What are we going to do today? What are the “middle ages”? What was life like? What caused it to end?

Transition to the Renaissance

Characteristics of Medieval Europe Pagan Religions Small Kingdoms Rural Population

What is the Feudal system??? KingLordPeasant LordPeasantPeasants Ruler of a small kingdom, the king is usually the strongest or wealthiest lord These are “vassals” of the king. They give up some of their power in exchange for the king’s protection Peasants are obedient to their lord. They work on his lands and pay taxes, and in exchange he gives them protection

Mongols Conquests of Genghis Khan Marco Polo Crusades Contact with Arabs Contact with Eastern Europe Trade Goods from Asia Goods from Middle East Factors Effecting Medieval Europe

Trade… As Europeans have more contact with foreign people… They have more contact with foreign stuff… Europeans develop a strong desire for foreign goods like… – Silk, Cotton, Spices, Porcelain, Persian rugs

Changes to Western Europe… Life During the Middle AgesLife During the Renaissance Rural society Agricultural society Feudal society Small towns & villages SOCIETY Shift to urban society Shift to manufacturing society Shift to worker society Shift to larger cities Held by land-owning nobles Regional power Feudal system POWER Held by wealthy people Centralized power Determined by birth STATUS Determined by wealth and ability

Why did the Feudal system end??? Black Plague 100 Years War End of the Feudal System

The Black Plague… Came out of Mongolia Carried by the Mongol army Disease traveled in the fleas on the Mongols’ horses…and themselves! How did people fight it?

How did people fight it???

The Black Plague

The Black Plague… Carried along the Silk Road to the Middle East by merchants and travelers

Caught by Italian merchants…who fled back to Italy trying to avoid the disease, and ended up spreading it throughout Europe The Black Plague…

Impact on Europe: Loss of population – 1/3 of Europeans die – 25 to 50 million….about 8 million per year – Which social class was hit hardest? Loss of faith in the church…why? Loss of faith in feudal lords…why?

Why did the Feudal system end??? Black Plague 100 Years War End of the Feudal System

100 Years War… Fought between France & England Fought over who will be King of France Lasts for 116 years New technologies Joan of Arc End of Feudalism…why?

She’s a witch!!

End of the Feudal System… Black Death kills 1/3 of Europe’s population Peasants revolt and demand more freedom 100 Years War allows monarchs to build huge armies and reduce power of nobles People move to cities to earn better wages Status began to be determined by wealth and ability, not birthright

Rise of the Renaissance… Scholars and artists look to ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration and new ideas Medici family of Florence used profits to promote art and learning Crusades make Europeans eager to learn about the outside world Italian cities make trading connections with the Middle East…become rich and powerful Middle class merchants develop the idea of banking and insurance…gain control of huge sums of money

The Renaissance… Renaissance means “rebirth” – Rebirth of “classical art and learning” – Classical civilizations refer to Greece and Rome Society becomes more secular – Secular = worldy-- Non-secular = religious Development of “humanism” – Belief in human potential – Idea of a “renaissance man”

The Renaissance… The printing press…significance? Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) - umm…everything Erasmus (1466 – 1536) – belief in free will Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) – politics, music, philosophy Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1616) – literature (Don Quixote) Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) – poet and playwright

And the winner is…(LP) 1 st, 2 nd, & 3 rd place: Most influential people/animals/events/inventions…and explain WHY!! I’m in 3 rd place because I helped to create the Renaissance by carrying this armful of papers…. 2nd 1st 3rd