Three Major Religious Groups All Claimed Jerusalem in the Land of Palestine As Their Holy City
The Middle Ages in Europe
The western portion of the Roman Empire fell to Germanic invaders. The Byzantine Empire or eastern portion of the former Roman Empire continued for 1,000 years. Western Europeans were Roman Catholics while Eastern Europeans were mainly Eastern Orthodox. The center of the Byzantine Empire was the city of Constantinople. It was near the dividing area between Europe and Asia. Justinian, a Byzantine emperor, established the Justinian Code which was a simple legal system or set of rules that could be easily be understood and followed.
Feudalism
People were afraid of the Vikings and other invaders, so they turned to the nobles for protection. Under feudalism, landowning nobles governed and protected the people in return for services such as fighting in a noble’s army or farming the land.
Hierarchy
· Kings and Queens
· Lords and Ladies
· Knights
· Peasants and Serfs
Refer to Flip Chart notes for the specifics of each group.
The land granted to a vassal was a fief.
Remember to study Vocabulary Terms as well.
Fiefs were called manors. Lords ruled manors, and peasants farmed the land. Some peasants were free, had rights, and could move. Most peasants were serfs which meant that they could not marry without the Lord’s approval, could not leave the manor or own property.
Feudalism was really made a part of England when William the Conqueror took over in 1066. William the Conqueror ordered a census called the Domesday Book that counted people, manors and animals in England.
The Magna Carta is considered one of the most important democratic documents in history as it established the basic rights of the English people. King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which greatly limited his powers, by powerful Lords or Barons. These rights were originally established for the nobles, but eventually became for all people. Our ideas of trial by jury can be traced to this document. It also put an end to burdensome taxes. The Magna Carta ended the absolute power of the king.
The Role of the Church
The Roman Catholic Church was very important during the Middle Ages. Monks and monasteries helped spread Christianity, and they also provided help to those in need. Monasteries were centers of learning. Monks preserved Christian writings by producing hand made copies of the Bible and other Christian works. Monasteries had some of the few libraries or schools in this period of time that is often referred to as the Dark Ages. Actually some of the first universities were established by the church. Missionaries such as St. Patrick traveled to spread Christianity throughout Europe. Art was also evident in the beautiful churches or cathedrals that had spectacular stained glass windows.
The Crusades
There were about eight Crusades over a 200 year period. The Crusades were considered holy wars. Christians wanted to reclaim the Holy Land or Palestine from the Turks, free it from Muslim rule, and to limit the Turkish conquest of the Byzantine Empire.
Three major religious groups all claimed Jerusalem in the land of Palestine as their holy city.
· To Christians, it was the place where Jesus was crucified and ascended to heaven
· To Muslims, it was the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven
· To Jews, it was the site of the ancient temple built by Solomon
The Crusades
· For knights, this was a chance to use their fighting skills, something they enjoyed and did well. They were delighted to have such a worthy battle to fight.
· For peasants, this was a chance to escape from their dreary life in the feudal system. The pope promised that if they died while fighting a holy crusade, they would automatically be welcomed into heaven.
· For others, it was a chance to have an adventure, and perhaps even to get rich.
The crusades did limit the spread of Islam, while Christianity spread. The crusades also led to increased trade between Europe and the Middle East. The crusades increased the spread of ideas and inventions from various cultures. It weakened the feudal system because the lords lost some of their power while monarchies (kings and queens) became stronger.
The Black Death or Bubonic Plague
A plague is a disease that spreads quickly and kills many people. The Black Death was a plague that spread throughout Europe and Asia in the late Middle Ages. The Mongols were partly to blame for the rapid spread because they opened up trade between China, India the Middle East and Europe. The disease spread rapidly from fleas, rats and people. Rats carrying the disease were brought in on trading caravans. The first outbreak began in China. The European Outbreak began in Caffa. About 38 million Europeans did of the Black Death between 1347 and 1351. It spread rapidly. It hit major cities like Constantinople, Venice, Cologne and London eventually reaching the Baltic Sea. It is estimated that ½ of the people in London died from this disease. Medical practices of the time did not help stop the spread of the disease.
It really had a major effect on the feudal system and the economy. Fewer workers caused wages to increase and the demand for food to decrease. Prices for food fell, so farmers could not make enough money to pay their rent. Landlords had to pay workers more and charge less rent for the farms they owned. Some peasants convinced their landlords to let them pay rent with money instead of services. Serfs could buy their freedom.
People saw death everywhere. Art reflected death, despair, and sadness. (Ring around the Rosy