So, today in class we had a test, which is probably going to hurt my grade in this class because I and the whole class, didnt study half the stuff that was on there, so personally i felt cheated. I study all the notes and half of it was stuff that was not there so it was very unfair. Also i had an eraser thrown at my head and could have taken my head off which i think was so incredibly cruel.

Today we took notes for our test tomorrow

Middle Ages= Medieval period

AD 476- AD 1453

Medieval Europe is fragmented

This new society has roots in:

-classical heritage of Rome

-Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church

-Customs of various Germanic Tribes

Overrun the western half of the Roman Empire

Causing:

-disruption of trade

-downfall of cities

-population shifts to rural areas

Effects of Invasion:

Declining of learning

-tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn’t read Greek or Latin

-Romance Languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)

-few besides priests were literate
 

-Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them with food, weapons, treasure Result:

-no orderly government for large areas

-small communities rule

-Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (Which is where "France comes from)

-in 496 he has a battlefield conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors became Christians

-In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks:

-Vows of poverty (live simply in monasteries)

-Chastity (no marital relations

-Obedience (listen to church superiors)

-his sister Scholastica writes rules for nuns

-they operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books

Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies

-this is a theocracy( one dominant religion)

-Gregory's spiritual kingdom ( Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany

-Clovis descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer

-Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the battle of Tours in 732

-Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short

-Son #2 is Charles , known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great

                  -became the most powerful king of all time

                  -his son- Louis the Pious- was ineffective

                  -Louis' three sons- could figure out who to be king- split up kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD

-Middle Ages = medieval period
-476 – 1453 AD
-(from the end of the Roman Empire to the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks)
-medieval Europe is fragmented
-this new society has roots in:
           -classical heritage of Rome
            -beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
           -customs of various Germanic tribes
overrun the western half of the Roman Empire
  causing:
    -disruption of trade
     -downfall of cities
      -population shifts to rural areas

Decline of learning

-tribes had oral tradition, songs,    but couldn't read Greek or Latin

-Romance languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)

-few besides priests were literate

-Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor

    -he provides them w/ food, weapons, treasure

Result: 

no orderly government for large areas

small communities rule

"I would die for my chief, but I see no reason to 

pay taxes to a king I don't even know.  So there."

-Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France" comes from)

-in 496 he has a battlefield conversion - he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians

-the Church in Rome likes this

-by 511 the Franks are united into one kingdom, with Clovis and the Church working as partners

Church + Frankish rulers = rise in Christianity

-In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks:

-vows of poverty (live simply in monasteries) 

-chastity (no marital relations)

-obedience (listen to church superiors)

-His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns

-they operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books

-Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) goes secular (worldly power)

-Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies

-This is a theocracy

-Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany

-Clovis rules the Franks in Gaul until his death in 511

-Most of the rest of Europe consists of smaller kingdoms (seven in England alone)

-Clovis' descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer (great name!)

-Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 

-(If he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire - that's huge!)

-Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short

-He works with the Church and is named "king by the grace of God) by the Pope  (Popes can do that?)

-Pepin the Short dies in 768, leaving two sons

-Son #1 - Carloman - dies in 771

-Son #2 is Charles, known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great

-Six feet four inches of rocking ruling warrior greatness! 

1. 511 AD- Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
2. 600 AD- Church + Frankish rulers convert many
3. fear of the Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
4. Monasteries and convents
1. 520 AD- Benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
2. Poverty, chastity, obedience, study
3. His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
4. 731 AD- the Venerable Bible wrote a killer history of England
5. Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greek text)
5. European Empire Evolves 
6. Franks control largest European Kingdom
1. The Roman province formerly known as Gaul
2. Ruled by Clovis- the Merovingian Dynasty
7. Major domo- mayor of the palace- ruled the kingdom
8. Charles Martel- Charles the Hammer
1. extended the Franks' reign to the north, south, and east
2. Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732- historic battle
9. Charles the Hammer's son- Pepin the Short
1. Possibly named for his unusual short haircut
2. Working for and with the Pope, Pepin fought the Lombard's
3. Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God" beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751- 987 AD
4. Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman AND Charles
5. Carman died, leaving
10. Charlemagne takes center stage
11. Charlemagne- aka Charles the Great
1. six foot four
2. Built the greatest empire since Rome
3. fought the Muslims in Spain
4. Fought Germanics tribes
5. Spread Christianity
6. Reunited Western Europe
7. Became the most powerful king in western Europe
8. Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
9. This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire
12. Charlemagne's Government
1. He limited the authority of the nobles
2. He regularly visited every part of his kingdom
3. Kept close watch on his huge kingdom
13. Culture revival
1. Encouraged learning
2. Ordered monasteries to open schools
3. Opened a palace school
14. But his heirs were weenies...
1. His son- Louis the Pious- was ineffective
2. Louis' three sons; Lathair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German- split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD

Main Idea
-Many Germanic Kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire


Why it Matters Now
-Charlemagne spread Christian civilization through northern Europe, which is where many of us came from


Middle Ages= Medieval period
500-1500 AD
Medieval Europe is fragmented


1. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
1. Disruption of trade
1. Europe's cities are noe longer economic centers
2. Money is scarce
2. Downfall of cities
1. Cities are no longer centers of administration
3. Populations shifts
9. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
10. Cities don’t have strong leadership
2. Decline of learning
1.  Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
2. Only priests and church officials could read and write
3. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of common languages
1. Dialects develop in different regions
2. By the 800s, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin   
2. Germanic Kingdoms emerge
1. The concept of government changes
1. Roman society: loyal to public government
2. Germanic society: loyal to family
1. Germanic chief led warriors
2. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
3. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
3. "The king" who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you
4. Franks live in the Roman providence of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. The Franks under Clovis
1. Another battlefield conversion (like Constantine)
2. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
3. The church in Rome approves of this alliance
4. Clovis and the church begin to work together
1. Clovis military expertise + Church's support and money =a strategic alliance between two powerful forces
3. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
1. Gregory I expands papal power
1. Papacy= popes office
2. Secular power= worldly power
3. So… under Gregory the Great
Papal Power is Political Power
4. The church can use church money to:
Raise armies
Repair roads
Help the poor
5. Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom 

Today we took notes

Feudalism: a political, military and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances

-the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you

Rich Dude (Lord): " I own land; I need people to help me work it and defend it"

Tough Dudes (Vassals): " There are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land.

The Feudal Pyramid

King

   The most powerful Vassals

               (Nobles and Bishops)

    Knights- mounted warriors who

    received Fiefs for defending their lord's

      Lands

Peasants (mostly Serfs)

Landless, powerless, moneyless, rights-less

Just working the land for "the man" (their lord)

Manor: the lord's estate

-the lord's manor house

-a church

-some workshops

-15-30 families

-all on a few square miles

Good news: it's a self- sufficient community

Bad News: it's harsh if you’re a peasant

Peasants are poor and pay high taxes

• Tax on grain
• Tax on marriage
• Church tax (tithe= 10% of their income)

-they live in crowded cottages

-live with animals and insects

-eat very simply

-but don’t worry- the church says this is your lot in life

-God determines your place in society- so chill

Today in class, we had our test. To be honest, I did not even study. I was going to but last night, i was very busy and i didnt really have much time. But hey i got a ding! I am so proud, of myself.

Page 152: Chronology 
  Fifth Century- Angles and Saxons invade Britain
  486- Clovis leads Frankish confederacy against Romans and rival Germanic invaders in Gaul
  527-565- Reign of Emperor Justinian in the Eastern Empire
  542- Plague hits Egypt, then spreads throughout the Mediterranean area and much of western Europe
  568- Lombards conquer most of northern Italy
  570-632- Life of Muhammad
  595- Missionaries sent by the pope begin to convert the pagans of England
  711- Muslim invasion of Spain
  800- Slavs occupy almost all of eastern Europe

Page 151 Notes
-the two centuries after the time in Rome were a time of turmoil in Europe that would continue for a long time
-In the Germanic Kingdoms, Roman institutions gradually stopped working, cities ceased to be centers of trade and social life, and warfare became more and more important than education and culture in the lives of the upper classes
-Christianity spread