Early Middle Ages

1. Early Middle Ages Chapter 9 Medieval Europe

2. Eurasia • Europe is a continent that is part of Eurasia • Eurasia is the large landmass that includes both Europe and Asia • Ural Mountains are the boundary between Europe and Asia

4. Europe • North Europe • South Europe • Scandinavia

5. North Europe • Land is Flat (Vast Northern European Plains) • Contains most of Europe's rivers • Many of these rivers begin from the melted snow in the South • Mild and cooler, cold winds from the north bring freezing temperatures in the winter

6. North Europe • The way of living • Rivers provide transportation • Pairs was built on an island to make the cites hard to reach by raiders

7. South Europe • Alps Mountains • Warm and sunny

8. South Europe • The way of living • Most people lived on coastal plains or in river valleys where the land was flat to farm • The people never had to live far from the sea because of all the peninsulas

9. Scandinavia • Europe's largest peninsula • Cold throughout the year

10. Scandinavia • The way of living • Many people in cold, snowy Scandinavia have settled on the coasts, looking to the sea and lands beyond for the resources they need

11. Roman Empire • Remember: • The western Roman Empire fell • The eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire with Justinian • So now in 400 AD the 5th century Rome comes back

12. After the Roman Empire • After the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire Rome started to be taken over by warlords. These warlords made kingdoms. • The creation of these kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages

13. Story Time • Once upon a time, long long ago, in a country far far away, lived Monks and Missionaries. Monks and Missionaries had a purpose like all people do. And their purpose was to spread Christianity thoughtfulness .

14. Europe needed these special monks and missionaries to spread Christianity to all the non –Christian kingdoms.

15. At the top of the top of these missionaries was the pope. The pope told the missionaries to go around from kingdom to kingdom and try to convert people to Christianity

16. Because these missionaries traveled great distances, the pope dubbed them saints. The most famous of all missionaries was St. Patrick

17. Saint Patrick was so famous, they named the holiday after him. St. Patrick's Day. You see…

18. St. Patrick was not always so good, in fact he was imprisoned in Ireland for a short time. But eventually got out and went to spread Christianity.

19. Helping the Missionaries spread Christianity in Europe was the good old’ Monks. You see Monks were religious men who lived apart from society in isolated communities.

20. These Monks built monasteries all over Europe. But it took great skills to be a Monk. Life for a Monk was stricked.

21. Monks had to follow the rules created by an Italian Monk named Benedict. They followed the Benedictine Rules and were called Benedictine Monks. But for some reason,

22. Monks decided to make their own rules too. As if they didn’t have enough rules to follow. But all in all these monks were awesome. They….

23. They gave healthcare to the poor, ran schools, and copied books for those who couldn’t read. But like all good there is bad.

24. The bad was…

25. These awful mean Franks decided to conquer Gaul (France) and ruled under the terrible Clovis. Then another harsh ruler came in Charlemagne. And boy was Charlemagne fierce.

26. Charlemagne conquered neighboring kingdoms to make his territory bigger. But while conquering he also helped Christianity. But then while Charlemagne was doing good, be came in contact with the evil….

27. The evil Muslim armies and Magyars from the East and Vikings from Scandinavia….

28. So the nobles had to protect their land. So they hired knights. These knights were loyal to the nobles and the nobles were still loyal to the king.

29. This started Feudalism.

30. Story Time • The life in a Feudal Society

31. Once upon a time, in a land far far away. England to be exact, lived nobles and knights. Now these nobles weren’t so tough but the knights were.

32. The knights helped the nobles defend their land against attacks. These attacks would come frequently and even the king could not stop them. (so how powerful was this king)….

33. Not very powerful, in fact the nobles had much of the power. And the nobles hired the knights to defend their land.

34. These knights were strong and they fought on horse back. But they were also expensive, so the, nobles paid the knights with land.

35. A Nobel who gave a knight land, became the knight’s Lord. Then the knight promised to protect the Lord. If the knight made this promises he became a vassal.

36. So this promises between knights and nobles, or should I say, Lords and vassals, started Feudalism.

37. Since the promises was only words, the words became the law. And if any side, lord or vassal broke their word, the ties were broken.

38. So this system went on and on. And the lords started to build castles of wood. The lord had most of the land, but the vassal could gain land also.

39. If the vassal gained enough land, he also became Lord. This system of feudalism, started to spread. It spread through…

40. Northern Italy, Spain and Germany.

41. The most famous of all Lords was William the Duke of Normandy, but after be won in the battle of Hastings, he became William the Conquer. And he lived in Britain.

42. So feudalism spread to Britain.

43. And when the land became so big to live on with the knights and lords, they were called manors. These manors had large houses, pastures, field and forests.

44. But the land was too big to farm for the knights and nobles so they hired peasants and surfs and other workers.

45. But being a serf or peasant wasn’t all bad. The serfs got protection from the lords and knights. And they all had their duties.

46. Women serfs made cloths cooked and grew vegetables. Men serfs farmed the land and children would tend to the sheep and chickens.

47. So these serfs were ruled by the knights and lords. And the lords became manor lords. The manor lord controlled everything that happened on his land.

48. His word was the law. He collected taxes from people who lived on the manor. But this system would not last forever. You see…

49. Europe's population began to grow, thanks to all the farming done by the serfs. The serfs got smart and started using heavier plows and horses to farm the land.

50. More food, meant more people, and more people formed cities. Trade with other countries started to increase, and well…