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.