medieval europe (11/12)

TOPICS FOR FINAL EXAM ESSAY - Long distance trade - Nomads and sedentary society

SILK ROAD AND CHINA

Overview

  • Discussion focused on chapters 9 & 12 which cover the historical significance of the Silk Road in facilitating trade between China and other regions.

ISLAM

Overview

  • Chapter 11 discusses the rise and expansion of Islam.

MONGOLS

Overview

  • Explored in chapter 14, the Mongols' influence on trade and conquest.

WEST AFRICAN STATES

Overview

  • Covered in chapter 15, examining different states and their trade dynamics.

GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE AND ASIA

Key Features

  • Ural Mountains: Noted as a geographical dividing line between Europe and Asia.

  • Bodies of Water: Barents Sea, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea.

  • Major Mountain Ranges: Alps, Pyrenees, Dinaric Alps, Caucasus Mountains, and Apennines.

  • Significant Plains and Plateaus: North European Plain, Central Russian Upland, and Great Hungarian Plain.

LANGUAGES OF EUROPE

Overview of Language Families

  • Icelandic Languages: Includes Faroese, Kven, and various Sami languages.

  • Uralic Family: Includes Finnish, Estonian, and multiple Sami versions.

  • Germanic Languages: Includes English, German, Dutch, and various regional dialects like Scots and Frisian.

  • Celtic Languages: Accounts for Irish, Welsh, and Breton.

  • Romance Languages: Including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian.

  • Slavic Languages: Including Russian, Polish, Czech, and Bulgarian.

  • Other language families: Noted examples such as Arabic (Afro-Asiatic family) and Greek.

MEDIEVAL EUROPE (c. 500 - 1500 CE)

  • The period between 500 and 1500 CE, often referred to as the Middle Ages, known as the "land of Christendom" due to the pervasive influence of Christianity.

Social Structure

  • Kings and Queens: Considered the highest lords; their vassals included nobles and knights.

  • Nobles: Functioned as vassals to the monarchy; they often also acted as lords to other lesser nobles.

  • Knights: Served as warriors for nobles, receiving land in return.

  • Peasants: Did not own land, often worked for nobles and knights, providing labor in exchange for protection.

THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES (AD 1000)

Key Kingdoms

Kingdom of France

  • Regions such as Swabia, Flanders, and Brittany.

Holy Roman Empire

  • Composed of regions including Bavaria, Saxony, and Lorraine.

Byzantine Empire

  • Noted regions include Thrace, Macedonia, and parts of Italy.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE BECOMES CHRISTIAN

Key Events

  • Constantine (300 CE): Involved in institutionalizing Christianity, marking a significant turning point for the religion.

  • Battle of Milvian Bridge: A turning point that helped solidify Constantine's faith in Christianity.

  • Nicene Creed (325 CE): Established fundamental beliefs of Christianity, asserting Trinitarian doctrine.

  • Constantinople: The new empire capital, indicating a shift in political and religious power.

Reasons for Conversions

  • Explored the appeal of Christianity in Roman society, including peace and community, along with its structured organization and promise of salvation.

COMING OF THE BARBARIANS

Groups Involved

  • Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Franks, Visigoths, and other tribes involved in the invasions and the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

  • Notable battles such as the Battle of Adrianople (378 CE) against the Visigoths.

BYZANTIUM: THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE

Characteristics

  • More populated than its Western counterpart, managing to resist foreign invasions better, unlike the Western frontier which saw Rome fall to "barbarian" incursions.

  • Justinian and Theodora (500 CE): Significant rulers known for expanding the empire temporarily, reuniting parts of Italy and North Africa, and codifying the law (Justinian's Code).

  • Hagia Sophia: A monumental church built during Justinian's reign, showcasing architectural and engineering prowess.

  • The Great Plague (550 CE): A devastating epidemic that significantly impacted the population of the Byzantine Empire.

RELIGIOUS SPLITS IN CHRISTIANITY

  • Discussion of papal authority and the Great Schism of 1054 CE that split Christianity into Roman Catholicism (West) and Eastern Orthodoxy (East).

  • Causes of the Great Schism:

    • The Holy Spirit and the Nicene Creed: Disagreements over the Filioque clause (meaning "and the Son") added to the Nicene Creed by the Western Church.

    • Papal Authority: The bishop of Rome (Pope) claimed universal authority over the entire Christian Church, a claim not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople.

    • Language, Politics, Liturgy: Differences in liturgical practices, ecclesiastical organization, and political alliances further deepened the divide between the Latin West and the Greek East.

ARRIVAL OF ISLAM (600 CE)

Expansion

  • Traced the rapid territorial gains of Islam under Muhammad and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (632-661 CE).

  • The impact of Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates on the regions particularly in the Iberian Peninsula.

WESTERN CHRISTENDOM: ISLAMIC CHALLENGE = NEW IDENTITY

  • The spread of Islam led to a new identity for Western Christendom, particularly in:

    • Gaul (Franks): Emergence of the Frankish kingdom as a dominant power.

    • England: Shaped by the Angles, Saxons, and later the Norman invasion, influenced by interaction with continental powers and Viking raids.

    • Italian City-States: Developed as key centers of trade and culture.

    • Umayyad Spain: A flourishing Islamic center that influenced Christian kingdoms in Iberia.

DISTRIBUTION OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES

  • Mapping out how languages such as Spanish, French, and Portuguese spread throughout Europe with historical context.

KINGDOM OF THE FRANKS

Charlemagne (c. 800 CE)

  • Expanded the Frankish empire, uniting much of Western and Central Europe through conquest and promotion of Christianization.

  • Implemented a Roman-style organization across a heterogeneous empire, governing through a series of palaces and assemblies.

  • Established local governance through counties and appointed counts, and utilized missi dominici ("king's envoys") to oversee administration.

  • Strongly pro-papacy, supporting the Church's influence.

  • Aachen served as a primary capital, envisioned as a "New Rome."

  • Established palace schools to educate clergy and bureaucrats, fostering a cultural revival.

EMPEROR CHARLEMAGNE (800 CE)

  • Crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800 CE.

  • Seen as the "renewer of the Roman Empire," aiming to restore imperial dignity and order in the West.

THE CAROLINGIAN RENAISSANCE

Cultural Revival

  • Discussed advancements in literature, arts, architecture, law, music, and the development of script (such as Carolingian minuscule) during Charlemagne's reign.

  • Introduction of Anno Domini (AD) dating system.

  • Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle): A central hub for this cultural and intellectual revival.

  • Carolingian & Merovingian Script: Evolution of writing styles, with Carolingian minuscule promoting literacy and uniformity.

MORE "BARBARIANS": VIKINGS, MUSLIMS, MAGYARS (c. 1000 CE)

  • Renewed external threats challenging European stability.

THE VIKINGS (c. 1000 CE)

  • Scandinavian navigators who extensively raided, traded, and explored Europe, eventually assimilating into various European societies.

  • Lasting Impact: Known as warriors, farmers, artisans, and traders, their activities profoundly influenced the linguistic and cultural landscape of regions like England, France (Normandy), and Russia.

  • Norman Invasion of England (1066): Led by William the Conqueror, this invasion had a transformative impact on English culture, language, and governance.

BAYEUX TAPESTRY

  • An embroidered cloth from around 1100 CE depicting the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings.

FEUDALISM (c. 1000 CE)

Structure

  • Explored the hierarchy: King → Lords (vassals) → Knights (military service) → Peasants (labor and rent).

  • Peasants worked the land and provided food to support the feudal system.

MANOR SYSTEM

Description

  • Described rural life, including layout and agricultural practices of the manorial system: fields, gardens, and animals such as pigs for sustenance.

MONASTICISM IN WESTERN CHRISTIANITY

Overview

  • Derived from the Greek word "monos" (meaning "alone"), referring to individuals who commit to a solitary or communal religious life.

  • Monastic communities focused on spiritual cultivation and the preservation of culture, with monks giving up worldly routines to follow scriptural ideals.

  • Characterized by an ascetic and cloistered life dedicated to worship, prayer, and labor.

  • Served as a nursery for spiritual cultivation and a repository of material culture (e.g., manuscripts, art).

  • By the Middle Ages, thousands of monastic communities existed across Europe.

  • Had significant economic, social, and intellectual implications, influencing education, agriculture, and welfare.

  • Monastic Rules: Key organizational frameworks included the Rule of Saint Augustine and, most notably, the Rule of Saint Benedict, which became widespread.

THE IBERIAN PENINSULA: THE RECONQUISTA (c. 1200-1500 CE)

Key Events

  • Muslim Rule (c. 700 CE): Following the Umayyad dynasty's conquest, Islamic Cordoba became a center of learning and culture.

  • Christian Kingdoms: Portugal, Castile, and Aragon made significant progress in reclaiming territory from Muslim rule starting around 1200 CE.

  • Often regarded as a "holy war" akin to the Crusades against Islamic presence.

  • Culminated in the fall of Granada in 1492, marking the end of Muslim rule in Spain.

  • Followed by forced assimilation and social discrimination, including the Spanish Inquisition and the exodus of Spanish Jews.

CONQUISTADORS

  • Spanish conquerors, explorers, and adventurers who arrived in the Americas and other territories from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

THE SILK ROADS AND THE PAX MONGOLICA

Trade Routes

  • Overview of the extensive trading connections established across the regions during the Mongol Empire, facilitating cultural exchanges and economic prosperity.

BLACK DEATH (BUBONIC PLAGUE)

Overview

  • Documented the devastating impact of the plague, spread along trade routes in Eurasia, exacerbated by climate change.

  • Transmitted by fleas from small animals that carried the Yersinia pestis bacteria.

  • Led to a significant loss of life, with estimates of over 50,000,000 people dying in Eurasia, including more than 50% of Europe's population.

  • Pieter Bruegel, The Triumph of Death (1562): A famous painting illustrating the widespread devastation and grim reality of the plague.

Consequences of the Black Death

  • Significant demographic decline, labor shortages, social upheaval, and changes in the economic and political structures of Europe and Asia.