The Middle Ages

1
The Middle Ages
2
The Collapse of Trade and Towns

• Warfare disrupted trade.
• Towns and Cities declined Without the empire,
  no need for cities as centers of administration.
• City dwellers moved back to the countryside,
  western Europe became very rural as the
  population shifted from urban to rural.

3
Loss of Literacy

• The barbarians who invaded the Germanic Kingdom
  were illiterate
• Learning declined as people moved out of the
  cities
• By the 600s priests and clergy were the only
  Europeans who were literate

4
Loss of a Common Language

• Latin declined after the Empire collapsed.
• Formation of the Romance Languages different
  dialects of Latin formed (combo of Latin and
  languages of the Germanic tribes)
• By the 800s French, Spanish, Italian and other
  Romance languages had evolved

5
The Concept of Government Changes

• Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces
  borders were constantly shifting
• Family ties and personal loyalties replaced
  public government and public law.
• Made orderly government for large areas difficult

6
Alliance Between the Church and the Franks

• Clovis Frankish king, converted to Christianity
  in the 490s.
• His conversion created an alliance between the
  Franks and the Church that would last for
  centuries.
• By 600 Roman Catholic church had converted many
  Germanic tribes to Christianity.

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Europe after the Fall of the Roman Empire
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Benedict and the Benedictine Rule

• Benedict
• Italian Monk in the 500s who developed a strict
  set of rules for monastic life called the
  BENEDICTINE RULE
• Established a model for religious communities
  called monasteries for monks and convents for nuns

• THE BENEDICTINE RULE
• Must vow to stay for life
• Spend 7 hours a day in manual labor
• Two hours daily devoted to reading the Bible
• Pray and worship 8 times daily
• Meals should be limited with no red meat allowed

9
Role of Monasteries and Convents

• Stable communities in a time of chaos in Europe
• Well governed because they followed an orderly
  written body of rules
• Most educated communities operated schools,
  libraries and copied books
• Monasteries preserved a large part of Romes
  intellectual heritage with illuminated
  manuscripts.

10
Pope Gregory I

• Became Pope in 590. Expanded the power of the
  Pope
• Made the Papacy a political office as well as
  religious power.
• Gregorys palace became the center of Roman
  government
• Used church revenues to raise armies, repair
  roads, and relieve the poor Pope acted as mayor
  of Rome
• Sent missionaries to England to spread
  Christianity among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
• Ignored political divisions between kingdoms
  had a vision of Christendom A Christian kingdom
  ruled by the Pope.

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The Frankish Kingdomsand Charles (the Hammer)
Martel

• Frankish Mayor of the Palace (Major Domo)
• Held the real power of the Frankish Kingdom
• Commanded Frankish Army

• In 732 Charles the Hammer Martel met and defeated
  the Moors (Muslims) in the Battle of Tours in
  France.
• This saved Europe from further Muslim invasion
  and protected Christianity and the Church.

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Pepin and Establishment of the Carolingian Dynasty

• Succeeded his father Charles Martel as Mayor of
  the Palace.
• He defeated the Lombards who were threatening
  Italy and the Church.
• He gave the land of the Lombards to the Church.
  This became the Papal States.
• Appointed by the Pope as King of the Franks.
• Pepin established the Carolingian dynasty.

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Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
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Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

• Succeeded his father Pepin as King.
• Considered the greatest of medieval kings.
• United all Frankish lands under his rule.
• His empire was larger than any since the Roman
  Empire.
• Divided his land into counties administered by
  counts.

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Charlemagnes Empire
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Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

• Greatly interested in learning and started
  schools to bring literacy back to Europe.
• Crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on
  Christmas Day in 800.
• His son Louis the Pious inherited the Empire.
  After he died his kingdom split among his three
  sons (Charlemagnes grandsons)
• Lothair Central (Italy, Switzerland)
• Charles the Bald West (France)
• Louis the German East (Germany)
• They fought each other and in 843 signed the
  Treaty of Verdun dividing the empire.

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Division of the Frankish Empire Treaty of Verdun
843

• After the death of the three brothers the
  Carolingian kings lost power and central
  authority broke down.
• A new system of governing and landowning called
  Feudalism emerged

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The Holy Roman Empire
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Europe in the 1300s
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Growth of England and France