• 1000 - 1500

The High Middle AgesThe High Middle Ages

•1. The Crusades

•2. Trade and Towns

•3. Art and Culture of the Middle Ages

•4. Challenges of the Late Middle Ages

•During the High Middle Ages, many changes took place in Europe

•Growth of trade brought about new business practices and bigger towns

•Religion continued to play a huge role in people’s lives

300 - 1500

1. Launching the Crusades1. Launching the Crusades

• During the Middle Ages, European Christians launched a series of religious wars called the Crusades.

• The goal of the Crusades: to take Jerusalem and the area around it known as the Holy land, away from the Muslims.

• Jerusalem was holy to Jews because of the Holy Temple, and for Christians, it was a place where Jesus was crucified and buried.

• 1000’s the city of Jerusalem had fallen to North African Muslims called the Fatimids

300 - 1500

Pope Urban II: Preaching a CrusadePope Urban II: Preaching a Crusade

•Turkish Muslims also attacked the

Byzantine Empire and threatened the

capital, Constantinople

•The emperor asked Pope Urban II and

western Europe for help.

•Pope Urban II called church leaders to a

council in Clermont and stressed to them

the dangers the Byzantine Empire faced.

•He called for Christian warriors, including

knights and nobles, to fight the Turkish

Muslims

300 - 1500

Setting Out on Crusade – The First CrusadesSetting Out on Crusade – The First Crusades

•The Crusaders left France in 1096 in what

is known as the First Crusade.

•All in all, nine organized Crusades set out

from Europe between 1096 and 1291.

•They all had different leaders and met with

varying degrees of success.

300 - 1500

The First CrusadesThe First Crusades

Two groups – peasants and knights

• Peasants – unskilled in war and unsuccessful– Crusaders passed Jewish

communities and slaughtered in spite of opposition

• Knights – after three years of traveling, the Crusaders reached Jerusalem and were able to seize the city

300 - 1500

The Second CrusadesThe Second Crusades

• Within a few years, the Muslims regained control of some Christian states.

• Launched in 1147 by King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine

• The Second Crusade was a failure; they took no land from the Muslims were forced to return back to Europe

300 - 1500

The Third CrusadesThe Third Crusades

• New leader in Muslim world emerged – Saladin the Sultan

• He set out to back all the land that the Christians gained from the First Crusades

• He was successful in regaining control of Jerusalem

• King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England fought Saladin in the Holy Land

• Although he won several battles, he was unsuccessful in pushing back the Muslims

• In the end, he returned back to England

300 - 1500

The Fourth and Later CrusadesThe Fourth and Later Crusades

• With Jerusalem in the hands of the Muslims,

Europeans set out on a fourth crusade in

1201.

• They decided to attack at Constantinople

instead, but the fourth and five other crusades

were unsuccessful.

• In 1291, the Muslims had driven the

Christians completely out of the holy land.

300 - 1500

Christian Crusades: East and WestChristian Crusades: East and West

•Although, the Crusades did not accomplish their goal, they had long-lasting effects.

•They changed both Europe and the Holy Land economically, politically, and socially.

300 - 1500

Effects on the Crusades

• The Crusades enhanced trading as returning Crusaders brought even more goods, such as spices and textiles, to Europe.

• The Crusades led to the deaths of many knights and nobles. In many cases, kings took control of the land, gaining more power in Europe.

• Relationships between Christian and Jews and Muslims became increasingly strained.

•Economic

•Political

•Social

300 - 1500

2. Medieval Trade and Town2. Medieval Trade and Town

•Towns and cities grew during the high middle ages as the amount of trade increased between Europe and other

continents

•Large cities, like London, became more common in the High Middle Ages.

•Most of this trade was controlled by merchant from Italy and northern Europe

300 - 1500

Growth of TradeGrowth of Trade

• The Italians were among the first people in medieval Europe to build a thriving trade economy.

• While the Italians were dominating trade in the south, another group was actively trading in Northern Europe

• Hanseatic League – northern German cities that worked together to promote trade

• Trade fairs and markets developed as goods poured into Europe through Italian and German cities

• Some merchants even allowed their customers to buy on credit, promise of later payment

Hanseatic League warship

London in the Middle Ages

300 - 1500

Growth of Towns and CitiesGrowth of Towns and CitiesGuild HallGuild Hall

Medieval Guilds

Commercial Monopoly:

Controlled membership

apprentice journeyman master craftsman

Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].

Controlled prices

•Thriving trade and the increase of

money in Europe led to the expansion of

towns and cities

•1300 – Paris and Rome each had

100,000 residents while London and

Florence had 75,000.

300 - 1500

Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s ShopMedieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Shop

•Only members of a guild could run a business.

•Here an apprentice works with his master craftsman.

•Most medieval guilds were only open to men, but some accepted female members as well.

300 - 1500

Daily Life in the CityDaily Life in the City

•The cities during the Middle

Ages were small and crowded.

•Shops and houses were

usually three to four stories

high.

•Cities posed several threats

of disease, fire, and crime.

•It also provided benefits such

as churches, eating halls, and

markets.

300 - 1500

3. Art and Culture of the Middle Ages3. Art and Culture of the Middle Ages

• During the Middle Ages, great achievements were made in the visual arts, literature, and thinking and learning.

• Much of it centered around Christianity

300 - 1500

Visual ArtsVisual Arts

• Striking cathedrals, such as Notre Dame in Paris, are the most striking legacy of the importance of Christianity in the Middle Ages

• These churches were built in the new Gothic style –taller and brighter than earlier churches had been –flying buttresses

• Religious texts were often richly decorated with pictures and designs – illumination.

• Tapestries depicting daily life, history, or fantasy also became elaborate wall hangings in churches.

Gothic style

300 - 1500

LiteratureLiterature

• Literature introduced new ideas and practices in the Middle Ages.

• Religious writers created all sorts of works including songs and poems.

• Hildegard of Bingen – nun who was an artist, poet, and composer

• Troubadours – wandering singers who performed epics and romances

• Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales – tale of a group of pilgrims travelling to the town of Canterbury, England.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Hildegard of Bingen

The Canterbury Tales

300 - 1500

Thinking and LearningThinking and Learning• Religious writers of the Middle Ages helped

spread new ideas throughout Europe and gave rise to new ways of thinking and learning.

• Alchemy – early form of Chemistry

• Thinking and learning led to universities and teachers.

300 - 1500

Medieval UniversitiesMedieval Universities

•The growth of European universities increased the flow of Greek learning into Europe

•Scientific, philosophical, mathematical texts were translated into Latin

•Universities helped create a new educated class

300 - 1500

Oxford UniversityOxford University

•A Master of Arts program took six years;

additional eight years for a degree in theology.

•Most were men, and most came to study at the

age of 17

•Most were Christian

•Universities in the Middle Ages were products of

the growing cities.

•University – “a group of persons associated for a

purpose”

300 - 1500

Teaching of Thomas AquinasTeaching of Thomas Aquinas• One of the more influential scholars of

the age – teacher at University of Paris

• Scholasticism – both reason and faith were necessary for an understanding of truth

• Summa Theologica – explored philosophy and theology

300 - 1500

4. Challenges of the Late Middle Ages4. Challenges of the Late Middle Ages

• In the late Middle Ages, Europeans faced many challenges.

• Religious Crises

• Wars and Conflicts

• And a Deadly Plague

300 - 1500

Religious CrisesReligious Crises

• In 1346, King Edward III of England invaded France

• Europe faced challenges to its religious, political, and social order

• Because Christianity was the one element that tied most Europeans together, religious crises was a great threat to all their society

• Heresy - beliefs that opposed the official teachings of the Church

• Primary method to fight heresy –Inquisitions - legal procedures supervised by special judges who tried to suspect heretics

300 - 1500

Wars and ConflictsWars and Conflicts

• While Europe faced religious turmoil, political leaders were fighting numerous wars to gain power for themselves

• Hundred Years War -1328 - no heir to the French throne - except the King of England, Edward VII (nephew)

• Joan of Arc - 1429 young peasant French girl led several victories, but she was eventually captured

• War of the Roses - two English families Yorks and the Lancasters - fought for the throne

• Led to the rise of the Tudor family -Henry VII-related to both families and his rise to power marked the end of the War of the Roses and began a new era in English history

300 - 1500

Black DeathBlack Death

• While the Hundred Years War was taking place, another crisis struck the people of Europe

• The Black Death - devastating plague that swept across the continent between 1347 and 1351.

• Bubonic Plague - spread by flees that lived on rats and other rats

• Pneumonic plague - spread through the air from person to person

• Was God punishing Europeans for their sins?

• Effects – major loss of population (1/3rd of Europe) and an end to the manorial system

300 - 1500