May 23

This is a new society
This new society has roots in:
classical heritage of Rome
beliefs of the Roman catholic church
customs of various Germanic tribes

overrun the western half of the Roman Empire
causing:
disruption of trade
downfall of cities
population shifts to rural areas

Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France" comes from)
In 496 he has a battlefield conversion - he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
The church in Rome like this
by 511 the Franks are united into one kingdom, with Clovis and the Church working as partner

Church = Frankish rulers = rise in Christianity

In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks
they operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books

Clovis rules the Franks in Gaul until his death in 511
Most of the rest of Europe consists of smaller kingdoms
Clovis descendants include Charles Martle, know as Charles the Hammer
Charles most important point is that he defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the BATTLE OF TOURS in 732
(If he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire

Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short
He works with the church and is named "king by the grace of God" by the pope
Pepin the short dies in 768 leaving two sons
Son #1 - Carloman - dies in 771
Son #2 is Charles, known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great
His intent was to build the greatest empire since Rome

Charlemagne's grandsons can't decide who will rule so his grandsons split it up into 3 pieces

Essay Question!!!
Describe how Christianity evolved from a cult like group into the worlds largest religion.

May 19

• Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne
• Main Idea
• Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited Charlemagne's empire
• Why it matters
• Charlemagne spread Christian Civilization through northern Europe. Which is where many of us came from
• Setting the Stage
• Middle ages = medieval period
• 476-1453 AD
• medieval Europe is fragmented
• Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
• Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
• Disruption of trade
• Europe's cities are no longer economic
• Money is scarce
• Downfall of cities
• Cities are no longer centers of administration
• Population shifts
• Nobles retreat to the rural areas
• Cities don't have strong leadership
• Decline of learning
• Germanic invaders are illiterate but they communicate through oral tradition
• Only priests and church officials could read and write
• Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
• Loss of a common language
• Dialects develop in different regions
• By the 8005, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin \
• Germanic kingdoms emerge
• the concept of government changes
• Roman society: loyal to public gov't
• Germanic society: loyal to family
• Germanic chief led warriors
• During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live(the lord's halt
• During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
• "The King? Who's that? You want you collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
• Franks live in the Roman province of Goal - their leader is Clovis
• The Franks under Clovis
• Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine)
• Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
• The Church in Rome approves of this "alliance"
• Clovis and the Church begin to work together

Clovis' military expertise + The church's support and money = A strategic alliance between two powerful forces.

• Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
• 511 AD - Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
• 600 D - Church + Frankish rulers convert many
• fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
• Monasteries and convents
• 520 AD - Benedict wrote he rules for monks and monasteries
• Poverty, Chastity, obedience, study
• His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
• 731 AD - the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greeks Texts)
• Pope Gregory 1 expands papal power
• papacy = pope's office
• Secular power = worldly power
• So... under Gregory the Great
• Papal Power (power of the papal) is political power, presented from the pope's palace
• The church can use church money to:
• Raise armies
• repair roads
• Help the poor
• Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)

May 16th

• Feudalism: a political, military and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances
• In other words: the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you
• RICH DUDE(LORD): "I own land; I need people to help me work it an defend it
• TOUGH DUDES(VASSALS): "There are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land
• The feudal Pyramid 

 King

The most powerful Vassals (Nobles and Bishops)

          Knights- mounted warriors who received a Fiefs (a small plot of land with a house) for defending their lord's land

Peasants (mostly Serfs) Landless, Powerless, moneyless, rights-less Just working the land for "the man" (their lord)

• Manor: the lord's estate
• The lord's manor house
• A church
• Some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles
• good news: it's a self-sufficient community
• bad news: it's harsh if you're a peasant

 

• Peasants are poor AND pay high taxes
• Tax on grain
• Tax on marriage
• Church tax (tithe = 10% of their income)

May 14th

Today we took a test on all of Roman History. I got a great grade! YAY ME !!!!

May 13th

Today in class we had study time to work on things we need to do in other classes.

Rome Fades Away

Two Emperors

• Diocletian
• he rules from 284 - 303
• its cool to persecute Christians
• Rome need a big army (400,00 strong)
• Rome needs a big government (20,000 officials)
• Constantine
• Rules from 306 - 337
• its cool to BE a Christian
• conversion to Christianity via a cross in the sky (conquer by this!)
• 313- his Edict of Malian proclaims freedom of worship
• built a new capital in the East
• Byzantium, , soon to be known as Constantinople

 

Edict of Milan- a proclamation that gave religious toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire. The political agreement that took place in Milan between the Constantine I and Licinius in February 313 The proclamation, made for the East by Licinius in June 313, granted all persons freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased, assured Christians of legal rights (including the right to organize churches), and directed the prompt return to Christians of confiscated property.

 

The Struggle of the Peasant

•  Life in the 4th century
• country dwellers are getting bankrupted by endless tax collection
• new farming system: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms
• peasants can avoid paying taxes, but they are getting hit just as hard by the landlords
• paying off debts and being "allowed" to live on the land in exchange for endless back-breaking work (such a deal!)
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power than the faraway empire
• foreshadowing federalism

The Western Empire crumbles

• Rome's power is decreasing while nomadic barbarians gain power
• Western Empire is too poor, begins to be neglected
• Huns migrate from China to Eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and actually capture and loot Rome itself in 410
• Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean
• Other barbarian tribes;
• Ostrogoth in Italy
• Franks in Gaul
• Angles and Saxons in Brittan

End of an Era

• from the beginning
• 500 BC - the monarchy is established
• 450 BC - the twelve tables are established
• The Glory days
• 44 BC - end of the line for Julius Caesar
• 27 BC - 180 AD - the Roman Peace (Pax Romana)
• To the bitter end
• constant fifth century invasions by barbarian tribes left the western Roman Empire shattered and crumbling
• the last empire was a teenage boy installed in 475 by his father
• barbarians deposed Romulus Augustulus without bothering to kill him