets her light from the sun, and is inferior to the sun… so the royal power gets the

splendor if its dignity from the papal authority.”

• The Pope had ways to make kings do what he wants!

• Two “spiritual weapons”– Excommunication

• Removal from the Church

– Interdict• Forbids priests from

performing the sacraments to a certain group of people.

– Weddings, communion, confession, etc…

Power of the Church

The Reconquista (of Spain)

• In addition to the continuing the later Crusades, the Catholic church also tried to expel Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain!)– Also instituted the

“Spanish Inquisition”

• The Inquisition– Began in Spain during the

Reconquista, but later spread to the rest of Europe.

– Found and prosecuted heretics

• Those who deny church doctrine (non-Christians)

– If you confessed to heresy, you performed public penance and received physical punishment

• Starting around 1252, the Inquisition began using torture to get confessions.– Even if you did not confess,

you were still guilty.– If you had already been

convicted and were accused of heresy again, you were executed.

Power of the Church

• CRITICAL THINKING: Why did the Church believe that what they were doing was the right thing to do?

• They believed the only path to heaven was through the Catholic Church.– So using force to save souls was the right thing to do!

The Inquisition

• In the 1300’s, a few disastrous changes took place. – Life becomes

destabilized and chaotic… again.

– Late Middle Ages• The Hundred Years’

War• Church Power

Declines • The Black Death

Late Middle Ages

Hundred Years’ War• 1337-1453• War between England

and France over the heir to the French thrown.– English King Edward III

could claim it, but France did not want a distant king.

• Joan of Arc– French girl who had

visions/premonitions, brought success to the French army, was captured by the British, tried before the Inquisition, and burned at the stake for being a witch.

• Gunpowder– Allowed for French victory.

The Decline of Church Power…• European Kings start to

reject the ultimate power of the pope by the end of the 1200’s.

• King of France is one of the first to challenge the Pope’s power– King Philip IV vs. Pope

Boniface VIII• Philip believes he has the

right to tax the Church

• After two elections, there are two popes from 1378 to 1417.

• One in Avignon• One in Rome

• These conflicts greatly diminish the power of the Pope.

Black Death• Bubonic Plague• Europe’s Population =

75 million– 1/3 to 1/2 die between

1347 and 1351.– 50% to 60% dead in

Italian cities.• Why did they believe it

was happening?– God had sent it as

punishment.– Devil was causing it.– Jews were poisoning town

wells.• Economic consequences

– Trade declined– Shortage of workers– Falling food prices