Middle Ages in Europe

Chapters 9-10
• The 500 years
following the fall of
Rome
Dark Ages
• Trade declined,
farms replaced
cities and the life of
the poor got worse
and worse.
• Most were not
concerned with
learning, only
survival mattered
• Learning
– The Catholic Church
and the Muslim
Scholars preserved
the advancements of
Greece and Rome
and ran the only
schools.
 • The Franks were the
Germanic greatest of these
kingdoms
Kingdoms – They converted to
Christianity under Clovis
– Charles Martel
stopped the Muslim
advance into Europe
at the Battle of Tours
• His Grandson,
Charlemagne, became
leader of the Franks and
was crowned Holy
Roman Emperor 800AD
– He tried to reunite the
Roman Empire through
Latin learning and
Christianity
– Became the most powerful
Christian ruler in Europe
 Feudalism King

• Kings let rich noblemen or

Lords control land, fief, in Lords
exchange for help during
battle or protection. see page King Vassals/
296 Knights
• Knighthood arose in
response to the warfare and Lords Serfs
danger of the Middle Ages
– Only the sons of noblemen
could become knights
– They wore armor and chain
mail, used cross-bows,
swords, and pikes, and rode
horses
– Chivalry= code of conduct in
which knights were expected
to be gentlemen and honor
the Church
• Serfs were poor farmers,
– They worked the land for
themselves and their lord,
– lived in tiny huts, and often
died in battle
 The Role of Women
• Women had an active role
in the feudal society.
– took care of the manor
while their husbands were
away at war or court.
– Oversaw finances, food,
home, servants, etc.
– Still were expected to
submit to their husbands.
Manorialism • A manor was an
agricultural estate
run by a Lord and
worked by
peasants.
– Peasants led a
simple life of hard
labor and meager
food and drink but
could attend
festivals.
• Over time there
were major
improvements in
agriculture that led
to a revival of
trade, cities, and
industry.
Agricultural Improvements between
1000-1300 include:
• Horse Collar and
Horseshoe: easier to plow
the land and faster turn
over.
• Wheeled Plow: long strips
of land could be tilled at
once and farm villages
emerge
• 3 Field System: increase
food production and keep
soil from being exhausted
• Water and Wind Power:
less animal and human
power needed and greater
production
 The Roman Catholic Church
• Popes were as powerful if not more than a king
– The Church controlled much of the land in Europe and
often conflicted with kings over power and wealth.
• Church officials like priests, monks, and nuns were
educated and helped those in need
– They provided help for the sick and the poor.
– Housed travelers and ran hospitals.
 Roman Catholic
Church Continued
• New religious orders
emerged in the 11th
century. See pages 325-327
– Cistercians,
Franciscans, and
Dominicans
• Led simple lives and
tried to reform the
church and bring the
clergy back to the
basics.
– Inquisition
• Church court set up to
root out heresy by force
some times using
torture, prison, or even
death.
 Judaism, Christianity, Islam
• Abraham: Journey of Faith
1.Identify the following:
a) Abraham
b) Ishmael
c) Isaac
2.Tell why Muslims believe the Holy Land is
their birth right:
•

–
Founded: In Mecca by
Muhammad
Believed to be the last and
Islam
greatest prophet
• The Quran (Koran) is the sacred
book of Islam
• Five Pillars:
– Faith in One God, Allah, and
Muhammad is his prophet
– Daily Prayer, 5x, facing Mecca
– Help for the poor
– Hajj: Visit to holy city of Mecca
– Fast during Holy month of
Ramadan
• Jihad is…
– An individual's striving for spiritual
self-perfection
– A Muslim holy war or spiritual
struggle against infidels.
• Sharia, or system of law, that told
people how to behave in family
life, and the community.
 632 at

Spread of Islam
the
death
of
Muha-
mmad

• Disagreements over who

should be ruler led to division
• Rulers treated people fairly 661

and many converted to Islam.

• Spread across Europe, Africa,
and Asia with a unified Arabic
language 750CE from
present day
– In the 1100s it reached India France to
– Sikhism was a new religion that India.
combined Hinduism and Islam
• Two powerful empires: The Ottoman
Empire in 1566
– 1400s Ottomans in Middle East (The Ottomans
– Safavids in Persia were Turkic people
from Central Asia -
but continued to
spread Islam)
Ottoman and Safavid Empire Maps
 Golden Age of Muslim Civilization

• Blending of Cultures->Strong Economy-

>Spread Islam->Trade
• Influenced:
– Art= beautiful writing, paint people and animals
– Literature=Quran, poetry, stories
– Learning= Translate Greek writings, algebra,
earth’s circumference
– Architecture= mosques, spires, domes and arches
– Medicine= doctor tests, hospitals, medical books
Jerusalem Timeline
Crusades Flow Map
Crusades Flow Map
 Kingdom of Heaven
1. Describe Balian’s relationship with his father.
2. Why did he go to the Holy Land?
3. Who controlled the Holy Land during the time of this movie?
4. What took place in the ceremony where Balain became a
knight? Where did you see the same thing again later in the
movie?
5. Describe the first major confrontation between the Christians
and Muslims outside the Castle.
6. What happened to the King of Jerusalem?
7. Who becomes the new king and queen of Jerusalem? Why
not Balian?
8. What do you think about Saladin? Was he a good or bad
ruler?
9. Why did Balian stay to protect Jerusalem?
10. What was the outcome of the final war? Who then controlled
the Holy Land?
 Holy Land Discussion: Listen to Balian’s
speech once again. Do you agree or disagree with his
stance on the issue of the Holy Land being equally holy to
followers of all three faiths? Why or why not?
1. Those of you that disagree, why?
2. Which of the three religions controlled the Holy Land for the longest
amount of time?
3. Does this fact help or hurt their claim to the land?
4. How would you feel if you were a Muslim whose ancestors had
occupied the Holy Land up until the time of World War I and then
had it taken away and given to the Jews in 1948?
5. How would you have responded to this act?
6. Would a violent response be justified?
7. Why do some of you that agree that the Holy Land is equally holy to
all three religions?
8. Would it be possible for these three faiths to share ownership of this
land?
9. How has that worked in the past?
10. What role should the United States play, if any, in Middle East
affairs?
 • Europe in
Crisis During
Later Middle Ages the Late
Middle Ages
four major
problems
swept through
Western
Europe which
were famine
(a long period
of time with
little to no
food),
disease, war,
and death
 Triumph of Death
1. What type of feeling do you have when
you look at this picture?
2. What message is the artist trying to
convey?
3. Which five images do you think best
illustrate “Death”?
4. Which five images seem most odd to
you?
5. What would you change about the
painting?
 Black Death
• Plague that swept through
Europe killing 38 million of
the 75 million people in
Europe alone (1/3)
– Brought to Europe from
Asia through trade.
• Effects include:
redistribution of wealth,
anti-Semitism, decline in
trade, questioning the
church.
 Black Death Activity
• Death: Dying with the plague
• Jews : blamed for the plague
• Survivors: lost loved ones
– Make a list of the feelings that a person in your
roll would have based on their experiences
during this terrible time.
– Write a poem about your experience during the
Black Death. Put yourself in their shoes. It can
be from the perspective of a child, teenager,
adult, or elderly person.
– Upload your poem to Ning in the form of a blog
entry then read and comment on your
classmates’ poems.
 Europe in Crisis

Problems with the

Famine Black Death Hundred Years War
Church
pp. 337 pp. 337-339

Causes: Causes:

Effects: Effects:
 Upheaval in the Church
• Hard times caused people to
question the church officials and
authority.
• The Catholic church became divided
between France and Rome, The
Great Schism
– John Wycliffe insisted that ordinary
people should be able to read the bible
and translated it.
– John Hus, a Czech Reformer, called
for and end to corruption of the clergy
and the excessive power of the
papacy.
• By the 1400s no longer the most
powerful authority in Europe.
 Medieval
Architecture
 The Hundred Years
War 1337-1453???
• Long war between England
and France.
– At first the English were winning
at Crecy in 1346 and again at
Agincourt in 1415.
– In 1429 Joan of Arc helped lead
the French to victory over the
English but was burned at the
stake for witchcraft in 1430.
– France eventually won in 1453
thanks to the cannon.
Joan of Arc
 Joan of Arc
• Right side of the room = England
• Left side of the room = France
– From the perspective of your assigned
country answer the following questions on the
back of your reading:
• Did Joan really hear from God or was she crazy?
• Was Joan a hero or a mad woman?
• Should she have been burned at the stake?
• Was it worth it?
Time of Change: End of
Feudalism
 Time of Change and the
End of Feudalism in the
14th Century
• New Goods such as silk and
spices encouraged trade
• Trade led to merchants or
business people
• In return for money the lord gave a
town a charter making the
townsfolk free
• Guilds, organizations for skilled
laborers, made sure workers were
treated fairly
• New Middle Class develops
• Towns, cities, and Trade thrive
• Learning became important
Rise of Nation States
• Nation-states are nations that have
sovereign political and geographic
territory.
• England:
– Resented their cruel King John and
forced him to sign the Magna Carta,
which was the beginning of freedom
for the English people
– England also set up a Parliament to
pass laws
• France:
– Hundred Years War with England,
increased in money and power
• Holy Roman Empire
– Struggle with Popes and had no real
power
• Russia:
– Invaded by the Mongols, Vikings, and
Slavs, Christianized by Byzantine
Missionaries
 Meanwhile…
• In Asia
– Mongols led by
Genghis Khan
captured the
Byzantine Empire
and had the largest
Empire the world has
ever known
• Technology and
Advancements such
as: paper money,
compass, gunpowder,
Taj Mahal
– Turks also attacked
the Byzantine Empire
and captured
Constantinople