The document summarizes several key aspects of life in medieval Europe during the Middle Ages, including the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire; the development of feudalism and manorialism; the power and influence of the Catholic Church; major events like the Crusades, Black Death, and Hundred Years War; and the introduction of new ideas, technologies, and crops from other parts of the world.

1. The Middle Ages

2. Fall of the Roman Empire
• Political Weakness—bad leaders
• Economic Problems—no $$$$
• Military Decline—no army
• Invasion--barbarians

3. Justinian the Great
The Byzantine Empire
• After the fall of the Roman Empire, the
Western half fell into chaos.
• The Eastern half became the Byzantine
Empire.
• The size varied but under Justinian it
reconquered much of the old Roman Empire.
• Greatest achievement was the Code of
Justinian—all of roman laws under one code

4. Byzantine Church
• The Byzantine empire was united by their own
form of Christianity—Eastern Orthodoxy—
separate from the Catholic Church.
• They do not recognize the Pope
• Church of Hagia Sophia

5. Church of Hagia Sophia

6. Western Europe in Turmoil
Middle Ages
• The Barbarian Invasions—Germanic tribes

7. Feudalism
• To protect themselves from violence and to
provide for basic needs, people throughout
Western Europe adopted the system of
Feudalism

8. Feudalism: a strict
class structure
based on control of
land and military
power.

9. • During
feudalism, people
lived on Manors—
each produced its
own food, clothing
and shelter
manors

10. Catholic Church
• During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic
Church remained the most powerful
organization in Western Europe.
• The head of the Church was the Pope in
Rome.
• Catholics believed the Pope took the place of
St. Peter in running the Church.

11. Reasons for the Church’s Power
• The Role of Faith—believed the Church held
the power to send people to Heaven or Hell
• Power and Wealth—grew wealthy as many
nobles left their land to the church to gain
entry to Heaven
• Center of learning-church officials were often
the only people who could read and write

12. Two Christian Thinkers
• St. Augustine—we must put our faith in God
• who will reward us in the afterlife

13. St. Thomas Aquinas
• He said that men could judge government
laws laws against natural law and
• and could overthrow unjust
• rulers

14. The Crusades
• Christians had been traveling to the Holy Land
for hundreds of years. But in 1095 the Seljuk
Turks took control of the Holy land and drove
out Christians.
• Pope Urban II called on all Christians in Europe
to unite and fight a holy Crusade—a war to
recapture the Holy land. The church promised
salvation to all who participated

16. Effects of the Crusades
• The Crusades were a failure in that the Holy
City was never recaptured HOWEVER it
changed Europe:

17. New Ideas and Products
• The use of zero in math
• Silk, rice, spices, coffee.
Perfumes, cotton, raisins, glass mirrors

18. Increased in Trade
• Because now Europe had seen good stuff they
wanted to trade with the Middle East and the
rest of the world and new inventions from the
Chinese and the Muslims like the
Compass, astrolabe—made sailing less scary.

19. Growth of Intolerance
• The Crusades led to the Christian persecution
of Jews and Muslims, as well as to the Muslim
persecution of Christians---Not a good thing

20. English Political Traditions
• In 1215, the English nobles rebelled against
the taxes and forced loans being collected by
King John and forced him to sign the Magna
Carte—guaranteeing free men certain rights

21. The Black Death
• Rats with fleas carrying the disease entered
Europe from Asia on trading ships. Between
1347-1351 25 million people died. About 1/3
of Europe's population.
• Many questioned the Church
• Many blamed the Jews
• The Black Death created a labor shortage in
Europe

22. The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
• The Hundreds Years war broke out between
France and England when the French king died
without an heir, and the King of England
claimed the French throne.
• Joan of Arc: a young French maiden, rallied
French troops and turned the tide by driving
out the English out of the French city of
Orleans. She was captured and burned at the
stake by the English.