Christian Empires

How was society structured under feudalism?

Society was structured like a pyramid with a king on top, wealthy landowners like lords, knights who defended land for fiefs, then came peasants serfs.

How did the rights and duties of feudal relationships help to shape today's forms of representative government?

Feudal relationships were based on the obligations of the lords and vassals, creating the idea that a leader had moral obligations to his subjects; creating the idea of power being distributed to all parts of society.

Lord

A landowner who granted land (fief) to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service

Fief

A piece of land granted to a vassal from a lord in exchange for service

Vassal

A person who received this land and pledged loyalty and service to the lord

Knight

A warrior who defend lord and manor in exchange for a fief

Serf

Peasants who were bounded to lord and land in exchange for protection

Manor

A lord's estate which was a self-sufficient community

Tithe

The "Church tax", which was generally 1/10 of a peasants income paid to the local church

Feudalism

A political and economic system where land was exchanged for military service and loyalty

How did Charlemagne influence Europe?

Charlemagne was crowned by Pope Leo III and set the foundation for conflicts between the Pope and the King. He expanded his empire across much of Western Europe spreading/reviving Christianity. He laid the foundation for Feudalism and the development of the Holy Roman Empire.

How did the Church influence European society during this era?

Christianity and the Church was a unifying force and bonded people in a time of division, Feudalism. The Church also controlled politics, as Charlemagne was crowned by a Pope. They established the "Canon law" which meant the church had authority over everything. Additionally the Church was crucial for Christian rites such as baptism and marriage, were vital to medieval people's spiritual lives as they wanted salvation and were terrified by the idea of hell.

How did Church corruption lead to reforms?

The church led to reforms through things like the Lay Investructor which allowed kings and political leaders to appoint church leaders- which a pope later banned. This in turn led to conflicts between the king and pope; Henry VS Georgory. This all got resolved in the Concordat of Worms which meant allowing the Church to appoint bishops while granting the emperor veto power.

Charlemagne

Frankish king crowned as Roman Emperor in 800, expanded Christianity and education in Europe.

Sacraments

Important religious ceremonies, such as baptism and communion, necessary for salvation in Christianity

Canon Law

The body of laws and regulations developed by the Church to govern Christian conduct.

Holy Roman Empire

A multi-ethnic empire in central Europe, established by Otto I in 962 and heavily influenced by the Church.

Lay Investiture

A practice where kings and nobles appointed church officials, leading to conflicts with the Pope

Concordat of Worms

A 1122 agreement that resolved the investiture conflict, allowing the Church to appoint bishops while granting the emperor veto power.

How did changes in the Middle Ages lay the foundations for modern Europe?

- A warmer climate led to improved food production and farming methods leading to a population increase.

- They began to use horses instead of oxen.

- Guilds became powerful for the medieval economy leading to the expansion of trade and business leading to the Commercial Revolution. More goods from foreign lands became available through trade routes and ports. Increased market and fair business encouraged merchants to take risks on profitable merchandise.

- As towns attracted workers, they grew into cities. The population of Europe rose and towns grew and flourished. The feudal system went down and serfs were able to become free. - As European contact with the Muslims and the Byzantine empire grew, a new interest in learning formed. Europeans gained knowledge in science, philosophy, law, math and technology. Universities developed, leading to New ideas and expressions emerging.

Three-Field System

Some villages organized their lands into 3 fields instead of two, enabling farmers to grow crops on 2/3rds of their land each year instead of just ½.

Guild

An organization of individuals in the same business working to improve the economic and social conditions of its members. There were many types of guilds and they set standards for quality of work, wages, and working conditions. Commercial Revolution: The expansion of trade and business is called the Commercial Revolution. Peasants from nearby manors traveled to town on fair days to trade with merchants from all over Europe.

Vernacular

Everyday language of their homeland. Poets used this, allowing for more people to read texts.

Thomas Aquinas

He was a scholar who argued that the most basic religious truths could be proved by a logical argument. His work combined ancient Greek thought with Christian thought.

Scholastics

Thomas Aquinas and his fellow scholars who met at the great universities were known as scholastics. They used their knowledge of Aristotle to debate many issues of their time. The people they influenced began to develop democratic institutions and traditions.

What problems existed in the Church during the Middle Ages?

Many village priests were married and had families which were against Church rulings, bishops sold positions in the Church(simony), through lay investiture kings appointed church bishops which reformers believed only the Church should appoint.

What were the causes and effects of the Crusades?

Causes: Muslim Turks were threatening to invade the Byzantine empire, and the Byzantine emperor sent a letter out asking for help. Pope Urban II read this letter and issued a call for an"Holy War" which was the Crusades. Muslims controlled Palestine, the holy land, and threatened Constantinople, wanted to unite Christianity Many people fought in the Crusades because the pope told them that if they died fighting in the holy war, they would get into heaven, all sins gone

Effects: The Kings and the Church used the Crusades to get rid of knights who threatened the peace of the kingdoms. Merchants profited and hoped to win control of key trade routes from Muslim traders. Thousands of people died from both religions, and hatred spread. Bitterness and hatred between Muslims and Christians formed because of the tragedies of the Crusades and it still continues today. Due to the failure of the later Crusades, the pope's power weakened and the kings' increased. Feudal nobility weakened. The growth of trade and towns in Europe increased.What are the enduring legacies of the Crusades?

What are the enduring legacies of the Crusades?

The prejudice displayed by Christians towards Muslims left behind a legacy of bitterness and hatred for Muslims. Relationships with Muslim leaders for Christians who lived in Muslim controlled areas worsened. Anti semitism also stemmed from the Crusades.

Pope Urban II

He read the letter from the Byzantine Emperor asking for help against the Muslim Turks, and declared a Crusade to gain control of the Holy Land. He wanted to reclaim Palestine, and unite the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity. According to him, those who died on Crusade were given a place in Heaven.

Crusades

A Holy War

Saladin

Jerusalem fell to Muslim leader Saladin. He fought Richard in the Third Crusade and eventually they agreed to a truce where Jerusalem remained under Muslim control, but unarmed Christian pilgrims could visit the city's holy places.

Richard The Lion-Hearted

The Third Crusade was led by 3 of Europe's most powerful monarchs ending up with Richard The Lion-Hearted. He was the one who battled Saladin and eventually made a truce.

Great Schism

The College of Cardinals met in Rome to choose a new pope and the people were begging them to choose an Italian pope, so they did, but they immediately regretted their decision and elected a second pope who was French. Now there were two popes; the Italian one living in Rome and the French one living in Avignon. The popes were trying to excommunicate each other. This split led to the Great Schism.

John Wycliffe

He was an Englishman who was offended by the wealth displayed by the clergy and preached that Jesus Christ was the true head of the Church, not the pope.

Jan Hus

She was influenced by John Wycliffe's teachings and taught that the Bible had more authority than the pope. He was first excommunicated, then seized by Church leaders, and finally burned at the stake.

Bubonic Plague

It was an epidemic spread in Africa, Asia, and Europe also known as the Black Death. It was spread by fleas that infested rats and those rats made their way onto ships spreading the disease. The fleas also bit humans, transforming the disease. The populations of towns dramatically decreased, trade decreased, prices rose, serfs left manors looking for better wages, nobles resisted peasant demands which led to peasant revolts, and Jews became scapegoats for the plague. The Church lost its prestige due to its prayers failing to stop the plague, and there was an increase in education.

Hundred Years War

England and France battled each other for more than a century. As grandson of Philip IV, Edward 111 claimed the right to the French throne and launched a war that continued on and off known as the Hundred Years' War. The French ended up winning. This war brought a change in warfare. England suffered a period of internal turmoil, the power and prestige of the French monarch increased, and religious devotion and the code of chivalry crumbled.

Joan of Arc

She was a peasant girl who claimed to see divine visions from God telling her to drive out the English and crown Charles VII, the son of Charles VI, as the true king of France. She led the French to victory and Charles VII was crowned king. However, England's allies captured her and turned her over to the English who handed her over to Church authorities where she was burned at the stake for being condemned as a witch and heretic.

Magna Carta

It was a document that the king was forced to sign a huge rebellion by the nobles. It was based upon two principles. The first was that the king and his government must rule with the established laws and judicial process, and second, the king must govern by taking counsel with his nobles. The aim of this document was to prevent the king from being able to exploit his subjects and rule tyrannically. An important part of the Magna Carta was that no free man could be arrested and imprisoned without a trial . This guaranteed what we call today "due process of law", and it prevented the king from imprisoning his subjects unless there was a lawful reason to do so. Essentially, the king was giving up his power to the nobles.