Early Middle Ages Europe

1. Early Middle AgesEurope 500-1000 AD

2. England after the Romans • After the Romans left the control of England was divided into realms. • Wessex became the most dominant under the influence King Egbert • Romans had installed a sophisticate system of government but it soon dissipated after the Romans left.

3. The Vikings in England • In the 8th century the British Isles were attacked by the Vikings. • The influence of the Vikings stretched form Newfoundland and France. • The only English region that remained was Wessex. They continued top fight off the Vikings under Alfred the Great.

4. Alfred the Great • After his treaty with the Danes, Alfred reformed his army and continued to advance his military technology. • He wanted to fight of the Danes and take control of England. • In 878 Alfred the Great’s army defeated the Danish general Guthrum, and signed the Treaty of Wedmore that stated that Wessex was free from Danish control. But the Danes still controlled much of the northeast.

5. The Franks • Originally from Germany soon migrated as far west as Paris. • The Frankish leader Clovis after defeating rival tribes, turned to Christianity. • This was a significant event because it was cemented the relationship between the Franks and the Church of Rome. After his acquisition of Gascony and Aquitaine formed a large Empire in the heart of Europe.

6. Charlemagne • Arguably the greatest figure in the middle ages. • Charlemagne was always under the influence of the pope. When he conquered people he made it his duty to convert them to Christianity. Although his army was powerful he was defeated by the Muslims in Spain.

7. Charlemagne • Again under the influence of the church, he was asked by Pope Leo III to help restore order in Rome in 799. • In 800 he was crowned Emperor of Rome by the Pope Leo III. • But the extensive land could not be governed by Charlemagne’s system of wealthy families that traveled around. The Vikings were plundering the Northern towns. Charlemagne and his successor were able to check them but soon weak leaders were in power and could not sustain the empire.

8. The Fall of the Carolingians • Due to excessive in fighting for the throne the weakened government could not defend itself • Magyars from the East, Vikings from the North and Muslims from the south all attacked the weakening Frankish empire. • Charlemagne's Missi Dominici form of government combined religious and non-religious officials to supervise the people. • The empire started to collapse after Charlemagne’s death in 814 when the empire was divided between his 3 grandsons

9. Feudalism • Based own the reciprocal arrangement between two groups of society, the lords and vassals. • Lords had the power and the vassals had nothing. • The method of quid-pro-quo had lords give land to vassals in return for the crop and large sum of money. This method was only profitable for the lords. • The early days of feudalism had lords protect vassals and provide them with tools to farm the land. In return the vassal pledged complete loyaltyto the lord.

10. Middle Age Agriculture • Land was readily available but many of the farming techniques were crude and inadequate. • Many peasants experienced extremes of either famine or surplus depending on disease and weather. • The most successful agricultural system was Manorialism. A lord owned a huge manor in which he used many vassals to work the land. It was a self sufficient food supply.

11. Asia in the Middle Ages • Area known now as Russia • Northern and Southern Slavs and the Byzantines all lived in Russia. • The Slavic groups counted on the Vikings to protect their trade routes around the Baltic Sea. • The Slavs asked the Viking general, Rurik the Rus, to come and restore order to the country. He accepted the invitation and took control. • After his arrival his attempt to consolidate, was thwarted an many independent principalities were formed

12. China • The Tang dynasty(618-907) in China grew into the most powerful of all the past dynasties. • This period of time the Tang dynasty spread its borders across Mongolia and Tibet. • Confucianism was the religion promoted by the Tang. Though every religion was tolerated.

13. Africa • The most prevalent of the cities in Africa was Ghana. It was on the western coast. • It used its geographic location to make itself a trading and commercial power. But through internal problems by the 12th century Mali was taking control • Mali was another commercial kingdom wealthy because of vast amounts of gold and agricultural items. Timbuktu and Gao were prominent port cities.