Picking up the Pieces

1. Picking up the Pieces A cultural mix: Classical, Christian and Germanic

2. Medium Aevum • Distillation process between the classical world and the modern • Writers of the Italian Renaissance coined the term Middle Ages to describe the millennium between the 5th and 15th centuries. • Later historians would refer to this period as the “dark ages” for several reasons. • Knowledge • The Church • Political Unrest

3. The Medieval Misconception • Renaissance saw themselves as carrying the torch of civilization • They were enamored by the classical culture of Greece and Rome and worked to restore that culture • They felt that the Middle Ages had ignored the classical world and thought it was a millennium of ignorance and superstition • In their harsh judgment they ignored the cultural complexity • A jigsaw puzzle of cultural traits that needed to be woven together into a consistent fabric

4. Three Strands of Culture • The Classical World • Greek Ideas • Roman politics and techniques for organization • The Catholic Church • When Rome lost its grip in the West, the Church was left behind to fend for itself • It created a new worldview that focused on the human soul and its preservation • Challenged from the 7th century on by a new breed of “people of the book”- Islam • Germanic Culture • Teutonic People become the political successors of the empire • Each group is staking its territorial claim • The Middle Ages become a period of fusion

5. Germanic Successors to Rome • The disintegration of political unity caused instability in western Europe • There was no longer a Mediterranean axis of power • Germanic Tribes: three main groups • West Germans: Franks, Alamans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians, and Thuringians • East Germans (distinct in dialect and customs): Goths, Vandals, Burgundians, Gepids, and Lombards • North Germans: Scandinavians (discussed in Subsequent chapters)

6. Transitions in Government • From City-State with civic religion to a theocratic monarchy in alliance with Christianity • Constantine’s burial (among 12 empty sarcophagi) created the image of caesaro-papism • Wide spread Christian conversion became a new mission • At the same time there was a decline in municipalities and urban life • Rural landowners were able to capture an authoritative role and the social basis of Europe became agrarian • The senatorial class (owned latifundia) established itself as the aristocracy and took action to solidify its hold • Without an empire, slavery was in decline while peasants became more attached to the land as serfs

7. German Contributions • Five major contributions to medieval law • Organization of folk by kindred • Holding assemblies of folk to make important decisions • The idea of comitatus- a sworn band of followers to a chief (early from of feudalism) • The original Germanic settlers saw themselves as guests in the Empire and sought to make the most of the land rather than destroy it • Religion- most tribes were founded in or around their common religion • Ulfilas- The apostle to the Goths- translated the bible into gothic but he was Arian so the Gothic people became Arian Christians

8. Unsuccessful Kingdoms • The Vandals: 1st to from, 1st to perish • Economic reasons: they cut off supplies of corn and oil to Italy • Religious reasons: they were Arian and were persecutors of Catholics • As a result, Justinian defeated them in the 6th century • Ostrogoths: ruled in Italy under the thumb, in a sense, of the east • Theodoric defeated the Hun Odovacer at the request of the Zeno in the east and ruled as a Roman and did what he could to restore it • In exchange he was given much of the vacant lands north of Italy which put him at odds with the Franks (Clovis). • Justinian banned all heretics from office (Theodoric was an Arian) and battle ensued. Ostragoths were driven out. • Burgundians: Shortest history of all- sat between Arian Goths and Catholic Franks • Combined with the Franks to fight the Goths and eventually were absorbed

9. More Unsuccessful Kingdoms • The Visigoths: Spain and Aquitane • Nature of Kingship changed from “sacred line” to election by bishops and nobles • Spanish geography encouraged separatism (one group started to piss off the Franks) Justinian and the Franks defeated them. • Established Catholicism and tried to stamp out Arianism causing further unrest • The Lombards: after Justinian restored order in Italy, he was too exhausted to maintain it so the Lombards took advantage • They lost their kinship and were divided throughout Itay, ruled by Dukes (one of the dukes acting as king) • 600-774 becomes a period of struggle between 4 main powers: Lombard King, The Byzantine Emperor, the pope, the dukes of Spoleto and Benevento • The fifth power was decisive: the franks who worked with the pope to defeat the Lombards