The document summarizes the development of feudalism in Europe between 500-1100 CE. It describes how Germanic tribes took over the Western Roman Empire and established new kingdoms. The Franks rose to power under Clovis and adopted Christianity. Manors and a hierarchical feudal system developed for protection and food production. Knights and the code of chivalry emerged. Monasteries played a key role in preserving knowledge and converting pagans under the church's leadership.

1. Feudalism & the
European Kingdoms
{ 500 CE – 1100 CE

2.  In the 3rd century CE, the
Germanic peoples began
moving into the lands of the
Roman Empire. The
Visigoths occupied Spain
and Italy until the
Ostrogoths took control of
Italy in the 5th century. By
500 CE, the Western Roman
Empire had been replaced by
a number of states ruled by
German kings.
New Germanic Kingdoms

3.  Although the Romans were defeated by the
Germanic tribes, much of their government was
retained, especially the structure. Roman
influence weakened over time, as Germanic
populations grew. Eventually, the Germanic
tribes appointed kings (or created kings by
defeating others in battle) and the Romans lost
all influence and were prevented from holding
power. In Britain, the Anglo-Saxons took over
when the Romans abandoned Britain.
New Germanic Kingdoms

4. Germanic Kingdoms, 500 CE

5.  The strongest and longest-
lasting Germanic kingdom
was the kingdom of the
Franks who were ruled by
king Clovis, a strong military
leader. Clovis established
power through the use of
knights, heavily-armored
soldiers who were able to
defeat Roman armies. Clovis
adopted Christianity
sometime around 500
CE, which gained him the
support of the Roman
Catholic Church. By
510, Clovis had established a
powerful new kingdom that
stretched from the Pyrenees
to the German lands in the
East (modern day France &
Germany).
Frankish Kingdom & Clovis

6. Frankish Kingdom

7.  Germanic society centered around the
family, especially the extended family of
multiple generations. Property and possessions
were owned by the extended family and passed
down through generations. The family also
provided protection, which was necessary in
the violent times of the dark ages.
Germanic Society

8.  Germanic law was deeply personal. An injury by one person against
another could mean a blood feud, and the feud could lead to savage
acts of revenge.
 To avoid bloodshed, a new system developed; a fine called wergild
was the basis of the new system. Wergild was the amount paid by a
wrongdoer to the family of the person s/he has injured or killed. The
literal translation of wergild is “money for a man”.
 The value of the wergild varied according to social status; the nobility
was valued much higher than an ordinary person or a slave.
One means of determining guild in Germanic
law was the ordeal. The ordeal was based on
the idea of divine intervention, or that God
would intervene for those who were innocent.
All ordeals involved a physical trial of some
sort, like holding a red-hot iron, or being
boiled alive, or other tests. An innocent
person would come out unharmed, while the
guilty would not.
Germanic Law

9.  By the end of the 4th century, the Christian
Church had developed a system of
organization. Local communities were led by a
parish priest, who reported to a bishop. The
bishop was responsible for several
parishes, called a bishopric or diocese and
reported to an archbishop. The archbishop
(usually representative of a country or
territory) was responsible for several bishops.
The archbishops reported to the Pope, the
bishop of Rome, who led the church.
Pope
Organization Archbishops
of the Bishops
Church Parish Priests

10.  Pope Gregory I was a strong pope who
strengthened the power of the papacy (office of
the pope). He served as the leader of Rome and
the surrounding territories (called the Papal
States).
 Pope Gregory I worked to convert the Germans
to Christianity. He did this through the
monastic movement.
Role of the Church

11.  A monk is a man who separates himself from
ordinary human society to pursue a life of total
dedication to God.
 The practice of living the life of a monk is
known as monasticism.
 At first, monks lived like hermits, in isolation
from other people. Later, monks founded
communities that lived by basic rules.
Monks & Monasticism

12.  Saint Benedict founded a
community of monks called
the Benedictines, who lived
by a series of rules:
 The day was divided into a
series of activities, with
primary emphasis on prayer
and manual labor.
 Physical work was required
for all monks
 Prayer several times a day
was required; both
individual and community
prayer
 Each monastery was led by
an abbot, or father, who had
complete authority over the
monks
 The monasteries owned
lands that provided their
food and sustained their
animals
Benedictine Monastery, Germany
Benedictine Monasteries

13.  Monks & monasteries came to represent the ideal
Christian society in the dark and middle ages.
 Monks were an important force in shaping European
civilization
 The monks dedication to God was considered an ideal
 Monks were the social workers of their
communities, providing education, hospitals, helping
travelers, etc.
 Monasteries were centers of learning
 Monks copied bibles and other religious texts
 Monks were missionaries – people who carry a religious
message – to non-religious people, in an attempt to
convert them to Christianity
 Eventually, women began to lead a monastic life; these
women were called nuns. They lived in convents run by
abbesses, the “mothers” of the other nuns.
Importance of Monasteries

14.  The Frankish kingdom began to decline in the 600s
and 700s.
 The kings eventually lost power to mayors of the
palace, who were the chief officers in the kings
household
 One mayor, Pepin, assumed the kingship for
himself. He was the son of Charles Martel, the
leader who defeated the Muslims at the Battle of
Tours in 732
 When Pepin died in 768, his son Charles inherited
the throne
 Charles became known as Charles the Great, or
Charlemagne
Charlemagne & the Carolingians

15.  Charlemagne ruled from 768 to 814
 During his reign he expanded the territory
of the Frankish kingdom, which came to
be known as the Carolingian Empire
 The Carolingian Empire covered most of
western and central Europe


Charlemagne depended on nobles to act
as his representative in local areas
Charlemagne became the “Holy Roman
Emperor” in 800 CE; as a Christian
King, the Pope in Rome crowned
Charlemagne, bringing together the
{
German, Roman, and Christian peoples
 Charlemagne promoted learning
throughout his kingdom; this period was
called the Carolingian Renaissance
 Monasteries played a central role in
expanding learning throughout the
empire
 They established scriptoria, or writing
rooms, where monks copied the
Bible, Christian writers, and Latin classical
authors
Charlemagne

16.  After Charlemagne’s death in 814, the
Carolingian Empire began to fall apart. By 30
years after his death, the empire was divided into
three sections: the west Frankish lands, the
eastern Frankish lands, and the Middle Kingdom;
the west Frankish kingdom was ruled by Charles
the Bald; The Middle Kingdom by Lothair I, and
the east Frankish lands by Louis the German
Invaders

17. In the 9th and 10th centuries, invasions
occurred throughout the Carolingian
Empire.
The Magyars invaded from East Asia
and moved into central Europe
(yellow on the map).
The Vikings sacked villages and
towns throughout the 9th century;
they were warriors and expert
shipbuilders who were able to sail
both European rivers and the ocean.
In 911, the ruler of the west Frankish
kingdom gave the Vikings land at the
mouth of the Seine River, now known
as Normandy (red on the map).
Invaders Muslims attacked Spain and northern
Africa, sending raiding parties into
these regions (green on the map).

18.  With all the threats to people from invaders, it became important for
people to work together to survive. For safety and for
defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities
around a central lord or master. Most people lived on a
manor, which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the
surrounding farm land. These manors were isolated, with
occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the
Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.
In this "feudal" system, the king awarded land grants or "fiefs" to
his most important nobles, his barons, and his bishops, in return for
their contribution of soldiers for the king's armies. At the lowest
echelon of society were the peasants, also called "serfs" or "villeins."
In exchange for living and working on his land, known as the
"demesne," the lord offered his peasants protection.
Development of Feudalism

19.  The feudal system was based on the idea of
vassalage, or loyalty and service. Warriors swore an
oath of loyalty to their leaders and fought for them.
In turn, the leaders took care of the warriors needs.
A man who served a nobleman in a military
capacity was called a vassal.
 You probably know of vassals as knights, heavily
armored and horse mounted soldiers who fought
on behalf of a noble. Knights wore heavy armor
usually made of mail (links or plates of
armor), were armed with swords, spears, or lances.
 Knights had great social prestige and were the
backbone of the European aristocracy. Because of
the expense of armor, a horse, and
weapons, knights were granted land by the noble in
order to raise money to pay the expense to equip
their knights.
Feudal System: Knights

20.  Feudalism worked because each level of society
participated in the Feudal Contract.
 At the top of society was the King, who owned
most of the land. The king would grant large plots
of land to Barons or other nobles, who were
required to provide money (taxes) and knights for
military service in exchange for their land.
 The nobles would then grant land to the
knights, who would then provide protection and
military service to the noble and/or king.
 The knights would grant land to serfs or
villeins, who would farm the land and provide
food to the knights, who would then pay tribute to
the nobles.
 Some nobles would have large numbers of knights
beneath them, while others may only have a
few, depending on the size of the land grant from
the king.
Feudalism

21.  Feudalism worked because of an unwritten set of
rules known as the feudal contract. This contract
determined the relationship between the lord and
his vassals. The major obligations of the vassal were:
 Perform military service, usually for about 40 days
per year
 Appear at court when summoned to provide advice
to the lord
 Make financial payments to the lord
 The lords were required to:
 Grant land to the vassal that enabled them to live
and afford their equipment
 Protect the vassal, either through military means or
in court, as required
Feudal Contract

22.  European society in the
Middle Ages was dominated
by warfare. Communities
needed to protect themselves
from invaders like the
Vikings, and kingdoms were
constantly at war with other
kingdoms. As a result, a class
of nobles arose based on
warfare and united by
competition.
 Nobles held tournaments so
knights could demonstrate
At the top of European society was the Pope. their fighting skills; it also
The monarchs answered to the Pope. Beneath was an excellent way for the
the monarchs were nobles, who supported knights to train for war.
knights, who supported the merchant class. At
the bottom were the peasants and serfs.
Nobility in the Middle Ages

23.  Knights believed in the code of chivalry. They promised to
defend the weak, be courteous to all women, be loyal to their
king, and serve God at all times. Knights were expected to be
humble before others, especially their superiors. They were also
expected to not "talk too much". In other words, they shouldn't
boast.
The code of chivalry demanded that a knight give mercy to a
vanquished enemy. However, the very fact that knights were
trained as men of war belied this code. Even though they came
from rich families, many knights were not their families'
firstborn. They did not receive an inheritance. Thus they were
little more than mercenaries. They plundered villages or cities
that they captured, often defiling and destroying churches and
other property. Also the code of chivalry did not extend to the
peasants. The "weak" was widely interpreted as "noble women
and children". They were often brutal to common folk without
fear of reprisal, all because they were part of the upper class.
Chivalry

24.  Aristocratic women could own property, but their
property usually remained under the control of
men, either their fathers or their husbands after their
marriages.
 Noblewomen had to manage large estates because
their husbands were often off at war. Women
handled the financial accounts and the management
of the castle and estate.
 Women were expected to be subservient to their
husbands, but this was not always the case. There
are many stories of strong, aristocratic women who
dominated their husbands, like Eleanor of
Aquitaine, who was married to King Henry II of
England.
Aristocratic Women