The Middle Ages The Dark Ages After the

The Middle Ages

The Dark Ages • After the collapse of Rome, Western Europe entered a period of political, social, and economic decline. • From about 500 to 1000, it was politically divided, rural, and largely cut off from advanced civilizations in the Middle East, China, and India. • For this reason, this period in Europe is sometimes called the Dark Ages.

The Middle Ages • Today, historians recognize that this period was not “dark. ” • Rather, Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian traditions slowly blended, creating a new civilization. • The period from 500 to 1500, which links ancient and modern times, is now generally referred to as the Middle Ages. • The culture of the Middle Ages is referred to as

The Birth of France • The Germanic tribes that conquered the Roman Empire were mostly farmers and herders, and had no cities or written laws. • One of these tribes was the Franks. • In 486, Clovis, king of the Franks, conquered the Roman province of Gaul, which later become France. • Clovis also converted to Christianity, which led to

Charlemagne • In 768, Charlemagne, grandson of Clovis, became king of the Franks. • During his reign, Charlemagne conquered much of Western Europe and also won the support of the pope. • On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “Emperor of the Romans. ” • In doing so, Leo III revived the idea of a united Christian

Charlemagne’s Legacy • After his death, Charlemagne’s descendants battled for power, which led to his empire being split into three regions. • Although his empire did not remain intact, Charlemagne left a lasting legacy. • He helped spread Christianity, supported schools and furthered the blending of Germanic, Roman, and Christian traditions.

Vikings • In the late 700 s, Vikings from Scandinavia began looting and burning communities along the coasts and rivers of Europe. • Many Vikings eventually settled in the lands they raided, where they mixed with the local populations. • The Vikings were also the first to colonize Iceland, Greenland, and they even set up a short-lived colony in North America around 1000.

Feudalism • Throughout the Middle Ages, a political and economic structure known as feudalism became common throughout much of Europe. • Feudalism was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labor.

Lords and Vassals • Under feudalism, powerful local lords divided their landholdings among vassals, or lesser lords, in exchange for loyalty and military service. • Lords granted their vassals estates, known as fiefs, which included peasants to work the land, as well as any towns or buildings on it. • As part of this agreement, lords promised to protect their vassals.

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Knights • In medieval Europe, warfare was constant as rival lords battled for power. • Many nobles began training in boyhood for a future occupation as a knight, or mounted warrior. • Knights wore armor, carried shields for protection, and usually fought on horseback using swords, axes, and lances, which were long poles.

Chivalry • In the later Middle Ages, knights adopted a code of conduct called chivalry. • Chivalry required knights to fight fairly, and be brave, loyal, and honest. • Chivalry also dictated that knights protect the weak, including women. • Troubadours, or wandering musicians, often sang about knights and their devotion to lady loves.

Castles / Noblewomen • During the early Middle Ages, powerful lords fortified their homes to withstand attack. • Castles were not merely homes for the lords. They were also fortresses. • Noblewomen often ran the daily affairs of the castle and estate while their husbands were away fighting. • Noblewomen were expected to be dutiful wives and bear many children.

Peasants and Serfs • Peasants made up the majority of the population in medieval society. • They lived and worked on the manor, or lord’s estate. • Most peasants on a manor were serfs, bound to the land. • Serfs could not leave the manor without the lord’s permission. • If the manor was granted to a new lord, the serfs went along with it.

Peasant Life • In return for their labor, peasants had the right to farm some land for themselves and were entitled to their lord’s protection. • For most peasants, life was harsh. • Men, women, and children worked long hours, and few lived beyond the age of 35. • They ate a simple diet, and seldom had meat, which was reserved for the lord.

The Church Dominates Medieval Life • During the early Middle Ages, Christianity became the dominant religion in Western Europe. • Christian rituals and faith were part of the fabric of everyday life. • In villages, priests of the parish, or local region, delivered the mass and administered the sacraments, or sacred rites of the Church. • Priests also explained the

Monks and Nuns • During the Middle Ages, some men and women withdrew from worldly life to become monks and nuns. • Monks lived in monasteries. Nuns lived in convents. • Around 530, a monk named Benedict created a list of rules to regulate monastic life. • Under Benedictine Rule, monks and nuns took three vows: obedience, poverty, and chastity.

The Medieval Church • During the Middle Ages, monasteries and convents performed a vital role in keeping learning alive. • Their libraries contained Greek and Roman works, which monks and nuns copied as a form of labor. • The pope was the spiritual leader of the Western Christian Church. • Medieval popes claimed papal supremacy, or authority over

Church Power • Anyone who disobeyed canon law, or church law, faced a range of penalties, including excommunication. • Those who were excommunicated could not receive the sacraments or a Christian burial, which condemned them to hell for eternity. • Interdicts excluded entire towns and even kingdoms from receiving most sacraments and Christian

Friars • Friars were monks who traveled around Europe’s towns, preaching to the poor. • The first order of friars, the Franciscans, was founded by St. Francis of Assisi. • Giving up a comfortable life, Francis preached the Gospels and taught by his own example of good works. • Dominic, a Spanish priest, founded the Dominican order of friars.

Jews in Medieval Europe • In the Middle Ages, Jewish communities existed across all of Western Europe. • Initially, Christians and Jews lived side by side in relative peace. • By the late Middle Ages, Christians began blaming Jews for disasters they could not understand, such as illness or famine. • In response, thousands of Jews migrated to Eastern

Population and Trade Increases • Between 1000 and 1300, the population of Europe almost tripled as new farming technologies increased food production. • In the 1100 s, feudal warfare and foreign invasions began to decline. • As a result, people felt safer, and began to travel more. • Traders began to crisscross Europe to meet the growing demand for goods.

Trade Routes Expand • In Constantinople, merchants bought Chinese silks, Byzantine gold jewelry, and Asian spices. • They shipped these goods to Venice, and from there they were hauled to Flanders (present-day Belgium). • At Flanders, other traders bought the goods at trade fairs and sent them to Englands along the

The Hanseatic League • Northern Europeans paid for these goods with products such as honey, furs, cloth, tin, and lead. • In the 1200 s, German towns along the Baltic Sea formed the Hanseatic League. • The Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive confederation that protected the trading interests of merchant guilds and their market towns.

Growth of Towns and Cities • Many trade fairs often closed in the autumn. • As a result, merchants often spent the winter near a castle or in a town. • These settlements attracted artisans who made goods that merchants could sell. • Slowly, these small centers of trade became the first medieval cities.

Commercial Revolution • As trade revived, the use of money increased. • In time, the need for capital, or money for investment, stimulated the growth of banking houses. • To meet the needs of the changing economy, European bankers extended credit and merchants formed partnerships, in which they pooled their funds to finance large-scale ventures.

Rise of the Middle Class • By the year 1000, merchants, traders, and artisans formed a new social class. • In status, this class ranked between nobles and peasants, so it was called the middle class. • In medieval towns, merchants and artisans formed guilds. • Guilds set prices, regulated hours of labor, and made rules to protect the quality of their goods.

Medieval Cities • A typical medieval city was a jumble of narrow streets lined with tall houses, all surrounded by a high, protective wall. • Overcrowding was common, and fire was a constant threat. • There was no garbage collection or sewage system. • They were filthy, smelly, noisy, and crowded – a perfect breeding ground for disease.