I. Europe after the Roman EmpireA. Once the Roman Empire collapsed, most of

Europe was ruled by a series of Germanic tribes.

B. The Catholic Church-By the 4th century, the Christian Church became more powerful.

Jesus giving the keys to Rome to St. Peter

1. A group of parishes was headed by a bishop, whose area of authority was called a diocese. Over time, the Bishop of Rome claimed he was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Later bishops of Rome became known as popes.

2. Gregory I-Strengthened the power of the papacy by becoming a political leader.

a) Monastic Movement-A monk is a man who separates himself from ordinary society. Monks were social workers, ran schools, hospitals, etc.

1) These monks and nuns spread Christianity all over Europe.

C. The Carolingian Empire-In 768 C.E., Charlemagne became king of the Franks and was able to conquer much of central and western Europe.

1. In 800, Charlemagne acquired a new title—Emperor of the Romans. Symbolized the joining of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements.

The Pope asking Charlemagne for help

2. Carolingian Renaissancea) Preserved Greco-Roman ideasb) Monasteries played a key role in this preservation.

3. End of the Carolingian Empire-It fell apart after Charlemagne’s death due to invasions of the Vikings and Muslims.

II. Feudalism A. A social, political, and economic system in

Medieval Europe. The most valuable commodity in feudalism was land.

1. Kings-Ruled the land2. Lords-Owned the land in the system3. Knights-Agreed to protect the land for the lords.4. Serfs-Worked the land

B. Chivalry-Code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold.

1. Defend the Church2. Defend defenseless people3. Treat captives as honored guests4. Fight for glory

III. The Byzantine EmpireA. Justinian-Became emperor in 527. His empire

included Italy, part of Spain, North Africa, Asia Minor, Palestine, and Syria.

1. Justinian’s Code-Legal code in Byzantine Empire. He organized the complicated body of Roman laws.

2. Hagia Sophia-The Church of the Holy Wisdom. This cathedral had an enormous dome, which would become a mosque after the fall of the Byzantines.

3. Hippodrome-Arena where gladiator fights and chariot races were held.