Warm Up Early Middle Ages REVIEW from content yesterday: 1.Who was Alexander Nevsky and why was he important? 2.Why are the monks Cyril and Methodius important.

Warm UpEarly Middle Ages

REVIEW from content yesterday:

1.Who was Alexander Nevsky and why was he important?

2.Why are the monks Cyril and Methodius important to the Kievan Rus?

3.What was The Great Schism and what year did it take place?

4.Explain two differences between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.

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Read THE INSIDE STORY on p. 361 about Alfred the Great and answer the question.

Read the “Benedictine Rule” on p. 363, answer questions.

Early Middle Ages in Europe

New Germanic Kingdoms• By 500 AD- the Roman Empire was replaced by Germanic

Kingdoms (Germany does not become a country until the 1800’s, however most of Europe was composed of Germanic tribes)

1. Angles and Saxons spread to Britain• Britain/England was united under Alfred the Great

– pushed the Danes back North– 1st King of England (land of the Angles)– Established school system

2. Franks in Gaul (modern day France), Visigoths in Spain

• Merging of German and Roman culture–Let go of Roman law codes/systems

• Germans had trials by physical ordeal (tests)– If you were thrown in a river and floated, you proved you were a witch because

you weighed too much not to sink. However, if you sink and drown, it showed you were either innocent but still drowned, or that you were guilty and the God didn’t save you. Ordeals could be interpreted any way the people wanted to- so, it was NOT based on logic.

• Believed in divine intervention on behalf of innocent

Trial by Ordeal

Women's Rights and Trials

Notice: The hand of God coming from the heavens to help the person through their ordeal of walking across sharp objects/ sometimes hot coals, etc.

If you survived the ordeal, it was believed that God, the saints, and the angels had intervened to help you because you were innocent.

However, we KNOW the body has physical limitations, which we KNOW does not prove innocence nor guilt.

Frankish Empire• Clovis

– king of Franks, converted to Christianity c. 500 AD– Gained support of Roman Catholic Church– Pepin took crown in 751 AD

• Charlemagne (“Shar-lu-main”) – means “Charles the Great” in French

• son of Pepin became king, expanded territory

– Defeated the Lombards and protected Pope Leo III• Thus, crowned “emperor” by pope 800 AD

– Renewed interest in Latin/Greek works• Monks copied works by hand

– Empire fell apart after his death, 814AD • (3 grandsons split empire 3 ways- where divisions start with what we recognize as

France and Germany)

– Spread Christianity to conquered people, or else death…sent missionaries to live with them

– Written law Charlemagne Music Video

Notice: Lombardy is a territory in northern Italy and tried to invade the Papal States (territory controlled by the Pope), thus Charlemagne knew if he defended the Pope it would be a tactical move because the Pope would back him- giving legitimacy to his control over his own territory. It worked. The

Pope crowns Charlemagne showing the power of the church in Western Europe.

The split of Charlemagne’s empire after his death: shows the divisions that eventually become France, the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), Italy, Denmark, Hungary, northern

Spain, etc.

Invasions of 9th and 10th Centuries

• Scandinavia:– not good for farming – Vikings/ “Norsemen” (men from the north) raided other

communities• Used long, narrow, shallow dragon ships to sail up

rivers into European continent

• Eventually Europeans tired of Viking raids– gave land to Vikings/Norsemen and they settled

down• Ex: “Normandy” in France

Crash Course: The VIKINGS!

Vikings

The Holy Roman Empire

• Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire– Confused yet? Shows the power of the church over the territory since the

Pope crowns the emperors, and it was a way to try to keep the former Roman Empire alive in the west, even though it was really just a territory controlled by one leader.

• After Viking raids calmed down:– some centralization in Europe

• 962 AD Otto Ist: crowned Holy Roman Emperor• Not Frankish lands, but German lands

– Most emperors preoccupied w/ power struggle with popes, European politics

– German city-states stayed very independent and were NOT fond of being part of the “Holy Roman Empire”.

England• 1066 AD: (need to know this date!)

– William of Normandy invaded and conquered England (called William the Conqueror)

• Defeated Anglo-Saxons at Battle of Hastings• Slow merging of Anglo-Saxon and Norman culture, language, etc.

• Henry II became king c. 1142– Expanded royal courts

• to put ALL people through the same legal process (to treat all people the same)

• Catholic church was outraged, they didn’t believe the state had the power to try religious leaders, only the church could discipline their own leaders.

– Common law – same law throughout kingdom– Tried to control clergy

• (Thomas a Becket- Archbishop of Canterbury, England, was killed in his cathedral, had a huge disagreement with King Henry II over church v. state and who had the most power. People blamed the king for possibly having him assassinated. Henry II was famously quoted as saying to his knights “Who will rid me of this man?”)

– Married to Eleanor of Aquitaine

Battle of Hastings

Eleanor of Aquitaine• Very unusual woman for Middle Ages

(wealthy landowner)– Controlled her own land in south west France

(territory of Aquitaine)

• Married to King of France: Louis II– Had two daughters – Traveled to Constantinople & Jerusalem on

Crusade with him– Annulled marriage (pseudo-divorce)

• He wanted sons?

• Married King Henry II England– He had her imprisoned for over 15 years

(she was NOT your typical subservient woman, she was raised powerful, he did NOT appreciate that trait in her)

– Had 3 sons with him

• Kept her own court in France• Her famous son- Richard the Lionheart

(famous good king in the Robinhood stories)

Aquitaine- in yellow

Magna Carta (means “Great Charter”)

Read the Magna Carta on p. R59 and answer questions #1-3.

~English nobles resented power of King John -revolted

~Forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 -which limited the king’s power

ACTIVITY: Create a rap/song…

• With a partner….. (YES, you can use your phones in class to assist with this assignment)

• Create a rap or song about the greatness of Charlemagne and his influence throughout Europe, OR on the Magna Carta, OR Eleanor of Aquitaine, OR William the Conqueror, OR Henry II and Thomas a Becket, etc.– Take a popular song or nursery rhyme and re-write the lyrics

Must:– Be “G” rated (language and content)– At least ½ page– On topic with academic content– With specific details about the topic chosen– Be turned in on a piece of paper with both names– Extra credit for presenting (5 pts. on a quiz)

Charlemagne Music Video to "Call Me“

William the Conqueror Music Video