Medieval Europe Tara Madsen

Feudalism and Manoralism In the early 700s, Muslims were on the march in Europe… when they invaded France, Charles Martel led an army of Franks against them. In 732, at the Battle of Tours, the Franks defeated the Muslim army… and they were pushed into Spain. By 800, Martel’s grandson, Charlemagne had begun to put together his empire… His armies seized lands in France, Germany, and Italy. At this same time, Vikings were coming in from Sweden and Norway causing a lot of problems.

Quick Timeline 400s: German invaders set up small kingdoms to replace Rome 800s: A single kingdom gained power over the others 1066: England fell to Norman invaders from France and their leader, William the Conqueror seized the throne.

Feudalism During the Middle Ages (time after the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance) Europeans used a political system known as Feudalism

Manoralism Manoralism was Europe’s economic condition during the early Middle Ages… people farmed and lived on manors Most Lord’s had large houses on the manor and then the serfs lived in smaller houses around the property

Roman Catholic Church In the Early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church contributed to the stability of Western Europe. Except for the Muslims in Spain and a group of Jews, everyone in Western Europe was Roman Catholic. Church teachings helped people accept the hardships of their life.

Organization of the Church Local Level = Parish led by a priest Group of Parishes= Diocese led by a Bishop Group of Diocese= Province led by an Archbishop Cardinals are above Archbishops and the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church.

Because of the instability of Europe’s society, the power of the Pope grew and in some cases they were even more powerful than monarchs.

Crusades Christian rulers of Europe organized the crusades to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims. The Holy Land was the name Christians had given Jerusalem where Jesus had lived. Overall there were 8 crusades… the final four crusades resulted in a loss of all territory gained by the first four. RESULTS: Italian trading cities became wealthy Europeans began looking for a sea route to Asia Persecution of Jews intensified Muslims were attacked as unbelievers

The Beginning of Nation-States The development of the nation-state, a large area of land ruled by a single government, did not happen at the same time in all of Europe. France and England developed nation-states during the middle ages… Germany (as a country) did not exist until 1871.

The English Monarchy William the Conqueror and his forces invade England in 1066… They were from Normandy in the north of France. William was the Duke of Normandy and his forces were made up of Norman vassals… once he had conquered England, he gave fiefs (land) to his vassals taking it from the English. Future English monarchies set up circuit courts… judges rode around on a certain route trying cases that were heard by peers. As a result, the power of the nobles was weakened… a group of nobles rebelled and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta…. Also known as the Great Charter.

MAGNA CARTA… this will be on the MSL The Magna Carta was an important document… it limited the power of the king. It required the king to consult a council before imposing any more taxes on his subjects. It also established the rule of law… the document stated that the king was NOT above the law and did not have absolute power over his people. The council created by the Magna Carta eventually formed Parliament.