The Early Middle Ages (500 -1000 )

• Known as the "Dark Ages"1. Culture and learning almost disappeared in

Europe.2. Few organized governments existed.3. Plagued by barbaric invasions.• Germanic tribes• Hunted rather than farmed.• Many were seafaring (i.e. Vikings)• They worshipped the forces of nature.• Paid little attention to art, science, and literature

The Age of Charlemagne• The Age of Charlemagne is known as the,

"Light in the Dark Ages."• King of the Franks • Governed his kingdom from a castle in

Aachen.• Crowned Roman Emperor in 800 A.D. by

Pope Leo III.• Created a huge empire by defeating the

Lombards and Saxons.• Incorporated their territories into his

empire.• Managed his lands efficiently and kept his

nobles loyal.• Charlemagne was very interested in

education.• Constructed schools

Charlemagne’s DeathHis successors could not maintain the kingdom.Treaty of Verdun, (843 A.D.)

Treaty of Verdun, 843

• Split Charlemagne's kingdom into three regions.• Charles the Bald - West Frankish Kingdom (Modern-

day France)• Louis the German - East Frankish Kingdom (Modern-

day Germany and central Europe)• Lothar I - Kingdom of Italy (Northern Italy)• Subdivided after Lothar I’s death in 855 A.D. between

Lothar II, Charles the Young, and Louis II.• Division made the kingdoms weaker and they

became rivals.

Feudalism• The growth of Feudalism

(900A.D. to 1400's)• System of holding land in

exchange for military service.

• Feudal kings and lords gave lands (Fiefs) to lesser nobles (Vassals).

• An unwritten contract or understanding.

• Often, they continued to subdivide their lands (fiefs) further.

• Developed because organized government fell apart in Europe.

Advantages of Feudalism

• Provided stability, security, and government after the collapse of theRoman Empire.

• Offered protection against barbarian invasions.

• Everyone had certain rights and duties.

Disadvantages of Feudalism

• Undemocratic principle• Some people were born to rule and others to

serve.• Period was marked by poverty, illiteracy,

and numerous diseases.• Warfare became frequent between the

vassals.• Much land and property was destroyed.• Peasants suffered the most

Feudal Life• The manor, or estate of the lord, was the center of

medieval life.• Consisted of the lord's castle, fields where crops were

grown, and the village where the peasants lived.• Agriculture was the most important industry.• Peasants worked both their land and their lord's land.• Farming methods and tools were crude and inefficient.• Three-field system was popular

- 2/3 of the fields were used for farming each season.- The other 1/3 was left alone, to fallow, to regain its fertility

Life of a peasant• Life was very hard.• Peasants were bound to the land, often sold with the

land.• Needed their lord's permission to marry or to travel

outside of the manor.• Worked from sunrise to sunset.• Little time for entertainment or merrymaking.• Self-sufficient: Grew their own food and made their

own clothing.• Plagued by crop failures and numerous diseases.• Very few could read.

Church in the Middle Ages• Roman Catholic Church• The Church was the most

powerful institution in Medieval Europe.

• People had unquestionable faith in the church.

• Represented an escape from the turmoil of their everyday lives.

• Sanctuary (safe place)• Entire lives were guided by

the Catholic Church.• If you didn't belong, you

were considered an outcast.

The Power of the Church in 1500It Owned Land:• The Church owned many large areas of farmland. People who grew

crops on this land had to give one tenth of everything they grew to theChurch - this was called the Tithe.

It Controlled People’s Beliefs:• told people that when they died, their souls lived on either in• Heaven or in Hell.• Hell, they said, was a place of great pain and suffering.• The people were understandably frightened of going there. So, the

Church gave them hope. It said that after you die your soul goes first to

• a place called Purgatory, where it would stay until any sins had been burnt away.

It Was Rich:

• People wanted to be in purgatory for the shortest possible time.

• The Church said that you could shorten your stay in purgatory if you did several things-Attend Church and live a good life-Go on a pilgrimage-Buy a special pardon, known as Indulgences.

• The Church made a lot of money this way, as people tried to buy their way to heaven.

• The Church also made money through the Tithes.

It Was Not Controlled by the King

• The Roman Catholic church was led by the Pope (the King could not tell anyone from the Church what to do)

• Even if a churchman committed a crime, they could not be tried by a normal court, but by fellow churchmen, who were often very lenient

How the Catholic Church enforced its authority

• Excommunication- cut off an individual from Church services.

• Considered a severe form of punishment.

• Interdiction- cut off an entire nation or region from Church services.