Ch 4 Notes

World History

 

4-1

Agriculture- causes a major population growth in the late Middle Ages

-         population nearly doubles in 300 years

Why?-

-         fewer wars than there were at the beginning of the Middle Ages

-         climate warmed up

-         innovations in farming

o       trees cut/swamps drained to create more land

o       iron plows can dig deeper

o       3 field system instead of 2 field

§         before, half planted, half fallow- unplanted

§         now 1. fallow, 2. fall grains (rye/wheat) 3. spring veggies

§         helps keep from exhausting the soil as fast

 

Manorial System-

Manor- ag estate run by a lord and worked by peasants (commoners)

Peasants- commoners

-         many became serfs- bound to the land

-         had to provide the labor and pay rent

-         lived in simple houses, some with only one room, most had a separate sleeping room

 

Knights- mounted armored soldiers, people of noble standing

            -professional warriors

            -squires were apprentices to them

            -had games to help them train/prepare

 

Trade-

Really grew in Itlay (controlled trade routes along Mediterranean Sea to Asia) and Flanders (Belgium/Netherlands) in N. Europe

-money system- began to develop

            -economy based on money instead of barter (although money had been around for centuries

            -money changers- developed to help travelers trade in currency, eventually became bankers, loaned $

-commercial capitalism- people invest in trade and goods to make money

 

Growth of Cities-

-         trade helps cause cities to grow more

-         old Roman settlements declined earlier, but now were making a comeback

o       merchants went there, craftsmen and artisans followed to make things to sell to merchants to sell

-         new cities- usually built near a castle on a trade route (lord would offer protection)

o       walls would be built to protect the settlement as it grew

o       most were smaller than even Roman settlements or Constantinople or Baghdad

-         life-

o       people lived in fear of fire

o       crowded inside city walls

§         to maximize room:

·        narrow winding streets

·        multi-story buildings, with upper floors overhanging the streets

o       no place for human waste to go

-         industry- most were cottage industries (in the home)

o       guilds- associations of craftsmen (carpenters, tailors, bakers, etc)

§         eventually set prices (so don’t compete against each other)

§         must apply to get into the guild

 

Pope vs. Kings

Popes become more and more political

-         had their own nation to run, the Papal States in Italy

Kings- start to appoint the bishops themselves

-         this makes the bishops vassals- need to perform normal vassal duties

Gregory VII- pope, says pope’s authority is over all Christians, including rulers of nations

-         says it is the Church’s job to appoint clergy, not kings

-         if kings don’t accept this, he will remove them

Henry IV of Germany- challenges Gregory, said he needed to do it to maintain power

-         Gregory tells clergy to not accept positions from kings

-         Henry does it anyway = excommunictated

-         Henry goes back and begs forgiveness

-         Result- pope wins

 

Innocent III- wielded more power than any pope

-         believed himself to be the supreme judge of European affairs

 

New Religious Orders- more men and women looking to do God’s work in different ways

-         Cistercians- traveled around to spread religion

-         Women- many wealthy women became nuns, a chance to become educated

o       Hildegard of Bingen- many leaders asked her for advice on things religious and political

§         Rare for a woman to have this kind of influence that this time

-         Franciscans- founded by St. Francis of Assisi

o       Lived with and aided the poor, preached

-         Dominicans- fought against heresy- things that went against Church teachings

o       led to creation of the Inquisition- court to try heretics

§         famous inquisition in Spain- targeted Jews and Muslims

 

Middle Ages religious beliefs

Catholic Church- only Christian church in Western Europe

-         sacraments- rites of the Church of great importance

o       baptism

o       marriage

o       Communion

§         These could only be administered by the clergy

-         Pilgrimages to holy shrines also thought to be important

o       Some churches held relics of saints

o       Rome held important relics

o       Jerusalem the holiest sites, but hard to get to

 

Universities- as we know them started during this time period

-         early ones in Bologna, Paris and Oxford

-         studied liberal arts at 1st for 4-6 yrs

o       grammar, rhetoric, logic, math, geometry, music and astronomy

o       lectures, no tests until oral exam- pass = degree (B.A.)

-         graduate studies- law, medicine, theology (religion)

 

Architecture-

-early- Romanesque- massive pillars, thick walls to hold up stone roofs

-later middle ages- Gothic- pointed arches, go higher with thinner walls

            - flying buttresses- exterior supports to hold thinner walls up

 

Black Death-

-killed millions of Europeans (close to 50%) over 4 years (1st outbreak)

-Bubonic plague- spread by fleas from infected rats (not person to person)

-Italy 1st country hit, came from Asia

-trade helps spread it rapidly throughout the continent

-causes shortage of labor, can charge higher prices

-less demand for food- prices down

-fewer taxpayers, nobles raise taxes

            - peasants revolt against nobles, but put down

 

Pope vs. Kings part II-

-         14th century, the kings strike back, unwilling to accept papal claims of supremacy

-         Boniface VIII- claims “necessary for salvation one be under the authority of the pope

o       Excommunicates Philip IV of France

o       Kings men seize Boniface, threaten to kill him

o       Released, but died later

o       Afterwards, no pope made claims like Boniface or predecessors

o       Popes even take up residence in Avignon, France for 70 yrs

-         Great Schism- Italians elect own pope

o       40 yrs w/ 2 popes

o       each pope claims the other to be the antichrist, kind of causes people to lose faith in the Church

 

100 Years War- England vs. France

            - war over land, English kings claim French throne

            - also, English kings supported Italian pope, France the French pope

            - Joan of Arc makes her mark

                        - fights for the French, leads an army

                        - claims God spoke to her

                        - captured by the English, burned as a heretic

                        - Retried 20 yrs later, found innocent

                        - made a Saint in 20th century

 

Kings’ power-

-         England, France, Spain- have unified countries with strong monarchs

-         Germany = disunity, dozens of independent states