The Middle Ages: 500-1450 C.E.

Origins of the Modern World

FIND PICTURE

A noble family at supper

Early Middle Ages: 500-1050
Impact of Invasions of Germanic
Tribes/Collapse of Roman Empire 476 CE
*End of centralized state: smaller kingdoms under Germanic
kings
*End of urban society/Society is now rural
-Many institutions in cities destroyed
*End of vast Roman trade network
*Germanic law replaces Roman law
-Need to prove innocence - by ordeal
-Punishment often a fine related to value of victim (wergeld)
*Christianity is the only remaining unifying force across Europe
-Latin is the common language
-Everyone is involved in the great struggle of salvation
*Monasticism: Important aspect of Christianity

-Care of sick,
poor, aged,
widows,
orphans
-Education
-Maintaining
knowledge
/copying books
-Political
Advisors
Beaulieu, England- English monastery
Illuminated
manuscript
*Economic Aspects of
the Church
Church as landowner
(Cistercians as one example):
-They own extensive lands,
produce wine, wool, grain
and also engage in mining,
for the market
-They use serf labour
*The Church is a highly
organized structure that
competes with the secular
rulers for power

Cistercian lands in Europe

Second Wave of Invasions 9th and 10th
centuries
Second wave of invasions, 9th and 10th centuries
*A second wave of invasions, by the Vikings, the Magyars and Muslims
sweeps across Europe
-This wave is generally even more destructive of culture and society
*Islam is the exception: They conquered almost all of Spain, set up a
government that promoted knowledge, building libraries that held
much of Greek and Roman science and philosophy translated into Arabic
-These texts were later translated into Latin for the rest of
Europe.
-Muslims also developed medicine, astronomy, physics, mathematics and
philosophy
*Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together in relative tolerance in
Muslim Spain until Jews and Muslims were forced out by the
Christians as they re-conquered Spain in the late 15th century.
Feudalism and Manorialism as political and economic structures
*Feudalism emerged out of the chaos of the second wave of invasions
*Feudalism was an answer to people’s security concerns as kings were
no longer able to protect their subjects
*A feudal lord promised protection to peasants if they gave up
their freedom to him – they became known as serfs,
they worked his land and land given to them to use, and he promised
to protect them from attack.
*Manorialism: land tenure (ownership) system and economic
structure

-The lord gave protection

and the use of some strips
of land to the peasants
-The land was cultivated
by serfs, who turned some
of their production over
to their lord.
-They also farmed their
lord’s land for him
A medieval manor
Plan of an estate 1582
 Medieval peasant farming
in open fields:
peasants worked the land
together and divided up
what they produced after it
was harvested

Manorialism and feudalism presupposed an unchanging social

order, with a rigid system of estates or orders.
Clergy who prayed
Lords who fought
Peasants who toiled.