-The Middle Ages-

I. Introduction

A. After the collapse of Rome, there was a lack of strong central

government in Western Europe
B. Characteristics of the Early Middle Ages
included:

1. Disruption of trade

2. A decline in learning

3. Loss of a common language

4. A general lack of progress

C. Urban centers disappeared as people moved to rural settings

D. Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe during the Middle

Ages
E. The Battle of Tours

1. An army led by Charles Martel stopped the advance of

Muslim armies at the northern border of Spain

2. Prevented the spread of Islam in Europe

II. Charlemagne

A. Germanic Kingdoms that invaded Roman territory stake

their claim to small areas of land in Western Europe
1. Spain – Visigoths

2. Germany – Saxons

3. Britain – Anglo-Saxons

4. Italy – Lombards

5. The Balkans – Avars and Slavs

6. France / Western Germany – Franks

B. Charlemagne established a centralized kingdom in 800 A.D.

1. This was known as the Holy Roman Empire

2. Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the Pope

a. This expanded papal power in Western European political affairs

C. Under Charlemagne’s rule, the Holy Roman Empire flourished with
accomplishments such as:

1. The revival of learning and the return of trade

D. Following Charlemagne’s death,
the Holy Roman Empire collapsed

E. The Treaty of Verdun divided the

Holy Roman Empire into three pieces
in 843 A.D.
III. Feudalism

A. A lack of strong leaders led

to a new system of government
and land holding, know as
feudalism

B. One of the reasons behind

the development of feudalism
was to provide protection from
three groups of invaders

1. Vikings

2. Magyars

3. Muslims
C. Political characteristics of feudalism included:

1. Decentralized governments

2. A system of local government based on the control of land

and mutual obligations
3. Kings granted land to their nobles
in return for their pledge of loyalty
and military support

a. The land kings gave to

nobles was called a fief

4. Local lords made their own laws

and controlled their own armies
D. Social characteristics of feudalism included:

1. The division of society into a rigid class system

2. Class was determined by birth and there was little social

mobility
3. The four feudal classes were:

a. Lords

b. Vassals

c. Knights

d. Serfs

4. Serfs were bound to the land

and had few rights
5. Noble women had few rights but did have control of their husband’s
fiefdoms when they died

6. Chivalry was the ethical and moral code of knights

E. Economic characteristics of
feudalism included:

1. Manorialism was the

economic system of
feudalism

a. The manor was

the lord’s estate

2. The economy of the

manor was self-sufficient

3. There were limited

advances in agriculture or industry
IV. The Roman Catholic Church

A. Religious functions of the

Church during the Middle Ages
included:

1. The promise of eternal life

provided hope for people who
had no social mobility
2. Those who violated church law were
threatened with excommunication

a. Excommunication was the

exclusion from the sacraments
which were necessary for
salvation

b. Interdict was when an entire

kingdom was excluded from the
sacraments
B. Political functions of the
Church during the Middle Ages
included:

1. Keeping birth,
marriage, and death records

2. Attempts at regulating
kings’ power through
canon law

a. Canon law is the law

of the church which
regulates church
practices and individuals’
deeds
C. Economic functions of the Church during the Middle Ages included:

1. The Church was the largest land holder in Western Europe

2. Citizens paid the Church a tithe, which is a 10% income tax

3. The Church forbid usury, which is the charging of interest

D. Social functions of the Church during the Middle Ages
included:

1. The preservation of learning and education

2. Establishing the first universities in Europe

3. Medieval art and architecture
reflect the power of the Church

a. Gothic cathedrals
included stained glass
and statues depicting
bible stories

4. Church became one of the

few places for average people to
gather together and interact
V. The Crusades

A. In 1095 A.D., Pope Urban II called for a crusade of

Christian knights to go to the Middle East to re-take the holy
land (Jerusalem) from Muslim control

1. Tens of thousands of European knights left to fight

the crusades
“Come then, with all your people and give battle with all your
strength, so that all this treasure shall not fall into the hands of
the Turks…Therefore act while there is still time lest the
kingdom of the Christians shall vanish from your sight and,
what is more important, the Holy Sepulcher [the tomb where
Jesus was buried] shall vanish. And in your coming you will
find your reward in heaven, and if you do not come, God will
condemn you.”

-Emperor Alexius Comnenus

B. The crusading knights were inspired
by:

1. Promises of salvation

2. Relief from taxes and debts

3. The spoils of war

 “Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private
warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with
victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those
who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let
those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives
now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have
been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal
reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both
body and soul now work for a double honor.”

-Pope Urban II
C. There were a series of crusades over a period of two hundred years

D. Ultimately, Muslims maintained control of the holy land

E. Effects of the Crusades included:

1. Stimulating the trade of goods and ideas between Europe

and the Middle East

a. Trade led to a growth in the number of

European towns
2. The return of coin money

3. Italian city-states gain power from

trade along the Mediterranean Sea

4. Europeans were exposed to Muslim

advances in math, science and
medicine
VI. The High Middle Ages

A. The development of towns led to the establishment of an

influential middle class including merchants and artisans

B. The growth of towns and cities shifted power from local

lords to kings
C. This period saw a revival of learning, including works by Dante
and Chaucer

D. The guild system was established as a way to protect the interests

of tradesman
VII. Anti-Semitism in Western Europe

A. Many European kingdoms had laws forbidding Jews to

own land

1. This forced European Jews to seek employment in

urban centers

B. Jews were denied membership in guilds

C. Because of the restrictions Christianity and Islam placed on usury,
Jews assumed control of money lending in Europe

1. This circumstance increased anti-Semitism,

which is prejudice against Jews
VIII. The Black Death

A. The bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, was

brought to Europe from Asia
B. The plague resulted in the death of one-third
of Europe’s population

1. Members of the lower classes

experienced the highest rate of death

2. The drastic drop in population

destroyed the foundation of feudalism
IX. The Hundred Years War

A. The English claim

to the French throne
led to the Hundred
Years War from 1337
to 1453
B. The English dominated early in the
war, but Joan of Arc helped turn the
tide in favor of the French

C. The end of the Hundred Years War

is considered by some to be the end of
the Middle Ages