Chapter 13: Middle Ages in Europe https://youtu.be/6EAMqKUimr8 Middle Ages in 3 ½ Minutes The Middle Ages – def. medieval period in Europe lasting from 500 – 1500 C.E.

Foundation of Early Medieval Society: 1. Classical heritage of Rome – Roman culture still important, even though in decline – giving way to Germanic culture 2. Christian Beliefs – most of Western Europe, including more Germanic Tribes 3. Customs of Germanic Tribes – ex: oral tradition of song and language, no written language, violence and warfare

Changes in Western Europe: 1. Disruption of Trade – frequent invasions caused trade to break down, causing a decline in cities and a lack of money in Western Europe 2. Downfall of Cities – cities were abandoned, lack of leadership 3. Population Shifts – people left cities for rural areas

Changes in Western Europe: 4. Decline of Learning – invaders couldn’t read or write, Roman culture in decline, knowledge of Greek nearly disappeared, only literate people = monks/priests 5. Loss of a Common Language – different dialects of Latin gave rise to Romance languages

Influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Early Middle Ages: 1. Roman authority declined, while church authority grew 2. Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural achievements – monks were the few who could read and write = literate

Influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Early Middle Ages: 3. Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet to Germanic tribes. 4. Clovis converted the Franks to Christianity

Influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Early Middle Ages: 5. Pope Leo III anointed Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D. 6. Parish priests served religious and social needs of the people

The Rise of Feudalism: Background: 1. Invaders destroyed Roman ability to protect people of Western Europe 2. People, in response to this lack of protection, entered into feudal agreements with land-holding lords who promised them protection

The Rise of Feudalism: Fief – piece of land Lord – landowner, granted land to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military service Vassal – one who received land from a lord, pledged loyalty and military service Serf – workers/peasants who were tied/bound to the land – worked to maintain the manor

The Rise of Feudalism: Medieval Manor – lord’s estate, houses and land -had its own rigid class structure and self-sufficient economy