We took a test today. The test was on Middle Ages. It was harder than i thought it was going to be. I think i did pretty good. Hopefully I get a good grade on this test.

Today we reviewed for out Middle Ages test tomorrow.

• Middle Ages were AD 476-AD 1453
• This new society has roots in: classical heritage of Rome, beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, and customs of various Germanic tribes 
• 5th Century Germanic invaders overrun the western half of the roman Empire causing: disruption of trade, downfall of cities, and population shifts to rural areas
• Effects of Invasion, decline of learning: tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn't read Greek or Latin, Roman languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian), few besides priests were literate
• Germanic kingdoms emerge AD 400-600
• Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them with food, weapons, treasure Result: no orderly government for large areas, small communities rule
• Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France comes from)
• In 496 AD has a battlefield conversion-he and 300 of his warriors become Christians
• Church + Frankish rulers = rise in Christianity 
• His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns 
• They operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books
• Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies
• This is a theocracy
• Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany
• Clovis' descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer
• Hammer defeats a Muslim party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732
• Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short 
• Son #2 is Charles, known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great  
• Charlemagne:
• Fought the Muslims in Spain
• Became the most powerful king in western Europe 
• His son-Louis the Pious-was ineffective 
• His three sons couldn't figure out who will rule 
• They made a treaty at Verdun in 843 AD

Today we went over notes. we reviewed what could be on the test. Hopefully the test and the final will be easy

Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
511 AD-Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
600 AD-Church + Frankish convert many
Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
Monasteries and convents
520 AD-Benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
Poverty, chastity, obedience, study
His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in converts
731 AD-the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
Monks opened schools, maintenance libraries, and copied books(Bibles, Greek texts)
A European Empire Evolves
Franks control largest European kingdom
The Roman province formerly known as Gaul
Ruled by Clovis-the Merovingian Dynasty
Major domo-mayor of the palace-ruled the kingdom
Charles Martel-Charles the Hammer
extended the Franks' reign to the north, south, east
defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Balls of Tours in 732-historic battle
Charles the Hammer's son-Pepin the Short
possibly named for his unusual short haircut
Working for and with the Pope, Pepin fought for the Lombards
Pope Stephen II named Pepin (king by the grace of God)-beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751-987 AD
Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
Charlemagne takes center stage
Charlemagne-Charles the Great
6 foot 4
Built the greatest empire since Rome
Fought for Muslims in Spain
Fought Germanic tribes
Spread Christianity
Reunited Western Europe
Became the most powerful king in western Europe
Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly roman mob
This signed the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire
Charlemagne's Government
He limited the authority of the nobles
He regularly visited every part of his kingdom
Kept close watch on his huge estates
Cultural Revival
Encouraged learning
Ordered monasteries to open schools
Opened a palace school
But his heirs were weenies...
His Son-Louis the Pious-was ineffective
Louis; three songs-Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German-split up the kingdom at the Treaty of the Verdun in 843 AD

Germanic Kingdoms unite under Charlemagne

• Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
• Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us come from 
• Middle Ages=medieval period 
• Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
• invasions and constant warfare spark new trends 
• distribution of trade
• Europe's cities are no longer economic centers 
• Money is scarce
• Downfall to cities
• Cities are no longer centers of administration 
• Population shifts
• Nobles retreat to rural areas
• Cities don't have strong leadership 
• Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
• Decline of learning
• Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition 
• Only priests and church officials could read and write
• Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
• Lost of a common language
• Dialects develop in different regions
• By the 800s, French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin 
• Germanic kingdoms emerge
• The concept of government changes
• Roman society: loyalty to public government 
• Germanic society: loyal to family
• Germanic chief led warriors
• During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, ad place to live (a lord's hall)
• During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
• "The kings? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck care you?"
• Franks lived in the Roman province of Gaul-their leader is Clovis
• The Franks under Clovis
• Another battlefield conversation 
• Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop 
• The church in Rome approves of this "alliance" 
• Clovis and the Church begin to work together 
• Clovis' military expertise + the Church and money = A strategic alliance between two powerful forces 
• Germanic peoples adopt Christianity 
• (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
• Papacy=pope's office
• secular power=wordy power
• So... under Gregory the Great... Papal Power (Power of the Pope) is Political Power, Presented from the Pope's Palace
•  The Church can use church money to:
• Raise armies
• Repair roads
• Help the poor
• Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthy kingdom (Christendom)

Middle Ages

Middle Ages
Feudalism: a political, military, and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances
The Feudal Pyramid
King
The most powerful Vassals (Nobles and Bishops)
Knights-mounted warriors who received fiefs for defending their lord's land
Pheasants (mostly Serfs) landless, powerless, moneyless, right-less, just working the land for "the man) (their lord)
Manor-the lord's estate
The lord's manor house
A church
Some workshops
15-30 families
All on a few square miles
Good news: it's self-sufficient community
Bad news: its harsh if you're a pheasant
Pheasants are poor and pay high taxes
Tax on grain
Tax on marriage
Church tax (tithe=10% of their income)
They lived in crowded cottages
Live with animals and insects
Eat very simply

Today in class we did our test. I thought I did better than what I got. Hopefully I do better on the next test that we will do.