Chapter 9: Christian Societies Emerge in Europe, 600-1200 Flashcards
When were the Middle Ages?
Between the Classical Period (Greco- Roman) and Modern Period (Renaissance)
The Dark Ages are after the fall of what? What were they like?
Rome. Byzantium was robust and self-confident with late Roman society and economy. Western Europe had no political unity and severe economic depression.
By the year 1200 what were Byzantium and W. Europe like?
Byzantium showed signs of decline and military weakness. W. Europe showed renewed v itality and military strength.
Who was Justinian and what did he do?
Justinian was a ruler of the Byzantine Empire. He was determined to re-establish the glory of the
Roman Empire in the entire Mediterranean world. He took N. Aftrica and Italy, but neither lasted long. He codified Roman Law and had the Hagia Sophia built.
What happened after the Bubonic Plague/ what were the effects in the Byzantine Empire?
The Bubonic Plague arrived via trade routes in Constantinople. Population, wealth, urban elite, and trade declined. Women became more confined to the home, wore veils, and only socialized with family men.
What/ where was the Byzantine Empire?
The Eastern half of the Roman Empire that lived after the fall
Constantinople was the capital
Byzantine emperors ruled by absolute authority, especially over the economy, whose industries were monopolized
What was the Justinian Code of Law?
A law code including Roman laws, legal writings, and a student handbook to help preserve the basis of the Roman Catholic Church.
What did Constantinople control?
Key trade routes that linked Europe and Asia until the Crusades when Italian city-states started to rise.
What was Eastern Orthodox Christianity?
The Byzantine emperor controlled the overall business of the Church and appointed the patriarch. It used Caesaropapism, an autocratic/ religious leader comparable to a caliph
What was the Great Schism?
a permanent split between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church
What was the Investiture Controversy?
a rivalry between popes and kings to appoint clergy/ the bishop (ecclesiastical appointments)
What did the Vikings do in Kievan Russia?
They raided and pillaged, settled, and traded
What was Christianization of the eastern Slavs like?
Vladimir I picked Eastern Orthodox instead of other religions like Judaism and Islam.
What was the economic system of Kievan Russia like?
The basis of wealth was trade, not land.
How did new technology lead to population growth in Western Europe?
The horse collar, horseshoes, and plow increased agriculture and food supply, thus increasing the population.
Describe the self-governing cities in Italy and Flanders.
There was trade, and they asked lords for independence. Serfs fled there because they could become free.
What was the impact of the Crusades?
Islamic forces were united under Saladin. Italian trading cities became wealthy, there was an exposure to Muslim culture (Arabic commentaries and translation on Greek work), Constantinople was sacked, and Christians were no longer a significant force in the Middle East.
What did the Byzantine emperors establish as the official religion?
Christianity. This represented the continuation of Roman imperial rule and tradition.
What prevented the breakup of E. Europe?
There was one ruler with supreme legal and religious authority.
How/ why was the Byzantine Empire conquered by Muslims?
Territorial losses sapped their strength, and 2/3 of Christians in conquered territories converted to Islam.
What did imperial authority and urban prosperity in the late Roman Empire shelter Byzantium from?
Economic and population losses suffered by W. Europe
What did the Carolingian family do?
Increase military effectiveness in Medieval Europe
What happened after Louis the Pious died?
The Treaty of Verdun- the empire split into 3 parts:
- West- French speaking peoples
- Middle- Burgundy
- East- Germanic speaking
What was the Carolingian system based on?
Landed wealth and intellectual revival, common heritage.
What did the Vikings do?
attacked Europe. Their versatile vessels could brave stormy N. Atlantic and maneuver rivers. The settled seized lands in Normandy, and William the Conquerer invaded England. He severed Sicily from the Muslim world.
What occurred under the new Germanic political order?`
There was an economic transformation. The urban-based civilization of the Romans declined. Roads and public buildings dilapidated, the use of money decreased, bartering increased, and literacy decreased. They started eating beer, lard, butter, bread, pork, acorns, and beechnuts.
Why were manors created in Western Europe?
Common farmers were vulnerable and gave land to large landowners in exchange for political and physical protection. They were self- sufficient farming estates and the primary center of agricultural production.
What was a serf?
An agricultural worker who belonged to the manor, tilled fields, and owed other dues. They could not leave the manor.
What was feudalism?
Kings and lords gave land (fiefs) to vassals in return for military support.
Who were the central figures in medieval warfare by the 11th century?
Knights.
What problems did the Western church face?
lingering polytheism, enforcement against clergy marriage, nepotism, and simony
What was the western church like?
There were regional disagreements over church regulations, shortages of educated and trained clergy, difficult communications, political disorder, and insecurity. These were obstacles in unifying church standards and practices.
What did the Law of the Church (canon) give the pope legal jurisdiction over?
all clergy and church property
What was the Concordat of Worms?
It was a compromise that gave the emperor the right to choose bishops and the pope allowed the emperor to invest bishops.
Why was political life in Western Europe more complicated than in Byzantium or other lands of Islam?
Competing legal traditions
- Feudal law (Germanic custom) gave supreme power to the king
- Canon law (Roman precedent) hierarchial legal institution with jurisdiction over all of w. Christendom
What new technology emerged in Kiev?
- new type of plow that made it possible to farm heavy, wet clays of n. river valleys
- horse collar that moved the point of traction from the horse’s throat to shoulders
What were the Crusades?
a series of religiously inspired Christian military campaigns against Muslims in the e. Mediterranean
After what Crusade did Muslim forces retake Jerusalem?
The Third Crusade.
What were the impacts of the Crusades?
-exposure to Muslim culture- made Europeans aware of things lacking in their own lives, borrowings from Muslim societies gradually occured. Europeans learned how to make paper, pasta, refined sugar, and colored glass.
What is meant by “medieval”?
The Middle Ages
What social and relgious functions did monastics/ monasteries serve?
-preserved literacy and learning, planted churches, served community
What factors contributed to the emergence of the Crusades?
- Returning leaders of the Latin Church popularized the Truth of God
- Norman chieftains were looking for new lands to conquer
- Nobles (especially younger sons) were looking for land and titles to maintain status
- Italian merchants were looking to increase trade in the East Mediterranean
- The desire of the church to demonstrate political authority
- Pilgrimages drew attention to the Holy Land
- Popes offered to repent sins
What language and religion did the Byzantine Empire use?
Greek and Orthodox Christianity
Who was Charles Martel and what did he do?
He was a Frank political and military leader who led the revolt against Muslim armies in 732 and defeated them at the Battle of Tours. He then founded the Carolingian Dynasty.
Who was Charlemagne and what did he do?
He was Pepin the Short’s son and Charles Martel’s grandson. He created the Holy Roman Empire.
