EUROPE DURING THE MIDDLE AGES

Section 3Chapter 1

The Viking Explorations

The Vikings were from Scandinavia– this includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

The curved ends of the Viking ships made them better for the rough North Atlantic

They raided and traded through out Europe

Much of what we know about the Vikings comes from sagas (Viking stories)

The Viking Explorations

Leif Eriksson gathered a crew in about A.D. 1000 and reached North America, landing on the island of Newfoundland (first European contact with North America)

Eriksson settled at an area called Vinland but left after a few years

Their main reason for leaving was Native attacks

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages in Europe begins as the Roman Empire ends in the late A.D. 300s

The time period is roughly from A.D. 500 to 1500

Trade and communication during this time were limited and populations of cities fell

The Middle Ages

Feudalism emerged during this time period

Vassals would pledge their loyalty to a lord in exchange for land

Lords needed money to equip and feed knights that defended their manor (large estate)

The Middle Ages

Peasants were free tenants or serfs that farmed the land

Tenants rented their land while serfs lived on the land for free both were loyal to the lord in exchange for his protection

Life on the Manor

Lords and their families lived in large wooden or stone houses or castles

Noblemen spent their time ruling, fighting in battle, and managing their farmland

Noblemen and Noblewomen spent a large amount of time carrying out duties as Christians

Eleanor of Aquitaine was described as the ideal noblewomen as “beautiful yet virtuous (moral), powerful yet gentle, humble yet keenwitted (intelligent)

As a peasant the whole family lived, ate, and slept in the same room

Under feudalism a person’s birth usually determined their place in society

The Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was the center of religious and social life in the Middle Ages

Most Europeans during this time were Roman Catholic

By the 800s, the Church owned large amounts of land and advised rulers on important decisions

Many art and achitecture projects were paid for by the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church

Monasteries were important because they housed monks who gave up all personal possessions and created centers of learning and produced books

Though Monasteries themselves had vast lands

The Catholic Church

Convents allowed the same thing for women who would then become nuns

Women would sometimes choose this life instead of marriage and child-rearing

Convents did allow women to become educated which did not happen any where else

The Rise of Nations

During the mid and late Middle Ages some nobles were losing power to kingdoms

William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 and made it into one of the kingdoms in the world

He then surveyed the kingdom and put together the “Domesday Book” or Day of Judgement Book for taxes

The Rise of Nations

In 1215 the nobles rebelled against William’s great-great-grandson King John and made him sign the Magna Carta (Great Charter)

It was the first document that protected free people from the King

The Rise of Nations

In the early 1200s trade greatly increased and Italian Merchants began to trade with nations around the Mediterranean Sea and northern Europe

This marked the beginning of the Renaissance, a rebirth of arts and learning of ancient Greece and Rome

The Rise of Nations

Farming changed during this time as farmers learned to rotate crops, fertilize crops, and new technology lead to a greater output for farmers

This lead to rise in population in towns and cities

With this growth of technology, trade, and kingdoms– the 1500s marked the ending of the Middle Ages