1. The Middle Ages
SOL WHI.9
The gradual decline of the Roman Empire ushered in an era of European history called the Middle Ages or Medieval Period.
It spanned from around 500 to 1500.

2. Europe in Middle Ages Roman Empire
476 A.D. Western Roman Empire collapses due to Germanic invasions.
500 – 1500 A.D. Period of history known as the MIDDLE AGES.
Europe in Middle Ages
Small Germanic kingdoms; boundaries constantly changed
Money scarce; trade disrupted by invasions; cities faded; illiterate society
People entered into agreements with land owning lords who provided them with protection in exchange for work.
Roman Empire
Large territory unified under one government
Led by an emperor
Large cities, money economy, literate society, etc.

3. Foundations of medieval society
Classical heritage of Rome
Christian beliefs
Customs of Germanic tribes
Feudalism begins
Invasions shattered Roman protection over the Empire. The decline of Roman influence in Western Europe left people with little protection against invasion, so they entered into feudal agreements with land-holding lords who promised them protection.
By the end of the 5th century invaders from many different Germanic groups overran the western half of the Roman Empire. Repeated invasions and constant warfare sparked new trends.
Disruption of trade: merchants faced invasions/businesses collapsed/breakdown of trade destroyed European cities/money became scarce
Downfall of cities: with the fall of the Roman Empire cities were abandoned as centers of administration
Population shifts: As Roman centers of trade and govt collapsed, nobles retreated to the rural areas/cities left without strong leadership/other city-dwellers also fled to the countryside where they grew their own food/population of western Europe became mostly rural.
Germanic tribes—could not read or write/as German-speaking peoples mixed with the Roman population Latin began to change/by the 800s French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin
Between AD, small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces/borders changed constantly due to war
The Roman Catholic Church survived the fall of the Empire/provided order and security
Along with shifting boundaries, the entire concept of govt changed. Loyalty to the public govt and written law had unified Roman society. Family ties and personal loyalty, rather than citizenship in a public state, bound Germanic society together/lived in small communities/governed by unwritten rules and traditions.
Every Germanic chief led a band of warriors who had pledged their loyalty him…the chief provided food, weapons, treasure…men fought to death at their lord’s side.

4. Feudal society during the Middle Ages
Fief – land worked by the peasants
Vassals – “landlords”; swore allegiance to
the king; could serve as a knight
Serfs – peasants that worked the land
Feudal obligations
Manorial system during the Middle Ages
Facts: A.D.
In Western Europe 90% of the population were peasants
Most lived in little more than huts on the Lord’s estate
Probably traveled no more than 25 miles from home in their lifetime
Rigid class structure
Self-sufficient manors

5. Feudalism Based on mutual obligation Provide knights in times of war
Fiefs – land grants
Military protection
Fiefs – land grants
service
protection
Based on mutual obligation

6. Life on the Manor

8. Daily Life on the Manor

9. Influence of the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages
The Roman Catholic Church grew in importance
after Roman authority declined. It became the
unifying force in western Europe.
The Pope anointed the Holy Roman Emperors.
Missionaries carried Christianity to Germanic tribes.
The Church served the social, political, and religious
needs of the people.
Franks held power in Gaul/Clovis (Frankish leader) converted to Christianity in 496/marks the beginning of a partnership b/t Franks and Church
Missionaries often risked their lives to spread their beliefs
The Church built religious communities called monasteries to adapt to rural conditions/Christian men called monks lived there/gave up all private possessions/Nuns lived in convents/devoted their lives to prayer and good works/became Europe’s best educated communities/monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books.
Pope Gregory I (the Great) expanded the papacy in 590 to become a political power as well/pope’s palace became the center of Roman government/used Church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, help the poor/Christendom…churchly kingdom, ruled by a pope, would become a central theme for the Middle Ages

10. St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican City, Italy
Vatican City = now an independent nation; inside the city of Rome; smallest country in the world; Pope is the ruler
St. Peter’s Basilica = has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holds 60,00 people; In Catholic tradition it is the burial site of St. Peter (one of the twelve apostles of Jesus); many Popes have been buried there; has been a church here since the 4th century; current basilica was began on April 18, 1506 and completed on November 18, 1626
Built 326 A. D.

11. Influence of the Church
Roman authority declined, while Church
authority grew
Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural
achievements
Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet
to Germanic tribes
Pope anointed Charlemagne as Holy Roman
Emperor in 800 A. D.
Parish priests served religious and social needs of
the people

12. Frankish kings used military power to expand their territory.
Age of Charlemagne
Frankish kings used military power to expand their territory.
Franks emerged as a force in Western Europe
Charles I, Charles the Great = Charlemagne
Pope crowned the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
The alliance between Frankish kings and the church reestablished Roman culture in Western Europe.
Power of the Church was established in political life
Roman culture was revived
Charles Martel—most powerful individual in the Frankish kingdom/defeats Muslim invaders at the Battle of Tours in 732
Pepin—wanted to become king/agreed to fight the Lombards who were a threat to Rome/Pope anointed him King/begins Carolingian Dynasty
Charlemagne—conquered new territory to the south and east/spread Christianity through conquests/in 800 he traveled to Rome to crush an unruly mob that had attacked the pope/in gratitude, Pope Leo III crowned him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire/***Pope had claimed the political right to confer the title “Roman Emperor” on a European king/this event signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire.

13. Charlemagne Born grandson of Charles Martel, son of Pepin the Short
Ruled from A.D.
Known as Charles I
Spread Christianity while reuniting western Europe
Crowned by Pope Leo III Christmas Day 800 A. D.
Died at age 70

14. Charlemagne’s Empire
Divided into three sections by his grandsons (Treaty of Verdun) /Carolingian power collapsed (843).
Map on pages , 321, 323, 334

15. Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings

16. Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings
Invasions by Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings disrupted the social, economic, and political order of Europe.
Areas of Settlement
Angles and Saxons from continental Europe to England
Magyars from Central Asia to Hungary
Vikings from Scandinavia to Russia

17. Influence of the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings
Manors with castles provided protection from invaders
Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the
feudal system was strengthened