High Middle Ages Study Guide

Parliament

• Legislative body in England

• Caused by Magna Carta

  • Need to respect rights = need to Nobility to meet to discuss rights/taxes/etc

  • Ensured that the government worked for the people (or at least nobility)

  • CHECK ON ROYAL POWER

Saladin

• Head of Egyptian Islamic Caliphate

  • Technically a Kurd, but ruled Egypt

  • Consolidated power in Egypt

  • Know for being a really good general

    • Rise of new Islamic power

• Real name = “Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir Salah ed-Din Yusuf”

• Overthrew Damascus

• TOOK BACK JERUSALEM

  • Pope Gregory VIII → Called for 3rd Crusade

    • Kings answered the call

      • Philip the Second of France

      • Richard (Lionheart) the First of England

      • Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire

    • Richard & Saladin both really good generals

    • 3rd Crusade = FAILURE → Islamic forces still held Jerusalem

      • Made Egypt a target of the Europeans

• Died: Easter, 1192

Richard the Lion-Hearted

• King of England

  • Amazing general

• Went on 3rd Crusade

  • Failed to take back Jerusalem

  • Realized to take Jerusalem, would have to first take Egypt

    • Couldn’t convince Christians to join him

      • Had to call off Crusade early

• Brother of King John

  • While on crusade, King John ruled

King John

• Debatably worst English King

  • Over taxed everyone

  • Incompetent leader

  • Exploited power

    • Led to creation of Magna Carta

      • Created checks on royal power

• Forced to sign Magna Carta in 1215

Magna Carta

• Written document

  • Written on sheep skin

• Secured basic legal rights for people

  • Legal rights → foundation for modern democratic govs

  • “No one is above the law”

  • King couldn’t hurt/tax/imprison people without lawful reason

• Kings had been authoritarian (seen as messenger of God/partially divine) → No one questioned authority

  • Magna Carta ended limitless royal power

    • CHECKS AND BALANCES

• Originally signed 1215 → King John

  • Had over taxed nobles → Nobles forced John to sign it

    • Rights trickled down to lower classes over time

  • King John had it annulled by Pope

    • Lasted 10 weeks

    • Reissued & resigned many times after death of King John

Papacy

“The office or authority of the Pope”

• Especially strong during High Middle Ages

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Holy Land

• Jerusalem

• Possession = important to Semitic faiths

  • Has caused many wars

    • Crusades

  • 3 faiths think they deserve it as it is the birthplace of their religion

    • Christians: Birthplace and tomb of Jesus

    • Muslims: Where Muhammad ascended to Heaven

    • Jewish People: Holiest City, promised land, God’s Dwelling

Pilgrimage

“The movement of people on a journey to a predetermined place”

• Often religious

  • Pilgrimage to Mecca for prayer

• Crusades = Pilgrimage at first (generally around 3 years)

  • Christians → Jerusalem

  • Became war afterwards → Invention of religious wars

Pontiff

Formal term for the Pope

• Leader of Roman Catholic Church

• Occasionally referred to high ranking priests

Penance

“Voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong; a Christian sacrament in which a member of the Church confesses sins to a priest and is given absolution.”

Urban II

Pope of the Roman Catholic Church

• Had plan to become politically powerful

• Initiated first Crusade

  • Strengthened his papacy and authority over the knighthood

  • Increased his political power

• 1095: Asked to help Byzantine Empire fight Muslims

  • Called a gathering → Council of Clermont

    • Encouraged leaders of Christendom to join Crusade

      • Gave famous speech: The Council of Clermont

        • Demonized Turks/Muslims

        • Said Crusade was a Christian duty → Commanded by God

Crusades

A series of wars between Christians and Muslims to win control over the Holy Land between 1096 and 1300 CE.

Reconquista

Series of wars (c. 718–1492) by Christian kingdoms

• WHERE: Iberian Peninsula

  • Reclaim territory from Muslim rulers

• Spain → unified, Catholic nation

700-1100:

• Umayyad Caliphate in charge

  • Weakened by crusaders

• Religious tolerance

  • Tax on non muslims

  • 1097: Latin Christians used religion to challenge Muslim rule

• Big trade center

• Islamic influence on society

1100-1300:

• 1260: End of Umayyad rule

  • Christian conquest → Kings of Aragon and Castile took over

• Big emphasis on conversion to Christianity

  • Tricked Muslims into conversion

  • Sent monks to convert others

• *Some* religious tolerance

• Big trade center

1300-1600:

• 1491: King Ferdinand and Isabella in power

  • 1609: Expelled all Muslims

    • Persecuted non christians

    • Forced conversions

• Religious tolerance

• Spread of the plague

  • Scapegoat = Jewish people

Joan of Arc

During 100 years war → Claimed God spoke to her as teen

• Worked against the English

  • Prevented English from taking over France

    • Battles led to nationalism → Either French or English

• Died at 19 → Burned at the stake

Long Bow

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Vernacular

• Literature/writing in different native languages

  • replaced the traditional Latin

• Increased literacy

  • Made writing easier

  • Engaged the middle class

    • Simpler for them to not learn Latin

Crusades (First, Third, Fourth)

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Hundred Years War

CLASS ON WEDNESDAY

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Plague and the Silk Road

End of Manorialism

Guilds and Rise of Towns

Middle Class

Middle Class

Guilds

Merchants

Artisans

End of Feudalism

Urbanization

Black Death/Plague