western civilization- medieval europe terms

4Medieval Europe – Term Sheet

Person/Place/Event                What Came Before, Describe, What Came After?

Ostrogothic Kingdom	Recovering from a defeat from the Huns in the late fourth century the Ostrogoths under their king Theodoric marched on Constantinople and killed The emperor Odoacer and took rule of Italy. The Ostrogothic kingdom maintained Roman culture and morals more than any other Germanic state. This included mainting the Imperialistic Roman government. Theodoric set up a “dual approach” law policy where, Roman’s and Germanic peoples had different laws and own officials. After Theodoric’s death the Ostrogothic empire began to fall apart. The Byzantine empire conquered Italy under Justinian laying waste to much of Italy along with the culture and Rome as one of the great urban areas in the Mediterranean.
Visgothic Kingdom	The Visgothic empire in Spain was short lived marked by constant fighting for the throne. There was no hereditary monarchy in place and no system in appointing a new king. This caused fragility and in the year 711 muslim invaders destroyed the Visgothic Empire.
Frankish Kingdom	The leader Clovis brought the Franks, the longest lasting Germanic kingdom to rule, to the continent. Arian Christians being seen as heretics by Roman-Catholics, Clovis converted to Roman-Catholicism to gain support of the people. This paved the way for his expansion of modern day France and Western Germany. Clovis Created the Merovingian Dynasty and spent his last days making sure his dynasty survive by killing off his family members who were leaders of other groups of Franks. After the death of Clovis his three sons split up the Kingdom. Neustria in norther Gaul, Austria on both side of the Rhine river, and the former kingdom of Burgundy.  In the eight century, Charles Martel who served as mayor of the palace of Austria and defeated the muslims in 741 became virtual leader of the whole Frankish kingdom at the time of his death.
Germanic Law	Germanic law differed from Roman government. German law was more personal. Often blood feuds would result from a wrong doing of a person by the opposites family. This got out of control and led to a monetary compensation for the “crime”. Wergeld, was put in place to quell this mayhem caused by killing a family member by issuing compensation for the crime against the family member. The value of the “Wergeld” was determined by social status.
The Church Fathers	The group of intellectuals who wrote in Latin and profoundly influenced the development of Christianity throughout the West.  Of these men were Saint Augustine and Jerome.
Power of the Pope	Churches had a considerable rule over administration in larger cities. The bishops of those cities executed a large amount of power. With the doctrine of Petrine supremacy, Roman bishops held a preeminent position in the church and over all other positions.
Byzantine Empire - Justinian	Justinian’s goal was to revive the Roman empire in the entire Mediterranean. With the general Belisarius The Byzantine Empire conquered the Vandals in North Africa and later the Ostrogoths which devastated Italy. Justinian was thought to have bankrupted the nations by achieving his goals, which he accomplished. But, It is now thought that a plague entered the empire causing much devastation.
Charlemagne	The son of Peppin, Charlemagne was a great ruler. Decisive, intelligent, inquisitive, a great warrior, and renowned statesmen. In the tradition of Germanic kings he was a a great warrior and undertook over fifty military campaigns. He overthrew the Lombards in Italy and took control. Charlemagne became the most powerful Christian leader. Pope Leo III declared Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day 800. Charlemagne’s coronation as Emperor marked the fusion of Roman, Christian, and Germanic Elements. He is seen as the father of Europe.
Invasions – Muslims, Magyars, Vikings	The Ninth and Tenth centuries were marked by invasions. The Muslims came first. The gathered sea bases from their territories in North Africa, Spain, and southern Gaul. The Magyars, a Western Asian group, raided western Europe under the pressure of the Pechenegs. The Magyars were crushed in 955 and went on to settle down and establish the kingdom of Hungary. The Vikings were the most destructive invaders. The Vikings hailing from Scandinavia were a Germanic people. The Vikings were great warriors and great ship builders/ sailors. This made them candidates to become invaders. The Norwegian Vikings moved into Ireland and western England. The Danes attacked eastern England, Frisia, and Rhineland. The Swedish Vikings dominated the Baltic sea.
Vassal	Warriors took an oath of loyalty, known as Vassalage, to their leader. They fought for their chief and in return he took care of the warriors needs.
Fief	This was a type of income; mostly land, which was paid to a vassal by his leader for military service.
Manorial System	Manor was agricultural estate overseen by land holing noble militarily elite. Peasants gave up their freedom and worked the land for their lords. These peasants were known as serfs and were subservient to their lords. They could not be bought or sold.
Three-field system	This agricultural system was a circle of rotation fields for the spring, summer and fall. This system was used to maintain the virility of the soil throughout the year.
Castles	Castles were huge fortification to ward off and protect from invasion and attack. Also outside of the castles were long open fields for visibility. The nobles and higher class would reside within the walls of the castle and was the place of the authority and law.
Way of the Warrior	Young boys were sent into military training to learn how to become a warrior. Jousting, horse riding, and weapon handling were among these teachings. They were taught the basic elements of reading and writing. At the age of 21 they young man would be knighted with the acknowledgment of his sponsor.
Move To Tyranny – Chivalry	An ideal of civilized behavior among the nobility. Chivalry involved a code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold.
Revival of Trade	In the early middle ages trade had declined dramatically. Italy lead the revival of trade among Europe due to the contact with the Byzantine empire. Western cities such as Venice had close trading ties with the Byzantine empire and lead other western cities to trade. The crusades opened way for more trading opportunity and revamped trade throughout Europe.  Soon commercial capitalism would rise and people would start to invest in goods and trade to make profit.
Growth of Cities	With the revival of trade came the growth of cities. With a need for more land for warehouses for products merchants began to move into old roman cities and thus began the repopulation of these old cities. As well as old cities new cities were founded. Usually near a castle or stonghold because of its location near a major trade route.
Guilds	A system much like unions where standards for a particular trade were set. Guild became prevalent in every trade and added to the rising commercial capitalism. Different from unions was the learning system in place. Guilds served as a learning place where specific trades were taught.
Origins of Universities	Guilds gave way for universities. A more structured and centralized learning environment where trades could be learned. Universities coincided with revival of Roman law. The first university in bologna Italy is much of what modern Universities are.
Revival of Classical Antiquity	Along with the resurgence of higher learning was a peaked interest in the works of the Greeks and Romans. Greek and Roman science, philosophy, literature, and art were revamped and studied. Little Greek and Roman works had survived and the works that did were difficult to obtain. In the middle ages many Greek and Roman works were destroyed and/or neglected leaving them to waste.
Scholasticism	The medieval system of philosophical theological study. The primary preoccupation was to reconcile faith with reason. In other words, was to demonstrate that religion was harmonious with what could be learned by reason.
Revival of Roman Law	Europeans were looking for a more orderly world. Studying roman law was very enticing to the collegiate. The disarray of Germanic codes, feudal customs, and urban regulations intensified the need for order. Roman law had a huge impact on the European learning and law system.
Romanesque	The roman churches influenced Romanesque architecture. Square almost cross like structures. Instead of a flat ceiling they build a high curved ceiling, which was aesthetically pleasing and also had tremendous acoustics. The churches were characterized by darkness, solidity, and had tiny slits for windows.
Gothic	Reaching up towards the heavens the ribbed celestial ceiling was a trademark of the gothic period. Giving insight into the peoples feelings about god at the time.
William of Normandy	After defeating the Anglo-Saxons William took over control of England and treated it as a royal possession. The Norman royal family took possession of one fifth of the land in England and nobles, churches, or fiefs held the rest from the king. The oath of Salisbury in 1086 required all sub vassals to swear loyalty to him thus creating a strong centralized government. William was also the vassal to the king of France at the same time as being king of England.
Magna Carta	Signed by king John, the Magna Carta regulated the relationships between kings and his vassals. Often referred to as the great charter of feudal liberties it was initially a feudal document but was used later to strengthen the concept of limited monarchy. The magna Carta enacted many laws: made the church free, made owed money from the deceased a necessity of payment for the deceased heir(s) as long as of age, no taxes toward the government for aid unless listed, all cities and boroughs enabled to maintain their customs, and set up a fare judicial system of peers.
Investiture Controversy	The controversy was caused by a disputed election of bishopric of Milan in northern Italy. The bishopric was important to maintain German influence in northern Italy. The pope threatened king Henry IV with excommunication to get him to back his candidate. To counter this threat the king called for an assembly of German bishops. The pope then had the king excommunicated and relinquished all of his subjects and their allegiance to him. This conflict went on for three more years until a new king and pope reached an agreement called the concordat of worms. This agreement gave way to the separation of church in state. The church had be dependent on the “emperor” up to this point. Not only was the Pope now free to rule over all bishops and papal happenings but they could dispose a king under certain circumstances.
Importance of Saints	Saints were extremely important in regards to hope. Hope for the common man to be ushered into heaven with a godly role, like saint Peter and the gates of heaven. The belief that anyone could become a saint through good nature and care for poor souls was inspiring to the common man.
Use of Relics	Relics were closely tied with the emphasis of saints. Saints bones or other objects that were intimately connected to the saint would be used as relics, believing them worthy of veneration. The holiness of saints was believed to be inherent in the relics.
Indulgences	The relics were used as a tool by papal authorities to push for people to be charitable or do good deeds in forgiveness for their indulgences. They assured the people that by doing such deeds they would be able to view such relics, which would reduce, there time spent in purgatory before being accepted into heaven.
Persecution of the Jews	The Jews were the only religious minority in Europe that was allowed to carry on their practices. With the religious enthusiasm of the high middle ages intolerance of other religions grew. Any non-Christian religion was seen as enemies of Christianity. When the crusades began away from home a persecution at home began. Any non-Christian practicing religion like the Jews and Pagans were plundered in every way. Any protection given to the Jews was seen has heresy and soon the Jews were abandoned by all.
The Crusades	Holy war against the Christians and Muslims exhibiting warfare and religion, the two main aspects of life of the time.
Background to the Crusades	With the growing world and increased trade and world view Europe and the east began to clash. The most important aspect of life, religion, sparked a holy war lasting years. This crusade was over the holy land of Jerusalem, the absolute religious land of Jesus’ and Mohammad.
First Crusade	From the initial enticement of from the pope to redeem all sins by fighting in the crusades, many flocked for the opportunity. Besides the former initiative the crusaders were seduced by the promise of land, wealth, prestige, and power. Thousands flocked to Jerusalem in hopes to defend god. After defeating the Muslims in a five week blood bath and killing many innocent women and children the crusaders moved further east to the Byzantine empire. They set up three crusader states and, surrounded by Muslims, looked to Italy for supplies. In the process Italian cities, especially Venice, became rich.
Second Crusade	By 1144 the Muslims began to fight back and soon took Jerusalem back. This renewed interest in the crusade and thus began the second crusade. Inspired by Bernard of Clairvoux and under the kings Henry VII of France and Emperor Conrad III of Germany the crusaders marched once again only to fail. The Muslim forces led by Saladin in 1187 crushed the crusaders.
Third Crusade	After the defeat by Saladin yet another call for a crusade ensued. Three empires lead their armies to the holy land. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, King Richard I the lion heart of England, and Phillip II Augustus of France. Their attempts were futile but Richard the lion heart made a treaty with Saladin to let Christian visitors to visit the city.
Effects of the Crusades	It is debatable whether the crusades had much of an impact on Europe. It had little effect on the Muslim world besides the castles that were built. Some historians think that it was a great way for monarchs to retain their power by sending their citizens to fight this war instead of fighting over rule of European kingdoms. One negative effect was the persecution and slaughter of the Jews at home in Europe.
The Black Death	By the end of the third century over climate change, famine, and over population made medieval Europe a Petri dish for disease. After centuries of warm weather and favorable agricultural conditions Europe slumped into what is referred to as the little ice age marked by severe storms and constant rain. Due to constant rain many crops were destroyed leading to famine and a rise in poor. Malnutrition caused by the famine made people more susceptible to disease killing ten percent of the population in the early 13th century. The disease was the bacterium Yersinia Pestis that infected fleas that infested rats, which infested areas of human population. The disease was marked by fever, joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and blotches on the skin due to bleeding underneath the dermis and killed 50-60 percent of its victims.
Spread of the Plague	The plague was spread from Asia to Europe by black rats carrying fleas that were hosts to the disease. The Mongols spread the disease into central china. it is reported that 90 percent of people near Beijing died. By the 1400s Mongols controlled much of the Eurasian continent and trade routes. This rule contributed to the spread of the black death from Asia to Europe. The plague reached Europe in October 1347 brought from Caffa to Sicily by merchants. Urban areas lost about 50-60 percent of their population and farming rural areas lost 30 percent of their population.
The Great Schism	When pope Gregory XI died the cardinals were set to elect a new pope. Citizens of Rome Feared that the cardinals, majority of French, would elect a French pope and bring the papal state to Avignon. The Romans threatened the cardinals by if they elected a French Pope they would no leave Rome alive. The cardinals elected Pope Urban VI in fear of the Romans and returned to France. Their the French cardinals, after being replaced by other non-French cardinals, stated that they elected Urban VI out of fear and the election was null and void. They then elected a Frenchman Pope Clement VII. There were now two popes thus creating the great schism. The church was split with Europe divided on their support for the pope. England, Germany, Scandinavia, and most of Italy supported Pope Urban VI. France, Spain, Scotland and Southern Italy supported Pope Clement VII. This divide was between France and England due to the hundred years war and their allies support their respective Popes.

Connecting History

How does the theme, “The importance of history is realizing its presence” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. Realizing that any division within an empire or within the church leads to conflict. Realizing these patterns from history show the outcome of these splits. In the Ostrogothic Kingdom there is a division of the German people and Roman people. From everything down to different laws for each even including a restriction of intermarriage. The split in the church did nothing, and was mostly political; besides weaken people’s belief in Christianity and the Pope himself.

How does the theme, “The same conditions always produce the same results” connect to people and/or events in this module? Provide examples. The crusades are a perfect example of similar conditions producing the same results. With several crusades only a few being somewhat successful the Christians kept persisting. They did not take into account the past crusades failure was due to the holy land being surrounded by Muslim land and Muslim people. They could not secure Jerusalem for long being in the heartland of Muslim territory. They were too far away from their supply from the homeland and outnumbered by the Muslims in their home.

How does the theme “The only thing new in the world is the history you didn’t know” connect to people and/or themes in this module? Provide examples. This applies to the Great Schism. The division of leaders is as old as time. With the Roman empire being divided in rule we can see that this division only weakens the state and the peoples faith in the people or issues at hand. Not knowing the past mistakes of leaders such as these leads to new experiences that have happened over and over again.