Chapter 13 study guide
Why was the Church so important in medieval times?
It was the only constant faction. It didn't change much, same rituals and offerings to God, same building structures, people went there and it was normal, a way to get away and pray for what you needed or wanted to have.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
powerful French duchess; divorced the king of France to marry Henry II of England and ruled all of England and about half of France with him
Describe the impact of the Vikings' attacks from the North on Western Europe -
the Vikings looted inland villages and monasteries. They ransacked through villages and cities quickly and swiftly. Due to those invasions, Europe became the target of new assaults.
Major Domo -
A.K.A. Mayor of the palace, had become the most powerful person in the Frankish kingdom. Officially, he had charge of the royal household and estates. Unofficially, he led armies and made policy. In effect, he ruled the kingdom.
Identify the 3 social classes that existed in Medieval Europe
1. Nobles and Knights (people who fought) 2. Men and Women of the Church (those who prayed) 3. Peasants (those who worked) Social class was inherited and based off your prestige and/or power
List 4 characteristics of the life of a Peasant
1. Paid a tax on all mill ground grain 2. Paid a tax on Marriage 3. Owed Village priest a tithe 4. Owed the lord certain duties
The Medieval Period is rooted in what 3 things?
1. The classical heritage of Rome 2. The beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church 3. The customs of various Germanic tribes
Knights should fight for what 3 masters?
1. his heavenly Lord, 2. his chosen lady 3. earthly feudal lord,
lay investiture
A ceremony in which kings and nobles appointed church officials. Whoever controlled lay investiture held the real power in naming bishops, who were very influential clergy that kings sought to control
Describe the relationship between a Lord, a Fief, a Vassal, a Knight, and a Peasant
A lord is the landowner, fief is the land, which is granted to the vassal (Knight), who was a peasant until chosen to be in the army and the "lord's" bidding.
Troubadours
A medieval poet and musician who traveled from place to place, entertaining people with songs of courtly love
Describe the relationship between the Lord and the Peasant
All peasants, whether free or serf, owed the lord certain duties. These included at least a few days of labor each week and a certain portion of their grain.
What was decided at the Concordat of Worms?
By its terms, the Church alone could appoint a bishop, but the emperor could veto the appointment. During Henry's struggle, German princes regained power lost under Otto. But a later king, Frederick I, would resume the battle to build royal authority.
Charles Martel
Carolingian monarch of Franks; responsible for defeating Muslims in battle of Tours in 732; ended Muslim threat to western Europe.
What great service did Monks / Monasteries provide to Roman heritage?
Each monastery had a center open area called a cloister. Monks and nuns were generally the most educated people during the Middle Ages. They spent much of their day in silence. Sometimes monasteries owned a lot of land and were very wealthy due to the tithes of the local people.
What was a constant theme of Medieval Poetry?
Epics. Feudal lords and their ladies enjoyed listening to epic poems. These poems recounted a hero's deeds and adventures. Many epics retold stories about legendary heroes such as King Arthur and Charlemagne. They glorified knighthood and chivalry, tournaments and real battles. Songs and poems about a knight's undying love for a lady were also very popular.
Franks
Germanic people who lived and held power in Gaul. Their leader was Clovis and he would later bring Christianity to the region. By 511 the Franks had united into one kingdom and they controlled the largest and strongest parts of Europe.
How did Pope Gregory I change the papacy?
Gregory broadened the authority of the papacy, or pope's office, beyond its spiritual role. Under Gregory, the papacy also became a secular power involved in politics.
Benedict / Scholastica -
He was an Italian monk who wrote a book describing a strict yet practical set of rules for monasteries/She headed a convent and adapted the same rules for women. These guidelines became a model for many other religious communities in western Europe.
Charlemagne
King of the Franks (r. 768-814); emperor (r. 800-814). Through a series of military conquests he established the Carolingian Empire, which encompassed all of Gaul and parts of Germany and Italy. Illiterate, though started an intellectual revival.
Describe what it would be like to be a Peasant woman
Life remained unchanged for centuries. Peasant women performed endless labor around the home and often in the fields, bore children, and took care of their families. Females in peasant families were poor and powerless. Yet, the economic contribution they made was essential to the survival of the peasant household. Young peasant girls learned practical household skills from their mother at an early age, unlike daughters in rich households who were educated by tutors.
Battle of Legnano
Lombard League vs. Frederick; alliance of the Italian merchants and pope against Frederick I; foot soldiers faced Frederick's mounted knights; foot soldiers with crossbows defeated knights
Describe the difference in the way the Germanic tribes and the Romans viewed the role of government -
Loyalty to public government and written law had unified Roman society. Family ties and personal loyalty, rather than citizenship in a public state, held Germanic society together.
Explain how Normandy in France got its' name
Rollo(Viking) and Charles the Simple(King of France) were enemies. Charles granted the Viking leader a huge piece of French territory. It became known as Northmen's land, or Normandy. In return, Rollo swore a pledge of loyalty to the king.
Sacraments
Sacred rites of the Roman Catholic Church
How did Knights get started?
Soldiers were mounted on horseback and became valuable in combat during the reign of Charlemagne's grandfather, Charles Martel, in the 700's. Charles Martel had observed that the Muslim cavalry often turned the tide of battles. As a result, he organized Frankish troops of armored horsemen, or knights
Describe Knights training
Sons of nobles began training for knighthood at an early age and learned the code of chivalry. At age 7, a boy would be sent off to the castle of another lord. As a page, he waited on his hosts and began to practice fighting skills. At around age 14, the page reached the rank of squire. A squire acted as a servant to a knight. At around age 21, a squire became a full-fledged knight. After being dubbed a knight, most young men traveled for a year or two. The young knights gained experience fighting in local wars. Some took part in mock battles called tournaments .
Explains what happens with Excommunication and Interdict
The Church established courts to try those accused of violating canon law. Two of the harshest punishments that offenders faced were excommunication and interdict. In excommunication, the king would be denied salvation, as it also freed all the king's vassals from their duties to him. If an excommunicated king continued to disobey the pope, the pope, in turn, could use an even more frightening weapon, the interdict. Under interdict, many sacraments and religious services could not be performed in the king's lands. As Christians, the king's subjects believed that without such sacraments they might be doomed to hell.
What 2 factors kept the Germanic Kings from regaining the power that existed during the Charlemagne Empire?
The conflicts between German kings trying to revive Charlemagne's empire and his alliance with the Church and Italian cities and further clashes with the pope.
From an educational point of view, what was the big difference between the Germanic invaders and the Roman Empire they overran?
The Germanic invaders who stormed Rome could not read or write. Among Romans themselves, the level of learning sank sharply as more and more families left for rural areas. Few people except priests and other church officials were literate.
What is the difference between a Peasant and a Serf?
The Serf was provided with housing, farmland, and protection from bandits. In return, serfs tended the lord's lands, cared for his animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate. Peasant women shared in the farm work with their husbands. Peasants basically paid for their lifestyle while Serfs' lives revolved around work and were well taken care of, in a way
What was the big contradiction between the Knight's code and the reality of how they lived?
The chivalrous knight also protected the weak and the poor. The ideal knight was loyal, brave, and courteous. Most knights, though, failed to meet all of these high standards. They treated the lower classes brutally.
Tell the story of what transpired between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV
The emperor was in over hos head and thought he could cross a man of God. He got what he deserved, in a humiliating way. Henry IV called for Gregory to stand down, which led to his excommunication. He was desperate for power, so he trekked in snow to Canossa, where he begged in the cold asking for forgiveness, which eventually came. After the humiliation, Gregory lifted it after 3 days.
Result of attacks
The invasions by Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims caused widespread disorder and suffering. Most western Europeans lived in constant danger. Kings could not effectively defend their lands from invasion. As a result, people no longer looked to a central ruler for security. Instead, many turned to local rulers who had their own armies. Any leader who could fight the invaders gained followers and political strength.
Describe a Manor
The lord's estate. Its system was the basic economic arrangement. The manor system rested on a set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs.
Describe the reign of Otto The Great -
The most effective ruler of medieval Germany. Rooted in the Church's example, as he formed a close alliance with the Church. And to limit the nobles' strength, he sought help from the clergy. He built up his power base by gaining the support of the bishops and abbots, the heads of monasteries.
Why do you think Popes and Emperors constantly clashed?
The papacy was too secular, they couldn't separate church and state. Emperors held too much power, until Henry IV.
Describe the impact of the Magyars' attacks from the East on Western Europe
They attacked from the east, targeting isolated villages and monasteries. As they went, there was no settling on conquered land, only taking captives to sell as slaves.
Describe the impact of the Muslims' attacks from the South on Western Europe
They began their encroachments from their strongholds in North Africa, invading through what are now Italy and Spain. Their goal was also to plunder, but because they were seafaring, attacking settlements on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts was possible.
Describe what it would be like to be a Noble woman
They had power and a voice. Noblewomen could inherit an estate from her husband. Upon her lord's request, she could also send his knights to war. When her husband was off fighting, the lady of a medieval castle might act as military commander and a warrior.
Describe the relationship between the Lord and his Knight -
To defend their territories, feudal lords raised private armies of knights. In exchange for military service, feudal lords used their most abundant resource — land. They rewarded knights, their most skilled warriors, with fiefs from their sprawling estates. Wealth from these fiefs allowed knights to devote their lives to war. Knights could afford to pay for costly weapons, armor, and warhorses.
