Christianization of the West (400 A.D.-1500 A.D.)

1. Christianization of the West (400 A.D.-1500 A.D.)

2. The Roman Empire grew for the following reasons: • Roman roads were well-built • Powerful army • Competent emperors and generals • The Roman Empire covered most of Europe, most of North Africa, and some of Asia. • This created problems. The Roman Empire is Split into Two Pieces

3. The provinces did not always do what they were told. • Rome seemed very far away to the people in the provinces. Managing the empire effectively (well) became difficult

4. Taxes and trade goods from the provinces were pouring into Rome, but supplies to support the provinces were also pouring out. • Money was needed to: • build new roads • support the army • expand the empire • Rome needed more growth because they needed new regions to tax, to refill Rome's bank accounts. The provinces were putting a great financial strain on Rome

5. General Diocletian was chosen by the army to be the new emperor of Rome. • He placed price controls in place to help stop the increase in the prices of goods and services. • If a shop owner charged more than the price limit, he could be put to death! Emperor Diocletian & Price Controls

6. He decided it would be easier to manage Rome if it was split in half. • This created two Roman empires - the Western & Eastern Roman Empires. • Each side had a ruler. • But the ruler who was in charge of Rome was the senior ruler. Solution:

7. Diocletian chose to rule the Eastern Roman Empire. • He placed a good friend in charge of Rome. • Before leaving, Diocletian moved a great deal of Rome's money over to the Eastern Roman Empire.

8. Rome was first a monarchy, then a republic, then an empire – it all lasted for over 1200 years. Although Rome had some wonderful emperors, it also suffered from a series of bad, corrupt and crazy emperors. There were lots of reasons why Rome fell. 476 AD: FALL OF ROME

9. It was too large to manage (govern) effectively. The army had become corrupt due to dishonest generals and non-Roman soldiers. Civil wars broke out between different political groups. Emperors rose to power either by killing off the competition or by inheriting it. Problems towards the end of the Empire included:

10. Too many slaves put many Romans out of work. The rich became lazy and showed little interest in trying to solve Rome’s problems. The poor were overtaxed and overworked.

11. Products became to expensive to affordable. • Businesses began to struggle and trade decreased. • Romans began to starve and die of diseases. • Population decrease made managing farms difficult. • The Empire starting shrinking. • The barbarian tribes* began conquering different parts of the empire. *Huns, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Saxons, etc.

12. Rome tried to solve some of their problems by splitting the Roman Empire in half, hoping that would make the empire easier to manage.

13. The Western Roman Empire became weaker. By 400 AD, the barbarian tribes finally brought Rome down. In 476 AD, the Visigoths sacked (plundered) Rome. Europe entered the Dark Ages. Did splitting the empire in half work? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcuVJUKZvx4 Barbarians - The Goths

14. The Eastern Roman Empire did fine (renamed “ the Byzantine Empire”). It would last for another 1000 years.

15. They were tribes of warriors who invaded the Roman Empire from the Northeast. • They eventually swept across Europe and destroyed the Roman Empire and settled down in their own independent Kingdoms. THE BARBARIAN KINGDOM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJYVi16vp8k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plsh2YmfE1g

16. Most barbarians were pagans. • They did not believe in Christ. • Churches were abandoned wherever they settled. • By 500 AD churches almost disappeared in many parts of Europe. • Church leaders in Rome decided to send out monks to teach about Christianity. The Return of Christianity

17. The barbarians became Christians. • Churches and monasteries were built all over Europe. • Monks kept holy books in their monasteries and made handwritten copies of them.

18. Mohammed began preaching about Allah. • Many people in Arabia became Muslims and mosques were built everywhere. • It was spread by merchants and soldiers. THE RISE OF ISLAM

19. Prince Charles was crowned king and inherited most of land we now call France. Known as “Charlemagne” (means Charles the Great) His mission was to create a Christian empire. Charlemagne’s Empire (768 AD)

20. Wanted to conquer non-Christians and convert them to Christianity. • He had churches and monasteries built throughout Europe. • His empire collapsed soon after his death due to constant invasions from Vikings and tribes of Magyars.

21. Life was organized in Medieval Europe. • People were divided into four main categories and each group had different jobs to do. • This organization was called the feudal system. Feudalism

22. For safety and for defense, people formed small communities around a central lord or master. The lord of the manor’s job was to defend the people. The manor included the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land. The Manor

23. The king awarded land or fiefs to his most important nobles, barons, and his bishops. • A fief a unit of land that included at least one village, huts for the serfs, the manor house or castle, and areas set aside to grow, feed, or catch food - the fields, pasture land, and woods.

24. The peasants (serfs) worked and lived on the land. • In exchange, the lord protected them. • Heavily taxed • Required to give most of their crops to their lord. • Lords acted as judges (carried out the laws of the manor). Peasant Life

26. A inferior lord (vassal) promised his loyalty to a superior lord (suzerain). • It was important that the lord had strong vassals. • The peasants were defenseless and counted on the lord for protection. Vassals (Inferior lords)

27. The Catholic Church • It was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages. • The majority of Europeans were Christian. • Everyone had to live by the Church's laws and pay heavy taxes to support it.

28. It also accepted gifts (ex: land, money) from people who wanted special favors or wanted to be certain of a place in heaven. • Such gifts allowed the Church to become very powerful, and it often used this power to influence kings to do as it wanted.

29. Although Europeans were very religious, the mass was said in Latin, a language most people did not understand. • It believed in labor (work hard) and in prayer. • It also made it very clear that if you wanted to get to heaven, you had to participate in the sacraments.

30. What were the sacraments? They were a simple set of steps that, if followed, would open the doors to heaven.  The Church charged people money for some of the sacraments and demanded donations to feed the poor and to build new churches. 

31. People who questioned the teachings of the Church were punished. • They were known as heretics. • They were often tortured and killed by inquisitors. Enemies of the Church

32. The Pope • The head of the Church is called the Pope. • In the past, popes had a great amount of power to influence kings. • He wanted the power of all the rulers in Europe. • He always argued with Holy roman emperors and kings of France.

33. The Pope had the power to excommunicate. • This meant that the person could not attend any church services or receive the sacraments and would go straight to hell when they died. • At a time when everyone believed in heaven and hell and all belonged to the Church, this was an awful punishment.

34. A monk is a man who has chosen to devote his life to a certain discipline of prayer. • A priest named Benedict built a monastery in Italy. The rules he established were called Benedictine Rule. • All monks had to take three vows: • Vow of poverty • Vow of chastity (stay single) • Vow of obedience (obeyed the church and the rules of the monastery) Monks

35. As the populations of medieval towns and cities increased, hygienic conditions worsened, leading to health problems. • Medical knowledge was limited (ex: drugs like antibiotics did not exist) and Europe did not have a health care system. Medieval Health

36. There were many myths and superstitions about health and hygiene (i.e. believed that disease was spread by bad odors). • It was also assumed that diseases resulted from sins of the soul.

37. When faced with the need for quick cash, nobles offered their serfs a chance to buy their freedom. Because the serfs had sold goods at the marketplaces, many were able to buy their freedom. As the serfs left, the feudal system declined.  The serfs were free, but where could they go? Some stayed on the land and worked for the nobles for payment. Some joined the crusades. Most new freemen moved to the rapidly growing towns in search of work. End of Serfdom

38. In the 14th century (1347 AD), a horrible disease struck Asia, Africa, and Europe. • A ship returning from Asia to Italy brought a terrible plague called the Black Death. The Black Death

39. In 6 years nearly 1 in 3 people living in Europe died. People were sick everywhere. Whole villages were wiped out.  It was spread by blood sucking fleas. People thought plague was sent by God to punish them for their sins. “Flagellant Brothers” tried to stop the disease by whipping their bodies. Since plague was transmitted through contact with blood they actually spread the disease.

40. At first, people locked their doors trying to protect themselves. They carried flowers to block out the smell of the dead and dying. The skies were filled with ashes as people burned houses filled with the dead. Villages filled with the dead were burned down, to contain and kill the disease. Nothing worked. 

41. Outbreaks of the plague continued for two hundred years. The cause of the plague was not discovered until the 20th century (1900's.) Today, this disease is called the bubonic plague. We have a vaccine for the plague should an outbreak ever happen again. We're lucky! The people in the Middle Ages did not have vaccines to protect themselves from many diseases as we do today.