Europe and the

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, Vikings, and Mongols disrupted social, economic and political order of Europe. These invasions led to a strengthening of the feudal system and a strengthening of European monarchies. Because of this, monarchies began to consolidate their power and began forming nation-states. These nation states are now known as England, France, Spain and Russia.

European Invasions

Migrations of people happened all over Europe. The Angles and Saxons migrated from continental

Europe to England. The Magyars migrated from Central Asia to Hungary. And the Vikings

migrated from Scandinavia to Russia. These invasions caused havoc all over Europe and safety

declined. Trade and travel were no longer safe and cities and towns declined. Despite the

negative impact of the invasions, they did reinforce the feudal system because the manors with

castles provided protection from invaders.

Feudalism is going to contribute to a rise of Kingdoms and

eventually the establishment of some of the nations that still exist

in Europe today.

Nation States in

Europe

Russia

England

France

Spain

Italy

England

William the Conqueror

• Nationality: Norman

• Reigned as King of England

from 1066 to 1087

• Accomplishments:

– Leader of the Norman Conquest (invasion and

occupation of England by the Normans)

– United most of England

– Victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066

– Built the Tower of London

Historic castle on

the north bank of

the River Thames

in central London.

At the bottom of

the picture you can

see the water-gate

called the “Traitors’

Gate.” The Tower

was used as a

royal residence

and as a prison.

Today it houses

the Crown Jewels

of the UK!

Common Law

The crafting of English Common Law was begun in the

reign of Henry II. Henry ruled England from 1154 to

1189. He strengthened the royal courts of justice by

sending royal judges to every part of England at least

once a year. They collected taxes, settled lawsuits,

and punished crimes. Henry also introduced the use of

jury in English courts.

Over centuries, case by case, the rulings of England’s

royal judges formed a unified body of law that became

known as common law. Today the principles of English

common law are the basis for law in many English-

speaking countries, including the United States.

THE MAGNA CARTATHE MAGNA CARTATHE MAGNA CARTATHE MAGNA CARTA

Magna Carta,

"The democratic

aspiration is no mere

recent phase in human

history . . . It was

written in Magna

Carta."

-

-Franklin Delano

Roosevelt, 1941

Inaugural address

On June 15, 1215, consenting to the

demands of 40 rebellious barons, King

John affixed his seal to Magna Carta. By

doing so he attempted to avoid a civil war.

Although, just 10 weeks later, Pope

Innocent III nullified the agreement, and

England plunged into internal war.

Magna Carta was written by a group of

13th-century barons to protect their rights

and property against a tyrannical king. It is

concerned with many practical matters and

specific grievances relevant to the feudal Magna Carta,

literally meaning

“great charter”

specific grievances relevant to the feudal

system under which they lived. The

interests of the common man were hardly

apparent in the minds of the men who

brokered the agreement.

There are two principles expressed in Magna Carta that resonate to this day:

"No freeman shall

be taken,

"To no one

will We sell, to

no one will We

deny or delay,

right or

justice."be taken,

imprisoned,

outlawed, banished,

or in any way

destroyed, nor will

We proceed against

or prosecute him,

except by the lawful

judgment of his

peers and by the

law of the land."

Hundred Years War

The Hundred Years War, lasting from 1337 until 1453, was a defining time for the history of both England and France.

The war started in

May 1337 when King

Philip VI of France

attempted to

confiscate the

English territories in

Southwestern

France. It ended in

July 1453 when the

French finally

expelled the English

from the continent

(except for Calais).

Parliament

Near the end of the Middle Ages, the role of government in England underwent many changes. From the Magna Carta to the creation of the English Parliament, England laid the foundation for representative government and regulated sovereignty.

The Magna Carta clearly defined the ancient rights and privileges of the people. It established the principle that the king no longer had absolute control, and prevented English rulers from prevented English rulers from taking advantage of their subjects.

Later, England would institute a Parliament to allow British nobles the opportunity to voice their opinions in political matters. This entire process moved the world one step closer to the types of governments that are seen today.

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. Over centuries, the English Parliament progressively limited the power of the English monarchy.

France

Hugh CapetThe kings of France, like those of

England, looked for ways to

increase their power. After the

break up of Charlemagne’s empire,

French counts and dukes ruled

their lands independently under the

feudal system. By the year 1000,

France was divided into about 30

feudal territories. In 987, the last

member of the Carolingian family—

Louis the Sluggard—died.

Hugh Capet, an

undistinguished duke from

the middle of France,

succeeded him as King of

France. The Capet family

ruled only a small territory,

but at its heart stood Paris.

Hugh Capet began the

Capetian dynasty of French

kings that ruled France from

987 to 1328. The Capetian

dynasty expanded their

control over most of France.

Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France and

a national heroine, led the resistance to

the English invasion of France in the

Hundred Years War. When Joan was

about 12 years old, she began hearing

"voices" of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and

St. Margaret believing them to have been

sent by God. These voices told her that it

was her divine mission to free her country

from the English and help the dauphin

(King’s eldest son) gain the French

throne.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

They told her to cut her hair,

dress in man's uniform and to

pick up the arms. Joan went

to fight in the Hundred Years

War and was eventually

captured by the Burgundians

and sold to the English in

1430. The English, in turn,

handed her over to the

church’s court to be tried for witchcraft and heresy. Much was

made of her persistence on wearing male clothing. She was told

that for a woman to wear men's clothing was a crime against God.

Her determination to continue wearing it was seen as defiance

and finally sealed her fate.

Joan was convicted after a fourteen-month interrogation and

on May 30, 1431 she was burned at the stake in a

marketplace. She was nineteen years old. Charles VII made

no attempt to come to her rescue. In 1456 a second trial was

held and she was pronounced innocent of the charges

against her.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

Spain

When Isabella, the daughter of King John II of Castile, and Ferdinand, the son of King John I of Aragon, were married in October 1469, Muslims had

Isabella and Ferdinand

To Isabella and Ferdinand, one of the most

renowned royal couples in history, their

primary achievement was not funding

conquistadors to expand their empire

overseas or uniting disparate kingdoms,

Aragon and Castille, into what eventually

became modern Spain. The couple believed

their most important legacy was ridding Spain

of the Muslims.

son of King John I of Aragon, were married in October 1469, Muslims had ruled large parts of the Iberian Peninsula for more than 700 years. Propelled by their Christian faith to pursue an expensive, bloody, 10-year battle to unite their land under Christian leadership, the couple finally conquered the last Muslim stronghold in January 1492.

With peace assured at home, Ferdinand and Isabella quickly agreed to sponsor an expedition across the Atlantic Ocean to be led by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus. This voyage of discovery was not first time Isabella showed an interest in strengthening Spain's commercial prospects overseas

I love him like

a brother…and

a husband!

Spanish InquisitionSpanish Inquisition

The Inquisition had been created in the twelfth century by Pope Lucius

III to fight heresy in the south of what is now France. The Catholic

Spain was beginning a historic

reunification of Aragon and

Castile. The marriage of

Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella

of Castile created a unified

Hispania not seen since Roman

times. Afraid that laws

commanding the exile or

conversion of Jews were thwarted

by conversos, i.e. synagogue-

going "Catholics," Ferdinand and

Isabella commissioned an

investigation or Inquisition.

During the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and long afterwards the

Inquisition was active in persecuting people for offences such as

crypto-Judaism, heresy, Protestantism, blasphemy, and bigamy. The

last trial for crypto-Judaism was held in 1818.

III to fight heresy in the south of what is now France. The Catholic

Monarchs decided to introduce the Inquisition to Castile, and

requested the Pope's assent.

Charles V

Ruler of the Holy Roman Empire

from 1519 and, as Charles I, of

the Spanish Empire from 1516

until his voluntary retirement and

abdication in favor of his younger

brother Ferdinand I as Holy

Roman Emperor and his son

Philip II as King of Spain in 1556.

In the New In the New

World, Spain

conquered

Mexico and

Peru, and

extended its

control across

much of South

and Central

America.

Charles

oversaw the

Spanish

colonization of the Americas. Charles provided 5 ships to

Ferdinand Magellan whose voyage -the first circumnavigation of

the Earth- laid the foundation for the Pacific oceanic empire of

Spain and began Spanish colonization of the Philippines.

Russia

Ivan the GreatThe Russian state would

become a genuine empire

during the long, 43-year

reign of Ivan III. This

prince was only a boy of

13 when Constantinople

fell to the Turkish Empire

in 1453. In 1472, the Ivan

III managed to marry the

niece of the last Byzantine

emperor. He then began

calling himself czar, the

Russian version Caesar

(the title became official (the title became official

only during the reign of

Ivan IV). By calling himself

czar, however, Ivan III

openly claimed to make

Russia the “Third Rome.”

In many ways, he became great by continuing with the work

that his predecessors had started. However, he worked on a

larger scale. Ivan the Great united many of the previously

autonomous provinces, succeeded in freeing Russia from the

Mongols, centralized power in Moscow, and expanded the

Russian nation.