Title: POST CLASSICAL WESTERN EUROPE FROM 476 TO 1453 C.E.
1POST CLASSICAL WESTERN EUROPE FROM 476 TO 1453
C.E.
- FROM PERIPHERAL REGION TO NASCENT GREAT POWER
2QUEST FOR POLITICAL ORDER AFTER 476 CE
- Germanic kingdoms
- Visigoths dominated Spain, from 470's to early
8th century - Ostrogoths dominated Italy, the 5th century to
530's - Lombards invaded, ruled Italy, 550's to the
mid-8th century - Franks, Burgundians controlled Gaul, Netherlands
- Angles, Saxons, Jutes established kingdoms in
Britain - Political Culture
- Germans organized around tribes, families
- Personal loyalty to king, local noble not state
- Warrior aristocracy assisted royalty
- Masses of Germans were free peasants with duties
to king - Center of Europe shifted from Italy to northern
area - Area in Northern France, Western Germany,
Netherlands - Towns declined, only non-German structure was the
church - Most Germans were Arian Christians but tolerated
Catholics
3EUROPE c. 526 600 C.E.
4RISE OF THE FRANKS
- The Franks
- Settled in Belgium, Northern France, Western
Germany - Developed group identity during the 3rd century
C.E. - Politically inexperienced, little exposure to
Roman society - Clovis
- A strong military and political leader
- Eliminated last vestiges of Roman authority in
Gaul - Launched military campaigns against other
Germanic peoples - Built the most powerful and dynamic state in
western Europe - Clovis's conversion
- Most Germans were Arian Christians
- Converted to Arianism by St. Ulfias before
migration - Hostile to Catholics but generally tolerant if
taxes paid - The Franks converted to Roman Christianity
- In Hoc Signet Vince in this sign conquer
- Alliance with Catholics greatly strengthened the
Franks
5CHARLEMAGNE
- The Carolingians
- Merovingian leaders lost control after Clovis's
death - Carolingians asserted authority, the early 8th
century - Charles Martel
- Mayor of the Palace, chief official under
Merovingian kings - Stops Muslim invasion of Europe, 732 at Battle of
Tours - Pepin becomes king, 751
- Pope appointed Pepin as King of the Franks
- Invaded Italy to save Pope from the Lombards
- Pope allows Franks to reign as King of Italy
- Pepin grants the area in Italy around Rome to
Pope - Charlemagne (reigned 768-814 C.E.)
- Charles Martel's grandson, founder of Carolingian
empire - Control extended to northeast Spain, Bavaria,
north Italy - Rulers of eastern Europe, southern Italy paid
tribute - Administration
- Capital city at Aachen (in modern Germany)
- Relied on aristocratic deputies, known as counts
- Used missi dominici to oversee local authorities
6THE RISE OF THE FRANKISH EMPIRE
7BREAKUP OF THE FRANKISH EMPIRE
- Louis the Pious (re. 814-840)
- Charlemagne's only surviving son, lost control of
the counts - His three sons divided the empire into three
kingdoms, 843 - Invasions
- Muslims raided Mediterranean coasts
- Conquered Spain, Sicily, Sardinia
- Raided coasts of S. France, S. Italy
- Magyars invaded from the east
- Vikings invaded from the north
- The Vikings
- Scandinavian homelands - Norway, Denmark, and
Sweden - Raided regions from Russia to Spain
- Established colonies in Iceland, Greenland,
Canada - Conquered parts of England, Ireland, Scotland,
France - Outstanding seafarers
- Fleets could go to interior regions via rivers
- Attacked towns and villages favorite targets
were Christian
8VIKINGS, MAGYARS, AND ARABS
9NEW REGIONAL STATES
- England
- Small Keltic, German kingdoms merged into larger
realm - Fought Scandinavian raids
- King Alfred (reigned 871-899) expanded to the
north - Alfred's successors controlled England c.
mid-10th century - Germany and Italy
- After Carolingian empire, local lords took
control - King Otto I (reigned 936-73) defeated Magyars in
955 - Imposed authority in Central Europe
- Ruled Germany, Netherlands, Burgundy, Austria,
Switzerland - Suzerain lords over Northern Italy, Slovenia,
Czech lands - Led armies to support the papacy in Italy
- Otto's crowned emperor by pope in 962
- France
- Counts and other local authorities became local
lords - Vikings settled in northern France
- Nobles elect Counts of Paris as King to replace
Carolingians - Spain and Southern Italy
- Spanish Christian states in North warred against
Muslim caliphs
10EUROPE c. 1000 C.E.
11FEUDAL SYSTEM
- Lords and vassals
- Lord owned land, needs soldiers
- Trades land for service
- Grants of land called fiefs
- Vassal provided defense
- Received livelihood from land
- Vassals provided military equipment
- Vassals owed lord
- Loyalty, obedience, respect, counsel
- Military service when called into service
- Lords often made smaller grant to others
- Called sub-division of fief
- Lowest, service owning noble was a knight
- Church often made vassals of soldiers for defense
- Church could hold land as a vassal to a lord
- Church often held land in own right
- Women could be vassals, own fiefs but not fight
- Feudal politics
- Multi-layered network of lord-vassal
relationships
12TWO FEUDAL STATES
FRANCE
HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
13MANORALISM ECONOMIC FEUDALISM
- Serfdom
- Difference between peasants, serfs
- Peasants were free, owned their own land
- Serfs not free, could not own land
- Serfs, peasants lived similar lives
- Serfs as an intermediate category
- Began under Romans
- Diocletian bound people to occupations
- Serfdom arose during invasions, marauders
- Slaves, peasants frequently intermarried
- Free peasants became serfs for protection
- Serfs' obligations
- Labor service and rents in kind
- Could not move without permission
- Serfs had right to work on land, pass job to
heirs - Serfs often drafted as foot soldiers in feudal
armies - Manors
- Principal form of agricultural organization
- Manor was a large estate controlled by lord
14ECONOMY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE
- Agriculture
- Agricultural production suffered from repeated
invasions - Small wooden plows of Mediterranean farmers did
not work well in the north - Heavy plows
- Heavy plows appeared in 6th century, could turn
soils - Common from 8th century, production increased
- Cultivation of new lands, watermills, and
rotating crops - A rural society
- Agricultural surplus not enough to support large
cities - Towns were few and sparsely populated
- Trade
- Trade, urban centers began to develop, 10th
century - Trade arose in Mediterranean, North Sea, Black
Sea - Population
- In 200 C.E., European population stood at 36
million - In 400 C.E., 31 million
- In 600 C.E., 26 million
- In 800 C.E., edged up to 29 million
- In 900 C.E., 30 million
15THE AGE OF FAITH
- Post-Classical Western Europe as An Age of Faith
- Every aspect of life was dominated by the Church
- Rulers were crowned by the Grace of God
- Political rule viewed as divinely sanctioned
- All Christians were expected to tithe to the
church - Education, art dictated by Church ideals
- Calendar organized by faith holidays
- Fair prices, economic practices dictated by
church - All answers to questions were dictated largely by
faith - Law was largely dictated by religion
- Serious matters submitted to Church for
arbitration, resolution - Popes, clergy held enormous power
- Church held lands independent of many rulers
- Church lands could not be taxed
- Church lands were often enormously wealthy
- Bishops could not be installed by secular rulers
- Secular rulers appealed to Rome for mediation
- Clergy could not be tried in secular courts
- Popes could deprive kings of their thrones
16CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY
- The Franks and the Church
- Franks viewed as protectors of the papacy
- Charlemagne worked to spread Christianity
- Reconquered parts of Spain from Muslims
- Charlemagne forced Saxons to convert
- Built churches, schools, monasteries
- The spread of Christianity
- Popes took an active roll in sending out
missionaries - Pagan ways did not disappear immediately
- Scandinavia, Baltic lands were last to convert
- Pagan rituals often blended into Christianity
- Cities, towns largely Christian but countryside
weakly so - By 1000 C.E., western Europe was Roman
Christianity - Irish, Mozarabic rites of Christianity accepted
by Pope - Arian Christianity eliminated by Franks
17THE PAPACY
- Pope Gregory I (590-604 C.E.)
- Organized defense of Rome against Lombards'
menace - Reasserted papal primacy over other bishops
- Strongly emphasized the sacrament of penance
- The conversion of England
- Gregory's missionary campaigns in western Europe
- First converted English kings
- By 800 C.E., England securely in the Roman church
- Rise of Church as a Temporal Power
- Popes claimed that the spiritual powers were
superior to temporal - Italy lacked any great power city-states
constantly quarreled - German emperors at war with nobles French kings
too weak - Pope played one side off another, acquired lands
in Italy - Many European bishops acquired lands, became part
of feudalism - In Germany, owned 10 of the best lands
- In Spain, Baltic spiritual military orders led
wars on pagans - Papal Powers
- Spiritual head of all Christians including
aristocrats, royalty - Weapons included excommunication, interdict,
canon law
18MONASTICISM
- Origin
- Christians practiced asceticism in deserts of
Egypt, 2nd and 3rd century - Monastic lifestyle became popular when
Christianity became legal - Monastic rules
- St. Benedict (480-547 C.E.) provided a set of
regulations - Virtues of Benedictine monks poverty, chastity,
and obedience - Western monastic rites differed from Eastern
rites - Western rites emphasized work, prayer, service to
the poor - Eastern rites were relatively isolated, dedicated
to prayer but not outside contacts - St. Scholastica (482-543 C.E.)
- St. Benedict's sister, a nun
- Adapted the Rule, and provided guidance for
religious life of women - The roles of monasteries
- Became dominant feature in social and cultural
life of western Europe - Accumulated large landholdings but spread
knowledge - Wealthy patrons donated land to monks for
monasteries - Taught peasants, serfs techniques of farming
- Cleared forested lands, planted them
- Organized much of rural labor for agriculture
19RISE OF REGIONAL STATES
- The Holy Roman Empire
- New Emperors
- Otto of Saxony rose in northern Germany by the
mid-10th century Pope John XII proclaimed him
emperor in 962 - Later emperors warred alternately with powerful
dukes, popes for influence in empire - Eventually emperorship becomes elected by seven
most powerful imperial dukes, bishops - Smaller territorial states emerged, weakened
centralizing efforts of the emperors - Investiture Contest
- Formerly, important church officials were
appointed by imperial authorities - Pope Gregory VII ordered an end to the practice
- Emperor Henry IV was excommunicated because of
his disobedience - France
- The Capetians
- Hugh Capet, a minor and weak noble, was elected
king in 987 - In the next three centuries, Capetian kings
gained power and wealth gradually - Spend most of energy asserting their power over
regional powerful nobles - The Normans
- Descendants of Vikings who carved out a state in
Normandy of France - Nominally subject to Carolingian and Capetian
rulers, but acted independently - The British Isles
20EUROPE, C. EARLY 13TH CENTURY
21GROWTH OF THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY
- Expansion of arable land
- Population rises
- Cleared forests, swamps
- Lords encouraged such efforts
- Improved farming techniques
- Crop rotation methods
- Use of fertilizer
- Cultivation of beans increased
- More domestic animals
- Books on economy, agriculture
- New tools and technology
- Extensive use of watermills and heavy plows
- Use of horseshoe and horse collar, increased land
under cultivation - 3-plot rotation of planted land
- New food supplies
- Before 1000, European diet - grains
- After 1000, more meat, dairy products, fish,
vegetables, legumes - Population growth
- From 29 to 79 million between 800 C.E. and 1300
C.E.
22REVIVAL OF TOWNS AND TRADE
- Urbanization
- Peasants, serfs, tradesmen flocked to cities and
towns - Towns allowed serfs to acquire freedom if they
stayed 1 year, 1 day - Local nobles allowed towns charters, rights for
direct taxes - Towns ruled by urban elite usually from guilds,
wealthy - Textile production
- Northern Italian cities and Flanders became
centers of wool textiles - Trade in wool products fueled economic
development of Europe - Mediterranean trade
- Trading City-States
- Venice, Genoa were the most prominent but others
such as Pisa, Amalfi - Wealth based on sea-power, luxury trade
- Italians established colonies in Mediterranean,
Black Sea - Conquered, settled cities, built factories and
trade centers - Established trading alliances, signed treaties
with many including Muslims - The Hanseatic League
- Hansa - association of trading cities, controlled
trade of N. Europe - German trading city-states made alliance
established factories in North, Baltic Seas - Concluded treaties with many states admitted key
foreign cities to alliance
23EUROPEAN CITIES
24MEDIEVAL TRADE ROUTES
25TRADING CITIES
26SOCIAL CHANGES
- The three estates
- "Those who pray" clergy, spiritual estate
- Ruling hierarchy Popes, bishops, abbots
- Common clergy Monks, priests
- "Those who fight" - feudal nobles, military
estate - Royalty who ran a state
- Land owning lords such as dukes, counts, princes
- Lowest nobility with no land were knights
- "Those who work" - mostly peasants and serfs
- Peasants and Serfs
- Those who lived in Towns (Burg Burghers)
- Not an estate in most countries
- Grew to become middle class
- Guilds
- Established standards of quality for manufactured
goods - Determined prices and regulated entry of new
workers - Ran free cities as urban aristocracy
- Independent cities
- Expansion of cities did not fit into feudal
framework
27GENDER ROLES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE
- Feminine Roles of the Day
- The Virgin Mary was the ideal
- Mother to children
- Supports husband quietly, diligently
- A patriarchal society but strong feminine roles
- Public Role
- Very limited as it was a males world
- Women could own property in own right
- Feudalism did not prohibit women from fighting
but often they named a champion - Female rulers were not unknown
- Generally seen as regents for son, grandson
- If widowed, lost rights if remarried or when male
came of age - Frequently seen in Spain, Scandinavia, England,
Italy - Laws would not permit women to rule in France,
Germany, Eastern Europe - Private Role
- ALWAYS differentiate between aristocracy, poor
- Aristocratic Women
- Women were the womb to breed the heir marriage
politics taken very seriously - Roles public and private limited by convention
and wealth to social roles and little else
28THE CHURCH AND LEARNING
- Cathedral schools
- Bishops, archbishops in France, Italy organized
schools - Cathedral schools concentrated on liberal arts
- Some offered instruction in law, medicine, and
theology - Universities
- Large cathedral schools developed into
universities - Most students trained for church, bureaucratic
jobs - Most students were from middle classes and not
nobility - Student guilds and faculty guilds
- Chief degree was theology
- The influence of Aristotle
- Increased contacts led to rediscovery of
Aristotle - Obtained works from Byzantines, Muslims
- Scholasticism St. Thomas Aquinas
- Scholasticism
- System learning applied to Christianity
- Intellectual and rational
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Dominican scholar
29THE RELIGION OF THE MASSES
- Popular Religion
- Sacraments and Devotions
- The most popular was the Eucharist
- Devotion to saints for help
- The Virgin Mary the most popular saint
- Saints' relics were esteemed
- Pilgrimage to Rome, Compostela, Jerusalem
- People were superstitious
- Devoted to many pagan rituals
- Believed in witches
- Reform Movements and Popular Heresies
- Dominicans and Franciscans
- Organized movements of non-cloistered religious
- Dominicans worked primarily as teachers
- Franciscans were primarily social workers
- Worked directly with populace, needy, sick
- Championed spiritual over materialistic values
- Zealously combated heterodox movements
- Popular heresy
30COLONIZATION AND CRUSADES
- Atlantic and Baltic Colonization
- The Vikings
- Scandinavians turned to Atlantic, 9th/10th
centuries - Colonized Iceland and Greenland
- Leif Ericsson settled in Canada (Vinland)
- Established Dynasty of the Rus in Russia (Kiev)
- Established states in Normandy, S. Italy, Holy
Land - Christianity in Scandinavia
- Kings of Denmark, Norway converted, 10th c.
- St. Olaf convinced the king, nobles to convert
- Colonies in Iceland, Sweden, Finland also
converted - Crusading Orders and Baltic Expansion
- Germans launched mass settlement of Eastern lands
- Allowed nobles to conquer, settle lands in east
- Formed military-religious orders to assist
- Launched crusades against pagan Baltic and Slavic
peoples - Settled German peasants, serfs in lands
- The Teutonic Knights were most active in the
Baltic region - Baltic region was absorbed into Christian Europe
by late 13th century
31THE CRUSADES
- The Turks
- Arrived in Middle East in early 11th century
defeated Abbassids and Byzantines - Seized much of Byzantine holdings in Anatolia,
Muslim Holy Land - Pope Urban II
- Byzantines asked West for help Pope called for
knights to seize Holy Land, 1095 - Peter the Hermit traveled in Europe and organized
a ragtag army - The campaign was a disaster for the crusaders
- The first crusade
- French, Normans organized a respectable military
expedition, 1096 - Jerusalem fell to the crusaders, 1099
- Muslims recaptured Jerusalem, 1187
- Later crusades
- By the mid-13th century, launched five major
crusades which all failed - 4th crusade (1202-1204) conquered Constantinople,
made Schism final - Consequences of the crusades
- Facilitated exchange of goods between Muslims,
Europe - Demands for silk, cotton textiles, and spices
increased spread sugar, citrus plants - Italian merchants sought opportunities for direct
trade in Asian markets - European borrowed heavily from Muslim
intellectual knowledge
32MAP OF THE CRUSADES