The Worlds of European Christendom

1. Chapter 10 The Worlds of European Christendom

2. Post Classical Europe • Divided between Western and Eastern Europe • West dark ages/East flourished (Byzantine Empire) • Constantine • Justinian • The Schism of 1054 • Charlemagne • Feudalism • Crusades • Black Death

3. Middle Ages • 500-1500 Middle Ages or Medieval Period • First 500 years= Early Middle Ages ro Dark Ages • Why Dark? • Lower levels of learning • More political instability • Less trading and more subsistence farming

4. Changing Map of Europe

5. Byzantine Empire

6. 840 AD

7. 1054

8. Emperor Diocletian • Vast empire as ungovernable • Split the Roman Empire in half • Created two equal emperors to rule under the title of Augustus. • Created the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.

9. Persecution of Christians under Diocletian 284-305

10. Constantine and Christianity • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlnJRyZTfEo&feature=related • Constantine becomes sole ruler of entire Roman Empire • Rome in the west was in decay • Constantine created a new center in the east

11. Byzantium • Constantine founded the Constantinople, the cite of the old Greek city Byzantium

12. Byzantium • Mediterranean and Black seas connected through the Bosporus Strait • As the West collapsed the East prospered • The Byzantine Empire was the heir to the Roman Empire

13. Politics of Postclassical Europe • Kingdoms developed were small/weak • With the end of the Western Roman Empire, no single government had complete control in Europe. • The Roman Empire was replaced with a patchwork of small kingdoms • Exception—Franks • Germanic people who settled in modern France • Christian • Charles Martel organized an army to fight he Moors (Muslim people invading Spain) • Battle of Tours—defeated Moors • Stopped further Muslim penetration

14. “Charles the Great” • Charles the Great was king of the Franks. (Gaul or current-day France.) • Martel’s grandson • Known as Charlemagne, he brought back unity and order to many of the lands that had been part of the former Western Roman Empire. 14

15. Charlemagne • Charlemagne: • Great warrior • Respected learning and encouraged education • Known as a man of wisdom • Goal was to unite Germanic tribes into a single Christian kingdom (Christendom) 15

17. Charlemagne • Charlemagne • Defended the city of Rome and the popeagainst the Lombards • Christmas Day 800 A.D., Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Augustus emperor of the Romans • Founded the Holy Roman Empire formed from lands previously part of the Western Roman Empire • By establishing a central government over Western Europe, Charlemagne restored much of the unity of the old Roman Empire \ 17

18. Holy Roman Empire • TheHoly Roman Empirewas made up of modern day: • Germany • Austria • Switzerland • eastern France • Belgium • Netherlands • western Poland • the Czech Republic • Italy 18

19. Holy Roman Empire 19

20. Accomplishments • Charlemagne (Charles the Great) • Improved education (reading and writing) • Issued money • Increased trade • Spread the Christian religion - Confess God or meet God • When Charlemagne defeated the Saxons, he expected them to convert to Christianity. He beheaded 4,000 in one day.

21. Feudal System • Charlemagne gave huge land grants to loyal nobles. This was similar to the practice of creating Roman provinces. • The nobles agreed to provide military and political services to him as emperor, as well as upkeep of roads, bridges and forts on their land. • This system of land grants was the basis of feudalism; the political and military system of Europe that lasted for about centuries. 21

22. Charlemagne’s Death • After Charlemagne’s death, his empire or the Holy Roman Empire, was divided among his three sons. • They fought one another, weakening the empire. • Other groups attacked and weakened the empire. • The fiercest attacks came from the Vikings.

23. Charlemagne's Divided Empire: 843

24. Treaty of Verdun • Charlemagne’s only son Louis inherited the empire. • Louis had three sons who, according to tribal inheritance law, would each get an equal share. • Louis tried to prevent the disintegration of the empire by selecting the oldest son, Lothair, to be the sole inheritor. • A family war ensued, ending in the Treaty of Verdun, which divided the empire into three sections: the west for Charles the Bald, the center for Lothair, and the east for Louis the German. • This was the beginning of modern Europe with essentially the formation of France and Germany.

25. The Fate of the Holy Roman Empire • When the family of Charles ceased to produce worthy heirs, the pope gladly crowned whichever Italian magnate could best protect him • Finally, in 962 a new Roman Emperor was crowned in Rome by a grateful pope. • This emperor, Otto the Great, brought the title into the hands of the kings of Germany for almost a millennium, for it was to become the Holy Roman Empire, a true imperial successor to Charles…

26. The Quick on the HRE • The Roman Empire was Roman, then moved to Constantinople. The Holy Roman Empire was mostly Germanic, and ruled Central Europe between Charlemagne and Napoléon.