The Middle Ages in Europe Ca. C.E. 476-1400. Part I: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the...

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The Middle Ages in Europe Ca. C.E. 476-1400

Transcript of The Middle Ages in Europe Ca. C.E. 476-1400. Part I: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the...

The Middle Agesin Europe

Ca. C.E. 476-1400

Part I: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire

and the Low Middle Ages(Ca. C.E. 476 – 1000)

What were the legacies of the Roman Empire?

• Historians often referred to the legacies of the Roman Empire as “classical tradition.” Classical tradition included:– Law and government (Greek democracy and Roman

republicanism; codified public laws such as the Twelve Tables)

– Militarism

– Imperialism (political and economic/trade)

– Classical learning (humanism in literature, drama, philosophy, medicine, science, math, architecture, and art)

– Religion (Polytheism and Christianity)

What were the “Low Middle Ages”?

• The time period in Western European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in C.E. 476 to the eleventh century (ca. C.E. 1000).

• Some historians interpret this period as a “Dark Age” in European history due to the shorter average human life span and loss of learning that characterized this time period.

How did Western European society reshape itself to fit the changing conditions

of the Low Middle Ages?

• Major changes took place in the structure and purpose of government and in religion.

• The concept of government changed:– During the time of the Roman Empire, Western Europe

was ruled by public government. – After the fall of the Roman Empire family ties and

personal loyalty replaced Roman public government.– During the Low Middle Ages, chiefs called lords led bands

of loyal warriors, who lived in the chief’s home and shared his food, weapons and treasure. In war time warriors fought to the death at their lord’s side.

How did Western European society reshape itself to fit the changing conditions of the Low Middle Ages?

• Papal power expanded:– Beyond his spiritual role,

in the late C.E. 500s the pope became involved in secular (non-religious) events.

– Seeing the former Roman Empire as his spiritual kingdom—Christendom—the Pope believed that he was responsible for all areas of people’s lives including their protection.

The Pope’s power expanded

Adoration of theVirgin Mary increasedwith hard times

How did Western European society reshape itself to fit the changing conditions of the Low Middle Ages?

• The Holy Roman Emperor’s position was created:– In the late C.E. 700s, a ruler named Charlemagne

(pictured top left) emerged who conquered and reunited large territories of the former western Roman Empire.

– Charlemagne spread Christianity to all of the lands that he conquered. In addition, he traveled to Rome and defended the Pope against mobs that had attacked him.

– In gratitude, the Pope crowned Charlemagne “Holy Roman Emperor” (bottom left)—symbolically joining the Germanic kingdom’s power, the Roman Catholic Church and the former Western Roman Empire.

What was Feudalism? Why did it emerge as the dominant new system of government and

landholding?• Invaders continued to attack Western Europe.

– Despite their titles of “Holy Roman Emperor”, Charlemagne’s successors were unable to continue governing and protecting the Holy Roman Empire effectively. Invasions by Vikings, Magyars and Muslims made warfare in Europe constant.

– Due to widespread chaos, a power vacuum developed. A new form of government would emerge to replace the failed Holy Roman Empire structure: Feudalism.

What was Feudalism? Why did it emerge as the dominant new system of government and landholding?

• Feudalism emerged as the new social order.– The feudal system was based on rights and

obligations. In exchange for military protection and other services, a lord granted land called a fief to his vassal.

– On a larger scale, the structure of feudal society was much like a pyramid. Kings were at the top of local feudal social pyramids, followed by high church officials and nobles; followed by knights; followed by landless peasants; followed by serfs, peasants tied to lands who provided free labor to lords in exchange for protection.An oath of fealty between a

lord and his knight

An illustration of Feudalism:

What was Feudalism? Why did it emerge as the dominant new system of government and

landholding?• Manors showcased the economic aspects of feudalism:

– The manor, or lord’s estate, was the basic, self-sufficient economic arrangement that rested on the set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs.

– The lord provided the serfs with protection, farmland and housing; the serfs provided the lord with free labor.

– Free peasants also participated in this economic arrangement. In exchange for protection peasants owed the lord a few days of free labor each week, a portion of their grain, a tax for using the lord’s mill, and consent before they married.

– Free peasants owed additional obligations to the Church, whose village priest required a tithe—a church tax equal to one tenth of a peasant’s income.

An illustration of manorial life:

Part II: The Crusades (Ca. C.E. 1071 - 1291)

From the confines of Jerusalem and from Constantinople, a grievous report has gone forth that an accursed race has violently invaded the lands of these Christians, and has depopulated them by pillage and fire.

On whom, then, rests the labor of avenging these wrongs, and recovering this territory, if not upon you—you upon whom, above all others, God has conferred remarkable glory in arms, great bravery, and strength to humble the heads of those who resist you?

Jerusalem is a land fruitful above all others, a paradise of delights. That royal city, situated at the center of the earth, implores you to come to her aid. Undertake this journey eagerly for the remission of your sins, and be assured of the reward of imperishable glory in the Kingdom of Heaven.

-Pope Urban II, C.E. 1096

What factors led to the Crusades?

• In C.E. 1071 Turkish Muslims under the leadership of the Seljuk sultans marched on the weakened Byzantine Empire. Within ten years the Seljuks controlled most of the territory in modern Turkey—close to the Byzantine capitol, Constantinople. Turkish Muslims already occupied Jerusalem.

Muslim warriors during the Crusades

What factors led to the Crusades?

Come then, with all your people and give battle with all your strength, so that all this treasure shall not fall into the hands of the Turks…Therefore act while there is still time list the kingdom of the Christians shall vanish from your sight and, what is more important, the Holy Sepulcher shall vanish. And in your coming you will find your reward in heaven, and if you do not come, God will condemn you.

•By C.E. 1093 the Byzantine Emperor sent appeals for help to powerful Christian nobles and Catholic religious officials in western Europe:

The Byzantine Emperor asks for help

What factors led to the Crusades?

• The Pope, Urban II, issued a call for a Holy War for the Cross (Latin=Crux)—a crusade—to regain Christian control over the Holy Land around Jerusalem. Over the next 300 years numerous Crusades occurred.

Pope Urban II calls for a Crusade

What were the goals of the Crusades?• Religious goals:

– Expel the Muslims from the Holy Land and from around Constantinople

– Reunite the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches

• Political goals:– Eliminate opposition: Kings and lords could kill off rival

nobles and knights– Gain land, position in society and/or adventure

• Economic goals:– Merchants could make profits by charging Crusaders for

passage by ship to the Holy Land– Merchants hoped to win control of trade routes to India and

China

Were the Crusades successful or failures?• The First Crusade: Although

poorly prepared, Christian armies of nobles from throughout Europe besieged and captured Jerusalem and a narrow strip of land surrounding it in C.E. 1099.

• The Second Crusade: Muslims under the command of the general Salah al-Din attacked and regained Jerusalem and the territories Christians had won in the First Crusade.

• The Third Crusade: Christians tried to regain Jerusalem; eventually a truce was achieved with Salah al-Din and his Muslim army wherein Muslims controlled Jerusalem but promised Christians safe pilgrimages.

The siege of Constantinople

Were the Crusades successful or failures?• The Fourth Crusade: Christian

armies stopped in Constantinople on the way to Jerusalem and looted the city.

• The Children’s Crusade: 50,000 unarmed children set out on foot to conquer Jerusalem; many died of starvation or exposure along the way and others drowned at sea or were sold into slavery.

• The Spanish Crusade/Reconquista: From the C.E. 1100s to the 1400s Christians in Spain successfully expelled their Muslim rulers. The Inquisition court to suppress heresy against the Church followed. This stained glass window depicts the

Children’s Crusade

What were the effects of the Crusades?• Political:

– The successes of the earlier Crusades showed the political power of the Church during the medieval period. However, the failure of the later Crusades lessened the Pope’s power and increased the power of medieval kings. In addition, the fall of Constantinople to Muslims weakened the Byzantine Empire.

• Economic:– European merchants who lived and traded in the Crusader states expanded trade

between Europe and southwest Asia of goods such as: spices, fruits and cloth. This increase in trade benefited Christians and Muslims. In Europe, new trade towns and later trade cities developed, particularly in Italy.

• Social:– For the many men who left to fight, the Crusades promised adventure and chances

to gain power, prestige and land abroad. After the departure of many men in Europe, women and others who stayed home gained opportunities to manage estates and business such as shops and inns. By the end of the Crusades, thousands of knights and other participants had lost their lives and/or fortunes.

• Religious:– For Muslims, the intolerance and prejudice displayed by Christians in the Holy

Land left behind a legacy of bitterness and hatred that continued in modern times. Christian and Jewish people who continued to live in the Holy Land after the Crusades saw their relations with the Muslim leadership worsen. In Europe, the Crusades led to persecution of non-Christians such as Muslim and Jewish people.

Part III: The High Middle Ages (Ca. C.E. 1000 - 1400)

What were the “High Middle Ages”?• The period in Western European history from C.E. 1000

to the beginning of the Renaissance around 1400.• During the High Middle Ages, the period from C.E. 900

to 1300 was also known as the “Age of Faith” because the Church was most powerful during this period.

• Unlike the backward “Dark Ages”/Low Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages were a time of growing intellectualism and of political expansion and consolidation.

• Subsequently Church and State relations grew tense, as religious leaders competed to control lands and people.

What was the Catholic Church like during the Age of Faith, ca. C.E. 900-1300-how did it maintain its power?

• The Pope was the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Priests and other clergy administered sacraments—religious ceremonies that helped people to get salvation (i.e., baptism, Eucharist, anointing of the sick…)

• The Pope and his advisors also wrote canon laws—religious laws that every Christian person was expected to follow.

• Consequences for not following canon law were excommunication and the interdict. Excommunication prevented individual people from receiving the sacraments; an interdict meant the same for an entire kingdom!

What was the Catholic Church like during the Age of Faith, ca. C.E. 900-1300-how did it maintain its power?

• During the Low Middle Ages the Church had been under political leaders’ influence--kings had weapons and knights, thus had the power to protect people. Security was most important.

• Since secular leaders wanted more power, they and the Church fought. During the investiture struggle, kings and popes fought over who would pick local bishops. In the 1100s, popes won the struggle.

• The Church also gained power under reforms led by the Cluny monastery. Cluny monks demanded a separation of Church and State, and for a couple hundred years afterward the Church prevailed.

What was an example of the Catholic Church’s power during the Age of Faith?

• “Going to Canossa”: The Pope was very powerful during the Low Middle Ages. For example, here is the story of Henry IV: the Pope opposed lay investiture—kings having the power to choose bishops. When in C.E. 1075 the Pope made a law to ban lay investiture, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, told the Pope to resign. Instead the Pope excommunicated Henry IV. Henry IV was forced to beg the Pope for forgiveness—and the Pope had an obligation from the Bible to forgive Henry IV. However, the Pope forced Henry IV to stand in the snow outside Canossa for three days before he forgave him. (The Concordat of Worms settled the argument by saying that the Pope would choose bishops but that the emperor could veto his choice.)

Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV kneels before the Pope and asks for forgiveness at Canossa

What religious changes occurred and reshaped the Church during the High Middle Ages?

• Monasteries were created where monks tried to go back to living based on Christian principles. Monastic orders like the Benedictines, Dominicans and Franciscans were founded.

• Internal reforms in the Roman Catholic Church against: priests marrying, the selling of church offices (simony) and lay investiture (kings appointing bishops).

• Internal reforms in the Roman Catholic Church designed to reorganize the church: The pope and his advisors would judge religious matters and would write canon law (the law of the church). Charity, like in hospitals, also increased.

• Gothic Cathedrals were built to connect the Church to God and to showcase the Roman Catholic Church’s power.

• The Crusades were fought to try and expand the influence of the Church.Cathedrals showed Church power

What economic and social changes occurred in Europe during the High Middle Ages?

• The food supply grew due to improved technology: – Switch from oxen to horsepower:

Although horses needed better food horses were stronger and faster; they could plow three times as much land per day than oxen.

– Harnesses: New harnesses fitted across horses’ chests allowed horses to pull heavy loads.

– Three-Field System: Before, farmers had used the two-field system to farm. In the High Middle Ages, they began to use the three-field system that overall produced more crops.

• As the food supply grew, so did the population.

The three-field system led to largercrop yields and larger populations

What economic and social changes occurred in Europe during the High Middle Ages?

• Guilds and their middle class members became powerful: Guilds, like unions, were organizations of individuals (in the same business or occupation) working to improve the living and working conditions of its members. During the High Middle Ages guilds set the standards for: training new guild members (apprenticeship), quality of work, wages, and working conditions. These controls made guilds and their members very wealthy and powerful over local government. (Hint: Think about blacksmiths as an example…)

Members of the wine makers guild became more influential

What economic and social changes occurred in Europe during the High Middle Ages?

• The Commercial revolution began: Commerce = trade and financing (loans). The period of time when increasing trade and financing occurred in Medieval Europe is known as the Commercial Revolution. How did life change during the Commercial Revolution?– Fairs and trade in towns increased. This led to more demand for luxury

goods from far away, which increased trade further.– Business and banking increased: More trade meant a larger need for

cash, credit, currency exchange, and travelers’ checks. Businessmen emerged to fill these financing needs and became wealthy and powerful.

– Trade and towns grew together: As trade increased, people moved from manors into towns. As workers were needed in trade centers, people moved back to urban places and towns grew larger. Many were former serfs who became peasant workers: By living in town for a year a person who had been a serf could become free. In addition for the first time middle class people emerged, often called burghers or the bourgeoisie. Their power grew and they replaced lords as the most powerful people in towns.

What economic and social changes occurred in Europe during the High Middle Ages?

• The Revival of Learning started:– Muslim scholars had kept classical (Greek and

Roman) texts alive. The Crusades and increased trade with Muslims allowed these ideas to be reintroduced to Europeans along with new Muslim technology.

– Universities were created for the first time in Europe. Scholars met to study in universities, and spread the ideas they learned back to their towns by speaking and writing in the vernacular—everyday language.

– Rationalism reemerged: Scholastics started to think that basic religious truths could be proved by using reason and logical argument.

With the revival of learning,France’s queen began to read

How did the High Middle Ages come to an end?

• Catastrophic events of the 1300s bring the High Middle Ages to an end:– The Great Schism

– The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague

– The Hundred Years’ War

Why was the Great Schism significant?

• The Great Schism was a division within the Catholic Church.– Background: Remember “Going to Canossa”? In the

1300s, a similar incident occurred with a very different outcome. In the year C.E. 1300, Pope Boniface VIII tried to enforce papal authority over kings as previous popes had (another issue over lay investiture). When the French king, Philip IV, asserted his authority over French bishops the Pope replied with a canon law document that stated kings must always obey popes. Instead of obeying the Pope, the French king kidnapped the Pope with the intention of putting the Pope on trial. The Pope ultimately was rescued but died of shock a month later.

– Effect: Never again would a Pope be able to force kings to obey him. The Church lost power that kings won.

Illustration: The Papal Chambers

Why was the Great Schism significant?

• The Great Schism itself:– Afterward King Philip IV sought a French pope.

Indeed the next Pope was French. To “protect” the new pope, King Philip IV encouraged the Pope to move from Rome to the French city of Avignon. Popes lived in Avignon for the next 69 years. When the papacy finally moved back to Rome after the death of a pope, mobs in the city protested outside the Vatican (where the College of Cardinals were choosing the next Pope) screaming that they wanted a Roman or an Italian pope. An Italian was chosen: Pope Urban VI. Pope Urban VI proved to be obnoxious, so in addition a second pope was elected a few months later—Clement VII. Now there were two popes, each of whom declared the other to be a false pope.

– (What problems did this cause?)

What was the outcome of the Great Schism?

• The Catholic Church tried to end the Great Schism by choosing a new pope—leading to three popes.

• The Roman Catholic Church Council and the Holy Roman Emperor forced all three popes to resign and chose a new pope.

• This ended the Great Schism but weakened the papacy.

Why was the Black Death significant?

• Between C.E. 1347 and 1351 the Bubonic Plague arrived in Europe. The major epidemic crossed Europe, Asia and Africa and ripped apart societies on each continent; more than 25 million people died in Europe alone and an equal number were killed in Asia. The plague originated in Asia and spread to Europe and Africa through trade, carried by infected fleas and rats and then spread from person to person.

Europeans bury plague victims

What were the plague’s characteristics?

The plague produced black or purple spots on people’s skinand extensive swelling near people’s lymph nodes. Withindays infected people would develop extremely high fevers, chills, delirium and most likely would die.

What were the Black Death’s effects?• The population fell.

• Manor life and feudalism ended.

• Serfs left the manor.

• Peasants revolted against nobles over wages.

• Jewish and Muslim people were persecuted.

• Belief in the Church dropped when the Pope and clergy failed to end the plague through prayer.

• The Middle Ages came to an end.

Jewish people blamed for the Black Death were burned alive.

Why was the Hundred Years’ War significant?

• England and France fought each other from C.E. 1337 to 1453 over who would be the next French king. After more than a hundred years of warfare, with both sides winning different battles, the war ended with French victory.

Why was the Hundred Years’ War significant?• The war brought a change in the

style of warfare in Europe. At the beginning of the war, knights were considered more valuable than common peasant foot soldiers and archers. Yet after the longbow was invented knights were too slow—weighted by armor and tied to horses. Longbows could penetrate armor; their arrows could be fired at a rate of 12 to 15 arrows per minute. For that reasons, longbows were viewed as the machine guns of the Middle Ages.

Longbows were the “machine guns of theMiddle Ages”.

Why was the Hundred Years’ War significant?• The long war changed

Europe in four ways:– Nationalism, or a sense of

love and responsibility to a country, replaced feudalism.

– The French monarchy gained power.

– The English monarchy lost power, which led to an English Civil War known as the War of the Roses.

– The Middle Ages came to an end.

A nationalist heroine, Joan of Arc inspired France’s victory in the Hundred Years’ War