CHAPTER 9-2: “MEDIEVAL EUROPE ”

Introduction

When the Roman Empire disappeared, a new age that we call the Middle Ages began. Medieval comes from a Latin word for “Middle Ages.” The word describes the 1000-year period between Classical and Modern times. Medieval Europe combined characteristics of the Roman Empire with the newer ways of Christianity and the Germans.

The Rise of Christianity

During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church was the primary form of Christianity. The Catholic Church became a political power in western Europe. Church leaders called bishops oversaw Christian communities. By the A.D. 500s, the bishops of Rome had become the most powerful of these Church leaders. These bishops, known as popes, controlled the Catholic Church.

In eastern Europe, Christianity was known as Eastern Orthodoxy. The popes in Rome did not control this segment of Christianity. Instead the emperors in Constantinople led the church and the government.

The early popes sent missionaries, teachers of Christianity, to every part of Europe. The missionaries started schools to help people learn. In the 1100s, the Church started the first universities.

The Crusades began in the A.D. 1000s and lasted for about four centuries. The Church supported these holy wars. On some Crusades, the Church sent armies to capture Jerusalem from its Islamic caliphs, or rulers. It also sent crusaders into northern and eastern Europe to spread Christianity.

The Holy Roman Empire

The German common law consisted of many unwritten laws based on local customs. The Germans combined their common law with the Roman law. The German people formed many kingdoms that controlled large parts of Europe. Christianity was the main religion in many of these kingdoms. At first, nobles and knights elected the king. Each time a king died, the nobles and knights chose a new king. Some kings grew powerful and decided to pass their crowns to their heirs, usually to their firstborn sons. The nobles and knights lost power, as the kings grew more powerful.

The Franks were an important German kingdom. By the A.D. 700s, they ruled much of the area that is known as France and Germany today. Charlemagne became king of the Franks in 771. After his election, he expanded the territory of the Franks. He extended the kingdom to control parts of Spain and Italy and more of Germany. He even controlled Rome and the Roman Catholic Church. Charlemagne promised to protect the Roman Catholic Church. The empire he created was known as the Holy Roman Empire.

Charlemagne’s sons and grandsons inherited his empire. They broke it into several kingdoms. The modern countries of Germany, Italy, France, and Spain grew from these kingdoms. At about the same time, several groups of Germanic peoples formed a kingdom in England. These groups included the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Danes. The name “England” comes from one of the kingdom’s early names, “Angle land.”

Medieval Society

Most people during the Middle Ages were farmers. They lived under a political and social system called feudalism. The system was based on agriculture.

During the Middle Ages, a few people, known as lords, controlled the land in Europe. Lords gave land to nobles and knights. In return, the nobles and knights became vassals who were loyal to the lord. The nobles and knights governed and defended their land.

Nobles and knights ran feudal estates known as manors. They needed many people to farm the land, to build the buildings, and to run the manor. Most of the population of Europe lived and worked on the feudal estates. Some farmers were tenants who rented the land they farmed. They could choose what crops to grow and had many freedoms. Most of the farmers, however, were serfs. They were too poor to rent land. They worked directly for the lord of the manor. The lord provided serfs food, protection, and a place to live. In return, serfs performed all the jobs demanded by their lord. In addition to working the land, serfs built roads and walls, milled flour, and made tools and weapons.

Manors provided most of the goods and services the people needed. People did not often leave the safety of the manor. People with special skills did travel from estate to estate. For example, tinkers traveled from estate to estate to fix metal tools and objects. Entertainers known as minstrels and troubadours also traveled from estate to estate to perform.

The Growth of Cities

Some towns existed during the Middle Ages. The feudal lords did not control the towns. People traveled to towns to trade. A small amount of manufacturing also took place in these towns. During the Crusades, towns became more important. As armies traveled, they stopped in towns for supplies.

Manufacturing workers were organized into guilds. Each guild had power over an industry. Common industries included brewing, cloth making, and boat building. Young workers began as apprentices to learn a trade. As they became more experienced, apprentices became journeymen and joined the guild. With enough experience and skill, some workers became master craftsmen.

Some towns grew into cities and became political and religious centers. Kings and religious leaders built great cathedrals in many cities. Kings sometimes had to share power with the feudal lords. To become more powerful, kings created charters that granted residents privileges and freedoms. In return, the townspeople paid taxes to the king. Kings depended on the loyalty of the townspeople in times of war.