1. Middle Ages

2. The Middle Ages
What is it………
The period in European
history between the
downfall of Rome and the
Renaissance.**
Divisions of….
Early Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages

3. The Middle Ages
The Fall of Rome
External Threats
– Northern Germanic Tribes
• Invaded Roman Empire in 5th
century**
– Mongols
Internal Threats
– Growth and expansion ended
– The “Bad” emperors
– Social Divide
Results from the fall of Rome
Loss of Centralized
Authority
Power Void
Dominance of Germanic
culture or blending of
Loss of “institutions”
Decline of Learning
Ultimately a new form of
government focused upon 1
factor (security)

4. Who fills void of Roman Empire
Kings
Rise to power
In 496 Clovis will rise to
King**
511 Clovis unites the Franks
into one kingdom
The “Church”
Provide for the loss of many
“institutions”
Education
Writing
History
Some Security

5. Organization of the Church
Monasteries
Essentially religious
communities**
Monasteries enable the
“Church” to adapt to the rural
population shift of Middle
Ages
Allowed the “church” to reach
the people
Men devoted to religious life
were monks; women were
nuns**
Branch office
Monks
In 520 popular monk named
Benedict appears
Benedict writes a set of very
strict laws for his
monasteries
– Manual labor and prayer
731 Venerable Bede writes
history of England

6. “Church” organization
Organization
Parishes: local Christian
communities
Bishop: head of a parish
Diocese: area of authority of
a bishop
Popes: eventual leaders of
Roman Catholic Church
Early Popes
Gregory I
– Becomes Pope in 590**
– Also served as leader of the
city of Rome (later called the
Papal States)
– Increased power of Pope
– Worked to convert Germanic
Europe to Christianity
– G. Chant

7. The Franks
The Kings of Franks
Charles Martel
– Defeats muslims at Battle of
Tours 732
Pepin
– Mayor of the Palace
(eventually took the throne)
– Died 768
Charlemagne
– Charles the Great (son of
Pepin)
Charlemagne
768-814
Created the Carolingian
Empire
– Not until Napoleon
800 coronation; Emperor of
the Romans
– Symbolized unification of
Roman, Germanic, &
Christian Elements
Death in 814 will start the
decline of Carolingian
Empire

8. Invaders of Europe (800-1000)
Muslims
– Southern coast
Magyars
– Settled plains of
Hungary
Vikings
– Northmen (Norsemen)
– Destroyed towns and
churches
– Given land named
Normandy

9. Rise of Feudalism
Feudalism: new political
and social system
Vassal: served lord in
military capacity
Fief: grant of land made to
a vassal
Feudal Contract:
determined relationship
between lord and vassal
Kings
Lords
Knights
Serfs

10. Rise of European Kingdoms
England
Angles & Saxons
Oct. 14, 1066
– Battle of Hastings
– William of Normandy;
crowned King of England
Henry II (1154-1189)
– Thomas Becket
King John
– 1215 Magna Carta (beginning
of limited power)
France
Capetian Kings
– Little more than Paris
Philip II Augustus
– 1180-1223
– Growth of French Monarchy
Philip IV (Philip the Fair)
– 1285-1314
– By 1300 France the largest &
best governed monarchy in
Europe

11. Rise of European Kingdoms
Holy Roman Empire
Otto I
– 962 crowned emperor of the
Romans
Frederick I
– “Italy the center of a holy
empire”
Frederick II
– Goal: Strong centralized
government in Italy

12. Time periods of the Middle Ages
Early
– 500-900
– True “Dark” Ages
– Fall of institutions
High
– 1000-1200
Late
– 1300-1500

13. High Middle Ages
Primary Themes
– Peak of feudal
institutions
– Peak of “Church”
influence
– Revival of Trade,
Cities, Learning

14. Peak of “Church” Influence
Age of Faith
– Increase of intolerance
The Crusades
– Urban II encourages
military campaigns to
regain the Holy Land
from the Muslims
– Urban’s challenge well
received (religious
zeal, class of warriors,
economics)
False Crusade
– 1096 the Peasant
Crusaders
– Peter the Hermit
– Walter the Penniless
Early Crusades
– First 1097
– Second 1147
– Third 1189
– Fourth 1202

15. Economic Impact of Crusades

16. High Middle Ages
Rise of Universities
– First Universities
– Bolgna (1158); then Paris, Oxford
– After university could go on to law, medicine
or theology
– Scholasticism: philosophical and theological
system which tried to reconcile faith and
reason; harmonize Christian teachings with the
works of Greek philosophers

17. Late Middle Ages
Decline of Feudal institutions
– Hundred Years’ War
– New Monarchies
– Rise of money economy & commercial capitalism in High Middle
Ages
Decline of “Church” influence
– Great Schism 1378-1417
Disease
– Black Death
– 1347-1353
– European population of 75 million; possibly 38 million die

18. For the Test
Pages 283-308; 320-322; 329-340