Europe During the Early Middle Ages

500CE to 1000CEFrom Traditions & Encounters

(Bentley)

Major Developments

• Three developments shape the society that will emerge in Europe after 1000– Restoration of political order– Economic recovery– Framework that allows the Christian Church to

provide leadership & unity

Quest for Political Order

• Late 5th Century: Germanic invaders establish new states

• 5th to 8th century: continued invasions

• Late 8th to 9th century: Franks temporarily unite part of Europe

• Late 9th century: Frankish kingdoms fall to new waves of invasion

Germanic Successor States

• Decline of Roman cities marks the end of the empire; replaced by a variety of Germanic kingdoms

• The Franks have the greatest influence on the time period– Establish an emphasis on agriculture– Rely on decentralized governments

The Temporary Revival of Europe

• Clovis– Establishes the Franks as a political/military power– His conversion to Christianity has a dramatic impact

• The Carolingians– Displaced the line of Clovis– The family of Charles Martel, who stopped further

Muslim incursions into Europe• Charlemagne (768-814)

– Temporarily reestablished centralized rule– A conqueror, diplomat and ambassador– Ruled by force of personality,; his empire crumbles

after his death

Decline of the Carolingians

• Louis the Pious– Charlemagne's son quickly loses control of the

empire, which ends when his sons divide the territory• Invasions

– 9th century: internal breakdown accompanied by Muslim, Magyar and Viking invasions

• Norse Expansion– Motives: population expansion & resistance to

Christian missionaries– Advanced ships and seafaring techniques allowed

both merchants and plunderers to become wealthy– Vikings dominate the period

Establishment of Regional Authority

Describe the major characteristics of regional governments in the following areas:

• England:

• Germany:

• France:

Early Medieval Society

• Decentralized Society– The only way to protect land/maintain order

• Responsibilities of local lords– Control their territory– Grant land to other in exchange for rent, food or

money– Maintain a military using profit from retainers– Creates a complicated network of alliances, mutual

obligations with an element of instability b/c of the reliance on personal relationships

Serfs & Manors

• Serfs– Semi-free peoples who owed obligations to a lord in

exchange for land & protection

• Obligations– Labor/service/payment to lord first– Work for one’s own profit comes after obligations are

fulfilled

• Manors– Dominant economic model– Self-sufficient communities

Tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: Juin (June) (1412-16). Illumination on vellum

From the Book of Hours of the Chateau of the Duke of Berry. Each page of the book highlighted a different part of the season and chronicled what happened during that time of year.

What is happening in June?

The page for September in this book of hours represents the

grape harvest at the foot of the Château de Saumur. To the left is a belfry that might belong to the church of Saint-Pierre; next is a monumental chimney with secondary stacks undoubtedly belonging to the castle kitchen; and last, a drawbridge entrance from which a horse walks while a woman with a basket on her

head approaches.

Early Medieval Economy

• A much slower pace than the other areas we have studied with few cities.

• With an emphasis on agriculture, breakthroughs like the iron plow are essential

• Commerce and exchange was on a much smaller scale, constricted to small regions of Europe

• Some trade within the Mediterranean. Northern Europe saw more active trade, especially sea faring trade networks

• Population decline is followed by steady recovery

Christian Europe

• Religious, moral, cultural authority in the wake of the decline of the Roman empire

Politics of Conversion

• An alliance with the Church attracts many Germanic groups like the Franks. Later the Carolingians worked to spread Christianity

• Paganism remains in small pockets, though most convert, and the Church works to find ways to absorb pagan rituals that will not easily disappear

The Papacy

• Strong leadership claims spiritual authority

• Gregory I’s defense of Rome ensures the survival of both the city and the Roman Catholic church

• Begins a series of missionary campaigns, finding success in England and other northern territories

Monasticism

• Communities of Christian men dedicated to the pursuit of holy lives– Could be ascetic, hermits but often developed

their own rules/priorities from commune to commune

• Benedictine rules strengthen and give direction to monastic communities

• Provided most of the social services for medical communities

Global Connections

• Unlike China, SW Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, early medical Europe did not reinstate an imperial government or participate actively in world trade.

• Western Europeans found new ways to create order and stability, focusing on local autonomy and the creation of regional states.

• Western Christianity helps to preserve classical society while establishing cultural unity.