Early Middle Ages
Terms and People
Key Questions and Concepts
1-Know how the fall of Rome and its central government led to the Dark Ages
No central law or government. No protection, Infrastructure decays, cities not safe. Church dogma and doctrine keep lay people illiterate. Trade stops. People move from cities to the country. Germanic Kingdoms pop up with a government of feudalism
2-Explain how feudalism shaped medieval society.
Germanic Kingdoms sprang up. Mutually loyalty and obligation traded land for service, military, crafts, food. Mixed loyalties, much warfare
3-Analyze how the economic system of the manor worked and how it affected peasants and nobles
The more manors a noble had the richer they would become. Peasants gave food in return for shelter and protection Peasants paid taxes and 10% to the church.
4-Why under Feudalism was their much fighting and confusion
Mixed loyalties among lords and vassals lesser lords. Battles for land
5-Explain how the Church shaped medieval life.
The church was the center of Medieval Life. A priest or bishop was needed for sacraments from birth to death: baptism, Eucharist, marriage, sickness, penance, and last rites for death. Cathedrals would be built to create economic tourism, Relics would bring pilgrims, and the main pilgrimage would be to Jerusalem which would lead to the Crusades.
6-Understand monastic life and the influence of medieval monks and nuns.
Daily prayer, working in the fields, wine and bear, crops. Manuscripts: the copying of books and the bible. Flailing self-mutilation, Gregorian Chants (music) Monasteries became profitable. 10 percent of the population became monks or Nuns. Modeled poverty piety and humility.
7-Analyze how the power of the Church grew during the Middle Ages.
Papal Supremacy made the pope and the church above any secular leaders. They controlled vast amounts of land. They had their own soldiers. Since only church members were educated they were needed and used in kings and nobles, lord’s governments.
Cannon law provided the church with separate law all must follow. The threat of excommunication was the worst punishment of all. An Interdict could exclude a whole town or kingdom from receiving sacraments.
8-Describe the situation of Jews in medieval Europe.
Faced anti-Semitism, often blamed for natural disasters. Kicked out of Spain and dispersed in the Diaspora, Killed by Crusades in Germany. Limited in occupations, yet popes turned to Jews based on their education. Jews migrated to Eastern Europe and would face anti-Semitism there.
9-Show the secular and church social and political hierarchy (see pyramid chart)
10-In what ways did the Church contribute to a lack of knowledge during the Dark Ages
Church dogma and doctrine limited literacy by having mass in Latin a language people did not understand. People had to follow cannon law, going against church teachings was to be a heretic, which was punishable by excommunication, exile and death. Example Galileo and Giovani Bruno
11-Understand why Constantinople became known as the “New Rome.”
Roads spread through the empire. Justinian Code provided unified law. Strong central government and a strong military. Great buildings and public works.
12-Summarize the ways in which the Byzantine Empire flourished under Justinian.
He was an autocrat. He rebuilt the city. Created the Hagia Sophia. Justinian’s code, military conquest, wealth. Education and art.
13-Analyze how Christianity in the Byzantine Empire differed from Christianity in the West.
West Byzantium
Priests can’t marry Priest can marry
Pope Emperor and Religious leader is the same
Latin Religious Language no one knows Greek language all know
Christmas most important Easter more important than Christmas
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