Medieval Europe: Feudalism, Church, and Cultural Changes

Decline of the Roman Empire

Roman Empire declined in power in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Middle Ages

Western Europe entered the Middle Ages (medieval period).

European Trade

European trade declined, and intellectual life receded.

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church was the only one that remained powerful from Roman times to the 16th century.

Feudalism

The system of political organization that prevailed from the 9th to about the 15th century.

Fiefs

Tracts of land granted by a monarch to lords in exchange for loyalty.

Vassal

A person who owed service to another person of higher status.

Knights

Warriors who pledged to fight for the king and lords in exchange for land.

Peasants

Farmers obligated to work the lord's land and provide crops and livestock.

Code of Chivalry

An unwritten set of rules for conduct focusing on honor, courtesy, and bravery.

Manorial System

Large estates or fiefs that were economically self-sufficient and provided defense.

Life of a Serf

Serfs were tied to the land and could not travel or marry without their lord's permission.

Three-Field System

An agricultural system that improved efficiency using crop rotation.

King Philip II

The first king to develop a rule bureaucracy in France (ruled 1180-1223).

Estates-General

The first meeting included representatives from the clergy, nobility, and commoners.

Holy Roman Empire

The German King Otto I was crowned Holy Roman emperor in 962.

Lay Investiture Controversy

Dispute over whether a secular leader could invest bishops with symbols of office.

Concordat of Worms

Resolved the lay investiture controversy in 1122.

Magna Carta

Signed by King John in 1215, securing rights like jury trials.

English Parliament

Consisted of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, increasing the power of the nobility.

Hundred Years' War

A series of battles fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453.

Gunpowder Technology

Chinese technology that spread westward by the Mongols.

Reconquista

A centuries-long campaign by Christian forces to reclaim territory from Muslims.

Great Schism (1054)

The Christian Church in Europe divided into two branches: Catholic (Europe) and Orthodox (Greece to Russia)

Education and Art

The Church established the first universities in Europe, and artwork was focused on religious themes

Church and State

The church had great power in the feudal system; if a lord displeased the church, it could lead to pressure on the lord.

Monasticism

Some parts of the world mediated and prayed even though it was withdrawn for Christians, and women were permitted to become nuns.

Reform

The clergy wielded considerable political influence, and some monasteries became wealthy, which led to corruption during the 13th and 14th centuries.

Primogeniture

Where the eldest son in a family inherited the entire estate, leaving a generation of younger sons with little access to wealth and land.

Crusades

A series of European military campaigns in the Middle East driven by political rivalry with secular kings.

First Crusade

The European army conquered Jerusalem in July 1099, but Muslim forces under Saladin regained control of Jerusalem in 1187.

Fourth Crusade (1202 - 1204)

During the Fourth Crusade, Venetians persuaded the Crusaders to sack Zara and then Constantinople.

Economic and Social Change

Europe gradually transitioned from isolated, self-sufficient local economies toward long-distance commerce and trade with other European regions.

Marco Polo

In the late 13th century, the Venetian explorer visited the court of Kublai Khan in Dadu (Beijing), sparking widespread European curiosity.

Bourgeoisie

Also known as Burghers, this newly found middle class consisted of shopkeepers, merchants, etc.

Little Ice Age

A five-century cooling period began around 1300 that reduced agricultural production, slowed city growth, and increased unemployment.

Antisemitism

Widespread anti-Jewish sentiment led Christians to view Jews as untrustworthy outsiders and scapegoats for societal crises.

Gender Roles

The transitions from an agricultural society to an urban one were accompanied by a wave of patriarchal thinking that eroded women's rights.

The Renaissance

A period characterized by a revival of interest in classical Roman and Greek literature, art, culture, and civic virtue.

Humanism

The focus on individuals rather than God; they sought education and reform.

Southern Renaissance

In regions of Italy and Spain, church patronage supported the Renaissance.

Northern Renaissance

In 1400, emphasized human concerns.

Origins of Russia

The region of Kyivann Rus grew through trade and cultural connection to Byzantium, developed separately under Mongol rule, and achieved independence under Ivan the Great.