Medieval Europe

Vocabulary

• Feudalism• Manor• Heresy• Town charter• Magna Carta• Power of the purse• vernacular

European Kingdoms

• German tribes migrated into Roman Empire• As the Roman Empire weakened, the German

tribes increased in power.• These German tribes became the foundation

of Medieval Europe

Merovingian House

• Clovis was the leader• Cried out to God during a battle for victory

and promised to be baptized if he won• He ordered 3000 of his soldiers to be baptized• It was divided between his four sons when he

died

• This house lost influence due to careless and immoral living

• The Mayor of the palace became the real power in the kingdom (leading palace official)

Carolingian House

• Pepin II was mayor of the palace

• Charles Martel was his son and he expanded the kingdom

• Pepin the Short was Charles’ son and he received permission from the pope to take the title of King.

• When Pepin the Short died, his sons Carloman and Charles ruled together

• Carloman died and Charles was the sole ruler• Had title of Charlemagne which means

“Charles the Great”

• Pope placed a crown on Charlemagne’s head and proclaimed him Roman emperor

• Later popes would point to this event and claim authority over kings

Coronation of Charlemagne

Pepin IIMayor of the Palace

Charles Martel

The Hammer

Pepin the Short

Received title of King

Carlomandied

CharlesCharlemagne

Under Charlemagne

• Education was important– His court was a place of learning and scholarship– Monasteries became centers of Western

knowledge

Feudalism

• When Charlemagne died, Europe was divided among his sons.

• It resulted in a division of Europe and a lack of strong leadership

• This all led to the rise of feudalism• Feudalism: A system whereby European land

was subdivided from king to nobles and then to serfs in exchange for loyalty and allegiance

Feudalism Pyramid

Life on a manor

• The estate on which most people lived was called the manor

• Few could read and so had to listen to priests• Often what was taught in word and picture

was very different from what is found in the bible

Papal Power

• Gradually the Roman Church became a powerful member of medieval society

• Leo I was the first pope• They continued to gradually gain more power• Pope Innocent III claimed to have supreme

authority over all

Pope Innocent III

Problems with the Roman Church

1. Pastors were forbidden to marry and this went against the Creation Mandate

2. Believed the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Christ during mass

3. Heresy was punishable by torture or death

Heresy: (false teaching)

The Sacraments of the Roman Church

1. Baptism (to remove original sin)2. Confirmation (to receive the Holy Spirit)3. Confession (to receive forgiveness from a priest)4. Communion (primary sacrament to receive

redemption from sin)5. Matrimony (controlled by the church)6. Holy Orders7. Last Rites (anointing of sick prepares one for

death)

Christianity in Medieval Europe

• Many people were baptized into a form of Christianity that imitated their pagan worship

• Medieval Christianity was very different from biblical Christianity

• People were ignorant of the Bible’s most basic teachings

• The Bible was accepted as God’s word