The Dark Ages of Europe

1. The Dark Ages of Europe The Era Following Rome, The Darkness of the West and the Light of the East

2. The Fall of RomeThe Invasions of the Barbarians • Following the separation of Rome into the east and the west, the west fell to the invasion of barbarians • The Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Vandals all sack and destroy Rome • Rome as an empire in the west is no more following 476 BC

3. The Fall of RomeThe Aftermath • The Germans and the various other tribes of Europe settle in what used to be Roman territories • The primary ones were: • The Ostrogoths in Italy and Romania • The Visigoths settled in modern day Spain • The Franks settled in modern day France • The Angles and Saxons settled in Britannia

4. New Germanic KingdomsThe Franks • The Franks were the first united people following the fall of Rome • They were able to do this because of a man/ king named Clovis • He was the first German to convert to Christianity, due to his wife’s faith • He became king of the Franks, and following his death the kingdom quickly split

5. New Germanic KingdomsThe other Germans • Various German tribes settled in modern day Germany/Hungary • They all were from Scandinavia • Their cultures had intermingled with the border Romans for the last 200 years • The two’s cultures became one • The Germanic tribes strived to be better than the Romans (Beowulf is the story of how a good king and good man were to act)

6. The Role of the ChurchOrganization of the Church • By the fourth century, Christianity had developed its own separate system of organization (Separate from Judaism, and from Eastern Orthodox) • Bishops began to overlook an entire area, known as a bishopric/ diocese • One bishop from Rome claimed that he had more power and authority, and he and his successors began calling themselves Pope

7. The Role of the ChurchOrganization of the Church • The Pope had very little power until Gregory I, strengthened the power of the Papacy • During Gregory’s reign as Pope, the papacy controlled Rome and the surrounding areas • These later become known as Papal states • This gave the Pope as source of political power • Gregory I was very active in trying to convert Germanic Celtic followers to Christianity

8. The Role of the ChurchMonks and Monasteries • A monk was a person who separated themselves from the rest of society to dedicate their lives to God • They lived in monasteries and this practice was known as monasticism • The actual rules in which a monk must follow were laid out by Saint Benedict • He wrote a set of stipulations that monks must follow

9. The Role of the ChurchMonks and Monasteries • Each monastery was led by an Abbot (father) and every monk was expected to obey • Monks became the new heroes of Europe and became a large motivating and political force. • Monks were also the social workers of their villages • They helped around town and provided aid

10. The Role of the ChurchMonks and Monasteries • Some distinct monks were the English and the Irish • They were very vocal as missionaries • Eventually, women wanted in on the monastic life style as well, so they become nuns • Nuns live in monasteries as well, and they are headed by an abbess

11. The Carolingian EmpireThe Rise of Charles the Great • Following the demise of the Frankish kings in the 600s and 700s, one man rises up and declares himself king • This man was Pepin • His son actually leads the Frankish kingdom into an age of prosperity • The son’s name was Charles the Great or Charlamagne Charlemagne after his coronation

12. The Carolingian EmpireThe Rise of Charles the Great • Charlemagne was born illiterate, but through his governance of France, he learned to read and write so he could be a better ruler • He was a pious Christian, and championed himself the next Solomon • Under his rule, he united most of Europe into what became known as the Carolingian Empire

13. The Carolingian EmpireThe Rise of Charles the Great • Through Charlemagne’s achievements, his prestige as a Christian ruler grew • It was because of this, Charlemagne was crowned the Emperor of the Romans • His empire would not be called the Holy Roman Empire until near his death • Also under Charlemagne’s guidance, there was a brief cultural revival at the end of the 8th century

14. New EuropeThe Rise of Feudalism • Following Charlamegne’s death, there was a power vacuum in the central part of Europe • New invaders took advantage of this, and slowly whittled the Carolingian empire down • Some of these invaders included the Magyars and the Vikings • While fighting these invaders, the policy of the Carolingians became to convert all pagans to Christianity

15. New EuropeThe Rise of Feudalism • Due to the Viking invasions, citizens turned to their local leaders for help • They offered protection in exchange for services, such as labor and goods • This led to a new way of things working, and feudalism was born • Feudalism was a system or a way of life that was unique to Europe

16. New EuropeThe Rise of Feudalism • So those that served their lords through military service became known as vassals • The elite of these vassals became known as knights • They were men clad in heavy plated armor

17. New EuropeThe Nobility and Chivalry • The nobility eventually began to concern themselves only with warfare • Warfare was the only sure way to gain honor and glory • However the nobility did very little of the fighting themselves, they had vassals to do that for them • The nobles eventually started showing their worth through tournaments • Thus jousting was born, as well as other battling tournaments

18. New EuropeThe Nobility and Chivalry A video clip from Tristan and Isolde depicting the tournaments of the middle ages

19. New EuropeThe Nobility and Chivalry • Chivalry arose from the need to define a way in which a man is supposed to act • So a “Code of Chivalry” created, and all men strived to follow it • It was also a list defining what was proper procedure for courting a lady • The code also lasts to this day, despite very few men following it

20. New EuropeThe Growth of New Kingdoms • It was between the years 1000 and 1300 that England began to expand it’s empire throughout Europe • First came the Norman conquests under William of Normandy • This allowed England to rule part of modern day France

21. New EuropeThe Growth of New Kingdoms • The power of the English monarchy also expanded under Henry II, and then was curbed by the development of the Magna Carta • The Magna Carta was a document in which the nobles told the king what his limits of power • The nobility of England forced King John to sign and seal it in 1215 • It also led to the development of the English Parliament

22. New EuropeThe Growth of New Kingdoms • The Holy Roman empire formed from the division of Charlemagne’s empire • It covered most of modern day Germany and most of modern day Italy • Most German kings had to deal with ruling Germans as well as Italians • Also, a majority of the German kings lost a lot of their standing armies trying to conquer what remained of Italy

23. New EuropeThe Growth of New Kingdoms • The emperors of the Holy Roman Empire also clashed with the Popes on numerous occasions • Ultimately the German kings/emperors had no true power over Germany or Italy, the Pope controlled them all • This is why there was no true unity in Germany or Italy until the 19th century

24. New EuropeThe Growth of New Kingdoms • Slavs eventually settled in the modern day Ukraine and western Russia • Slavs were Indo-Europeans from Persia • They were perceived as inferior and the term slav eventually becomes “slave” • These slavic nations are eventually overrun by Mongols by the 1300

25. Light in the EastThe Byzantine Empire • The Byzantine Empire was at one point the Eastern Roman Empire • There is no difference between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire • Byzantine was a name given to the time period by historians, the people still considered themselves Roman • They were constantly pressured by the Muslims of Persia

26. Light in the EastThe Byzantine Empire • The Byzantine Empire stretched from Asia minor down to Palestine, all the way to the Tigris and Euprhates • The emperor Justinian wanted to re-establish the true Roman empire • He managed to conquer some of Italy, and the end of Spain

27. Light in the EastThe Byzantine Empire • For all the good that Justinian did, he caused a lot of problems too • He had drained the treasury, and could not protect the territory in which he had just acquired • The Byzantine’s biggest threat still remained the unified Arabian Muslims to their east

28. Light in the EastThe Byzantine Empire • Byzantium still continued to thrive culturally despite their problems • Constantinople continued to thrive • It was a major port city, and lots of trade goods flowed through the city, maintaining its wealth • Eventually, the power shifted from Constantinople to Macedon • The Macedonian emperors controlled the empire from 867 to 1081 • They managed to re-expand the borders of the empire

29. Light in the EastThe Byzantine Empire • The Muslims still posed a threat to the Byzantines, and in response to this threat a new military campaign was unleashed • For the next 400 years Christians would fight Muslims in a war driven by religion • These conquests eventually become known as the Crusades • The main idea was to re-conquer territory, and it eventually became a war to drive Muslims from the Holy Land

30. The CrusadesThe Byzantine Wars • The first Crusades were organized from Constantinople • The campaign however was mostly made up of French soldiers • The first Muslim city to be conquered was Antioch • Antioch was captured in 1098 • Within a year of the beginning of the Crusades, Jerusalem fell

31. The Middle AgesThe Early Years • Following the Crusades, civilizations in mainland Europe hit a snag • Lords and numerous nobles were now bankrupt, various raids from tribal peoples • Numerous other problems arise • This is the reason that the 1300s to the 1500s are known as the “Age of Woe”

32. The Middle AgesThe Early Years • The population slowly began to rise in Europe • So new systems of agriculture had to be invented. • People began to work together, rather than independently, and small villages soon became like families • They had to share everything since no one family could afford evertything

33. The Middle AgesThe Early Years • In addition to the feudal system, a new manorial system also developed • A lord oversaw a particular plot of land and a serf was responsible for working it • The land was the serf’s life and well being, and the crop yield was their income • The peasants cycle of labor also depended on what time of the year that it was

34. The Middle AgesThe Peasant’s Life Cycle

35. The Middle AgesThe Rebirth of Trade • Eventually trade begin to thrive once everyone’s basic needs were met • From this, a money economy was eventually reborn, trade and barter was once again out • Due to trade, cities began to spring up as well

36. The Middle AgesThe Rebirth of Trade • The cities were slowly growing, and to protect itself, the cities once again built walls around them • Walls were expensive, so everything was built in tiny spaces and on top of one another • The physical environment was very terrible • People rarely bathed, and the streets were filled with waste

37. The Middle AgesThe Rebirth of Trade • As specialized labor grew, so did industry • Trading guilds began to pop up • Very few trades didn’t have a guild • There were shoe smith guilds, fighter’s guilds, blacksmith guilds, etc • A system of ranking was also developed with the growth of guilds • A apprentice would eventually become a journeyman, and then a master craftsmen

38. The Middle AgesMedieval Christianity • The Papal states of Italy still had a lot of control in the European world • The role of the Pope began to evolve during the Middle Ages, it was Pope Gregory VII that began these changes • He tried to stop some unnecessary doings of religious clerics that were appointed

39. The Middle AgesMedieval Christianity • By this time, some Monasteries had lost sight of their true ideals • So the Cistercian order of monks were created • They were stricter than the Benedictine monks • The Catholic Church also developed their own police force, known as the Inquisition • The Inquisition would go around and punish and kill people suspected of Heresy • Heresy was considered the most offensive sin against God

40. The Late Middle AgesThe Black Death • At the end of the middle ages, the Black death, or the bubonic plague struck Europe • It was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Europe • It came from infected rats that had come from ships from China • It killed nearly 90 % of the population of Europe

41. The Late Middle AgesThe Black Death • The Europeans tried to find any explanation for the plague • They blamed it on the Jews • Jews bathed more regularly and had a better diet that most Europeans, so they weren’t really affected • Many Jews were forced to relocate from various areas to Poland, where the king agreed to protect them

42. The Late Middle AgesDecline of Church Power • Over the next few decades the power of the Papacy declines as the Nobles in Europe slowly gained power • The King of Spain, and France as well as England slowly become more powerful, and influential in the political realm • Eventually, the Pope doesn’t lose all power but it is only a fraction of what he used to have

43. The Late Middle AgesPrelude to Rebirth • So as the powers of the kings grew, so did their ambition • The countries began to resemble their current selves • People start getting smarter, and less superstitious • Literacy rates begin to grow exponentially

44. The Late Middle AgesDecline of Church Power • With all of this happening, there is only one thing on the horizon • That would be the Renaissance