Roman Catholic Church continued to dominate most of Europe’s affairs
Feudalism: Political and Social Systems
Feudalism was prominent in Europe due to a lack of a strong, centralized government and people needed protection from bandits and invaders
How Feudalism Worked
At its core feudalism was a system of mutual obligations:
Monarch would give a bunch of land (called fiefs) to lords; lords in exchange were expected to be loyal to the monarch and provide military support when needed
Lords would give some land to knights in exchange for promising to fight for the lord or king
Lords offered protection and land to peasants; peasants expected to give lord crops and obey the lord’s orders
As the entire system was based on agriculture, wealth was measured in land
Code of Chivalry
Code knights were expected to follow
Emphasized honor, courtesy, bravery
Main tenant was to protect the weak
Expected to protect women as they were seen as “fragile” (example of patriarchy)
Manorial System
A manor was a large fief or estate that was completely self sufficient
Manor produced everything that people living on it required
Serfs, although not slaves, were tied to the land
Some serfs spent their entire lives on the manor
Lords promised protection to serfs while serfs in exchange paid through crops
Lord could control many aspects of the lives of serfs
Serfs could not leave the land or marry without the lord’s approval
Provided stable and organized system of agriculture that fed everyone
Agriculture became more efficient thanks to innovations
Three-field system
One field was planted with crops that provided food (wheat, rye)
Another field was planted with crops that would make the soil more fertile by adding nitrogen to it (legumes like peas, lentils, beans)
Third field was unused in order for it to regain its fertility
Then every growing season the crops would rotate through the three fields, which allowed farmers to retain the productivity of their land
New types of plows suited to a given environment also increased productivity
Political Trends in the Later Middle Ages
During the High Middle Ages monarchs started to become more powerful by employing their own bureaucracy and military
Caused a decline in the power of feudal lords
France
France was the first to develop a real bureaucracy
Estates-General first met in 1302
Was a body that consulted the king
Made up of representatives from three different estates/classes:
clergy (religious people), nobility, and commoners
Holy Roman Empire
Otto I crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962 by Pope
Lay investiture controversy
Lay investiture = practice of secular rulers like the emperor appointing Church officials
Pope abruptly ended this practice and then the emperor and pope fought over who got to appoint church officials
Church won this controversy and it was decided that they would appoint officials, not the emperor
Norman England
Normans were descendants of Vikings who settled in Normandy (in northwest France)
In 1066, William the Conqueror, a Norman, invaded England, which was inhabited by Anglo-Saxons
Normans created a feudal state with a strong centralized monarchy
Magna Carta
In 1215 the nobles in England forced King John to sign the Magna Carta
Everyone, including king, was subject to the law
Established common rights such as right to a fair trial
Nobles pushed this as they felt that the kings abused their power and wanted to restrict the king’s power to protect themselves
English Parliament
First English Parliament formed in 1265
Represented the interests of the noble class
Only gave voice to nobles and wealthy merchants, not ordinary people
Normandy
The Hundred Years’ War
England vs. France from 1337 to 1453
War had two major effects:
Serving under a monarch fostered a sense of unity, which led to people to start identifying themselves as “English” or “French” instead of the region they came from
Also saw a rise in gunpowder weapons, which was invented by the Chinese and spread to the West by the Mongols
Christians vs. Muslims
Normans in addition to conquering England also conquered Sicily, which was controlled by Muslims
Reconquista was the effort by Christians who wanted to retake Spain from the Muslims, who controlled it since the 700s
Completed in 1492
Sicily on a map
Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages
In 1054 the Christian Church split into two churches: the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Despite the schism the Roman Catholic Church continued to dominate affairs in Europe
Example of a major continuity
Most powerful organization in Europe
Often church staff were the only people in a community that could read and write
Christianity provided a shared identity for the people of Europe
Education and Art
Church established the first universities in Europe
As church had a monopoly on education, most philosophers and other thinkers were in agreement with the church
All artists worked for the church and they made religious art which could be used to visually explain Christian themes to the common people who were illiterate and couldn’t read the Bible
Church and State
Church held immense power in feudal Europe
If a lord displeased the church, the church could refuse to offer religious services to the lord’s manor, which would anger the residents of the manor to the point where the lord would have to submit to the church’s demands
Monasticism
Women were allowed to become nuns
Were economically important
In a way they were fancy manors: they owned large amounts of land and grew crops on the land
Played a crucial role in not only spreading Christianity but also in solidifying the power of the Roman Catholic Church throughout Europe
Also provided social welfare to those who needed it
Reform
Clergy wielded vast amounts of political influence and some monasteries became quite wealthy
Led to ⬆️ corruption
Eventually people like Martin Luther started to come about and protest against the corruption
Christian Crusades
Europeans also sought to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims
Factors Contributing to Crusades
Primogeniture: System of inheritance where the eldest son inherits everything
This meant younger sons got nothing
Church promised that those who fought in the war would be granted land and wealth, so the younger sons seized that opportunity and went to fight
Church also promised that people who fought would not have to do the required acts of atonement and penance and also they could get to heaven faster
Also tensions between popes and emperors were growing, and the Church saw the Crusades as a way to solidify its control over the people
The First Crusade
Christians won only this one
Christians conquered Jerusalem in 1099 but Muslim forces under Saladin recaptured it in 1187
Crusades promoted cultural exchange between Europe and Middle East
Europeans and Muslims traded with each other
Exchanged theological ideas
Europeans also got
translated works of Aristotle
Islamic science and astronomy
"Arabic" numerals
techniques of paper production originally from China
new foods and agricultural products
trade goods (ex. silk)
So even though the Europeans lost the Crusades, in the long term they benefited greatly
The Fourth Crusade
In the fourth crusade, the Europeans fought amongst themselves
Venice made a deal to transport Crusaders to the Middle East, but they weren’t compensated
Enraged, they persuaded the Crusaders to instead sack Constantinople, which they did, and Constantinople was destroyed
Economic and Social Change
As Europeans started to become locally self-sufficient, they started to become more interested in goods from other European places and far away places too
Marco Polo
Italian native from Venice who visited Kubali Khan in modern day Beijing
His detailed documented journeys caused a skyrocketed interest in Asia amongst Europeans
Social Change
⬆️ in long distance trade changed social pyramid of Western Europe
Middle class began to grow
In between peasants and nobles/clergy
Also known as the bourgeoisie, this included shopkeepers, merchants, small landowners
Rising economic success also devalued importance of clergy and military in society
Urban Growth
⬆️ Food → ⬆️ Population → ⬆️ Urban cities
Increase in food was possible thanks to innovations like the three-field system and new crops Europeans got from Muslims
⬆️ in commerce also caused ⬆️ in urbanization
Black Death
Outbreak of bubonic plague that occurred between 1346 to 1353
Killed almost 1/3 of the entire population
Increase in demand of labor and Black Death which was wiping out people gave serfs much more bargaining power with lords
Little Ice Age
Lasted from mid 1500s to mid 1800s
Caused ⬇️ in agricultural production which in turn caused ⬇️ in urbanization
Disease and unemployment ⬆️
As a result, social unrest ensued
Crime rate ⬆️, Jews were seen as cause and were discriminated against
Jews
Population of Jews during Middle Ages slowly increased
Due to limited opportunities, many became moneylenders
This was possible as the church prohibited Christians from charging on interest on loans with other Christians, so there was little to no incentive to give loans
Jews were not bound by this so many gave out loans to Christians
Antisemitism, however, grew as Jews were seen as untrustworthy and foreign people
Were expelled from England in late 1200s, France in late 1300s, Spain and Portugal in late 1400s
When expelled they often moved to Eastern Europe
Often lived in urban areas
Muslims
Like Jews they also faced discrimination in Europe
Expelled from Spain in 1492
Many moved to southeastern Europe
Gender Roles
Women’s rights were eroded as patriarchal ideas during this time increased
Women in Islamic societies had more rights than women in Europe during this time
Some became artisans and members of guilds
Renaissance
Increase in trade, surplus of food, and the rise of a middle class that was able to appreciate artists spurred a creative revolution in Europe
Renaissance started in Italy
Renaissance characterized by revival of interest in classical Greek and Roman stuff
