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The Middle Ages. Dates. Early Middle Ages : 500 – 1000 High Middle Ages : 1000 – 1250 Late Middle Ages : 1250 - 1450. European Medieval world was a combination of pagan traditions and Christian faith administered by strong, warlike kings
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Dates Early Middle Ages: 500 – 1000 High Middle Ages: 1000 – 1250 Late Middle Ages: 1250 - 1450
European Medieval world was a combination of pagan traditions and Christian faith administered by strong, warlike kings Led to frequent contact, or trade and scholarship between these vast medieval lands Introduction
Feudalism A political, economic, and social system based on loyalty and military service.
Especially in the early Middle Ages, kings were weak and could not offer protection – led to feudalism There was no physical way for a king to govern all the land effectively because there was no quick communication system, and it often took several days to travel from one part of the country to the other. Feudalism offered military protection in exchange for protection (king, lords, vassals, knights Feudalism
Feudalism, cont. • Military protection offered in exchange for food (peasant) or land (lord, king) • Based on hierarchy; vast majority were peasants • Local lords were the government who made laws, collected taxes, etc.
Manor System • This was the primary economic system in the MA; based on self-sufficient manors owned by nobles and worked by peasants
Life on the Medieval Manor Serfs at work
The Medieval Catholic Church • filled the power vacuum left from the collapse of the classical world. • monasticism: • 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. • monks missionaries to the barbarians. [St. Patrick, St. Boniface]
The Power of the Medieval Church • bishops and abbots played a large part in the feudal system. • the church controlled about 1/3 of the land in Western Europe (made them much money) • 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.
A Carolingian (family name) and a Frank– son of Pepin the Short Religious and intelligent Spent much time at war By the end of his reign, he controlled much of western Europe He wanted to recreate another Roman Empire He was fair in both taxes and creating laws Encouraged education Charlemagne’s Reign
After Charlemagne died, his sons agreed to divide his empire The Treaty created three kingdoms: eastern, middle and western kingdoms Poor rulers who fought amongst themselves, his descendents were too weak to defeat invaders: Muslims, Slavs, Magyars and Vikings The Treaty of Verdun
There was disagreement of who should rule England in 1066 – king died childless A distant relative, Duke William of Normandy claimed the throne Met resistance Attacked England and secured the throne after the Battle of Hastings He ruled from 1066-1087 and brought Feudalism from France to England Battle of Hastings
Domesday Book • William made the monarch strong in England • Wrote the Domesday Book – this determined the population and wealth of England and was used as basis for taxation.
William the Conqueror:Battle of Hastings, 1066(Bayeaux Tapestry)
Evolution of England’s Political System • Henry I: • William’s son. • set up a court system (less power to nobles). • Exchequer- dept. of royal finances. • Henry II: • established the principle of common law throughout the kingdom. Law applies to all, regardless of feudal position. • trial by jury. Took away power from feudal lords – replaced duels/combats as way to determine cases
Magna Carta, 1215 • King John I • nobles mad about paying unjust taxes • “Great Charter” • monarchs were not above the law. • kings had to consult a council of advisors. • kings could not tax arbitrarily.
The Beginnings of the British Parliament • Great Council: originally nobles and church leaders • middle class merchants, townspeople [burgesses in Eng., bourgeoisie in Fr., burghers in Ger.] were added at the end of the 13c. • eventually called Parliament (bi-cameral). • by 1400, two chambers evolved: • House of Lords - nobles & clergy. • House of Commons - knights and burgesses. • These two houses still exist today
Series of military campaigns during the 11th – 13th centuries Mostly called by the pope, overall, they were designed to recapture the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslims The First Crusade, called by Pope Urban II was a call for help from the Byzantine Empire to defend Constantinople from the Ottoman Turks Christians successful –retake Jerusalem in 1099 The Crusades
Crusades, cont. • For the Christian world, the Crusades were a failure, although they did slow the spread if Islam • The Muslims eventually, led by Saladin, recaptured the Holy Land and Palestine
Weaponry • Crossbow – more accurate/longer distances • Catapult • Gunpowder (from Asia)
Ended European isolation – began trade with outside world New ideas/products introduced in Europe So many nobles go off and fight for extended periods, this strengthens the kings Leads to decline in feudalism Kings raise taxes and pay for soldiers = weakens feudal bond Impact of Crusades on Europe
As international trade began to expand after the Crusades, there was a demand for currency (needed this to trade internationally) Feudalism, being local, never required currency Demand for Currency
As feudalism declined, kings gained more power and created centralized states – areas/countries that recognized the king as the one leader This led to the formation of the nations of France, England, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal Wars and taxes became national, not local like with feudalism Beginning of States
As trade increased, towns grew in both number and size Townspeople did not fit into the manorial system Often bought charters/political rights and freedoms from their lords To protect themselves, merchants establish guilds Guilds maintained a monopoly – sole right to trade their good Regulated wages, quality, hours Apprentice, journeyman, master Life in Medieval Towns
Towns, cont. • A middle class emerged • Need stable government and favor kings over nobles • Small, filthy, cramped, disease-ridden • Theft high/no pilice
1347- plague sweeps across Europe Carried by rats coming on ships or camel caravans from Asia 2-5 days – painful enlargement of lymph gland, then infection in groin, throat, arms, then vomiting & death Black splotches on skin Filth in cities promoted spread of disease The Black Death aka Bubonic Plague
