5/28/14

Today in class we took a test. I thought it was challenging. Hopefully I did well.

5/27/2014

Today we reviewed for our test tomorrow

• middle ages were from AD 476 - AD 1453 
• (this is a new society) The new society has roots in:
• classical heritage of Rome 
• Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
• customs of various Germanic tribes. 
• 5th century Germanic invaders overrun the western half of the Roman Empire. Causing:
• Disruption of trade
• downfall of cities
• population shifts to rural areas. 
• Effects of invasion
• Tribes had oral tradition, songs. but couldn't read Greek or Latin.
• Romance languages evolve. (French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)
• Few besides priests were literate.
• Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor, he provides them with food, weapons, treasure.
• Result: 
• no orderly government for large areas
• small communities. 
• Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (Which is where "France comes from) 
• in 496 AD he had a battle field conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
• In 520 AD, Benedict writes rules for monks. Rules are on power point
• Scholastica wrote similar rules for nuns. 
• They operate schools, maintained libraries and copied books. 
• Church revenues are used to help poor, build roads, and raise armies. 
• This is a Theocracy. (know definition)
• Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany.
• a descendant of Clovis, Charles Martel was also known as Charles the Hammer. 
• Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the battle of tours in 732 (if he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim empire) 
• Charles Martel's son is Pepin the short. 
• Pepin the Short's son was Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great (a great warrior, 6'4")
• Charlemagne 
• fought Muslims in Spain, and Germanic tribes
• was the most powerful king in western Europe. 
• His heirs did a terrible job. 
• Louis the Pious was ineffective. 
• he had three sons. they split up the kingdom into three different parts. (Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD)
• 
  

5/23/2014

Middle Ages

*All of these notes are on the power point on Mr. Schick's blog.*
Middle ages = medieval period
476-1453 AD.
started when Romulus Augustus wasn't emperor anymore.
When you don't have a strong roman empire, there is disruption of trade, downfall of cities, and population shifts to rural areas.
Decline of learning
tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn't read Greek or Latin.
Romance languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)
few besides priests were literate.

Loyalty was to the lord of the manor and your family. NOT to the king because they didn't know who he was and he didn't do anything to protect them.
King doesn't have much influence.

Clovis
Rules over Gaul, known as the franks. (French)
He had a battlefield conversion- he and 3000 warriors became Christians.
By 511 the church and the franks (and Clovis) joined together and worked together as a partnership.
died in 511

Benedict made rules for monks.
Benedict's sister Scholastica wrote similar rules for the nuns.

Pope Gregory I goes secular (worldly power).
He uses tax money to raise armies, build roads. Starts to do things that the government is suppose to do.
This is Theocracy.

Charles the Hammer
Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732. (if he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire).
Had a son named Pepin the Short.
Pepin was announced the king by the pope.
Pepin the Short had two sons, Carloman who died in 771 and Charlemagne (Charles the great).

Charlemagne
the most powerful king in western Europe.
Spread Christianity.
He regularly went out and visited every part of his kingdom so people knew who was running things, so they were loyal to him.

5/20/2014

Middle Ages

• Charlemagne
• helped make Christians more popular.
• Only people who knew how to read and write were people in the Church.
• Europe begins to get many different languages, not just Latin. 
• Clovis
• Franks king.
• Converts to Christianity, and so do all of his troops. 
• Has a battle field conversion. 
• Unites franks into one kingdom. 
• Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians. 
• Monasteries and Convents
• AD 520 Benedict
• wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
• poverty, chastity, obedience, study
• Benedict's sister, Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents. 
• 731 AD- the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England. 
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greek texts)
• The Church and the government are almost the same, you can barely tell them apart.
• Church can use money to build armies, etc. 
• Franks control largest European Kingdom. 
• The Roman providence called Gaul
• Ruled by Clovis - the Merovingian Dynasty.
• Major Domo- mayor of the palace- ruled by kingdom. 
• Charles Martel - Charles the Hammer
• Extended the Franks' reign to the north, south, and east.
• Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 
• A European empire evolves 
• Charles the Hammer's son - Pepin the Short
• possibly named for his unusually short haircut
• working for and with the Pope, Pepin fought the Lombards.
• Pope Stephen II named Pepin "King by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751 - 987 AD
• (So a pope can name someone a king)
• Pepin the Short had Two sons, Carolman and Charles
• Carol man died, leaving ....
• Charlemagne aka Charles the Great
• Six foot four
• built the greatest empire since Rome. 
• Fought the Muslims in Spain
• Fought Germanic tribes
• Spread Christianity
• Reunited Western Europe 
• Became the most powerful king in western Europe 
• Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob.
• This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire. 
• Charlemagne's Government
• He limited the authority of the nobles
• He regularly visited every part of his kingdom
• kept close watch on his huge estates 
• cultural revival
• encouraged learning
• ordered monasteries to open school
• opened a palace school.
• But his heirs weren't nearly as good as him. 
• His son - Louis the Pious - was ineffective.
• Louis' three sons - Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German - split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD.

5/19/2014

Today I missed class, so Cam sent me his notes.

Middle Ages Notes

• Germanic Kingdoms unite under Charlemagne
• Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe
• Middle Ages equals the medieval  period, lasted from 500-1500 A.D. (medieval Europe is fragmented)
• Invasions changed the way things were in western Europe
• Disruption of trade- Europe's cities no longer were the center of trade and money was scarce
• Downfall of cities- Cities no longer were the center of administration
• Population shifts- Nobles retreat to rural areas and cities don't have strong leadership
• Decline of learning- many invaders were illiterate but they communicated through oral tradition, only priests and church officials could read and write, knowledge of Greek literature; science; and philosophy was almost lost
• Loss of common language- dialects develop in different regions, by the 800's French, Spanish and other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
• Germanic Kingdoms emerge- Roman society was loyal to the local public government
• Nobody cared about the king and nobody really paid attention to him
• Franks who were settling in Gaul had a leader named Clovis
• Clovis had a battle conversion like Constantine, he had a bishop baptize him and his 3,000 warriors after winning a key battle, the church approved of Clovis and began to support him
• A powerful alliance came into existence between Clovis and the church
• A pope named Gregory expanded the power of the pope which allows the church to use church money to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor
• Gregory the Great begins to act like a mayor of Rome and as the head of an earthly kingdom
• the Church is more like a government at this time 

5/16/2014

• Feudalism- a political, military and economic system based on land holding and protective alliances. (the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you).
• Lord- "i own land; i need people to help me work and defend it"
• Vassals (middle class/tough dudes)- "there are a lot of us and we can help the rich dudes hold on to there land." 
• Pyramid- King at the top, the most powerful vassals next (nobles and bishops), then knights (mounted warriors who received fiefs (little plots of land) for defending their lords land, lastly the peasants (mostly serfs) : landless, powerless, money-less, right less. Just working the land for "the man" (their Lord). 
• Manor: the Lord's estate.
• the lords manor house
• a church
• some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles
• Good news: its a self sufficient community
• Bad News: it's harsh if you're a peasant. 
• Peasants are poor and pay high taxes.
• tax on grain
• tax on marriage
• church tax (tithe= 10% of their income)
• they live in crowded cottages
• live with animals and insects
• eat very simple
• The Church says this is your lot in life. God determines your place in society. 

5/14/2014

Today we took a test and then found out what we got on the test.

Page 151 Notes

• After Rome 500-700
• "the upheaval of the early middle ages ended not in a collapse of civilization but in its renewal, and the first two early medieval centuries set the patterns for how this renewal would later take place in western and eastern Europe."
• Medieval- Refers to the distinctive civilization of the middle ages, which developed in Europe after the disintegration of the Roman Empire and before the emergence of the modern west. 

5/13/2014

Today we reviewed for the test tomorrow. Things we reviewed included...

• Constantine, and the Edict of Milan. 
• Diocletian
•  Invasions of the Barbarians. 
• Visigoths take over Spain, looting Rome.
• Huns migrate from China to eastern Europe.
• Angles and Saxons in Britain. 

5/12/2014

AD 180: Rome has problems

• Economic -  trade became risky, taxes were too high, food supply was dropping.
• Military - frontiers were hard to patrol, Roman Generals fought for control, soldiers' loyalty declined and mercenaries appeared. 
• Diocletian divided the empire into two.
• Greek speaking East (had more resources)
• Latin speaking West (Rome, tradition)
• Diocletian
• Rules from 284-303
• Son of a freed slave.
• wanted to have a big army (400,000) and big government (20,000 government officials).  
• Was proclaimed emperor by his troops.
• Was the one who systematically reorganized the Augustan settlement to build a new government structure.
• last emperor to be named by his troops.
• Did not like Christians. persecuted them
• AD 324 - Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire.
• Constantine
• Rules from 306-337
• Doesn't persecute Christians.
• Converts to Christianity, saw a cross in the sky that says "conquer by this!"  
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople), where Asia met Europe (now turkey).
• After his death, the empire was divided again.
• Barbarian invaders (Huns, Saxons, Franks, Visigoths, etc.) overrun the empires frontiers.
• issued the Edict of Milan
• ended persecution and proclaiming complete freedom of worship thought the empire. 
• issued in 313
• Roman Empire disappears. 
• Since Rome is now gone, Barbarians took over. 
• The last emperor was a teenage boy, named Romulus Augustulus, installed by his father in 475. 

5/9/14

Today I took the test. Then we went over the answers, and then took notes on..

The Rise of Christianity

• Christianity evolves from "cult status" to establish, official structure. 
• Christian and Jews were Monotheistic (believing in one God). Romans persecuted monotheistic religions, because it conflicted with Roman beliefs. 
• Romans didn't get punished for persecuting Christians, they were encouraged to do it. 
• Christianity appealed to the Poor, there were a lot of poor people, so the numbers grew. (even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity).
• A.D. 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversation.
• Constantine issues the Edict of Milan.
• No persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome.
• The Roman empire and Christianity are now linked in power and influence. 

Notes on Page 123

• The changing world of Rome: Emperors, Christians, and invaders, 200 B.C. - A.D. 600
• "instead of dying, the Mediterranean civilization of Greece and Rome began to spread among many still-barbarian northern peoples, until it became the Christian Europe of the middle ages."

5/7/2014

Today I missed class because of a lacrosse game. I missed a test

5/6/14

Tomorrow we have a test. Some of this will be on it.

Lucretia, was raped by Tarquin the proud's son. Tarquin didn't do anything about it so they forced him out.
Res publica - the peoples business.
Rome moved from a monarchy to a republic, After Tarquin, the gov't became res publica or republic.
plebeian- lower class, common people, (sometimes wealthy)
patricians- upper class, land owners, powerful, lots of connections.
Senate: (like aristocracy) govt assembly of 300 unpaid patricians, appointed for life, first by kings, then consuls
Consuls: (like monarchy) two senators who led the Gov't and military for one year terms, could veto each other
Tribunes: (like democracy)leaders of the plebeian assembly
Twelve Tables: the first time laws were written down in Rome, in public displayed in forum, to protect plebeians.
The Constitution of the US and separation of powers: Senate/assemblies - US senate/ House of Reps, Consuls/Dictator - President, Senate could act like judges - like our own supreme court
Forum: Romes political center.
Octavian: AKA Caesar Augustus
Augustus- First Emperor.

• begins Pax Romana- a period of peace an prosperity
• built roads, aqueducts
• Set up civil service to take care of roads, etc.

5/5/2014

Jesus

was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew

At 30, he began his ministry (A.D. 31-33), preaching to the poor. 

Paul

• is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death resurrection, and message
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain.
• he writes letters to many of those he spoke to - these epistles are a part of the New Testament
• If not for the efforts of Paul, He may just have been remembered as a preacher not as the savior. 

Caligula 

• Germanicus' son, Tiberius' adopted grandson and great- nephew, putting him in line for Emperor.
• He started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a matter of public record. 
• He began to fight with the senate. 
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places - including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. (sacrilege)
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest. 
• Assassinated by his own aides, A.D. 41 age 28

Claudius

• limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- Thought to be Cerebral palsy or polio.
• last adult male in his family when Caligula died. 
• conquered Britain, built roads, canals, and aqueducts
• Had an awful marriage, his wife, Messalina,  plotted to kill him and let her lover get to be the emperor, so Claudius killed them. 

Religious Troubles

• Christianity and Judaism: Monotheistic. 
• A.D. 66: a group of Jews called the zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall).
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion.
• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor. 
• especially Christians who were viewed as a "cult"
• often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Colosseum. 
• Christianity grew quickly by A.D. 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman Empire were Christians. 

5/2/2014

Assassination and Another Caesar

• In 44 B.C. Caesar secured a vote from the Senate making him dictator for life. 
• Caesars death did not restore the Republic, it produced another crop of war lords and more bouts of civil wars.
• the senate proclaimed Julius Caesar as a "divine being" (divus)
• In 31 B.C. the rulers of the two halves of Rome's empire went to war.

The Roman Peace

• Augustus's new system of government kept many features of the Roman Republic, allowed subject peoples a good deal of self-rule, and brought Rome's destabilizing expansion to a halt. The result was two hundred years of stability that modern scholars call the Roman Peace. 
• "the era of the Roman Peace was one of massive social, religious, and cultural changes that would form a new pattern of western civilization."
• Augustan Settlement 
• Princeps- "First Citizen", a traditional Roman name for prominent leaders who were considered indispensable to the Republic that came to be used by Augustus and other early emperors. 
• Reform, Reconstruction, and the End of Expansion.
• Augustus began a whole series of large-scale reforms. 
• First, he brought the system of government appointments under his personal control.
• Second, He showed respect for local institutions and encouraged provincial leaders to fulfill their responsibilities. 
• Third, Augustus reorganized the army to ensure the loyalty of the rank and file soldiers. 
• Then he brought about is single most drastic reform. Making soldiers volunteers.
• Permanent Monarchy
• caesar- the imperial title given to the designated successor of a reigning emperor. 
• augustus - The imperial title given to a reigning emperor
• Roman Peace- (Pax Romana) A term used to refer to the relative stability and prosperity that Roman rule brought to the Mediterranean world and much of western Europe during the first and second centuries A.D.