Medieval Society

Feudalism/Manorialism

Charlemagne

Christianity

Crusades

Growth of Towns

SSWH7• Analyze European medieval society with

regard to culture, politics, society, and economics

• a. Explain the manorial system and feudalism; include the status of peasants and feudal monarchies and the importance of Charlemagne.

• b. Describe the political impact of Christianity; include Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV of Germany (Holy Roman Emperor).

• c. Explain the role of the church in medieval society. • d. Describe how increasing trade led to the growth of

towns and cities.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks •761 Pepin the

Short dies—– Carloman and Charles

•771 Charles becomes ruler

• Built empire for Franks

*Reunited Western Europe

--larger than Byzantine Empire

*Spread Christianity• Encouraged Learning

*Opened palace school

• AD 800 Crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Leo III

*Pope claimed political Right to give RE title to King*Joining Germanic Power, Church, & heritage of Rome

Empire Declines• 814 AD

Charlemagne dies—kingdom divided among sons and grandsons

• Attacks—Vikings from north, Magyars from the east, & Muslims from south

• Vikings—Germanic people who worshiped warlike gods– Raided with speed: beach the ships, strike

quickly, then move out to sea before the victim could defend themselves

– Viking ships could hold 300 warriors (with 72 oars), weigh 20 tons, but could sail in 3 feet of water

– Looted villages and monasteries– They were traders, farmers, & explorers—

reached North America 500 years before Columbus

Feudalism/Manorialism

Feudalism•Social structure and political order based on obligations:–King—gave fiefs (land grants) for military protection

–Nobles & Bishops•Vassals (receivers of fiefs)

–Knights—mounted horsemen—–Peasants/Serfs•Serfs were tied to the land

Manorialism•Manorialism—an economic system of Feudalism

•Manor—a feudal lord’s estate•Manor house—residence &

fortress, usually a castle with a moat

• Danger—all sought safety in the manor house

• Village Peasants owed labor and a share of crops for protection

• Most peasants were serfs—bound to the land could not leave without approval of the lord

• Manor was self-sufficient: made clothing, produced weapons & tools, made leather goods, raised own food

• Feudalism was held together by a set of social obligations and teachings of the Church

Life of a Peasant

• High taxes– Mill for grain grinding– Marriage– tithe

• Crowded cottages– 1-2 rooms– Dirt floor– Used animals for heat

• Simple diet– Vegetables, brown bread,

grain, cheese, & soup

• Work– Crops, livestock, home

• Life expectancy 35 years • God determined place in society

• During Middle Ages Nobles constantly fought one another—seized territories to increase their wealth

• Lords & their armies prized combat skills

• A code of behavior developed that would guide warriors’ actions and glorify their roles

Chivalry

• Code of honor all knights must follow

• It demanded a knight bravely defend three masters:– Earthly feudal lord– Heavenly Lord– Chosen lady

Knight’s training

• Sons of nobles

• Page—age 7—waited on lord, practiced fighting skills

• Squire—age 14—servant to knight

• Knight—age 21

• Tournaments—mock battles to practice hand to hand combat

Weaponry• Siege tower—platform on top that lowered

like a drawbridge; could support weapons & soldiers

• Battering ram—heavy timber with sharp metal tip, swing like a pendulum to knock down draw bridge

• Trebuchet—giant slingshot, propelled objects

• Mangonel—flung huge rocks to crash castle walls

Trebuchet

Siege Tower

Battering Ram

Offense:1. Direct Assault | 2. Siege Tower | 3. Trebuchet | 4. Battering Ram | 5. Tunnel

Defense:6. Walls | 7. Archers | 8. Gatehouse | 9. Moat

Role of Church in Society• Stable force during era of constant warfare that

unified believers• Provided sense of security & belonging to a

religious community (had great power)• Structure:

– Pope– Archbishops– Cardinal– Bishop– Priest

• Medieval life harsh—could have live forever in heaven

• Sacraments—religious rituals or ceremonies:– Baptism

– Confirmation

– Communion/Eucharist

– Confession

– Holy orders

– Holy Matrimony

– Last rites/anointing of the sick

• Church Services held in Latin

• Church created system to guide peoples conduct– Canon Law (Church Law) must be followed by

kings and peasants for marriage & religious rites/rituals/ceremonies

– Courts created to try violators of Canon Law

• Violate law face harsh punishment:– Excommunication-banished from church &

denial of salvation– Interdict-sacraments/religious rites could not

be performed in the kings land

• 936 Otto I becomes king (Germany), formed close alliance with Church

• Sought clergy help to limit power of nobles

• The Holy Roman Empire remained strongest state until ~1100 CE.

• Point of contention = Lay Investiture

• The appointment of church officials by kings

Pope Gregory VII

• Church not happy that kings had control over clergy

• Did not approve of Lay Investiture

• If king appoints Bishops, they can control them

• 1075 Lay Investitures banned by Pope Gregory

King Henry IV

• Angered by Pope Gregory, Henry called a meeting of ‘his’ bishops

• HRE Henry, backed by the bishops, demanded Gregory to step down from papacy

• Pope Gregory excommunicated Henry

• Bishops & princes sided with Pope

• Henry (1077) begged pope for forgiveness

• In Canossa, Italy, Henry stood barefooted and clad in wool (not royal robes) in the snow for three days outside the gate of the castle begging the Pope for forgiveness…

• Which the Pope did…

• Pope and Henry continued to fight over issue until…

• 1122 CE Church representatives & HRE met to reach a compromise on lay investitures

• Concordat of Worms—church appoint bishops BUT HRE could veto appointment

• 1152 CE Frederick I (Barbarossa) appointed German King

Age of Faith• Problems in the Church:

• Church doctrine and services in Latin– Some priests and most average persons

illiterate– Some Popes were of questionable morals– Many village priests were married & had

families– Simony practiced—bishops selling

of church offices– Lay investiture

Age of Faith

• Pope Leo IX & Pope Gregory VII enforced church law against simony & marriage of priests

• 1100s-1200s church restructured as a kingdom headed by the Pope and the papal Curia (advisers)

• Collected tithes, cared for sick (operating first hospitals)

New Religious Orders

• 1200s Wondering Friars – spread Christian ideals– Took vows of poverty & chastity– Lived among villagers

• Monks– Lived in monasteries apart from the world

Dominicans, Franciscans• Dominicans founded by Dominic (Spanish priest)

– Emphasized importance of study, were scholars

• Franciscans founded by Francis of Assisi (Italian)– All creatures were his spiritual brothers and

sisters

• Women could join and administer to sick and poor– Poor Clares (Franciscan order for women) &

Benedictine convent founded in 1147

Crusades• What were the Crusades?

– Holy war between Christians & Muslims for control of Jerusalem (the Holy Land)

• What caused the Crusades?– Began when Muslims

invaded Constantinople

Causes:

1. Muslims held control of Holy Land2. Attacks on Constantinople3. Pope wanted to reunite Eastern &

Western Branches of Christianity4. Weed out quarrelsome knights5. Way to gain land, wealth, & adventure for

‘later born’ sons6. Merchants wanted to control key trade

routes

1st Crusade

• 1095 Pope Urban II called for Crusade against Muslim attack on Constantinople

• Proclaimed all who died on Crusade gained instant salvation

• No military strategy—nobles fought among each other

• 12000 men held siege—captured land from Edessa to Jerusalem July 15, 1099

2nd Crusade

• Organized to recapture Edessa

• 1187 Saladin (Muslim leader) Captured Jerusalem

3rd Crusade

• Recapture Jerusalem• Philip II (France); Barbarossa (Germany);

Richard the Lionhearted (England)• Philip left for France• Barbarossa drowned• Richard to face Saladin• Truce 1192—Muslims maintain control of

Jerusalem But Christian’s given free access to Holy sites

4th Crusade

• 1204• Failed miserably• Knights wanted

personal gain• Looted

Constantinople instead

Children’s Crusade• 1212—France

– Steven Cloyes convinced 30,000

– Marched toward Mediterranean Sea

– died, drowned, or sold into slavery

• Germany—Nicholas of Cologne– 20,000 marched toward

Rome– 2000 returned to Germany

rest never heard from again

Spanish Crusades

• Reconquista—the Spanish effort to drive the Moors (Muslims) from Spain

• Inquisition—the Church court held to suppress heresy

• Heresy—going against Catholic teachings

Results of Crusades

• Women manage affairs, operate shops & inns

• Expanded trade between Europe and Asia

• Failure of Crusades weakened Popes power

• Growth of towns, cities & universities

Changes in Medieval SocietyGrowth of Towns & Cities

Farming Changes

• Peasants used oxen to pull plows, etc

• Horses plowed 3 times as much land a day but needed better food

• Harness developed enabling horses to pull plows

• Gradually horses replaced oxen

3 Field System• Villages began to

reorganize farm land into 3 fields– Grow crops on 2 fields– 3rd field lay fallow (rested)

to restore nutrients

• Food production increased—better able to feed population

• People could resist disease & live longer

• Population expanded (grew)

Commercial Revolution

• Trade took place in towns

• Peasants traveled to town on trade fair days

• More goods from foreign lands became available

• Italian merchant ships traded on the Mediterranean Sea ports (Muslim North Africa Ports, Constantinople)

Banking

• Traders going from trade fair to trade fair need a way to exchange many types of currency– Bills of exchange

• Established exchange rates between different coins

– Letters of Credit• Eliminated need to carry large amounts of cash

• Banking became an important in Italy

Guilds• An organization to improve economic &

social conditions of its members (Union)• Merchant guilds were first

– Control number of goods being traded– Keep prices up

• Craft guilds– Set standards for quality of work, wages &

working conditions– Trained and supervised new workers

Training• Apprentice

– Parents paid for training

– Lived with master– Lasted 2-7 years

• Journeyman– Worked for master,

earned salary– Worked 6 days/week– Must produce

masterpiece to become master

• Master– Owned his shop– Worked with other

masters—protect trade– Could serve in civic

government

Town Conditions• Streets narrow• Filled with animals and waste• No sewers—human waste dumped into

street• Houses lacked fresh air, light, & clean

water• They didn’t bathe• Serfs ran away to towns

– Could gain freedom if they lived their a year and a day

Medieval Towns• Trade, demand for labor, serfs seeking

freedom contributed to growth of towns

• Merchant class began to grow

• Christian scholars began visiting Muslim libraries in Spain

• Wealthy Merchant’s sons began studying under these scholars hoping to gain job in government or church

Plague• During 1300s disease strikes = Black

Death: Bubonic Plague

• About 1/3 of European population dies

• Plague started in Asia, traveled trade routes and infected Muslim Empire and Europe

• Caused by fleas on rats

• “Ring a Ring a rosie…”

Effects of Plague• Manorial system crumbles

• Town populations fall

• Trade declines/prices rise

• Serfs leave manors

• Nobles resists peasant demands/peasants revolt

• Jews blamed for plagues and massacred or driven from country

• Church loses prestige when prayers to stop plague don’t work

The End

Revival of Learning• Contact with the Muslims during the

Crusades brought a new interest in learning

• Muslims had copies of the works of the Greek philosophers that had been lost after the fall of Rome

• Jewish scholars translated the Greek works from Arabic to Latin

• Crusaders brought back Muslim technologies

• Universities established in Paris, Bologna, Salerno, & Oxford

• Universities were for the sons of well-to-do artisans that want to pursue a job in government or the church

• Scholars began writing in the vernacular:– Dante=The Divine Comedy– Chaucer=The Canterbury Tales– Thomas Aquinas=believed religious truths

could be proved by logic

Great Schism

• 1305 Philip IV (France) asserted authority over church

• Pope Boniface VIII responded with a document that required kings to obey popes

• Philip IV holds pope prisoner awaiting a trail in France

• 1303 pope rescued but dies

Schism • 1305 Philip IV persuades cardinals to elect

French archbishop as Pope (Clement V)

• French Pope moves papacy to Avignon France (69 years)

• Pope Gregory XI died while visiting Rome

• Cardinals elect Urban VI (Italian)– Papacy declared null & void

• Cardinals pick Clement VII (French)

• Neither pope would vacate office—each excommunicated the other

• 1414 Council of Constance appointed yet another pope

• Finally Council backed by HRE forced all three Popes to resign

• 1417 Cardinals select new Pope—Martin V—ending Great Schism

• Reduced power of already weakened Papacy