Medieval Europe

aka Middle Ages

500-1250 AD
 Geography of Europe
• Smallest continent on it’s own- BUT
combined with Asia- known as Eurasia-
creates world’s largest landmass
• Shaped like a big peninsula, has many
peninsulas and islands
• Surrounded by Atlantic Ocean,
Mediterranean Sea, North Sea and Baltic
Sea
 Scandinavia has fjords – narrow inlets

 CLIMATE- temperate- but there are

extreme temps along Asia border and Alps
 Many mines have helped sustain Europe’s
economy over time: coal, iron, oil, bauxite,
copper, lead ,zinc, gold and silver
 2000 years ago Europe was heavily
forested
 Deforested the area and set up farms
 N. European Plain- most fertile area
 Fishing very important (close to so many
seas)
 Rivers very useful to get around Europe
THE Middle Ages

 Also Known As Medieval ( Latin for

Middle) because in the middle of ancient
and modern times- or Dark Ages- b/c
light of civ had gone out
 End of Western Roman Empire ( 500 AD)
 Trade declined BUT ownership of
land=wealth and power
Christianity spreads

 The Pope helped to spread it by sending

missionaries to teach about Christianity
 Britain was one of the first places
“converted”
 Not all were missionaries from the pope-
400’s AD (Saint) Patrick went on his own-
people claim he drove all the snakes out
of Ireland- named a saint b/c of this
 Religious communities
monasteries- (men) monks
Convents- (women) nuns devote their “LIVES” to God!
Benedict – 500’s wrote first “code” (rules) for monks-
Benedictine Rule
Abbot – head monk:
Monks> pray for most of the day
Farm
Study (copied books by hand)
Make wine , crafts , Medicines
 480’s Clovis converted Gaul to Christianity
 700’s Charlemagne ruled Gaul
 Had conquered France, Italy, Germany
 Was Christian and as he conquered spread
Christianity

 800’s Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of

Rome( whoop de do!) after he conquered it
 New capital NOT Rome- Aachen
(Germany)
 P.S. Literacy was not encouraged during
MA in Europe- BUT Charles knew
differently and had his “court” filled with
books, scholars, poets, and musicians
 Vikings
Charlemagne’s rule ended in early 800’s

Norsemen (Vikings) invaded from the NORTH into

Scandinavia – looking for land and riches
900’s : Norsemen settled around Seine R. Became known as
NORMANS – called area NORMANDY – adopted Christianity
and French language.

1066 : Normans invaded England- leader was “William the

Conqueror”

1199 : King John I ruler of England – made lords pay for wars, could
imprison without a trial
FEUDALISM

• A new form of governing and organization

• Definition- a society based on land
ownership AND service
• Manor-large estate owned by wealthy
nobles
Feudal System Video
Lord/Lady/Vassal

 Lord- owned the manor/could also be “king” of his

land
 Bishop- religious person- also could be a lord
 Lady-lord’s wife was in charge of castle
 Vassal- took an oath to serve the lord
– did not own land
– Lord gave each ‘V’ a fief ( separate manor- he did not own it
but he managed it)
– Most important job was to serve as lord’s knight
 Knights
 Knight- warrior on horseback
 Different Stages:
 Page (7)-left home (son of a noble)
 Lived with a knight
 Learned ettiquite
 Cared for horses
 Squire (15-20)
 Rode into battle with a knight
 Blessed by a preist
 Given a sword and a belt
 Knight- protected lord and manor
 Must have 3 horses, armor, and a squire
 Got extra $ by jousting!
Knights
Craftworkers
 Craftworkers- free people
 Made/built saddles, shoes, etc.
 Family owned business
 Father was expert/master
 Levels:
 Age 14- apprentice- live with a master
 17-28 journeyman- could join a guild
 Master- makes a “master piece” to show
capability

 GUILD- groups of workers, set prices and

rules about quality
What’s up SERFer Dude?

 Serfs
 Given land to farm
 Had to work lord’s land too

 Pay rent/taxes

 Ask permission on lord to get married

 One room house with peeps and

animals
 Usually died young

 Church bells signaled breaks in day

Serf’s
 Women in the MA
 Women had fewer rights
 But had important roles- supported their families
 Governed manor households

 Eleanor of Aquitaine -c.1200 AD- ran an area

in S. France as a vassal, because queen of
France, married Louis VII, divorced him became
Queen of England by marrying King Henry II,
had many kids- 2 sons became Kings of England
 The power
 By the middle/late Middle Ages power fell
into the hands of the spiritual leader
(Pope) and political leader (king).
 Pope seen as God’s rep. on Earth- got
power from God and people
 If people disagreed with the Pope he
would EXCOMMUNICATE them!
 King usually had power/things/land from
family
 In the mid 900’s AD- pope gave the
emperor ( of Charlemagne’s empire)
approval to rule- now called Holy Roman
Empire ( pope lives in Rome)
 Did not inherit crown-were elected by
nobles- which led to fights and trickery!
 The Pope steps in
 Pope Leo IX believed all religious officials
should answer to the Pope b/c everyone
did answer to the first pope ( St. Peter)
then all should answer to every Pope
 1054 AD Constantinople's bishop refused
to do this so Leo excommunicated him
thus began the Eastern Orthodox Church
 1073 Pope Gregory VII vs. Emperor
Henry IV
Breaking up is hard to do!

1054: Christian church split –

Constantine’s church: Eastern Orthodox ; Rome:
Rome
Roman Catholic
 Crusades
 A LONGGGGGGGG series of wars
between Christians and Muslims in
SW Asia over control of Palestine
 Holy Land to both

 Turkish Muslims were attacking any

Christians who visited Jesus’ town

 Turks raided the Byz. Empire- so the

Emp asked the Pope for help!

 Crusades
 1045 Pope Urban II called for a Christian
Pilgrimage (1st Crusade) to Jerusalem to
capture it back from Muslim Turks
 1291- last crusade
 Crusade- Latin for marked with a cross
 #1
 1st Crusade 1096- 5000 Crusaders left Europe
for the HL- the peasant crusaders (pc) attacked
Jews in Germany- blamed them for Jesus’
death- most of the “pcs” were killed before they
reached Jerusalem
 Nobles reached J and took it over- set up 4
small towns and traded with Europe
 BUT.. Within 50 years Muslims began taking
land back thus the second Crusuade
 #2 and # 3
 1147- French and Germans set out to
retake the Holy Land – again
 Poor planning and heavy “troop” loss led
to a disaster
 #3
 1189- Muslims had recaptured all of the
HL- The French, German, English, and
HRE led armies in- But the German king
died, French King and HRE left- so that
left King Richard I( the Lionhearted) to
battle with Saladin ( Muslim leader)
 Both were respected but overall, Saladin
kept Jerusalem for the Muslims
 #4
 1201- French Knights set out this time-
from Venice- and in order to pay for the
trip they had to capture Zara for the HRE
 Instead of going to Jerusalem- they got
sidetracked and ransacked Constantinople
( another Christian city……) and never
made it to Jerusalem
 Many more and then finally
 By 1291 the Muslims had recaptured ALL of the
holy land and the Crusades were DONE
( unsuccessful for Christians)
 Why, you may ask?
 Had to travel far from home on FOOT- many died
 Weren’t prepared to battle in the desert
 Outnumbered by well prepared and well led armies
 Christians fought amongst themselves and were
unorganized
 Crusades:
 helped kings to become more powerful
 Created more tensions between Jews,
Christians and Muslims
 increased trade
 increased towns
 increased disease…..
Crusades
 Many wanted to visit religious
places- so went on pilgrimages to do
so- traveled to Holy and religious
sites around Europe and Asia
 Some believed in the “church” so

much that when they dies- they left

land to the church- which was
divided into fiefs- and the church
became a lord- humor anyone????
 Being religious
 Monks of Cluny- French Monks-
unhappy with Church affairs- became
a religious order and devoted lives to
nothing but God
 Dominicans and Franciscan friars

lived in cities and spread Christian

teachings- St. Francis of Assisi
( most famous one)
 As towns grew- eventually desire for
education did as well-
 1st university in Bologna, Italy also had
them in Paris (Sorbonne) and England

 Thomas Aquinas- reasoned that rational

thought could be used to argue Christian
beliefs ( eg. existence of God )
 Also Natural Law- God had created a law
about how the world operated
 Art/Architecture
 Had traveling musicians called
troubadours or minstrels- and would
sing and dance and make fun of
people
*showed devotion to God by:
(during M.Ages): 1. Built huge churches
called Cathedrals (ex. Notre Dame)
2. going on pilgrimages to
Rome or Jerusalem
1215 : Kings / Lords irritated with King John’s
“idea’s” *limited his power with a legal document
*called Magna Carta – at first only pertained to
nobles but then to all
“habeas corpus”- you have the body- meaning you had to have just
cause to arrest someone, etc.

 Created a Parliament- law making body that still

governs England today!
 Hundred Years’ War
 1328- the French king died- he had no
heirs so England and France battled for his
throne- France won- but England did not
relent- thus began the war!
 For 100 years the English fought well-
then Joan of Arc ( French GIRL) rallied the
French to stand against them- the English
killed her- but the French succeeded!
 Effects
 England  France
 Parliament's power  King’s power grew
grew  Nobles supported
 King now needed their king!
permission
 King lost power
-Christianity in M.Ages-
(Many were Christian but there were also
Muslims and Jews)
Christian belief grew so strong M.Ages became
know as
Age of Faith
*
Religion
 BLACK DEATH
 1348- Black Plague starts in Sienna, Italy
 Infected fleas traveled on infected rats on
ships
 Spread disease- wiped out 1/3 of Europe’s
entire population
 Spread as far as Africa and Baghdad
 Black Flags were flown to warn visitors of
plague in the town
 Lasted for 130 years
BLACK DEATH