Chapter 7 - Middle ages

What legacy did Charlemagne leave to future Europeans?

-He enlarge the Christian civilization. -Blended Christian, Roman and Germanic cultures together. -Created strong governments.

Convents

Unlike the monasteries the convents provided higher academical opportunity for women.

Interest

money paid regularly at a particular rate for the use of money lent.

How did the Church's spiritual authority lead to political power?

Churchmen were often highly educated and therefore were given high positions in the government. Churchmen were often relatives to government officials. High ranked churchmen were often nobles who owned lands. Therefore they had a large economic and political power.

What was daily life on a manor like for peasants during the Middle Ages?

Daily life on a manor would be for peasants like: The peasants would work most of the day. They had no schooling. They would barely step out of the manor and had a little knowledge about the world beyond the manor.

Papal Supremacy

Medial popes had Papal Supremacy that gave them authority over powerful leaders such as kings and emperors (secular leaders).

the franks

one of the Germanic tribes that invaded the Roman empire. the Franks were mostly farmers and herders, they lived in small communities and were governed by kings.

battle of tours

the Christians won this battle over the muslim empire (732).

What important actions did Charlemagne undertake to reunite Europe?

- He helped spreading Christianity through the conquered people. - Appointed powerful nobles to rule local areas. - He saw the need for education to unify the empire, therefore he revive Latin learning, and created local schools.

Master

A professional guild.

Capital .

Money for investment.

Partnerships

A new way to do business. businessman would join their payment to finance a larger investment. This method reduced the risk per individual and made capital more available.

Feudalism

A political structure. The system stated that lords shared their land with vassals(lesser lords) that in return provided service and loyalty to the lord. (Exchange of land for loyalty)

Insurance

A system that helped reduce the risks in business, in the cost of a small fee.

Apprenticeship

A training program to become a guild member. They wouldn't get any wages and learned with guild masters.

Charters

A written document that declared the privileges of the town, was granted by a lord/king.

Guilds

An association that represented workers in an occupation. The member cooperate to protect their interests; they made rules to regulate their goods, limited membership.

Friars

Are monks who didn't lived in isolation they traveled around Europe to preach for the poor.

What led Jews to migrate to Eastern Europe and Muslim lands?

As Western Europe became more Christian and the Church power grew anti-semitism grew and more and more limitations were applied toward the Jews.

Why did merchants use letters of credit and bills of exchange?

Because it allowed them to travel from place to place without carrying money which increasing the risk of robbery and made it easier to trade.

Why do you think that "few real knights could live up to the ideals of chivalry"?

Because the rules of chivalry applied only to nobles and not to commoners. And nobles were a very small percentage of the population.

Fief

Estate, that included peasants to work the land and housing.

How did monks contribute to reforming the Church? Find examples in the text to support your answer.

Friar who were monks who didn't live in isolation traveled across Europe to preach for the poor. Example: "St. Francis of Assisi" who established the order of friars and devoted himself to teaching and preaching.

Feudalism: Social Order

From highest to lowest : Monarch ⇒ powerful lords (dukes and counts) ⇒ vassals (lords) ⇒ vassals ⇒ peasants.

Why did guilds develop?

Guilds were created to protect the workers economic interest, to decrease competition in the business and to protect the quality of their goods.

How was the manor generally self-sufficient?

In a manor peasants would produced their own necessities (food, clothes and furnitures).

Middle Class

Included merchants, artisans and traders. The class was in the middle between peasants and nobles.

Iron Plow

Iron plows were better than wooden plows because they carved deep into the soil of northern Europe. It made it easier to plow more land.

Feudal Contract

Is an Exchange of pledges between a lord and a vassal. The lord gave a fief and pledged to protect the vassal. The Vassal pledged loyalty, 40 days of military service each year, money payments and advice.

Chivalry

Is the code of conduct for the knights. The code stated that the knights protect the weak, they had to be brave, loyal, fight fairly and treat the captured well. The code apply only to the nobles.

What do you think is significant about the fact that "powerful lords fortified their homes to withstand attack" during the early Middle Ages?

It is significant because it shows how vulnerable to attack the medieval people were and why the need for protection was so strong.

Manors

Lord's estate, was the majority of the economy. Included 1 or more villages and land. Peasants lived and worked there.

Monks

Men who devoted their entire lives to spiritual goals. Took 3 vows on themselves which are: obedience, poverty and purity.

Tournaments

Mock battles that the knights were engaged with.

Monasteries

Monks and nuns lived there and devoted their lives to the serve god. It was also a place to work and study. Most of the times they would grow their own food, and made their own furnitures. Provided health and education. Helped the sick and poor.

Serfs

Most of the peasant in a manner, they were bound to the land; they were forbidden to leave the manor, unless they had acceptance from the lord.

Secular

Most powerful, worldly force.

Knights

Mounted (riding on a horse) warriors. At the age of seven they were sent to the castle of the lord, were trained and when they finished they took place beside other warriors. They usually rode a horse and used swords and axes; they also wore an armor and a shield.

3 Field System

One field was planted with grain, the second one was planted with legumes (beans,peas) and the third one was unplanted. This method produced more food, gave fertility to the land and added proteins to the peasant's diet.

What do you think Pope Leo III and Charlemagne each thought about crowning a Germanic king as successor to the Roman emperors?

Pope Leo the third though that by crowning a Germanic king as a successor to the Roman emperors that he will introduce the concept of unit Christian community. While Charlemagne saw this act as an opportunity to gain support from the Pope and to spread his empire.

Castles and Defense

Powerful lords like the monarch and nobles built their homes to withstand an attack by using strategic structures like stone castles, towers, walls and bridges. The castle was also a home to knights and during war time to peasants.

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice against Jews.

Pope Gregory VII

Pushed to reform the church by limiting corruption - limiting the influence of secular power on the church. And limiting the bribing of church officials.

How did religion play a vital role in medieval life?

Religion played a vital role in the medieval life by influencing the economy and politics. The church eventually grew to become the most powerful spiritual and secular power in the medieval ages.

Benedictine Rule

Stated that monks and nuns should take 3 vows: obedience to the head of the monastery convent, poverty and purity.

Why did merchants create partnerships?

The changes in the economy required a new method of business. By combining their money to achieve mutual goal they would increase the risk of each individual and they made capital easier.

How did the success of the Church lead to problems and calls for reform?

The enormous power that the church held led to corruption and lack of discipline. To resolve the situation the church took on itself many reforms.

How did the sacraments affect daily life in medieval Europe?

The holy Christian ritual affected daily life in medieval Europe when it was decided that participation in the ritual will lead to everlasting life with God;therefore it held a big significant.

Which obligations do you think were the most important to lords? to vassals?

The lord was obligated to grant fief to the vassal. And the vassal in return was obligated to be loyal to his lord and provide protection.

How did the manor system serve the needs of the early Middle Ages?

The manor served the need of the early middle ages because: the manor supported the nobles which made feudalism possible and also the manor provided food and housing to the peasants who in return worked the land.

How did the growing middle class lead to the expansion of towns and cities?

The middle class gained more economic power which allowed more control over the cities. Also the middle class created guilds which dominated the town's life ,passed laws and made improvements in the town.

Self-Sufficient

The peasants that lived in the manor usually had to provide their necessities to themselves as well as to their lord. They had no schooling or knowledge of what is beyond the manor.

How did Christianity spread through western and central Europe during the early Middle Ages?

The pope sent missionaries across Europe to convert the different civilization to Christianity.

City Life

The towns were surrounded by protective walls, they became over crowded, the residents waste was thrown to the streets. This situation allowed the spreading of diseases

How do you think the church's use of excommunication and interdicts affected its relationships with members of medieval communities?

The use of such penalties gave rise to fear and chaos within the medieval community which then granted loyalty to the church.

In what ways did the waves of invasions by Vikings, Muslims, and Magyars affect the people of medieval Europe?

The waves of invasions weakened the kings and the emperors who couldn't maintain law and order. Therefore in order to protect themselves the medieval people created a new political system Feudalism.

What contributions did monks and nuns make to the general community?

They provided basic health service, education, helped the poor and preserved the learning of Latin.

How were the waves of invaders that threatened Europe after Charlemagne's death similar to and different from each other?

They were different from each other because they each wave came from a different place and had different traditions and cultures. They were similar because of the fact that they were all explorers and used to travel a lot.

Benedict

Was a monk who headed a monastery in Italy. He created the Benedictine Rule that was used across Europe.

St. Francis Assisi

Was a wealthy Italian. Established the first order of friars. He dedicated his life for preaching and the teaching of the bible.

Excommunication

Was the most severe penalty of the canon law. This penalty stated that you cannot participate in the Christian traditions and therefore you will go to hell.

Canon Law

Were the laws of the church. Those laws were based on religion and governed many aspects of life.

Interdiction

When a powerful ruler opposed the church this penalty will excommunicate the whole region controlled under him. Which result in rebellion of the common people against the ruler.

How did women benefit from the growth of the middle class?

Women benefited from the growth of the middle class because: Women were mostly engaged in craft and therefore the rise of the middle class gave them more business opportunities. They could become very successful at their business (even more than man).

Nuns

Women who devoted their entire lives to spiritual goals. Took 3 vows on themselves which are: obedience, poverty and purity.

the dark ages

a period that included: political, social and economic decline ; was isolated from advanced civilizations, many invaders, trade slowed, poor if little education and empty cities (500-1000).

the middle ages

a time period between ancient times and modern times (500-1500).

pope Leo

after Charlemagne helped the pope. the pope thanked him by declaring him the emperor of the Romans (800). his action introduced the idea if united Christians; although it is likely that this step splitter even more the eastern and the western Christians worlds.

muslims

are the believers of Islam. they created and empire that threatened European Christianity, and conquered a part of the Christian areas. but after the battle o tours they did not advance forward.

Charles Martel

he railed the Frankish warriors to fight in the battle of tours.

Magyars

in 900 the Magyars, a nomadic tribe, settled in Hungary. they ruled Eastern Europe and then conquered Germany, parts of France and Italy. But after 50 years lost their empire.

how did the culture of the Germanic tribes that conquered parts of the Roman empire differ from Rome's culture?

the Germanic tribes cultures were different because: they were mostly farmers, they didn't have any cities and they were governed by unwritten laws and by kings.

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

the grandson of Charles Martel was the king of the Franks in 768. he built an empire over France, Germany and parts of Italy, which reunited the Western Roman empire. in his reign he fought invaders mostly.

treaty of Verdun

the grandsons of Charlemagne wrote the treaty of Verdun, that split the empire into 3 regions.

Clovis

was the king of the Franks, he conquered France in 486, he also converted to Christianity which helped him gain support from the pope.

the Vikings

were a group from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark). They were independent farmers and were ruled landowners. They were also sailors, traders and explorers. They settled in England, Ireland France and Russia.