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Caerphilly Castle in South Wales, United Kingdom
MedievalEurope
A.D. 496King Clovisbecomes aCatholic
1095FirstCrusadebegins
1346Black Deatharrives inEurope
A.D. 500 A.D. 825 1150 1475A.D. 500 A.D. 825 1150 1475
c. A.D. 800 Feudalismbegins inEurope
508
509
Gre
g G
awlo
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i/Lon
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Pla
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Imag
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Chapter PreviewBetween A.D. 500 and 1500, Europe was ruled by
warriors
much like those in early Japan. Despite constant
fighting,Europeans made advances in their culture. European
ideasabout government and religion still shape our lives today.
View the Chapter 15 video in the World History:Journey Across
Time Video Program.
Chapter Overview Visitjat.glencoe.com for a previewof Chapter
15.
Sequencing Information Make this foldable to help you sequence
importantevents that occurred in medieval Europe.
Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,write the
importantevents and dates thatoccurred in medievalEurope on each
sectionof your time line.
Step 1 Fold two sheets ofpaper in half from top tobottom. Cut
each in half.
Step 2 Turn and fold thefour pieces in half from topto
bottom.
Step 3 Tape the endsof the pieces together
(overlapping the edgesslightly) to make anaccordion time
line.
Cut alongthe fold lines.
Pieces of tape
The Early Middle AgesDuring the Middle Ages, Western Europe
built a new civilization based onChristian, Roman, and Germanic
ways.
FeudalismGovernment weakness and the need for safety led to the
rise of feudalism.
Kingdoms and CrusadesAs the kingdoms of England and France
established parliaments, Russiasrulers laid the foundations for its
government.
The Church and SocietyReligion in medieval Europe helped to
shape European culture.
The Late Middle AgesDisease and war took the lives of millions
of people in the late Middle Ages.
509
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510
Just AskAnswering questions about what you have read is one way
to show
what you know, but asking thoughtful questions about the topic
canoften show even greater understanding. How do you learn to ask
greatquestions? 1. Use question starters such as who, what, when,
where, how, and why.2. Do more than just read the words on the
pagethink deeply about
the concepts. For example, ask questions such as What would
havehappened if . . .?
Read the following passage from Section 5, and look at the
questionsthat follow.
Questioning
Here are some questions you might ask aboutthe above paragraph:
What did Joan say to persuade Charles to let
her ride with the army? How did Joans faith stir the soldiers?
Why did Joan believe saints wanted her to free
France? What happened to Joan after the French took
the city?
Charles, the prince who ruled southern France,wanted to take
back the north. In 1429 a Frenchpeasant girl named Joan was brought
to him. Shetold him that her favorite saints had urged her tofree
France. Joans honesty persuaded Charles tolet her go with a French
army to Orlans. Joansfaith stirred the soldiers, and they took the
city.
from page 557
Make studying like
a
game. Create quest
ions
and then read to fi
nd
answers to your ow
n
questions.
508-511 Ch15 CO-824133 3/23/04 7:14 AM Page 510
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Ask and AnswerRead this passage about the Black Death.
Write a What Ifparagraph based onyour reading. Forexample, what
if Joanhad become Queen ofFrance, or what if fleascarried the Black
Deathtoday? Add lots ofdetails as if you wereanswering
questionsothers might ask aboutyour What If ideas.
Read to Write
511
As you read the chapter, look foranswers to section headings
that arein the form of questions. For the othersections, turn the
headings into ques-tions that you can answer as you read.
A terrible plague, known as the BlackDeath, swept across Europe
andAsia. A plague is a disease thatspreads quickly and kills many
peo-ple. Most scientists think the BlackDeath was bubonic plaguea
dis-ease caused by a type of bacteria car-ried by fleas. These
fleas infestedblack rats, and in the Middle Ages,these rats were
everywhere.
from page 554
Create three questions basedon the above paragraph.Remember that
not all ques-tions have answers.
Mus
eo d
el P
rado
, M
adrid
, S
pain
/Gira
udon
, P
aris
/Sup
erS
tock
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BRITAIN
SPAIN
HOLY ROMANEMPIRE
SCANDINAVIA
Rome
Aachen
A.D. 500 A.D. 800 1100 A.D. 500 A.D. 800 1100
The EarlyMiddle Ages
Whats the Connection?After the fall of Rome came a
period called the Middle Ages, ormedieval times. It is a fitting
name for the period that lies betweenancient and modern times.
Focusing on the Geography influenced where
medieval Europeans settled and whatthey did. (page 513)
The Franks, Angles, and Saxons ofWestern Europe built new
societiesand defended them against Muslims,Magyars, and Vikings.
(page 514)
The Catholic Church spreadChristianity through Western
Europe.(page 519)
Locating PlacesAachen (AHkuhn)Scandinavia (SKANduhNAYveeuh)Holy
Roman Empire
Meeting PeopleClovis (KLOHvuhs)Charles Martel
(mahrTEHL)Charlemagne (SHAHRluhMAYN)Otto I (AHtoh)Gregory the
Great
Building Your Vocabularyfjord (feeAWRD)missionary
(MIHshuhNEHRee)excommunicate
(EHKskuhMYOOnuhKAYT)concordat (kuhnKAWRDAT)
Reading Strategy Organizing Information Create atable to show
the major accomplish-ments of medieval leaders.
512 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
A.D. 496King ClovisbecomesCatholic
A.D. 800Charlemagne iscrowned by pope
c. 1050Most people inWestern Europeare Catholic
Leader Major Accomplishments
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The Geography of EuropeGeography influenced where medieval
Europeans settled and what they did.Reading Focus If you wanted
to go sledding or swimming, where would you go? Your answer will be
based partly on geography. Read to learn how geography shaped life
in Europe during the MiddleAges.
The Roman Empire had united all theland surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea.When the last Roman emperor in the Westfell from
power in A.D. 476, that unity waslost. Western Europe was divided
intomany kingdoms as wave after wave ofGermanic invaders swept
south and west,conquering large areas of Europe.
Now that Rome no longer united peo-ple, Europes geography began
to play amore important role in shaping events.Europe is a
continent, but it is also a verylarge peninsula made up of many
smallerpeninsulas. As a result, most of Europe lieswithin 300 miles
(483 km) of an ocean orsea. This encouraged trade and fishing
andhelped Europes economy to grow.
Rivers also played an important role inEurope. The Rhine,
Danube, Vistula, Volga,Seine, and Po Rivers made it easy to
travelinto the interior of Europe and encouragedpeople to
trade.
The seas and rivers provided safety aswell as opportunities for
trade. The EnglishChannel, for instance, separated Britain
andIreland from the rest of Europe. As a result,
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500 mi.0
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40E
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Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
NorthSea
Po R.
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Danube R.
Oder R.
Vistula R.
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gaR.B
alti
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Vandals,Alans
Visigoths
BasquesVisigoths
Vandals
Visigoths
Ostrogoths
OstrogothsSlavs
Avars
Avars
AlansHuns
HunsVisigoths
Visigoths
SuevesOstrogoths Ostrogoths
Slavs
Vandals,Alans,Sueves
Vandals,Alans,Sueves
Britons
Saxons
Burgundians
Burgundians
Burgun
dians
Sueves
AnglesAngles
Slavs
Angles
Scots
SaxonsBrit
ons
Franks
Franks
A L P SPYRENEES
CARPATHIAN
MTS.
Ce
ltic
Pe
op
l es
Lombard
s
S l a vs
Europes Geography and People c. A.D. 500
Following the fall of the Western RomanEmpire, many different
peoples livedthroughout Europe.1. Which peoples lived in the
British Isles? 2. Where, in general, did the Franks settle? Find
NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps
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,
514 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
people there were sheltered from the manywars fought on Europes
mainland. Theywere able to develop their own distinctways of life.
Within Europe, wide rivers likethe Rhine also kept people separated
andenabled different cultures to develop.
Europe also has many mountain ranges. Inthe east, the
Carpathians cut off what is nowUkraine and Russia from southeast
Europe. Inthe middle, the Alps separated Italy from cen-tral
Europe. To the southwest, the Pyreneesisolated Spain and Portugal.
The mountains,like the rivers, made it difficult for one groupto
rule all of Europe and encouraged thedevelopment of independent
kingdoms.
Identify What did Europesseas and rivers provide for its
people?
The Germanic KingdomsThe Franks, Angles, and Saxons of
Western Europe built new societies and defendedthem against
Muslims, Magyars, and Vikings.Reading Focus Have you ever moved to
a new place?What adjustments did you have to make? Read to learnhow
the Germanic peoples who invaded Europe had toadjust to the lands
they occupied.
After Rome fell, Western Europe wasdivided into many kingdoms.
These king-doms developed different societies basedon their
locations. The Visigoths in Spainand the Ostrogoths in Italy were
close to thecenter of the old Roman Empire. As a result,they
adopted many Roman ways. Peoplefarther from Rome held on to more of
theirGermanic traditions.
In Britain as the empire began toweaken, Roman culture declined
quickly.In the A.D. 300s, the Roman legions inBritain began heading
home to fightGermanic invaders. By the early A.D 400s,the Romans
had pulled out of England.Soon the Angles and Saxons invadedBritain
from Denmark and Germany. Intime, they became the Anglo-Saxons.
When the Angles and Saxons conqueredsoutheastern Britain, they
pushed aside thepeople living there. These people werecalled the
Celts (KEHLTS). Some Celts flednorth and west to the mountains.
Otherswent to Ireland. Scottish, Welsh, and Irishpeople today are
descendants of the Celts.
Who Were the Franks? During the A.D. 400s,a Germanic people
called the Franks set-tled the area that is now France. In A.D.
496King Clovis (KLOH vuhs) of the Franksbecame a Catholic. This won
him the sup-port of the Romans living in his kingdom.Before long,
nearly all of the Franksbecame Catholic.
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ATLANTICOCEAN
Po R.
Seine R.
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D
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NorthSea
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Ostrogoths
VandalsVisigoths
Vandals
Saxons
BurgundiansBasques
Sueves
Angles &Saxons
Frisians
Franks
Alemanni-Lombards
A LP S
PYRENEES
Carthage
Rome
Germanic Kingdoms c. A.D. 500
Germanic kingdoms developed in Europeafter the Western Roman
Empire fell.1. Which were the largest Germanic
kingdoms?2. What geographic features helped the
Ostrogoths to hold Italy?
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515515
After Clovis died, his sons divided thekingdom among themselves.
Later, theirsons divided these kingdoms even further.These kings
often fought over land. Whilethey fought, the nobles under them
tookover many royal duties. The most impor-tant of these nobles was
called the mayorof the palace. By A.D. 700, the mayors weregiving
out land, settling disputes, and fight-ing their own wars.
Of all the mayors, the most powerfulwas Charles Martel (mahr
TEHL). Hewanted to unite all the Frankish noblesunder his rule. The
Catholic Church wantedto restore order in the lands of the
WesternRoman Empire and was willing to supportGermanic rulers who
were Catholic. Thepopethe head of the Catholic Churchoffered his
support to Charles Martel.
First, however, Europe had to be keptChristian. In A.D. 711 a
Muslim army fromNorth Africa conquered Spain. Later, Muslimforces
invaded southern France. In A.D. 732Charles Martel led the Franks
against theMuslims. He defeated them at the Battle ofTours. This
stopped the Muslim advance into
Europe, and Christianity remained WesternEuropes major
religion.
When Charles Martel died, his sonPepin (PEH puhn) became mayor
of thepalace. With the help of the pope and mostFrankish nobles,
Pepin became the newking of the Franks. When a Germanic groupcalled
the Lombards threatened the pope,Pepin took his army into Italy and
defeatedthem. He donated the land he had con-quered to the pope.
The pope ruled theselands as if he were a king, and they
becameknown as the Papal States.
Who Was Charlemagne? After Pepindied, his son Charles became
king. Like hisfather, Charles went to the aid of the popewhen the
Lombards tried to regain their ter-ritory. He also invaded eastern
Germanyand defeated the Saxons living there. Heordered them to
convert to Christianity. Hethen invaded Spain and gained control
ofthe northeastern corner from the Muslims.
By A.D. 800, Charless kingdom hadgrown into an empire. It
covered much ofwestern and central Europe. Charless
In A.D. 800 the popecrowned CharlemagneEmperor of theRomans,
officiallycreating a new RomanEmpire. How large was
Charlemagnesempire in A.D. 800?
The Crowning of CharlemagneThe Crowning of Charlemagne
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516 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
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500 km0
10E 0 10E
50N
40N
Tours
Adriatic Sea
ATLANTICOCEAN
NorthSea
Mediterranean Sea
Loire
R.
Seine R.
Rhine R.
Danube R.
Ebro R.
ITALYMUSLIMSPAIN
ENGLAND
A LP S
P Y R E N E E S
Lomba
rds
Franks
Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Basques
Aachen
Paris
Rome
The Frankish Kingdom c. A.D. 500800
A bronze statue of Charlemagne
Cloviss kingdomAdded by Martel and PepinAdded by
CharlemagneBattle
KEY
conquests earned him the name ofCharlemagne (SHAHR luhMAYNE), or
Charlesthe Great.
The pope was impressed withCharlemagne. On Christmas day in A.D.
800,Charlemagne was worshiping at the churchof St. Peter in Rome.
After the service, thepope placed a crown on Charlemagnes headand
declared him the new Roman emperor.Charlemagne was pleased but also
con-cerned. He did not want people to think thepope had the power
to choose who wasemperor.
Charlemagne made Aachen (AH kuhn)the capital of his empire. To
uphold his
laws, he set up courts throughout theempire. Nobles called
counts ran the courts.To keep the counts under control,Charlemagne
sent out inspectors calledthe lords messengers to make sure
thecounts conducted their duties properly.
Unlike other earlier Frankish rulers,Charlemagne believed in
education. He hadtried late in life to learn to write and wanted
his people to be educated too.He asked a scholar named Alcuin
(ALkwuhn)to start a school in one of the royal palaces.Alcuin
trained the children of governmentofficials. His students studied
religion, Latin,music, literature, and arithmetic.
The Frankish kingdom expandedgreatly under Charlemagnes rule.1.
Under whose reign did the Franks
conquer part of Italy? 2. Who controlled Spain while the
Franks ruled much of WesternEurope?
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CHARLEMAGNEA.D. 742814
Charles the Great (Charlemagne) became king of the
Franks at age 29. He married and divorced many different
women and had at least 18 children.
Charlemagne was an intelligent person. He studied many
subjects and especially enjoyed astronomy. He could speak
many languages, including German and Latin. He also could
read but had trouble writing. Einhard, the kings historian
and
scribe, wrote that Charlemagne used to keep tablets under
his pillow in order that at leisure hours he might accustom
his hand to form the letters; but as he began these efforts
so
late in life, they met with ill success.
Charlemagne was disappointed to learn that the Franks
were not as educated as the people of Britain and Ireland.
In
A.D. 782 he arranged
for several famous
scholars to come to
his capital in Aachen
and create a school in
the royal palace. During
his reign, schools
opened throughout his
empire, and many
people were educated.
517
Charlemagne
The Palatine Chapel at
Charlemagnes palace in Aachen
Charlemagne realized the importance of
education. He arranged reading and writing
lessons for his people. What types of school
programs does our government fund?
No one shall . . . bekept back from theright path of justiceby .
. . fear of thepowerful.
Charlemagne, as quoted inThe World of Charlemagne
(t)Ali Meyer/CORBIS, (b)Vanni/Art Resource, NY
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518 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
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40E 60E 80E
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AFRICA
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OCEAN
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SeineR
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SCOTLAND
IRELANDENGLAND
FRANCE
SPAINITALY
GERMANY
HUNGARY
SCANDANAVIA
Normandy
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
London
Paris
Rome
Kiev
Constantinople
Invasions of Europe c. A.D. 8001000
Europe Is Invaded After Charlemagnedied in A.D. 814, his empire
did not lastlong. His son Louis was not a strong leader,and after
Louis died, Louiss sons dividedthe empire into three kingdoms.
These three kingdoms were weakenedfurther by a wave of invaders
who sweptacross Europe in the A.D. 800s and A.D. 900s.From the
south came Muslims, who raidedFrance and Italy from Spain and
NorthAfrica. From the east came the Magyars, anomadic people who
had settled in Hungary.From Scandinavia (SKAN duh NAY vee uh)came
the Vikings, whose raids terrified all ofEurope.
Scandinavia is in northern Europe.Norway, Sweden, and Denmark
are all partof Scandinavia today. Much of Scandinavia
has a long, jagged coastline. It has manyfjords (fee AWRDS), or
steep-sided valleysthat are inlets of the sea. The Viking
peoplelived in villages in the fjords. They wereknown as the
Norsemen, or north men.
Scandinavia has little farmland. Thisforced the Vikings to rely
on the sea forfood and trade. They became skilled sailorsand built
sturdy boats called longboats.These boats could survive the
roughAtlantic and also navigate shallow rivers.
In the A.D. 700s and A.D. 800s, theVikings began raiding Europe,
probablybecause their population had grown too bigto support itself
at home. The word vikingcomes from their word for raiding.
Theyrobbed villages and churches, carrying off
Vikingships
Magyars
KEY
MuslimsVikings
Settlements and invasion routes:
A number of different groupsinvaded and settled in earlymedieval
Europe.1. Which group invaded England?2. Which group settled the
area
of Hungary?
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grain, animals, and anything else of value.They even conquered
part of westernFrance. This area was named Normandy,after the
Norsemen who ruled it.
The Holy Roman Empire The raids byMuslims, Magyars, and Vikings
helped to destroy the Frankish kingdoms. In theA.D. 900s, the
eastern Frankish kingdom,which became known as Germany, wasdivided
into many tiny states ruled bycounts, dukes, and other nobles. In
A.D. 911a group of these nobles tried to uniteGermany by electing a
king. The king didnot have much power, however, becausethe nobles
wanted to remain independent.
One of the stronger kings of Germanywas Otto I (AH toh). He
fought the Magyarsand sent troops into Italy to protect the pope.To
reward Otto for his help, the popedeclared him emperor of the
Romans in A.D. 962. Ottos territory, which includedmost of Germany
and northern Italy, becameknown as the Holy Roman Empire.
Most of the emperors of theHoly Roman Empire were notvery
powerful. Two of thestrongest ones, Frederick I andFrederick II,
tried to unite north-ern Italy and Germany under asingle ruler with
a strong centralgovernment in the 1100s and1200s. The popes fought
againstthese plans because they did notwant the emperor to
controlthem. They banded togetherwith Italys cities to resist
theemperors forces. As a result,both Germany and Italyremained
divided into smallkingdoms until the 1800s.
Explain Whowere the Vikings, and why did theyraid Europe?
The Rise of the Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church spread
Christianity
through Western Europe.Reading Focus Do you have a goal you
would devoteyour life to reaching? Read to learn the goals of
theCatholic Church in the early Middle Ages.
Both religion and geography played animportant role in shaping
life in Europe. Bythe time the Western Roman Empire col-lapsed,
Christianity had become the officialreligion of Rome. After the
Roman govern-ment fell apart, the Roman Catholic Churchbegan to
play an important role in the growthof a new civilization in
Western Europe.
Why Were Monks Important? At thetime Rome fell, much of
northwest Europewas not yet Christian. One exception wasIreland. In
the A.D. 400s, a priest namedPatrick traveled to Ireland, where he
spreadthe Christian message and set up churchesand monasteries. For
several hundred years,
Pope Gregory I helped spread Christianity in a numberof ways.
Here he is shown teaching boys the songs thatbecame known as
Gregorian chants. Which area ofnorthwest Europe had accepted
Christianity before thefall of the Western Roman Empire?
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Irish monks played an important role inpreserving Roman learning
and passing iton to the people of Europe.
Patricks success inspired others, includ-ing Pope Gregory I, or
Gregory the Great.Gregory I was pope from A.D. 590 to A.D.604. He
wanted all of Europe to becomeChristian, and he asked monks to
becomemissionaries (MIH shuh NEHR eez)peoplewho are sent out to
teach their religion.
In A.D. 597 Gregory sent 40 monks tosouthern Britain to teach
Christianity. Themonks converted Ethelbert, ruler of thekingdom of
Kent. Ethelbert allowed themissionaries to build a church in his
capitalcity of Canterbury. Meanwhile, Irish monksbrought
Christianity to northern Britain. ByA.D. 800, monks were spreading
Christianitythroughout Europe. Most people in WesternEurope had
become Catholics by 1050.
Monasteries played an important role inmedieval Europe. Monks
schooled people,provided food and rest to travelers, andoffered
hospital care for the sick. Theytaught carpentry and weaving and
devel-oped better methods of farming. They alsohelped to preserve
knowledge.
Many monasteries had scriptoria, or writ-ing rooms, where monks
made copies ofimportant works. The monks copiedChristian writings,
including the Bible, as
well as works of Roman and Greek writers.The literary efforts of
these monks helpedto preserve the Latin language.
Over time, monasteries began to play arole in Europes politics.
Monks took a vowof poverty, wore simple clothes, and ate sim-ple
food, but their monasteries could makemoney. Each monastery
produced goodsand owned land, and over time many ofthem became
wealthy. The leader of amonastery is called an abbot (A buht),
andmany abbots became involved in politics.They served as advisers
to kings and actedas rulers of the lands near their
monasteries.
Why Is Gregory VII Important? Thegrowing role of abbots and
other Churchleaders in politics caused many argumentsover who was
in charge. Kings wantedChurch leaders to obey them, while thepope
claimed he could crown kings.
In 1073 Gregory VII was elected pope.He wanted to stop nobles
and kings frominterfering in Church affairs. He issued adecree, or
order, forbidding kings fromappointing high-ranking Church
officials.
The popes decree angered Henry IV, theHoly Roman emperor. For
many years, theHoly Roman emperor had appointed bish-ops in
Germany. Without them, Henry IVrisked losing power to the
nobles.
520 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
Monks eatingtogether in amonastery
The monastery at Mont St. Michel in France is a beautifulwork of
architecture that took several hundred years tocomplete. How did
monasteries help local people in Europe?
Illustratedpage createdby monks
(l)Abbey of Montioliveto Maggiore, Sienna/E.T. Archives,
London/SuperStock, (c)Jim Zuckerman/CORBIS, (r)Ronald
Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection
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Reading SummaryReview the During the Middle Ages, Europes
geography affected where peoplelived, their ways of life, and
theirrelations with other people.
The Angles and Saxons invadedBritain, the Franks created
anempire in Western Europe, andthe Saxons created a Germankingdom
that became the HolyRoman Empire.
Monks helped spread Christianitythroughout Europe, and
theCatholic Church became strongin the early Middle Ages.
1. What happened at the Battleof Tours, and why is the
battlesignificant?
2. Why were monasteries impor-tant to medieval Europe?
Critical Thinking3. Summarizing Information
Draw a diagram like the onebelow. Use it to describe therole of
monks in medievalEurope.
4. Analyze How didCharlemagne demonstrate his support for
education?
5. Describe Imagine you live incentral Europe in medievaltimes.
Prepare a poster thatdescribes the Vikings and thedangers they pose
to yourtown.
6. AskingQuestions Henry IV stoodbarefoot in the snow to gainthe
popes forgiveness. If you were asked to interviewHenry IV about
this experience,what three questions wouldyou ask?
What Did You Learn?
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 521
Henry refused to obey Gregory. Hedeclared that Gregory was no
longer pope.Gregory then stated that Henry was no longeremperor. He
excommunicated (EHK skuh MYOO nuh KAY tuhd) Henry. This means
toexclude a person from church membership.Catholics believed that
if they were excom-municated, they could not go to heaven.
When the German nobles defended thepope, Henry backed down. He
traveled toItaly and stood barefoot in the snow outsidethe popes
castle asking to be forgiven.Gregory forgave Henry, but the
Germannobles still chose a new king. When Gregoryaccepted the new
king as emperor, Henrywent to war. He captured Rome and named anew
pope. Gregorys allies drove out Henrysforces, but the dispute was
not resolved.
In 1122 a new pope and the Germanking finally agreed that only
the pope could
choose bishops, but only the emperor couldgive them jobs in the
government. This deal,called the Concordat of Worms, was signedin
the city of Worms. A concordat (kuhn KAWR DAT) is an agreement
between thepope and the ruler of a country.
By the time Innocent III became pope in1198, the Catholic Church
was at theheight of its power. Innocent was able tocontrol kings.
If a ruler did not obey,Innocent would excommunicate him orissue an
interdict (IHN tuhr DIHKT) againstthe rulers people. An interdict
forbidspriests from providing Christian rituals to agroup of
people. The pope hoped that byusing an interdict, local people
would pres-sure their ruler to obey.
Contrast How did GregoryVII and Henry IV disagree?
Monks
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Feudalism
Whats the Connection?In the last section, you read
how the Vikings spread fear anddestruction throughout
Europe.During the Middle Ages, villagers andtownspeople looked to
nobles toprotect them.
Focusing on the Feudalism developed in Europe in
the Middle Ages. It was based onlandowning, loyalty, and the
power of armored knights on horseback.(page 523)
Knights followed a code of chivalryand lived in castles, while
peasantslived in simple houses and workedhard all year long. (page
526)
Increased trade led to the growth of towns and cities and the
rise ofguilds and city governments.(page 528)
Locating PlacesVenice (VEHnuhs)Flanders (FLANduhrz)
Building Your Vocabularyfeudalism (FYOOduhl IHzuhm)vassal
(VAsuhl)fief (FEEF)knight (NYT)serf (SUHRF)guild (GIHLD)
Reading StrategyCompare and Contrast Complete aVenn diagram like
the one belowshowing the similarities anddifferences between serfs
and slaves.
c. A.D. 800sFeudalismbegins in Europe
ENGLAND
SPAIN
FRANCE
ITALY
HOLY ROMANEMPIRE
SCANDINAVIA
RomeVenice
Bruges
A.D. 800 1000 1200A.D. 800 1000 1200c. 1200Guilds
arewidespreadin Europe
c. 1100Flanders andItaly tradegoods regularly
Serfs Slaves
522 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
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What Is Feudalism?Feudalism developed in Europe in the
Middle Ages. It was based on landowning, loyalty,and the power
of armored knights on horseback.Reading Focus What would it be like
to live in a coun-try where the government has fallen apart? Read
tolearn how the fall of Charlemagnes governmentchanged life for
people in the Middle Ages.
When Charlemagnes grandfather,Charles Martel, needed an army to
fightthe Muslims invading France, he begangiving estateslarge
farmsto nobleswilling to fight for him. The nobles usedthe
resources generated by the estates toobtain horses and weapons.
AlthoughMartel did not realize it, he was using a
new way of organizing society that wouldeventually spread across
most of Europe.
When Charlemagnes empire collapsed,Western Europe lost its last
strong centralgovernment. Landowning nobles becamemore and more
powerful. They gained theright to collect taxes and to enforce laws
ontheir estates. When invaders spread ruinthroughout Europe, the
peasants, or farm-ers, could not rely on kings. Instead, theylooked
to nobles for protection.
During the A.D. 800s, this shift of powerfrom kings to nobles
led to a new socialorder known as feudalism (FYOO duhl IH zuhm).
Under feudalism, landowningnobles governed and protected the
peoplein return for services, such as fighting in anobles army or
farming the land. By A.D.
1000, the kingdoms of Europewere divided into thousands offeudal
territories. Some of theseterritories were large, but mostwere very
small, smaller eventhan the city-states of Greece andSumeria. At
the center of each,however, was not a city but anobles castle, or
fortress.
The Role of Vassals and KnightsFeudalism was based on ties
ofloyalty and duty among nobles.Nobles were both lords and
vas-sals. A vassal (VA suhl) was anoble who served a lord ofhigher
rank. In return, the lordprotected the vassal.
The tie between a lord andhis vassal was made known in apublic
ceremony. The vassal puthis hands together and placedthem between
the hands of hislord. Then the vassal swore tokeep faith and
loyalty to youagainst all others.
CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 523
Kings and queens
Peasants and serfs
Lords and ladies
Knights
Under feudalism each level of society had duties to thegroups
above and below it. Which group in the diagramserved as vassals to
the lords and ladies?
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FieldsIn the spring, serfs planted crops such as
summer wheat, barley, oats, peas, and beans.Crops planted in the
fall included winter wheat
and rye. Women often helped in the fields.
524
A medieval manor usually consisted of the lordsmanor house or
castle, the surrounding fields, anda peasant village. While minor
knights or nobleswould own only one manor, more powerful lordsmight
own several. A powerful lord would spendtime at each of his manors
during the year.What duty did lords have to their serfs?
524
A vassal showed his loyalty by servingin his lords army. In
return for the vassalsmilitary service, a lord granted his
vassalland and permission to rule the people wholived on it. This
grant to a vassal wasknown as a fief (FEEF).
These vassals were knights (NYTS), orwarriors in armor who
fought on horse-back. Up until the A.D. 700s, nobles inWestern
Europe mostly fought on foot.They wore coats of mailarmor made
frommetal linksand carried swords andshields. In the A.D. 700s, a
new invention,the stirrup, made it possible for an armoredman to
sit on a horse and charge whileholding a lance, a long heavy spear.
Knightswould charge enemies, spearing them withtheir lances. From
the A.D. 700s to the 1200s,armored knights on horseback were
themost powerful soldiers in Europe.
Europe was not the only place with afeudal society. As you
remember from an
earlier chapter, Japan had a similar systembetween A.D. 800 and
1500. Powerfulnobles owed only a loose loyalty to theJapanese
emperor. The nobles in turn reliedon samurai. Like knights, the
samuraiowed loyalty to their lords and providedmilitary service for
them. Also like knightsin Europe, the samurai wore armor andfought
on horseback.
What Was the Manorial System? Thelands of the fiefs of the
Middle Ages werecalled manors. The lords ruled the manor,and
peasants worked the land. Some peas-ants were freemen, who paid the
noble forthe right to farm the land. They had rightsunder the law
and could move wheneverand wherever they wished.
Most peasants, however, were serfs(SUHRFS). Serfs could not
leave the manor,own property, or marry without the lordsapproval.
Lords even had the right to try
A Medieval ManorA Medieval Manor
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CastleCastles were built in a variety of forms and were usually
designed to fit the landscape.
ChurchVillage churches often had no
benches. Villagers sat on the flooror brought stools from
home.
Serfs HomeSerfs had little furniture. Tables were made from
boards stretched across benches, and most peasants slept on straw
mattresses on the floor.
serfs in their own court. Serfs were notenslaved, however. Lords
could not sellthe serfs or take away the land given toserfs to
support themselves. Lords alsohad a duty to protect their serfs,
providingthem the safety they needed to growcrops.
Serfs worked long hours on the lordsland and performed services
for the lord.They spent three days working for the lordand the rest
of the week growing food forthemselves. They also had to give a
portionof their own crops to the lord and pay himfor the use of the
villages mill, bread oven,and winepress.
It was not easy for serfs to gain theirfreedom. One way was to
run away to thetowns. If a serf remained in a town for more
than a year, he or she was considered free.By the end of the
Middle Ages, serfs inmany kingdoms were also allowed to buytheir
freedom.
How Did Farming Improve? During theMiddle Ages, Europeans
invented newtechnology that helped increase the amountof crops they
could grow. Perhaps the mostimportant was a heavy wheeled plow
withan iron blade. It easily turned over WesternEuropes dense clay
soils.
Another important invention was thehorse collar. The horse
collar made it possi-ble for a horse to pull a plow. Horses
couldpull plows much faster than oxen, allowingpeasants to plant
more crops and producemore food.
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Europeans also found new ways to har-ness water and wind power.
Europesmany rivers powered water mills thatground grain into flour.
Where rivers werenot available, windmills were used forgrinding
grains, pumping water, and cut-ting wood.
Peasants also learned to grow more foodby rotating crops on
three fields instead oftwo. The rotation kept soil fertile. One
fieldwas planted in fall and another in spring.The third field was
left unplanted. Thethree-field system meant that only one-third,
rather than one-half, of the land wasunused at any time. As a
result, more cropscould be grown. Greater food productionallowed
the population to expand.
Explain How could a noblebe both a lord and a vassal?
Life in Feudal EuropeKnights followed a code of chivalry and
lived in castles, while peasants lived in simple housesand
worked hard all year long. Reading Focus Have you heard the phrase
knight inshining armor? Read to learn why these words apply tohow a
knight acts as well as how he dresses.
During the Middle Ages, nobles werethe most powerful people in
Europe. Greatlords had much more wealth and land thanordinary
knights. However, their belief inthe feudal system united lords and
knightsin defending their society.
How Did Nobles Live? Knights followedcertain rules called the
code of chivalry(SHIH vuhl ree). A knight was expected toobey his
lord, to be brave, to show respect to
women of noble birth, to honorthe church, and to help people.
Aknight was also expected to behonest and to fight fairly
againsthis enemies. The code of chivalrybecame the guide to good
behav-ior. Many of todays ideas aboutmanners come from the code
ofchivalry.
When noblemen went to war,their wives or daughters ran
themanors. This was no small jobbecause manors had many offi-cials
and servants. Keeping trackof the households accounts
tookconsiderable skill. The lady of amanor also had to oversee
thestoring of food and other suppliesneeded to run the
household.
The center of the manor was acastle. At first, castles were
builtof wood. Later, they were built ofstone. A castle had two
basicparts. One was a human-made or
526 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
Nobles celebrated special occasions with largefeasts, which
included many courses of meats, fruits,and vegetables. What were
the wifes duties when anobleman went off to war?
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 527
naturally steep-sided hill called a motte(MAHT). The bailey was
an open space nextto the motte. High stone walls encircled themotte
and bailey. The keep, or central build-ing of the castle, was built
on the motte.
The keep had a number of stories. Thebasement housed storerooms
for tools andfood. On the ground floor were kitchensand stables,
and above the ground floorwas a great hall. Here the people of
thehousehold ate and sometimes slept, and thelord of the castle
held court and receivedvisitors. Smaller rooms opened off the
greathall. They included chapels, toilets, andbedrooms with huge
curtained beds.
In the later Middle Ages, nobles ownedmore jewelry, better
clothes, and exoticspices. They also built more elaborate
castles with thicker walls, more towers,finer furniture, and
richer decoration.
What Was Peasant Life Like? The homes ofpeasants were much
simpler. They lived inwood-frame cottages plastered with clay.Their
roofs were thatched with straw. Thehouses of poorer peasants had a
single room.Better cottages had a main room for cookingand eating
and another room for sleeping.
Peasants worked year-round. They har-vested grain in August and
September. InOctober they prepared the ground for win-ter crops. In
November they slaughteredlivestock and salted the meat to keep it
forwinter. In February and March, theyplowed the land for planting
oats, barley,peas, and beans. In early summer they
A Medieval CastleA Medieval CastleCastles were built to
withstand attack duringtimes of war. They were often constructed
onhigh ground or surrounded by moats to makeattacks more difficult.
What was the centralbuilding of the castle called?
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weeded the fields, sheared the sheep, andtended small vegetable
gardens.
Peasants took a break from work andwent to church on Catholic
feast days. Theycelebrated more than 50 feast days eachyear. The
most important were Christmasand Easter. On feast days and at
Sundayworship, the village priest taught them thebasic elements of
Christian belief.
Peasant women worked in the fieldsand raised children at the
same time. Theyalso gathered and prepared their familysfood. Each
day they mixed bread doughand baked it in community ovens. Breadwas
a basic staple of the medieval diet.Peasant bread was dark and
heavy.Peasants ate it with vegetables, milk, nuts,and fruits.
Sometimes they added eggs ormeat, and they often had ale to
drink.
Identify What was thecode of chivalry?
Trade and CitiesIncreased trade led to the growth
of towns and cities and the rise of guilds and
citygovernments.Reading Focus What effect would a new shoppingmall
have on your community? Read to learn how thegrowth of trade and
the rise of cities changed the waypeople lived and worked in
medieval Europe.
When the Roman Empire collapsed,almost all trade in Western
Europe came toan end. Bridges and roads fell into disre-pair. Law
and order vanished. Money wasno longer used. Most people spent
theirentire lives in the tiny villages where theywere born and knew
almost nothing aboutthe rest of the world.
By 1100, feudalism had made Europesafer, and new technology
enabled peopleto produce more food and goods. Nobles
528 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
This scene shows a marketin a medieval town. Whicharea became
the center oftrade for northern Europe?
A mayor of London from the early 1200s
Medieval City LifeMedieval City Life
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 529
A stained glass window showing the arms,or symbol, of a
blacksmiths group
This illustration from a medieval bookshows glassblowers at
work. What weresome of the items exchanged at trade fairs?
repaired bridges and roads, arrested ban-dits, and enforced the
law. As a result, traderesumed.
As trade increased, towns grew larger,and several cities became
wealthy fromtrade. For example, the city of Venice (VEH nuhs) in
Italy built a fleet of trading ships. Itbecame a major trading
center by A.D. 1000.Venice and other Italian cities began
tradingwith the Byzantine Empire and soon becamethe center of trade
in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, towns in Flanders (FLAN duhrz)which today is part of
Belgiumbecame the center of trade for northernEurope. This area was
known for its woolencloth. Merchants from England,
Scandinavia,France, and the Holy Roman Empire metthere to trade
their goods for wool. Flemishtowns such as Bruges and Ghent became
cen-ters for making and trading cloth.
By 1100, Flanders and Italy wereexchanging goods regularly. To
encourage
this trade, the counts of Champagne innorthern France began
holding trade fairs.Northern European merchants exchangedfurs, tin,
honey, and wool for cloth andswords from northern Italy and silks,
sugar,and spices from Asia.
During the early Middle Ages, peoplebartered, or traded goods
for other goods.As trade increased, demand for gold andsilver coins
rose. Slowly, people beganusing money again to pay for
goods.Merchants set up trading companies andbanks to manage the
sale of goods and theuse of money.
Web Activity Visit jat.glencoe.com and click on Chapter
15Student Web Activity tolearn more about the Middle Ages.
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How Were Cities Governed? Towns wereoften located on land owned
by lords. Thismeant the towns were under their control.However,
townspeople needed freedom totrade. They wanted to make their own
lawsand were willing to pay for the right tomake them. In exchange
for paying taxes,people in towns were granted certain basicrights
by their lords. These included theright to buy and sell property
and the free-dom from having to serve in the army.
Over time, medieval towns set up theirown governments. Only
males who hadbeen born in the city or who had livedthere for a
certain length of time were citi-zens. In many cities, these
citizens electedthe members of a city council. The councilserved as
judges, city officials, and law-makers. Candidates from the
wealthiestand most powerful families were usuallyable to control
the elections so that onlythey were elected.
Crafts and Guilds Trade encouraged man-ufacturing. People
produced cloth, metal-work, shoes, and other goods right in
theirhouses. Over time, these craftspeople organ-
ized guilds (GIHLDZ), or business groups. By1200, tanners,
carpenters, bakers, andalmost every other type of craftspeople
hadguilds. The rise of towns and guilds createda new middle class
in medieval Europe.People in the middle class were not
lords,vassals, or serfs. They did not own land, butthey did have
some wealth and freedom.
Craft guilds set standards for quality inproducts. They decided
how goods were tobe made and set the prices at which the fin-ished
goods were sold. Guilds also decidedwho could join a trade and the
steps theyhad to follow to do so.
A person could become an apprenticearound the age of 10. An
apprentice learneda trade from a master craftsperson who pro-vided
room and board but no wages. Afterfive to seven years of service,
the apprenticebecame a journeyman and worked forwages. To become a
master, a journeymanhad to produce a masterpiecean outstand-ing
example of the craft.
What Was City Life Like? Medievalcities had narrow, winding
streets. Houseswere crowded against one another, and the
530 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
Medieval streets were narrow and oftencontained wastewater and
garbage. Whywas fire a major threat in medieval cities?
A street in France datingback to medieval times
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Reading SummaryReview the Under feudalism, Europe was
divided into thousands of territo-ries owned by nobles with
thelands worked by serfs.
During the Middle Ages, nobleslived in large castles, while
serfslived in small wood cottages.
As medieval trade increased,towns grew and craftspeopleorganized
guilds.
1. What was a vassal?
2. Describe the system of croprotation used in the laterMiddle
Ages, and explain how itincreased the amount of foodbeing
grown.
Critical Thinking3. Compare and Contrast
Draw a chart to compare theduties and obligations of
lords,knights, and serfs.
4. Summarize Explain the shiftof power from kings to
noblesduring the Middle Ages.
5. Cause and Effect How didan increase in trade lead to
thegrowth of towns and cities?
6. Conclude What were guilds,and why were they important?
7. Creative Writing Write a ForSale advertisement for amedieval
castle. Describe thecastles rooms and surround-ings, including the
manor andits residents.
What Did You Learn?
Study CentralTM Need help with the material in this section?
Visit jat.glencoe.com
CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 531
second and third storieswere built out over thestreets. Candles
and fire-places were used for lightand heat, and the houseswere
built mostly of wood.As a result, medieval citiescould be destroyed
rapidlyonce a fire started.
The cities were often dirty and smelly.Wood fires in peoples
homes and shopsfilled the air with ashes and smoke.Brewers, dyers,
and poor people who couldnot afford wood burned cheap coal,
pollut-ing the air even more. Butchers and tannersdumped blood and
other animal wastesinto the rivers. Because of the pollution,cities
did not use the rivers for drinkingwater but used wells
instead.
City women ran their households, pre-pared meals, raised their
children, andmanaged the familys money. Often they
helped their husbands in their trades. Somewomen developed their
own trades to earnextra money. Sometimes when a mastercraftsperson
died, his widow carried on histrade. As a result, women in
medievaltowns could lead independent lives. In fact,many women
became brewers, weavers,and hatmakers.
Analyze In what ways doyou think the shift from a barter system
to amoney system changed medieval Europe?
Lords Knights Serfs
This painting shows a medieval woman spinningwool as her husband
warms himself by the fire.What were some responsibilities of women
inmedieval cities?
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Feudalism: Good or Bad?Feudalism was the major social and
political order in medieval
Europe. It developed as power passed from kings to local
lords.
Feudalism brought together tw
o pow-
erful groups: lords and vassals.
The lords
gave vassals land in return fo
r military
and other services. Feudalism w
as a help
to Western Europeans for the
following
reasons: Feudalism hel
ped protect communi-
ties from the violence and warfa
re
that broke out after the fall of
Rome and the collapse of strong
central government in Western
Europe. Feudalism secured
Western Europes society and ke
pt
out powerful invaders.
Feudalism helped restore trad
e.
Lords repaired bridges and road
s.
Their knights arrested bandits,
enforced the law, and made it
safe to travel on roads.
Feudalism benefited lords, vas
sals,
and peasants. Lords gained a
dependable fighting force in
their vassals. Vassals received
land for their military service.
Peasants were protected by
their lords. The lord also built
mills to grind grain and black-
smith shops and woodworking
shops to make tools.
Feudal ceremonies, oaths, and
contracts required lords and
vassals to be faithful and
to carry out their duties to
each other. These kinds
of agreements and rituals
later helped shape the
development of Western
governments.
Feudalism did not allow
one person or organization
to become too powerful.
Power was shared among
Good?
Serfs workingthe land
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533
many people and groups.
This was the first step to European
ideas about limited government,
constitutions, and civil rights.
Bad?Feudalism did not
always work as
well in real life as it it did in theory, and
it caused many problems for society.
Feudalism provided some unity and
security in local areas, but it often
did not have the strength to unite
larger regions or countries. Small
feudal governments could not
afford big projects, such as building
aqueducts, sewers, or fleets of ships,
that might benefit society.
Because there was no strong central
government to enforce laws fairly,
it was easy to use force, violence,
and lies to get ones way. This led
to many wars among lords.
Feudalism protected Western
Europe from outside invaders,
but it did not bring peace to a
region.
Lords or vassals often placed their
personal interests over the inter-
ests of the areas they ruled. Feudal
lords had complete power in their
local areas and could make harsh
demands on their vassals and
peasants.
Feudalism did not treat people
equally or let them move up in
society. A person born a serf was
supposed to remain a serf, just as a
person born a lord received special
treatment without earning it.
Most peasants were serfs. They were
not allowed to leave their lords
lands. Serfs had to work three or
four days each week as a payment
to the lords or vassals for allowing
them to farm for themselves on
other days. The serfs were restricted
in movement and even daily
activities because they could not
leave the land without permission.
Checking for Understanding1. Do you think feudalism helped
or hurt Western Europes development?
2. Is there any way feudal lordscould have worked their
landswithout using serfs?
3. Imagine what your life wouldhave been if you were born into a
feudal society. Write at leastthree brief diary entries.
Describeyour daily life as a lord, vassal, orserf and your
relationship withthe other two groups.Your entriesshould show
feudalism as either good or bad.
533
Landowningnobles oftenserved asknights.
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KingdomsCrusadesand
Whats the Connection?In the last section, you read
about how Western Europeans livedduring the Middle Ages. This
sectiondescribes the political changes thattook place while people
went abouttheir daily lives.
Focusing on the England developed a system in which
the kings power was shared withParliament. (page 535)
French kings called the Capetiansconquered lands held by the
Englishin western France and set up Francesfirst parliament. (page
538)
After the Mongols destroyed theKievan state, the rulers of
Moscowbuilt a new Russian state headed by aczar. (page 539)
European crusaders capturedJerusalem but were later driven outby
the Muslims. (page 541)
Locating PlacesNormandy (NAWRmuhndee)Kiev (KEEEHF)Moscow
(MAHSkoh)
Meeting PeopleWilliam the Conqueror
King John
Philip II (FIH luhp)Saladin (SA luhDEEN)
Building Your Vocabularygrand jury
trial jury
clergy (KLUHR jee)
Reading StrategyCause and Effect Complete adiagram to show the
causes andeffects of the Crusades.
c. A.D. 871Alfred becomesEnglands king
1095Pope Urban IIcalls the FirstCrusade
1480Ivan the Great endsMongol rule
ENGLAND
SPAIN
FRANCE
RUSSIA
PALESTINE
HOLYROMANEMPIRE
RomeClermont
Kiev
Jerusalem
Moscow A.D. 900 1150 1400A.D. 900 1150 1400
534 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
Causes Effects
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 535
England in the Middle AgesEngland developed a system in
which
the kings power was shared with Parliament. Reading Focus Do you
know anyone who has had togo to court or has served on a jury? Read
to learn howthese institutions began in medieval England.
In section one, you learned thatGermanic peoples called the
Angles andSaxons invaded Britain in the early A.D. 400s. They took
over much of thecountry from the Celts and set up manysmall
kingdoms. In the late A.D. 800s,Vikings attacked Britain. King
Alfred ofWessex, later known as Alfred the Great,united the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms anddrove away the Vikings. Alfreds
unitedkingdom became known as Angleland,or England.
Alfred ruled England from A.D. 871 toA.D. 899. He founded
schools and hiredscholars to rewrite Latin books in theAnglo-Saxon
language. However, the
Anglo-Saxon kings who came after himwere weak rulers.
Who Was William the Conqueror? In theA.D. 900s, the Vikings
conquered part ofwestern France across the English Channelfrom
England. This region came to be calledNormandy (NAWR muhn dee),
after theVikings, or Norsemen, who ruled it. By themiddle of the
A.D. 1000s, Normandy wasruled by William, a descendant of theViking
ruler who had conqueredNormandy. William was also a cousin ofKing
Edward of England.
When Edward died, a noble namedHarold Godwinson claimed
Englandsthrone. However, William believed that he,not Harold,
should be king of England. In1066, William and his army of
knightslanded in England. They defeated Haroldand his foot soldiers
at the Battle ofHastings. William was then crowned kingof England
and became known as Williamthe Conqueror.
This painting of the Battle of Hastings shows Norman knights
onhorseback led by William the Conqueror attacking the English
footsoldiers. What area did William rule before he attacked
England?
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At first the Anglo-Saxons resistedWilliams rule. He had to find
a way to stopAnglo-Saxon revolts and to control his ownsoldiers. He
did so by giving land to hisNorman knights. Then he made themswear
loyalty to him as ruler of England.
William wanted to know all about hisnew kingdom. So he took the
first census inEurope since Roman times. This census wasknown as
the Domesday Book. It countedpeople, manors, and farm animals.
The Normans who ruled Englandbrought Europes customs to
England.
Under Williams rule, officials and noblesspoke French. Ordinary
Anglo-Saxons still spoke their own language, which laterbecame
English. They also learned new skills from Norman weavers andother
artisans. The Normans, in turn, keptmany of the Anglo-Saxons
governmentpractices. For example, they depended on local officials,
called sheriffs, to keeporder. As more and more Normans
andAnglo-Saxons married, their ways ofdoing things merged into a
new Englishculture.
536 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
In the United States, citizensare chosen at random for
possiblejury duty. Some states have reduced
the number of jurors from 12 to 10, 8,or 6. Juries usually
decide a verdict and
sometimes decide a sentence. What is thedisadvantage of choosing
the same people to
serve on juries again and again?
The Jury System
The right to a jury trial in England wasgranted in the Magna
Carta, but jury trials beganin Europe about 50 years earlier. For
each case,12 jurors were chosen. In some villages, thesame jurors
were chosen again and againbecause of their wisdom or status.
Jurorswere always men. The jury decidedwhether the accused was
guilty orinnocent.
A modern jury
A medieval court
(l)Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY,
(r)John Neubauer/PhotoEdit
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 537
Henry II and the Common Law Thepower of the English king
increased underHenry II. Henry ruled England from 1154 to1189.
Henry used the law courts to increasehis power. He set up a central
court withtrained lawyers and judges. Then heappointed circuit
judges, who traveledacross the country hearing cases. He
alsoestablished common law, or law that wasthe same throughout the
whole kingdom.
Henry set up juries to handle argumentsover land. In time, two
kinds of juries devel-oped. The grand jury decided whether peo-ple
should be accused of a crime. The trialjury decided whether an
accused personwas innocent or guilty.
What Was the Magna Carta? Henrysson John became king of England
in 1199.King John raised taxes in England andpunished his enemies
without trials. ManyEnglish nobles resented the kings power.They
refused to obey him unless he agreedto guarantee certain
rights.
The nobles met with King John at ameadow called Runnymede in
1215. Therethey forced John to sign a document ofrights called the
Magna Carta, or the GreatCharter. The Magna Carta took away someof
the kings powers. He could no longercollect taxes unless a group
called theGreat Council agreed. Freemen accused ofcrimes had the
right to fair trials by theirpeers, or equals. Habeas corpus was
intro-duced, which protects a person from beingimprisoned
indefinitely without a trial.The Magna Carta also stated that the
kingand vassals both had certain rights andduties. The Magna Carta
was importantbecause it helped to establish the idea thatpeople
have rights and that the power ofthe government should be
limited.
In the 1200s, another English king,Edward I, called for a
meeting of people
from different parts of England. Their job was to advise him and
help him make laws. This gathering, called theParliament, was an
important step towardrepresentative government. At
first,Parliaments were made up of two knightsfrom every county, two
people from everytown, and all high-ranking nobles andchurch
officials. Later, Parliament dividedinto two houses. High-ranking
nobles andchurch officials met as the House of Lords.Knights and
townspeople met as theHouse of Commons.
Explain How did the MagnaCarta affect the kings power?
Magna CartaThis excerpt fromthe Magna Cartadescribes the rightto
a trial by jury:No free man shallbe taken, impris-oned,
disseised[seized], outlawed,banished, or in anyway destroyed,
norwill We proceedagainst or prosecutehim, except by thelawful
judgment ofhis peers and by thelaw of the land.
Magna Carta
Why do you think this part of the MagnaCarta is important?
King John signing the Magna Carta
Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection
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The Kingdom of FranceFrench kings called the Capetians con-
quered lands held by the English in western Franceand set up
Frances first parliament.Reading Focus Has a poll ever been taken
in yourclass? Read to find out how one French king found outwhat
his people were thinking.
In A.D. 843 Charlemagnes empire wasdivided into three parts. The
western parteventually became the kingdom of France.In A.D. 987
Frankish nobles chose HughCapet to be their king. Hugh was the
first ofthe Capetian (kuh PEE shuhn) kings ofFrance. The Capetians
controlled the areaaround Paris (PAR uhs), the capital. ManyFrench
nobles had more power than thekings did. This began to change
whenPhilip II (FIH luhp) became king of France.
Philip ruled from 1180 to 1223. Whenhe took the throne, Englands
king ruledparts of western France. Philip went towar against
England and conquered mostof these territories. As a result,
Frenchkings gained more land and became morepowerful.
Philip IV, called Philip the Fair, ruledfrom 1285 to 1314. In
1302 he met with rep-resentatives from the three estates,
orclasses, of French society. The first estatewas the clergy (KLUHR
jee), or people whohad been ordained as priests. Nobles madeup the
second estate, and townspeople andpeasants were the third estate.
This meetingbegan the Estates-General, Frances firstparliament. It
was the first step in Francetoward representative government.
Describe How did KingPhilip II bring power back to French
kings?
538 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
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Europe c. 1160
In 1160, feudal Europe was fragmentedinto many small kingdoms
and states.1. What kingdoms controlled lands that
today belong to France?2. Who controlled lands that today
belong to Spain?
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 539
Eastern Europe and RussiaAfter the Mongols destroyed the
Kievan state, the rulers of Moscow built a newRussian state
headed by a czar.Reading Focus Why do you think some of the
citiesin your state grew large while others stayed small? Readto
learn how the cities of Kiev and Moscow grew tobecome the centers
of large Slavic states.
About A.D. 500, a people called the Slavsorganized villages in
Eastern Europe. Eachvillage was made up of families related toeach
other. The villagers shared their land,animals, tools, and seeds.
Each family builtits house partly underground. This kept thefamily
warm during the cold winters.
In time, the Slavs divided into three majorgroups: the southern,
western, and easternSlavs. The southern Slavs became the
Croats,Serbs, and Bulgarians. The western Slavsbecame the Poles,
Czechs, and Slovaks. Theeastern Slavs became the Ukrainians (yoo
KRAYneeuhnz), Belorussians (BEH lohRUHshuhnz), and Russians
(RUHshuhnz).
By A.D. 600, the eastern Slavs controlledthe land between the
Carpathian Moun-tains and the Volga River. In the earlyMiddle Ages,
the eastern Slavs createdfarmland by chopping down the forests
andthen burning the trees to fertilize the soil.They planted
barley, rye, and flax.
What Was the Kievan Rus? In the lateA.D. 700s, Vikings began
moving into theSlavs territory from the north. Over time,the
Vikings became rulers of the Slavs. TheSlavs called their Viking
rulers the Rus.Over time, the Vikings and Slavs intermar-ried and
blended into one people.
Around A.D. 900, a Viking leader namedOleg created a Rus state
around the city ofKiev (KEE EHF). Called the Kievan Rus, thisstate
was really a group of small territories.
The main ruler was the Grand Duke ofKiev. Local princes, rich
merchants, andlandowning nobles called boyars (boh YAHRZ) helped
him govern.
The rulers who came after Olegincreased the size of the Kievan
Rus. Intime, it reached from the Baltic Sea in thenorth to the
Black Sea in the south. Itstretched from the Danube River in
thewest to the Volga River in the east.
The growth of the Kievan Rus attractedmissionaries from the
Byzantine Empire.One Rus ruler, Vladimir, married theByzantine
emperors sister. He became anEastern Orthodox Christian and
declaredhis people Eastern Orthodox.
Ibn Fadlan Describes the Rus
In A.D. 921, the Muslim official Ibn Fadlan encountered the Rus
while visiting a settle-ment on the Volga River.I have seen the Rus
as theycame on their merchantjourneys and encamped bythe [Volga
River]. I havenever seen more perfectphysical specimens, tall
asdate palms, blonde andruddy; they wear neither[coats] nor caftans
[longshirts], but the men wear agarment which covers oneside of the
body and leavesa hand free. . . . They buildbig houses of wood on
the [Volga] shore, each holding ten to twenty persons more or
less.
Ibn Fadlan, Risala
Of what occupation are the Rus that IbnFadlan describes?
Statue of aRus leader
Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures
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Kiev Falls to the Mongols About 1240, theMongols swept into the
Kievan Rus. TheSlavs called the Mongols Tatars becauseone of the
Mongol tribes was the Tata peo-ple. The Mongols destroyed nearly
all themajor cities and killed many people.
The only major city of the Kievan Rusthat was spared was the
northern city ofNovgorod. Nonetheless, Novgorods rulersas well as
other Russian rulers, had to paytribute to the khan, the Mongol
leader, andaccept the Mongols as their rulers.
Although Novgorod had been sparedby the Mongols, it faced
attacks from thewest by Germans and Swedes. Led by
Alexander Nevsky, theSlavs of Novgorod defeatedthe Swedes and
Germans.For his help in defendinglands controlled by theMongols,
the Mongol khanrewarded Nevsky with thetitle of grand duke.
The Rise of Moscow As the Slavs recoveredfrom the damage caused
by the Mongols, thecity of Moscow (MAHSkoh) began to grow.Moscow
was located at the crossroads of sev-eral important trade routes.
AlexanderNevskys son Daniel and his descendantsbecame grand dukes
of Moscow.
The dukes of Moscow married womenfrom the ruling families in
other Slavictowns. They also fought wars to expandMoscows
territory. Moscow became evenmore important when it became the
head-quarters for the Russian branch of theEastern Orthodox Church.
When Ivan I, theGrand Duke of Moscow from 1328 to 1341,was given
permission to collect taxes for theMongols, Moscow grew even
greater.
In 1462 Ivan III, known as Ivan theGreat, became the grand duke.
He marriedSophia, the niece of the last Byzantineemperor.
Afterward, Ivan began living inthe style of an emperor. He had
architectsbuild fine palaces and large cathedrals inthe Kremlinthe
fortress at the center ofMoscow. He even began calling himselfczar.
Czar was a shortened version ofCaesar. In Russian, czar means
emperor.
Ivan III lived up to his title. In 1480 hefinally ended Mongol
rule over Moscowsterritory. Then he expanded his territory tothe
north and west. When Ivan III died in1505, the Russians were well
on the waytoward building a vast empire.
Cause and Effect Whywas Alexander Nevsky important?
540 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
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Land added by 1425 Land added by 1462 Land added by 1505
KEY
Located along trade routes, the city ofMoscow grew in power and
in area.1. Describe the territory acquired by Moscow
by 1462.2. By what year had Moscow acquired
territory bordering on the Arctic Ocean?
Growth of Moscow
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 541(l)Archivo Iconografico,
S.A./CORBIS, (r)Robert W. Nicholson/National Geographic Society
Image Collection
The CrusadesEuropean crusaders captured
Jerusalem but were later driven out by the Muslims.Reading Focus
Have you ever put all your energyinto making something important
happen? Read tolearn why Europeans thought capturing the city
ofJerusalem was important.
During the Middle Ages, the ByzantineEmpire in the East came
under attack. In1071 an army of Muslim Turks defeated theByzantines
and seized control of most of theByzantine lands in Asia Minor.
The Byzantine emperor did not haveenough money or troops to
drive out theTurks. In desperation, he asked the pope tohelp him
defend his Christian empireagainst the Muslim invaders.
In 1095 Pope Urban II spoke before alarge crowd in eastern
France. He askedEuropes lords to launch a crusade, orholy war,
against the Muslim Turks. Heurged them to capture Jerusalem and
freethe Holy Land where Jesus had lived from
the Muslims. The pope explained why thecrusade was needed:
Jerusalem is the navel [center] ofthe world. . . . This is the
landwhich the Redeemer [Jesus] ofmankind illuminated by hiscoming.
. . . This royal city,situated in the middle of theworld, is now
held captive by hisenemies. . . . It looks and hopesfor freedom; it
begs unceasinglythat you will come to its aid.
Pope Urban II, as quoted in The Discoverers
As the pope spoke, the excited crowd criedout, It is the will of
God, it is the will ofGod. The Crusades had begun.
Early Victories Several thousand soldierson horseback and as
many as ten thousandon foot headed east. Many of them wore ared
cross on their clothes as a sign of theirobedience to the popes
call.
In 1098 the First Crusade capturedAntioch in Syria. From there,
the crusadersentered Palestine, reaching Jerusalem in1099. After a
bloody fight, they stormedthe city, killing Muslims, Jews,
andChristians alike.
In the painting above, Pope Urban II callsfor a crusade against
the Muslims. At right,the crusaders attack Jerusalem with
siegetowers and catapults. What was the popesgoal for the
crusade?
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Having driven the Muslims from theregion, the crusaders created
four states: theKingdom of Jerusalem in Palestine, thecounty of
Edessa and the principality ofAntioch in Asia Minor, and the county
ofTripoli where Lebanon is located today.These four states were
surrounded byMuslims and depended on the Italian citiesof Genoa,
Pisa, and Venice for supplies.
The Muslims fought back, however, andin 1144 they captured
Edessa. In response,European rulers sent another crusade to
regain the lost lands. This Second Crusade,however, was a total
failure.
In 1174 a Muslim named Saladin (SA luhDEEN) became ruler of
Egypt. He unitedMuslims and declared war against theChristian
states the crusaders had built.Saladin proved to be a brilliant
commander.He defeated the Christians and capturedJerusalem in
1187.
The fall of Jerusalem led to the ThirdCrusade. Emperor Frederick
of the HolyRoman Empire, King Richard I of England,
542 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
The Crusades 10961204
Christian lands, c. 1100Muslim lands, c. 1100First Crusade,
10961099Second Crusade, 11471149Third Crusade, 11891192
KEY
Crusaders from all across Europe traveledoverland and by sea to
fight in the Holy Land.1. From what port cities did warriors on the
First
Crusade leave to travel to the Holy Land? 2. Describe the route
of the Third Crusade.
Medieval painting of a battle during the Crusades
MotionIn
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Reading SummaryReview the The English king granted rights to
his people in the Magna Cartaand established a parliament.
French kings regained French ter-ritories from the English and,
likethe English, created a parliament.
Russia had its beginnings in theterritories of the Kievan Rus
andMoscow.
West Europeans launched cru-sades to capture Jerusalem
andPalestine from the Muslims.
1. What is the significance of theBattle of Hastings?
2. What groups developed fromthe three major divisions ofSlavs
in Eastern Europe?
Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information
Draw a chart to list the kingsof England and France andtheir
achievements.
4. Evaluate What was theimportance of the MagnaCarta?
5. Summarize Describe thedevelopment of EnglandsParliament, and
discuss its role in changing government.
6. Explain Why did cities suchas Venice flourish as a result
ofthe Crusades?
7. Expository Writing Write anessay describing how theCrusades
affected feudalism.
What Did You Learn?
Study CentralTM Need help with the material in this section?
Visit jat.glencoe.com
CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 543
(known as Richard the Lion-Hearted), andKing Philip II of France
gathered theirarmies and headed east to fight Saladin.
The Third Crusade had many problems.Frederick drowned crossing a
river. TheEnglish and French arrived by sea and cap-tured a coastal
city but were unable to pushinland. After Philip went home,
Richardsecured a small territory along the coast. Hethen agreed to
a truce after Saladin prom-ised that Christian pilgrims could
travel toJerusalem in safety.
Around 1200, Pope Innocent III calledfor a Fourth Crusade.
Merchants fromVenice used the crusade to weaken theirtrading rival,
the Byzantine Empire. Theyconvinced the crusaders to
attackConstantinople, the Byzantine capital. Forthree days, the
crusaders burned and lootedthe city. The attack shocked
WesternEuropeans and weakened the Byzantines.
Six more crusades were launched overthe next 60 years, but they
achieved very lit-tle. Gradually, the Muslims conquered all ofthe
territory they had lost to the FirstCrusade. In 1291, a bit more
than 200 yearsafter the First Crusade had set out, the
lastChristian city fell to Muslim forces.
The Crusades affected Europe in twoways. They increased trade
betweenEurope and the Middle East, and theyhelped break down
feudalism. Nobles whojoined the Crusades sold their lands andfreed
their serfs. This reduced their powerand helped kings build
stronger centralgovernments. Kings also began taxing thenew trade
with the Middle East. Thesetaxes helped them build stronger
kingdomsin Western Europe.
Compare and ContrastWhat did the First Crusade accomplish? What
didthe Third Crusade accomplish?
King/Country Achievements
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Church and SocietyWhats the Connection?
Kings and popes had a powerfuleffect on the lives of
medievalpeople, as did religion. In this section,you will learn how
religion inmedieval Europe shaped its culture.
Focusing on the The Catholic Church played an
important role in medieval Europeand used its power to uphold
itsteachings. (page 545)
Church and government leaderssupported learning and the arts
inmedieval Europe. (page 549)
Locating PlacesBologna (buhLOHnyuh)
Meeting PeopleFrancis of Assisi
(FRANsuhs uhv uhSIHSee)Thomas Aquinas
(TAHmuhs uhKWYnuhs)
Building Your Vocabularymass
heresy (HEHRuhsee)anti-Semitism
(ANtihSEHmuhTIHzuhm)theology (theeAH luh jee)scholasticism
(skuhLAStuhSIHzuhm)vernacular (vuhrNAkyuh luhr)
Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Complete a Venn diagram
to show the similaritiesand differences between Romanesqueand
Gothic cathedrals.
1233 Catholic Churchsets up theInquisition
c. 1267 Thomas Aquinasbegins writingSumma Theologica
1209 Francis of Assisi foundsFranciscan order
ENGLAND
SCANDINAVIA
SPAIN
FRANCE
ITALY
HOLYROMANEMPIRE
RomeClermont
Jerusalem
544 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
The
RomanesqueCathedrals
GothicCathedrals
1200 1250 13001200 1250 1300
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545
Religion and SocietyThe Catholic Church played an impor-
tant role in medieval Europe and used its power touphold its
teachings.Reading Focus Have you ever noticed how manythings in
society have been influenced by religion?What examples can you
give? Read to learn about theimportant role religion played in the
lives of people liv-ing in the Middle Ages.
Between 1050 and 1150, a strong wave ofreligious feeling swept
across WesternEurope. As a result, more monasteries werebuilt, and
new religious orders, or groupsof priests, monks, and nuns, were
started.
New Religious Orders The Cistercian (sihs TUHR shuhn) order was
founded in 1098.Cistercian monks farmed the land as well
asworshiped and prayed. They developed
many new farming techniques that helpedEuropeans grow more
crops.
The most famous Cistercian monk wasBernard of Clairvaux (klar
VOH). Bernardhelped promote the Second Crusade. Healso advised the
pope and defended thepoor against the rich.
Many women entered conventsbetween A.D. 1000 and 1200. Most of
themwere from noble families. They includedwidows and women unable
or unwilling tomarry. Women who were scholars foundconvents ideal
places for study and writing.
Most educated women in medievalEurope were nuns. One famous
womanwas Hildegard of Bingen (HIHL duh GAHRDuhv BIHNG uhn). She
headed a convent inGermany and composed music for theChurch. Her
work is remarkable because atthat time, men wrote most church
music.
This religious painting from the wall of a church in Italy
depicts the popeand other Christian leaders, a number of saints,
and Jesus ruling over all.How did Cistercian monks aid European
society?
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Until the 1200s, most people in religiousorders stayed in their
monasteries separatefrom the world. They lived a simple life
ofprayer and hard work. In the 1200s, severalnew religious orders
were created. The menin these religious orders were called
friars.Friar comes from a Latin word for brother.
Friars were different from monks. Theydid not stay in their
monasteries. Instead,they went out into the world to preach.
Friarslived by begging. They could not own prop-erty or keep any
personal wealth.
The first order of friars was founded byFrancis of Assisi
(FRANsuhs uhv uhSIHSee) in 1209. These friars became known
asFranciscans. They lived in towns and taught
Christianity to the people. In addition,the Franciscans helped
the poor andserved as missionaries.
A Spanish priest named Dominicde Guzmn founded another group
offriars called the Dominicans. TheDomincans goal was to
defendChurch teachings. Dominican friarsspent years in study so
they couldpreach to well-educated people.
The Role of Religion Throughoutmedieval Western Europe, daily
liferevolved around the CatholicChurch. Priests ran schools and
hos-pitals. They also recorded births, per-formed weddings, and
conductedburials. On Sundays and holy days,people went to massor
the Catholicworship service.
During mass, medieval Christianstook part in Church rituals
calledsacraments. The most importantsacrament was communion, in
whichpeople took bread and wine toremind them of Jesus death on
thecross for their sins. Only clergy couldgive people the
sacraments.
Many Christians also prayed to saints.Saints were holy men and
women who haddied and were believed to be in heaven.Their presence
before God enabled the saintsto ask favors for people who prayed to
them.
Of all the saints, Mary, the mother ofJesus, was the most
honored. Many churcheswere named for her. Several French
churchescarried the name Notre Dame, or Our Lady,in honor of
Mary.
Some people tried to make a connec-tion to the saints by
touching relics. Relicswere usually bones or personal belongingsof
saints. People believed that relics hadspecial powers, such as the
ability to healthe sick.
546 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
The Franciscan Way of Life
Francis of Assisi recorded instructions for living in the
Franciscan order. This passage is about the nature of love.
Blessed that friar who loves his brother as much when he is sick
and can be of no use to him as when he is well and can be of use to
him. Blessed that friarwho loves and respectshis brother as much
whenhe is absent as when he ispresent and who wouldnot say anything
behindhis back that he could notsay charitably [nicely] tohis
face.
Francis of Assisi, as quoted in Admonitions
Does Francis of Assisi think that love foranother person should
be constant, orchanging? How do you know?
Francis of Assisi
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CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe 547
Medieval Christians also believed thatGod blessed pilgrims, or
religious travelerswho journeyed to holy places. The holiestplace
was Jerusalem in the Middle East.
What Was the Inquisition? The CatholicChurch was very powerful
in medievalsociety, and most of its leaders wantedeveryone to
accept the Churchs teachings.Church leaders feared that if
peoplestopped believing Church teachings, itwould weaken the Church
and endangerpeoples chances of getting into heaven.
Using its power, the Church tried to putan end to heresy (HEHR
uh see), or reli-gious beliefs that conflict with Churchteachings.
At first, it tried to stop the spreadof heresy by sending friars
like theDominicans to preach the Churchs mes-sage. Then, in 1233,
the pope established acourt called the Inquisition (IHN kwuh ZIH
shuhn), or Church court. To Church leaders,
heresy was a crime against God. TheInquisitions job was to try
heretics, or peo-ple suspected of heresy.
People brought before the Inquisitionwere urged to confess their
heresy and toask forgiveness. When they confessed, theInquisition
punished them and thenallowed them to return to the Church.People
who refused to confess could be tor-tured until they admitted their
heresy.Those who did not confess were consideredguilty. The
Inquisition turned them over topolitical leaders, who could execute
them.
How Were the Jews Treated? Churchleaders persecuted Jews as
actively as theypunished heretics. Many Europeans hatedJews for
refusing to become Christians.Others hated them because many
Jewswere moneylenders who charged interest.At that time, Christians
believed charginginterest was a sin.
This painting shows an accused heretic being questioned by
theInquisition. What happened to people who refused to confess to
theInquisition?
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When disease or economic problemshurt society, people blamed the
Jews. Jewsbecame scapegoatspeople who areblamed for other peoples
troubles. Hatredof Jews is known as anti-Semitism (AN tih SEH muh
TIH zuhm).
Anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages tookhorrible forms. Christian
mobs attackedand killed thousands of Jews. Governmentsmade Jews
wear special badges or clothing.In some places, Jews had to live in
separate
communities known as ghettos. Jews alsolost the right to own
land and to practicecertain trades. This was why many of themhad to
become peddlers and moneylenders,jobs that Christians despised.
Beginning in the 1100s, European rulersbegan driving out their
Jewish subjects.England expelled Jews in 1290. Franceexpelled
groups of Jews several times.Some German cities also forced Jews
toleave. Many of these Jews settled in Polandand other Eastern
European countries.Over the years, the Jews of Eastern
Europeestablished thriving communities based ontheir religious
traditions.
Contrast How did themain goal of the Franciscans differ from the
maingoal of the Dominicans?
548 CHAPTER 15 Medieval Europe
N
S
WE
500 km
500 mi.0
0Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection
0 20E
50N
NorthSea
Mediterranean Sea
AegeanSea
Adriatic Sea
Black Sea
Balti
c Sea
From Spain followin
g the expulsion of Jews in 1492
1498
1322
1271
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