The Rise of Europe500 – 1450 A.D.

The Early Middle Ages

Geography of Western Europe

• In 500 A.D., northern Europe was sparsely populated

• Dense forests, rich earth, mineral resources, large rivers,

Characteristics of the Middle Ages

• Population decreased

• Trade almost ended

• Learning stopped

• No written laws• “Dark Ages” –

Many warring invasions

• Early Middle Ages: 500 – 1000 A.D.

• High Middle Ages: 1000 – 1250

• Late Middle Ages: 1250 - 1500

Europe in the 6th Century

The Germanic Kingdoms

• The tribes that defeated the Roman Empire were culturally very different

• They lived in small communities & elected kings

• B/w 400 & 700 AD, there were many small kingdoms

• The strongest to emerge were the Franks.– Clovis – king– Converted to

Christianity

Europe and the Muslim World• Islam , a new

force, swept through the Middle East & Med

• Built a huge empire & captured Spain & Sicily

• Christians feared the Muslims

• The Franks under Charles Martel stopped the takeover of France at the Battle of Tours

• Europeans did learn about science & math from the Muslims

The Age of Charlemagne• Around 800, a

Frankish king, Charles the Great built a large empire

• The pope (Leo III) crowned Ch.. Emperor of the Romans

• He wanted his capital to be like Rome & encouraged Latin & set up schools

• He helped the Church spread Christianity

• He appointed powerful nobles & sent out officials called missi dominici

Charlemagne: 742 to 814

Charlemagne’s Empire

Pope Crowned CharlemagneHoly Roman Emperor: Dec.

25, 800

After Charlemagne• His empire fell

apart after he died.• His grandsons

drew up the Treaty of Verdun, which split the empire into 3 regions.

• Legacy: He blended Germanic, Roman, and Christian ideas.

• New invasions…– More Muslims– Magyars (Hungary)– Vikings in the 900s

Charlemagne’s Empire Collapses:Treaty of Verdun, 843

Feudalism and the Manor EconomyThe Emergence of

Feudalism• Kings were not

strong enough to stop invasions by outsiders

• People needed protection so a new system, feudalism was developed.

• Powerful lords owned large pieces of land

• The land was divided into estates called fiefs.

• Fiefs were given to less powerful lords, called vassals.

• Vassals promised loyalty & service to his lord

• The lord promised to protect his vassal

• Often vassals held fiefs from more than one lord.

• They then had to choose a liege lord – 1st loyalty

FeudalismA political, economic, and social system based on loyalty and military service.

The World of Nobles

• Warfare was a way of life & nobles battled constantly for power.

• Knights were trained very strictly from the age of 7.

• When feudal warfare decreased in the 1100s, tournaments replaced…

• Castles had to withstand attack (stored food & water)

Sleeping Beauty CastleKassel, Germany

Noblewomen & Chivalry

• Played an active role in warrior society

• The “lady of the manor” had many duties as the men were gone to war

• Some were involved in politics – Eleanor of Aquitane became queen in both France & England

• In the later Mid Ages, knights adopted a code of conduct called chivalry– They were brave,

loyal, & truthful. – Women were to be

protected & cherished.

Peasants & Manor Life• Medieval economy was

based on the manor• Most people were serfs

who farmed the land. • They were not slaves,

but were not allowed to leave w/out permission.

• They received the lord’s protection and could even have several acres for themselves.

• Most peasants were illiterate and never left the manor.

• Simple diet of black bread w/ vegetables and families lived in one-room huts

• Life was harsh & few lived past the age of 35.

The Medieval ChurchThe Church and

Medieval Life• After the fall of

Rome, the Church split into eastern & western churches.

• Western – Roman Catholic church, headed by the pope

• In 597, Pope Gregory I sent Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons

• Later missionaries spread Chr. throughout Europe

• In manor villages, the priest was the peoples’ contact w/ the church.– Celebrated mass

and administered the sacraments…leading to salvation..

• Christian rituals were part of the fabric of everyday life.

• They took pride in church buildings.

• Holy men buried there

• Christians paid a tithe

• Women were viewed as “daughters of Eve,” but the ideal woman was as pure as Mary .

One of the oldest Medieval churches

Monks and Nuns• Some Christians

spent their lives serving God.

• About 530 B.C., a monk named Benedict organized the first monastery. (Convent)

• They took 3 vows:– Obedience to the

abbot– Poverty– Chastity

• Cared for the sick and poor, and set up schools

• Some were missionaries …life of service

Abbess Hildegard – Composed music & wrote books

Women’s roles were limited and there were many restrictions on nuns, such as no preaching.

The Power of the Church Grows

• Medieval popes eventually claimed papal supremacy, or authority over secular rulers also.– The Pope controlled

vast lands.• Christians believed

that all people were sinners & doomed to eternal suffering, so the church had the power of sacraments over people.

• The church developed its own canon law & courts.

• Those who disobeyed Church law could face excommunication.

• A noble who disobeyed could face the interdict, excluding a whole region.

• The church tried to end feudal warfare.

Reform Movements

The success of the Church brought problems.

• As wealth & power grew, discipline weakened.

• Some clergy lived in luxury, and some ignored their vows.

• Many called for reforms…

Medieval monk, bishop, & priest

Jews in Europe• Jewish

communities existed across Europe.

• Muslim Spain became a center of Jewish culture. (Sephardic)

• Many rulers in N. Europe valued and protected…

• In the late 1000s, Christian persecution of Jews began & worsened in bad economic times.

• Many Jews then migrated to E. Europe and thrived.

Chaiya's Sephardic World,

Jewish Prince in Moslem Spain: Selected Poems of Samuel ibn Nagrela,

Economic Expansion & Change

An Agricultural Revolution

• By the 800s, farmers started using new inventions.– Iron plow,

harness, & windmill

• Began to us the 3-field system to keep the soil fertile.– Grain, beans,

fallow

Trade Revives• During the High

Middle Ages, the economy of Europe grew stronger

• As the pop. grew, people began to trade again.– As war diminished,

there was a growing demand for goods.

– Chinese silk, Asian spices, etc.

• Merchants set up fairs

• These meeting places grew into the 1st towns and cities.

Medieval Trade

A Commercial Revolution

• As trade increased, people developed new ways of doing business.

• They began using money.

• They developed banks for lending.

• 1st partnerships, system of insurance, & bills of exchange

Medieval society also changed.

• A new middle class emerged that included traders, merchants, and artisans.

• The lords & clergy despised them.

• The church forbade Christians from lending money. (usury)

• As a result, many Jews became money-lenders & played an important role in the new economy.

Role of Guilds• Merchants and

artisans formed associations known as guilds.

• Each guild represented workers in one occupation.

• They made rules to protect the quality of their work, set prices, & look after their members.

• Fewer people were serfs as times changed.

Medieval Guilds

Guild Hall

Commercial Monopoly: Controlled membership

apprentice journeyman master craftsman

Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].

Controlled prices

Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Shop

Crest of a Cooper’s Guild

Becoming a Guild Member

• Apprentice at around 7 or 8– Spent about 7

years training– Made no wages,

but got room and board

• Few became masters, but journeymen (salaried)

• Women could become masters also, and dominated some trades (Paris – silk & woolen)

Town & City Life• Surrounded by

high, protective walls

• With constant growth, newcomers had to settle in the fields…

• Jumble of narrow streets lined w/ tall houses, dim lighting.

• No garbage collection or sewer systems

City Walls of medieval York, England

Medieval city in Romania

Medieval walled city of Guérande ...

Medieval South Ampton, England

The Carolingian Renaissance

Growth of Royal Power in England and France

Monarchs, Nobles & the Church

• Nobles & the church had as much – or more – power as feudal kings– The monarchs

began centralizing their power.

– They gave rights to townspeople & gained their loyalty.

• The Magna Carta (England) contained 2 important ideas that stay w/ us today.– People have rights– The monarch must

also obey the law.• During the 1200s,

Parliament also evolved.– Representatives of

the “common people” joined w/ the lords.• House of Commons• House of Lords• (Later gained the

“power of the purse”)

The Holy Roman Empire & the Church

The Holy Roman Empire• After Charlemagne,

Germany split into many states

• Powerful nobles ruled the states.

• Otto I of Saxony became the King of Germany.

• He was later crowned emperor by the pope.

• Conflicts w/ powerful nobles prevented future Holy Roman emperors from succeeding.

Conflict Between Popes & Emperors

• Gregory VII was one of the greatest medieval popes & the most controversial.

• Emperors & popes clashed over who had the right to pick bishops.– Lay investiture

• Most nobles supported the pope.

• Finally in 1122, the pope & emperor reached a settlement that the pope should choose (at the Concordat of Worms)

The Struggle for Italy• During the 1100s &

1200s, Holy Roman emperors tried to gain control of Italy.– Emperor Frederick I

(Barbarossa)• While they were

focusing on Italy, German nobles became more independent.

• Therefore, Germany stayed divided while English & French kings were growing stronger.

The Height of Church Power

• During the 1200s, the Church was very powerful.

• Pope Gregory VII and Pope Innocent III believed the pope should have more power than any other ruler.

• Rulers who objected were excommunicated.

• After 1200s, the power of the pope declined.

Pope Innocent III

Europeans Look Outward

The World in 1050• While Europe was still

cut off from the world, other places were thriving.

• Islamic civilization stretched from the Middle East to Spain.

• China’s culture flourished.

• The Byzantine empire was prosperous & a rival to Islam.

• In 1050, the Seljuk Turks invaded Palestine.

Seljuk Turks

Byzantine Empire

The Crusades• Pope Urban II

called for Europeans to rescue the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks.

• Thousands of knights went on the long journey first & then others followed.– Few returned.

• For 200 years, thousands of knights fought religious wars called the CRUSADES.

• Only the first crusade came close to achieving their goals.

• Christian knights captured Jerusalem in 1099.

• It fell to Saladin (Muslim) in 1187.

• On the 3rd crusade, Europeans failed to retake Jerusalem.

• There were more, but in the end, the crusades failed to regain the Holy Land.

Effects of the Crusades on Europe

• People of different religions grew to hate each other.

• Trade w/ the East increased, especially w/ Italian port cities.

• Kings & popes became more powerful.

• Europeans realized there was culture & civilization in far away places.

• Marco Polo actually traveled to China.

The Reconquista in Spain• Religious wars also

took place in Spain.• Christians wanted to

retake Spain from the Muslims.

• Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon which united Spain.

• In 1492, Granada finally fell & the Muslims were forced out of Spain

• The Spanish then persecuted Jews who refused to convert.

Learning, Literature & the Arts

Medieval Universities• By the 1100s, the

improvements in the conditions in Europe created a need for education.

• The church wanted a more educated clergy.

• Rulers needed people who could read & write to help run the gov’t.

• Wealthy people wanted their sons to have important jobs.

• The church set up schools to train the clergy, but eventually laymen could attend.

• Salerno and Bologna in Italy boasted the first universities.

• Paris and Oxford soon had theirs.

• A lot of memorization & oral exams

• Women were not allowed to attend.

• Christine de Pizan was an exception.

Europeans Acquire “New Learning

• New learning was just reaching Europe.

• Scholars rediscovered the ideas of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Muslim world.

• The ideas of reason came into conflict w/ the Christian idea of faith.

• Scholasticism combined the two using logic.– Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

• Science made little real progress, but Arabic numerals were adopted.

Medieval Literature• Writers began to

use everyday languages that ordinary people could understand.

• Authors such as Chaucer wrote stories about warrior heroes– Canterbury Tales

• Dante’s Divine Comedy– Detailed hell in the

afterlife

Architecture & Art• Some architects built

stone churches that looked like Roman fortresses. (Romanesque)

• Others built Gothic churches w/ pointed arches, flying buttresses

• Stained glass windows & marble statues & illuminations showed Bible stories for those who couldn’t read.

Romanesque

Gothic

Cathedral of Notre Dame - Paris

Visconti Cathedral – Milan, Italy - 1386

A Time of Crisis

The Black Death• During the 1300s, a deadly

disease called the bubonic plague spread through Europe from Asia.

• One out of every three people died.

• The economy fell apart b/c of the loss of workers and rising prices

• Landowners converted farmland to sheep pastures to avoid having employees.

• Peasants moved to towns, but found no jobs.

The Black Death

• People were scared & angry so they:– Thought it was G-

d’s punishment & repented

– Christians blamed the Jews and thousands were murdered.

• Europe would not recover for 100 years.

Upheaval in the Church• Many priests &

monks died from the plague, so the church was not able to comfort the needy.

• Rich popes in France & bishops who lived in luxury caused great resentment.

• Angry reformers attacked corruption and elected their own pope.

• For many years, 2 or 3 different popes ruled at the same time. (Schism)

• In England, John Wycliffe attacked Church corruption and insisted that the Bible should be the source of Christian truth.

• He translated the Bible into English.

• Jan Hus followed him & had followers.

• The Church responded by persecution & trying for heresy.

• Hus was burned at the stake in 1415.

John Wycliffe helped produced the first complete Bible in English. Here we see a portion from The Earlier Version, completed in 1382.