CHAPTER 10-A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe – Flashcards

The period in western European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the 15th century.

It was broken up into feudal kingdoms

System of economic and political relations between landlords and their peasant laborers during the Middle Ages; involved a hierarchy of reciprocal obligations that exchanged labor for access to land.

Peasant agricultural laborers within the manorial system.

Heavy plow introduced in northern Europe during the Middle Ages; permitted deeper cultivation of heavier soils.

One-third of the land left unplanted each year to increase fertility.

Members of the military elite who received land or a benefice from a lord in return for military service and loyalty.

Invaded England from Normandy in 1066; established tight feudal system and centralized monarchy in England.

Great Charter issued by King John of England in 1215; confirmed feudal rights against monarchical claims; represented principle of mutual limits and obligations between rulers and feudal aristocracy.

Bodies representing privileged groups; institutionalized the feudal principle that rulers should consult their vassals.

Conflict between England and France (1337-1453).

An organization of north German and Scandinavian cities for the purpose of establishing a commercial alliance.

French merchant; his career demonstrates new course of medieval commerce.

Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.

King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile married in 1469 to bring the kingdoms of Spain together to complete the reconquest of Spain from the Muslims.

Crusade called by Pope Urban II which captured Jerusalem.

Crusade led by King Richard the Lionhearted to recapture the city of Jerusalem from Islamic forces led by Saladin; failed in attempt.

Crusade which by a strange series of events attacked and sacked Constantinople.

Son of wealthy merchant; he renounced his wealth and chose a harsh life of poverty; later founded the Holy Order of St. Francis.

A formal conferring of power to clergy usually with robes or other Christian symbols.

Architectural style which was an adaptation of the Roman basilica and barrel arch form.

Anglo-Saxon epic poem dated to the 8th century which details Anglo-Saxon society through the adventures of the hero Beowulf.

Medieval code used by knights which included the ideals of courage, honor, and them protection of the weak.

In its intellectual heritage, the Middle Ages incorporated classical rationalism (especially in universities) and the use of Latin as a common language. Manorialism had its origins in the great farming estates of the ancient world. Carrying forward elements of indigenous northern European beliefs, Christianity was widely adopted. The political outlook was different because of the lack of an empire and a corresponding development of a local and regional political focus. In economics in the Middle Ages, there was much more vitality in the economy and commercial structure (population growth was a strong influence here). There were use of credit, banking, accounting procedures, the creation of a wealthy class, and the end of slavery. Important innovations in culture included the creation of vernacular literary forms and Gothic architecture.

The medieval West was flourishing while the Islamic core was fragmenting. The lack of a concept of empire in the West differs from the imperial ideal of Islam, although, in reality, government in Islam demonstrated similar localization (as in the case of the Seljuk Turks). Both civilizations developed active commercial systems with a merchant class. The Islamic commercial empire was much more extensive and significant than that of the West. Both used religion as a means of carrying civilization to new territories. Islam expanded into Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and the actual territory under Islam was much more extensive than that of the West. Islamic civilization was more technologically sophisticated than the West. Both societies showed similar tensions between religion and the adaptation of classical rationalism to theology, although both developed syntheses largely based on Aristotle's works.

Manorialism: a system that established relations between landlords and peasant laborers during the Middle Ages that involved a hierarchy of reciprocal obligations that exchanged labor or rents for access to the land. Simply put, the economic system of the Middle Ages. Feudalism: social organization created also during the Middle Ages by exchanging grants of land in return for formal oaths of allegiance and promises of loyal service; greater lords provided protection and aid to lesser lords in return for military service. Simply put, the government of the Middle Ages.

New tools introduced from Asia by invading tribes spurred agriculture. New religious beliefs were being spread. International communities emerged among Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa. Population grew, the economy blossomed, political units became more effective and covered larger territories, and a complex artistic and intellectual life took shape. Values and religious commitments changed and expanded.

Western Europe remained politically divided between 1000 and 1400. The Holy Roman Empire's territories in Germany and Italy were controlled by local lords and city-states. The pope ruled in central Italy. Regional units prevailed in the Low Countries. In strong feudal monarchies, power was limited by the church, aristocratic military strength, and developing urban centers.

Theology in the Middle Ages was linked to classical rationalism by the fact that people were interested in classical principles of rhetoric and logic. During the Middle Ages they also revered Aristotle as the philosopher.

Cathedrals. Churches were built in the Romanesque style. Later architectural advancements led to what came to be called the Gothic Style. The church sponsored artists to adorn the inside of cathedrals with paintings and sculpture. Music such as Georgian chants, became an intrinsic part of ceremonies.

After 1000, the development of a richer lower class was a sign of economic prosperity. The peasants owned feather beds, tapestries, salt shakers, wine bowls, and pewter, whereas in earlier times, they owned only a pan or two and slept on the floor.

During the Middle Ages, people valued religion above almost everything else. The knights also had their own code of honor.

Some crises of the later Middle Ages were the bubonic plague (Black Death), the religious struggles, and governmental strife.

You have no doubt noticed that European Civilizations during the Middle Ages evolved in much the same ways as the Mediterranean, Indus, and Shang Civilizations to build cities, which then made it possible to form complicated institutions and promote the arts and sciences. In western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, the practice of feudalism caused life to be centered on small, self-sustaining communities that didn't initially generate much of a surplus. But as they subsequently built up storehouses of food and supplies, and as people came into greater contact with each other, they were freed to pursue other endeavors (at the direction of their overseer, of course). As a result, we begin to see the emergence of craftspeople, individuals skilled in highly specialized ways. Towns and cities, too, began to grow, and, eventually the Middle Ages came to an end.

Remember the Abbasid Dynasty? It flowered in the Islamic world as the same time that feudalism was taking root in western Europe. Islamic merchants were trading with the world while European lords were governing their manors. Baghdad became the center of learning in the early Holy Roman Empire. In summary, it can be said that in the early Middle Ages, educated Europeans became very provincial, while educated Arabs became more worldly.

Scholasticism relied on reason rather than faith as its basis. People thought more openly The founding of universities, where men (not women) could study philosophy, law, and medicine, and learn from the advances made in Muslim cultures. In science, the ideas of Aristotle , Ptolemy, and other Greeks were brought to Europe through contacts with Islamic Byzantine Empires (again, via trading and crusading).

It originated in CHINA where it killed an estimated 35 million people. Its transmission was facilitated by trade, including MONGOL control of the central Asian Silk Routes, that increased the interaction between Europe and Asia. The epidemic spread with traders and merchants and arrived in Italian port cities. Crowded conditions in Europe's cities and the lack of adequate sanitation and medical knowledge all contributed to its rapid spread. Within two years, more than a third of Europe's population was dead, and traditional social structures collapsed. The dramatic changes brought by the epidemic sped up social and economic movements that were already impacting Europe. These included a shift toward a commercial economy, more individual freedoms, and development of new industries.