the image above is the christian cross. the cross is a symbol of the crucifixion of jesus christ....

The image above is the Christian cross.The cross is a symbol of the crucifixion of

Jesus Christ.According to Christian teaching Jesus who is

seen as the son of God is arrested and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate

Christian teaching also states that the cross represents the three forms Jesus; father, son holy spirit.

Christians also use the cross as a way to remind them of the pain and sacrifice of Jesus

At some point in our lives, we ask ourselves questions like:Where do I come from?Is there life after death?Why do sickness, death and

suffering exist?

Many turn to religion for answers and for comfort during difficult times

The Roman Empire at its largest extend stretched from the Atlantic ocean and included parts of Asia.

It became incredibly difficult to manage and keep provinces under control.

The provinces were also putting more financial strain on Rome.

Basically Rome was going “broke” due to the lack of taxes and many wars

A solution to this was the current emperor, decided to split the empire into two.

In 285 AD emperor Diocletian split the empire into east and west.

From this point on there is always two “Roman” emperors.

The Western empire included all of Europe and North Africa

The Eastern empire included Turkey and Asia

It is important to note that in rare occasions one emperor rule both east and west

The Eastern half of the Roman Empire included the city of Byzantium.

This is why many Historians refer to the Eastern part of the empire as the Byzantine Empire

Before leaving Rome, Diocletian moved most of Rome’s wealth to Byzantium making the Eastern empire very rich and the West very poor.

Later Byzantium is renamed Constantinople and remains the capital of the Eastern empire until 1453,when it fell to the Turks.

Christianity, a monotheistic religion (belief in 1 god) , slowly replaced the Roman Empire’s polytheistic religion (belief in many gods).

This occurred between the 1st and 4th century

Another monotheistic religion, Islam, spread in the Eastern World.

The Roman Empire lasted for roughly 1200 years.

However, in 476 ad the Visigoths attacked and conquered the city of Rome.

This brought Europe into the Dark Ages, which is a period of poverty, lawlessness, and underdevelopment

The Dark Ages is considered by historians to be the first part of the Middle Ages.

1. The empire was too large to govern effectively.

2. The army was not what it used to be. There was corruption in the military - dishonest generals and non-Roman soldiers.

3. Civil wars broke out between different political groups.

4. Emperors were often selected by violence, or by birth, so the head of government was not always a capable leader.

5. The increased use of slaves put many Romans out of work

6. The rich became lazy and showed little interest in trying to solve Rome problems.

7. The poor were overtaxed and overworked. They were very unhappy.

8. Prices increased, trade decreased. 9. The population was shrinking due to

starvation and disease. That made it difficult to manage farms and government effectively.

10.The Empire started shrinking. The Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Saxons and other barbarian tribes overran the empire.

The Middle Ages were characterized by small towns becoming independent after the fall of the Roman Empire.

At the beginning of the 11th century, towns grew in size, grew much more food, and began to govern themselves.

Towns were overcrowded, dangerous and unsanitary and usually surrounded by a thick wall.

Towns were governed by “elected” mayors and councils, but were still under the control of the King/monarch.

Fires and epidemics were common.

Guilds were made up of very rich and powerful merchants.

Very often these merchants were “elected” mayor.

Guild’s Coats of

arms

Each culture had their own values, customs and beliefs.

Despite this, they still maintained a commercial relationship, which meant they traded with each other.

They also exchanged knowledge of one another’s culture.

Basically knowledge about each other’s religion and culture spread through business.

Founded by Jesus ChristTeachings spread by disciplesDespite the persecutions endured by

Christians, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire

Roman Emperors finally recognized Christianity:

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity

In 392 AD, Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and banned polytheism

He was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. Judaism, another monotheistic

religion already existed in this region.

At 30 yrs of age, Jesus experienced a revelation, learning he was the son of God.

He then travelled throughout Palestine with his 12 disciples to preach God’s message.

His message focused on brotherly love, and on the equality of all human beings.

His teachings were successful and his sermons attracted large crowds.

Some even said he could perform miracles.

Jesus taught people to follow God alone, which worried Roman authorities.

At 33 yrs of age, he was crucified. Before dying, he passed the leadership

of the Christian faith to his disciple St.Peter (the world’s first Pope).

His disciples spread the news of his resurrection, which they said occurred 3 days after his death.

As Christianity grew, it created an administrative system called the “Church”

During the Middle Ages, the “Church” was so powerful that it competed with the kings for wealth and power.

The Christian church even formed its own military.

This army was made up of Christians from all over Europe.

church: a building in which Christians meet to pray.The word “church” with a Capital ‘c’ (C) refers to the

institution that embodies the Christian faith.The Church had a hierarchical structure with distinct levels

of authorityThe Church was in complete control of the lives of medieval

men and women from birth all the way until death!

The Church controlled nearly every aspect of people’s lives:

BeliefsGod created the world, including

human beingsThe soul lived on after death.At the “Final Judgment,” at the end of

eternity, those who followed the teaching of the Church went to heaven those who didn’t went to hell.

DutiesGive money to the poor (alms) and pay

tithe (church tax)Respect Church’s authorityPray and attend massFast by not eating meat during high

holidaysSacramentsPeople must have gone through sacraments

to show their devotion to the chruchBaptism, Marriage, Extreme Unction,

Ordination (clergy only)

Calendar and HolidaysThe Christian year was dictated by its

high holidaysChristmas and four weeks of AdventEaster and 40 days of LentAll Saints DayIn the 16th century Pope Gregory XIII

created a new calendar which marks the birth of Jesus as the start of the Common Era (ex: 1BC and 1AD)

We call this the Gregorian which we still use.

During the Middle Ages, the Church’s Organization was broken down into four groups:

1- Pope: Head of the Church and also a bishop

Responsible for priests, deacons and the general public

One bishop per Christian community in a large cityThe bishops’ councils, called by the pope,

established Christian beliefs.

Cardinal Turcotte

Oversaw religious ceremonies in the villages

Helped the bishops and priests

After the fall of Rome, in the 5th century, the Roman Empire split into numerous kingdoms led by kings.

The king had lords to help him conduct wars and protect the territory

Superior lords (Suzerains) were given land by the king in exchange for swearing an oath of loyalty to the king

Inferior lords (Vassals) were given land by their suzerain in exchange for swearing an oath of loyalty to the suzerain

This was the basis of feudalism

Knights Knights were lords who fought on horseback. As

their equipment was very expensive, only wealthy lords could become knights. When they were not at war, knights hunted or participated in tournaments. The tournament was a jousting match, which involved making opponents fall off their horse. It was a dangerous activity and many knights died while doing it.

Suzerain Vassal-The suzerain had to award land to his vassal, who could have it cultivated by the peasants for his benefit. The land was called a “fief”.

-He had to protect his vassals

-He had to administer justice

-The vassal had to fight alongside his suzerain and give him money, if necessary

-He had to advise the suzerain

-He had to find other soldiers to fight alongside his suzerain

In feudal society, the Church exercised major power over the kingThe king received his power from the popeThe kings belongings were managed by

the ChurchThe king respected the pope’s authority or

he would be excommunicated (kicked out of Christian community)

The king donated land and money to the Church to ensure he went to heaven

Bishops advises the king

Church

Pope

Bishops

Priests

Deacons

NobilitySuzerainsVassals

PeasantsPeasants

1. The king and the nobility (suzerains and vassals):Fought enemies to protect the territory and the

assets of the Church

2. The Church (Pope, bishops, Priests, deacons): Prayed for the king and nobility

3. The peasants:90% of the populationCultivated land to feed the other two

groups

The Church asserted its power by building numerous places of worship.

It also supervised education and controlled science.

The Church cared for the sick and for the poor.

Places of Worship:Kings and lords gave land and money to the ChurchThe Church was therefore very richIt used these riches to build numerous places of

worshipChurchesCathedralsAbbeys and monasteries

Church Cathedral Abbey and Monastery

-The Church was the main place of worship in villages and small cities. This is where priests celebrated religious services.

-It was a shelter for the poor and sick,

and for pilgrims.

-The cathedral was the main place of worship in major cities. It was led by a bishop.

-It was a place for gathering together and for education. It also hosted religious plays, or “mystery plays”.

-It was bigger than a church-Like the church, it was also used as a place of refuge

-The abbey and monastery were reserved for men and women who wanted to live in a community, cloistered from the outside world.

-This is where the monks and nuns lived while they studied, prayed and worked.

-Abbeys were bigger than monasteries.

-Both were used as a place of refuge.

Religious architecture:

Places of worship were built of stone and were usually the tallest building in the city

The Church only used Latin

The Church forbade anyone from reading books that contradicted its teachings

Ex: The Church taught that the earth was flat, therefore any book stating that the Earth was round was banned

This was called censorship.

The Bible was the only reference book for education, culture and scienceAs a result science could not truly evolveEx: The Church taught that diseases were tests sent

by God (Did not promote medical progress)

Teachers were members of the clergyThe students were sons of lords, destined

for religious serviceThey learnt Latin, theology, and

philosophy

IlluminationPrinting did not exist in the Middle Ages. Monks would

meticulously recopy Latin texts. These copyist monks often adorned the texts with small vividly-coloured drawings called “illuminations”. The books therefore, became true masterpieces.

Prayer books often contained a calendar that listed the birthdays of the saints and agricultural tasks month by month.

PilgrimagesTrips to locations where the remains of

a saint’s body (relics)could be found

Main pilgrimage sites included:

Rome, for the tombs of the apostles Peter and PaulJerusalem, for the tomb of Jesus

Pilgrims were easily identifiable by their clothing: a hat, cloak, walking stick and large bag on their shoulder.

This bag was used to carry provisions and money for the trip. Their most famous badge is the St. James shell which all pilgrims wore, whatever their destination.

Pilgrims often stayed in monasteries.

Military expeditions leading towards Palestine, which had fallen into the hands of the Muslims.

They were meant to free Jerusalem and Jesus’ tomb from the Muslims.

There were eight crusades in all, spread over the period from 1095 to 1291 AD.

During the first crusade Jerusalem was taken over by the crusaders.

During the seven other crusades, the crusaders again tried to take over the city, which had once more fallen into the hands of the Muslims.

Pope Urban II and was the first to call a crusade to liberate Palestine’s holy sites. He promised the forgiveness of sins for all crusaders who would die along the trip or in combat.

Christians not only fought Muslims in Palestine; they also fought them in Spain in a war called the Reconquista.