Middle ages= medieval period
AD 476- AD 1453
The new
society has roots in:
- Classical heritage of Rome
- Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
- Customs of various Germanic Tribes
5th
Century Germanic Invaders
- Overrun the western half of the Roman Empire causing:
- Disruption of trade
- Downfall of cities
- Population shifts to rural areas
Effects of
Invasion
Decline of
Learning:
- Tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn’t read Greek or Latin
- Romance Languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)
- Few besides priests were literate
Germanic
Kingdoms emerge: AD 400-600
- Germanic warrior's loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them with food, weapons, treasure
- The result: no orderly government for large areas and small communities rule
Clovis
rules the Franks
- Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France" comes from)
- In 496 he has a battlefield conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
- The church in Rome likes this
- By 511 the Franks are united into one Kingdom, with Clovis and the Church working as partners
Spread of
Christianity
- In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks:
- Vows of poverty (live simply in monasteries)
- Chastity (no marital relations)
- Obedience (listen to church superiors
- His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns
- The operate schools, maintain libraries, and copy books
Pope
Gregory and Papal Power Play
- Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies.
- This is a theocracy- ruled by one dominant religion
- Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany
Who's
running Europe?
- Clovis' descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer
- Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732
- If he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire
How do you
follow the Hammer
- Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short
- Son #1 was Carolman- died in 771
- Son #2 was Charles, known as Charlemagne
Charlemagne- Charles the Great
- Six foot four
- Built the greatest empire since Rome
- Fought the Muslims in Spain
- Fought Germanic Tribes
- Spread Christianity
- Reunited Western Europe
- Became the most powerful king in western Europe
- Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
- This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire
- Charlemagne's government
- He limited the authority of the nobles
- He regularly visited ever part of his kingdom
- Kept close eye on his huge estates
- Cultural revival
- Encouraged learning
- Ordered monasteries to open schools
- Opened a palace school
- But, his heirs were weenies
- His son- Louis the Pious- was ineffective
- Louis' three sons- Lathiar, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German- split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD
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