Chapter 7 The Rise of Europe Section 1: The Early Middle Ages Geography of Western Europe

Western Europe was not dominated by Rome, but by Germanic peoples

Europe is very small for a continent (second smallest of the seven continents)

Despite Europe's size, it was rich in natural resources

Europe had rich soil, rivers for trade and mountain streams to turn water wheels

The Germanic Kingdoms Germanic people were very different

from Romans

Germanic people lived in small kingdoms, the strongest of which was the Franks

Clovis, king of the Franks, embraced Christianity and allied himself with the Church in Rome

Around the same time Islam began to emerge

Islam spread, but Christians were able to keep it out of most western Europe

Despite this there was tension between Muslims and Christians

The Age of Charlemagne Emperor Charlemagne was able to unite

Western Europe

He was able to unite much of the old Roman Empire

Because of this the pope named him King of the Romans

This angered the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople

As emperor, Charlemagne helped spread Christianity throughout the empire

In addition to religion, Charlemagne stressed the importance of learning

Charlemagne established schools with a set curriculum based on Latin learning

After Charlemagne After his death, Charlemagne's empire

was split into three regions Charlemagne was able to establish a

lasting legacy before he died however After his death his empire was invaded by

Muslims, Magyars and Vikings Vocab pg 214, # 3-6 pg 218 Section 2: Feudalism and the Manor

Economy Feudalism arose out of the need for

protection from invaders Feudalism involves lords, vassals and

feudal contracts

The Feudal system was very structured and very complex

The World of Nobles Warfare between nobles was so common

that they trained most of their life for war Most noble boys trained from a young age

to be knights Training for knighthood was very strict

and disciplined When fighting ceased, knights competed

in tournaments for entertainment Due to the constant warfare, powerful

noibles fortified their homes

These fortified homes became castles, a symbol of Feudal society

Castles were supplied to withstand long attacks

Noblewomen had a very important role in feudal society

Some women even had political rights Despite this women had very few land rights Under the Knight code of chivalry, women

were put on a pedestal however Peasants and Manor Life Manor=Lords estate Majority of population on a manor were

peasants

Peasants worked the manor lands in return for protection

They were bound to the manor, but were guaranteed food, housing and land

Manors were mostly self-sufficient Peasant life was harsh, with men, women

and children working long hours They slept in the same one room hut with

the farm animals they raised The average life span of a peasant was no

longer than 35 Vocab pg 219, #3-5 pg 224

Section 3: The Medieval Church The Church’s greatest achievement was

Christianizing Western Europe During this time the Parish Priest was the

only link between the people and the Church

Duties of the priests were very similar to the priests of today

Churches served as places of worship and socialization

Villagers took great pride in their churches and decorated them

The church required tithing of it’s parishioners

The church viewed women as equal to men, but needing the protection of men

Monks and Nuns The monk Benedict made rules to regulate

monastic life They took vows and did manual labor They also looked after the sick and elderly They also ran schools for children Educated monks and nuns stressed the

importance of learning Like today, women could not become

priests Some nuns had power in the church, but

in the later middle ages they were suppressed

The Power of the Church Grows The Church was not only the highest

spiritual authority, but the most powerful secular power

The Pope claimed papal supremacy over secular rulers

Church officials were educated so usually held high government positions

The church developed canon law and it’s own system of courts

Church punishments included excommunication and interdict

The church was instrumental in trying to bring peace between feudal lords

Reform Movements There was much corruption in the

medieval church Reformers attempted to reform the church The marriage of priests and the selling of

Church offices was forbidden Some priests joined preaching orders to

escape church corruption Jews in Europe Despite a strong Christian church, Jews

flourished in Europe Christian persecution of Jews increased

in the 1100’s

Jews were blamed for killing Jesus and they were forbidden to own land and work most jobs

Anti-Semitism was on the rise, and Jews were blamed for most societal problems

Because of this, many Jews migrated to Eastern Europe

Vocab pg 225, #3-5 pg 230 Section 4: Economic Expansion and

Change By 1100 an Agricultural revolution had

aided Europe's economic recovery New technologies such as iron tools and

horse drawn plows made farming more productive

The windmill also increased the amount of grain produced

Peasants adopted the three field system which produced more fertile land and food variety

This caused the population to grow and be healthier

Trade Revives A growing population caused a demand

for more goods New trade routes brought goods from the

Middle East and Asia So many goods were coming to Europe

that they held annual trade fairs

Trade fairs brought so many people that the first medieval cities began to develop

They ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 citizens

Cities were granted a charter which laid out the rights of the people

Two of the most important rights were: -right of people to choose their own

leaders -right of runaway serfs who were free

for a year and a day were granted freedom

A Commercial Revolution Revived trade led to: -borrowing money to produce more

goods -growth of banking houses New business practices such as

partnerships emerged to minimize risk A bill of exchange was another important

way to reduce risk in business These business changes began to change

medieval society One of the most important changes was

that of peasant to tenant farmer, and the rise of a middle class

Many Jews became money lenders during this time because Christians were forbid to charge interest

Role of Guilds Merchants and artisans formed

associations know as guilds Merchant guilds were the first, and they

became very powerful Artisans formed their own craft guilds Guilds were similar to unions of today,

protecting the economic interest of the worker

Guilds also provided support for widows and orphans of guild members

Becoming a guild member was not and easy process:

-apprentice (age of 7-8) -journeymen (most remained here) -guild master Women were permitted to join guilds and

even become guild masters Town and City Life Cities were crowded rows of houses and

streets They had a cathedral and a guild hall There was no garbage removal or sewer

system Vocab pg 231, 3-6 pg 236