1.6 Notes- AP History

How did greater agricultural prosperity impact European society in the Middle Ages?

Changes in agriculture encouraged population growth.

Fiefs

Tracts of land that were granted to lords by a monarch

Describe the bureaucracy of France in the Middle Ages and evaluate its level of success.

King Philip II was the first to develop a real bureaucracy, but it was not until Philip IV that the first Estates-General met (see definition above). The French kings consulted with the Estates-General when deemed necessary, but they did not exact regular taxes from the clergy and nobility. The Estates-General had little power.

Explain the general evolution of Kiev to the modern state of Russia.

Major trade in furs, fish, and grain was going around areas like Central Asia and the center of this trade of the city of Kiev (now in Ukraine). The regions and city-states that were involved in this trade became known as Kievan Rus, but the Mongols took over this region by the end of the 13th century. The Mongols made it a requirement that local nobles collect tribute for them. As these nobles became wealthy in their role, they began to object to Mongol rule. Under the leadership of Ivan the Great, the region became independent of the Mongols in the late 15th century. This marked the start of the modern state of Russia.

First Crusade

- Only Crusade that was a clear victory for the Christendoms. - In July 1099, the European army took control of Jerusalem, but Muslim forces regained control of Jerusalem in 1187.

Feudalism

- A system of exchanges of land for loyalty known as this - Used during the Middle Ages - Core of this was a system of mutual obligations

Although Jewish, Muslim, and female citizens positively impacted their communities, they also faced ostracism or negativity from Europe. Explain using specific examples.

- Antisemitism was common among Christians at this time because they thought of Jews as untrustworthy and foreigners. Jews were expelled from England in 1290, France in 1394, Spain in 1492, and Portugal in 1497. Expelled Jews often moved to eastern Europe. - Muslims who did not convert to Christianity in Spain were expelled in 1492 from Spain. - Not many women received education despite the fact that women often managed manor accounts.

How did this system impact the groups above? How did this system impact women?

- Because of the sanctions around oaths of loyalty, this system cut down on losses to robbers and bandits, which gave some security for peasants. In addition, this system provided equipment for fighters who could hope to become knights, and gave land in return for service of the lord. - Women were to be protected, so the code of chivalry put them on a pedestal while not investing them with any significant additional importance. Women did not have many rights in practice.

Explain two new characteristics in the later Middle Ages that led to stronger monarchies. Why did this change create conflict?

- Both of these characteristics increased the power of the monarchy at the expense of feudal lords. - Monarchs hired a growing bureaucracy to carry out their decisions and they organized an army that was controlled by the monarch. Both the bureaucracy and army did not work for the government or the people of the state. Instead, they worked directly for the king or queen. This gave the monarch a lot of power. In many cases, the desire of people for representation and the want of monarchs for strong absolutist government conflicted. Sometimes the craving for power created tension between monarchs and the pope.

Three-field system

- Came into use near the end of the Middle Ages - Definition: crops were rotated through three fields - One field was planted with rye or wheat (crops that provided food) - A second field was planted with legumes such as peas, lentils or beans. These legumes made the soil more fertile by adding nitrogen to it. - A third field was allowed to remain unused each year.

Absolutist (government)

- Definition: a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered (no laws or legally organized opposition) - Monarchs during the Middle Ages desired for a strong absolutist government. This caused conflict with the people who wanted representation.

Magna Carta

- First thing the nobles did who were objecting to the power of William and the succeeding Norman monarchs. - Signed by King John in 1215 under pressure from the leading nobles - Required the king to respect certain rights, like the right to a jury trial before a noble could be sentenced to prison.

Describe the governing system of the Holy Roman Empire and what led to its decline.

- German king Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962. His successors survived the power struggle with the papacy over the lay investiture controversy from the 11th and 12th centuries. This issue was over whether a secular leader, rather than the pope, could invest bishops with the symbols of office. Eventually, it was resolved in the Concordat of Worms in 1122, when the Church attained autonomy from secular authorities. This empire was flourishing until its decline. - Decline: It was virtually destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. It tried to hold on, but with little power. The Holy Roman Empire came to an official end when Napoleon invaded central Europe in 1806.

Fourth Crusade

- Last major Crusade (1202-1204) - Venice had a contract to transport Crusaders to the Middle East (Levant), but Venice was not paid all of what was due, so the Venetians convinced the Crusaders who owed them money to first go after Zara, an Italian city, and then Constantinople, huge trade competitor of Venice. - This Crusade never made it to the Holy Land. After awhile, Islamic forces were victorious in the Levant.

Describe the manorial system. How was it similar to and different from feudalism?

- Manors: large fiefs or estates - Manorial system: provided both economic self-sufficiency and defense - Manor grounds were small villages that usually included a church, a blacksmith shop, a mill, and presses for making wine, cider, or oil. The homes of peasants known as serfs are included too. - The manor produced everything that its population required. This limited the need for trade or contact with outsiders. Many serfs spent their whole lives on a single manor, not knowing what was going on in the rest of Europe. - It is similar to feudalism in the way that serfs give their lords a tribute in exchange for protection, but the manorial system does not involve as many societal classes as feudalism.

Estates-General

- Not until Philip IV did the first Estates-General meet - Definition: a body to advise the king that included representatives from each of the three legal classes, or estates, in France: the clergy, nobility, and commoners. - Even though the French kings consulted this Estates-General when needed, they did not exact regular taxes from the two upper states. Thus, the Estates-General had little power. The clergy and nobility felt little to no responsibility to protect a government they were not financing.

Serfs

- Peasants who lived on manor grounds - Not slaves, but tied to the land - ^^^ this meant they could not travel without permission from their lords - They could not marry without their lord's approval. - In return for protection provided by the lord of the manor, serfs paid tribute in the form of crops, labor, or coins (coins as tribute was rare). - Children born to serfs were serfs as well

How did population growth and agricultural prosperity lead to urban growth? How did the Little Ice Age impact society during this time?

- Population growth and agricultural prosperity lead to urban growth because the agricultural surplus encouraged the growth of towns and of markets that were able to operate more frequently than just on holidays. The need for more labor on the manors gave serfs more bargaining power with lords as well. - The Little Ice Age was a five-century cooling of the climate time period. This climate change involved lower temperatures and these temperatures reduced agricultural productivity, so people had less to trade and the growth of cities was decreasing. The Little Ice Age also led to an increase in disease and unemployment. This caused social unrest. Crime rate also increased and groups, like Jews, that had already faced discrimination were the victims of scapegoating (being blamed for something they had no control over).

Lords

- They provided land to knights and in return, knights became vassals of the lord and pledged to fight for the lord or king. - Provided land and protection to peasants.

Describe the system of decentralized governance used by Europe in the Middle Ages.

- They used a decentralized political organization based on a system of exchanges of land for loyalty known as feudalism. - Core of feudalism was a system of mutual obligations - Due to the sanctions of oaths of loyalty, the system cut down on losses to robbers and bandits, which allowed some security for peasants. Also, it provided equipment for fighters who hoped to become knights, and gave land in return for service of the lord. - The entire system was based on agriculture and wealth was measured in land rather than money. - Feudal system used a code of chivalry (an unwritten set of rules for conduct focusing on honor, courtesy, and bravery) as a way to resolve issues.

Monarch

- Usually a king - Granted tracts of land, fiefs, to lords - In return for granting the land to the lord, a lord became a king's vassal (a person who owed a service to another person of higher status).

Describe the feudal system of Normal England and explain how it changed in 1215 and 1265.

- William the Conqueror successfully invaded England giving him kingdoms on both sides of the English Channel. William used a tightly organized feudal system, using royal sheriffs as his administrative officials. - Many nobles objected to the power of William and the succeeding Norman monarchs. These specific nobles were responsible for limits on that power in England. They pressured King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 (see definition). The nobles also won the right to be consulted on the dispute of scutage (a form of tax placed on a knight who wanted to "buy out" of military service). The first English Parliament was created in 1265. These innovations increased the rights of the English nobility, but not the general population. In 1265, the first full parliamentary meeting took place and the House of Lords represented the nobles and Church hierarchy, while the House of Commons contained the elected representatives of wealthy townspeople. After some time, the power of these two legislatives bodies in England became stronger than other similar bodies on the European continent.

Great Schism

In 1054, the Christian Church in Europe encountered a division, often called this, and split into two branches: the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox.

Explain how the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches emerge from the Christian Church in Europe in 1054.

In 1054, the Christian Church in Europe went through a division, the Great Schism, and split into the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church remained to dominate most of Europe for the next five centuries. The Orthodox Church was powerful farther east, into Russia.

Explain how Marco Polo's travels abroad impacted the economy of Europe.

Polo visited the court of Kublai Khan in Dadu (now Beijing) and he wrote detailed descriptions of the customs of the people he met and this intrigued Europeans. Curiosity about Asia soared and this stimulated interest in mapmaking.

Explain how religions, social, and economic pressures resulted in the Crusades.

Rules of primogeniture left a generation of younger sons with little access to land and wealth. Landed nobles saw a military campaign as a way to divert the ambitions of these restless nobles as well as unemployed peasants, who usually pillaged the lands of neighboring lords. Also, merchants wanted unlimited access to trade routes through the Middle East. The combination of social, religious, and economic pressures resulted in a series of European military campaigns known as the Crusades. Politics formed the conduct of the Crusades. Problems between popes and kings helped to strengthen the intention of the Roman Catholic Church to take control. Additionally, the Church used its spiritual authority to recruit believers. It granted relief from required acts of atonement and penance and also promised people they would reach heaven earlier if they joined a Crusade. The Orthodox branch of Christianity offered support as well after hearing the news of the persecution of Christian pilgrims of the Seljuk Turks. The Orthodox patriarch at Constantinople appealed to Pope Urban II to help reclaim the Holy Land from Islamic reign.

Peasants

Since the lords provided them with land and protection, in return, peasants were obligated to farm the lord's land and provide the lord with livestock and crops. They also had to obey the lord's orders.

Education and Art

The Church actually established the first universities in Europe. Since the Church led in the area of education, most philosophers, writers, and other thinkers were religious leaders. All artists worked for the Church and most artwork was centered around religious themes as it was a way to educate the illiterate serf/peasant classes about the lessons of the Bible.

Church and State

The Church held a lot of power within the feudal system. For example, if a lord displeased the Church, it would pressure the lord in various ways (ie: A local bishop might cancel religious services for his serfs. This angered the serfs, who would demand that the lord give in to the bishop). The Roman Catholic Church had a large hierarchy of regional leaders. The regional religious leaders were the bishops and they owed allegiance to the pope (the supreme bishop in Rome). Bishops also selected and supervised local priests. Missionaries spread Christianity in Europe and this provided a common identity as other languages emerged.

Summarize the Middle Ages (medieval period) of Western Europe.

The Middle Ages was a time period of cultural development, political ups and downs, religious tensions, intellectual/creative growth, and the development of feudalism.

How did the Renaissance and its interest in humanism impact Europe?

The Renaissance was a period of the revival of interest in classical Greek and roman literature, art, culture, and civic virtue. Also, scholars recovered and observed decaying manuscripts that had been written many centuries prior. Humanism is the focus on individuals rather than God. Humanists desired for education, reform and started to write secular literature. Cultural changes helped with the rise of powerful monarchies, the centralization of governments, and the birth of nationalism.

The Roman Catholic Church was extremely influential in Europe at this time. Why?

The Roman Catholic Church was extremely influential in Europe at this time because it was the only authority that covered much of Europe. Also, often Church staff were the only people in a community who knew how to read and write. If common people needed something read or written, they asked a Church official to do it. This was another factor that helped the Church keep its influence. Most manors had a priest on the grounds and a small church.

Reform

The clergy had considerable political influence and some monasteries became wealthy. During the 13th and 14th centuries, wealth and political power led to corruption. Corruption and theological disagreements drove reformers, like Martin Luther, to take stands that would destroy the unity of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.

Summarize the main goal of the Christian Crusades.

The main goal was to invade the Middle East and reclaim control of the Holy Land, the region of Palestine in the Middle East that contains spiritual significance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Explain how the middle class emerged in Western Europe, and who made up this new social group.

The middle class began to emerge between the nobility and clergy and the serfs. Also known as the bourgeoisie/burghers, the middle class included shoekeepers, merchants, craftspeople, and small landholders. Even though the middle class was small, it took shape as Europe joined the Byzantine Empire and Muslim nations in long-distance exchanges of money and goods.

Monasticism

The monasteries had the same economic functions of agriculture and protection as other manors. Some Christian clergy withdrew to monasteries to mediate and pray, but they remained a piece of the economics in Western Europe.

What developments allowed agriculture to become more efficient near the end of the Middle Ages?

The three-field system was a major factor in the growth of population in the late Middle Ages. Windmills and new types of plows were other technological developments that allowed agriculture to grow. Heavier plows with wheels were made to deal with the type of soil in areas north of the Alps and lighter plows were good for the soil in southern Europe.