Postclassical Western Europe
Postclassical Period – fall of Rome (5th century) to 15th century
SourceSt. Godric
Fall of Rome and Splitting of Europe
Saint Ambrose and Emperor Theodosius by Rubens
330 Constantine founds capital Constantinople
285 – administration of empire is split (E and W)
395 permanent division of E and W
476 last W Roman Emperor overthrown by Germanic peoples
A Century of Crisis• Pax Romana came to an end with Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180)• The rulers that followed were unable to manage the large empire and its
growing problems.• Result: The Roman Empire began to decline
Read through the next SIX slides and answer the following questions in your notes.
1. What led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
2. Which cause was most responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire?
ProblemsEconomic
• Trade was disrupted by hostile tribes and pirates• No new gold or silver sources = raise taxes• Created more money = inflation (bad)• Soil in Italy and Western Europe became increasingly less fertile
Romans did not foster a strong industrial base in their empire—they farmed, they fought, they traded, they enslaved and organized the world around them—but they did not cultivate industry. The did not have something to sustain their economy outside of subjugating and exploiting conquered peoples.
When their foreign conquests began to slow down and eventually faltered, they had nothing firm to fall back on.
The Fall of the Roman Empire Political• Citizens were losing their patriotism towards Rome• Government began to be controlled by military• Emperors such as Nero, Commodus, & Caligula
murdered, raped, and impoverished their people
Emperor Nero in 64 AD A colossal fire broke out at Rome, and destroyed much of the city. Rumors stated Nero himself was responsible. He took advantage of the situation by building a lavish private palace on the site of the fire.
Perhaps to divert attention from the rumors, Nero ordered that Christians should be rounded up and killed. Some were torn apart by dogs, others burnt alive as human torches.
The Fall of the Roman EmpireSocial• People were slowly losing their confidence in the Empire• Gap between rich and poor was still very wide• Decline in interest in public affairs
The Fall of the Roman Empire Military
• Low funds for defense• Mercenaries (foreign soldiers) hired who accepted lower pay • Soldiers were less disciplined and loyal
Inflation was a persistent and corrosive influence from the third century on—to the point that people began avoiding work altogether, to dodge taxes.
This led to the abandonment of cities, the failure of central government and the inability to pay soldiers defending the empire. The weakened army was not able to protect the frontier borders which kept the barbarians living outside the boundaries of Rome at bay.
The Fall of the Roman EmpireReform Attempted
• Emperor Diocletian • Ruled with iron fist and limited personal freedoms• Doubled size of army• Sought to control inflation• Divided empire in two: Greek Speaking East & Latin Speaking West• Separates the Western Empire from wealthier East (285 C.E.)
1. What led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
2. Which cause was most responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire?
Or…. Did the Roman Empire collapse in 476 C.E.?
The Fall of the Roman EmpireGermanic Invasions
i. Mongol nomads, The Huns, forced Germanic peoples on empire’s borders to push into Roman lands
ii. Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, ousted by Germanic forces in 476 AD
European Migration
300-700
Post-Classical Europe – 2 Christian Civilizations
Byzantine Empire
Western Europe
Barbarian Kingdoms, ca. 526
Byzantine and Christianity
391 - Theodosius I – Christianity became the state religionPolytheistic religions condemned
313 - Edict of MilanNo more persecuting Christians in East or WestSylvester I - Constantine gives a palace to Bishop in Rome
312 Constantine Embraced Christianity due to vision he had at the battle of Milvian
476 – Fall of Western Empire
395 – Emperor Theodosius I dies – splits empire between two sons.. Permanent split
Constantine's conversion, by Rubens (1622)
Europe after the Fall of Rome
• 6th to 10th centuries– Fragmentation prevails
• Catholic church strong• Iberia
– Arab Muslims• Core: France, Low
Countries, Germany– Later, England
• Scandinavian Vikings– Raids from 8th to 10th
centuries• Literacy declines
– except among churchmen
FALL OF ROMAN EMPIREGERMANIC SUCCESSORS
THE FRANKSEXTERNAL INVASIONS
Quest for Political Order
Emperor Charlemagne
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Germanic Successor States
Decentralized Society German chieftains
replace Roman rule Germanic tradition
replaced Roman law Peasants turn to local
lords for safetySubsistence
AgriculturePower shifts from
Italy to France
The Franks
Clovis I (466-511) United the Franks Converted to
ChristianityCharles Martel (688-
741) Defeated Muslim at
ToursCharlemagne (742-
814) Centralized authority Temporary revival of
learning Empire fell less than
30 years after his death
Battle of Tours, 732
External Invasions
External invasions by Vikings (purple), Magyars (green), and Muslims (red) completed the destruction of centralized rule in Western Europe.European lords built a system of military and political relationships to protect their land. This system is called feudalism.
FEUDALISMSERFS AND MANORS
THE MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Medieval Society (600-1000)
European Feudalism
Kings and nobles gave land (fief ) to vassals (nobles) in exchange for military service Control of land was
hereditaryVassals gave land to
knights in exchange for military service Knights were bound by
a code of chivalry
European Feudalism
The Knight The Castle
Knights and Castles
Castle Rising in England was built in 1138
Serfs and Manorialism
Agricultural manors were essential for maintaining the feudal system Manors included a mill,
church, workshops, and a village
Serfdom Bound to the land Cultivated land for lords
in exchange for protection and a small plot of land
Also were responsible for weaving, building, etc.
Serfs were required to work their lords land three days a week. The rest of the time they could work the small plots of land provided to them by their lord.
Manorialism
The Christian Church
Created moral standardsOwned extensive land
throughout Western Europe
Struggled with secular rulers to be the dominant authority in Europe
Supported monasticism Monks preserved literacy
and learning Nuns provided an
additional opportunity for women
The Pope
Papal authority grew during early medieval period Canon law Excommunication Investiture
Frequent power struggles between monarchs and the papacy Henry IV and Gregory
VII
A symbol of papal authority, Pope Gregory VII declared the church infallible and capable of removing emperors
VIKINGSSPANISH RECONQUISTA
THE CRUSADES
Expansion of Europe
Viking Expansion
Spanish Reconquista
Began in small Christian states in northern Spain
By 1150 Christians had recaptured over half of Muslim Spain Aided by organization
and wealth of Catholic Church
Ended in 1492 with conquest of Granada Drove Jews and
Muslims from SpainThe Spanish
Inquisition
The Crusades
Impact of the Crusades1091-1204
• Creation of Slavic Kingdoms• Seljuk Turks seize territories• Venetians gain trading advantages• Crusaders turn on Byzantines 4th
1202
ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL STATESEUROPEAN ECONOMIC REVIVAL
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTSCHRISTIANITY DURING THE HIGH MIDDLE
AGES
High Middle Ages (1000-1500)
Rise of Regional States
Holy Roman Empire (Germany) “neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire” Conflicts with church prevented creation of a powerful
stateFrance
Capetian dynasty consolidated feudal estates into a centralized government Feudal monarchy
Italy Dominated by powerful city-states: Rome (papal
state), Florence, Genoa, Milan, Venice, etc.
Europe in the High Middle Ages
Rise of Monarchy in England
William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 Feudalism with
centralized approachMagna Carta signed by
King John in 1215 Created parliamentary
system Parliament must approve
changes in taxation Does NOT create a
democratic system
King John, enemy of Robin Hood, was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215
European Economic Revival
Changing Agricultural Economy Technology: improved plows, watermills, the horse
collar, and the horseshoe Crop rotation and the three-field system Population growth
800 CE—29 Million 1100 CE—44 Million 1300 CE—79 Million
Population growth led to urbanization London, Paris, Toledo, etc. Some towns challenged the authority of their feudal
lord
European Economic Revival
Urbanization increased specialization of labor Guilds created regulations between craftsmen
Protect prices, regulate production, etc.Specialized labor increased manufacturing
Manufacturing focused on wool textiles Woolen textiles dominated by Italy and Flanders
(Belgium)Increased manufacturing led to increased
trade Italian merchants dominated trade in the
Mediterranean Increased involvement in the Afro-Eurasian trade
network Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan, etc.
Hanseatic League promotes trade in northern Europe
Trade in the High Middle Ages
Venetian and Genoese merchants established colonies in major trade ports
of Alexandria, Constantinople,
Cairo, Damascus, etc.
Social Developments
Status of women improved Chivalry promoted respect
for women Urbanization created more
job opportunities for women All-female guilds
Worked same jobs as their husbands
Increased veneration of the Virgin Mary Mary symbolized ideals of
womanhood, love, & sympathy Cathedral of
Notre Dame or “Our Lady”
Christianity in the High Middle Ages
Cathedral schools become universities University of Paris, Oxford University, etc.
Rediscovery of works of Aristotle Increased commerce with Muslims provided the West
with access to Greek worksNew intellectual movements
Thomas Aquinas and scholasticism Combining Aristotle’s logic with Christianity to create the
most truthful system of thought possibleSome reformers within in the church were
worried about the materialism of the church
BUBONIC PLAGUEHUNDRED YEARS WAR
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
End of the Middle Ages
Bubonic Plague
Silk Roads spread bubonic plague across Eurasia in the 14th century
In October 1347 a ship from the Crimea sailed into Messina. The crew had a "sickness clinging to their very bones.“
Rats carrying fleas got on shore spreading disease Increased trade helped spread the plague Close proximity, unsanitary conditions facilitated the spread
into cities25 million people died in the next several years, 1/4
to 1/3 of the population of Europe Population rebounded within 200 years
Spread of Bubonic Plague
The Black Death
Victims “ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise”
-Geovanni Boccaccio
Impact of the Bubonic Plague
Profound impact on manorial economy Labor became scarce in some places Tenants, rent payers, made gains as feudal obligations
were lowered Some serfs were freed to keep them from running
away to better opportunities Wages rose in towns to keep workers happy
“The path to the Industrial Revolution began with the Black Death. The population fall increased labor mobility by creating many vacant farms, and that mobility undermined serfdom.” - Robert Allen
Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
A series of periodic military campaigns between England and France
New technology Crossbows, longbows,
pikes, firearms, and cannons Castles & knights
outdatedMonarchs maintain
permanent militariesBurning of Joan of Arc, 1431
Italian Renaissance
Started in Italy during the 13th century Why Italy?
Urban Growth & Wealth
Merchant Class Values Classical Heritage
Main Idea: humanism Study of human beings
and human potential Celebration of human
life Many different
approaches to humanism
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.