Quiz is scheduled for Tuesday 9/25

1. Part III Sec. 1: The Rise of Europe

2. End of Roman Rule
 The Germanic people ended Roman rule in the west
and started a new civilization
They had no written laws and no cities
Lived in small communities with kings whose chief role
was to lead them in war
Europe became fragmented, isolated

3. The Early Middle Ages
400-700 Germanic invaders carved Europe into small
kingdoms
800 Charlemagne built an empire stretching across
France, Germany, and Italy
He revived learning, extended Christian civilization
into northern Europe blending German, Roman, and
Christian traditions
 Set up a strong, efficient government

4. Life After Charlemagne
Charlemagne died in 814 resulting in a power struggle
for 30 years
Muslims, Magyars (Hungarians), and Vikings began
to overrun territories held by Charlemagne’s heirs
Kings and emperors were took weak to maintain law
and order
In response to that basic need for protection, feudalism
evolved

5. Feudalism
Under feudalism, powerful local lords divided their
large landholdings among lesser lords
In exchange for land and protection the lesser lords, or
vassals, pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord
The lord granted the vassal a fief, or estate
 It included the peasants who worked the land
Feudalism gave strict order to medieval society

6. Feudalism
Feudal lords battled constantly for power
Many nobles trained from boyhood for future
occupations as a knight, or mounted warrior
Knights adopted a code of conduct called chivalry
 Required knights to be brave, loyal, and true to their word
 Knights had to fight fairly and be generous to their enemies
Stone castles were made to protect lands from being
seized

7. Medieval Economy
A manor is the lord’s estate
Most manors included one or more villages and
surrounding lands
Most peasants on the manor were serfs, or people
bound to the land
Serfs couldn’t be bought or sold but worked the land in
return for a bit of land for subsistence farming and
protection

8. The Medieval Church
After the fall of Rome, the Christian church split into
an eastern and western church
The west was headed by the pope and became known
as the Roman Catholic Church
 Became the most powerful secular, or worldly force in
medieval Europe
 Church officials were appointed to high gov’t positions
because they were the only educated people
 Pope claimed to have authority over all secular rulers

9. The Medieval Church
The church also controlled the spiritual lives of
Christians in Europe
Christians believed that all people were sinners and
that many were doomed to eternal suffering
Only way to avoid hell was to believe in Christ and
participate in the sacraments
Church performed all sacraments and had absolute
power in religious matters
Success brought problems to the church because as
wealth grew, discipline weakened.

10. Economic Expansion and Change
By the 1000’s advances in agriculture and commerce
spurred economic revival
 Iron plows to improve farming and windmills to grind grain
into flour
 Adoption of the three-field system enabled peasants to leave
only a third of their land unplanted and thus expanded crop
production
 New trade routes increased wealth
 Local trade fairs
 Merchant guilds, or associations came to dominate life in
medieval towns
 Merchant, traders, and artisans formed the new social class –
middle class