Early Middle Ages in

Europe
500-1000 AD
SOL 9

Role of the Church

Roman authority

, Catholic Church

Church became the unifying force in western Europe.

Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural
achievements.
Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet
to Germanic tribes.
Pope crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in
800 A.D.
Clergy served religious and social needs of the
people.

Feudalism
The decline of Rome
left people with little
protection against
invasion, so they
entered into feudal
agreements with
land-holding lords
who promised them
protection.

Feudalism
Fief: land given
Vassals: people who
received land
Serfs: people who
worked the land
Feudal obligations:
land in exchange for
labor or protection

Manors:
Rigid class structure
Self-sufficient

The Franks
Frankish kings used military power to expand
their territory.
The alliance
between Frankish
kings and the
church
reestablished
Roman culture
in Western Europe.

Age of Charlemagne
Franks emerged as a force
in Western Europe.
Pope crowned
Charlemagne the Emperor
of the Holy Roman Empire.
Power of the church was
established in political life.
Roman culture was revived.

Invasions during
the Middle Ages
Angles & Saxons
Mainland Europe to
England

Magyars
Central Asia to
Hungary

Vikings
Scandinavia to
Russia

Impact of the Invasions

Manors with castles provided protection from
invaders, reinforcing the feudal system.
Invasions disrupted
trade, towns declined,
and the feudal system
was strengthened.