Middle Ages

Saint Benedict

-"Benedict of Nursia": wrote set of rules to guide community of monks he founded. -His rule divided each day into a series of activities, primary emphasis on prayer and manual labor. -"Benedictine" life was communal

Monk

-A man who separates himself from ordinary society to dedicate himself to God. -Devoted their lives to Church and took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience -Became new Christian heroes -The social workers of their communities, providing schools for the young,hospitality for travelers, and hospitals for the sick. -Taught peasants carpentry and weaving, made agricultural improvements passed on to others

Magyars

-A people from Western Asia, who moved into central Europe at the end of the 9th century and settled on the plains of Hungary and invaded western Europe.

Feudal Contract

-A set of unwritten rules that characterized feudalism -Determined the relationship between a lord and his vassal -The major obligation of a vassal to lord was to perform military service about 40 days a year. -A vassal had to appear at his lord's court to give advice and was responsible for making payments to lords on certain occasions(the knighting of his oldest son or daughter's marriage) -Lords also had responsibilities to vassals: granting him land, defending him militarily, or by taking his side in a dispute.

Clovis

-A strong military leader who around 500 became the first Germanic ruler to convert to Christianity. -He then won support of the Roman Catholic Church. - By 510, he established a powerful new Frankish kingdom from the Pyrenees(southwest)-->German Lands(east) -Defeated many Germanic tribes and unified Franks.

Pepin

-After Frankish kings lost their powers to the mayors of the palace(chief officers of the king's household), one of them, Pepin, was logical and assumed the kingship for himself and his family.

Phillip 2 Augustus

-expanded the French monarchy's power and income. -fought wars against English to take control of the French territories: Normandy, Maine, Anjou, and Aquitaine -His successors con't to add land to the royal domain.

Charlemagne

-After Pepin's death(768), his son, Charlemagne, became new Frankish king. -Most powerful ruler(Charles the Great) was very intelligent and curious. -Fierce warrior, strong statesman, pious Christian, unable to write, but supporter of education -long rule: 768-814, he greatly expanded the Frankish kingdom and created the Carolingian Empire(most western and central Europe). -set up "Missi Dominici" -acquired title as Roman Emperor -Carolingian Empire(rebirth)

Justinian

-Became emperor of Eastern Roman Empire in 527; wanted to reestablish Roman Empire in the entire Mediterranean world and he achieved this. -Empire includes Italy, part of Spain, North Africa, Asia Minor, Palestine, and Syria. -Codification of Roman law: he simplified a vast quantity of legal materials-->The Body of Civil Law -This code was the basis of imperial law in the Eastern Roman Empire until its end in 1453 and basis for much of the legal system in Europe.

Carolingian Empire

-Created by Charlemagne, the expansion of the Frankish kingdom -Empire covers much of western and central Europe -Empire fell apart soon after Charlemagne's death - largest empire until Napoleon in the 19th century -Midieval Europe's greatest center of commerce until 12th century

English Parliament

-During the reign of Edward 1(in the 13th century), an institution developed of representative gov't. -Composed of 2 knights from every county, 2 people from every town, and all the nobles and bishops throughout England(and later-nobles and church lords formed the House of Lords; knights and townspeople, the House of Commons). -Granted taxes, discussed politics, passed laws

The Crusades

-From 11-13th century, a series of wars during the Central Middle Ages when Europe(European Christians) tried to regain/take control of the Muslims' holy land and convert people to Christianity.

Feudal and Manorial Relationships

-From 800 to 1500, the social system of feudalism provided security for most of Europe. -Manorialism(tied in w/ feudalism)was an economic system in which a lord held rights over lands and tenants. -Both involved a complex web of obligations for people at all levels of society. -Kings awarded tracts of land(fiefs) to nobles. -As vassals to the king, nobles pledged their loyalty and promised military services as a knight. -Wealthier nobles subdivided their land into fiefs for lesser nobles and had their own vassals. -Peasants and serfs were not a formal part of feudalism, feudal order meant security for them; they farmed land and payed rent.

King John

-Henry's son; king of England who raised taxes and punished his enemies without trials. -Was forced to sign the Magna Carta (taking some power away from him).

Saladin

-In 1187, the Holy City, Jerusalem, fell to Muslim forces under Saladin. -Negotiated a settlement with Richard that permitted Christian pilgrims free access to Jerusalem

Pope Innocent 3

-Initiated the fourth crusade which eventually captured Constantinople

Popes

-Later bishops of Rome were viewed as Peter's successors and came to be known as Popes. -from the Latin word, papa, "father" of the catholic church

Magna Carta

-Many English nobles resented the ongoing growth of the king's power and rebelled during King John's reign. -1215: John was forced by nobles to put his seal on a document of rights(and sign this). -known as the "Great Charter" -Feudal custom had recognized that the relationship btwn. king and vassals was based on mutual rights and obligations. -M.C gave written recognition to this and was used years later to strengthen the idea that a monarch's power was limited, not absolute.

Hundred Years War

-Series of campaigns over control of the throne of France, involving English and French royal families and French noble families. -French had large population, but England had effective weapons

Black Death

-The epidemic form of bubonic plague experienced during the Middle Ages when it killed nearly half the people of western Europe -Jews were scapegoated -trade declined, shortage of workers, lower demand for food, serfs were able to negotiate for their freedom and independence; feudal system largely weekend -Death reflected in art

Vikings

-The most far-reaching attacks from the time came from the Norsemen/Northmen of Scandinavia(vikings). -were a Germanic people, love of adventure, search for spoils of war, new avenues of trade=led them to invade other areas of Europe. -sacked villages and towns, destroyed churches, easily defeated small local armies -warriors, superb shipbuilders, sailors, ships allowed them to sail up European rivers and attack places far inland

Isabella and Ferdinand

-To unify Spain, they wanted everyone under the same religion. -Reconquista: attempted to kick out Muslims and Jews and attempted to reconquer lands on Iberian peninsula to create a unified Spain with a Catholic faith.

Chivalry

-Under the Catholic Church's influence, an ideal of civilized behavior gradually evolved. -A code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold -Knights were expected to treat captives as honored guests instead of putting the in dungeons. -Chivalry put the aristocratic woman on a pedestal and a knight was supposed to treat her w/ tenderness and respect. -Implied that knights should fight only for a glory, not material rewards

William of Normandy

-defeated King Harold and his foot soldiers at the Battle of Hastings -crowned King of England, made all nobles swear an oath of loyalty to him as a sole ruler of England -took a census(first in Europe since Roman times), "Domesday Book", -Developed more fully a system of taxation and royal courts begun by earlier Anglo-Saxon kings.

Justinian's Empire

-established a legal system and focused on woman's rights -daughters could now receive inheritances -laws were more favorable to women -concept of being innocent until proven guilty -choosing people for government jobs based on ability, and not connections -empire went from Latin to Greek.

Gregory 1

-known as Gregory the Great, strengthened the power of of the papacy(office of the pope) and the church. -leader of Rome and its surrounding territories(Papal States)-->gave Papacy a source of political power. -Increased his spiritual authority over the church over the church in the west. -Especially active in converting non-Christian peoples of Germanic Europe to Christianity through the monastic movement.

Ordeal

-one way of determining guilt in Germanic law -based on the idea of divine intervention -all ordeals involved a physical trial of some sort -if the accused person was unharmed after a physical trial(ordeal), he/she was presumed innocent.

Henry 2

-power of English monarchy is enlarged -increased number of criminal cases tried in the king's court and devised means for taking property cases from local courts to royal courts. -expanded power of royal courts=expanded king's power

Wergild

-the amount paid by a wrongdoer to the family of the person he or she had injured or killed -means "money for man", the value of a person in money -this value varied according to social status

Monastery

A community in which monks lead lives devoted to religion.

Thomas Aquinas

A philosopher who was very religious who explained faith with reason.

Feudalism

A political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages; nobles offered protection and land in return for service, etc.

Joan of Arc

French heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions to organize French resistance to the English and to have Charles VII crowned king, she was later tried for heresy and burned at the stake

Constantinople

Previously known as Byzantium, Constantine changed the name of the city and moved the capitol of the Roman Empire here from Rome.