Chapter 8 The Middle Ages
By Frank Bommarito
Medieval Europe
Medieval Europe occurredshortly after the fall of theRoman Empire in 476 AD
After the fall of the Romans,Europe basically became “upfor grabs”
Medieval European countriesand states were constantlybeing invaded or attacked bystronger empires
The major kingdoms andempires were the Germanstates, Vikings, Muslims,Normans, and later, the HolyRoman Empire
Besides the change in thelandscape of Europe, manyother things were changing aswell
Feudalism
After various invasions on the newlyseparated lands that were once theRoman empire, a system calledfeudalism emerges
In feudalistic society kings werevirtually powerless
Instead of kings, Lords, or localnoblemen, ruled over their piece ofland
For this land, vassals had to exchangeservice
On this land, lived peasants whoworked the farms everyday
This allowed for the people on the feifto live off the land
Feudal Warfare
From the feudal society came a unique type of warfare
Knights were the warriors
They lived by a strict code for everyday life called Chivalry
Chivalry- code of conduct
a) Greatly stressed bravery, honesty and generosity
The Medieval Church
The only thing that crossed the many boundaries of the Middle Ageswas the Medieval Church
They educated many kings and lords
They owned enormous pieces of land and offered Churchindulgences for the forgiveness of sins
People who committed heresy or questioned the church wereusually excommunicated by the pope
It was believed that the best way to serve God was to dedicate theirwhole life to his service
a)Nuns and Monks had complete dedication
Medieval Culture and Technology
Architecture had major advances,especially that of Cathedrals.
a)Romanesque (columns,archesand domes)
b)Gothic (windows and flyingbuttresses)
Literature had two revolutionarywriters emerge: Dante and Chaucer
New inventions such as the improvedplow, horse shoe, water mill, and windmill made farm life easier
Also with these inventions came agrowth in trade
Middle class emerged due to the newjob oppurtunities
Science bloomed as well did medicine and education
The Church,however, still had the main authority on almost allissues
Universities began teaching the ideas of Aristotle, Roman Law andwere also run by the clergy
The Crusades
In 1071 Seljuk Turks conquerJerusalem and torture theChristians
Pope Urban II preaches theCrusade to recapture the HolyLand in 1095
reunite the church
control the Holy Land
increase prestige of the Church
response was great
salvation, greed
The crusades lasted until1212
After the crusades The Church’s powertemporarily increased but the crusadesalso tarnished the Church’s image
Many people saw how the church wouldkill to stay in power
Europe also began to change morequickly
Review
1) In Europe during the Middle Ages, increases in trade and commerce resulted in
1.
lower living standards for industrial workers
2.
decreased economic rivalry between kings
3.
increased political power for the clergy
4.
development of towns and cities
2) All things were under its domain...its power was such that no one could hope to escape its scrutiny.”Which European institution during the Middle Ages is best described by this statement?
1.
the Guild
2.
Knighthood
3.
the Church
4.
the nation-state
3) In Europe during the Middle Ages, the force that provided unification and stability was the
1.
central government in Rome
2.
military alliance between France and Germany
3.
federation of the craft guilds
4.
Roman Catholic Church
4) Which is a characteristic of a feudal society? 1.
rapid social change
2.
high literacy rate
3.
industrial-based economy
4.
rigid class structure
5) Which economic system existed in Europe during the early Middle Ages?
1.
free market
2.
socialism
3.
manorialism
4.
command
Answer Key: 1) Choice 4 2) Choice 3 3) Choice 4 4) Choice 4 5) Choice 3
In Conclusion
At the end of the middle ages there were many changes from the previousEmpires
The Middle ages ended with the black death
It was a spread of the bubonic plague that eventually would go on to kill 1 ofevery 3 people in Europe
It also caused a complete economic crash
Important Dates
1066: William Duke of Normandy crossdinto England and declared himself King ofEngland
1348: Middle ages end