December 9 - December 13 - Blogs

Monday - Finishs our assignment on Germanic Tribes

The Church

The Roman Catholic Church was the one centralized institution that remained from the Roman Empire
It was also the only literate one
- Since literacy was necessary for the practice of the religion, the clergy was able to read
The Roman Catholic Church provided stability in the chaos of the Dark Ages which gave it a lot of power in the era

The Church established monasteries and convents where monks and nuns lived
One monk, Benedict, wrote (strict rules) of monasteries (Love the Lord, Do not kill, Honor all men, Chastise the body, Love enemies, Not to hate anyone)
Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books

The Spread of Christianity in Medieval Europe

Clovis brought Christianity to the Germanic Franks in Gaul(modern day France)
His wife was Christian and during a battle which the Franks were losing, Clovis prayed to the Christian God and ended up winning the battle
Clovis and his warriors all converted from paganism to Christianity after that-Video on paganism
Clovis defeated other Germanic tribes and unified Gaul into one large state and became allied with the Church in Rome

Tuesday - Continued PowerPoint

Paganism Video

Pope Gregory I(The Great)

Pope from 590 to 604 AD
Expanded the Pope’s role to not just spiritual but also secular(worldly, non-religious)
Became increasingly involved in government
Gregory used church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor
He also negotiated peace treaties with invaders such as the Lombards

The idea of a churchly kingdom, ruled by a pope, would be a central theme of the Middle Ages

The Franks

As we discussed earlier, Clovis united all of modern-day Gaul(France) under his leadership by the time of his death in 511
By 700, though, the king served mainly a ceremonial function and the real political power lay with the major domo – the mayor of the palace
In 719, the major domo was Charles Martel, aka Charles “The Hammer”
Martel led armies, made policy and basically ran the kingdom
Martel extended Frankish territory in all directions-see next slide
Martel’s main accomplishment was at the Battle of Tours in 732 where he defeated the Muslims

- - The Muslims were unable to break into eastern Europe due to the Byzantine Empire, so they went in another way-through Spain
  - At this point, Muslims held Spain and one Muslim leader sent a raiding party across the Pyrenees Mountains and into France
  - 80,000 Muslims engaged 30,000 Franks under Charles The Hammer

What happened?

The Muslims relied on heavy cavalry charges, armed with lances and scimitars

- The Franks were mainly infantry armed with axes, swords, and javelins.
- The Franks established a defensive square and dared the Muslims to attack which they do
- Repeated attack waves by the Muslims failed to break the defensive square and they suffered huge casualties

- After Tours, the Muslims never again make a serious invasion across the Pyrenees(mountain border between France and Spain)
- The battle is know for saving Europe from Muslim conquest and saving Christianity

This victory is how Charles Martel got his nickname: THE HAMMER

Pepin the Short

Pepin is Charles Martel’s son and he becomes major domo in 741
Pepin thought he should be king so asked the pope to decide who should be king: the guy with the title or the guy with the power
Since the pope depended on the Franks for defense against the Lombards, he sided with Pepin and declared him “king by the grace of God”
The Frankish nobles made it official by electing him king
Pepin becomes the first King of the Carolingian Dynasty(751 to 987)

Charlemagne(Charles the Great)

Pepin’s son Charles (henceforth known as Charlemagne: Charles the Great) becomes king in 771
His contemporary biographer described him:

Charles was large and strong, and of lofty stature, though not disproportionately tall (his height is well known to have been seven times the length of his foot); the upper part of his head was round, his eyes very large and animated, nose a little long, hair fair, and face laughing and merry. Thus his appearance was always stately and dignified, whether he was standing or sitting; although his neck was thick and somewhat short, and his belly rather prominent; but the symmetry of the rest of his body concealed these defects. His gait was firm, his whole carriage manly, and his voice clear, but not so strong as his size led one to expect.

Charlemagne proceeded to conquer to the east and south, taking on Germanic tribes in Europe and Muslim forces in Spain
Came to the aid of Pope Hadrian and defeated the Lombards in Italy who were threatening the papal lands in 773
Greatly expanded the Carolingian Empire and became bigger than the Byzantine Empire and the strongest King in Europe

Becoming Emperor

Charlemagne came to aid of Pope Leo III in 800 when he was kidnapped and imprisoned
Pope Leo III managed to escape to Charlemagne
Charlemagne reinstated him as Pope
In exchange for saving him, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800

- That Leo III crowned Charlemagne is significant
  - It indicated that the pope had the power to dictate who would be ruler
- This precedent had far-reaching consequences in European politics and royalty

Charlemagne made numerous reforms while emperor
He consolidated power in himself and away from the nobles
He also spurred a new era of learning in France
- Required monasteries to open schools

Wednesday- Continued the PowerPoint

Charlemagne made numerous reforms while emperor
He consolidated power in himself and away from the nobles
He also spurred a new era of learning in France
- Required monasteries to open schools

After Charlemagne’s death, his son, Louis the Pious, became Emperor
Louis was very religious but not a good leader
He had three sons-Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German
After Louis died, they fought for control of the empire and eventually signed the Treaty of Verdun in 843
The empire lost power and a new form of governing and landholding can about—feudalism

Dark Ages Crash Course Video

Feudalism Video

King gives land and others give him service. (Rich all the way to poor)

Overloard - King (Gives land to somebody)

Vassal (Recieving the land)

Land (Fief)

Thursday - Continuted PowerPoint 13.2

Feudalism was the political, social and economic system of Europe during the Middle Ages Feudalism began in Europe as a way to offer protection to people
Feudalism is based on land and in return, loyalty
Land-owning lords offer land (fief) to knights in exchange for their loyalty and promise to protect the lord’s land

Parceling Out the Land

The King took 20% of the land
The Church took 25% of the land
Nobles/Lords/Barons took 50% of the land
Knights took 5% of the land
The Serfs worked the land

Friday- Started PowerPoint 13.3

Age Of Chivalry

Watch a Video

Knights: Warriors on Horseback

Riding horseback came about under the reign of Charles Martel

Learned from Muslim cavalry when they fought

Horseback soldiers changed the tide of battle

Technology of Warfare Changes

Saddles and stirrups - (Asia 200 BC)

Saddles- Kept the warrior firmly seated

Stirrups- Handle heavier weapons

War horses played a key military role

The Warrior’s Role in a Feudal Society

Europe was a battleground of nobles who wanted power

To defend their territories, Lords raised private armies-knights

In return for their military service, Feudal Lords gave knights fiefs(land) from their estates(see next slide)

Knights devoted their lives to war

Roles of Knight

Defended territories
Service for land
Was only held to 40 days of combat a year
In time off, trained for war by wrestling and hunting
Gained experience fighting in local wars and tournaments

Knighthood

And the Code of Chivalry

Knighthood

Knights were expected to show courage in battle, loyalty to their lord, and to protect the weak and poor
Ideal knights were loyal, brave, and courteous
- Most knights failed to meet these standards
- In reality, treated the poor brutally

Code of Chivalry

- The Code of Chivalry stated that a knight must fight bravely in defence of three masters
  - Earthly feudal lord, Heavenly lord, Chosen Lady

Code of Chivalry - a complex set of ideals

- - To fear God, maintain His Church, serve the lord in valour and faith

- - To guard the honor of fellow knights
  - To respect the honor of women
  - Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
  - Never to turn the back upon a foe

A Knight’s Training

Sons of nobles
Started at age 7 and was sent to a castle of another lord
Started as a page who waited on the host
- Pages are servants who served meals, cleaned clothes, carried messages, and practiced fighting
Practiced fighting skills with other pages using wooden shields and swords

A Knight’s Training

At age 14 the page became a squire
- Squires are people who take care of knight’s horses, clear armor, and accompany knights to the battlefield
- Had to be ready to fight with real weapons and war skill

Most future knights were squires for five to six years

A Knight’s Training

- Around age 21 the squire becomes a knight
- After being dubbed a knight, many men travel for a year or two
- Gained experience by fighting in local wars or mock tournaments

Tournaments - Combined recreation and combat training

- - - - Fierce and bloody competitions
- Winners usually demanded large ransoms from defeated knights

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