Middle Ages
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Middle Ages
• AKA = Dark Ages– Little trade– No education– Mass invasions
• Historians say it was not dark
• Est. new civilization
• Medieval – Latin for “middle ages”
Germanic Kingdoms
• Goths, Vandals, Saxons, Franks
• Mostly farmers or herders
• Small communities
• No written law
• King elected by tribal council
• Warrior and king pact
King Clovis
• King of the Franks
• Conquers Gaul
• Converted to Christianity
Muslim Empire
• Islam formed in 600s
• Move across the Middle East, N. Africa, and into Spain
Charles Martel
• Raised an army to battle the Muslims in Frankish lands
• 732 – Battle of Tours– Martel’s Army defeats the Muslims
Charles the Great
• “Charlemagne”
• Takes the throne in 768
• Ruled the empire built by his grandfather, Charles Martel
• Fought: Muslims in Spain, Saxons in the North, Avars and Slavs in the East, and Lombards in Italy
Charlemagne
• 799 – Pope Leo III asked him for help against rebellious nobles
• Pope makes Charlemagne emperor of Rome
• Results:– East and West split more– Unites Christians in Europe– Sets up power struggle
Gov’t of Charlemagne
• Nobles as governors
• Missi dominici – supervisors/advisors
• Officials expected to keep written records
Society of Charlemagne
• Encouraged Latin learning
• Set up schools
Legacy of Charlemagne
• Died in 814
• Son, Louis I rules– Grandsons fight over and divide the empire
with the Treaty of Verdun
• Known for:– Extending Christianity– Set up a strong, efficient government
Invasions
• Muslims
• Magyars from Hungary
• Vikings from Scandinavia– Farmers ruled by chieftains– Explored, traded, pillaged
Feudalism
• Def. – a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings among lesser lords known as vassals– Land is exchanged for military service
• Feudal contract – exchange of pledges
• Fief – estate that may include peasants
• Liege lord – 1st lord
Contract
• Protection in exchange for land, peasants, 40 days of military service, money, and sometimes advice
Feudal Organizer
Knights and Nobles
• Knight – a mounted warrior
• Sent at age 7 to father’s lord’s castle– Learn to ride and fight– Learn to maintain armor and weapons
• Fight with swords, axes, and lances while on horseback
– Strict discipline– Laziness was beat out– Dubbed a knight at conclusion of training
Noblewomen
• Took over duties if husband was away
• Some event went to war
• Some were involved in politics
• Widow retain land
• Don’t typically inherit
• Dowry – land
• Women were apprentices as well
Chivalry
• Code of conduct
• Require bravery, loyalty, and honesty
• Fight fairly
• Only applied to nobles
• Must protect the weak
• Troubadours – wondering musicians
Manor System
• Lord’s estate
• Self-sufficient
• City-state
• Peasants – serfs- bound to the land– NOT slavery
Peasants and Lords
• Worked certain number of days
• Repaired fences, roads, bridges, ect
• Paid inheritance fee
• Paid mill fee
• Semi-annual fee (Christmas and Easter)– Paid with goods
• Guaranteed food, housing, and land
Land division
• Woods and hunting is for the Lord ONLY
• Land is divided in strips
Peasant Life
• Harsh, long hours
• Hungry in the winter
• Few live longer than 35yr.
• Diet: black bread and veggies– Very little meat– Fish if time allows
Section 3
The Medieval Church
Role of the Priest
• Contact of the church
• Celebrated mass
• Administered the sacraments
• Spread teachings of the Church
• Interpreted the Bible
• Medical
• education
Village Church
• Social center
• Place of worship
• Lives revolved around the church
• Village pride
• Relics
• Cathedral – church of the bishop
Church Women
• “men and women are equal before God”
• Women on earth were weak and more likely to sin – Need the guidance of men
• Protection:– Min. age for marriage– Men could be fined for abuse
• Women had harsher punishments
Monasteries and Convents
• Benedictine Rule – vows– Obedience to the head of the convent or
monastery– Poverty– chastity
• Daily division of activities• Scientists• Hospitals, schools, orphanages, shelters,
hotels
Church Power
• Secular – worldly
• Medieval popes claim papal supremacy
• Popes have their own army
• Bishops & archbishops = nobles– Each has own land and army
• Church officials & secular rulers are interlinked = family/association
Doctrine on Salvation
• Do good works• Believe in Christ• Participate in the sacraments
– Give church power• Excommunication – kicked out of the church• Interdict – excommunication of a region
• Canon Laws– Laws passed by the courts– Court system
Corruption & Reform
• Wealth & power reduce discipline
• Priest allowed to marry
• Priesthood – inherited
Pope Gregory VII
• Outlaw marriage
• Eliminated secular involvement
• Prohibits simony – the selling of church offices
Monk Orders
• Friars – traveling monks
• St. Francis of Assisi– Founded the Franciscans– Preached poverty, humility, and love of God
• St. Dominic– Dominican order– Combat heresies
Women in the Order
• Dominican Nuns
• Poor Clares
– Only allow wealthy women for dowries
• Beguines – poor women
Jews of the Middle Ages
• Spain – center religious tolerance– Many Jews
• Christians blame Jews for any problems– Many move to E. Europe
Section 4
Economic Recovery
Agri. Revolution
• Plows, horses– Allow more land to be farmed
• Lords have more land cleared
• Creation of 3-field system– Grain, legume, unplanted
Trade results
• Cities form around trade route due to lack of war/invasion
• Charter – permission and rules for a new town– Requires yearly fee
Commercial Revolution
• Capital and credit are used
• Partnerships – groups of merchants
• Use of insurance
• Tenant farming begins
Middle Class
• Merchants, traders, artisans
• Unhappy nobles and clergy
Guilds
• Groups of merchants and artisans
• Unions
• Somewhat of a government– Taxes, laws, financial spending for the city
• Guild Training– 7 – become an apprentice– 7 years of training– Result as a journeymen
Women in Guilds
• Ownership/membership
• Craft of father or husband
• Inherit business
• Control certain goods
Cities of the Middle Ages
• Overcrowded
• Narrow streets
• Fire hazards
• Division of guilds
• Trash filled streets
Chapter 8 Section 1
Unification of Regions
Royal Power
• Early monarchs have little power
• Noble and church have power– Courts, taxes, armies
• Monarchs– Establish courts and bureaucracies– Tax systems– Armies– Relationships w/ Middle class
England
• Conquered by Anglo-Saxons
• 1066 – King Edward died w/o an heir
• Harold – chosen by nobles
• William – Duke of Normandy claims throne– Gets army and support of Pope– Won @ Battle of Hastings– Became William the Conqueror
Royal Power of William
• Fiefs given to Church and French Lords, AKA barons
• Required ALL vassals to make him liege lord
• Census in 1086– Domesday Book
• Castle, fields, pigpens
Legal System of Henry II
• 1154 – Henry II takes throne– Sent out justices– Common law – a legal system based on
custom and court rulings– Jury system
• Jury – men sworn to tell the truth
Church vs. Gov’t
• Henry II claims right to put clergy on trial
Evolving Gov’t• King John
– Lost lands in France to King Philip II of France– Innocent III excommunicates John
• Interdicts England
– Magna Carta 1215 – great charter• Forced by nobles• 1) Nobles get rights• 2) Set the monarch under the law• Included due process of law• Also had habeas corpus
Development of Parlaiment
• Great Council
• Legislative Branch
• 1295 – Edward I asked Parliament to approve $ for wars in France
Monarchs of France
• Capetian Kings – 300 years of rule– Hugh Capet elected– Makes throne hereditary– Gained lands by playing nobles against each
other– Set up an effective bureaucracy– Gain support of church and Middle class
Philip II
• Gave gov’t positions to middle class
• Gave charters for new towns
• Extended French lands
Louis IX
• Persecuted heretics and Jews
• Led knights in 2 crusades
• Declared a saint
• Expanded court system
• Ended serfdom
• Outlawed private laws
Philip IX vs. Pope Boniface VIII
• Taxation of clergy
• Pope escapes capture
Pope vs. Pope
• 1305 – French Pope elected– Moves capital to French Border
• Another pope is elected in Rome
• The fight for power
Estates General
• 3 body system– Clergy, nobles, and townsfolk
The Crusades
a series of wars fought between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land
• Council of Clermont Pope Urban II calls for a Crusade to free the Holy Land
• Create a Crusade Graphic Organizer
Pope Urban II’s Reasons
• Increase power
• Heal the split in the church
• Christians fighting Muslims and not other Christians