Europe/Middle Ages

1000-1500
Ch. 10 p. 322
Part 1. Peasants, Trade, & Cities
New agriculture: climate change & new farming methods=population growth
(38-76 million); serfs worked the land, merchants/artisans revived old cities.
● Water power
● Wind power
● Iron— carruca: heavy, wheeled plow made of iron
pulled (fast) horse instead of (slow oxen) as a result
of iron harness/horseshoe. Shared by a village due to cost.
● Changed from 2-3 field crop rotation. Instead of 1 field harvested and 1
left fallow or unplanted, 1 planted in spring, 1 in fall, and 1 left fallow.
**kept soil fertile
 Manorial System
Manor: agricultural estate that a lord ran & peasants worked.
Serfs: were peasants who were legally bound to the land. (60% of
Europeans were serfs)
● Lords land= ⅓-½ of the manor
● Peasants used the rest to grow food for themselves and giving a
share of what they grew to the lord.
● Lords had to give serfs permission to leave estates, and to
marry outside the manor, & protect serfs.
Catholic Church offered respite to hardworking peasant. All
catholic holidays and feast days gave peasants a break from work.
Revival of Trade
Italy started it.

● Venice developed a mercantile

fleet/fleet of trading ships.

Flanders, Belgium was the other port of

trade. Famous for woolen cloth.

Champagne, France: trade fairs—fur,

woolen cloth, tin, hemp, honey, swords,
silk, sugar, spices from all over Europe.

This led to money economy and demand

for gold and silver. Commercial
capitalism
Growth of cities: revival of trade led to revival of cities.
Usually merchants built a settlement near a castle because it was on a trade route and
because lords offered protection.

Bourgeoisie: merchants and artisans of the new cities; walls built around these inhabitants

European cities small compared to Byzantine or Arab cities.

Elections rigged so that patricians or members of wealthiest and most powerful families
won.

Danger of fire high due to close quarter. (Walled cities) cities were DIRTY

Guilds: business associations; apprentice: usually around 10- learn under a master
craftsman. No $$. journeyman: after 5-7 years, apprentice becomes journeyman. Once a
masterpiece was created, the journeyman could join the guild and become a master.
Part 2; Medieval Christianity: The Catholic Church stopped being a secular
(anything BUT spiritual) influence and instead focused solely on religion.

Rise of the secular: Papal monarchy: since 5th century, popes supreme over
church dealings, which led to the pope/Catholic Church being in control of
Papal States or territories around central Italy. Because feudalism was in effect,
vassals held power and were usually bishops or abbots, so they had little care
for spiritual duties. SO—church leaders had gotten away from church

Reform: church wanted to be free of lords’ influence In the appointment of

church officials, which was called lay investiture.
Pope Gregory VII named himself “vicar on Earth,” and extended his
authority over all the Christian world, thus eliminating the lay investiture.
Pope Gregory received flack from European kings who could no
longer appoint church officials, thus making the kings lose power
among their lords, specifically Henry IV of Germany. This was
known as the Investiture Controversy.

Concordant of Worms: 1122 German bishops elected by church

officials. Mutual respect between king and bishop.

Pope Innocent III: 1200’s height of political power for Catholic Church.
Interdict: forbids priests from giving sacraments to a particular
group.
Mrs. G reads p. 344
New Religious Orders
1000s-1100s- new wave of religious enthusiasm in Europe, which led to an increase in
monasteries and religious officers.

Cistercian order: monks who thought Benedictine monks weren’t strict enough. These
monks ate simply and only owned 1 robe. No decorations in church. More prayer and
work, less for all services.

Women: nuns & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK5AohCMX0U

Franciscans & Dominicans

Preached repentance & helping the poor. Wanted to defend the church

Missionary work from heresy: denial of church

rules

Inquisition a court created by the Catholic Church to find and try heretics.
Religious practice in high Middle Ages

Sacraments : only administered by clergy

Saints

Relics : Mrs G reads p. 347

Pilgrimage
Part 3 Culture in High Middle Ages
Architecture: explosion of building of churches/cathedrals; in Romanesque style and then
gothic style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdeeuS60-A

Universities: first appeared in Bologna, Italy. (Men only) Univ of Paris was first in
Northern Europe. Oxford was started as a rebellion against Univ. Of Paris. Theology:
most highly regarded subject; study of religion.

● Scholasticism: tried to reconcile faith and reason. St. Thomas Aquinas: most
famous attempt to reconcile reason (Aristotle) and faith. Summa Theologica
● Aristotle: used reason, not faith to reach his conclusions.

Vernacular literature: instead of everything being written in Latin, things were written in every
day country’s languages. (Spanish, French, etc.)
 Part 4; The Late Ages
Black Death: the most devastating natural disaster in European history. Bubonic plague: ;
started In Sicily in 1347. ⅓ of European population died. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kScxc9DPrnY

Anti-semitism started as rumors spread that the jews poisoned wells.

With so much death, labor shortage, decline in feudalism. SEVERE ECONOMIC

CONSEQUENCES

Decline of church power: Pope Boniface and King Phillip IV of France argued over
taxation. Phillip then orchestrated election of a French pope, Clement, who lived in France.
The Great Schism: one pope in France and a newly elected Italian pope in Rome (Urban
VI). A great divide in Catholicism in Europe.
Hundred Years’ War: England Vs. France fought over the duchy of Gascony; first war
that used peasant soldiers. France won. New weapon made possible by the
invention of gunpowder: cannon

Joan of Arc: 17 year old who inspired French soldiers with her faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q3uAu1EuRc led France to victory at Orleans was later captured
by England and burned as a witch.

Political recovery: during 1300’s many European kingdoms couldn’t produce male heirs.
New re-established states called new monarchies.
● France: 100 years War left France broke and tired, but with a strong sense of nationalism. Taille:
an annual direct tax on land or property.
● England: 100 years War also hard on England. AND a new war started between two families for
control of monarchy. War of roses. Tudors took power.
● Spain: Christian rulers fought to regain control of lands from Muslims. Ferdinand and Isabella
thought religious unity meant political unity. Demanded everyone be Catholic.