After the fall of Rome, Europe fragmented into small kingdoms. Charlemagne briefly united much of Europe in the late 700s-early 800s, blending Roman, Germanic, and Christian traditions. After his death, his empire splintered and feudalism developed as local lords granted land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service. The Catholic Church also rose to power and influence over spiritual matters in medieval Europe. By 1000 AD, economic and agricultural advances spurred revival as trade increased and towns and their merchant classes grew.

1. Part III Sec. 1: The Rise of Europe

2. End of Roman Rule
 The Germanic people ended Roman rule in the west
and started a new civilization
They had no written laws and no cities
Lived in small communities with kings whose chief role
was to lead them in war
Europe became fragmented, isolated

3. The Early Middle Ages
400-700 Germanic invaders carved Europe into small
kingdoms
800 Charlemagne built an empire stretching across
France, Germany, and Italy
He revived learning, extended Christian civilization
into northern Europe blending German, Roman, and
Christian traditions
 Set up a strong, efficient government

4. Life After Charlemagne
Charlemagne died in 814 resulting in a power struggle
for 30 years
Muslims, Magyars (Hungarians), and Vikings began
to overrun territories held by Charlemagne’s heirs
Kings and emperors were took weak to maintain law
and order
In response to that basic need for protection, feudalism
evolved

5. Feudalism
Under feudalism, powerful local lords divided their
large landholdings among lesser lords
In exchange for land and protection the lesser lords, or
vassals, pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord
The lord granted the vassal a fief, or estate
 It included the peasants who worked the land
Feudalism gave strict order to medieval society

6. Feudalism
Feudal lords battled constantly for power
Many nobles trained from boyhood for future
occupations as a knight, or mounted warrior
Knights adopted a code of conduct called chivalry
 Required knights to be brave, loyal, and true to their word
 Knights had to fight fairly and be generous to their enemies
Stone castles were made to protect lands from being
seized

7. Medieval Economy
A manor is the lord’s estate
Most manors included one or more villages and
surrounding lands
Most peasants on the manor were serfs, or people
bound to the land
Serfs couldn’t be bought or sold but worked the land in
return for a bit of land for subsistence farming and
protection

8. The Medieval Church
After the fall of Rome, the Christian church split into
an eastern and western church
The west was headed by the pope and became known
as the Roman Catholic Church
 Became the most powerful secular, or worldly force in
medieval Europe
 Church officials were appointed to high gov’t positions
because they were the only educated people
 Pope claimed to have authority over all secular rulers

9. The Medieval Church
The church also controlled the spiritual lives of
Christians in Europe
Christians believed that all people were sinners and
that many were doomed to eternal suffering
Only way to avoid hell was to believe in Christ and
participate in the sacraments
Church performed all sacraments and had absolute
power in religious matters
Success brought problems to the church because as
wealth grew, discipline weakened.

10. Economic Expansion and Change
By the 1000’s advances in agriculture and commerce
spurred economic revival
 Iron plows to improve farming and windmills to grind grain
into flour
 Adoption of the three-field system enabled peasants to leave
only a third of their land unplanted and thus expanded crop
production
 New trade routes increased wealth
 Local trade fairs
 Merchant guilds, or associations came to dominate life in
medieval towns
 Merchant, traders, and artisans formed the new social class –
middle class