Medieval Europe 1. Kingdoms and Christianity 300 1250 2. The Early Middle Ages 800 1215 3. The High Middle Ages 1000 1500 Mr. Schenk
Kingdoms and Christianity 1. The Byzantine Empire 2. The Rise of Russia 3. Christianity in Western Europe After the fall of Rome, large and small kingdoms appeared in Europe In most of these kingdoms, Christianity had a powerful influence on people s lives
1. The Byzantine Empire The Roman Empire Divided in 294 The Byzantine Empire Constantinople Greek for the city of Constantine capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine I Constantinople was the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire became know as the Byzantine Empire
Constantine s City--Constantinopolis obecame a much larger, richer city than Rome othe city s location on the Bosporus not only put it in a position to control trade, but it also helped guard it from attack othe sea on two sides, and huge fortified walls on the other
Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire After the fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire did not give up their claim to western part of the empire First task was to retake all the land that a Germanic tribe called the Vandals had taken
Emperor Justinian [r. 527-564] obyzantine Emperor Justinian omain goal restore the Roman Empire oin 533, sent General Belisarius to Northern Africa to expel the Vandals oit took only a year to re-capture Africa
Justinian s Code ocorpus Juris Civilis: o 1. Digest o 2. Code o 3. Institutes Justinian initiatives to reform Roman law He set up a system that systematically arranged the empire s laws and legal documents into a clear system Corpus Juris Civilis four parts contains existing constitutions from previous emperor and laws created by Justinian himself Justinian Code
Justinian s Empire at its Peak By 565, his empire had spread through northern Africa and most of southeastern Europe, including Italy When he died in 565, he left the government nearly bankrupt His government could not effectively administer the empire As a result, the western provinces fell to migrating tribes
Empress Theodora Wife of Justinian and coruler of the empire Nika Revolt rebellion against the Justinian empire; resented his reforms Belisarius and his troops captured them and assembled them in a stadium called the Hippodrome They were slaughtered by the thousands The Revolution that destroyed the city gave the emperor the chance to rebuild the city with grand new monuments
Church of Hagia Sophia [Holy Wisdom] Two institutions were central to their culture: The Emperor A Priest-King deputy of Jesus Christ Emperor Justinian tried to restore Roman traditions Emperor Heraclius eventually replaced old Roman traditions with Greek ones (leads to split Orthodox and Roman Catholic) And Christianity Mosaics pictures created with tiny colored tiles of glass, stone, or clay fitted together and cemented in place
Interior of the Church of Hagia Sophia Religion was the force behind architecture Hagia Sophia churches that have round dome over a square foundation Mosaic of Christ glitters with gold
Reliquary cross of Justinian Religious Conflicts 700 s the use of are in the churches deeply divided the society Controversy over icons paintings or sculptures of sacred figures Iconoclasts Christians who objected to worship of idols Mother of God Hodegetria
The Church Splits 1054 final split between the churches The church in the east became the Orthodox Church The church in the west remained the Roman Catholic Church Major differences Orthodox roots in Greek tradition Roman Catholicism roots in Roman Law Orthodox recognize the pope authority over bishops Roman Catholics recognize pope as ultimate authority over doctrine
Byzantine & Sassanid Empires, 6 c The Byzantine Empire not only had troubles in the west, but the empire also had troubles in the east the Sassanid Empire (Persia) Emperor Heraclius, who took over after the death of Justinian, had finally defeated the Persians
The Empire Declines Islam Muslims had been threatening the empire as far back as the reign of Heraclius Over time, Islam, pressure from migrating tribes, such as the Slavs from Russia, and internal conflict brought an end to the Byzantine Empire Later Emperors did have some successes in stopping advancing Muslim forces
Istanbul? However, a new enemy- the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantine Empire in eastern Asia Minor Constantinople later fell to the Ottoman Turks who renamed it Istanbul Served as a buffer zone between Christian West and the Muslim East
Sunset on the Golden Horn
2. The Rise of Russia Starting as a blend of Slavs, and northern Europeans, the Russians organized as a state, became Christian, and fought invaders For thousands of years, hunters-gathers managed to live in the sometimes harsh climate in the lands of what is now the Ukraine and Russia Among the peoples who occupied the plains was the Slavs did not enter historical record until AD 800 s Slavs after the fall of the Byzantine Empire
The Rus and Kiev The history of the Slavs The Russian Chronicle 1100 s Started along the Dnieper River and were fighting among themselves Asked for northern European help called the Rus perhaps the Vikings Our land is great and rich, but there is no order. Come to rule and reign over us. The Russian Primary Chronicle
A Saint and Three Brothers They thus selected three brothers, with their kinsfolk, who took with them all the Rus, and migrated. Saint Andrew blessed a cluster of hills, predicting that a great city would rise Three brothers, Kiy, Shchek, and Khoriv, leader of the Rolyane tribe, arrived in the area and created a settlement called Kiev Kiev is now know as the Ukraine and played an important role in Russian history the Mother of Cities This statue in Kiev, Ukraine, commemorates as the city s founding by three brothers
Yaroslav the Wise Late 900 s Russ had extended their control beyond Kiev Conquered Byzantine Empire and established trade Also, defeated the Khazars and freed several Slavs Yaroslav the Wise ruler during the height of the Kievan Rus empire Many religious doctrines translated from Greek to Slavic language
Christianity in Russia Contact with the Byzantine Empire affected Russia and led to the spread of Christianity Early Slavs practiced a belief system based on nature and had many gods 863 churchman in Constantinople sent two Greek monks to Moravia to convert the Slavs to Christianity Monks Cyril and Methodius brothers who spoke Slavian language and used it to celebrate mass Cyrillic alphabet based mainly on the characters of the Greek alphabet-slavonic language written alphabet
Christian Russia Within 100 years, Christianity was established and claimed an important convert Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kiev was baptized Christian 988 Christianity the official religion of Kievan Russia Baptism of Vladimir I
Russia Under Attack During mid 1000s, Kievan- Russia reached the height of its empire However, in the 1200s, the empire was in attack internally and by invaders Internal division among the Rus princes within the state s border trying to get more power and land The Mongols led by Genghis Khan conquered the empire of Kiev Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Novgorod, - prevented the Mongols and the Swedes from conquering Novgorod Halo indicates status of Saint in Russian Orthodox Church Soldier s uniform emphasizes Alexander s importance as a miliary leader
Saint Alexander Nevsky Teutonic Knights wanted to convert Russians from Greek Orthodox to Roman Catholicism 1242-Alexander trapped the Knights onto thinning ice The ice cracked and men and horses fell through the ice into the freezing water For more than 200 years, Russia will main under control of Asian nomadic peoples Within Russia, Muscovy, east of Kiev, grew in importance and eventually became the capital of Russia
3. Christianity in Western Europe The spread of Christianity, largely through the work of missionaries and monks, helped unify western Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire The Medieval Catholic Church filled the power vacuum left from the collapse of the classical world
New Kingdoms in Europe The fall of Rome had different Results in eastern and western Europe East Byzantine Empire West no single empire arose from Rome s ashes
Anglo Saxon England Among Germanic people who established kingdoms in Europe were Angles and Saxons Lived in what is now Germany and migrated to Britain in the 400 s Established the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms Late 500 s, a group of monks led by Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Kent and spread Christianity across England The Archbishop of Canterbury is still considered the highest religious leader in England
Alfred the Great The Danes who invaded northern England began to march south The kingdoms, under Alfred the Great, united and pushed the Danes back north Alfred the Great was later recognized as the ruler off all England As king, he organized an army, issued a code of laws, and perhaps his greatest achievement, a system of schools In English folk tale, King Alfred was scolded severely for letting a peasant woman s cakes burn.
The Franks Another Germanic tribe was established in the former Roman province of Gaul now France Established by the Franks under Clovis Clovis and 3,000 were baptized in 496 and all became Christians Under Clovis and his successors, the Franks became one of the major powers in Western Europe Height in 800 s under King Charlemagne
Christian European Society By 600, Christianity had spread northward into other parts of the continent Western Europe becomes a largely Christian society Medieval the period in western European history known as the Middle ages
Spread Christianity Missionaries people who traveled to spread Christianity Patrick traveled from Britain to Ireland in 400 s spreading Christianity Christendom with the help of missionaries Western Europe became known as Christendom
Strengthening the Papacy Throughout the Middle Ages, popes had little authority Gregory the Great changed the papacy and won respect for the papacy and made the pope one of the most influential figures in Europe Monasticism voluntary separation from society to dedicate one s life to God
Sharing Beliefs As Christianity spread throughout the diverse population of Europe, people interpreted the faith in different ways As a result, scholars who studied religion wrote explanations that set forth the church s official positions Augustine of Hippo writer who helped shaped Christian doctrine for centuries The City of God people should pay less attention to the material world than they do to God s plan for the world
Monks and Monasteries During the Middle Ages, a new form of Monasticism developed, characterized by monks living in a monastery and abiding by strict codes of rule Two main forms of monastic life became common in Europe: Benedictine Rule and Celtic Rule Romanesque Architectural Style Rounded Arches. Barrel vaults. Thick walls. Darker, simplistic interiors. Small windows, usually at the top of the wall.
Benedictines Benedictine Monasteries most common from in Europe during the Middle Ages Benedict of Nursia Italy in the 500 s created Benedictine Rule collection of guidelines for monks The first abbot 529 other hermits like Benedict persuaded him to build a monastery at Monte Casino in central Italy Marked the beginning of Benedictine Rule Made several contributions to European society St. Benedict Benedictine Rule of poverty, chastity, and obedience. provided schools for the children of the upper class. inns, hospitals, refuge in times of war. libraries & scriptoria to copy books and illuminate manuscripts.
Celtic Monasteries Illuminated Manuscripts A second major branch of monasticism developed in Ireland One distinct difference - Celtic monks were fully separate from the rest of society One of the more famous Celtic monasteries Lindisfarne, a narrow peninsula that becomes an island at high tide, on the coast of England Lindisfarne Gospels beautifully illustrated manuscript of the Gospels produced between 715 and 720 among greatest artistic achievements in Middle Ages Spread through France and Germany
Monk s Daily Life Monks spent most of the time in church service, meditation and reading, and at work
Medieval Church Powers bishops and abbots played a large part in the feudal system. the church controlled about 1/3 of the land in Western Europe. tried to curb feudal warfare only 40 days a year for combat. curb heresies crusades; Inquisition tithe 1/10 tax on your assets given to the church. Peter s Pence 1 penny per person [paid by the peasants].