Ancient World History - Ash Grove R

Ancient World History Chapter 8 The Rise of Europe

Section 1  The Early Middle Ages

Geography of Western Europe  

Rome linked great parts Europe, with roads, classical ideas, Latin language, and Christianity Location 

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Europe is relatively small – the second smallest in land area of the seven continents

Resources 

From 500-1000 A.D. a frontier land 

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sparsely populated, underdeveloped area on the outskirts of a civilization

Rich in raising crops, fishing, mineral resources Seas and large rivers ideal for trade

The Germanic Kingdoms 

Germanic tribes were farmers and herders 

Culture greatly different than Romans   

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No cities or codified laws Small communities with unwritten customs Kings ruled with warrior nobles

The Franks 

Strongest Germanic kingdom to emerge between 400-700 A.D. was the Franks 

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486 A.D., Clovis, King of Franks, conquered the former Roman province of Gaul

Clovis converted to Christianity, gaining support from the Church of Rome

The Germanic Kingdoms (Con’t)  Europe and the Muslim World  With emergence of Islam in 622, Christians in Europe were stunned  Islam was taking over the holy lands of Palestine

 Islamic rulers took over Spain, but were defeated at the Battle of Tours  Ending the emergence of Islam into Europe

The Age of Charlemagne 

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Around 800 A.D. Charles the Great took over much of Europe from present-day France, Germany, and part of Italy A Christian Emperor 

Pope Leo III called for support from Charlemagne for help in Rome 

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Pope showed gratitude by pacing a crown on Charlemagne’s head and proclaiming him Emperor of the Romans

Revived the ideal of a united Christian community 

Also brought power struggle between future Roman Catholic popes and Germanic Emperors

The Age of Charlemagne (Con’t) 

Government 

Charlemagne exercise control over his many lands and create a united Christian Europe 

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Charlemagne also appointed powerful nobles to rule local regions 

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Converted many conquered peoples

Nobles were given land in order to support and supply soldiers to the army

He also sent out Missi Dominici 

officials who checked roads, listen to grievances, and administer justice

The Age of Charlemagne (Con’t)  Revival of Learning  Tried to revive Latin learning, and started a school at Aachen  They created a curriculum based on Latin learning • •

Formal course of study included grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, etc.

 Also copied ancient manuscripts, like bible  Basis for the educational model for medieval Europe

After Charlemagne  After Charlemagne’s death, empire was split by the Treaty of Verdun  Split the Empire into three regions

 Legacy of Charlemagne  He extended the Christian civilization into northern Europe and blended German, Roman and Christian traditions  Set a strong model for an efficient government

After Charlemagne (Con’t  A New Wave of Invasions  Despite the victory at the Battle of Tours, Muslim invaders still continually gave Europeans problems  Magyars controlled Eastern Europe for roughly 50 years  Vikings looted and burned communities along the coasts and rivers of Europe  Vikings helped set up sea trade from northern Europe to the Mediterranean Sea

Section 2  Feudalism and the Manor Economy

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Invasions of Europe, 700–1000

The Emergence of Feudalism Due to invasions from outsiders, European Emperors and Kings developed a new system called feudalism A loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings among lesser lords In exchange for their landholdings, vassals pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord Lesser Lords

The Emergence of Feudalism (Con’t) 

Mutual Obligations 

Lords and Vassals established a feudal contract 

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The Lord would grant the Vassal a fief  

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Exchange of pledges between a lords and vassals Estate Usually between a few acres to hundreds of acres

The Lord would also promise to protect the vassal In return, the Vassal promised 40 days of military service and money payments

The Emergence of Feudalism (Con’t)  A Structured Society  Monarchs at the top of the hierarchy, followed by powerful lords  Each Lord was followed by vassals  Vassals had peasants to work the fiefs

The World of Nobles 

Warfare during this time was a way of life 

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Many nobles trained from boyhood to be a knight, or mounted warrior

Achieving Knighthood 

Age seven, a boy slated to become a knight was sent away to the castle of this father’s lord  

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He learned to ride and fight, keep his armor and weapons in good shape, etc. Discipline was very strict

After training had finished, the young knight would be “dubbed” knights by an older knight As warfare declined, knights began competing in tournaments 

Could enter into contests of fighting skills

The World of Nobles (Con’t)  Castles  Powerful lords built large walls around their homes, with a moat, water filled ditch, for protection from outside invaders  Eventually by the 1100’s, these castles became larger and more grand

The World of Nobles (Con’t)  Noblewomen  They played active roles in the warrior society  When their husband or father were gone, they were the “lady of the manor”  Took care of the household, performed agricultural tasks, and supervised vassals

 However their ability to inherit was very limited  Also expected to bear many children

The World of Nobles (Con’t)  Chivalry  Later in the Middle Ages, knights developed a code of conduct called chivalry  Required knights to be brave, loyal and true to their word  Example: Show courtesy to a captured knight

 Also placed women on a pedestal  women were to be protect and cherished  Troubadours adopted this view of women •

Wandering poets

Peasants and Manor Life  The heart of the medieval economy was the manor  Lord’s estate, which also contained many serfs  Peasants bound to the land

 Mutual Obligations  Peasants and their lords were tied together by mutual rights and obligations  Peasants worked the farms on the lord’s land • •

Repaired roads, bridges, and fences Also paid taxes on different events

 The Lord would give peasants several acres to grow food for themselves •

Also gave protection from invaders to the peasants

Peasants and Manor Life (Con’t) 

A Self-Sufficient World  

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Manors were generally self-sufficient Very little to no schooling given to individuals

Peasant Life    

Most peasants worked long hours, especially during the planting and harvesting seasons Diet consisted of black bread with vegetables and seldom ate meat Very few peasants lived past the age of 35 due to hard work and diseases Peasants did celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Easter, birthdays, marriages 

They also received days off for some holidays

Section 3  The Medieval Church

The Church and Medieval Life 

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During the early Middle Ages, the Church’s most important achievement was to Christianize the diverse peoples of Western Europe The Parish Priest  

Priest of the parish was usually the only contact people had with the Church Priest celebrated the mass and administered the sacraments  

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The sacred rites of the Church Sacraments would lead to salvation, or everlasting life with God

Also helped the sick and needy

The Church and Medieval Life (Con’t)  The Village Church  Church was a social center  Later in the Middle Ages some churches were built out of stone  Some housed relics, or remains of martyrs or holy figures  Church required Christians to pay a tithe in order to operate parishes  tax equal to a tenth of their income

The Church and Medieval Life (Con’t)  Views of Women  Church taught that men and women were equal before God  However treated women as weak and easily led into sin  Church members prayed to Mary, mother of Jesus

Monks and Nuns  

Individuals who withdrew from worldly life in order to devote their lives to spiritual goals The Benedictine Rule 

About 530 A.D. a monk named Benedict organized the monastery of Monte Casino in Italy 

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Monks and Nuns took three vows   

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Became pattern for future monasteries Obedience to the abbot or abbess, who headed the monastery Poverty Chastity, or purity

Also required monks to worship, study, and do manual labor 

Experimented with crops

Monks and Nuns (Con’t) 

A Life of Service  

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Centers of Learning  

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Monasteries were the hospitals and schools for the time Gave food and lodging to travelers Often Monasteries and convents performed a vital role in preserving the writings of the ancient world Priests and Nuns kept learning alive

Convents  

Women could not become priests, but could become nuns Eventually convent power and rights were limited

The Power of the Church Grows  Christian Church gradually became the most powerful secular, or worldly force in medieval Europe  The Church and Feudal Society  The Pope was the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church  Eventually popes claimed papal supremacy  authority over all secular rulers

 There were high clergy such as bishops and archbishops

The Power of the Church Grows (Con’t)

 Religious Activity

 Christians believed that all people were sinners and that many were doomed to eternal suffering  In order to avoid hell, people had to believe in Christ and participate in sacraments

 Medieval Church also developed the canon laws  body of laws

 Anyone who disobeyed church laws faced a range of penalties  Most severe was excommunication •

Could not receive the sacraments or a Christian burial

 Including Interdict •

Excommunication of a whole town

Reform Movements  Eventual problems arose over the growing wealth and power of the church officials  Cluniac Reforms  By 1073 A.D., Pope Gregory VII, extended reforms by ending simony and outlawing marriage for priest and nuns  selling of Church offices

 Also encouraged Churches to select their leaders, as opposed to kings or nobles

Reform Movements (Con’t)  Preaching Orders  Early 1200’s A.D., Francis of Assisi Dominic set up the order of friars  Monks who did not live in isolated monasteries but traveled around Europe’s growing towns preaching to the poor  Stressed poverty, humility, and love of God

Jews in Europe 

Jews flourished in Spain during the Early Middle Ages 

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Eventually as the Churches power grew, they began blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus 

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Forbidding Jews to own land or practice most occupations

In bad times, anti-Semitism worsened throughout Europe 

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Jews preserved the oral and written laws that were central to their faith

Prejudice against Jews

Due to being outlawed from other professions, many Jews became moneylenders and migrated to Eastern Europe

Section 4  Economic Expansion and Change

An Agricultural Revolution  

By 1000 A.D. European peasants had adapted new farming technologies, which made their fields more productive New Technologies 

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By 800’s they began using iron plows that carved deep into heavy soil Also began using harness that allowed horses to pull plows Another major technology was a watermill and windmill

Expanding Production  

Peasants adopted the three-field system, which rotated crops on fields, and left one field empty Between 1000-1300 A.D. Europe’s population doubled

Trade Revives  Europe’s growing population needed goods that were hardly available on the manor  New Trade Routes  Merchant companies formed groups that were armed caravans, in order to maintain safety on the trade routes  Constantinople was a trading center for goods from the East

Trade Revives (Con’t) 

Trade Fairs  

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Initially trade fairs were local and along navigable rivers People enjoyed seeing the goods and enjoying entertainment

New Towns 

Slowly these small centers of trade developed into cities 

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Riches cities were in Italy

Each town setup a charter with the king 

written document that set out the rights and privileges of the town, including a fee to the lord or king

A Commercial Revolution 

To support business, many merchants sought capital from moneylenders 

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Money for investment

New Business Practices 

To meet their needs, many people setup partnerships with other merchants 

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merchants that pooled their funds to finance a largescale venture

Also created insurance systems to reduce business risks Also adopted a bill of exchange 

Money bill that would be accepted at another bank

A Commercial Revolution (Con’t)  Social Changes  By 1300’s A.D. most peasants were tenant farmers  hired farm laborers, or paid rent for their land

 There arose a new class, the middle class  Merchants, traders and artisans who were between the nobles and the peasants

 Church banned usury  Lending money with interest

Role of Guilds  Merchants and artisans formed associations known as guilds  Merchant guilds passed laws and levied taxes  Craft guilds were created in opposition to the wealthy Merchant guilds  Prevented competition by limiting members to guilds  Also helped provide social services

Role of Guilds (Con’t)  Becoming a Guild Member  At age of 7-8, a child would become an apprentice  Trainee to guild master  Usually worked for seven years without pay

 Then they became a journeymen  Salaried worker for guild master

Role of Guilds (Con’t)  Women and the Guilds  Women engaged in the same trade as their father or husband and might inherit their workshop if they died  Women could also even become guild masters

Town and City Life  As cities grew, new walls had to be built to accommodate the larger population  Might contain a large cathedral or splendid guild hall  There were no garbage collections or sewer systems

Looking Ahead  Trade was greatly changing the landscape of Western Europe through the middle ages  During the High Middle Ages, cultural diffusion through trade with the east brought new and more advanced ideas that greatly change Europe