Background for AP Euro

1. Growth of King’s Power

2. Medieval “kings”
First among equals
Like a school Class President

3. Power is zero sum

4. Kings’ fantasies
Charlemagne King Arthur Frederick Barbarossa

5. Who has power in the Middle Ages?

6. Why do nobles have power?

7. Why does church have power?
Schools
Alms
Hospitals
Wealth
Land
Army
and……

9. How do you gain power?
Kings – must find people who have not take the oath of loyalty to a lord.
Who are these people?

10. How do you gain power over them?

11. Hugh Capet 940-996

12. 3 July 987 Hugh Capet is elected King
What power does that give him?
Not much, Just as much as any other feudal lord. He had control over his nobles,
knights and peasants.
He was picked because he was seen as weak.

13. He has land, some good land, but he doesn’t have the most land.
Through marriage, warfare, and negotiations, Hugh
Capet gains land.

14. He makes the role hereditary
Why?

15. He finds ways to gain the loyalty of the townspeople
By doing things for them
Like make sure the roads in and out of the towns is kept in repair
And having some of his people patrol them
Minting coins that can be used in France
By the time he dies he has left a strong legacy for his sonµ

16. England
Feudalism is brought to England in 1066 by William the Conqueror

17. But he made a small change – instead of the decentralized feudalism of France,
William made all the lords that settle in England from France his vassals. So now
he is the top of the pyramid. All pledge fealty to him,
So, from the very beginning, England had a history of strong kings and a
centralized government.

18. Will the king’s power keep growing and growing?
It is spring of 1215. Nobles are very unhappy with King John. (King John of Robin
Hood fame. They called him John Lackland, because he kept going to war and
losing, which means he lost land.

19. Here’s another version:

20. Signing the Magna Carta at Runnymead

22. Parliament
Parliament, as we know it, begins here.
Though their powers were not great, they had now the right to meet as a political
body
And the king must seek their approval before raising taxes.
This is called the Power of the Purse and is one of the most important powers to
be had.

23. Otto I 912-973
Father was elected as ruler
Otto inherited the title from his father
Begins to put members of his family in positions
previously held by others. But constant
rebellions across the region.

24. His defeat of Maygars sealed his claim to fame. Now seen as the defender of
Christendom.

25. Otto continues to expand his land through warfare.
In 962, following the example of Charlemagne, Otto I comes to the aid of the
Pope who crowns him the Emperor of the Romans.

26. The Holy Roman Empire lives on
However, Otto spends most of his time at war, and not in building up a base of’
loyalty at home. After all, why bother when you have the Pope as your best friend.
Why? What power does knowing the Pope give you?

27. Excommunication…..
It’s like, rather than working hard to make friend, you just use the threat of your big
brother, state wrestling champion, to do it for you.

28. The Holy Roman Empire
Now mostly German speaking groups continues on,
but is much less unified than France and England.
What does give them what unity they have is that they speak German and are
are (for the most part) Christian.
The Holy Roman Emperor is there – but is much less important to them then
their local lord.

29. Role of Electors
These were the important men of the nearly 100 German states.
Their role was to confirm the election of the new emperor.

30. HRE
By 1500, there were more than
100 independent states and cities.
Kingdoms ruled by kings.
Principalities ruled by princes.
Duchies ruled by Dukes.
Bishoprics ruled by Bishops.
Free Imperial cities.
Cities ruled by Merchants…..