Europe in the Middle AgesChapter 10

Europe in the Middle Ages can be

categorized by 3 trends:the spread of civilization to all of Europe

the spread of Christianitygrowing contact with other civilizations in Asia, Africa & the Middle East

Politics

The Manorial SystemManorial system in place from the fall of Rome to the 10th century“Manorialism was the system of economic and political relations between landlords and their peasant laborers.”Landlords own self-sufficient estate or manor, run on agriculture.Three-field & iron moldboard system made life easier—produced more food

Three-field System

Serfs on a ManorSerfs worked on the manors

Received protection and small amount of landWorked on lord’s fields, paid taxes to lordCould not leave the lord’s land

Serfs had to pay a portion of their own crops to landlord to:

graze their livestock in his fieldsmill their grain in his millAlso had to work on lord’s castle a certain number of days a year

Serfs not slavesCouldn’t be bought or soldOwned their house & landCould pass on their items to their children

The ChurchSome Church leaders sought secular power.Pope Gregory VII and reform

priests to be unmarriedHoly Roman Emperor Henry IV and investiture

Some secular leaders sought power over the Church.The Inquisition

Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV with Antipope Clement III

Feudal MonarchiesGrowing territory under one feudal lordFeudalism as a replacement for bureaucracyPrevention of a strong emperor / central governmentFeudal alliances in France for the Capetian familyRulers gradually developed a bureaucracy, hiring business people to staff it. Coronation of the Capetian king

Philip II in France

Limited GovernmentLack of central authority in Germany and Italy (Holy Roman Empire)Church role in limited governmentFeudal lords challenge growing power of monarchies

Magna Carta in EnglandCreation of parliamentsParliaments represent the 3 estates

No concept of citizenship or democracyMonarchs growing power and the idea of a nation

Hundred Years’ War King John signs the Magna Carta, surrounded by Feudal

lords

Economics

Economic Development & The Rise of Cities

New agricultural techniques & technology

iron moldboard plowthree-field systemhorse collar

End of Viking raidsPopulation growth forces people to find new ways to make moneyLoosening of serfdomForeign foodEducation in cities

a medieval university in Paris

Strains in Rural LifeImprovements to agriculture means improvements to the lives of serfs and peasants.Nobles kept working in the military and in agriculture—but wanted to make more money like the merchants.Lords taxed serfs and peasants more, causing them to be angry and revolt.More complex society = more social strainsOn the whole: serfs & peasants had greater freedom.

a peasant revolt in England in the 14th century

Growth of Trade & BankingCities allowed for

specialized manufacturing and commercial activities, which then promoted more trade.Rise of banking & increased money useTrade with other parts of the worldDevelopment of commercial alliances

Hanseatic League in northern Germany and Scandanavia

Investment in international trade

medieval banking

GuildsGuilds are a group of people in the same business or trade in a single city.

Artisan guildsMerchant guilds

Religion

Religious ReformPope Gregory VII St. Clare of AssisiGreat Schism

Avignon vs. Rome

Jan (John) Hus

Jan Hus

Faith & Reason in TheologyPreserving ancient

knowledgeSt. AugustineAristotleHow to combine these two traditions?

Advances in theology and philosophy

logic to prove God’s existence

Opposition to rationalist thought

Bernard of Clairvaux and the mystical union with God

New knowledge imported from other culturesThomas Aquinasscholasticism

Popular ReligionMost people illiterate—relied on rituals and religious artPopular religious devotion

Devotion to MaryVeneration of the saints

Leftover Pagan beliefs sometimes mixed with Christian beliefs

a medieval Madonna painting

Religion in Art & Literature

Art reflects popular view of religionArt & architecture intended to serve the glory of GodRomanesque to Gothic designLiterature in Latin and vernacular

BeowulfCanterbury Tales

Rogier van der Weyden Bladelin Triptych

Society

The Rise of the Middle Class

Cities allow for a new class to emerge: not peasants but not noblesMiddle-class makes its money by buying & selling goods (merchants)Middle-class able to become more educated in cities

medieval merchants

The Role of Womenspiritual equality of men and women under Christianitywomen’s impact on theologyUrban women worked with their merchant husbandsCraft guilds forbade women

The Moneylender and His Wife by Quentin

Matsys

ReferencesPictures

Depiction of a Manor House. “End of Europe’s Middle Ages”. Applied History Research Group. University of Calgary, 1997. Web. 11 March 2014.All About Medieval Europe. “Medieval Europe”. Mrs. Hals’ Classrooms and Clubs. Wikispaces, 2014. Web. 11 March 2014. “The Black Death”. Shoeing in the Middle Ages. Word Press, 11 June 2012. Web. 11 March 2014.“Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands – new exhibition at The Morgan Library and Museum” Medievalists.net Wordpress, 21 May 2011. Web. 12 March 2013.“Banking Medieval Style.” Paradoxplace. Paradoxplace.com. Web. 12 March 2014."1902 Coat of Arms of Guilsd I. Weaver.” CabinetOfTreasures. Etsy. Web. 12 March 2014.The Great Schism (1378-1415). “Seven Historical Events that Prepared the Way for the Reformation”. Credo House Ministries. Parchment and Pen. 26 Nov 2012. Web. 13 March 2014.“St Thomas Acquinas”. Monastary Icons. Monastary Icons. 2014. Web. 13 March 2014.Rogier van der Weyden, Bladelin Triptych. “Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini "Wedding" Portrait”. Suny Oneonta. Oneonta.edu. Web. 13 March 2014. Fabien1309. “Cathedrale vue de montjuzet detail". Wikimedia. 26 April 2006. Web. 13 March 2014.“Rise of the Medieval City”. Webquest.org Pacific.edu. 9. Oct 2005. Web. 14 March 2014.

Information

Stearns, Peter N. et al. “A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe.” World Civilizations: The Global Experience. Pearson Education, New York: 2006. Print. p. 213-236.