Week of December 12-16

Monday-

Chapter 13.1- Charlemagne Unites the Germanic Kingdoms

Key Question
- Describe the impact the Germanic Kingdoms had on the development of Europe, especially under Clovis, Gregory, Martel, Pepin, and Charlemagne
Germanic Tribes
- Disrupted learning
- Disrupted trade
- Destroyed cities
- Destroyed economies
- Destroyed way of life
- Nobody could read or write anymore because they couldn't speak their own language, they were forced to speak the language of the Germanic Tribes
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
- In the years 400-600, Germanic Kingdoms began to replace Roman Provinces
- The church provided order and security during the chaos of the Roman Empire
Germanic Tribes
- Most tribes moved into Italy, Gaul, Spain, and North Africa
- Some names of the tribes were the Goths, Vandals, Franks, and Lombards
- One of the bigger groups was the Franks
Government Changes
- After the fall of Rome, family ties and personal loyalty were what kept Germanic Tribes together
- Germanic people lived in small communities other than big cities like the Romans
- Every Germanic Chief led a small group of warriors that were loyal to him
- Their leader provided all necessities for battle which included weapons, food, and treasure
- They wore conic helmets, a round shield, and various types of weapons
- Each soldier would fight to the death
- They followed the tribe's leader so much that they disobeyed the higher rankings of larger territories, making it difficult to establish orderly government
- One of the biggest groups was the Franks led by Clovis (mainly in Gaul)
Clovis Converts His Religion
- Clovis was the leader of the Franks
- The legend says that his white, Clothilde converted his faith
- In 496 AD, Clovis fought in a war and prayed to God to help him
- After the war, Clovis and his troops were baptized
- The Church of Rome supported Clovis' campaigns
- In 511 AD, Clovis united the Franks into one kingdom
Germans Adopt Christianity
- Politics were a key role
- In 600 AD, the church and Frankish rulers combined
Monks of Christianity
- Benedict
- Born in 480 AD
- Lived until 543 AD
- When he was 15 years old, he lived as a hermit in Sabine Hills
- The Monks learned of him and persuaded him to join and lead their monastery
- A monastery is a religious church building where monks lived under vows and gave up their possessions to practice their religions
Nuns of Christianity
- Scholastica, Benedict's twin sister
- Born in 480 AD
- Lived until 543 AD
- Her and Benedict were inseparable
- She devoted her life to the Christian Church and joined Benedict's monastery
- Women were called nuns and lived in convents
- Her and Benedict died on the same day and were buried together
Power Expands with Gregory I
- In 590, Gregory the First became the Pope
- Enlarged the authority of the Pope's office beyond the spiritual role
- Pope's palace was the center of the Roman Government
- Created church revenues (tax), helped poor people, raised armies, and repaired roads
- Negotiated with the Lombards
- Was responsible for the areas of Italy, England, Spain and Germany
- Christendom- a spiritual kingdom, ruled by a Pope
- During this time, secular rulers expanded their kingdoms with politics
- Gregory died in 604 AD
An Empire Evolves
- The Franks controlled the largest of Europe's kingdoms
- The Franks first Christian King, Clovis died in 511 AD
- Extended Frankish Rule over most of what is now France
Charles Martel Emerges
- By 700 AD, Charles Martel became the most powerful person in the Frankish Kingdom
- Was known as "Major Domo", or "Major" of the Palace
- Extended Frankish rule North, South, and East
Battle of Tours
- 732 AD
- Charles defeated Muslim raiders near the city of Tours
- Charles Martel's victory at Tours made him a Christian hero
- Major victory for Christianity
Pepin the Short
- Son of Charles Martel
- After Charles died, he passed on his power to his son
- Pepin became King after fighting the Lombards
Charlemagne
- Son of Pepin
- Inherited all of Pepin's land and power
- Extended Frankish kingdom in all directions, creating the biggest Empire since the Roman Empire in that area
- As an emperor, he stressed Christianity
- Pope Leo awarded him Emperor of Europe and his kingdom
- Land and power was split among ancestors

Tuesday-

Section 13.2- Feudalism in Europe

Key Questions
- Describe Feudalism
- What effects did the invasions have on the people of Western Europe? What led up to it?
Invasions of the Carolingian Empire
- 800-1,000
- Invasions happened
- Muslim invaders from the south seized Sicily and raided Italy
  - Muslims attacked Rome in 846
- Magyar's came from the east
  - Terrorized Germany and Italy
  - Were Hungarian tribes
- Vikings came from the North
Vikings
- Left from Scandinavia
  - Wintry and wooded area in Northern Europe
- Also called Northmen or Norsemen
  - Germanic people
- Worshiped warlike gods
- Valued nicknames
- Viking Raids and Warships
  - Raids were quick and violent
  - They were there and gone before the locals could start to defend themselves
  - Largest ship held 300 men
  - Took turns working the ship's 72 oars
  - The prow (part of the ship's bow above water) swept upward, often ending with the head of a monster carved
  - Could sail in just 3 feet of water
- Exploration of Vikings
  - Besides being warriors, they were also farmers, traders, and explorers
  - Explored the heart of Russia, Constantinople
  - Crossed the icy North Atlantic
  - Leif Ericson, a viking explorer, reached north america about 1,000-500 years before Columbus did
  - Viking women could inherit property, request divorce, and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended
  - Vikings were never a part of a unified group
    - Did not recognize fellow Vikings
    - Tribes were often lead to fight against each other when they were not sailing the seas
- Christianity and Vikings
  - At the same time they discovered North America the Vikings reign of terror in Europe faded away
  - They started to accept Christianity
  - Stopped raiding monasteries
Magyars
- Came after the Vikings
- Magyar were a group of nomadic people who came from the east (from what is now Hungary)
- They were excellent horsemen
- Swept across the Danube River and invaded west Europe in the late 800's
- Targeted villages and monasteries
- Overran Italy and reached as far as the Rhineland and Burgundy
- They did not settle on the conquered land instead they took captives to sell as slaves
  - They were heavily involved in the slave trade market
Muslims
- Struck from the South
- They started their conquering from their stronghold in Africa
- Invaded Italy and Spain
- Their plan was to conquer and settle in Europe in the 600's and 700's
- 800's and 900's their goal was to plunder or steal
- Expert sailors
- Were able to attack settlements on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts
Effects of Invasions
- Caused widespread disorder and suffering
- Western Europeans lived in constant danger
- Kings could not effectively defend their land
  - People no longer looked to a central ruler for security
  - Many turned to rulers who had their own army
- Any ruler who could fight against the invaders gained followers and political strength
Feudal System
- Based on rights and obligations
  - King
    - Gives land to each noble
  - Nobles
    - Break down land to give to knights
    - Give money and service to king
  - Knights
    - Break down land even further to provide work for peasants
    - Protect nobles
  - Peasants
    - Do work and get food
Well Defined Social Classes
- Status determined prestige and power
- People were classified in three groups
  - Fighters- Nobles and knights
  - Prayers- people of the Church
  - Workers- peasants
- Social classes were inherited
Positives of Feudalism
- Benefited everyone
- Land stability
- Long term employment
- Localized government
Negatives
- 90% of the people were serfs
- Serfs had no voice in the system
  - Higher taxes
- Kings had absolute power
  - Oppressive
- Work was gained by power and prestige, not by intelligence and qualification
Effects on Medieval Society
- Discouraged unified government
  - Vassals swore fealty oath to the lord, giving him the land
  - Not really loyal to the king
- Discouraged trade and economic growth
  - Serfs couldn't move or change occupations
  - Lords had monopolies
Feudalism
- A political system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the King
- Nobles agreed to give loyalty and military to the King
- Also developed in Japan and China
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
- Manor- the lord's estate
- Manor system rested on a set of rights between the lord and his serfs
  - Lord provided serfs with housing, farmland, and security from bandits
  - In return, Serfs tended to the lord's land, protected his livestock, and performed other tasks
- Peasant women shared the farm work with their husbands
- All peasants, whether free or serfs, owed the lord certain duties
- They gave the lord a few days of labor each week and a portion of their grain
How Big Were the Manors? What Were Fiefs?
- Varied in size, but most were 1200-1800 acres
- Every Noble had at least one
  - Great nobles may have had many different manors, usually across the country
- After the Norman Conquest, England had roughly 9,000 manorial estates
- Fiefs were also called manors
Self-Contained World
- Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their own manor
- A manor usually consisted of only a few square miles
  - Typically consisted of the lord's house, church, and various workshops
  - Fields, pastures, and woodlands surrounded the villages
- Sometimes a small stream or pond ran through the village
  - The fish supplied through these were an important source of food
- The grinding mill was often located next to the stream
- Serfs and peasants provided everything they and lords needed for daily life
  - Crops, milk, cheese, fuel, cloth, leather goods
Harshness of Manor Life
- Peasants paid tax on all of the grains in the mill
- If they avoided takes or baked bread elsewhere, it was treated as a crime
- They also paid taxes on marriage
- Weddings could only take place with the lords consent

Wednesday-

Section 13.3- The Age of Chivalry

Key Questions
- What is chivalry?
Knights- Warriors on Horseback
- Horseback came about under the reign of Charles Martel
- Looked at Muslim cavalry
- Leather saddles and stirrups
- Roles of Knights
  - Defend territories
  - Service for land
  - Was only held to 40 days of combat a year, trained on the other days
- Horses were trained to bite and kick
- Had armor made of both leather and metal
Knighthood and the Code of Chivalry
- Sons of nobles train at age 7- sent to castle of another lord
  - Learned the code of chivalry, or the knightly set of ideas
  - Demanded knight to fight bravely in defense of 3 masters- earthly feudal lord, heavenly lord, and his chosen lady
  - Loyal, brave, and courteous- most knights failed due to the treatment of the poor
- Began to work on fighting skills
- Age 14- Squire- servant to knight
- Age 21- Became a full fledged knight
- Gained experience fighting in local wars- tournaments
  - Trumpets blared, ladies and lords cheered
  - Winners demanded large ransoms from the losers
- Built castles- dominated countryside in western Europe
  - Lord, lady, family, knights, servants made castles their homes
  - Archers on top, boiling water, tortoise, trebuchet, siege towers
The Literature of Chivalry
- Themes of medieval literature downplayed the brutality of knighthood and feudal war
- Many of these stories idealized castle life
- They were glorified the knighthood and chivalry
- Also songs and poems about a knight's love were popular
Epic Poetry
- Feudal lords and their ladies really enjoyed listening to epic poems
- Poem often recounted a hero's deed
- Retold stories of King Arthur and Charlemagne
- Song of Roland- very famous
Love Poems and Songs
- Troubadours were traveling poet musicians at the castles and courts of Europe
- Composed short verses and songs about joys and sorrows
- Love disappointments, love sick
Women's Role in a Feudal Society
- Feudal Society- a society in which peasants are given portions (vessels) of land from the Lord in exchange for various duties
- Women were powerless, like most men
- Women had even less power than the men
- There are two separate types of women in the feudal system
Noble Women
- They could inherit estate from her husband if he passed and if the lord allowed it
- They could send warriors to war
- During wars when the men were away, they were left to defend the castle
- They would learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and throw rocks to defend the castle
- Most of the time they just did work around the house
- Lords would almost always pass land to sons not daughters
Peasant Women
- Their lives were basically just housework
- They were uneducated
- They would work in the fields
- They only had a handful of jobs including having children and taking care of the family
- The lives of women didn't really change for hundreds of years

Thursday-

Chapter 13.4- The Power of the Church

Key Question
- Describe the delicate balance of power between popes and emperors
Authority of the Church
- 300 years before Charlemagne
- Pope Gelasius I- realized that conflicts could happen between the Pope and Emperor
- Pope Gelasius' way to solve the conflicts:
  - Religious- Pope
  - Political- Emperor
  - Pope bows to Emperor in political matters
  - Emperor bows to Pop in religious matters
  - If the two of them respected each other and kept their power in their own realm, they would be in harmony
  - They ended up competing for power
Authority of the Church: Structure of the Church
- Like feudalism, the church was run their own way
- Power was based on status
- Different ranks of Clergy
  - Pop- highest ranking, everyone fell under him
  - Bishops- settles disputes over the practices and Church teachings
  - Priests- main contact with Church
Religion as Unifying Force
- Feudalism and manor system divided people
- The beliefs and teachings of church brought people together
- The Church
  - stable during a time of warfare and political confusion
  - Christians felt safe
    - Struggled everyday- all followed same path to everlasting life in heaven
  - Clergy administered the sacraments
    - Religious ceremonies
  - A local village church
    - Served as a religious and political center
    - Festive celebrations on holidays
The Law of the Church
- Church's authority- religious and political
- System of justice- guides the way people act
- Medieval Christians (Kings/peasants) were subject to Canon Law
  - The which law when it comes to certain religious practices and marriage
  - Church had two courts- accuse people of violating the law
  - Excommunication
    - Banished from church
    - It has power over political leaders
  - Interdict
    - Sacraments/religious practices can't be performed on King's lands
    - They became doomed to hell
    - Basically forced the emperor to bow down to the Pope in this case
The Church and Roman Empire: Otto I Allies with the Church
- Otto was crowned German king in 936 and Holy Roman emperor from (962-973)
- He formed a close relationship with the church and gained more power by getting support by the bishops
- Defeated German prince following Charlemagne
- Invaded Italy in 962 and was rewarded with being crowned emperor
The Church and Roman Empire: Signs of Future Conflicts
- The empire that Otto created was called Roman Empire of the German Nation
- The Empire later became the Holy Roman Empire
- Strongest in Europe until 1100
- Otto's attempt of reviving Charlemagne's Empire caused trouble with the future German leaders
The Emperor Clashes with the Pope: Showdown at Canossa
- The whole issues started with the practice of "Lay investiture" which allowed kings and noblemen to appoint church officials
- Pope Gregory VII didn't particularly like that setup, so he abolished it
- In return, it infuriated Emperor Henry IV, which then backfired on the Pope because he was forced out of his position by the bishops he didn't appoint to their position
- The actual "showdown" start with Henry crossing the Alps to get to the town of Canossa
- Pope Gregory was staying as a guest at the castle in town, and Henry wanted entry
- For three entire days he decided it would be a good idea to wait outside
- The Pope was supposed to grant forgiveness of sin to anyone who asked graciously in his terms
- So after those three days, Pope Gregory ended his excommunication, so Emperor Henry rushed home to punish nobles
Concordat of "Worms" (Wurms)
- This whole process of "lay investiture" stayed a thing all the way up until 1122
- Or 50 years passed, generations died, and the emperor and Pope were still at it
- Only this time it was the successors
- The representatives of the church and of the Emperor met in Wurms and created the agreement known as "Concordat of Worms"
- Concordat- an agreement or treaty, especially one between the Vatican and a secular government relating to matters of mutual interest
- This basically means that the church alone could appoint a bishop
- But the emperor could veto the appointment at any moment
- During that same time period, princes regained power once lost under Otto's control, and a later king would continue this battle
Frederick I
- He was born in 1122
- He was named king on march 4, 1152
- Nickname was Barbarossa "Red Beard"
- Died June 10, 1190 while on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land
- The son of Duke Frederick II of Swabia
- For many years, the peasants believed that Frederick was not really dead, but was asleep n a cave in the mountains of Germany with his gallant knights around him
The Holy Roman Empire
- Frederick I was the first ruler to call his lands the "Holy Roman Empire"
- His forceful personality and military skills enabled him to dominate the Germans
- By 1177 Frederick made peace with the pope and returned to Germany
When Frederick Left
- When Frederick left the country, disorder returned
- He kept invading the rich cities of Italy
- Because of attacks spurred Italian merchants to united against him
- By 1176, foot soldiers of the Lombard league faced Frederick's army of mounted knights and the battle of Legano
- Italians used crossbows to defeated feudal knights for the first time in history
- German kings and also Frederick II continued their attempts to revive Charlemagne's empire and his alliance with the church
- This policy led to wars with Italian cities and more clashes with the pope
- German rulers controlled fewer royal lands to use as a base of power than French and English kings of the same period
- Germany kings after Frederick try to revive empire
- German Princes, who elect kings prefer to keep them week
- Frederick made many promises
- He promised not to make peace with the Roman Commune, Arnold, or the Normans, without agreement of the Pope
- Manuel of Byzantium was offering Frederick I a princess to be his wife
- Manuel tried to convince him to fight with the Norman Kingdom, he refused to do so

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