Period 3: Europe in the Middle Ages Flashcards
When was the Middle Ages?
The Middle Ages is the period after the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance.
What were characteristics of the Byzantine Empire?
- Greek language
- architecture had distinctive domes
- culture had more in common with Eastern cultures (such as Persia)
- Orthodox Christianity
- ruled by absolute authority
- used coined money
Who was Justinian?
Justinian reigned from 527 to 565 and somewhat restored the former glory and unity of the Roman Empire in Constantinople, which flourished in trade and the arts. This was known as the Justinianic period. His reign expanded the empire but at the cost of destroying what remained of Roman infrastructure in Italy as well as exhausting the sources of his soldiers.
What was the Justinianic period most remembered for?
- The Justinianic Code (a codification of Roman law that kept ancient Roman legal principles alive)
- The flourishing of the arts and sciences (construction of major buildings and churches such as the cathedral Hagia Sophia)
- Justinian’s ambitious plan to reconquer the lost provinces of the western half of the Roman Empire (which was halted by the Ostrogoths in Italy
How did the Roman Catholic emperors of the West differ compared to the Orthodox Byzantine emperors of the East?
- Roman Catholics regarded the Pope as the leader of the See of Rome
- Byzantine emperors nominated their own Patriarchs of the See of Constantinople
- Roman Catholic Christianity was very centralized with power stemming from Rome and services held in the Roman form
- Byzantine Orthodox Christianity was more localized with Russian churches conducting services in their own language
Who converted the Slavic peoples of southeastern Europe and Russia to Christianity in the 9th century?
St. Cyril, an Orthodox Christian who used the Greek alphabet to create a Slavic alphabet known as the Cyrillic alphabet.
Who was Vladimir?
Vladimir was a Russian prince from Kiev who abandoned the traditional pagan religion and converted to Christianity.
Who were the Franks?
The Franks were a Germanic tribe that united under the leadership of King Clovis in the late fifth century. This empire helped the various peoples of western Europe solidify under a common culture, which made it easier for them to unify against Muslim invasions in the 7th century who took over parts of Spain and Italy.
Who was King Clovis?
King Clovis united the Franks in the late fifth century. He converted to Christianity and established his capital in Paris. After he died, his empire was divided among his sons, after which it declined in influence.
Who was Charles Martel?
Charles Martel led the revolt against the advancing Muslim armies and defeated them at the Battle of Tours in 732 in France.
How was the Carolingian dynasty formed?
Charles Martel used his position as a political and military leader under the declining Frankish Merovingian dynasty to put his sons forth as successors, thus founding the Carolingian dynasty.
Who was Charles Martel’s son?
Pepin the Short, who ascended to the throne in 752. Charles Martel chose to have Pepin’s succession certified by the Pope.
Who was Pepin the Short’s son?
Charles, who revitalized the concept of the empire in western Europe. He was crowned by the Pope in 800 and became known as Charlemagne. He built an empire that would come to be called the Holy Roman Empire upon the coronation of Otto the Great in 962.
What were characteristics of Charlemagne’s empire (the Holy Roman Empire) when he ruled?
- focused on arts and education in monasteries
- Charlemagne was powerful but his rule was not absolute
- society structured around feudalism where local lords held power over the local territories
- Charlemagne did not levy taxes and thus failed to built a strong and united empire
What happened after Charlemagne’s death?
After Charlemagne’s death, his son Louis became emperor. After Louis’s death, the empire was divided among Charlemagne’s three grandsons according to the Treaty of Verdun in 843.
What were characteristics of the Vikings?
- attacked western Europe
- started using multi-oared boats to raid beyond their borders in 800
- bad reputation for raiding the Catholic monasteries but they held wealth and food so they were natural targets
- merchants and fisherman along with being raiders
- known as Normans in France
- converted to Christianity
Who was the most famous Norman?
William, who conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066.
What is feudalism?
Feudalism is the name of the European social, economic, and political system of the Middle Ages.
It had a strict hierarchy: king -> nobles -> vassals -> subordinate vassals -> peasants/serfs
What were the estates granted to the vassals called?
Fiefs, which later became known as manors. The vassal and the peasants lived on the manor. The peasants worked the land on behalf of the lord, and in exchange the lord gave the peasants protection and a place to live. Many of the manors were self-sufficient.
What was the three-field system?
The three-field system was an advance in the science of agriculture that helped the manors to succeed. It centered on the rotation of three fields: one for the fall harvest, one for the spring harvest, and one not-seeded fallow harvest which allowed the land to replenish its nutrients. Manors were able to accumulate food surpluses this way.
What was the Great Clearing?
The Lords directed the “Great Clearing” which was the clearing of huge areas of forest for the creation of more farmland.
What were characteristics of the feudal system?
- disputes between feudal lords had etiquette based on the code of chivalry (condemned betrayal and promoted mutual respect)
- male-dominated
- when a lord died his land and title passed down via primogeniture to his eldest son
- women could inherit a fief but could not rule it
What were serfs like in the feudal system?
- peasants/serfs had few rights and became tied to their land (could not leave the manor w/out permission from lord)
- serfs became skilled in trades other than farming
- became skilled craftspeople, earned extra income, and chipped away at the social hierarchy of the manor system
What happened when banking began in Europe?
- towns and cities started to gain momentum
- emergence of a middle class made up of urban craftsmen and merchants
- success of this middle class lured people into towns
- western Europe was re-engaging with the world by the 11th century
