Another Review

Today in west civ Matt and Phil did a review for our class. in 520 pope Benedict writes rules for monks. His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns. Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies. most of the rest of Europe consists of smaller kingdoms (seven in England alone). Charles Martel's son is Pepin the short. the second son of Pepin was known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the great.

last review on the middle ages

Today in west civ we did the last review on the middle ages. There will be a test next week. We only have three days next week and one Monday after that until exams. we just took more notes on the middle ages. than at the end of class we were allowed to do homework.

new middle ages 2

setting the stage
middle ages- 476-1453 AD
this new society has roots in:
- classical heritage of Rome
- beliefs of the roman catholic church
Overrun the western half of the roman empire
- disruption of trade
- downfall of cities
- population shifts to rural areas
Germanic kingdoms emerge
- Germanic warriors loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them w/ food, weapons and treasure.

middle ages

A European Empire Evolves

- franks control largest European kingdom
- the roman province formerly known as Gaul
- ruled by Clovis - the Merovingian dynasty
- major domo - mayor of the palace - ruled the kingdom
- Charles Martel Charles the hammer
- extended the franks reign to the north, south and east
- defeated Muslim army from Spain at the battle of tours in 732
- Charles the hammer had a son - Pepin the short
- possibly named for his unusual hair cut
- working for and with the pope, Pepin fought the Lombards
- Pope Stephen II named pepin "king by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty

Charlemagne takes center stage 

- Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great
- six foot four
- built the greatest empire since rome
- fought the muslems in spain
- fought Germanic tribes
- spread Christianty
- reunited western Europe
- became the most powerful king in western Europe
- pope leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly roman mob
- he limited the authority of the nobles
- he regularly visited every part of his kingdom
-  kept close watch on his huge estates
- encouraged learning
- ordered monasteries to open schools

After Rome Fell

Germanic kingdoms unite under Charlemagne

- main Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the roman empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire.
- Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us came from.
- middle ages = medieval period
- 500-1500 AD
- medieval Europe is fragmented
- invasions trigger changes in western Europe.
- invasions and constant warfare spark new trends

disruption of trade

- Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
- money is scarce
- cities are no longer centers of administration
- nobles retreat to the rural areas
- cities don't have strong leadership

Decline of learning

- Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
- only priests and church officials could read an write
- knowledge of Greek an literature, science, philosophy is almost lost

Germanic kingdoms emerge

-the concept of government changes
- roman society loyal to public gov't
- Germanic society loyal to families
- Germanic chief led warriors
- during wartime warriors fought for the lord
- people did not complain about the king
- the franks under clovis
- another battlefield conversion, just like Constantine
- clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
- the church in rome approves of this alliance
- clovis and the church begin to work together

Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

- papacy= pope's office
- secular power= worldly power
- the church can use church money to
               raise armies
               repair roads
               help the poor
- Gregory the great began to act as mayor of rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom Christendom
- 511 AD - clovis unites franks into one kingdom
- 600 AD - church + Frankish rulers convert many
- fear of muslems in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
- 520 AD - benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries

Middle Ages

- Feudalism - a political, military and economic system based on land - holding and protective alliances.
- Lord- needs people to work his land and defend it.
- vassals- there were a lot of these people, they can help the rich keep their land.
- serf- the slaves of the time, they were farmers who worked for the rich people. landless, powerless, moneyless.

Manor- the lords estate
 - the lords manor house
 - a church
 - some workshops
 - 15-30 families
 - all on a few square miles

Peasants are poor and pay high taxes
 - tax on grain
 - tax on marriage
 - church tax (tithe = 10% of their income)
 - they lived in crowed cottages
 - lived with animals and insects
 - ate very simply

Rome notes

After Rome-
-the two centuries after the fall of rome were a time of turmoil in Europe that would continue for five hundred years.
- in the Germanic kingdoms that had taken over the western half of the Roman empire.
- Christendom- mix between Christianity and a kingdom
- they start speaking Greek instead of Latin

CHRONOLOGY-

FIFTH CENTURY - angles and Saxons invade Britain

486- Clovis leads Frankish confederacy against Romans and rival Germanic invaders in Gaul.

527-565 - reign of emperor Justinian in the eastern empire

542- Plague hits Egypt, then spreads and throughout the Mediterranean area  much of western Europe

568- Lombard's conquer most of northern Italy

570-632- life of Muhammad

595- missionaries sent by the pope begin to convert the pagans of England

711- Muslim invasion of Spain

800- Slavs occupy almost all of eastern Europe