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Medieval Europe

Medieval Europe. Early Middle Ages 476 c. - 1050 Late Middle Ages 1050 c. - 1450. Decline of the Roman Empire. This began in the second century CE when the enemies to the north and east began crossing the borders and plundering Roman territory;

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Medieval Europe

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  1. Medieval Europe Early Middle Ages 476 c. - 1050 Late Middle Ages 1050 c. - 1450

  2. Decline of the Roman Empire • This began in the second century CE when the enemies to the north and east began crossing the borders and plundering Roman territory; • The frontiers of the Roman empire were so extensive that it was next to impossible to manage; • According to Walter Goffart, a specialist in the Fall of Rome, stated that, Romans “lost their grip on Western Europe” and with that, “the foundations of contemporary society were laid.” (p.493).

  3. Decline of the roman empire • Diocletian decides to split the Roman empire into eastern and western sections (293 CE) • Constantine becomes the sole emperor of the empire and builds a new capital at Constantinople (324 CE – 330 CE)/ • Vandals sack Rome (Germanic people) (455 CE) • Odoacer, a barbarian general, deposes the last Roman emperor in the west and proclaims himself king (476 CE) • Despite persecution, Christianity spreads; • Costs of maintaining the empire becomes a burden.

  4. Early Middle Ages aka The dark Ages • Roman control of Western Europe was given up and Constantinople (Istanbul) became new capital; • Western Europe became transformed from a fringe society of Roman Empire to the political, economic and cultural centre of the continent. • Languages, laws, and cultures of European kingdoms adopted Roman ways such as Latin, Romanesque architecture, etc.

  5. Barbarian Kingdoms C. 500 CE

  6. The peoples of europe Celtic People (Warriors, Warbands and Barbarians) • Native peoples of Western Europe • Gauls (France and Belgium) • Britons (United Kingdom and Ireland) • Bretons (Brittany Peninsula of France) Germanic Peoples: most numerous of the barbarians • Goths ( Of the Goths there were Eastern Goths: Ostrogoths and the Western Goths : Visigoths) • Franks • Vandals • Angles • Saxons • Jutes • Frisians • Burgundians • Suebi

  7. Highlights of the EMA • Political, military, economic and culture centre of the empire is Constantinople and is the largest city west of China with 750,000 people located on an international trade route and one of the largest natural harbours of the world; • Byzantine Empire was ruled on Roman model; • Significant gap between the rich and poor; • Emperor; • Appointed military governors; • Army; • Poor.

  8. Empire and Church • Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity • This also created a rift in the Christian Church • Constantine and his successors felt that they were appointed by God to represent him on earth. • Two religious officials of the early Church were bishops of Rome and Constantinople • Bishop of Rome: POPE • Bishop of Constantinople: PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE

  9. Empire and church • The Church was under control of the empire • Rome, however, was no longer part of the empire and this meant the Pope could act independently of Constantinople. • Although the Pope and Patriarch were to hold equal power, they both fought for supremacy • Thus, the church splits into: • EASTERN ORTHODOX: centre is Constantinople • ROMAN CATHOLIC: centre is Rome

  10. Empire and church • Emperors after Constantine began to pass laws to persuade (force) people to become Christians. • Magic, astrology and soothsaying become ILLEGAL • Other religions are BANNED • Heresy is introduced and punishment was created for this crime (holding beliefs that question or contradict the official religion)

  11. Justinian code • Justinian the Great’s one ambition was to “reunite the Roman world”. He waged wars to reconquer areas around Rome. • “Paganism” was introduced which was usually characterized by a belief in many gods. • Un-Christian people became “pagans”. • Pagan also refers to people who are not part of Christianity, Judaism or Islam. • Christians were in fact persecuted if they did not have the same beliefs as Justinian.

  12. Codex Justinianeus • Codification of Roman law that governed people’s behaviour. • It defined property that people could own property, how property could be passed to heirs, and how disputes should be resolved. • It became civil law. • Theodora: Justinian’s wife, made great strides for women, forbidding the sale of young girls and laws to protect women in divorces.

  13. Iconoclastics • Practice of creating icons (portable images of Jesus, Mary and the Saints). • Other Christians felt it violated the 3rd Commandment. • Iconoclasts: “image breakers”, those people who were against the use of icons. • Iconoclasm: 726-87, 815-43 (in the Byzantine world: Byzantium, Constantinople, Nicaea). • Icons were later re-instated (843 CE).

  14. The Great schism, 1054 • The Latin West and the Greek East split traditions within in the Catholic church such as: • Doctrines (practices changed); • Theology (prayers were changed); • Linguistics (language of the mass); • Politics (who could excommunicate whom); • Geography (dispute over the Balkans).

  15. Paganism • Hallowe’en; • Decoration of eggs at Easter; • Kissing under mistletoe (around the Winter solstice); • Santa (after a Norse god who would leave gifts in shoes); • Bridal veils were used to ward off evil spirits; • Wedding ring on the third finger on the left (it is connected to a vein which runs directly to the heart); • Tying the knot (handfasting); • God bless you after one sneezes (to chase the evil spirits leaving one’s body); • Removal of the garter belt; • The best man at a wedding; • Carrying the wife over the threshold (to avoid bad luck if she tripped); • Can you think of any????

  16. The Great Western Schism in western christendom • 1378-1417 • Rome and France disagree on who is pope! • Rome: Italian Pope Urban VI • France: REFUSED URBAN and appointed their own: Clement VII who later withdraws. • This split countries into which Pope to support as they both were claiming to be the true successor of St. Peter. • It continued for approx. 40 years injuring the papacy severely.

  17. feudalism • social organization of the High Middle Ages • Set of rules governing ownership of land • Property holders were called: vassals • Property or land was granted by an overlord to a vassal in return for military or other services

  18. Feudalism The Feudalistic Pyramid • King • Greater Lords • Lesser Lords • Knights • Serfs/Peasants

  19. Feudal system

  20. Code of chivalry • Code of behaviour that combined Christian values and virtues of a noble warrior • Once knighted, the Sir is expected to be brave, generous and loyal, to protect noblewomen and defend the honour of his family.

  21. Struggles with the church • Thomas Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. He would not go along with the Monarchy controlling the Church and was assassinated in the cathedral as he conducted service. December 29, 1170. • The king’s followers did the dirty deed. p. 238 World Civilizations: Murder in the Cathedral.

  22. King Richard and king john • John outlived Richard and as a result, John inherited the throne of England in 1199. • He set upon a series of ill-advised actions, extortion and other abuses. • In 1215, angry nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta which would limit the power of the King. • The king is to be equal among his people (p. 225 Then and Now: The Magna Carta) • He could not set new taxes without consulting the Great Council • Had to obey the law like his subjects • The Charter is recognized by the Canadian Constitution

  23. The Magna Carta, 1215

  24. The Magna Carta, 1297 • The 1215 Magna Carta was rewritten and became the official charter the liberties of England.

  25. Religion and Church Organizations • Doctrines: church teachings; • Ex-communications: dismissal from the church and its sacraments, rites of penitence for sins and rites for salvation; • Could not marry or be buried on Church grounds; • Outcasts and lost property rights; • Unsaved souls would burn in hell forever; • Pope used it as a political tool.

  26. Purgatory • Purgatory: a place where souls of the dead atone for their sins before being admitted to heaven (Roman Catholic belief, not Byzantine).

  27. Heresy • Heretics: people who held different beliefs than the church. • Court set up Inquisitions: Church officials would investigate or conduct an inquiry into heresy. • Heretics would be called before the Inquisition and have to show penitence and renounce their statements against the Church; • Those found guilty would be burned at the stake. Punishment was justified to prevent evil ideas of heresy. • End of the 12th Century: Church was at the height of its power.

  28. Ring around the rosie…

  29. Ring around the rosie… • It doesn’t really mean the plague afterall…. Ring around the rosie, Pocket full of posies, Husha, Husha, We all fall down.

  30. Black death : the plague • ‘The Great Pestilence’ reached England by 1348; • Cause: oriental rat fleas were carried on the backs of black rats which infected humans. • Spread of the disease was easy as towns were overpopulated and sanitation was virtually non-existent.

  31. The outbreaks • By 1350 the worst effects had subsided but it never died out. • Outbreaks occurred: • 1361-62 • 1369 • 1379-83 • 1389-93 • Throughout the first half of the 15th century • It wasn’t until the late 17th century that England became free of these epidemics. • Three forms of plague: • Bubonic, pneumonic, septicemic.

  32. Mortality rates • Mortality rates: • Bubonic (30-75% mortality rate) • Pneumonic (90-95%) • Septicemic (100%)

  33. How did Black death affect society? • Due the number of losses, society became more appreciative of the skilled labourers. • Governments were set to lose much as Lords needed workers to harvest their land. This lead to peasants leaving the towns to work for the Lords while demanding higher wages. Once a townsperson went to work for the Lord, the Lord refused to allow the townsperson to return to the village therefore the government needed to stop peasants from leaving the village, ruining the feudal system.

  34. Statue of labourers • In 1351, the government instituted the Ordinance of Labourers which virtually disallowed the peasants to move freely and seek employment elsewhere by freezing the wages of the peasants not allowing them to charge higher prices for their labours. • This lead to the Peasants Revolt of 1381.

  35. The crusades • The various kingdoms of Europe during the Middle Ages were politically divided but were unified in one thing: RELIGION – Christian Faith. • The Church was the single most important and influential force affecting the development of medieval Europe. • The Crusades were a series of holy wars waged against the Saracens (non-Christians) which included the Arabs, the Turks, the Moors and the Muslims. It was a response to the Muslims invading Christian lands and nearly conquering 2/3rds of the old Christian world.

  36. crusade • is a French and Spanish word meaning cross.

  37. Questions about the crusades • Why the Crusades? • Was is a black spot in Christian history? • Was it a response to a growing Muslim concern and therefore justified?

  38. History behind the crusades • It was difficult for Christians to visit the “holy land” in Jerusalem and other sites because the Arabs and Muslims had conquered Palestine. They did tolerate Christians. • In 1071, the Seljuk Turks (hard-lined Muslims) closed the area to the Christians. They also threatened to attack the Byzantine Empire. • Pope Urban II called for Western Europe to prepare for a crusade. He felt they needed to win back the Holy Land and re-unite the two churches. • Christian soldiers were promised forgiveness for their sins, a share of spoils of war and release from debts and punishments.

  39. How many crusades? • 1st Crusade: 1096 – only victory for Christians. They were able to re-capture the Holy Land (Palestine and Syria) and then Jerusalem in 1099. • 2nd Crusade 1147 – Muslims retake Christian states. • 3rd Crusade 1187 – fight against Saladin, also the era set for the Robin Hood Legend. • 1192: the two sides call a truce and Saladin allowed Christians to visit Jerusalem without persecution. • 4th Crusade: 1202 – did not reach the holy land. They attacked Constantinople. It was a misguided war. • There were actually 9 crusades but only the first four are notable.

  40. What did the crusades really do? • Socially and economically it opened the door to trade of spices, cotton, sugar, perfumes from the east. • The Pope and the Roman Catholic Church gained prestige from the successes of the First and Third Crusades (however, the church was criticized for corruption in the misguided 4th Crusade). • Kings became more powerful because those people who would have challenged the king (such as lords or knights) were killed in the Crusades.

  41. The reformation • Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (Oct. 31, 1517) is nailed to the church door and the sect of Protestants splits from the Catholic Church. The plague was one of the reasons why people started to question and disbelieve because why would a god be so merciless?

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