Chapter 9: The High Middle Ages

  • Starting 1050, Europe experienced growth and prosperity
  • 90% of Europe’s population was made up of peasants
      * Serfs weren’t slaves
      * Lords offered protection and justice to the serfs in exchange for services
  • Village farms were owned by a lord who lived in a manor house
      * Manors had serfs who were under a lord’s authority
  • Marriage was seen as a type of alliance between two noble families
      * Seal alliances
      * Transfer property
      * Have children
  • Ideals of being a knight consisted of a lifestyle that was made up of fighting, being loyal, being brave, having manners, and such by the end of the 12th century
  • The Crusades were religious wars of conflict against Europe’s non-Christian neighbors
      * Expensive failures
      * Worsened relationships between Christians and Muslims
      * Encouraged growth of towns and trade
  • Medieval feudalism was practiced in places such as France, England, Spain, parts of Germany, etc.
  • Serfs and and poor freemen weren’t included in feudal arrangements
  • Guilds first appeared in European cities
      * Apprentices learned crafts and trading from their masters
      * Apprentices were able to become masters once they were able to make a masterpiece
  • Masterpieces were products that proved them worthy enough to be masters
  • The German Empire, which was called the Holy Roman Empire in 1254, wasn’t unified
      * German princes, dukes, or bishops were practically independent rulers
  • The Holy Roman Emperor gained power under the Hapsburg dynasty
  • Holy Roman Empire was abolished under Napoleon in 1806
  • The role of the aristocracy changed due to the growth of royal power
  • Magna Carta
      * Document that demanded that the king respect the rights and privileges of England’s nobility
      * Acknowledged that the king wasn’t above the law
      * Addressed concerns of the higher classes, not the lower classes