The Middle Ages

1.
The Middle Ages was a period of history that started
in 476 A.D. with the conquest of the Western Roman
Empire from Germanic tribes and ended in 1453 with
the fall of the Byzantine Empire and in Spain the
Middle Ages ended in 1492 with the discovery of
America.

There are three periods: The Early Middle Ages (from

5th to the 11th centuries), The High Middle Ages (from
11th to the 13th centuries) and The Late Middle Ages
(from 13th to the 15th centuries).

1.1 Political developments.

In the Western Europe:

High Middle Ages: In this time started the

feudalism(this means that the monarchy started to
depended of the nobility that had armies because
monarchs didn’t have armies to defended his people)
because of the sackings of the Germanic people.
For this reason people strated to migrated to the
countryside.

Late Middle Ages:The Germanic people deseapered

and the people that migreted to the countryside

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returned to the cities and the monarch increased his
power.

In the Eastern Europe:

High Middle Ages: The Islam appeared and started to

expanded so quickly.

Late Middle Ages: Islam started to fragmentated and

crusades to recovered Jerusalem(the Holy city of
christiannity) started.

1.2 Economy

Conflicts between the Christians kingdom caused both

trade and the cities to decline. The situantion
continued during most of the Middle Ages.

Medieval economy was mainly agricultural and there

was a little of trade. The cities were abandoned and
the people lived in rural areas and worked in
subsistance agriculture. At the end of the middle Ages
trade recovered and the situation changed.

1.3 Society

Feudal society started because the invasions and

sacking of the Germanic tribes caused insecurity. The
monarchs started to depends of nobility because they
didn’t have armies to protect his peasants. Many

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peasants became serf and worked the lands of the
landowners.
ALL THIS CONSISTED OF: The monarchy didn’t have
many armies and gave a plot of land to a nobels with
armies and in exchanged the noble protected the serf
that worked the land but the serf had to pay taxes (a
part of the harvest to the noble)

1.4 Cultural developments

The people that had conquered part of Europe

converted to christianity. With the birth and spread of
Islam the religious beliefs began to have profound
effect. The religious was the only sources of
knowledge. Wars begun in the name of religion.

Vocabulary:

Serf:(Siervo) Person who serves a lord, is attached to

his land and can be transferred with it from one owner
to another.

Germanic peoples:(Tribus germánicas) Kingdoms

created throughout Europe from the late 4th century
until well into the Middle Ages by Germanicspeaking
peoples from northern and eastern Europe. This name
was given by the Roman Empire to these groups of
people who moved during the great migrations.

Landowner:(Terrateniente) is the owner of large lands

where the peasant worked.
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2. AN ERA OF INVASIONS

Between the 3rd and 10th centuries there were of

mass migrations in Europe. The first of these was the
migration of the Germanic peoples, who defeated the
Western Roman Empire and created numerous
kingdoms. These migrations occurred for various
reasons:

Change in climate that affected agriculture.

Population increse and they didn’t have resources.
Political or military weakness in neighbouring sates.
Preassure from other peoples with greater military
power.

2.1 Germanic peoples

Characteristics:
-They were orginised in tribes but later they gonna be
kingdoms.
-They live in a rural society, there were cities but a
few and small.
-They were polytheistics but later they gonna be
monotheistics because they adopted the culture and
the religion of the kingdoms that they conquered.
-There were political inestability.
-Kings governed with the help of a group of advisors or
royal council.

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-There economy was based in arable and livestock
farming.

Vocabulary:

Germanic peoples:(Tribus germánicas) Kingdoms

created throughout Europe from the late 4th century
until well into the Middle Ages by Germanicspeaking
peoples from northern and eastern Europe. This name
was given by the Roman Empire to these groups of
people who moved during the great migrations.

3.The Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman Empire known as the Byzantine

Empire resisted the Germanic invasions.

3.1 The origin and the expansion of the Byzantine

Empire

The Byzantine Empire was created in 395 A.D. by

Theodosius I, he had divided the Roman Empire in two
parts one part the Eastern Roman Empire and the
second part the Byzantine Empire there are two parts
because each parts were going to by for each of is
sons Arcadio(The Byzantine Empire) and
Honorarius(Western Roman Empire).

The capital of the Byzantine Empire was Byzantium

that is Constantinople nowadays.

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The Byzantine Empire grew to its maximun size during
the reign of Justinian the Great(527-565 A.D.) that
conquered the Italian Peninsula, North Africa and
South Spain. That established a capital called Spania,
whose capital was Cartagena.

From the 7th to the 10th centuries Byzantine Empire

lost its power and therritories.

-The Neo Persian Empire in the East.

-The Arabs who conquered more than half of the
Byzantine Empire(Syria, Palestine and Egypt)

-The Slavs that the defeated the Byzantintines but in

1018 the Byzantines Defeated the Bulgarians.

3.2 The political structure

The highest political and religious authority was the

basileus.
The empire was controlled by officials and a powerful
armies.
Mercenaries soldiers who fought in exchange of
money played an important role.
The Empire was divided in provinces called themes.
Each themes was controlled by a stratego.

During the reing of Justinian, a legal code was

created(Thw Codex Justinianus), which was based in
Roman law.

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3.3 The economy

Agriculture and livestock farming was the main source

of economy in the Byzantine Empire.

Then there was a very big development of trade

because there was export(fabrics, wine and jewellery)
and inport(furs, ivory, species and perfume)

3.4 Society

There was a deep divided between landowners and

peasants because the emperor and the nobility
imposed high taxes and the mayority of the population
was discontent.

Development of trade resulted a busy city life.

3.4 Culture and Religion

Byzantine culture was a continuation of the Roman

civilization : In law administration and the Christian
religion but the main language was Greek.

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There was persecution because the religious
intolerance.

In the 8th to 9th centuries there was the iconoclastics

wars were caused because some byzantine emperors
prohibited the cult of religious images, they think that
this went aginst the Bible.After centuries of conflict
the images were eventually mantained.

In 1054 differences in pinion between the Pope Leo I

and the Patriarch Michael I resulted in a division of the
church known as the Great Schim. In the Eastern part
of Europe the Christian Church became known as the
Orthodox Church.

Byzantine Art

Byzantine art was characterised by rich decorations.

Mosaics paintings, icon and sculptures were
produced.

Characteristics:

- The use of bright colours

- Rigidity, frontal poses and a lack of exprsiveness in

the figures they portrayed.

- The religious themes and the glorification of the

emperor.

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Before the Iconoclastics Wars, icons became popular.
These portrayed holy figuressurrounded by a nimbus
or halo on a gold background.

Byzantine architecture

- The use of semi-circular arches.

- Domes placed on pedentives(architectural features

that support the dome) and supported by thick
buttresses.

- The use of the basilical floor plan, which was long in

shape with various nave sand an apse, and the Greek
cross floor plan, with each arm of the same lenght.

Vocabulary:

- Byzantine Empire: (Imperio Bizantino) The Byzantine

Empire an empire is the empire that stood out in the
Middle Ages with origin in 395 when Theodosius
divided the empire to his two sons Honorius (Roman
Empire of the West) and his son Arcadius (Roman
Empire of the East). In this empire, the western
empire is more prominent, beginning in 476 and
ending in 1453 with the conquest of the Ottoman
Muslim Turks.

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- Justinian the Great: (Justiniano el Grande) Emperor
of the Byzantine Empire between 527 and 565, when
the empire reached its maximum expansion.

- Basileus: (Basileo) The name given to the Byzantine

emperor. He was the highest political and religious
authority.

- Themes: (Themas) The name given to the different

provinces in the Byzantine Empire. Each of them was
governed by a stratego.

- Stratego (Estratego) Name given to the governors of

each of the themes (provinces) of the Byzantine
Empire.

- Iconoclastic wars: (Guerras iconoclastas) Wars that

took place in the Byzantine Empire between the 8th
and 9th centuries when some Byzantine emperors
banned the worship of religious images as contrary to
the Bible.

- Great Schim: (Cisma de Oriente) The Eastern Schism

is a split in Christianity between the Roman and
Orthodox Churches due to the rupture between Pope
Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I. This schism occurred
in 1054 due to the lack of agreement between them.

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4. The Carolingian Empire

The Frankish king charlemagne carried out numerous

conquests and in 800 A.D. he became emperor. The
Carolingian Empire did not last long, but it was the
only time during Middle Ages that the whole of
Western Europe was unified.

4.1 The origins and expansion of the Carolingian

Empire

The Franks were settled in Gaul, he had defeated the

Visigoths in the battle of Voillé in 507 A.D.

The major-dome Charles Martel (Pippin the Younger’s

father) defeated the Muslims at Poitier and stoppe
their expansion in Europe in 732 A.D.

In 751 A.D. themajor-dome Pippin the Younger

deposed the King of the Franks and occupied the
throne.

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The Pope needs help and Pippin and Charles help the
Pope and in exchange the Pope supported the
Carolingian Empire.

In 768 A.D. Pippin died and Charlemegne occupied the

throne but in 800 A.D. was crowned emperor in Rome
by Pope Leo III. Then he established the capital of the
Empire Aquisgranum (Now Aachen).

In 814 A.D. Charlemagne died and his son Louis the

Pious occupied the throne. Later the sons of Louis
fought for the inheritance. Then the Treaty of Verdun
in 843 A.D. the Carolingian Empire was divided (France
to Charles the Bald’s, part of Germany, Italy and
France to Loithair’s and for Louis the German’s
Germany)

4.2 Political structure

All was centralished and organished around palace.

The Emperor governed in the palace with the help of

the court.They appointed counts to governed the
provincesknown as counties.

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Countries:

- Ruled by a count (approved by the emperor)

- Duties collected taxes, carrying out, imperial tasks

justice and recruting troops

Marches:

- There are frontiers or recently conquered areas there

greater military power.

- Marchies (controlled military power)

Duchies:

- Important strategic lands

- Duke

4.3 Economy and society

The economy was based in agriculture because the

trade routes between Western Europe and Eastern
Europe was disrupted because the origin of Islam.

The society was based in a hierarchical society.

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Charlemagne rewarded the nobles with latifundias and
in exchange the nobles swear loyalty.

The emperor

Loyalty

The nobility

and clergy

Taxes

Peasants

Slaves

4.4 Culture and art

Charlemagne brought the wisest people of the time

and did to copied ancient text so these work would
not dissapear. These scribes a new rounded writing
style with little miniatures to illustrate te texts. This
period is called the Carolingian Renaissance.

In the Art they use semi-circular arches and stone and

bricks walls, as can be seen in the Palantine Chapel at
Aachen.

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Vocabulary:

Carolingian empire: (Imperio Carolingio) The

Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term used to
refer to the Frankish Kingdom of the Carolingian
dynasty from the imperial coronation of Charlemagne
in 800 until the division of its territories at the Treaty
of Verdun in 843.

Marches: (Marcas) A term used to designate the

frontier territories of the Carolingian Empire where
there was a greater military presence. They were
ruled by a marquis.

Duchies: (Ducados) Term designating the most

important and strategic territories of the Carolingian
Empire. They were ruled by a duke.

5. Islam and Caliphate

In the 7th century, Muhammad founded the Muslim

religion, or Islam, in Arabia. His succesor created an
extensive empire which streched from the Iberian
Peninsula to India.

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5.1 The origin and spread of Islam

Before Islam the people were is groups called

caravans (there were groups of people for traded and
that worked in livestock farming) there were nomadic.

They have polytheistic religion and were many

conflicts to controlled oases. There were a fertile
region called Yemen the farming was possible and
there were many trade routes. In middle of this there
was a city called Mecca.

In 610 A.D. Muhammad said that the Angel Gabriel

revealed a new religion to him, he dedicated all his
time preaching the new religion that was based only in
one god Allah. His enemies expelled him from Mecca.

In 622 Muhammad went to Medina, this event is known

as Hegira, mark the first year of the Islamic calendar.

In 630 the Muslims defeated the inhabitants of the

Mecca. He suppressed the polytheistics and only
respect the sone called Kaaba. The city became the
most religious city.

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In 632 Muhammad went to the sky.

The Muhammad succesors were called caliphs and the

empire was called caliphate.

The empire expanded more quickly than others this

was because:

- The greater motivation of the Muslim soldiers, who

fought for their faith (jihad).

- The decline of the neighbouring empires: dominant

minorities of the Byzantine and Neo-Persian Empires
demanded high taxes and the population was
discontent.

- The popularity of the new religion in other lands: the

Muslims allowed certain tolerance to other religions
as Christians and Jews but in exchange they had to
give an extra taxes for practised other religion.

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The evolution of the Muslim Empire

Orthodox Caliphs (632-661)

In this time the caliphs were Muhammad’s family.

They controlled many territries such as Arabian
Peninsula, part of the Byzantine Empire like Syria,
Palestine, Egypt(All of this was in the battle of
Yarmouk), Mesopotamia and Persia(All of this in the
battle of Kadisiyawith the Neo-Persian Empire)

Umayyad Caliphate (661-750)

After the civil war (Between Shia that were the people
that supported Ali 20% and the Sunna that were the
traditional people 80%) the Umayyad caliphate
controlled the Empire, who governed in the capital
Damascus.

They expanded the caliphate to India, Samarkand and

the Iberian Peninsula. They failed to conquered
Constantinople and they were stopped by the Franks
in the battle of Poitiers in 732.

Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258)

There was a civil war between the Umayyad and the

Abbasid and Abbasid won, the capital was Baghdad

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and in the 8th 10th centuries there was the golden
age (that was the age that the art and culture was
more development.

There was a crisis in the caliphate in the 10th

centuries. The empire was divided into several
independent caliphates such as the Umayyad that
governed al-Andalus and that of the Fatimids in Egypt.
The Turks became more influential they were Asian
peopple who had converted to Islam.

Later expansions Mirar en el libro no es muy

importante.

5.2 The political structure of the caliphate

- The caliph was the highest political and religious

authority.

- The viziers or ministers, who acted as advisors to the

caliph and eventually took charge of the government
and iportant matters.

- The emirs or walis, who were governors of the

empire’s provinces and territories.

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- The qadis or judges who were in charge of handing
out justice. They dealt with both civil and religious
matters.

- The diwans, or treasurers, who colllected taxes.

5.3 The economy

Agriculture: They used livestock farming to obtained

goods and for a method of transport. In the desert
there was a little water and they had to used the
maximun benefit of the water, for this they used this
agricultural irrigation systems that were Wells, Dykes
and Waterwheels. They improve the techniques for
preserving food with salt, vinegar and oil and they
introduced new crops from Asia such as cotton, rice,
sugar cane, citrus fruits and vegetables.

There was a lot of trade and this means a

development of craftwork, in each part of the
caliphate they had different products.

W.E.: Wood, iron, tin and silver.

E.E.: Furs, gold and copper.

Asia: Spices, perfumes,luxury goods and silk. One of

the most famous routes was the Silk Road.

Africa: Ivory, gold, slaves and salt.

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To made trade easy all the caliphate had the same
coin the dinar that were the golds ones and the dirham
that were the silver ones.

Muslims cities

The cities was divided in:

Religious buildings: Mosque and Madrasah (that were

school where the Koran was studied)

Civil buildings: Souk, baths and corn exchange that

were stores where cereals were sold.

Military buildings: Citadel or fortified palace which

was protected by a garrison of soldiers.

5.4 Muslim society

The society was based on a hierarchical society.

Landowning

nobility( Arab
origin and not arab)

Rest of the

population
(Islam people, not Islam and slaves)

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5.5 Muslim culture

All the Empire hed the same religion, lenguage and

other aspects of culture.

The arabic lenguage appeared and replaced the

lenguage of Morocco to Iraq.

Also they made the decial system of numbers and

revived the Ancient’s Greek way of thinking in the
West.

5.6 Muslim religion

Islam means submission, the Koran is a recopilation of

all revelation of the god to Muhamad.

The Koran have five rules that all Muslim had to

followed, The Five Pillars of Islam that are:

- Belief in a single god Allah and his prophet

Muhammad.

- Praying five times a day, at specific times and facing

Mecca

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- Give charity to the poors.

- Fasting during the daytime in the month of Ramadan.

- Going to Mecca at least one time.

Koran

Suras (chapters)

Sharia Islamic rules, no images and no eating pork.

Priest (iman like a cura)

Sunnis(90% of the Islamic persons) Follow the Sunnah

that is like the tradition. The caliph selecte his
succesors.

Shia(10% of the Islamic persons) Caliph was a member

of Muhammad’s family. The imans were Ayatollahs.

Islam respected Bible but consider Jesus christ as a

profect.

5.7 Muslim art

The decorative desing is very important in Muslim art.

As human figures could not be depicted, artisans used
beautiful calligraphy, arabesque or foliate ornaments.

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And also used lattice-work that are geometric shapes.
These designs were used in various foms like painting,
sculpture, mosaics, ceramics, plasterwork and
miniatures.

Mirar ejemplos de Mosques, palaces and mausoleums

en el libro.

Muslim architecture adopted features from different

cultures: semi-circulars arches and colour keystone
from Rome, golden domes and vaults from the
Byzantine Empire, lobed arches from the East and
horseshoe arches from the Visigoths. Then there was
difeerent types of capitals( things at the top of a
column) Stalks, nests and muqarnas.

The materials of the architecture were very cheap

materials such as brick, stucco, livestone and
sandstone but all of them covered with decorative and
rich materials

Vocabulary

Islam: (Islam) Monotheistic religion that originated in

the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632) in

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Arabia, which are recorded in the Qur'an; it is
characterised by respect for five fundamental pillars:
profession of faith, ritual prayer five times a day and
on Friday in the mosque, fasting during the month of
Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a
lifetime, and almsgiving.

Hegira: (Hegira) The hegira is the migration of

Muhammad from Mecca to the city of Medina. It took
place in 622 AD and marks the beginning of the
Muslim calendar.

Caliph: (Califa) Muhammad's successors were called

caliphs and the territory they ruled was called a
caliphate. The caliph has political and religious
authority.

Emir: (No translation) Also called walis, they were the

governors of the different provinces and territories of
the empire. They had political but not religious power.

Qadi: (Cadi) They dispensed justice in Muslim

territories. They are judges in charge of religious and
civil matters.

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Diwan: (No translation) They are the treasurers in the
Muslim territories. They are in charge of collecting
taxes.

Sunni: (Suní) They constitute 90% of Muslims. In

addition to the Koran they follow the Sunna (tradition)
which is a compilation of texts and events about the
life of Muhammad.

Shia: (Chii) They constitute 10% of Muslims. They

broke with the Sunnis when the Umayyads came to
power. They only recognise the legitimacy of Caliph
Ali, the last of the orthodox caliphs. They follow their
own rules and the guidance of their leaders
(ayatollahs).

Sharia: (No translation) A set of rules that Muslims are

obliged to follow. It is Islamic law.

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