REN - In the Beginning. . . (Lesson)

In the Beginning...

You Should Know: Information on this page is outside the scope of the AP European course and therefore will not be tested on the AP Exam or any assessments in this course. However, the information on this page provides some key context for many of the events we'll see unfold throughout the course (everything from the Renaissance in the 1450s even up to WWI in 1914 and beyond) so it will benefit you to review them here.

 

The Treaty of Verdun Sets the Stage for Modern Europe

About 300 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, the emperor Charlemagne took over the majority of the old Roman territory and united Western and Central Europe.  His empire became known as the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) though it was neither, holy, nor Roman, nor much of an empire. He was given the title Holy Roman Emperor by the pope and swore to defend the Church.

When his grandsons eventually inherited the HRE, war broke out as the three men took to armies to settle who would inherit what part of the empire. The Treaty of Verdun officially ended the battles and split Europe into 3 parts - effectively creating France, Italy, and Germany. Out of the 3 only France stood as a nation in its own right, the other two remained comprised of multiple city-states with the German States retaining the title of the Holy Roman Empire. Italy and Germany do not unite as nations until the 1870s. In fact, much of what led to World War One was a direct result of Germany attempting to flex its newly unified muscle.

 

Feudalism

The majority of Europe was organized according to feudalism which began as an attempt to prevent future Viking raids on France. The Vikings would sail to France at least once a year as their low hulled boats allowed them to access rivers and sail right into the heart of the nation. Along the way they would pillage towns and villages, stealing food and goods, often setting fire to what remained. French King Charles the Simple offered a truce of sorts - giving Viking leader Rollo a large portion of France (Normandy) in exchange for fealty or loyalty.

Therefore, Feudalism is a political & socioeconomic system that deals not only with the division of land, but also the expectations of those who inhabit it.

Here's the basic breakdown:

• king has large amounts of land he can't take care of
• king divides land among nobles
• nobles (in exchange for land) pledge loyalty to king and agree to pay taxes and contribute to king's army

Now the nobles have large amounts of land.

• nobles divide land among lesser nobles and knights in exchange for loyalty, commitment to army, and taxes
• lesser nobles divide land among peasants in exchange for loyalty, army, & taxes

Terms You Should Know:

• Fief- land grant
• Lord - giver of land (those who distribute land in exchange for taxes and army)
• Vassal - acceptor of land
• Serf - one who is tied to land. Serfs can not leave the land, will live and die there. Unlike slaves, they cannot be bought and sold. However if the land is sold the serfs are included (they must work for whichever noble controls the land), are lowest level of Medieval society. Serfdom will remain in parts of Europe until the late 1800s.
• Feudal Dues - payments in exchange for using the land and its resources. Percentage of fish you catch in the noble's stream, payment for using wood from the noble's forest, etc. This is the main source of money for the nobility; also may be referred to as seigneurial rights. Seigneurial rights will become a major point of contention leading up to the French Revolution.

 

Society in the Middle Ages

Keep in mind:

• Medieval society is a stratified one. Rich are very rich, poor are very poor.
• Nobles believed being poor made you evil: villager comes from villain; villain derives from villein the word the peasants were called.
• Families were nuclear (mom, dad, 2.5 kids), not as large as many believe.
• Father is head of household, following in the tradition of the Roman Paterfamilias, is in charge of family well-being, religious upbringing, livelihood, marriages; is the law in the house (literally in charge of your life or death).
• Nobility married for gain (alliance, land, or money), marriages were arranged.

 

The Church

Within Europe at this time there is only one accepted religion - Catholicism. At the time, it is referred to simply as Christianity or the Church. Once the Protestant Reformation begins, it then becomes necessary to distinguish between the different types of Christianity thus it becomes Catholicism or Roman Catholicism.

Some Terms to Know.

• Monasteries: Religious communities typically in rural areas; home of monks. Nuns live in convents.
• Church structure: There are specific ranks of clergy: pope to cardinal to archbishop to bishop to priests and monks.
• Canon law: Church law; Had its own courts. Excommunication meant you could  no longer receive Communion, but more importantly lost your place in society as society at this time revolved around the Church.
• Tithe: 10% "tax" on income that is donated to the Church.

 Some of the problems in the church:

1. Lay investiture - The appointing of bishops by kings rather than the pope. The struggle between Kings and the Pope over who will wield the most power will haunt Europe for many centuries and famously come to a head when Napoleon takes his crown out of the Pope's hands to crown himself Emperor of France in the early 1800s.
2. Simony - The selling of church positions. Since laws dictated that the first son inherited all (title, land, money), wealthy families would often purchase a bishopric for their second sons in order to set them up for the future (place to live, power, and a percentage of the tithe money all go to the Bishop).
3. Indulgences - Indulgences are paid forgiveness for sin. In the Catholic faith, you must confess your sins and potentially do good works in order to gain forgiveness. Later, indulgences were offered as a way to 1. raise money for the church, and 2. bypass the good works requirement. Many disliked these as it appeared as though the rich could simply buy their way into heaven. Later, indulgences will be a major issue as the Protestant Reformation gets underway.

 

100 Years War

Remember how we said above that a lord is always a lord and never a vassal?... Well this is the one exception.

When William the Conqueror left Normandy (a province in France) to conquer England in 1066, he created a situation in which the King of England became a vassal to the French king as he held both England and Normandy. In 1328 when the French king died without an heir, the English king laid claim to the throne. He was challenged by the noted successor of the king, his French cousin.

This challenge led to a 116 year period that saw intermittent fighting, truces, and trade disruptions before finally ending with the full recognition of the French-held crown, with a little help from Joan of Arc,  and the withdrawal of claim by the English. The tensions between the nations persisted and led to epic fights between the two nations - both literally and figuratively - up until the First World War. One can even trace the French assistance of the American colonies in their revolution to the bitterness that remained after the 100 Years' War! And more immediately, the disruption of the trade routes in Northern Europe allowed the Italian city-states to offer alternative routes and solidify their power as a new trading center. The money that flowed through the area as a result directly led to the Renaissance - including all the works of art produced during the period.

 

Great Schism

Schism means split; therefore the Great Schism is a split within the Church.

Pope Boniface and King Philip IV (of France) clashed over the role of the Church in France. Boniface issued the Unum Sanctam, declaring the Pope to be the ultimate authority in all matters regarding the Church. Their disagreement resulted in Philip arresting and imprisoning Boniface. Though he was soon freed, the experience left him broken and he died shortly thereafter.

The next pope was French and he moved the seat of the papacy from Rome to Avignon on the French border. The papacy remained there for 70 years before it is finally returned to Rome. Shortly after its return, when electing a new pope, the cardinals feel pressure to elect an Italian. They do, but later regret their choice. Asking the original pope to resign, they elect a new pope.

But the first one refuses to resign which means there are now two men claiming to be pope and both attempt to excommunicate the other.  As many Europeans try to decide who to follow, the cardinals meet again, ask for the resignation of the two, and appoint a third.

The two refuse to resign, resulting in three popes. Eventually the two are forced out and the third becomes the sole pope, but the damage is done. The once unquestionable church has proven that things can be questioned and that it is vulnerable. The entire situation paves the way for movements that question the church and call for reform (heretical groups) and eventually lead to the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution.

 

Plague or Black Death

Though arriving earlier, 1349 is typically marked as the year the Black Death really destroyed Europe.

It begins in Asia but spreads to Europe on a merchant ship (the ship lands in Italy, and the disease spreads). It quickly spreads through trade routes though it is not uncommon for soldiers trying to take over a castle to catapult a plague-infected cow or pig over the castle walls.

Disease spread quickly due to close quarters and lack of sanitation. Misunderstanding about the disease also contributed to its spread.

The Black Death killed off 1/3 of Europe's population. Remember there were some areas of Europe that were untouched. . . others that were completely devastated.

Many saw the death all around them and began to realize it was unavoidable . . . "we all might die tomorrow so why not live life to its fullest." This resulted in several increasing alcohol consumption as well as an uptick in thefts and fights, but also saw many doing what before was considered unacceptable for their place – writing, painting, etc.

The reaction of the nobles was to flee and save themselves which resulted in the peasants and serfs being left to themselves. For the first time, many serfs began to walk away from the land. Without the nobles there, there was no way to tell who was a serf and who was a peasant. . . this helped lead to the freeing of the serfs in Western Europe. Eastern Europe will hold on to serfdom for a while longer.

With massive amounts of death around, it left fewer and fewer people to work the fields. Those nobles that did stay found themselves trying to please the serfs in order to keep them (higher demand for workers led to higher pay, helped pave the way for leisure money in the Renaissance.)

The Church reacted in two different ways: higher members of the clergy tended to flee much like the nobles. Lower clergy remained to care for the ill and administer last rites – which meant many of them also contracted the disease and died. You begin to see a disconnect in the perception of the Church. Many people began to resent the upper clergy, seeing them as corrupt and uncaring. Meanwhile, there is a deepening relationship between the town and their local priest (the one who quite literally is there for every major part of your life). The quick onslaught of the plague made many question religion as a whole. Throughout the Middle Ages people were living for the possibility of an afterlife. Now death is an assured part of life – and one that will come quickly and painfully. The Church has no answers and prayer can not shield you (especially if priests, monks, and nuns are dying as well). This is a culture that must have an answer to what is going on - some sort of rationale and the Church is unable to provide one. It leads many to question the infallibility of the Church.

About the image above - Believing that God sent the plague to punish man, many determined they needed to cleanse themselves of impurities. Groups, known as flagellants, would march through towns, whipping themselves on their backs. They would continue until in a frenzy and passed out on the blood-stained streets.

 

Everything above is presented a little loosely as you will not be required to know dates or chronology of this period. However, if you'd like to see when these events happen you can review the activity below.  Prefer to review it in list form? You can also download a copy of the timeline here. Links to an external site.

 

 

 

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