Unit 4 - The Middle Ages and the Crusades

Charlemagne

1. created and organized empire and expanded the Frankish empire

2. Spread Christianity 

3. Charles the great is what he is also called

4. valued learning, creating schools

European feudalism (word definitions)

• Manor = lords estate

• lords = nobles / landowners

• knight = trained soldiers who protect the lords and peasants

• fief = land offered by lords to vassal

• vassal = a person that lives on a lords manor

• serf = someone who works the lords land in exchange for a place to live and protection, they were not allowed to leave thee land w/o lords permition

europen feudalism

1. king

2. church officials and nobles 

3. knights 

4. peasants 

feudalism?

• exchange of land for loyalty 

• nobles offer land

• knights take that land and in exchange offer protection 

manorial system?

exchange of land for work 

nobles offer land for peasants to live and work along with protection 

and peasants work the land providing and will give up a portion of their harvest to the lord

Bubonic plague

• decline of manorial system : caused labor shortage because serfs could demand higher wages

• An infection spread by rats and flees; sea trade

• originated in China and spread into Europe through Italy 

role of church

• catholic church was most important aspects of medieval life

• pope is the strongest religious leader in western europe but also a strong political leader

canon law

system of rules created by the Catholic church that all Christians had to follow

pope urban ll

called for the first crusade (holy war)

told people all crimes they commit they preform on crusade day will be forgiven because they are performing Gods will

promises crusaders that they gain land and wealth

motives for crusades 

want money 

• pope want to unite east and west to regain holy land from Muslims 

• merchants want access to trade routes 

• knights want to support the church hoping to gain land and wealth

after crusades 

• pope loses power 

• ideas comes from Islamic world

• merchants show up trading and selling , trade with Islamic = ideas are being spread

results of crusades

• increase learning 

• cultural diffusion

• increase in want for luxury goods

• new tech from Islamic world 

• new ideas also from Islamic world 

change in balance of power

• pope / the church lose power and influence : people lose faith in the Pope after the disaster the crusade 

• king gains power