The Middle Ages

(450 C.E. to 1450 C.E)

 The Middle Ages fall between the
Classical Period and the Modern
Period.

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1 CE 500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 2009 CE

Middle Ages Modern Times

Classical Age
 The Middle Ages are divided
between the “Dark Age” and the
“High Middle Ages”

“Dark Ages” “High Middle Ages”

450 CE 800 CE 1066 CE 1450 CE

1350 CE
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Big Question: What were the
Middle Ages?
 After 1000 years of conquest,
civilization, and glory, Rome, the
world’s greatest Empire, came to
an end.

Rome is sacked by Goths.

In a span of a few hundred years,
invaders from Northern and
Eastern Europe tore the Roman
Empire to pieces.
Goths
Visigoths
Avars
Magyars “Bar bar bar!”
Huns Romans called these
Vandals
Lombards invaders “barbarians”.
Franks
Vikings
Bulgars
Saxons
Rus
The new “barbarian” rulers of Europe
represented many different types of
people, but to the former citizens of the
Roman Empire, they shared the following
in common:
-- their customs were strange
-- their languages were hard to understand
-- they were pagan
-- they were brutal and uncivilized

Attila the Hun

 The years of barbarian rule in
Europe after the fall of Rome are
known as the Dark Ages.
(c.450 – 800 A.D.)
What is meant by a “Dark Age”?
• A “dark age” is a time when reading,
writing, and science were limited
• Old knowledge and laws were forgotten
• People were unable or afraid to travel
• Much of what happened went unrecorded
and was therefore lost to history
• Power was “decentralized” (tribal)
After several hundred years of the
Dark Ages, Europe began to
reorganize itself in new ways.

2. Roman Catholicism
became a strong,
unifying force

1. Feudalism replaced
tribalism (“Chiefs”
became “Kings”)

Charlemagne “Charles the

Great” , Frankish King
 Feudalism
The Political Structure of the Middle Ages

Definition: Political and social system during

the Middle Ages where Kings and lesser
nobles made agreements for mutual
protection.

Oath of
Fealty
 Feudalism
Catholic Pope in

King Rome

Duke
Duke Duke
Marquis Marquis Marquis

Earl Earl Earl

knight knight knight Contrary to popular

belief, Kings of the
Middle Ages were
not particularly
powerful. They went
against the wishes
of their vassals at
their own risk.
 In times of war, lords would call
upon the nobles below them to
raise armies of knights to help in
the fight.
On horseback, an armored knight
was very hard to defeat. Off the
horse, armored knights were slow
and vulnerable to attack.
 Battles were small by modern
standards, but killing methods were
brutal and warfare was frequent.
In order to defend themselves, rich
nobles built fortified houses called
castles.
To defeat a castle or fortified town,
armies would need to engage in a
“siege” for many months.
 Despite the numerous small wars of the Middle
Ages, most people’s lives were short and dull.

For example, Peasants or serfs…

rarely ventured more than

rarely lived past
a mile or two from where
age 35
they were born
farmed every day,
had few freedoms or rights getting only a few
days off a year
illiterate and made up 80%
superstitious of population
 Economic System:
Most people during the Middle
Ages lived on manors – large, self
sufficient farms owned by lords.
 Away from the manors, the
countryside was wild and
dangerous. There were few roads.

Robin Hood (mythical

outlaw) in Sherwood
Forest
 One institution that helped unify
Europeans together during the
Middle Ages was the Roman
Catholic Church.
Common language
Gave hope to the hopeless
(latin)

Advocated for the poor

Provided a “check” to noble
power

Educated
people
 But there were down sides to the power
of the Catholic Church, too …
The Church persecuted Jews
and people who disagreed
with its teachings (“heretics”)
Sometimes
Clergy were
corrupt.

The Church
sometimes
caused wars.

The Church feared change

and distrusted science
 The Middle Ages had other
negative characteristics, too…

Disease
Filth
Superstition
Ignorance
Fear
But ultimately, the Middle Ages led
to the Modern Age due to…
• rising income levels
• better science
• more peace/stability
• increase in laws and rights for all
Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points of the Middle Ages:

7. Battle of Tours (732)

-- stopped Islamic expansion in Europe

-- empowered the Franks to become
largest power in Europe

Charles “The Hammer” Martel

Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points of the Middle
Ages:

6. Charlemagne Unifies Franks (800 A.D.)

-- started “Feudalism”
-- Formed “Holy Roman
Empire” and France
-- balanced power of
Emperor and Pope
 Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points of the
Middle Ages:

5. Normans Conquer England (1066 A.D.)

-- ended Saxon rule

-- made England a power
Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points of the Middle
Ages:

4. Magna Carta Signed (1215)

-- began “rule of law”

-- established “rights”
-- limited King’s power over others
-- led to English democracy (500
years later)
Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points
of the Middle Ages:

3. The Crusades (1095 – 1272)

-- increased the Pope’s power

-- destroyed Byzantine Empire
-- opened Mediterranean trade
Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points
of the Middle Ages:

2. The Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453

A.D. )

• first major use of crossbows,

gunpowder, and English longbow
• Split France and England forever
• Made Joan of Arc a hero
Richardson’s Top Seven Turning Points
of the Middle Ages:

1. The Black Death (1348 – 1350)

• second deadliest
pandemic ever
• empowered the
peasant class
• destroyed
confidence in the
Church
 Review:
• When and where were the Middle Ages?

• What was the Political System of the Middle

Ages?

• What was the Economic System of the Middle

Ages?

• What are two turning points of the Middle Ages?

 The End

Hundred
Years
War