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

Decline of the Roman Empire

Rise of Christianity

• Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelist), spreading Jesus' message (one true, not Roman gods)
• Christianity evolves to cult status to established, official structure
• priest, bishops, pope (Bishop of Rome)
• Christians and Jews were monotheistic
• This conflicted with the Roman Beliefs
• persecution against both was common
• Christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor, their numbers grew
• As it grew, even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity
• In AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• He issues the Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• the Roman Empire and Christianity are now linked in power and influence

May 7th

Today in class we took a test on Rome. I did fantastic!!

Specifically, where did the Indo-Europeans settle around 750 BC?
On the shores of the Tiber River, in the low-lying "Seven Hills" of central Italy, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. which was (though to be) the center of the world. It's fate!
What three groups dominated the culture of Rome?
Latin, Greek, Etruscans
Who was Tarquin the Proud, and what was so significant about him?
Last of the Roman Kings. Scandal of his son was that he raped woman
How did Rome move to monarchy to republic?
ruled by king who were advised by rich
After Tarquin the government became the republic
Difference between patricians and plebeians?
Patricians were rich landowning, connected and powerful people 
Plebeians were common people workers, small-time farmers some wealthy non-patricians
Senate assembly of 300 patricians appointed for life
Consuls the two most powerful in the government who can veto each others laws, president like
tribunes leaders of the plebeian assembly, first rather powerless, gaining ground over the years
Twelve Tables
Marked down for the first time that laws were written. Set up to protect plebeians who were pushed around by patricians. Publicly displayed in the form
The Roman Republic serves as a model for what modern document, and what government?
The constitution of the US and its separation of power
Senate/ Assemblies - US Senate / House of Reps Consuls/ Dictator - president of the US. Senate could act like judges - like our supreme court
Why could only the rich serve in the senate?
Members were not paid but worked their way up from low-ranking magistrates to higher ones. They needed to spend a lot to look good. popular and popular and powerful, making them electable. Plebs couldn't afford that
Kings ruled between 600 and 500 BC ordered the building of the Forum, Rome's political center.

Who's the first emperor?
ceasar augustus
Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity

Caligula- Tiberius's adopted grandson so he is part of Ceasars family
- gave a bonus to the army
- gave people freedom of speech
- put transparency on the how the government spent their money
- first seven months were blissful
- starts to fight with the senate
- claims to be a god and has statues put in public places even the Jewish temple
- slept with other men's wives and even tried to make is horse a consul and a priest
- assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (age 28)

Claudius- part of the Caesar's family who was disabled
- he rose to the occasion and he conquered Britain and renovated Circus Maximus
- awful marriage to Messalina who was planning to have him killed so that Silius could rule so Claudius had them both killed

Religion:
Romans had many God's but had these emperors that were viewed as gods
- some Jews started to rebel
- half a million Jews died
- burn the temple and destroy 3 quarters of it

Persecution of Chritians
-Romans were harsh towards those who would not worship the emperors
-often put in the Colosseum
-Christianity spread anyway

May 2nd

Assassination and Another Caesar

• in 44 b.c. Caesar secured a vote for the senate making him dictator for life
• Caesar never ruled by terror like Sulla, but he also showed no sign of letting up his high position as Sulla had done
• He raised himself even higher, permitting a religious cult to be established in his honor and wearing the purple robe of the ancient Roman kings
• On the ides of March (March 15) 44 b.c. Caesar appeared in the Senate house unarmed and unguarded, according to his custom, and a crowd of senators struck him down with their daggers
• Caesar's murder did not restore the republic; instead, his death produced yet another crop of warlords and yet more bouts of civil war.
• Mark Antony once a commander under Caesar and nor a consul; the leading assassins, Brutus and Cassius; and Caesar's grandnephew and his adopted son, The youthful Octavian Caesar.
• The murdered dictator had become a founding hero, whose memory would inspire all future supreme rulers of Rome
• The partners then divided the Roman world, with Octavian based in Rome, Lepidus in North Africa, and Mark Antony in Alexandria
• Antony's passionate love affair with Queen Cleopatra, one of the last descendants of the Greek rulers of Egypt, made him unpopular in Rome, and his efforts to win prestige by making conquests on the eastern frontier ended in failure  
• Octavian pushed Lepidus out of power and successfully began expanding Rome's frontiers northward toward the Danube
• in 31 b.c., the rulers of the two halves of Rome's empire went to war
• Octavian's forces defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in a decisive naval battle near Actium off the western coast of Greece
• Antony and Cleopatra returned to Egypt, and within a year, both committed suicide
• Octavian was now the supreme warlord-- the third to rule Rome, and the one who finally managed to turn military dictatorship into legitimate and permanent monarchy 

The Roman Peace 30 b.c. - a.d. 235

• Augustus' new system of government kept many features of the Roman Republic, allowed subject peoples a good deal of self-rule and brought Rome's destabilizing expansion to a halt. The result was two hundred years of stability that modern scholars call the Roman Peace
• Roman literature and art, philosophy and law, architecture and engineering were often inspired by Greek models, but Roman achievements in these fields eventually equaled to surpassed those of the Greeks and became just as much an inspiration and model for future Western development
• The era of the Roman peace was one of massive social, religious, and cultural changes that would form a pattern of Western Civilization.