High Middle Ages

I. Economy
A. Agriculture
i. climate warmed, making farming easier
a) farmers could move further north, plant earlier in the year
ii. new technologies
a) developed better plows, harnesses for oxen, horseshoes, wheelbarrow
b) developed the mill for grain powered by water or wind
• later adapted for sawmills
• made these things cheaper and increased profits
iii. patterns of farming
a) rotated crops using three field system
• kept soil fresh
• provided more balanced diet, improving health
• population increased, and people spread to unused land
B. Manors and Serfdom
i. traditionally, farms were run by individual families
ii. peasants began to gather together to pool resources and act defensively
a) aristocrats charged rent fees to peasants living on their land
b) often, a large piece of land was farmed by many families
iii. aristocrats were granted land and title by king, therefore were legally allowed to rule
their land
a) passed laws to keep peasants working on their land
• this is serfdom
• similar to slavery, but not quite the same
• serfdom passed to children
b) gained wealth by exploiting free labor
iv. by the 1200's, areas with the most advanced systems (England, France, Germany)
changed to charging money rather than goods or services
a) freed peasants from serfdom, but required they pay high rent in cash
• no matter what happened (failed crops, fall in prices) they had to pay rent
v. no matter how advanced the kingdom, some areas continued feudal power until nearly
the 1800s
C. Aristocrats and Church hierarchy
i. old families came into the Middle Ages already wealthy
ii. new families gained status by being granted land and title by king
iii. Lords, counts, princes were at the top
a) knights served as the primary warriors of the aristocrats
• only the wealthy could be knights, as they had to pay for everything
• knighthood followed a strict code and extensive training
b) peasants were the backbone of society
• built the castles, worked the land, served knights and lords
c) middle class gets their beginnings
• all labor was distasteful to nobility
• as a result, any buying, selling, or manufacturing was done by those above
peasants but beneath knights
 • were not serfs, but not wealthy enough to raise status
II. Urban Growth
A. towns and cities were the central areas where goods were traded for cash
i. especially important when aristocrats began charging rent in money rather than goods
B. also center of Church administration, education, and major government administration
C. populated mostly by free peasants and escaped serfs
D. skilled craftsmen, shop keepers, and artisans were next up on the social hierarchy
i. most belonged to guilds after being granted charters (licenses) to operate
a) this restricted competition, allowed them to control prices
b) a boy would apprentice for several years, then become a journeyman (paid by
master)
• if he created a masterpiece and passed inspection by guild, he became a master
E. Church hierarchy and government officials were at the top
F. largest cities were dirty, overpopulated, and mostly made of wood
i. significant fire hazard, which London learned the hard way
ii. most cities had no running water or sewage systems, leading to disease and plague
III. Rise of Feudal National Monarchies
A. after the fall of the Carolingians, lands responded differently in creating government
i. some came under the rule of powerful kings
a) Alfred the Great in England, King Otto in Germany
ii. others focused power in merchant cities
a) Italy, Flanders (Belgium), and northern Spain followed this pattern
iii. even others declared themselves independent Republics
B. sometimes, wealthy merchants dominated local government
i. usually faced resistance from other powerful families (Romeo and Juliet)
C. most kings claiming absolute power couldn't hold on to it
i. relied heavily on aristocrats running areas of their kingdom
ii. as more powerful kings rose, they gained power over larger areas, leading to countries
IV.Examples of Feudal Monarchies
A. England
i. 1066 William the Conqueror from Normandy takes over England
a) he ruled over aristocrats who were granted land, who then gave land to knights
b) the King collected taxes, created currency, raised armies from lords
ii. William's descendants continue this, and gain even more power over aristocracy
a) Henry II forced the Church to recognize authority of royal law
• also began trial by jury
• brought commoners into participation with government
• gave free men (not serfs) the promise of equality under English law
• strengthened principle that the people, government, and kings are subject to
the law
b) King Richard the Lionheart spent almost his entire 10 year reign fighting the
Crusades, but the laws allowed life to continue the same
c) after his death, his brother John took power
• went to war in France, raised huge taxes to pay for it
• after he lost the war, the aristocracy forced him to sign the Magna Carta (1215)
• this began to limit the power of the king and give the aristocracy rights
d) Edward I, John's grandson, started Parliament
• group of aristocrats and some commoners who voted on changes to taxes
 B. France
i. Hugh Capet took over weak monarchy from Carolingians
a) had very little power, but his descendants expanded their rule from 1000-1300
• established Paris, forged relationships with the Church
b) over time, kings began to institute rule over aristocracy much like England had
c) in the late 1200's, they established the Estates General
• much like Parliament, free subjects could vote on new taxes or laws
• without a document like the Magna Carta, these votes were just suggestions
C. Germany
i. rulers were crowned Emperor by Pope like Charlemagne
a) all, even the Church, were subservient to Emperor
ii. relationship with Papacy broke down in mid 1000's
iii. by 1125, German nobility began to vote on new emperors, who were then appointed by
the Pope
a) nobles and Church worked together to make sure the ruler stayed weak
iv. Frederick I and II reestablished power
a) Freddy I renamed himself the Holy Roman Emperor, and claimed his rule by God's
blessing
• expanded territory east and paid aristocracy with stolen wealth
• expanded south into Italy and made cities pay tribute
• his son conquered everything surrounding Rome, keeping the Pope quiet
b) Freddy II pushed even further until he was excommunicated by Pope (4 times)
v. After Freddy II, HRE continued, but with significant limits
a) real power lay with princes, counts, dukes, etc
D. Spain
i. controlled by Muslims in various kingdoms
ii. Christian rulers attempted to reconquer area, but didn't reunify it until late 1400's
V. Crusades
A. Byzantium
i. after pressure from Islam, they regain territory in 900
a) also expand influence of Orthodox Church to Balkan pagans and Kievian Rus
ii. Seljuk Turks invade in 1071, destroy army in east and take Holy Land
iii. despite split with Roman Catholics in 1054, the Emperor asked the Pope for help
B. Pope Urban II
i. wanted to reestablish relations with East and retake Holy Land
a) at the same time he was fighting for control in Germany with HRE
b) also wanted to turn violent Knights against Turks rather than each other
ii. Knights from all over Europe answered the call
a) had to pay for travel, equipment, and anyone they brought with them (like serfs)
b) some wanted plunder, others believed in Church
• Pope offered "plenary indulgence"
• forgiveness of sins and freedom from purgatory, go directly to heaven
• zeal for Christianity led some to attack any non-Christian
• led to mass killings and forced conversion of Jews
c) able to retake all lost land with a strong army, a divided enemy, and navy from Italy
• also slaughtered everyone in Damascus, Sidon, Jerusalem, and every other
conquered city- every man, woman, child; Muslim, Jew, even Christian
iii. established short-lived Catholic "Crusader kingdom"
 a) within a generation, Muslim forces counterattacked and retook Syria
C. France and Germany led 2nd Crusade, but lost to Turks
i. Sultan (Caliph) Saladin took Jerusalem
D. England, France, and Germany led 3rd Crusade (Richard the Lionheart); lost to Saladin
E. Pope Innocent III launched 4th Crusade, lost again
i. Crusaders lost at Jerusalem, so instead they sacked Constantinople
a) this destabilized trade through the region, weakening the Kievian Rus against the
Mongols
F. 5th failed, 6th and 7th focused on Egyptian Sultanate instead
i. done in concert with the Mongols, but poor planning and timing prevented any major
changes in rule of the region
VI. Results of Contact with Muslims
A. by end of 4th Crusade, warfare had stopped being about religion and became about
dominating trade routes
i. Italian city-states (Venice, Genoa, Florence) strengthened themselves during Crusades
a) Venice and Genoa controlled Byzantine crown and trade routes from China and
India after they sacked Constantinople
• overthrown by Ottoman Turks in 1300s, Constantinople renamed Istanbul in
1453
B. reestablished lost knowledge from Dark Ages, begins to bring about Renaissance
i. Muslim scholars in Mediterranean area translated many texts into Latin, allowing
scholars to relearn the Classics
a) this learning in Universities led to Scholasticism
• idea that God gave us Divine Revelation (Bible) and human curiosity and reason
to learn new things
• those who went too far with this idea were charged with heresy, so some
discoveries were ignored or downplayed (Copernicus and Galileo)
• led almost all knowledge to be seen from the Christian worldview
• most important scholar was Thomas Aquinas
• said some things (Trinity) couldn't be understood, but nature should be
studied with logic and reason
• brought together theology and philosophy, which led the Church to begin
studying the Bible with logic rather than blind faith
b) Universities
• developed to teach new philosophy and logic
• 4 years and passing tests gave Bachelors degree, 4 more a Masters, 10 more a
Doctors
• gaining these levels gave special recognition from king, which brought
privileges
c) Masterworks
• new literature developed written in vernacular (local language)
• Divine Comedy (Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradisio); Canterbury Tales
C. contact with Muslims and bad Popes led to overall decline of Church authority
i. some Popes were corrupt, others simply weak leaders
a) allows many to take advantage, including people naming themselves or someone
else a priest or bishop
• leads to further corruption
ii. Church remained strong due to occasional good/powerful Pope and reform in
 monasteries, most especially by St. Francis
a) many monks were appointed as bishops, and people began to see priests and bishops
as living chaste, poor, and remaining obedient to Pope
iii. Papal Reform
a) Nicholas II established Cardinals to take power away from Emperor naming Popes
b) Leo IX banned marriage among clergy
c) Gregory VII pushed to ban lay investiture, indulgences, and overall corruption
iv. Church also established dogma vs. heresy during Medieval Period
D. Kings and Popes fought for control over Europe
i. a few Popes even raised armies, literally fighting for control
ii. by the 1400's, Kings and aristocracy were trying to find ways to break from Church
control
a) succeeded with Protestant Reformation
VII. Russia
A. Kievan Rus
i. a loose confederation of tribes that spoke similar Slavic languages, located near present-
day Ukraine centered around the city of Kiev
a) some believe the Rus to be descendants of Vikings who settled in the area
ii. tied mostly to the Byzantine Empire until the sack of Constantinople
a) soon after the Rus were conquered by the Mongols
B. Muscovy
i. a region north of the Rus centered around Moscow
a) after the Rus were conquered, Muscovy became a tributary of the Mongols
(specifically the local Golden Horde, a powerful group under the Mongol Empire)
ii. Ivan III expanded Muscovy to the west, fighting over former Rus lands with the
kingdoms of Poland and Lithuania
a) these wars spanned 43 years, but by 1503 Ivan III had tripled his land
• he named himself tsar (aka czar), and proclaimed himself “Ruler of all Rus”
• he also married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, and at the fall of the
Byzantine Empire he claimed Muscovy was the successor state to the Roman
Empire, the “Third Rome”
b) Ivan III's grandson, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) would establish the Tsardom of
Russia, which would expand into the Russian Empire over the next 400 years until a
civil war during WWI would end the last tsar, eventually becoming the Soviet Union
VIII. The Mongol Horde
A. Early Years
i. in 1206 many small tribes existing north of China were united under the leadership of
Genghis Khan
a) he sent invading forces in all directions
• the Mongols were able to ride horses and fire arrows with amazing accuracy
b) he also reorganized his forces to be more efficient, awarded positions of power
based on achievements, and passed new laws designed to stabilize the region
ii. quickly Genghis Khan took over huge areas of Central Asia, including most of China,
present day Russia, eastern Persia, invaded Tibet, and conquered nearly to Europe
a) he imposed restrictions on Muslims and Jews, seeing their religions as alien, but
mostly allowed Chinese religious worship to continue
iii. by Genghis Khan's death in 1227, the Mongol Empire ruled from the Pacific Ocean to
the Caspian Sea, an area double the size of the Roman Empire or Muslim Caliphate
 a) this was the largest empire in history
B. Expansion
i. Genghis named his son Ogedei to succeed him, and the chieftains voted to approve him
a) he continued to expand Mongol power, continuing the invasion of China, pushing
further east into present day Iraq, conquering the Kievan Rus, and into Europe
• in Europe, the eastern kingdoms gathered to stop the Mongols, with some
successes and failures
• just before the Mongols finished off Hungary, Ogedei died and the chieftains
had to retreat to elect his successor
b) Ogedei named his son to be his successor, but for 4 years one tribe (the Golden
Horde) made excuses not to return and vote, so Ogedei's widow took power
• she expanded building projects and roads, focusing on education, religion, and
new imperial palaces
• the youngest brother of Genghis Khan tried to take power, but was fought off by
Ogedei's successor Guyuk
• after winning, Guyuk was elected ruler and was recognized by Mongol
chieftains and outsiders, including representatives of the Pope
• the French even tried to make an alliance with the Mongols against the
Muslims, but something always stopped them
ii. Guyuk and later successors continued to push their boundaries, eventually taking over
Korea, the Muslim Abbasid Caliphate (including the Order of Assassins), and most of
Turkey
a) continued to fight China, but couldn't take over the south
C. Decline
i. disagreements arose about who would rule the empire each time a ruler died, and
eventually civil war broke out
a) Kublai Khan eventually won and took over the empire
• he then finished the invasion of China, making him the only person outside of
China to conquer all of China
ii. Kublai Khan moved his power base to present-day Beijing and named himself emperor
of the new Chinese Yuan dynasty
a) during his rule he expanded trade, education, the arts, and science
• he also had multiple military defeats despite his other successes
iii. after Kublai Khan's death the infighting began again, and coupled with the losses in
wars during Kublai's life, the Mongol Empire divided into independent khanates and the
Yuan dynasty
a) after nearly 100 years of civil war between the Yuan's and the khanates, the Pax
Mongolica began
• this marks a period of stable trade and cultural development that stretched from
China to Europe, increasing the wealth of water trade (dominated by Venice) and
expanding international banking (dominated by Florence)
b) while the independent western khanates and the Yuan dynasty continued for
hundreds of years to work together, they would not again combine for coordinated
military strikes against others