The Early Middle Ages

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The Early Middle Ages
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Dont write

• During the early middle ages, 500 to 1000, Europe
  was isolated from the more advanced civilizations
  in the Middle East, South Asia and China.
• A Land of Great Potential 
• Roman roads connected places, spreading
  Christianity, classical ideas, and the Latin
  language.

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Geography

• Western Europe
• relatively small
• Resources
• Dense forests
• Rich black earth good for farming
• Rich minerals
• Seas (Mediterranean, Black, North, Baltic), and
  Atlantic Ocean

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Germanic Tribes

• Farmers and herders
• Very different than the Romans
• Small communities (no cities)
• No written laws, relied on custom
• Ruled by kings
• Noble warriors
• Divided Western Europe into small kingdoms.
• Most successful kingdom Franks

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Islam A New Mediterranean Power

• Conquered Christian kingdoms in Spain and North
  Africa.
• Tried to conquer France but lost the Battle of
  Tours (732).

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Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

• Around A.D. 800
•  His empire unified Europe (France, Germany,
  Italy)put together the old Roman Empire
• Tall man, intimidating on a horse (giant), liked
  fighting
• Spent most of his time fighting Muslims (Moors)
  in Spain, Saxons in the North, Avars and Slavs in
  the east and Lombards in Italy.
• Crowned emperor by the Pope ? paving way to
  split between East and West (Eastern emperor
  was not happy!)

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Charlemagnes Government

•  Tried to spread Christianity.
• Appointed missi domini to check on provinces

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A Revival of Learning

• Tried to revive learning of Latin
• Tried to reverse the trend of ignorance
• Set up a school at Aachen run by
• Alcuin
• Subjects grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic,
  geometry, music and astronomy
• Books Bible, ancient manuscripts

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New Attacks

• After Charlemagnes death, Muslims, Magyars and
  Vikings attacked.
• Vikings were the most vicious attackers but
  traded extensively too.
• Leif Eriksson sailed to N.A. in 1,000.

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Political

• Feudalism- A political system which exchanges
  land for military service.
• King gives lord (vassal) a fief (land). In
  exchange, the lord (vassal) gives the king his
  loyalty and protection when needed.
• Lords gradually became more powerful than kings
  as they acquired more land.

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Feudalism
King or lord
Vassal or lord
Required to give -Fief (land)
Required to give -loyalty -military service
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Social

• Kings and Lords were at the top of the social
  hierarchy.
• Knights- mounted warriors
• Chivalry- code of
• conduct for knights
• (be brave, loyal,
• polite)

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• Feudal lords battled constantly for power and
  land
• By the 1100s, fighting declined so lords held
  tournaments (fake battles) to entertain people.

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• Serfs- peasants who worked the lords land
• They could not leave without permission
• They paid the lord rent in food and labor (no )
  for use of the land and protection.

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• Role of Women
• Noblewomen managed the household and were in
  change when men were away.
• Rights
• Received a limited inheritance
• Arranged marriages, expected to have many kids
• Few knew how to read and write
• Chivalry raised women to a new status. They were
  protected and cherished.

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Economic

• Manorialism- an economy where land, not money, is
  the basis of wealth

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• Manor- the lords estate, which included the
  town, peasant houses, church, and fields
• - Self-sufficient, which led to a decline in
  trade
• Three-field system- two fields planted, one left
  fallow (empty) to regain fertility