1. The Middle Ages Video (question 2 expansion)
Historians divide the Middle Ages (aka Medieval Ages) into 3 parts. Each part has a dominant personality or feature that help us identify the period:
Early Period – c. 472 – 900
CHARLEMAGNE unites kingdoms c.800 out of the chaotic ashes of post-Roman Europe
High Middle Ages – c. 900 – 1250
CRUSADES are the dominant feature in a time of religious wars
Late Middle Ages – c – 1492
BLACK DEATH is dominant feature, global cooling causes bad crops, wars for land, bad times

2. The Middle Ages = Dangerous Times
The strong empires of Rome and Greece that protected trade routes and encouraged science and freedom were gone.
Gone is the central gov’t and organization of society Rome provided – nobody to protect or collect tax to repair infrastructre
Chaos, violence, fear, superstition, hunger, disease dominate until 800 when Frankish Charlemagne provides unity and peace

3. The Middle Ages = Dangerous Times
Education died out, people just survive
Only the Christian Church kept education alive in monasteries
Hand copied books
Promoted reading and writing among monks
Masses are illiterate, relying on monks and church officials to interpret Bible and life
Ignorance and superstition dominate worldview
Church/religion becomes defining feature of life in the Middle Ages = ‘CHRISTENDOM’

4. Invaders Attack Western Europe
Muslim invaders seized Sicily, raided Italy, sacked Rome then retreated to Spain (ruled Spain for 700 years)
Magyars from the east (based in Hungary) maul Germany and Italy
Vikings from the north (Norsemen/Northmen) Norwegians/Danes go west, Swedes go east and south)

5. The Vikings - Northmen Germanic people that lived in Scandinavia
Worships warlike gods
Seafarers that attacked with terrifying speed
Known for warships
Weighed up to 20 tons
Could sail in 3 feet of water

6. The Vikings Vikings were also traders, farmers, and explorers
Journeyed far and wide
Explorer Leif Ericson reached N. America in 1000
Around 1000, Vikings stopped their reign of terror
Later accepted Christianity
Warming trend in Europe made farming easier = less seafaring needed

7. You are mine

8. Magyars From the East Horsemen from modern day Hungary
Invaded W. Europe in late 800’s
Attacked isolated villages, overran Italy, took captives to sell as slaves

10. Muslims from the South Came from N. Africa through Spain and Italy
Goals: conquer, settle in and plunder Europe
Seafarers who attacked settlements on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts

11. Invaders and Raiders Genghis Khan Mongolian warrior
A particular problem for the Russians.
Mongols conquered Russia and ruled it for 400 years
Russia has been behind the rest of Europe ever since

12. Results of Invasions
People now looked to local rulers for security (not a central ruler)
Widespread disorder
Kings unable to provide protection
People in constant danger

13. A New Social Order: Feudalism
Feudalism: a system of governing and landholding based on rights and obligations emerged in Europe
In exchange for military service, a lord (landowner) would provide a fief (land) to a vassal (person receiving the land)
Depended on control of land

14. The Manor System
Manor: the lord’s estate & the basic economic arrangement during the Middle Ages
Depended on a set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs
Provided housing, farmland, protection from bandits
Tended the lord’s lands, cared for the animals, maintained the estate
LORD
SERF

15. No Strong Central Govt. So how will we be protected?
Lack of central government for protection leads to rise of Feudalism

16. What is Feudalism?
Feudalism: “loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord.”

17. Feudalism (political system) So who is in charge?
The kings had plenty of land; but he could not control it all
So he gave land to lords in exchange for protection, loyalty and $.
Lords then gave their land to knights in exchange for protection, loyalty and $.
Knights let serfs (peasants) work the land and he would protect them.
Serfs got food and shelter.
Thus, each person had rights and responsibilities
vassals
(higher lords)

18. Peasants Knights Grants land to Nobles Grants land to Grants land to
responsibilities
rights
Provide money and knights
King
Grants land to
Provide protection, military service, tax/money
Nobles
Grants land to
Knights
Provide labour, food, tax, services
Grants land to
Peasants
Note: it takes 40 serfs to support one knight!!

19. The Life of a Serf Women shared in the work
Kids ran free until big enough to carry stuff, then worked like a mini adult from 8 or 9 yrs.
Owed duties to the lord
At least a few days per week
A portion of their grain
Rarely traveled more than 5 km. from the manor
Produced nearly everything they and their lord needed for daily life eg. Cloth, food (bread, vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, fish), tools, furniture, etc.

20. The Life of a Serf Taxed on all the grain ground in the lord’s mill
Baking bread elsewhere was a crime
Paid a tax on marriage
Weddings could only occur with the lord’s permission
Owed the village priest a tithe (church tax) = to 1/10 of their income
Lived in crowded cottages with only 1 or 2 rooms
Slept on dirt floors in beds made of straw
Ate mostly vegetables, bread, grain, cheese and soup
Life = work as soon as you were old enough
Illness and malnutrition were common

21. Common Pasture
(or "Green")

22. Life on the Manor Usually covered a few square miles of land
Consisted of:
Lord’s manor house
Church
Workshops
15 to 30 families lived in the village on a manor
Surrounded by fields, pastures, woodlands
Streams sometimes ran through the manor
Produced crops, milk, cheese, fuel, cloth, leather goods, lumber

23. Life on the Manor A typical manor settlement shows peasants (serfs) growing specialty crops and sheep for wool, which would be sold by the Lord of the Manor. In exchange for their labour, the serfs were permitted to live on the land with the Lord’s protection. They could also keep a small percentage of what they grew. The Lord also provided a mill, a church and access to markets. Serfs could not leave nor marry without the Lord’s permission. The quality of a serf’s life depended largely on the character of the Lord of the Manor.