UNIT 5 THE MIDDLE AGES

1. UNIT 5 THE MIDDLE AGES

2. CHAPTER 11

3. The Middle Ages The Dark Ages Medieval Period 450/500 – 1450/1500

4. The Middle Ages roughly span the thousand year period between the Roman Empire … and the Renaissance.

5. The Byzantine Empire & Justinian • The Roman Empire had been divided in 395 into the Western Empire and the Eastern/Byzantine Empire. • In 527, Justinian became ruler of the Byzantine Empire and eventually reconquered most of the original territory of the old Roman Empire.

6. Of the 88 Byzantine emperors, 29 died violently and 13 abandoned the throne to live in monasteries.

7. The Justinian Code • A code of laws which regulated most areas of Byzantine life, including marriage, slavery, property, inheritance, women’s rights, and criminal justice. • Consisted of 4 major bodies of work • Used in the empire for 900 years (Justinian dies in 565)

8. 1. The Codecontained nearly 5,000 Roman laws that were still considered useful for the Byzantine Empire. 2. The Digestquoted and summarized the opinions of Rome’s greatest legal thinkers about the laws. This massive work ran to a total of 50 volumes. 3. The Instituteswas a textbook that told law students how to use the laws. 4. The Novellae(New Laws) presented legislation passed after 534.

9. The empire is hit with a plague similar to the Bubonic plague, with 542 being the worst. Some estimate that as many as 10,000 were dying every day at its peak. • Constantinople is finally overtaken by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

10. In 1054, the Christian Church splits into the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East. The split was the result over a long dispute over the use of icons.

14. CHAPTER 13

15. As the middle ages began, there was a major population shift from cities to the countryside (noblemen and peasants). • In the years of upheaval between 400 and 600, small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces. These borders were constantly changing with warfare.

16. The Franks dominated Gaul (France & Switzerland). By 511, their leader Clovis had united the Franks into one kingdom.

17. Much of the knowledge and works of the Greeks were lost, with few people other than priests and church officials being literate. • Monasteries also became Europe’s best-educated communities. Monks openedschools, maintained libraries, and copied books.

19. The most powerful Frank in 719 was Charles Martel, also known as Charles the Hammer. In 732, he defeats the Muslim forces from Spain at the Battle of Tours, which prevents the Muslim empire from spreading into Western Europe.

21. the Franks come under the rule of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) in 771. By 800, his empire was larger than the Byzantine Empire and he was the most powerful king in Western Europe. • Charlemagne crowns his son Louis the Pious as emperor of his kingdom in 814. • Louis’ three sons (Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German) divide the empire into three kingdoms with the Treaty of Verdun in 843.

23. VIKINGS

33. The Vikings sailed from Scandinavia ( Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) in search of new areas to plunder. Their culture was very warlike, giving names like Eric Bloodaxe and ThorfinnSkullsplitter. As they sailed along the coasts and rivers, they would attack a settlement and leave just as quickly.

34. Viking Warships • Held up to 300 warriors • Powered by 72 oars • Long frames with monsters carved into the bows • Needed just 3 feet of water • Allowed for deep inland travel and quick coastal getaways

38. A Viking explorer named Leif Ericson reached North America around 1000 (almost 500 years before Columbus). • Around this same time, the Vikings gradually started to adopt Christianity and ended their reign of terror • A warming trend in Northern Europe made farming in Scandinavia easier, lessening the need to travel so much.

39. Common Viking Names Men Women AlfarinThorod Inga AlrikThangbrand Matilda AsgautSokkolfOsk FolkmarOrnolfSvala HordOrnThora Moldof Olaf Thorfinna

40. Creating your own Viking name First Name + Noun + Action Verb ( Your name or fictional Viking name ) ( Something or someone you would like to destroy or hurt ) ( What you want to do to the noun ) Inga Ball Kicker Olaf Shield Smasher

41. The worst years for outside invaders’ attacks on Europe occurred between 850 and 950

42. Feudalism • Feudalism was a political and economic system based on land ownership, personal loyalty and military duty. • Feudal social classes in the middle ages were usually inherited.

43. Kings and lords would give pieces of their land (fiefs) to lesser nobles and knights (vassals). In return for the land, they owed him loyalty and military service. They could also grant smaller pieces of the same land to knights, who were usually below nobles in the social structure. Each person receiving a fief would owe military service to the one who had granted it to them.

44. The lowest and largest group within feudal society were the peasants. Most were serfs, who were tied to the land. They owed taxes and crops in exchange for living and farming on the land. Serfs could be found working for anyone above them in feudal society. The average life expectancy for a peasant in the middle ages was only about 35.

45. The feudal economic system was based on the manor … the castle, village and surrounding lands controlled by the lord. Each manor was self-sufficient, producing everything they needed to survive.

46. KNIGHTS By the 1100s, the code of chivalry had developed as a set of ideals for knights to live by.

47. They were expected to fight bravely and show loyalty to their three masters: his feudal lord, God, and his chosen lady.

48. Most knights failed to meet these high expectations however.