Unit 7 - European Middle Ages

Middle Ages

the era in European history that followed the fall of the Roman Empire, lasting from about 500 to 1500—also called the medieval period.

Western Roman Empire

Western branch of the Roman Empire with Rome as capital. Destroyed in 476 A.D to invading Germanic tribes.

Roman Catholic Church

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome; called the pope.

Roman Catholism

The Christian faith and religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church, which exerted great political, economic, and social influence on much of Western Europe.The religion recognized the pope as its supreme leader.

Pope

the bishop of Rome, head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Germanic Invaders

as known as "barbarian invasions," the movement of Germanic peoples (which began before 200 BCE and) lasted until the early Middle Ages, destroying the Western Roman Empire in the process. These various groups moved into the lands of the Roman Empire and eventually took them over and established the people of modern Europe.

Impacts of the Germanic invasions

1. Disruption of trade- merchants faced invasions from both land and sea.

2. Downfall of cities- centers of administration, government, and economies were destroyed.

3. Population shifts- nobles from the cities retreated to the rural areas. The general population fled to the countryside. The population of Europe became primarily rural.

4. Decline of learning- invaders could not read or write (illiterate). The general population who was educated fled to the countryside.

5. Loss of common language- As Germanic people mixed with the local Romans, Latin changed. New dialects emerged- by the 800's, French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin.

rural

relating to farm areas and life in the country or countryside.

Role of Church during Germanic Invasions

the Church as an institution survived the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period of turmoil, transition, and political chaos, the Church provided order and security.

Franks

A Germanic people who settled in the Roman province of Gaul, present-day France and neighboring lands in the 400's.

Monasteries, Convents, and Manuscripts

To adapt to rural conditions, the Church built religious communities and wrote and transcribed religious texts to promote Christianity.

monastery

a religious community of men (called monks) who have given up their possessions to devote themselves to a life of prayer and worship.

Convents

The residences of religious women called nuns who were bound together by vows to a religious life in Christianity. These centers acted as educational institutions.

Papacy

the office or authority of the Pope (the head of the Roman Catholic Church).

secular

concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters. Expressing attitudes, activities, or other concepts that have no religious or spiritual basis.

Charles Martel "The Hammer"

King of the Franks; made an alliance with Pope Gregory II; Promised to protect the pope's missionary work; Held off the Moors (Muslim invaders) at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD.

Pepin the Short

Frankish king; son of Charles Martel. Upon his father's death, he became king and the Pope asked him for help against the Lombards who were invading. Pepin helps him and defeats them and in turn, the Pope names him king of the Franks. Then Pepin gives the Pope land called the Papal States. Established the "Carolingian Dynasty," the family that would rule the Franks from 751 to 987 AD.

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

King of the Franks 768-814 AD; as Charles I, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 800-814 AD. Crowned by the Pope as the head of the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD, which extended from northern Spain to western Germany and northern Italy. Charlemagne would then establish the greatest empire since Ancient Rome.

Charlemagne's accomplishments

-Reunites Frankish kingdoms

-Reunites western Europe and spreads Christianity

-Travels to Rome to protect Pope Leo III from mobs which gets him crowned emperor after giving protection

• Founded the Holy Roman Empire

• Stimulated European economic and political life

• Fostered the cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance

• Promoted education for children, built and expanded monasteries.

Charlemagne's Heirs

•Charlemagne died and left his land to his son, Louis I (Louis the Pious)

•His three grandsons then split the lands but were unable to maintain control (Treaty of Verdun 843 AD)

•Loss of control and lack of authority led to the birth of feudalism.

Invaders Attack Western Europe

Peoples who invaded Western Europe and created

disorder and suffering, leading to the rise of feudalism.

From 800 to 1000 AD, invasions destroyed the Carolingian Empire. Muslim invaders from the South (Africa). Magyars invaded from the East and from the North came the Vikings.

Vikings (Northmen or Norsemen)

one of a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of northern and western Europe from 700's through the 1100's.

Long ships

The types of boats the Vikings built and used to invade other settlements.

Magyars

group of nomadic Muslim people, who attacked Europe from the east (what is now Hungry). Superb horsemen, they swept across the plains of Eastern Europe and invaded western Europe in the late 800's. They did not settle the conquered lands, but instead took captives to sell as slaves.

Feudalism

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection. Feudalism depended upon the control of land.

Feudal Pyramid

King --> powerful vassals (wealthy landowners such as nobles and bishops) --> knights ---> landless peasants who worked in fields

King --> Vassals --> Knights --> Peasants

King --> Nobles --> Knights --> Peasants

lord

in feudal Europe, a person who controlled land (landowner) and could therefore grant estates to vassals.

fief

an area of land. An estate granted to a vassal by a lord under the feudal system in medieval Europe.

vassal

in feudal Europe, a person who received a grant of land from a lord in exchange for a pledge of loyalty and services.

knight

in medieval Europe, an armored warrior who fought on horseback.

serf

a medieval peasant legally bound to live on a lord's estate.

Life as a serf

-Responsible of taking care of themselves

-produced and raised anything that their lord needed

-Lived in small cottages close to their neighborS.

-2 rooms (kitchen and bedroom)

-Warmed their dirt floors with pigs.

Social Classes of the Feudal System

Medieval writers classified people into three groups: those who fought (nobles and knights), those who prayed (men and women of the church), and those who worked (the peasants). Social class was usually inherited.

manor

a lord's estate in feudal Europe. A large estate, often including farms and a village, ruled by a lord.

self-sufficient

able to produce enough for one's own needs. A manor was largely self-sufficient both militarily and economically during the early Middle Ages because- Everything that was required for daily life like grains, milk, fuel, lumber, etc was produced/raised by the peasants and the serf, They had their own armies which protected them against raids.

agriculture

fancy word for farming. The science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

New farming tools

Allowed for the increase in farming and agriculture. Metal horseshoe, horse harness, pitchfork.

tithe

a family's payment of one-tenth of its income to a church.

Code of Chivalry

a code of behavior for knights in medieval Europe, stressing ideals such as courage, loyalty, and devotion.

Page

a boy servant or attendant, the first step in becoming a knight

Tournaments

Staged battles for entertaining audiences and training knights. Contest where knights could fight; useful in helping knights train for war

Epic Poetry

A long narrative poem about the adventures of an almost superhuman character (heroes).

Love Poems and Songs

Troubadours were traveling poet-musicians. They composed short verses and songs about the joys and sorrows of romantic love. A knight's duty to his lady.

Women's Role in Feudal Society

Most women in feudal society were powerless, just as most men were. But women had the added burden of being thought inferior to men. This was the view of the Church and was generally accepted in feudal society. Nonetheless, women played important roles in the lives of both noble and peasant families.

Could inherit land (although usually went to sons in the family line) and send knights to war, in charge when husband was away. Overall women worked in the home, raised families and peasant women worked hard labor in the fields.

Noblewomen in the feudal system

acted as head of estate, when husband or father were off fighting, or sometimes went to war to defend estate

held little property (land usually passed to eldest son)

Sometimes played active roles in warrior society

Expected to have children. Were responsible for raising and training their children and sometimes the children of other noble families. They were also responsible for overseeing their large households.

Peasant women

subordinate to men. Worked endless labor around the home and in the fields; bore children and took care of families.

Siege Tower

wooden platforms, built to the same height of the wall, so attackers could get over the walls of a castle.

battering ram

made of heavy timber with a sharp metal tip, swung like a pendulum to crack castle walls or to knock down a drawbridge.

Trebuchet

A machine used in medieval siege warfare for hurling large stones or other missiles. This worked like a giant slingshot and could propel objects long distances.

Tortoise

Protective military devise. It moved slowly on wheels and sheltered soldiers from falling arrows.

clergy

a body of officials who perform religious services, such as priests, ministers, or rabbis.

sacrament

one of the Christian ceremonies in which God's grace is transmitted to people.

canon law

the body of laws governing the religious practices of a Christian church.

Holy Roman Empire

an empire established in Europe in the 10th century AD, originally consisting mainly of lands in what is now Germany and Italy.

lay investiture

the appointment of religious officials by kings or nobles.

simony

the selling or buying of a position in a Christian church.

Crusade(s)

one of the expeditions in which medieval Christian warriors sought to recover control of the Holy Land from the Muslims.

Inquisition

a Roman Catholic tribunal for investigating and prosecuting charges of heresy—especially the one active in Spain during the 1400's.

guild

a medieval association of people working at the same occupation, which controlled its members' wages and prices.

three field system

a system of farming developed in medieval Europe, in which farm land was divided into three fields of equal size and each of these was successively planted with a winter crop, planted with a spring crop, and left unplanted.

Commercial Revolution

the expansion of trade and business that transformed European economies during the 16th and 17th centuries.

vernacular

the everyday language of people in a region or country.

Magna Carta

a document, written by English nobles, as a way to present their demands to the king. It was a contract between the king and nobles of England.

Parliament

a body of representatives that makes laws for a nation.

Avignon

city in France to which Clement V moved the papacy in 1305.

Great Schism

a division in the medieval Roman Catholic Church, during which rival popes were established in Avignon and in Rome.

bubonic Plague

one of the diseases believed to be a part of the Black Death spread by fleas that lived on rats and other animals.

Hundred Years' War

a conflict in which England and France battled on French soil on and off from 1337 to 1453.

Joan of Arc

(c. 1412-1431) French peasant girl, a heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions; rallied French troops during the Hundred Years War to resist the English and to have Charles VII crowned king.