Chapter 10

1. Europe After the Roman Empire

1. Barbarian Odoacer took command of Rome in A.D. 476, removed emperor
2. Rise of the Germanic Kingdoms

1. Fall of Rome Marked beginning of Middle Ages, which lasted until 1450
2. New kingdoms set up in lands that the Germanic invaders had conquered
3. A Conquering People
1. 15-year-old Clovis became king of Franks, a group of Germanics; led them in wars that widened the boundaries of the Frankish kingdom; lead them into Christianity
2. Monks formed monasteries, where they devoted themselves to preserving the ideas of ancient Rome and Greece
3. Church supported Clovis because it wanted to continue serving Christians in the Frankish kingdom; Church had to cooperate with king
4. A New Royal Family
1. Clovis sons/grandsons argued a lot and a new family rose to power called the Mayors of the Palace
2. Mayor of the Palace Charles Martlel defeated Muslim invaders from Spain in Tours, France
3. Martel’s son Pepin became first king to rule with blessings of the church. Pepins son was Charlemagne

1. Charlemagnes Empire

1. Charlemagne became emperor of former Western Roman Empire
2. 48 years of rule were dominated by war; fought Lombards of Italy, Saxons to the north, Avars/Slavs to east, and others; 60campaigns in all. Made defeated opponents swear loyalty to him and accept Roman church
3. An Emperor Crowned
1. Charlemagne helped Pope Leo III put down a rebellion in Italy, on Christmas he was crowned emperor
2. Only head of the Eastern Roman Empire could legally claim title of emperor but title fitted Charlemagne well
4. An Age of Learning
1. Charlemagne needed men of letters around him
2. Very few people knew how to read the few remaining books; Charlemagnes scholars copied manuscripts by hand
3. As Charlemagne got older, his empire began to unravel
4. In 814 , at age 72, Charlemagne died
5. Jews in Medieval Europe
1. Jew lost many rights when Empire fell and Christians gained rule
2. Many rulers gave Jews rights in exchange for extra taxes; Jews were free to move around Muslim lands while Christians were not
3. Created a culture called "Ashkenazic" which included its own language, Yiddish, combo of Hebrew and Old German. Jewish communities were not very secure
4. Rashi was important Jewish scholar, whose work is still in use today
6. Europe After Charlemagne

1. Charlemagne’s son Charles the Pious was not a very good ruler and his sons divided empire among themselves (Lothair, Charles, and Louis). Landowners became independent, their kingdoms fell apart
2. People looked to local lords for defense
3. Vikings fight to take over Europe while it is vulnerable

1. Medieval England

1. England was saved from Vikings by tough Anglo-Saxon king, Alfred the Great
2. A New Ruler

1. King Edward (Alfred’s descendant) died childless and right to English throne became a big question. Edward’s brother in law Harold was elected king but Edward’s cousin William, Duke of Normandy in France, objected saying he had more right to the throne
2. William’s army defeated Harold’s
3. William ruled England firmly, spread feudalism

1. Feudalism develops
2. Fiefs were given to warriors who had served king. These people became vassals (subjects), who swore oath of fealty to king (promised to remain loyal)
3. Vassals granted their land to others, became lords.

1. Daily Life in Feudal Europe

1. Harsh conditions for peasants
2. Peasants were at the bottom of feudal pyramid
3. The Feudal System

1. William planned to rule in peace; used same feudal system as France
2. Vassals showed honor to their lords (paid homage)
3. Oath of fealty: vassal knelt before lord, clasped hands. Swore to be loyal and loving, then kisses lord
4. William set about to reinforce feudalism

1. Life in the Country

1. William and lords built fortified castles on their fiefs to help shape lives of people who made up English nobility
2. Nobles

1. For lord of a fief, castle might be home and for others it was a center for feudal life and offered safety during a battle. Castle walls were 3’ thick and were strongly built
2. Norman castle was built for security, not comfort. Lord and Lady usually slept behind a curtain in the main dining hall. Sleeping in the hall might be mob of knights, guests, servants, and dogs. Floor was covered with herbs to keep down smell of ones and other refuse.
3. Knights who lived in castle lived in for food lodging, armor, and horse in exchange for his services. Between wars, castle knights fought and bullied servants unless lord was closely watching them
4. Lady of castle had little power except over female servants. Medieval women were supposed to be subject to their husbands and fathers. Did housework. Took over manor when husbands were at war
5. Some noblewomen controlled fiefs or became absesses, who ruled over convents and convent lands

1. Peasants

1. Lord’s castle could be cold, drafty fortress. Even wealthy families lived with their animals
2. Farming methods improved but was still hard work
3. Peasant woman produced food and clothing for her own household.

1. Clergy

1. Out of men of prayer, men of war, and men of work, perhaps those of prayer had most comfortable lives
2. The clergy (pope, archbishops, bishops, priests, monks, nuns, etc.) was very important as far as ceremonies. Many people believed that life on Earth was preparation for eternal life to come, and believed that those who sinned would not experience this
3. Power to condemn or forgive sinners made church considerable force.
4. Monastery was a complex community with many different buildings such as granaries, breweries, bakeries, wineries, and abbey church and library.
5. Monks copied manuscripts and drew illustrations. Nuns taught children, fed the poor, cared for the sick, and provided shelter for travelers. Most of the clergy worked long hours

1. Life in the Town

1. Peasants seeking freedom, sons of nobles seeking fortune, scholars seeking new ideas, and freed serfs left manors for towns
2. The Growth of Towns

1. Medieval towns were crowded
2. Towns became scarce, population of Rome went from 1 million to a few thousand
3. In the 1000s, trade and towns began to revive

1. Guilds

1. A guild was a union of people who practiced the same trade. Limited number of people accepted
2. Apprentice served until mastered basic skills, then became journeyman, who worked for pay. To be admitted into guild, he would make a masterpiece and present it to the guild
3. A craftswoman could be admitted into a guild if her husband was a member
4. Jews often lived in towns because they couldn’t own land. Since they couldn’t join guilds either they often became merchants
5. Towns weakened feudal system

1. The Forces of Change

1. Feudal lords became more prominent
2. When King John took the throne, the more powerful lords were outspoken. The lords owning land in the north France region were angered when John lost all his lands there
3. Disagreement between John and pope led to the churches shutting doors to people of England. Many lords renounced allegiance to John and forced him to affix the royal seal to a medieval document- the Magna Carta
4. Magna Carta focused on rights of nobles
5. Magna Carta became basis for future reforms
6. Magna Carta began downfall of feudalism

2. Two Feudal Societies

1. The Japanese samurai was similar to Italian knight
2. Both men spent their lives preparing to wage battle for their lords. Samurai training was in stages, similar to the knight
3. Despite different religions, both men followed codes stressing loyalty to their lords and setting a good example for lesser classes
4. Similar Societies

1. Feudalism became more popular after fall of Rome and especially fall of Charlemagne’s empire
2. In 1100s, samurai became an important new class of Japan society
3. Styles of Battle

1. Frankish leader Charles Martel asked his most trusted warriors to use income form their land to equip themselves with horses and armor
2. When Frankish soldiers started using horses, they lengthened their spears into lances, which were effective
3. Horseback fighting became more and more popular
4. Samurai did not learn new methods of fighting at the beginning of their feudal period

1. Codes of Honor

1. Tales of Muddle Ages praised knights such as King Arthur’s Sir Lancelot
2. Knights lived by the Code of Chivalry, which included values: courtesy, honor, defending the weak, and loyalty to one’s lord. Most knights did not live up to these ideals
3. Samurai code is today called bushido, which says a samurai must give up his life if necessary to protect his lord, and included rules of gentlemanly conduct

1. Different Societies

1. Way of Samurai was important force in society until 1854. Feudalism had ended 400 years earlier
2. Feudalism ended in Europe because growing towns offered an alternative and military technology advanced in 1300s
3. Sometimes, a knight would be more interested in overseeing his land than serving as a warrior. A knight who broke his vows was stripped of his armor. After 1400 kings began to rely more on paid armies
4. Ruling shoguns forced samurai to become literate and to learn administrative skills
5. Feudalism lasted longer in Japan partly because samurai who were not warriors became government administrators, and because Japan sealed itself off from West between 1635 and 1854, preserving feudal society
6. Japanese feudalism dies