Note
Studied by 7 people
ANCIENT ROME II
The Decline of Rome:
“Third Century Crisis” to refer to the period from 235-284 CE = when political, military, & economic problems nearly destroyed the Roman Empire
Frequent change of rulers; 20 or more men claimed rule in this time
Germanic tribes raid the Roman Empire
1st time Roman cities begin to build walls for protection
Many regions - feeling the central gov’t was not protecting them
Broke away and turn power over
Buying the loyalty of armies and descending frontiers drain treasury = increase demand for taxes
Emperors devalued coinage
Empire back into a barter economy
Aristocracy crushed
The Roman Empire Divides:
Rome faces problems: threats from outside and inside, economic issues, foreign invasion, decline in values
Death of Marcus Aurelious 180 AD - ends pax Romana
Emperors overthrown by political revolt or generals (in one 50 yr period, 26 emperors reigned)
Emperor Diocletian Shares power
284 Emperor Dicocletian wants to restore order; divides Roman empire into 2 parts
He keeps ½ of Eastern
Appoints Maximian to rule west
Takes steps to end inflation; rapid rise of prices
His reforms help the economy
To halt inflation, he sets a max price for commodities and services
Emperor Constantine Makes Further Reforms:
312 talented general Constative took throne
Grant toleration to the Christians
Established capital Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (eastern empire)
Constantine:
Diocletian resigned 305 AD - battle for the throne
Constantine - reunited empire by 324
Issued the Edict of Milan - ended the persecution of Christians
Large # of ppl begin to convert
Eastern half of the empire was economically stronger
Social and Economic Problems:
Outside groups disrupted trade
High taxes
Over Cultivated farmland
Poor harvests led to shortages
Gov’t raised taxes - printed new coins = led to inflation
Economic decline = many Romans are poor
Invaders Threaten ROman Empire:
For centuries, Rome faces attacks from Germanic tribes east of Rhine and North of Danube Rivers and legions had held them back
Barbarians Huns of Asia migrate toward eastern Euro
Parts of Roman Empire surrender; Britain, France, and Pain
Skilled warriors
The Huns:
434 Attila = Huns that lead savage conquest of Europe
Call his attacks “scourge of God”
Rome is Sacked:
378 AD Roman army tries to turn back Visigoths = defeat
New waves of invaders hammer to Rome
Visigoths sack Rome 410
Vandals move into Gual and SPain
476 AD = Germanic leader ousted last emperor ‘fall of Rome’
Byzantine Background:
Constantinople sat at a crossroads of land and sea trade routes- becomes wealthy
Stood as the capital of the Byzantine Empire
Constantine rebuilt the city of Byzantium and named it after himself
330 it becomes the “new "capital of the Roman Empire
Overtime Eastern ½ is known as the Byzantine Empire
Constantinople Grows:
City of Constantinople located on Bosporus Strait - links Mediterranean & Black Seas
Excellent harbor; water on 3 sides
Constantinople commands key trade routes between the Euro. And Asia
One of Euro’s busiest marketplace w/traders from India, China, Egypt SE Asia, & Vikings
Culture in east rooted in Roman tradition; chariot races & the Hippodrome
Byzantine Empire declines to a small area around Constantinople itself
“Heir to Rome”- Greek, Roman, & Christian influences
Byzantine Empire under Justinian:
Byzantine Empire reaches its peak under Justinian (527-565)
He was determined to revive Ancient Rome
Led by Belisarius, Byzantine armies recover N. Africa, Italy & the Iberian Peninsula
Great City is Rebuilt:
532 Nika riots & fire destroyed many buildings in Constantinople
Justinian rebuilds city to revive Roman glory
Rebuilds the Hagia Sophia, a Christian Church “Holy Wisdom”
Justinian’s Code/Body of CIvil Law
Justinian reformed law
He set up a commission to collect, revise and organize all the laws of ancient Rome
Justinian’s Code - massive collection included laws passed by Roman assemblies, decrees by emperors & legal writings of Roman judges
By 1100, Euro. Monarchs model their laws on his principles
Legal thinkers form basis of international law today
Justinian Rules with Absolute Power
Used law to unify empire under his control
Rule as an autocrat, sole ruler with complete authority
Byzantine Empire had power over the Church; Justinian deemed co-ruler on Earth
Govt. + Religion = Theocracy
Combination of political & spiritual power
Justinian helped by his wife, Theodora- she was his advisor and co-ruler/ help pass policy
Economic and Military Strength
Strong central government
Prosperous economy
Peasants = heart of the empire working the land, paying taxes, and providing soldiers for the military
Trade and industry flourish in cities
Byzantine empire has a money economy
Built of the strongest militaries in the world
Soldiers, ships, and sailors protect the empire
“Greek fire” used at enemies
Fortifications protect capitals
Byzantine After Justinian
After Justinian’s reign the borders of the empire will contract (shrink) – Turkic ppl took over the Balkans, Germanic tribes took over Italy, Arab peoples took over Syria, Egypt and the rest of North Africa – spread Islam
Empires Fortunes Change
Centuries after Justinian the empire faces attack from Persians, Slavs, Vikings, Huns & Turks
Attacks were unsuccessful until 1453
Prevents Muslim conquest
Women the the Byzantine Empire
In Byzantium, women were considered to be inferior to men
Expected to remain at home; leave to shop, visit parents/civic celebrations (supposed to wear veils)
Women 3 major functions;
Marry/ rear children
Maintain household
Weave clothes for families
Life in Constantinople:
Largest city in Europe. during the Middle Ages
Until 12th c.= Constantinople= Europe’s greatest commercial center
Chief site of exchange of goods between East and West
Theme system - land incentive to recruit peasants into the Byzantine army and navy
Caesaropapism - head of the state is also the head of the church and supreme judge in religious matters.
Byzantine Religion:
The way Byzantine Christianity was practiced caused friction
Byzantine Emperor was not a priest but he controlled & appointed the patriarch (highest church official)
Byzantine Christians reject that the Pope has authority over all Christians
Church Divides:
Christianity will split further in the MA
Dispute over the use of icons - holy images
Byzantine empire outlawed the veneration of icons
The pope condemns the Byzantine emperor
A later Byzantine empress restores the use of icons
Iconoclasm
East v. West
Church Divides
1054 CE - there is a schism/ split between eastern & western Christianity - Great Schism
Byzantine Church became known as the Eastern, or Greek Orthodox Church
Western branch becomes known as the Roman Catholic Church
Churches are rivals
The 2 churches excommunicated (banned from the church) each other
Empire Suffers Crisis and Collapse
Byzantine empire was in decline
Struggle over succession
Constant wars
1050s Seljuk Turks conquered parts of the empire
Had migrated from Central ASIA TO THE MIDDLE EAST
1071 Seljuks had overrun most Byzantine lands
1090 the Byzantine Empire calls on West for help to fight the Seljuk Turks = origins of the Crusades
Attacks from West on Constantinople 1204; Venetian merchants gain control of the Byzantine trade
Seljuk Trade
Migrated from Central Asia into Middle East
1071 Sejuks had overrun Byzantine lands in Asia Minor and extended power over the Holy Hand - Jerusalem and other places in Palestine
Crusades
Began when the Seljuk’ blocked the pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem
Series of Holy Wars between the Byzantine Empire allied with West Europe (christian) against the Seljuk Turks (Muslum)
Constantinople Falls to the Turks
1453 Ottoman Turks surrounded the city of Constantinople
Turks use cannons/gunpowder tech
2 month siege
Storm Constantinople’s broken walls
Ottomans resume the city Istanbul - becomes capital of the Ottoman Empire
Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque
Byzantine Heritage
To Euopeans, the Byzantine empire had preserved Roman civilization
Continues Roman achievements on law and engineering
Ottoman conquerors adopt features of Byzantine gov’t, social life and architecture
Byzantine empire blended Hellenistic, Roman and Christian influences
Byzantine Art:
Icons
Mosaics
Byzantine pieces and church blend Greek, Roman Persian and Middle East styles
Learning:
Byzantine scholars preserve the classical works of Greece and ROme
Byzantine historians
Procopius, advisor to general Belisarius chronicle Byzantine campaign
Secret History - he criticizes Justinian & Theodora
Many Greek scholars left Constantinople to teach at Italian universities – eventually contribute to the Renaissance
Early Middle Ages:
The Roman Empire covered much of Western Europe.
Latin, Christianity & classical (Greece & Rome) ideas
Germanic peoples who settled in Europe. & conquered Rome would build on these traditions
After the collapse of Rome, W. Euro. enters a period of political, social & economic decline
Dark Ages
500-1000 W. Europe politically divided, rural & cut off from the rest of the world
Waves of invaders
Classical learning ceased 500-1500; times between ancient times & modern times = Middle Ages
Blending of Greco-Roman, Germanic, & Christian traditions
Medieval: name given to the culture of the Middle Ages (MA) from the Latin word” the middle ages”
The Rise of the Germanic Kingdoms
Germanic tribes that conquered Euro
Goths
Saxons
Vandals
Franks
Different culture than Roman
The Franks extended their power
486 Clovis of the Franks conquered former Roman province of Gaul = later France
Clovis converts to Christianity
Muslum Empire threatens Europe
600 emergence of Islam
Leaders of Christian Church & kingdoms became alarmed when Muslim armies overran lands in Palestine & Spain
Muslim army crosses into France & stopped at the Battle of Tours 732 by Charles Martel
Viewed as a sign God is on their side
The Age of Charlemagne
768 grandson of Charles Martel became king of the Franks
Empire in Fr., Germany & into Italy
Charlemagne = Charles the Great
Reunited old Western Roman empire
Defends empire against Muslims, Saxons, Avars & Slavs
New Emperor of the Romans
799 Pope Leo III needed help from Charlemagne against rebels in Rome
800 the Pope crowns Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans
United Christian community = Christendom
Deepen split between E & W
Creating a Unified Christian Empire
Charlemagne works with church to unify Europe & spread Christianity
Appoint powerful nobles to control regions- bureaucracy
Send out officials to repair roads, listen to grievances,& dispense justice
Revival of Learning
Saw the need for officials to keep accurate records & write reports
Revives Latin & encourage building schools
Revive glory of Rome at his court of Aachen
Europe after Charlemagne
Charlemagne dies 814; his son Louis I
Charlemagne’s legacy:
Spread Christianity
Blending of Germanic, Roman and Christian traditions
Strong govt.
New waves of Invasion
Muslims still a threat to Christian Europe
800 Muslims conquer Sicily
900 Muslims attacks subside
Magyars: settle in Hungary - conquer E. Europe & Germany
The Vikings
From Scandinavia
Independent farmers
Expert sailors
Traders and explorers
Not just destructive raiders
1000 Viking colonies in N. America
Settle England, Ireland, N. France, parts of Russia & mix with local populations
700s came out of Scandinavia to attack communities along the coasts & rivers of Euro.
Feudalism Develops
Invasions of Vikings, Muslims & Magyars, kings and emperors were too weak to maintain power
People need to protect themselves and their lands
Decentralized political and economic structure evolved
Feudalism was a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their lands with lesser lords
Vassals = lesser lords pledge service and loyalty to the greater lord
Feudal contract - an exchange of pledges where the powerful lord granted his vassal a fief (estate w peasants to work the land)
SERIES OF “MUTUAL OBLIGATIONS”
Lord promises to protect vassal
Below monarch = dukes and counts
These lords and vassals; could have fiefs of more than 1 lord= complex relations
World of Knights and Nobles
Warfare = way of life
Many began training for becoming a knight/ mounted warrior
Keep armor & weapons in good conditions
Difficult training/ strict discipline
Knights fought on horseback using swords, axes, & lances
Armor & shields
Others fight on foot = use daggers, spears, crossbows
Knights engage in mock battles called tournaments
Chivalry
Knights code of conduct= chivalry
Knights are to be brave, loyal and true to their word
Fight fairly in warfare
Rules apply to nobles ONLY; not commoners
Knights are to protect others: peasants and noblewomen
Chivalry placed women on a pedestal in theory
Troubadours - wandering musicians sang about the brave deeds of knights
Noblewomen: Restrictions and Power
“Lady of manor” takes over husband’s duties when he is fighting; supervise vassals, manage household, and perform necessary agricultural and medical tasks
Eleanor of Aquitaine - was involved in politics
Not a lot of rights
Women’s rights for inheritance was restricted; land passed to the eldest son
Marriage arranged = alliances
Manors support Feudalism
Manor = or lord’s estate
Manors include 1 or more villages & surrounding lands
Peasants work manor
Peasants on a manor were serfs - individuals bound to the land
Not slaves
Cannot leave without lord’s permission
If manor granted to a new lord = serfs go with it
Castles and Defense
During the early Middle Ages, lords fortified their homes to withstand attack
1100s monarchs owned castles that were fortresses; knights defended the castle lived there
Peasants would take refuge inside castle walls
Lords and Peasants
Peasants had to farm the lords lands
Repaired roads, bridges, & fences
Peasants ask lord’s permission to marry
Peasants pay lords a fee when inherit father’s acres
Pay at Christmas and Easter
Little money so they pay in grain, honey, eggs or chickens
Peasants Life
Peasants had the right to farm some land for themselves
Have lord's protection from raids or war
Could not be forced off the manor - guaranteed food, housing and land
Manor = self-sufficient (peasants produce everything they needed)
Manorialism = economy of the manor
Most peasants never venture a few miles from their village
No schooling/ knowledge of outside world
A Self-sufficient World
Manor included:
Cottages & huts clustered in a village
Water mill to grind grain
A church
Lord’s manor house
Each family had lands in different fields, Why?
So good lands and bad lands were shared
Pastures beyond the fields
Forests
Peasant Life
Harsh life - men, women and children worked long hours
Children help in the fields- planting, weeding, taking care of sheep & pigs
Hunger common
Disease - few peasants live beyond 35
Diet = black bread w/ vegetables such as cabbage, turnips or onions
Rarely ate meat – that was for the lord
Peasants who killed wild game on lord’s manor risked harsh punishment
If near a river add fish to their diet
Medieval Church
Pilgrimages were one way to show faith
Roman church = most powerful church in W. Europe
Church hierarchy have wealth & power
Church Domination
Church’s most important achievement was converting the diverse people, of Western Euro. to Christianity
597 Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine to to convert the Anglo-Saxons of GB
By the late Middle Ages Western Europe. had become a Christian civ.
Role of Priest
In villages, the priest of the parish was the only contact people had with the church
Priests celebrated mass & administer the sacraments, the sacred rites of the church
Christians believe participation in sacraments would lead them to salvation
Priests preach the teachings of the church & explain the Bible (in Latin)
Moral guidance
Assistance to sick
The importance of the Village Church
Church = social center
Daily life revolved around Christian calendar
Later medieval times - stone churches & relics of saints
Church tithe/ tax (1/10 of income) to support church
Rise of Cathedrals
Bishops who supervise parish priests manage larger cathedrals
1100s building of huge cathedrals w/ ornate buttress from known as Gothic style
Cities all over Euro. compete in cathedrals’ grandeur – members of church contribute $, labor & skills
Church attitude toward Women
Church doctrine taught men & women = before God
In medieval society women viewed as weak & easily led into sin (need guidance of men)
Veneration of Mary in churches
Church protects women - marriage age, punishment for men who injure wives
Monasteries and Convents
Some men and women lead a monastic life= monks & nuns – dedicate entire life to spiritual goals
Join monasteries & convents
530 monk Benedict organized the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy
& created rules for monastic life – Benedictine RuleUnder Benedictine rule 3 vows:
Obedience to abbot/ abbess who headed monastery or convent
Poverty
Chastity/ purity
Each day devoted to worship, work and study
Work in fields/ clearing and draining land- improve farming methods
Service and Scholarship
Monasteries and convents = basic health & educational services
Monks/ nuns look after poor & sick
Set up schools for children
Gave food & lodging to travelers
Some missionaries
Kept learning alive
Libraries have Greek and Roman works – monks and nuns copy
Educated monks & nuns wrote and taught about Latin-language of the church & the educated
Church Power Grows
Church control the spiritual life of Christians but gradually became the most powerful secular (worldly) force in medieval Europe
Church Role in Society
During M.A. pope was the spiritual leader of the Western Christian church (based in Rome)
Pope declare themselves as reps of God on Earth
Medieval popes claimed papal supremacy - authority over all secular rulers (including kings/ emperors)
Churchmen like bishops & archbishops were usually nobles (had own territories and armies)
Pope held vast lands in central Italy later called papal states
Church officials (clergy) were highly educated- feudal rulers appointed them to govt. positions OR church officials were relatives of secular rulers
Religious Authority and Political Power
Church dedicated to the worship of God
Christians believed all people sinned and were doomed to eternal suffering
Belief = do good works, believe in Christ & perform sacraments = salvation
Church has absolute authority in religious matters
Canon law = church’s own body of law based on religious teachings
Includes wills, marriages & morals
Anyone who disobeyed church law = consequence
Excommunication- individuals who could not receive the sacraments or Christian burial - ban from the church
Condemned to hell for eternity
A powerful noble who opposed the church could face an interdict- an order excluding the entire town/ region from sacraments/ burial
Corruption and Reform
1073 Gregory VII became pope & tried to limit the influence the secular world had on the church
Church alone choose officials
Outlaw marriage for priests & prohibit simony= selling of church offices
Some clergy lived in luxury
Monasteries/ convents became wealthy
Calls for church reform
900 Abbot Berno reform in monastery of Cluny- revive Benedictine rule & place it under direct rule of pope
New Preaching Orders
Friars - monks who did not live in isolated monasteries took a different approach in reform
Travel around Euro. towns, preaching to the poor
Franciscan orders founded by St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis gave up his life & devoted himself to preaching the Gospels & teaching by his own examples of good works
Franciscan order preached poverty, love & humility
St. Dominic, a Spanish priest founded the Dominican order of friars
Dedicate themselves to teaching official Christian beliefs in order to combat heresies (an idea that contradicts church ideas)
An Agricultural Revolution
Changes in Europe 1000 set stage for economic prosperity
New technology for farming - made their fields more productive
800s peasants using iron plows (carve deep into soil)
Better than wood plow
New harness allowed for horses Enlarge their fields and plant more crops
Production and Population Growth
Lords wanted to increase income
Have peasants clear forests, drain swamps, & reclaim wasteland for farming and grazing
Peasants new way of rotating crops - 3-field system
Plant 1 field w/ grain
Plant 2nd field w/ veggies
3RD field = nothing/ fallow
Vegetables help fertilize soil & give peasants protein in diet
1 field w/ nothing - time for soil to gain back nutrients
Farmers can farm more land; ↑ crops; ↑ population
1000-1300 pop. of Europe almost tripled
The Revival of Trade and Travel
1100s feudal warfare & foreign invasions decline
More safe to travel
Crusades brought luxury goods from the M.E.
Nobles desire goods not produced on the manor
Peasants need iron for farm tools
Trade Routes
In Constantinople, merchants bought Chinese silks, Byzantine gold jewelry, & Asian spices
Goods shipped by sea to Venice go North to Flanders
There people would buy goods and ship it to England & the Baltic Sea
Growth of Towns and Cities
With Crusades - increase demand for trade
Merchants set up a new town & ask the king for a charter: written document set out rights & privileges of the town
Merchants paid the lord/ king a yearly fee
Charters have a clause (pop. With runaway serfs - if you lived there for & 1 year 1 day = free)
Commercial Revolution
The use of money revived w/ trade
Use of credit (among merchants)
Europeans develop new ways of doing business
Groups of merchants form partnerships- pool their funds to finance large-scale venture
Society Changes
New business practices transform the medieval economy
Reshape medieval society
Use of money limits serfdom
Many peasants began selling farm products to townspeople. paying rent to landlord in cash rather than labor
1300 most peasants were tenant farmers- those who paid rent for their land or hired farm laborers
Rise of Middle Class
In towns the social order of nobles, clergy, & peasants gradually changed
1000-merchants, traders, & artisans formed a new social class between peasants and nobles= middle class
Nobles & clergy don’t like them why?
Towns = disruptive beyond control
The Role of Guilds
Middle class gained economic & political power
Merchants & artisans founded organizations to protect their interests - guilds
Merchant guilds - 1st; dominate town life; pass laws/ levy taxes
Decided whether to spend funds to pave the streets & with what material
Artisans organized craft guilds
Guilds represent workers in one occupation (weavers, bakers, & goldsmiths)
Guild members protect their economic interests
Guild membership = limited
No one except guild members could work in any trade
Guilds protect the quality of goods
Regulate hours of labor
Set prices
Guilds operate schools & hospitals
Look after needs of workers
Support for widows and orphans
Becoming a Guild Member
Becoming a guild member was hard work - at 7 or 8, a child may become an apprentice- trainee to become a guild master
7 years learning the trade
Guild master (GM) paid no wages to apprentice
GM required to give apprentice food & housing
Most men worked for journeymen or salaried workers
Journeymen accuse masters of keeping their wages low so they could not open up a competing shop
Women and Guilds
Women worked in dozens of crafts
Women work in same trade as father/ husband could become a guild member herself
Young girls become apprentices such as ribbon making & papermaking
Women dominated some trades and actually had their own guilds (silk & wool)
Town and City Life
Medieval towns and cities surrounded by high protective walls
As cities grow, new people. have to settle outside city walls
Emergence of 2nd/ 3rd story houses
Almost all cities had a church with a steeple that could be seen for miles
No garbage collection/ sewer system
Waste thrown into streets
Monarchs, Nobles, and Church
Kings at head of society in medieval Europe
Feudal monarchs had limited power
Rely on vassals for military support
Nobles and church had as much or more power than the king
Set up systems of royal justice to undermine feudal/ church courts
Bureaucracy, taxes & standing armies (townspeople.)
Strong Monarchs in England: William the Conqueror
1066 Anglo Saxon King died w/ no heir
Power struggle –
William raises an army & gets pope’s backing
Battle of Hastings 1066 - William and Norman knights defeat Harold; William the Conqueror gains the crown of England
Takes a census 1086 = Domesday Book - listed every castle, field, & pigpen in England (Why?)
Strong Monarchs in England: Henry II
1154 Henry II inherits the throne
Expand royal justice
English Common Law- law that was common (same for all people)
Early justice system; local officials collected a jury, a group of men sworn to speak the truth (decide what cases go to trial) Clash with Church (Thomas Becket)
Strong Monarchs in England: John I
Henry’s son John
Battle w/ Pope Innocent III over new archbishop of Canterbury (John attacks Church; Pope excommunicates him) AND places England under an interdict
John had to accept England as a fief of the papacy
Angered his own nobles with heavy taxes
1215 a group of barons cornered John & forced him to sign the Magna Carta/ Great Charter
Magna Carta signed by King John
King affirmed a long list of feudal rights
1. Nobles had certain rights
2. The monarch must obey the law
King cannot raise taxes without consulting parliament
At 1st= nobles have certain rights; then extended to all citizens
Ideas of protecting free men from arbitrary arrest, imprisonment, and other legal actions = due process of law
Habeas corpus - the principle that no person can be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime
King also agreed not to raise taxes without 1st consulting his Great Council of Lords
Strong Monarchs in England: Edward I
“Great Council” evolved into Parliament
Parliament = lords, clergy & common people
1295 Edward I summoned Parliament to approve $ for war
Eventually develop into 2 house legislature House of Lords (nobles) & House of Commons (knights and middle-class)
Gains “power of purse” right to approve any new taxes
Check/ limit the power of the monarch
Regular meetings required
Royal Successes in France: The Capetians
Land was ruled by a patchwork of territories ruled by great feudal nobles
987 feudal nobles elected Hugh Capet to fill vacant throne-he owned the Ile de France & was Count of Paris (lands were small)
Slowly increase royal power- made throne hereditary (300 yr. succession)
Added lands by playing rival nobles against each other
Won support of the Church
Effective bureaucracy (taxes & royal law)
Gain support of middle class
Royal Successes in France: Philip Augustus
Philip Augustus - strengthened royal govt.
Instead of appting nobles; paid middle class officials (who then owe him loyalty)
Charters to new towns
Standing army & national tax
Added English ruled lands in Normandy under his control
Royal Successes in France: Louis IX
Grandson of Philip Augustus
“Perfect medieval monarch” – generous, noble & devoted to justice/ chivalry
Centralized monarchy
Improve royal govt.- sent out court officials to check on local officials
Expanded royal courts, outlaw private war & ended serfdom in his personal domain
Philip IV extended royal power
Clash with Pope Boniface VIII – refused to be taxed without consent
Philip sent troops to attack Pope Boniface
Next pope moved papal court to Avignon, France on the border of Southern France
The Estates General
Philip set up the Estates General 1302
3 representatives from each estate/social class:
Clergy
Nobles
Townspeople
King only calls it into session when needed
The Crusades
1096-1204 a series of holy wars when Christians battled Muslims for control of lands in the Middle East.
Western Europe learns the world is much larger
World in 1050
Western Europe emerges from a period of isolation ( but other places thriving in the world)
Muslim Middle East
India - Hindu & Buddhist traditions
East Asia - Tang and Song Dynasties
Africa - Ghana “Land of Gold”
Byzantine Empire prosperous – will be invaded by the Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk Turks
Migrated from Central Asia into ME
1071 Seljuks had overrun Byzantine lands in Asia Minor & extended power over the Holy Land – Jerusalem & other places in Palestine where Christians believed Jesus had preached
The Crusades
Byzantine Emperor asks Pope Urban II for Christian knights to help him fight the Muslim Turks
Roman popes and Byzantine emperors were usually rivals, he agreed
Council of Clermont 1095 Urban urges bishops and nobles to action
1st Crusade - Christian knights capture Jerusalem 1099 (massacre of Muslims and Jews)
Crusades continue for 200 yrs.
Crusaders divide their captures lands into crusader states
1187 Jerusalem fell to Muslims – victor= Muslim leader Saladin
3rd Crusades Europeans fail to take Jerusalem
Saladin did reopen city to Christians
Crusaders attack Byzantine capital on 4th Crusade (Christians fighting Christians)
Impact on Crusades
Increased trade
Returning crusaders brought back fabrics, spices, & perfumes from the ME
Merchants in Venice & other Italian cities built large fleets now using the to carry trade in goods such as cotton, sugar and rice
Encourage the growth of a money economy – nobles needed $ to finance a journey to the Holy Land (allow peasants to pay rent w/ $)
Helped increase the power of monarchs- rulers won new rights to collect taxes in order to support the Crusades
Louis IX & the English king Richard I led Crusades which adds to their prestige
Increases papal authority
Increases Byzantine resentment toward West
Wider Worldview
Contacts with the Muslim world led Christians to realize that millions of people live beyond Europe
1271 Marco Polo set out for the East
Experiences like the Crusades and travels of Marco Polo expanded European horizons
1400 a desire to trade directly with India would lead Europeans to an Age of Exploration
The Reconquista
Several Christian kingdoms in Nth Euro. Expanded their borders and sought to take over Muslim lands
Campaign to drive the Muslims from Spain = Reconquista
1300 Christians control the entire Iberian peninsula except for Granada
1469 Ferdinand and Isabella created unified kingdom of Spain
Under Isabella & Ferdinand = Inquisition church accused people of heresy - brutal crusade – people burned at stake - they launch Reconquista - attempt to drive non Christians out of Spain
Medieval Universities Thrive
1100 dynamic changes in Europe
More reliable food supply increased
Growth of trade & towns prosperity
Economic & political conditions improve = need for education
Church - needs educated clergy
Monarchs - need educated men for bureaucracy
1100 schools had sprung up around cathedrals to train clergy – evolve into the 1st universities (Salerno, Bologna, Paris & Oxford)
Women and Education
Women not allowed to attend universities; could not become drs, lawyers, or church officials
Some girls received an education in convents & others of noble families attend classes at Notre Dame
Some nuns became scholars & writers like Christine de Pisan- wrote about the issue of women’s education – The City of Ladies
Scholarship
Greek and Roman texts - preserved by Arab civilizations make their way to W. Europe
Aristotle
Scientific learning translations
Hippocrates on medicine
Euclid on geometry
Scholars struggle w/ reason-based approach to learning
Scholasticism - St. Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologica (faith & reason can coexist)
Literature and Art
Books translated into:
Vernacular – everyday language of ordinary people
Song of Roland
Dante’s Divine Comedy
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Romanesque churches gave way to Gothic churches
Romanesque were dark & gloomy
Gothic churches- have flying buttresses; have exterior stone supports that permitted thinner stone walls & massive windows
Illumination - Gothic style of decorating books
Illuminated manuscript
Causes of the Black Death
Fleas carried by rats
Plague spread from Asia
1300 famine and starvation from crop failures
The Black Death
Plague & war
August 1347 ship sailing for Sicily carried the Black Death – spread quickly throughout Euro. by 1348 reached England and France
1 in 3 people. died
The Black Plague Spreads in Asia
Bubonic plague - a disease spread by fleas carried by rats
Bubonic plague had broken out before in Euro., Asia, & N. Africa but subsided
1200 one strain possible brought by Mongols to Asia set off an epidemic- outbreak of rapid spreading disease
The Black Plague Spreads in Europe
1300 rats kill 35 million people in China
In Euro. plague brings terror & confusion (no way to stop it)
Some turn to witchcraft
Others saw the plague as God’s punishment
Breakdown of normal life
Effects of Black Plague
Euro. economy is low
Workers & employers died= production low
Survivors demand higher wages
Increasing cost of labor; increasing inflation, or rising prices
Lower wages
Lords using crop lands for sheep raising
Revolts in England, Fr, German & elsewhere