The Middle Ages

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The Middle Ages
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Time Period

• Generally, the term Middle Ages applies to the
  period of European History dating from the
  collapse of Rome to the Renaissance.
• Sometimes referred to as The Dark Ages the
  general impression is one of stagnation in
  culture, economy and scientific advancement.

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Breakdown in Authority

• Settlement of Germanic peoples
• Brought no written laws
• Built no cities
• Mainly farmers and herders
• Small communities elected kings
• Kings led them in war
• Warrior nobles swore allegiance to the kings
• Awarded land
• Received weapons

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Feudalism

• Government credited to William I when he
  conquered England in 1066.
• William divided the land into plots, or fiefs,
  given to the nobles who fought for him.
• William still owned the land.
• The nobles were divided into lords and lesser
  lords.
• Vassal A person under the protection of a
  feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and
  fealty

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Responsibilities of the Lords

• Swear allegiance to William
• Collect taxes for the king in their own regions
• Provide soldiers to the king when needed
• This land was further divided and given to loyal
  knights who
• Swore allegiance to the Nobles
• Collect taxes
• Provide soldiers when needed

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Villeins means serf.
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The Conquered

• At the bottom of the ladder were the English who
  had been conquered.
• The English had no rights
• The conquered were expected to do what they were
  told or pay the consequences.
• The serfs were responsible for working the land.

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The Church
The one thing that held Europe together was the
Church. The power in the Church was held by the
bishops.
In the West, the Bishop of Rome was held in high
regard because he held the Chair of St. Peter, to
whom Christ had given the Keys of the Kingdom.
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• The Church was the social center of the village.
• Education
• Marriage
• Burial
• The Church was supported through the tithe.
• Women were held in high regard with Mary as the
  example of the perfect woman.

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• The Church taught that salvation was gained
  through the observance of the sacraments
• Confirmation
• Baptism
• Penance
• Marriage
• Holy Eucharist (Communion)
• Holy Orders
• Extreme Unction (Last Rites) (Annointing of the
  Sick)

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Patriarchs

• As Christianity spread some bishops were awarded
  greater authority because their cities were more
  important. Five bishops were granted the title
  of Patriarch. These bishops were located in
• Rome
• Constantinople
• Antioch
• Jerusalem
• Alexandria, Egypt

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Reforms

• Benedictine Rule6th Century
• Benedict organized the monastery of Monte Cassino
  in southern Italy
• Benedicts rules were adopted by monasteries and
  convents across Europe
• Monks and Nuns vowed
• Poverty
• Chastity
• Obedience to the abbot or abbess

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• Cluniac Reforms10th Century
• As the wealth and power of the Church grew,
  discipline weakened
• Some clergy ignored the vow of poverty.
• Priests ignored their responsibilities and
  focused on their own families.
• Some priests treated the bishopric as a family
  inheritance
• Abbot Berno of Cluny revived the Benedictine
  Rule.
• Berno denied nobles the right to interfere in
  monastery affairs
• Set the example for monasteries across Europe

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• Preaching orders
• Established by Saints Dominic and Francis of
  Assisi
• Friars were to travel around Europe, preaching to
  the poor
• Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan order.
• Dominic founded the Dominican order.

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St. Dominic
St. Francis of Assisi
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Life of Minorities

• Women
• Men and women were equal before God
• HOWEVER, women were considered weak and easily
  led into sin.
• The ideal model was Mary, the mother of Jesus

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Life in the Medieval World

• Nobles
• Received land in return for supporting his lord
  or king.
• We expected to support the one who granted them
  the land
• Knights
• Provided protection for their lord
• Were expected to fulfill the lords commitment to
  the king

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• As warfare decreased, knights engaged in
  tournaments to hone their fighting skills.
• Noblewomen
• Assumed the responsibility for the castle when
  the lord was away
• Usually a woman was not allowed to inherit
  landit went to the eldest son a woman could
  possess land as a part of her dowry.
• Marriages were arranged

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• Peasants
• Most peasants were bound to the manor and called
  serfs.
• The work of the manor was the responsibility of
  the serfs who were required to pay the lord when
  they
• Married
• Inherited land
• Used the local mill to grind their grain
• Serfs paid in
• Grain
• Honey
• Eggs
• Chickens

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• Manor Life
• Serfs worked long hours
• Diet
• Black bread
• Onions
• Peas
• Cabbage
• Turnips
• No meat maybe fish
• Hunger was common
• Religious holidays and festivals offered a break
  from work

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• Jews
• Religious toleration existed under the Muslims in
  Spain and parts of Western Europe.
• Christian persecution of Jews increasted in the
  11th Century.
• Church laws limited Jews
• Could not own land
• Could not be involved in contact with Christians
  except in trade or moneylending
• Could not be known by a family name
• The Church blamed the Jews for
• Killing Christ
• Plague
• Famine

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Economic Expansion

• In Agriculture
• New technology
• Iron plows
• Three-field system
• Windmill
• Greater production of food led to greater
  population growth

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• In trade
• New routes developed
• Increased interest in products from Asia
• Trade goods were brought to Venice and Genoa by
  water
• Transferred to caravans to be transported over
  land
• Towns developed
• Guilds were organized
• Apprentices
• Journeymen