The Middle Ages

Charlemagne, Castles, Crusades, Cathedrals and Christianity. When the stones of the western world could no longer lean on Rome, life in Europe spiraled downward. A darkness fell, heralding a giant leap backward from the glory of the Eternal City and all that she helped create the previous 1,000 years. Small manors replaced large cities, subsistence farming replaced international trade and the power of the Church replaced the organization and the ultimate authority of the Empire. The Middle Ages were less at time of chivalrous romance, and more one of harsh realities. Death was common before 30; if malnutrition did not set in, the Vikings or plague surely did. One glimmer of hope remained: Christianity. To medieval Christians, God was very real, lurking around every corner, giving and taking life as he saw fit. Like the Egyptians who built pyramids to honor their kings, medieval Europe built grand cathedrals, houses for God. But following the Crusades, Europe began to look outwards again, and a reawakening led to the belief, once again, that not only God, but man was capable of all things.

The Feudal Order - The system of obligations that kept the medieval world together


Charlemagne's rule cast the first light on Europe in three centuries. His organization and emphasis on education preserved enough of western culture that prevented it from extinction. On Christmas Day, 800 AD, Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks by Pope Leo III, solidifying Church authority over the State.	The medieval manor remained home for most peasants. Working from the first sun, peasants were obliged by feudal obligations to work the lord's land. The lords gift in return was providing security for the serfs, who could in no way defend themselves against the Vikings and other nomads.	In this Age of Faith, God, believed to be the Great Geometer who created all things, was a powerful force that kept hope alive amid death and despair.

For protection against the invading Vikings and other nomads, strong lords built castles. Above, a Scottish castle that has one square tower and one round, an indication that it was a castle built just after Y1K.	The crusades were a landmark event in history. Following the taking of Jerusalem by the Muslims, Pope Urban's plea for an army to take back the city destroyed feudalism, reconnected isolated towns and revealed to the Europeans just how far they had fallen behind the rest of the world.	As towns became cities, and agricultural interests turned to trade, cathedrals rose from the ground toward the heavens they represented. Designed to fitting houses for God, cathedrals, like this one at Chartres, in France, were the pinnacle of Gothic architecture, with pointed arches, walls of glass, and tall spires that served as beacons to traveling pilgrims.

Just as large spaces invite our eyes upward today, the nave of Chartres did so as well, but to a greater degree. Most medieval eyes had never seen a structure of such grandeur. On the floor at Chartres, a labyrinth that represented the pilgrimage a Christian would make in his or her lifetime.	Stained glass told biblical stories to those who could not read, but more importantly, let light, the representation of God, into the cathedral.	The monastery was the center of life for monks who gave up their life for stewardship to God. The illuminated texts they painstakingly created are yet another testament to the Age of Faith.

Chapter 12.1	Chapter 12.2
Clovis, Martel, Pepin and Charlemagne - contributions to unity	How and why did the manor function?
Significance of 800 AD	Structure of Feudalism (Obligations!)
Cause and effect of Viking invasions	Life in 999
Chapter 12.3	Chapter 13.1
Importance of the church and it's teachings	The Crusades - 1st through 4th - How successful?
Monastic Life - illuminations	For the messiah...or for money?
Heresy and the Inquisition	Effects of the Crusades
Chapter 13.2	Chapter 13.4
Causes of expansion, Agriculture > Trade	Babylonian Capt. and Great Schism - significance?
Importance of guilds and the rise of the middle class	What forces were weakening the Church?
Scholasticism - go easy on the Lit. and Art	Wycliffe and Hus - the Church creates martyrs for the opposition