Middle%20Ages

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Middle Ages

• http//www.scs.carleton.ca/avardy/pics/Montreal,Q
  uebec,Canada/Notre_Dame_Cathedral.JPG

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Post-Classical Europe

• Known as Middle Ages
• Medieval Period
• Europe viewed as backward by other peoples of the
  world
• Less technology and agricultural development

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Early Post-Classical Period

• Many problems in the early years of the
  post-classical period
• Viking invasions
• Weak rulers due to decentralized govt
• Illiteracy
• Low agricultural productivity

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Early Post-Classical Period

• Economic Activity
• Subsistence farming common
• Many people lived as serfs on large manors owned
  by a wealthier landlord
• Serfs had difficult lives, but were not slaves
• Low agricultural productivity
• Inefficient tools and farming methods made
  agriculture difficult

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Early Post-Classical Period

• Government
• Localized government
• Manorialism was most common political and
  economic arrangement
• Peasants and serfs worked on agricultural estates
  owned by landlords
• Exchanged part of their crop and labor for
  protection
• Very few large kingdoms developed
• Exception was Charlemagnes short-lived empire

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CharlemagneKing of the Franks http//www.tomarke
n.com/content/crit/articles/2002/great/charlem.gif

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Early Post-Classical Period

• Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
• 8th century Established empire in N. France,
  Belgium, and W. Germany
• Achievements under Charlemagne
• Promoted learning
• Monks copied works from the past
• Empire fell apart shortly after Charlemagnes
  death (814)
• Split into 3 kingdoms, which developed separately
  from each other

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Early Post-Classical Period

• Fall of Charlemagnes Empire set stage for
  further development in Western Europe
• Fragmented into regional kingdoms, which would
  later become nations
• Regional languages emerged to further divide the
  people
• Most based on Latin (known as Romantic
  Languages), others based on Germanic languages

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Religion

• Christianity was sole unifying force in Western
  Europe
• Catholicism
• Pope (in Rome) center of religious authority
• Local Bishops
• Missionary work
• Monasteries and convents
• Monks and Nuns served as religious examples to
  other Europeans
• Promoted education
• Latin became the language of educated people and
  church officials in Europe
• Most people unable to read, write, or understand
  Latin

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Slow Changes after 900 C.E.

• In 10th Century, Europe did experience small
  developmental changes
• New agricultural techniques and technology made
  farming more productive
• Moldboard plow
• Landowners began to accumulate more wealth
  through sale of ag. commodities
• Population growth
• Able to feed more people

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Slow Changes after 900 C.E.

• Urbanization increased
• Cities became cultural centers
• Still small in comparison to Middle East
• Growth in education
• Churches educated those who were destined for the
  Church
• Literacy grew in cities
• Viking conversions to Christianity led to fewer
  raids and invasions
• Europe began to engage in more long-distance
  trade
• New crops and technologies

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Governmental Changes

• Feudalism emerged as the dominant political
  system
• Began as localized agreements, grew into feudal
  kingdoms
• System where lords (military elites) exchange
  service and loyalty for land (manors)
• Vassals lesser lords who swear loyalty to a more
  powerful lord (king)
• Loyalty in exchange for land (fief)
• Manors were worked by serfs and/or freed peasants
• Exchanged labor and commodities for protection

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http//www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/vms/carlton/Feudalismc
hart.jpg
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Knights

• Armored warriors of the middle ages
• Use of horses in warfare
• Adopted stirrup from Central Asian nomads
• Armor
• Started out as open-faced helmet long, metal
  studded shirts (hauberk)
• Evolved into helmet with small visor and metal
  armor

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http//www.spyhunter007.com/Images/castle_knights_
armor.jpg
http//www.charlesfleming-sca.com/images/military/
my_hauberk.jpg
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Governmental Developments

• Overtime, kings used feudalism to buildup their
  own power
• Examples of Governmental Development
• Capetian Family in France
• Powerbase near Paris, spread influence outward to
  create a feudal kingdom
• England
• William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy) invaded
  England and abruptly established a feudal kingdom

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http//z.about.com/d/historymedren/1/0/N/conqueror
.gif

• William the Conqueror

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Governmental Developments

• Europes political development was hindered by
  several factors
• Church limited power of many kings
• Became involved in politics
• Pope directly controlled central Italy
• Indirectly many other areas of Europe
• Feudal Kingdoms fought each other
• France and England rivals
• The Hundred Years War

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Governmental Developments

• In early part of Middle Ages, Monarchs were also
  restricted by the ideas of
• Limited Government
• Magna Carta (1215)
• Representative Government
• 1265 Introduction on Parliaments elected
  legislatures that are representatives of the
  people
• England developed the strongest Parliamentarian
  system
• People feared giving the monarch too much power.
  

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Expansion of European Influence

• Population growth and economic development led to
  an increase in European expansion
• Expand into eastern Europe
• Reconquista in Spain
• Efforts to remove Muslim influence in Spain
• Completed in 1492
• Portugal emerged as a maritime power in
  Mediterranean and began to increase exploration
  along coast of Africa
• Spain created after marriage of Isabella and
  Ferdinand
• Alliance between Castille and Aragon
• Viking exploration in Iceland, Greenland, and
  Hudson Bay area of Canada

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http//bms.westport.k12.ct.us/lmc/images/VikingMap
.jpg
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Crusades

• Series of religious wars between Christians and
  Muslims
• Fight for control of Holy Land and access to
  riches and trade in Middle East
• First Crusade in 1095 (request of Pope Urban II)
• Promised salvation for Crusaders
• Gained control of Jerusalem, later lost the city
  when Muslims rallied under the leadership of
  Saladin in 12th century
• Impact of the Crusades
• showed the wests aggression toward the rest of
  the world
• Exposed Europe to new ideas and technology

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http//www.islamproject.org/images/Crusades_Map_12
-18.jpg
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Culture of the Middle Ages

• Religion dominated culture
• Conflict between faith and reason
• Theology study of religion
• Growth in higher education in later years
• BUT Minimal scientific discovery
• Art was used to glorify God
• Iconic images, stained glass windows with
  religious scenes
• Gothic Architecture- buildings appeared to be
  reaching to the heavens
• Much of writing done in Latin with religious
  topics BUT
• Some began to write in the vernacular (language
  spoken by common people) about secular topics
• Poems about love, chivalry, and court life were
  common

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Economy

• 90 of population was rural
• Most people peasants or serfs
• Made living through farming
• Population growth saw increase of cities
• Became cultural and commercial centers
• Increase in skilled labor
• Skilled labor usually restricted to members of
  Guilds
• Trade picked up (particularly in Italy and areas
  near coast)
• Merchants became huge source of wealth, made
  loans to rulers
• Conflict with Church because Church frowned upon
  charging interest on loans and feared money would
  corrupt people
• Jews became major money lenders b/c their
  religion did not forbid charging interest (usury)
  

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Economy

• Europe also saw development in certain industries
• Mining increased and Europe was able to access
  metals for armor and weapon making
• Europeans harnessed the power of water from its
  many rivers and streams
• Water Wheels used in mills to help grind grain
  and perform other tasks

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Urbanization

• As populations and cities grew, the economy began
  to develop more rapidly
• Problems of Urbanization and Economic Development
• Environmental degradation
• Deforestation, pollution of streams, lack of
  sanitation
• Disease

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Black Death

• Bubonic Plague
• Caused by bacteria, transmitted by fleas and rats
• Now treated with antibiotics
• Communicable disease
• Boils, blacks spots on skin, foul body odor
• Impact
• Killed 1/3 of European population
• Skilled labor more expensive due to labor
  shortages
• Peasant revolts, led to swift decline in serfdom
  as peasants and serfs ran away from their manors
• Unrest in cities

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Government Structure in Late Middle Ages

• Toward the end of the Middle Ages, hereditary
  monarchies began to increase in power
• Feudalism weakened and aristocrats lost much of
  their power
• New military technology reduced the need for
  knights
• Gunpowder and artillery (cannons), longbow and
  crossbow became major part of military
• Kings began to hire military personnel rather
  than depend on the vassals
• Paid for with loans from bankers/businessmen and
  with new taxes that were collected on merchants
  and land

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Conclusion

• Middle Ages were a time of contradictions in
  Western Europe.
• Advances in some areas while still underdeveloped
  in others
• Technological innovation in mining, milling, and
  waterpower BUT still inadequate food production
• Military advances BUT at cost of more frequent
  wars and aggression
• Trade increased and helped improve the European
  economy BUT gap between rich and poor still wide
• Population growth offset by disease

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Conclusion

• Christianity thrived BUT at expense of conflict
  with other religious groups
• Religion was center of education which left
  Europe trailing behind the world in scientific
  discovery and other secular studies
• Urbanization increased BUT most people still
  lived as serfs and peasants on the country side
• Skilled labor increased BUT it was restricted to
  those in the guilds