Chapter 9

The High Middle Ages

1050-1450

Royal PowerKings were heads of society

Had limited power–relied on vassals for military support

Church & nobles had just as much powerEach collected their own taxesEach had own courtsEach had own army

Kings centralize power

Royal courts Government bureaucracy – hired middle-class

workers Taxes – merchants paid for protection Built armies – used tax money to hire

mercenaries Strengthened ties to middle class

Protected roads Reduced tolls Freed them from feudal obligations

Royal power in England

Edward the Confessor – died without an heir

Harold of Wessex & William, Duke of Normandy claimed the crown

1066: The Battle of Hastings William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror

Grants land to Church & Norman lords Kept large amount for himself

All vassals had to swear allegiance to William

Domesday Book

A complete census – listed everything of value in England

Other Kings of England

Henry I – created the Royal Exchequer Replaced nobles with paid officialsNobles pay taxes with money not military

service

Other Kings of England

Henry II- one of England’s great kingsMade royal law the law of the landCreated royal judges – circuit court systemDecisions became English Common LawThe law the same for everyoneCreated the grand jury system & trial jury

Thomas Becket

Archbishop of CanterburyHenry II wanted to try clergy in royal courts1170 Becket murdered Created power struggle between

monarchs of England & church

King John

Very greedy, cruel, untrustworthy, & incompetent warrior

Loses most of England’s land in France to Philip II Becomes known as John Softsword

Dispute with Pope Innocent III - John excommunicated Forced England to become a papal fief – pay annual

fee to pope

Magna Carta – Great Charter

1215 John forced to sign by group of nobles Limited king’s power No imprisonment without judge by peers Right to face accuser King must obey laws No taxation without consent

Become the basis for the U.S. Constitution

The Great Council

By 1200s evolves into Parliament1295 – Edward I summons Parliament –

wanted money for wars in FranceModel Parliament – sets up frame work

for English legislatureHouse of LordsHouse of Commons“Power of the Purse” England now a limited monarchy

France

Early French kings – very little power987- Hugh Capet – Count of Paris – start

of absolute monarchy in France Capetians ruled for next 300 years

Slowly Capet & his heirs increased powerWon support of ChurchPlayed nobles against each otherBuilt effective bureaucracyGained support of middle class

Philip II – Philip Augustus

Paid government workers – all middle class

Created new national taxesOrganized standing armyUsed trickery, war and diplomacy to

increased lands

Louis IX

Declared a saint by Catholic ChurchA model monarch

Noble, Generous, Devoted to justicePersecuted heretics and JewsFought against MuslimsEnded serfdomExpanded royal courts

Philip IV

Clashed with Pope Boniface VIII over taxing of the clergy in France

Sent troops to capture the pope Pope escaped but was badly beaten and died shortly

Gained support of the people through the Estates General

Persecuted the Order of the Knights Templar – April 13, 1307 – Friday the 13th

Babylonian Captivity A 67 year period when the pope lived in Avignon, France

Philip IV got College of Cardinals to elect a French archbishop popeNew pope called Clement VMoved the papacy to Avignon,

FrancePopes became viewed as pawns of

French kings

Holy Roman Empire

936 – Otto I took the title of king of Germany

Close to Church – appointed bishops & abbots to high government jobs

Gained the right of lay investiture Defeated the Magyars – Battle of

Lechfield Pope crowned him Emperor of the

Romans

Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Emperor could have been strongest monarchy in EuropeClaimed authority over most of central &

eastern Europe, parts of Italy & FranceElected monarch not hereditary

Control really in the hands of the emperor’s vassals Emperor needed to control nobles

Holy Roman Empire

Emperors thought they were protectors of Italy & pope

Constantly interfering in Italian affairsWanted to control rich cities of northern Italy

Results: conflict between emperors and popes over lay investiture – appointing of church officials by a lay person

Holy Roman Empire

Gregory VII – 1073 – issue eruptedWanted the Church to be independent of

secular rulersSaid only the pope could appoint & install

bishopsHoly Roman Emperor Henry IV refused to

agree1076 Pope excommunicates Henry IV

Henry IV forced to beg forgiveness

Holy Roman Empire

1122- issue settled with the Concordat of Worms Church sole power to elect & invest bishopsEmperor had the right to invest them with their

fief

Holy Roman Empire

Frederick I – Frederick Barbarossa tried & failed to gain control of ItalyDefeated by the Lombard League

Holy Roman Empire

Frederick II – also tried to control ItalySpent most of his time in ItalyResult: nobles within Holy Roman Empire

grew independent & Germany will remain fragmented (united in mid 1800s)

Catholic Church

Pope Innocent III – Pope in 1198Claimed supremacy over all rulersClashed with all the powerful rulers of his day

With help of Philip II of France launched a crusade against the Albigensians of southern France – tens of thousands killed

After his death the power of the popes starts to decline

The Crusades

Byzantine Emperor – Alexius I asked pope Urban II for help Seljuk Turks – new converts to

Islam had invaded Constantinople and the Holy Land

1095 – Council of Clermont - Called for Christian knights to reclaim Holy Land

The Crusades

Reason to join Crusades:Religious zealLure of land & wealthAdventure/escape from troubles at homeThose who fought & died received salvationChurch protected family & property while

awayDebtors had debts forgiven & criminals

relieved of punishment

The Crusades

Pope Urban II reasons:Thought it would increase church power &

prestigeUnite the 2 branches of the Christian churchReduce feudal warfare in EuropeLands in Middle east provide outlet for

Europe’s growing population

The Crusades

1095- Peasant Crusade – Peter the Hermit

Convinced the poor they were going to heaven

In Asia Minor – massacred by the Turks

The First Crusade

The Crusades

The First Crusade – 1096-1099 Only successful crusadeCaptured Antioch, JerusalemCreated 4 small Crusader states

The Crusades

The Second Crusade – 1147- started after Muslims recaptured Edessa and threatened Jerusalem – poor planning and division among the nobles caused it to fail

The Crusades

Third Crusade – 1189-1199 Started when Saladin, Seljuk Turk leader

recaptured JerusalemKnown as the Crusade of the Three

Kings – Frederick I, Philip II & Richard the Lion HeartedFrederick I – Barbarossa – drowns on the wayPhilip II of France gets mad at Richard the

Lion Hearted & goes home

The Crusades

Richard fails to capture Jerusalem but forces a truce which allowed Christians to visit Jerusalem

The Crusades

Fourth Crusade – 1202 – called by Pope Innocent III

Crusaders attack the Christian city of ZaraAll excommunicated

1204 attacked ConstantinopleSeriously weakened the Byzantine EmpireCrusaders looted the city

The Crusades

1212- Children’s Crusade – 20,000 kidsAll sold into slavery in North Africa

Results & Impact of the Crusades

Crusades were unsuccessful in reclaiming the Holy Land but they had a big impact on Western EuropeLeft a bitter legacy & religious hatredIncreased trade between Near East & EuropePower of Roman Catholic Church decreasedIncreased power of the monarchs

New taxesDeath of many feudal lords

Results & Impact of the Crusades

Encouraged the growth of money economyEurope gained wider view of the worldNew weapons & military tactics

Crossbow, catapults, carrier pigeons & possibly the use of gunpowder

Status of women changed – controlled land while husbands were away

Spain

The Muslims had conquered most of Spain in the 700s

Spain became a center of Islamic civilization Scholars preserved Greek & Roman texts

Spanish Reconquista

1100s & 1200s Spanish knights launched their own crusade known was the Reconquista or the reconquest

By 1250 Muslims held only kingdom of Granada

Spanish Reconquista

Central Spain – Kingdom of AragonNortheast Spain – Kingdom of Castile1469 – Queen Isabella of Castile married

Ferdinand of AragonUnites SpainThey use the common people to get power

from nobles1492 capture last Muslim city of Granada

Spain

United Spain both politically & religiouslyEnded the policy of religious toleration of

Muslims & JewsCaused economic problems Revived the Inquisition

Medieval Education

Universities – many will be taken over by the ChurchMost students trained for high positions in the

Church/governmentTook courses in all areas- Math, Science,

Language, etc.Very similar to guilds

Medieval Education

Student life at these universities hardLong hours sitting on hard benches in

unheated roomsBooks scarce & expensiveStudent day from 5AM till 5PMNo regular classroomsTook 3 to 5 years to complete the work

Medieval Medicine

Some had read HippocratesMost used folk medicineBelieved illness caused by the devil or evil

spirits

Conflict in Learning

Debate between faith & reason- Scholasticism – used reason & logic to support Christian beliefs

Thomas Aquinas – Summa TheologicaMan’s ability to reason was a gift from God

Medieval Literature

1100s & 1200s – new style – writing in the vernacular – everyday language

Townspeople enjoyed fablesNobility liked chanson de geste

Song of Roland – FranceEl Cid – SpainSiegfried – GermanBeowulf –England

Medieval Literature

Dante- Italian poet – The Divine Comedy

Medieval Literature

Geoffrey Chaucer – English – The Canterbury Tales

Medieval Architecture

Cathedrals – starting in 1100s – towns competed for the best

Projects could take 30 years or more to complete

Medieval Architecture

Two styles:Romanesque – influenced by Romans –

rounded arches, domed roof, columns, slits for windows, few statues

Gothic – very tall & airy, flying buttress, many windows made of stained glass, lots of statues in relief, pointed arches

Black Death

Also known as the bubonic plague-bubaArrived in Genoa, Italy in 1347 by way of

Sicily—fleas on rats carried diseaseBetween 1347 & 1352 – kills 25 million or

1/3 of Europe’s population

Effects of the plague

Society torn apart as a result of plagueWhole towns & villages disappearedPeople turn to witchcraft & magic for

protectionFlagellants-traveled from town to town

beating themselvesChristians blamed Jews- forced to flee

into eastern Europe

Effects of the plague

Decline in population = labor shortageSerfdom disappears as the manor

economy is destroyedTrade declinesWorkers demand higher wages

Church Troubles

Monarchs opposed Church’s political power

Monarchs could not tax church landChurch’s were getting involved in

politics

Great Schism

1378 – Pope Gregory XI diedCollege of Cardinals elected Pope Urban

VI13 French Cardinals then elect another –

Pope Clement VII1417 – ends with the election of Pope

Martin V

Church Reformers

John Wycliffe – English theologian- wanted to reform the Church Bible not pope final authority for

Christians Jesus head of the Church not the

pope Priest/sacraments not necessary for

salvation Clergy needed to practice poverty Translated New Testament into

English

Church Reformers

Jan Hus – German Authority of Bible higher than

pope Preach in common language

not Latin Arrested, tried for heresy &

burned at the stake by Roman Catholic Church

The Hundred Years War1337-1453

Between England & France – Edward III of England claimed the throne of France

The Hundred Years War1337-1453

War had four major stages;England invades France captures

French king & most of FranceFrench take back almost all the land

they lostEnglish invade again – Henry V forced

the French to sign humiliating treatyFrench rally under Joan of Arc,

Charles VII crowned king of France

NEW WEAPONS

Longbow-developed by the English which put an end to the age of feudal knights

Cannon-used to destroy fortifications (castles)—castles became outdated