1 / 36

Medieval times

The World After the Fall of Rome. Medieval times. World History Mr. Aldred Wharton High School. Themes at Work.

clancy
Download Presentation

Medieval times

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The World After the Fall of Rome Medieval times World History Mr. Aldred Wharton High School

  2. Themes at Work • Empire Building -- In western Europe, the Roman Empire had broken into many small kingdoms. During the Middle Ages, Charlemagne and Otto the Great tried to revive the idea of empire. Both allied with the Church • Power and Authority -- Weak rulers and the decline of central authority led to a feudal system in which local lords with large estates assumed power. This led to struggles over power with the Church • Religious and Ethical Systems -- During the Middle Ages, the Church was a unifying force. It shaped people’s beliefs and guided their daily lives. Most Europeans at this time shared a common bond of faith

  3. The Empire Crumbles Alaric Sacks Rome Control of the West I. Barbarians at the Gate

  4. The Empire Crumbles • One major contributing factor to the fall of Rome during the 4th century was the invasions by various Germanic tribes • By the 5th century, Rome itself had been sacked and various Germanic tribes now lived throughout the former empire • The decline of Rome ushered in a new era of history known as the medieval period, or the Middle Ages

  5. The Sack of Rome (7:23) Play Video Clip

  6. Control of the West • Turn to page 351 and examine the map • Around the year 500 AD, most of what is now considered Europe was under the control of various Germanic tribes • Repeated invasions and constant warfare caused a series of changes that altered the economy, government, and culture of the former Western Roman Empire

  7. The Waning Empire We’re Not in Rome Anymore Rise of the Middle Ages Decline of Learning Loss of Common Language II. The Dark Ages

  8. The Waning Empire (4:59) Play Video Clip

  9. “We’re not in Rome Anymore” • • Disruption of Trade -- Merchants faced invasions from both land and sea. Their businesses collapsed. The breakdown of trade destroyed Europe’s cities as economic centers. Money became scarce • • Downfall of Cities -- With the fall of the Roman Empire, cities were abandoned as centers of administration • • Population Shifts -- As Roman centers of trade and government collapsed, nobles retreated to the rural areas. Roman cities were left without strong leadership. Other city dwellers also fled to the countryside, where they grew their own food. The population of western Europe became mostly rural.

  10. Rise of the Middle Ages • The Middle Ages spanned the years from about 500 to 1500 • During these centuries, a new society slowly emerged • The new society had roots in: (1) the classical heritage of Rome, (2) the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, and (3) the customs of various Germanic tribes

  11. Decline of Learning • The Germanic invaders who stormed Rome could not read or write • Few people except priests and other church officials were literate • Knowledge of Greek, long important in Roman culture, was almost lost • The Germanic tribes, though, had a rich oral tradition of songs and legends. But they had no written language

  12. Loss of Common Language • While Latin was still an official language, it was no longer understood • Different dialects developed as new words and phrases became part of everyday speech • By the 800s, French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin • The development of various languages mirrored the continued breakup of a once-unified empire

  13. Change in Government Thread of Christianity The Franks Threat of Islam III. Germanic Kingdoms

  14. Introduction • In the years of upheaval between 400 and 600, small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces • The borders of those kingdoms changed constantly with the fortunes of war • But the Church as an institution survived the fall of the Roman Empire • During this time of political chaos, the Church provided order and security

  15. Change in Government • Loyalty to public government and written law had unified Roman society • Family ties and personal loyalty, rather than citizenship in a public state, held Germanic society together • Unlike Romans, Germanic peoples lived in small communities that were governed by unwritten rules and traditions

  16. Thread of Christianity (10:12) Play Video Clip

  17. The Franks • In the Roman province of Gaul (mainly what is now France and Switzerland), a Germanic people called the Franks held power • Their leader was Clovis • He would bring Christianity to the region

  18. The Franks • The Church in Rome welcomed Clovis’s conversion and supported his military campaigns against other Germanic peoples • By 511, Clovis had united the Franks into one kingdom • The strategic alliance between Clovis’s Frankish kingdom and the Church marked the start of a partnership between two powerful forces

  19. Missionaries Bring the Word Monastic Life Church Scholars The Papacy Under Gregory I IV. Germans Adopt Christianity

  20. Missionaries Bring the Word • By 600, the Church, with the help of Frankish rulers, had converted many Germanic peoples • These new converts had settled in Rome’s former lands • Missionaries also spread Christianity • These religious travelers often risked their lives to bring religious beliefs to other lands

  21. Monastic Life • To adapt to rural conditions, the Church built religious communities called monasteries • There, Christian men called monks gave up their private possessions and devoted their lives to serving God • Women who followed this way of life were called nuns and lived in convents

  22. St. Benedict • Read Historymakers on page 355 to learn more about monastic life

  23. Men of Cloth, Men of Letters (10:40) Play Video Clip

  24. Church Scholars Monasteries also became Europe’s best-educated communities Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books

  25. Church Scholars • In 731, the Venerable Bede, an English monk, wrote a history of England. Scholars still consider it the best historical work of the early Middle Ages • In the 600s and 700s, monks made beautiful copies of religious writings, decorated with ornate letters and brilliant pictures • These illuminated manuscripts preserved at least part of Rome’s intellectual heritage.

  26. The Papacy under Gregory I • In 590, Gregory I (the Great) became pope • Gregory broadened the authority of the Church to include secular matters • His reforms made the Church more involved in political matters – he used church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor and he also negotiated treaties with invading armies

  27. Gregory’s Vision • Gregory saw himself as responsible for all of Christendom – from Italy to England and from Spain to Germany • It was a spiritual kingdom fanning out from Rome to the most distant churches • As Gregory developed the idea of a churchly kingdom ruled by the pope, secular rulers expanded their political kingdoms

  28. Frankish Control Charles Martel Rise of Charlemagne V. An Empire Evolves

  29. The Threat of Islam (8:00) Play Video Clip

  30. Frankish Control • After the Roman Empire dissolved, small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe • The Franks controlled the largest and strongest of Europe’s kingdoms (see map on p.351) • By 700, the major domo became the most powerful man in the kingdom

  31. The Battle of Tours • Charles Martel (the “hammer”) held more power than the king • He is most known for leading the Frankish army to victory against Muslim soldiers from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 • Charles Martel’s victory made him a Christian hero

  32. The Carolingians • When Charles’ son, Pepin, became king he earned the grace of the pope by helping defeat the Lombards in Italy • His family, known as the Carolingians, would rule the Frankish kingdom from 751 to 987 • Upon Pepin’s death, his son Charles inherited the throne

  33. Charlemagne Play Video Clip (9:39)

  34. Charlemagne • Charles became known as “Charlemagne” (Charles the Great) • He proceeded to build an empire greater than any known since ancient Rome • He conquered lands to both to the south and the east • With his conquests he helped spread Christianity • On Christmas day, 800 AD, the pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor

  35. Charlemagne • He strengthened his power by limiting the power of the nobles • He also encouraged learning more than any ruler since the emperors of Rome • He also ordered monasteries to open schools to train future monks and priests • Upon his death, his kingdom was divided among his three sons (Treaty of Verdun)

  36. A New System of Government • After the breakup of Charlemagne’s empire, no strong ruler emerged to take his place • Centralized authority broke down • The lack of strong rulers beginning in 843 led to the formation of a new system of government and landholding called feudalism

More Related