the rise of western europe
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The Rise of Western Europe. Dark and Middle Ages. Dark Ages. Period of time from about 500CE to 1000CE in Western Europe where most knowledge was forgotten. No central governments Roman government collapsed ruled by barbarian kings. Education declined - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Rise of Western Europe
Dark and Middle Ages
Dark Ages
• Period of time from about 500CE to 1000CE in Western Europe where most knowledge was forgotten.
• No central governments– Roman government
collapsed– ruled by barbarian kings.
• Education declined– Barbarians were illiterate (Germanic tribes that
conquered Rome) – People worried about protection more than
accomplishments of Rome• Trade disappeared
– People made only what they needed– Travel was dangerous
• The Age of Charlemagne Charlemagne helped fight the Dark Ages
by: (768- 814)• Helping to stop barbarian attacks
– His grandfather, Charles Martel stopped a Muslim attack on France
– Conquered the Avars, Saxon and Lombard tribes– Spread Christianity to barbarian people
• Creating a strong central government– He appointed loyal lords to help him rule– Made an ally of the pope and was crowned Holy Roman
Emperor• Promoting education– Made sure all government officials read– Built schools at his palace in Aachen– Hired the scholar Alcuin to preserve learning
• Charlemagne’s Golden Age ends after his death because– his grandsons fought over his kingdom and split it up– New barbarian attacks make life hard again
• Norsemen• Magyars• Muslims
Medieval Life
• Medieval/ Middle Ages- period of time between Ancient and Modern times.
• Due to many invasions by Vikings, Muslims and Magyars, kings and emperors were too weak to maintain law and order– People needed to defend their homes and lands– In response to the basic need for protection, a new
system, called feudalism, evolved– Feudalism- system of government where local lords
rule small pieces of land and provide protection in exchange for work.
Title Definition Duties
Peasants SerfFarmers who were bound to
work a piece of land.
Farm the land
Pay taxes and labor to the
lord
Nobles
Knight
Most vassals were knights.
They had to fight to protect
their fief
Fight for the lord
Follow the code of chivalry
Vassal
Landowner who owed
allegiance to the person that
gave him his fief. (Lord)
Protect his serfs
Serve in the army of the lord
Maintain loyalty to the lord
Lord Local leader the owned a fief.Protect his vassals
Maintain order in his land
• Manor- a village and surrounding farms owned by a lord.– Small self-sufficient world– A typical manor included a few dozen one-room huts
clustered close together in a village– Nearby was a water mill, tiny church and manor house– The fields surrounding the village were divided into tiny
strips, each family had strips of land in different fields• Half the land was left fallow, or unplanted, each year to allow
the soil to regain fertility
• Fief- piece of land.
• Medieval Life Nobles Peasants
MenRan estate
Defended fief Farmers or laborers
WomenCould run estate when husband was
awayRaising children, maintaining the
household
ChildrenBoys educated for future roles
Girls learned manners and running a household
Worked with parents for training in future jobs
Diet Variety of meat, fish, vegetables Mostly bread and some vegetables maybe meat on occasion
Housing
Drafty castles or manor houses, very unclean. Moat was sewage and hay was put down to cover garbage on
the floor.
Small, usually one room shared with all of the family and animals
•Medieval Church– Aside from lords and kings, the
most powerful organization was the Catholic Church• Special Powers• Wealth & Power• Education & Charity• Problems
•Special Powers– Sacraments- every Christian had
to receive these at church or face
going to hell
– Excommunication- sacraments
could be withheld • vassals did not have to obey
excommunicated lords
• Interdict- an area could be
excommunicated
– Canon law- special church law
(church officials could only be
tried by the church)
•Wealth & Power– Held most land in
– Collected tithes
– Pope had authority over
lords and kings
– united by Christianity
•Education & Charity– Wanted people to read and
write for the bible
– Most literate people were in
the Church
– Supported hospitals, schools
and poorhouses
– Monasteries • copied books to preserve
learning
• allowed women and poor to read
•Problems– Simony- selling of positions
in the church
–Married Priests (ended 1073)
– Nepotism
– Too much wealth & power
led to corruption
– Conflict over who could
appoint church leaders,
kings or Church
Economic Expansion & Change
– Agricultural Revolution• Europe’s economy recovered• Began in the countryside, peasants adapted new farming technologies,
made fields more productive– New Technologies
• By 800, peasants were using iron plows that carved deep in the heavy soil of Northern Europe– Previously used wooden plows
• New harnesses allowed peasants to use horses rather than oxen to pull plows
– Expanding Production• Feudal lords pushed peasants to clear forests, drain swamps and
reclaim wasteland for farming and grazing• Peasants adapted the three field system
– Planted grain on one field, a second with legumes (peas and beans, restored vitality) and left the third fallow
• With more food available the population grew
• Commercial Revolution – Europe’s growing population
needed goods that were not available on the manor• Peasants needed iron for
farming tools• Wealthy nobles wanted furs
and spices from Asia– Foreign invasions & feudal
warfare declined• Traders re-appeared to meet
the demands for goods
• New Trade Routes– Traders formed
merchant companies that traveled armed caravans for safety• Set up regular
trade routes and exchanged local goods for those from remote markets
• Trade Fairs– Traders and customers
met at local trade fairs• Took place near navigable
rivers or where trade routes met• People from surrounding
villages, towns & castles flocked to the fairs• Peasants traded farm good
& animals • Expensive goods bought by
nobles
• New Towns – Fairs closed in Autumn when the weather made roads impassible– Some merchants waited out the winter months near a castle or in
a town with a bishop’s palace– These tiny settlements attracted artisan’s who made goods for
merchants
– Slowly these small centers of trade turned into medieval cities• Most prosperous cities were
in Northern Italy– To protect their interests,
merchants who set up a new town would ask their local lord, or if possible the King himself, to set up a charter, or written document that set out the rights & privileges of the town • In return the charter
merchants paid lord or King a sum of money or yearly fee or both
– As trade revived money reappeared• Led to more changes
– Merchants needed more money to buy goods, so they borrowed from moneylenders • In time their need for capital, or
money for investment, started the growth for banking houses
– To meet the needs of the changing economy, Europeans developed new ways of doing business• Merchants joined together in an
organization known as a partnership → a group of merchants pooled their funds to finance a large-scale venture that would have been too costly for any individual trader
– Merchants developed a system of insurance to help reduce business risks
– Europeans adapted their business practices from Middle Eastern Merchants• The Bill of Exchange-
– A merchant deposited money with a banker in his home city
– Banker issued a bill of exchange, which the merchant issued for cash in a different city
– A merchant could thus travel without gold coins, easily stolen
• Social Changes– The use of money, undermined
serfdom– Many peasants began selling farm
products to towns people (merchants) and paid their obligations of rents to the lords, by cash, instead of labor
– New Middle class of merchants emerged
– Nobles and clergy despised the middle class• Nobles felt towns were a disruptive
influence• Clergy thought the profits that merchants
and bankers made from usury, or lending money at interest, was immoral
• Role of Guilds– Merchant guilds, or associations, dominated life in
medieval towns • Passed laws, levied taxes, and decided whether to
spend funds to pave streets with cobblestones, build protective walls for the city, or raise a new town hall
– Artisans came to resent the powerful merchants • Organized craft guilds- Each guild represented workers
in one occupation– Weavers, bakers, brewers, sword makers & goldsmiths – Guild members cooperate to protect their own interests– Only members could be in the guild and they could only work
their specific trade– Regulated hours of work
– Becoming a Member• To become a member one had to
work many years in an apprenticeship, or training • At age 7 or 8, a child was
apprenticed to a guild master• Spent seven years learning the
trade• Only pay received was bed and
board• Few apprentices became guild
masters, often became salaried workers called journeymen
Developing Royal Power in Europe During the High Middle Ages, kings
tried to strengthen their power.• France– Kings in France became strong
monarchs by:• Gaining land
– Changed inheritance to primogeniture– Taking land for lords and foreign nations
– Collecting money• Raised taxes and signed charters to earn
money– Working with the Church
• Influenced who held Church jobs• Launched Crusades to assist the pope
• Holy Roman Empire– Never really amounted to
much because • It wasn’t holy: Emperor worked
with and sometimes fought with the pope• It wasn’t Roman: controlled a
vast territory, covering Germany, Austria and Italy (very little of the old Roman Empire.)• It wasn’t an Empire: Rulers had
very little control of their lords. Princes ruled their small domains.
• England England developed strong kings by:– Collecting taxes
• King William had a tax book called the Domesday Book. His tax records were so thorough that people said it was easier to escape Doomsday than pay taxes.
– Enforcing laws• Circuit judges went around to hear cases for the king• They collected decisions into common law so cases with similar
crimes received the same penalties – But kings lost power thanks to:
• Magna Carta (1215)- a document signed by King John giving rights to nobles.– Nobles threatened him to sign it or they would revolt– It gave them special rights such as:– The king had to consult a group of privileged men to tax – The king had to respect basic rights like trial and the right to property
Crusades
The Mediterranean World of 1100• Europeans
– made up of Christians headed by the pope
– most powerful nations included France, Britain and Holy Roman Empire
• Byzantines– made up of Orthodox Christians headed
by the emperor Alexius– The Crusades begin when the emperor
asks Europeans for help• Arab Middle East
– made up of Muslims headed by local leaders
– the areas of Muslim control were divided
Why did people go?• Religious Reasons:– People believed they were spreading Christianity and
doing God’s work– those that died went straight to heaven
• Personal Reasons:– The pope wanted to unite Christians under him– nobles could get land– prisoners could be released– serfs could be freed
Crusades • Seljuk Turks invade Asia Minor and the Holy Land• Emperor Alexius of Byzantium asks the West to help him fight
Turkish invaders.• Pope Urban II calls for Christians to help retake the Holy Land
and help Byzantium.• French knights lead soldiers in the First Crusade• The First Crusaders retake much of the Holy Land and set up
four kingdoms.• In 1147, a second crusade is called after the city of Edessa is
conquered by Muslims, but achieved little.• In 1187, a third crusade, led by the kings of Europe, is called
after the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin. Little is achieved • In 1204, a fourth crusade is diverted to Constantinople and
fails to even make it to the Holy Land.
• First Crusade 1095- 1099 Who lead this crusade?
– led by French nobles Why did Europeans go?
– To reclaim the Holy Land Results
– the most successful Crusade, the Crusaders established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem
• Second Crusade 1147- 1149 Who lead this crusade?
– led by king of France and Holy Roman Emperor Why did Europeans go?
– To help stop renewed Muslim attacks Results
– neither army worked together and the enterprise was a failure
• Third Crusade 1189- 1192 Who lead this crusade?
– Led by the king of England, the king of France and Holy Roman Emperor Why did Europeans go?
– The Muslim general Saladin had retaken the city of Jerusalem Results
– Only the English king arrived and fought– He could have negotiated, but chose to fight and left defeated
• Fourth Crusade 1202- 1204 Who lead this crusade?
– Knights from France Why did Europeans go?
– To help retake Jerusalem, but decide to attack Constantinople instead Results
– The participants were excommunicated, but the Crusade was a failure– The Eastern and Western Churches were permanently divided– The Crusades lost all of their glory
• The Crusades were a successful failure because:Success Failure
•New weapons- gun powder, crossbow•Medicine- infections, surgery•New trade goods- spices, silk, fruit, sugar, cotton, stained glass•Roman and Greek Learning
lost the Holy Land
– in 1291, the last outpost was lost and the Crusades ended– during this time the papacy held the greatest power– kings increased power over nobles (they were leaders of
Crusades)– feudalism was weakened (serfs that fought gained
freedom)– Trade exploded with new goods from the Mid- East
(spices, cloth, gems, fruit, sugar and cotton,)– Cultural diffusion- new inventions made their way to
Europe (crossbow, gunpowder, stained glass, lost learning and medical techniques)
Learning and Arts
• During the High Middle Ages, improvements in life and contact with different people led to many cultural changes.
• Revival of Learning– Universities- in most major cities,
educational guilds were set up– Greek and Roman books- came from
Constantinople or Muslims Spain– Thomas Aquinas- like many scholars he
tried to make ancient learning fit Christianity
– Arabic numbers, philosophy and medicine
• Literature– writers wrote in the vernacular or local
languages of the common people– Epics came from the heroic stories of knights– Stories about religion and common people
written in the vernacular • Divine Comedy, Canterbury Tales
• Art and Architecture– Painting was 2D, with limited colors usually
about religion– Religion also dominated architecture
• Romanesque- buildings with thick walls to support small domes
• Gothic- huge buildings with domed ceilings and stained glass windows
– The Church supported art and most artists never received credit for their work
The end of the Middle Ages• Destructive events
brought an end to the Middle Ages by targeting the two most important parts of Medieval Life: feudalism and the Church.
• Black Plague (1347- on) What is it?
– An epidemic that started in Central Asia and traveled to Europe.
Why was it so deadly?– Europeans knew little about medicine– They were dirty and rats spread the
disease– Sometimes cures helped the disease
instead of curing it What were the effects?
– 1/ 3 of Europeans were died– Farmers demanded higher wages because
labor was scarce (affected feudalism)– Kings took power from nobles that died
during the plague– Some Europeans turned to God for help,
but religious and non- religious were affected equally(affected the Church)
• The Great Schism (Babylonian Captivity) (1308- 1378)/ 1378- 1409/ 1409- 1415)
What was it?– A time when multiple popes ruled and created confusion of
who Christians should follow How did it happen?– For various reasons, three popes were elected– For almost 30 years there were multiple popes– Finally, at the council of Clermont the issue was settled and one
new pope was selected What’s the problem with this?– When people needed him most, the pope was unavailable
(affected the Church)– Christians were confused and lost faith (affected the Church)– Without popes, local kings gained supreme power
• Hundred Years War (1337- 1453) How did it start?
– It began as a conflict over who would be king of France. (the English king claimed the crown)
What happened?– The English tried to claim land in France and succeeded in
the early parts of the war– The war was interrupted by plague and lack of soldiers– Finally the French won with the help of Joan of Arc
What were the results?– The English were kicked out of France– Joan of Arc was burned– New weapons such as the cannon, gun and longbow
(affected feudalism)• cannon could knock down lord’s castles• cheap armies of peasants with guns replaced knights on
horseback– England went into a period of reform while the French
king gained supreme power
Conclusions on the Middle Ages
• Two phases, Dark Ages/ High Middle Ages• Feudalism and the Church controlled people’s
lives.• Many changes– Learning– Business– Royal power– warfare
• Ended violently Black Plague, Great Schism, Hundred Years’ War