The Decline of the Roman Empire & the Rise of Feudalism The Middle Ages The Decline of the Roman Empire & the Rise of Feudalism

Barbarians Ruled Western Europe By 500 A.D. Western Roman Empire fell to barbarian tribes: Visigoths controlled Spain Ostrogoths controlled Italy Franks controlled Gaul (France) Vandals controlled North Africa Angles, Saxons, Jutes battled for Britannia Celts ruled Ireland & Scotland

The Middle Ages After the fall of Rome, Western Europe entered the Middle Ages from 500-1300 A.D. Reasons for the rise of Middle Ages: No Roman emperor to make rules No Roman army to protect people No common language to unite them No longer citizens of a common empire; people now loyal to family members (clan) or feudalism Latin blended with barbarian languages to make Italian, French, Spanish, etc. The “Dark Ages” The “Medieval” era

Decline of Civilization Constant warfare among the barbarian tribes & the Romans made it too dangerous to trade: With no trade, towns & cities became useless People built to farming villages to make food & find protection Priests became the only people who could read & write

Self-sufficient farmers No Roman Government? Without the Roman Government, how are things different in Western Europe: Trade? Food? Safety? Leadership? Language? Religion? No more trade Self-sufficient farmers Dangerous fighting No emperors Different languages Polytheism

Without a centralized government, how does a society function?

Feudalism Feudalism began in Europe as a way to offer protection: Feudalism is a series of agreements between lords & knights in which lords offer land in exchange for loyalty & military protection from knights Lords built castles to protect peasants from outside invasions

Some peasants were serfs & could not leave the lord’s estate Feudal Structure Knights were specially trained soldiers who protect the lords & peasants Some peasants were serfs & could not leave the lord’s estate Kings had land but very little power Lords (also called Nobles) were the upper-class landowners; they had inherited titles (“Duke,” “Earl,” “Sir”)

Medieval Castles

If you don’t own land or have money, how do you survive?

Manorial System The manorial system produced the food for people to eat: Lords allowed peasants to live on their land in exchange for a portion of the food they grew Peasants agreed to pay “rent” to the nobles in exchange for shelter & protection Peasant life was difficult: they were dependent upon the lords & got lots of diseases

I am the King!! I have so much land!!

I think I’ll build myself a castle, but I have no power so maybe I should give fiefs to some lords

Thank you king for this fief Thank you king for this fief. As your loyal lords we will oversee this land

We will fight for the king and provide him with food from our lands, but this territory to too large.

Let’s pick the best land to build our homes on, then let’s give fiefs to some vassals!!

Thank you lords for this fief Thank you lords for this fief. We promise loyalty, military service, & a portion of our food

Let’s pick the best land to build our homes on!!

Aren’t we going to need protection, too?

Oh yeah, let’s give fiefs to some knights also!

Let’s allow serfs to do all the work & provide us with food Let’s allow serfs to do all the work & provide us with food! We will gain their work & loyalty

Thank you vassals for allowing us to live on this land Thank you vassals for allowing us to live on this land. We provide you loyalty, military service, & a portion of our food

According to the code of Chivalry, I will forever protect my lord & vassal, my God, and my sweetie-pie at home!

The Power of the Christian Church Many people in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire were polytheistic but Christians converted many “barbarians” In this time of chaos, the Christian church emerged as a stable & unifying force in Western Europe

The Power of the Christian Church Catholicism became the dominant religion in Western Europe: Without a common government to hold everyone together, the Church filled an important role in peoples’ lives The Catholic Pope became the strongest political leader in Western Europe

The Power of the Christian Church Each territory in Western Europe had a monastery (where monks lived) & provided order for the feudal manors: Local priests were important because the church taught that all people are sinners & need God’s forgiveness Christians paid a tithe (percentage of their food as a tax to the church)

Europe’s Feudal State 4:50