Chapter 10 - A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe Period is known as the Middle Ages in European history.

Developments reflect many of the larger themes of postclassical world history. There was a spread of new religious beliefs. 1. Stages of Postclassical Development a. Rome was still center of growth in Catholic church b. Italy was politically divided and Spain lay in the hands of the Muslims c. Frequent invasions by the Vikings disrupted life from Ireland to Sicily d. The Manorial System: Obligations and Allegiances i. Manorialism = the System of economic and political relations between landlords and their peasant laborers ii. Serfs = agricultural workers who received some protection, including the administration of justice, from the landlords; in return, they were obligated to turn over part of their goods and to remain on the land iii. Manorial system had originated in the later Roman Empire iv. Moldboard = a better plow that allowed deeper turning of the soil v. Three-field system = a third of land was left unplanted each year to regain fertility vi. Serfs owed their lords part of their crops in return for grazing their animals on his land or milling their grain, provided many days of labor repairing the lord's castle e. The Church: The Political and Spiritual Power i. Catholic church was only example of solid organization ii. The church copied the government of the Roman Empire to administer Christendom iii. Papal missionaries converted the English to Christianity. 1. Brought religion to northern and eastern Germany 2. beyond the borders of the previous Roman Empire 3. to Scandinavia iv. Clovis = Germanic warrior chieftain 1. Converted to gain greater prestige over local rivals 2. received a vague dominion over the Franks v. Western monasteries helped discipline the intense spirituality felt by some individual Christians f. Charlemagne and His Successors i. the Carolingians took over the royal house of the Franks. 1. One of their founders was Charles Martel, "Charles the Hammer" 2. He was the man who was responsible for stopping the Muslims march during the battle of Tours, thus preserving Christianity ii. Charlemagne was a later Carolingian ruler, known as "Charles the Great"

iii. He helped restore some church-based education in western Europe, causing a slow rise in the level of intellectual activity iv. When he died the empire was split into three portions 1. Several of his successors had nicknames such as "the Bald" or "the Fat" (they were not great leaders) v. Regional monarchies began to grow in popularity vi. Strong cultural unity in Catholic Christianity vii. No single language or government viii. Rulers began to call themselves Holy Roman Emperors g. New Economic and Urban Vigor i. moldboard plow, three-field system, horse collars and stirrups ii. horse collars and stirrups confirmed military dominance of the lords iii. Nobility was defined by land ownership and military power iv. Population growth encouraged further economic innovation 1. New markets were created 2. Towns expanded 3. More regions became occupied by farmers v. Landlords soon had to loosen the bonds of serfdom vi. New crops were brought from other countries vii. Helped feed formal cultural life viii. By the 9th and 10th centuries, schools began to form around cathedrals ix. By 11th century, the first universities were born x. By 12th century, a new characteristic university was forming in Paris, specializing in training clergy, thus inspiring universities in other parts of Europe h. Feudal Monarchies and Political Advances i. Feudalism = key political and military relationships ii. Vassals = the small kings iii. Feudal relationships slowly began to cover larger regions and even whole kingdoms iv. William the Conqueror i. Limited Government i. Magna Carta = limited rights of the kings ii. 13th century = creation of parliaments as bodies representing not individual voters but privileged groups such as the nobles and the church iii. Three key estates of parliament = Clergy, Nobles, Urban Leaders iv. 14th century marked the beginning of the 100 year's war j. West's Expansionist Impulse i. Spurred by population growth ii. Most dramatic expansion were the crusades, originally caused by Pope Urban II in 1095 iii. These crusades were fights for the "holy land" iv. Crusades effected West more than the Arab Muslims

k. Religious Reform and Evolution i. Catholic church repeatedly went through decline and renewal ii. Gregory VII tried to purify the church and free it from interference by feudal lords, from any state control, and won by excommunicating the emperor iii. investiture = state appointment of bishops l. The High Middle Ages i. characterized by a series of tensions ii. balanced by emerging central monarchies iii. authority of church vs. intellectual vitality and diversity that formed part of university life 2. Western Culture in the Postclassical Era a. Theology: Assimilating Faith and Reason i. Advances in logical exposition of philosophy and theology ii. Importance of absolute faith in God's word iii. Yes and No = logical contradictions iv. Bernard of Clairvaux was a powerful monk who challenged writer of Yes and No 1. believed that reason was dangerous and proud and that God's truth must be received through faith alone v. There was a growing interest in knowledge obtained from the Arab world vi. Scholasticism = after 13th century, a confidence in the logical orderliness of knowledge and in the human ability to know b. Popular Religion i. Christian devotion ii. Popular means of expressing religious devotion expanded over time c. Religious Themes in Art and Literature i. More popular outlook and more formal religious views ii. Art was intended to serve the glory of god iii. Gothic architecture iv. Literature and music reflected strong religious interests 1. Writers began creating stories v. Medieval intellectual and artistic life created a host of important themes vi. Religion was centerpiece, but interests ranged from scientific to romantic 3. Changing Economic and Social Forms in the Postclassical Centuries a. New Strains in Rural Life i. Improvements in agriculture brought new ingredients to rural life 1. Peasants became free farmers 2. Landlords served mainly military functions ii. Lives of western peasants improved as a whole b. Growth of Trade and Banking i. Use of money spread steadily ii. Hanseatic League encouraged trade 1. Cities in northern Germany

iii. Growth of trade and banking in the Middle Ages served as the origin of capitalism in Western civilization iv. The merchant "spirit" grew, as merchants could alone amass huge amounts of money, as could they lose it v. Guilds = groups of people in the same business or trade in a single city vi. These guilds sometimes had loose links to similar guilds in other cities c. Limited Sphere for Women i. Women's work remained strictly within the family ii. Women had real cultural prestige because of religious figures such as Mary iii. Patriarchal structures seemed to split the importance of men and women even farther apart 4. The Decline of the Medieval Synthesis a. After about 1300, the medieval life began to die down b. The Hundred Year's War was a big reason for the decline c. The Black death in 1348 further challenged Europe's population and social structure d. Signs of Strain i. Ruling class began to show signs of confusion ii. The upper class became more cultivated iii. Balance between church and state shifted iv. The intellectual and artistic ideals began to break down e. The Postclassical West and Its Heritage i. Distinctive ideas about government and building on Christian and feudal traditions ii. Europe imitated the areas around it and added its own spin to those ideas iii. Expansionist spirit (the Crusades)