1.7-1.8 The Middle Ages

(AD 500 - 1000)

What marked the start of the Early Middle Ages?

The collapse of Rome and invasions by Germanic and Viking raiders.

Around what year did the Early Middle Ages begin?

476 CE

Around what year did the Early Middle Ages end?

1000 CE

What was the Early Middle Ages also called?

The Dark Ages

What was the main force creating stability during the Early Middle Ages?

The Catholic Church

What did the Early Middle Ages set the foundation for?

Politically reorganized Europe and the rise of nation-states

Who were at the top of the political structure in feudalism?

Kings, the Church and lords

What did the vassals/lesser lords receive in exchanged for their loyalty to the lords?

Land grants

Who protected the land in feudalism?

Vassals and knights with private armies.

What did peasants owe to lords and the Church?

Labor and obedience

What were manors in the feudal economy?

Estates owned by lords

Who were free peasants?

Skilled laborers who paid dues

What political outcomes came from feudalism?

Decentralized political structure where local lords held significant power over their territories

How did religion influence feudal life?

The Christian value system was institutionalized by the Church

Who were the dominant Germanic tribe in early medieval Europe?

The Franks

What did Clovis (A.D. 481–511) do that was important?

He converted to Christianity.

What weakened the Merovingian rule?

Civil wars and internal feuds in 561 CE

What happened at the Battle of Tours (A.D. 732)?

Charles Martel halted the Muslim advance into Europe

Why was the Battle of Tours important?

It helped preserve western Christian civilization

Who replaced the Merovingians as rulers?

The Carolingians (Franks)

Who was Pepin the Short?

First Carolingian king, replaced the Franks, appointed by the pope

What did Charlemagne accomplish?

Revived the Holy Roman Empire, controlled vast lands, created the Carolingian Renaissance.

What was the Carolingian Renaissance?

A revival of learning with a structured academic curriculum.

What caused the Carolingian Empire to weaken?

The Frankish inheritance system and outside invasions.

What was the Treaty of Verdun (A.D. 843)?

It divided Charlemagne’s empire among his three grandsons.

When did Carolingian rule end and why?

In the 10th century due to declining central authority and invasions.

Who were the Viking invaders?

Norse seafarers who raided European coasts.

Who were the Danes?

Vikings who led major invasions of England.

What did Alfred the Great do (A.D. 871–899)?

Defeated the Danes and established the English kingdom.

What did France give to the Vikings?

Normandy, as a way to stop invasions.

What system structured medieval society?

Feudalism

Who held political authority under feudalism?

The landed nobility.

What is manorialism?

The agricultural and economic foundation of feudalism.

When did the High Middle Ages begin?

1000 CE

When did the High Middle Ages end?

1300 CE

When did the Crusades happen?

1096 CE

What are the Crusades?

Military expeditions authorized by the Catholic Church in the 11th century to expel Muslim infidels from the Holy Land

When did the Crusaders sack Constantinople?

1204 CE

When was the Magna Carta issued?

1215

What is the significance of the Magna Carta?

granted greater power for nobility and foundation for democracy

When did the Late Middle Ages begin and end?

1300 to 1500 CE

When did the 100 Years War happen?

1337 to 1453 CE

100 Years War happened between ____ and ____ over who would rule continental Europe

France and England

The Hundred Years War (1337–1453) between England and France resulted in

the English being driven out of most of France

The Black Death happened from ____ to ____ CE

1347 to 1350 CE

During the later middle ages, the rise of _____ ____ resulted in the development of nation states of France

feudal monarch

During the later middle ages, the rise of feudal monarchs resulted in the the development of ____ ____ ___ _____.

Nation-states of France

By the early thirteenth century, ______ ______ had expanded and _____ had become a European power.

royal authority, France

During the late middle ages, conflicts with the pope over the extent of religious rule resulted in

an increase in the authority of the monarch

What event had a profound impact on the development of the culture, language and judicial system of England?

The Norman Conquest

What battle ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England?

The Battle of Hastings in 1066

When was English common law firmly established?

By the 12th century

What is English common law?

The body of law developed through judicial decisions or precedent aka rulings made in previous similar cases

When was the English Parliament firmly established?

By the 14th century

What event reestablished Christian control over Muslim Spain?

The Reconquista in 1492

The Spanish state was marked by what kind of rule?

Strong, absolutist rule

What did the monarch do?

Instituted inquisitions and expelled the Jews

Who was dominant in religious matters during the Later Middle Ages?

The pope

Who was dominant in secular matters during the Later Middle Ages?

The monarch

A continuing power struggle was happening between who and who during the Later Middle Ages?

Papacy and secular ruler

Who were the privileged class during the Late Middle Ages?

Clergy and nobles

Who were the working class during the Late Middle Ages?

Peasants and artisans

Who were tied to the land during the late Middle Ages?

Serfs

Feudalism was declining by… and completed by…

12th century, 16th century

What led to the revival of international trade during the Later Middle Ages?

The Crusades

Philosophy during the late Middle Ages dealt with what topics?

Consistency of faith and reason

What was the architecture style like from the 11th to 12th century?

Romanesque

What was the architecture style like from the 13th to 15th century?

Gothic