The Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages

Western Europe in Decline Why the Dark Ages? Europe entered period of economic, political & social decline after fall of the Roman Empire 500 1000 AD politically divided, rural, cut off from other advanced civilizations in Middle East, China & India Learning & trade basically ceased Invaders swept across the land This culture / medieval civilization from Latin word for Middle Ages

After the Fall of the Western Roman Empire Germanic Kingdoms took control of Europe from 400 700 AD. The Frankish Kingdoms being the most long lasting.

486, Clovis, king of Franks, conquered former province of Gaul (now France) Clovis converted to Christianity, religion of his subjects Gained powerful ally in the Pope, leader of Christian Church in Rome Because of lack of a central government, the church played an important role & Christianity spread throughout Europe

CAROLIGNIAN EMPIRE 732 Charles Martel rallied Frankish warriors - defeated Muslim invaders at Battle of Tours became great Christian Victory Victory was sign that God was on their side Muslims continued to try & force Islam on the people

CAROLIGNIAN EMPIRE In 756, Charles Martel s son Pepin defeated the Lombards in central Italy & donated captured land to Pope creating PAPAL STATES called THE DONATION OF PEPIN

Germanic Peoplelived along Rhine River Clovis converted to Christianity in 481 Created large empire of self-sufficient manors Counts kept order in his kingdom Kingdom divided into 3 parts after his death in 814 - weakened Empire s unity caused collapse of Kingdom God Himself has made me King Christmas Day 800 AD Brutally put down a Saxon Revolt Prevented Muslims from expanding into Europe Converted Germanic people to Christianity through warfare By authority of the Church, I, Pope Leo, crown thee Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne established schools in monasteries bringing a Revival of Education - Carolingian Renaissance

After years of fighting, Charlemagne s grandsons, under the TREATY OF VERDUN divided CHARLEMAGNE S empire into 3 separate parts- and the Frankish Kingdoms fell to invaders Following division of the Empire Europe was invaded for two centuries by non- Christian invaders The Muslims from the south, the Magyars from the east, & the Vikings from the north

The Magyars attacked isolated settlements and killed or carried everyone off selling them into slavery. Many thought they were the Huns returning & begin calling them Hungarians (Hungary today) The Muslims were biggest challenge to Christian Europe. They came from northern Africa through Spain. They captured people as slaves and considered Christians their most serious religious rivals

As Vikings settled into Europe, they adopted Christianity as did the Germanic Tribes Lifestyle based on Sea VIKING = PIRATE Tribal Units (Jarl)- Values: culture of war- Religion: polytheistic Two main reasons that the Vikings left their homelands: 1) overpopulation; not enough land 2) ship and weapon improvements; very fast ships that could carry large numbers of warriors Raided coastal villages throughout Europe Europe was weak after Charlemagne's Empire fell apart We could stop the Viking raids if we had a strong central government Danes attacked France, Germany and England ; the Norwegians attacked Scotland, Ireland and other North Atlantic islands; the Swedes attacked Russia and the Byzantine Empire Viking s power kept many people in a state of terror Looked to local Lords to protect them this contributed to the development of feudalism Viking culture influenced some aspects of life in Europe

Viking Raids

Feudalism and the Manor The Feudal Order The king has little or no power the nobles had the most power The Manorial System/Feudalism is an economic co-dependency After breakup of Carolingian Empire, Europe was divided into individual territories Political power was local & passed from generation to generation aristocrats had a place of power Knighthood created to defend feudal powers

The Feudal Contract lords would give the knight or vassal a piece of land (fiefs) and/or money In return, the knight would fight for his lord

KNIGHTS trained warriors, studied warfare from age of 7 Wore armor & carried a shield Fought on horseback Followed code of chivalry Exchanged military service for fief (land) Knights would practice their skills in tournaments

By the 1100s the knights had a code of conduct called CHIVALRY Be brave, fair, & protect women, children, & clergy Courtly, or Romantic Love

stables residence Inner bailey keep Kitchen and workshops parapet drawbridge stockade Ventilation slit motte bailey In the early Middle Ages, the Manor House and village cottages were all made out of wood moat drawbridge moat The idea of castles came from crusaders visiting the east there they saw stronger stone fortifications

A Medieval Manor

Noblewomen had many duties in warrior society: advised vassals, managed the household, and took care of agricultural & medical tasks Women s right to inheritance were restricted. When her husband died all the property frequently went to the son.

Noblewomen in warrior society: Most did not learn how to read. A woman was expected to bear many children for her husband. Most marriages were arranged, generally much younger women to older men who had property.

Women were still effectively the property of their husbands but gained more freedom in the late Middle Ages: The church eventually said a women over 15 had to give her consent to a marriage Widows and noble women with money had began to have some legal rights Peasant women eventually began working with their husbands in business & trade

The peasants (serfs) needed defense surrendered themselves & portion of their crops to local lord. In return, they received protection, use of the mill, wine press, tools, blacksmith, pasture, etc. The peasant slowly became a serf permanent member of lord s labor force -tied to the land if land is sold they go with

The Life of a Peasant was harsh: Men, women & children worked from sunrise until sundown Hunger was common -disease took a heavy toll Few peasants lived beyond age of 35

Staple of food for rich & poor was coarse brown bread. Would also eat cheeses, Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips), cabbage, beans, & fruit in season. Meat was scarce for peasants, more common for the lords. Drank ale & the lords also drank wine. Peasants & serfs live in simple cottages earthen floors, thatched roofs, one or two rooms

Peasants found occasions to celebrate such as marriages & births Dancing & sports Breaks came at Christmas & Easter when peasants had from a few days to a week off from work

The Middle Ages The Medieval Church

The Church Dominated Medieval Life: Religion shaped the everyday lives of Christian Europeans The priests celebrated mass and administered the sacraments they believed this led to salvation teachings of the Bible were explained at Mass - Latin only Most people could not read Without one central government the church was the most powerful economic & political entity in Europe

The Village Church was a place of worship & the social center Gather for baptisms, weddings & burials Some churches housed relics Pilgrimages would be made to pray to the relics for blessings Foot of a Saint The church required all Christians to pay a tithe (10% of their income)

Most village churches were built of wood Wealthier communities built their churches of stone

The Bishop of Rome, THE POPE, was considered the representative of Christ on Earth PAPAL SUPREMACY was not fully recognized until Pope Gregory I, known as Gregory The Great.

Pope Gregory absorbed some pagan customs into Christianity revised the Sacraments & liturgy of the Mass, introducing chants in the Mass which would become the Gregorian Chant

Medieval Christians were taught that they were all sinners & many were doomed to the tortures of hell By doing good deeds, paying their tithes, attending Mass & taking of the sacraments they could avoid hell & might be go to heaven The body of laws to follow were known as Canon Law If you did not follow the rules you could get excommunicated kicked out of the church

The Church & Women Church doctrine taught that men & women were equal before God BUT on Earth women were treated as weak & easily led into sin Women were to model themselves after the pure & modest mother of Jesus, Mary Queen of the Universe Women were allowed to enter convents & become nuns but were not allowed to preach

Around the 300 and 400s many Catholic priests became monks MONK = Someone who lives alone Sought a life separate from human society dedicated to God and to help others Soon, the monastic life became a communal lifestyle St. Benedict of Nutria, Italy, wrote between 520 and 530 rules for monks to live by THE BENEDICTINE RULE Emphasis on hard work and prayer Self-sufficient & Charitable Tasks Hospitals, orphanages, food for poor, lodging, as well as mission work Saint Patrick converted Ireland to Christianity in the 400s. He set up many monasteries Women also joined the monasteries as nuns Headed by Abbot (monks) or Abbess (nuns) Monks and Nuns were the main force of conversions to Catholicism in Europe

A Force for Peace: The church wanted to use its power to end warfare amongst nobles It declared temporary peace called the Truce of God. Fighting stops Friday through Sunday Warfare was reduced in the 1100s.

Jews in Medieval Europe In early Middle Ages Jews lived all across Europe Spain became the center of Jewish culture because Islamic rulers were tolerant of the Jews & Christians; many Jews served as officials in Royal Court

late 1100s when Europe became more Christianized prejudice against Jews increased disasters like famine or plagues they would blame the Jews & punish or kill them Many areas began to forbid Jews from living in them Many Jews moved to Eastern Europe where they found tolerance & prosperity

Economic Recovery Sparks Change Agricultural Revolution: New Technology: Iron plows and improved harnesses Forests and Swamps turned into more farmland Rotation of Crops: Richer soil and more land being used More food production equals population growth / tripled between 1100 and 1300

The Revival of Trade and Travel: 1100s feudal warfare declined / people felt safer Crusaders brought luxury goods back from East Traders traveled all over Europe to obtain goods for wealthy nobles & farmers Trade Routes Expand: Goods came from Asia, Middle East, Constantinople Silk, gold, spices, honey, furs, cloth, tin, and lead.

By the 1200s Germanic trades people began banding together to form the HANSEATIC LEAGUE (economic alliance) By the 1500s they controlled most of the trade on the Baltic Sea (& N. Sea) between Europe, Russia, and the East

The Growth of Towns and Cities: Trade fairs became settlements which eventually became cities Early cities might have 10,000 people By the 1300s some had over 100,000 people As manors became overcrowded some lords let peasants buy their freedom & move into towns

A Commercial Revolution: The use of money (capital) increased Banking houses opened Merchants extended credit to one another Groups of merchants created partnerships A system of insurance was developed Many traders used credit instead of cash (deposit, like a bank) they did not have to carry gold with them

Society Begins to Change: New business & the use of money undermined feudalism Feudal lords needed money to buy goods Peasants began selling produce & paid cash rent to their lord rather than in labor By 1300 most peasants were tenant farmers The Christian church forbade lending of money with interest Jews became money lenders Their success caused resentment & prejudice

The Rise of the Middle Class: By 1000 A.D. merchants, traders & artisans formed a new social class called the Middle Class Middle Class gained economic & political power They formed associations called guilds. Guilds represented merchants in one occupation - weaver, bankers, goldsmiths Rules created to protect quality of goods: hours of labor, set prices, offered services to help members

Becoming a Guild Member: At age 7 or 8 a child would become an apprentice (trainee) Seven years to learn the trade Most guild members were journeyman (salaried workers) Few became guild masters Women & the Guilds Women often worked in the same trade as their husband or father She could inherit the shop if he died In Paris women outnumbered men in the silk and wool guilds

Medieval City Life: Medieval towns were surrounded by high city walls Most cities were overcrowded Fire was a constant threat Larger cities had tall cathedrals People of similar backgrounds & or guilds lived in the same areas No garbage collection or sewers Towns were filthy, smelly, noisy and crowded Disease was common