WORLD HISTORY NOTES
Chapter 8: The Rise of Europe 500-1300
1. Middle Ages: period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to Renaissance when barbarian groups ravaged
Europe with constant warfare, built England, France, Spain, and many kingdoms all united by the
Roman Catholic Church.
2. Islam vs. Christianity
Islam Roman Catholic Church
a. Muhammed: Arab Founder of Islam a. United Europe under against Islam
b. Islam: "surrender to Allah" b. Controlled all science, writing, thoughts
c. Muslims: "those who submit to god's will" c. People would do anything church said
d. Quran: book that Muslims believe d. Church Hierarchy:
complete Old/New Testament -Pope: seen as the successor to the Roman Emperors,
controlled rulers of Europe
e. Five Pillars of Islam -Cardinals: church legislature
-no god but Allah -Archbishops: supervise bishops
-daily prayer facing Mecca -Bishops: supervise diocese priests
-charity to the poor -Priests: local town church officials ability to read was power
-fasting during Ramadan -monks/nuns: spread religion, maintained archives, hand copied Bible
-haji: pilgrimage to Mecca
f. Jihad: Muhammed and his successive e. Holy Roman Empire: confederation of European kingdoms trying to
caliphs waged a "holy war" to maintain Western Roman Empire, defend
spread Islam over Persian Empire, Europe from Islam, and destroy Islam so
Egypt, India, North Africa, Spain Christianity could rule the world
and conquered Constantinople
in 1453 to gain total control of the
Eastern Roman Empire.
g. Islamic Empire: a loose confederation of
Muslim countries that threatened to
crush Christian Europe between
Spain and Eastern Europe and
maintained the knowledge and trade
of the Eastern Roman Empire
3. Feudalism: a political system in which a king/higher noble granted use of land to lesser
nobles in return for loyalty, military service and taxes.
a. fief: land given to a noble
b. vassal: noble who receives land, know as a "lord" to people on the land
c. knights: warriors on horseback searching for glory so a higher noble would
grant them a fief and make them a vassal
d. code of chivalry: nobles/knights expected to be brave, loyal, courteous, respectful
e. manorial system: totally self-sufficient home of the noble, village and famland
f. castle: noble's home and fortress to protect village
g. lord: noble providing housing, land and protection to the serfs in return for labor
h. serfs: common people that were bound to the land and worked for a noble in return for protection
FEUDAL SYSTEM WORKED
BECAUSE THE CHURCH AND NOBLES
KEPT POLITICAL POWER FROM SERFS
4. Development of England & France
France England
Clovis: united Franks Settled by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes
Charles Martel: stopped Muslim advance William the Conqueror: Duke of Normandy
at Battle of Tours that defeats King Harold at the Battle
Hastings 1066-Last invasion of Eng.
Charlemagne: crowned Holy Roman Emperor
for helping pope Henry II: established Common Law that
property protection & juries;
Richard: spent reign fighting Crusades & France, causing debt/ taxes.
Philip II: defeats John & expels English John: lost England's land in France & forced to sign Magna Carta putting King of England under law-1215
Louis IX: established absolute monarchy,
declared a saint
Philip IV: established Estates General in an
attempt to tax clergy which caused
Babylonian Captivity/Great Schism
Estates General: French legislature with Parliament: 2 house legislature, House of Commons & House of Lords,
no power of the purse that has power of the purse
= ABSOLUTE MONARCHY =LIMITED MONARCHY
5. The Fight Against Islam: after stopping Islam at the Battle of Tours Europe focused on
crushing Muslim ideas in Europe, re-conquering Spain, and saving the "Holy Land.
a. The Inquisition: Church court to convert and punish heretics
b. The Reconquest: 500 year struggle to recover Spain; ends in 1492
c. The Crusades: pope calls for a series of wars to save the "Holy Land"
-1st Crusade: Christian knights capture Jerusalem-1099
-2nd Crusade: Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, recaptures Jerusalem-1187
-3rd Crusade: Richard I fails to capture Jerusalem
-4th Crusade: crusaders raid Constantinople stealing wealth and killing Muslims, Christians, and Jews
-Later Crusades are all complete failures and military disasters
d. Results of the Crusades
-Pope's power is weakened when the Christian knights are defeated
-Power of the nobles declines; Power of king's increase
-Europeans get interested in trade when they see that Muslims were highly advanced in science/ technology, have
maintained the knowledge of the Eastern Roman Empire, and have maintained the trade with India in luxury goods such as silk and spices .
WORLD HISTORY NOTES
Chapter 9: The Late Middle Ages
1. Economic Changes in the Late Middle Ages
a. Trade sparked by the Crusades results in massive economic changes in Europe
b. Agricultural Revolution: More Technology=More Food=More People=Less Farmers
c. New goods and new ideas brought by trade required Europe to develop trade goods.
d. Guilds: skilled workers organized to control supply and prices of goods
-apprentice:
-journeyman:
-master artisan:
e. Banks: trade required money, security, and credit
f. Towns: increased population, trade and more food allowed towns to develop
-charter: kings/nobles allowed towns to self-govern
-serfs could seek freedom in towns
g. MIDDLE CLASS: new group of town dwelling, skilled workers that were between the nobility and serfs; they owed nothing to a lord and depended on their own hard work rather than the labor of serfs; they grew
richer than nobles, could afford an education
MIDDLE CLASS IS WEALTHY, BUT LACKS ANY POLITICAL POWER
2. The Revival of Learning and Culture
a. Universities were developed and produced scholastics
b. Scholastics: medieval thinkers that used Greek/Aristotle's belief that science should be based on proof
-replaced Roman numerals with Arabic
-alchemy developed into chemistry
-astrology developed into astronomy
c. Thomas Aquinas: mixed Greek reason and Christian faith to explain religion in his book Summa Theologica
d. Beowulf: oldest known epic written in "vernacular," allows common people to read
e. Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales written in vernacular English
f. Dante: The Divine Comedy describes the journey through the afterlife
g. Roger Bacon: monk that turned to science and explained tides and rainbows
3. The End of the Middle Ages
a. Babylonian Captivity: French King Philip IV gets a French pope elected that lives in France; Great Schism results when a
2nd pope is elected in Rome; Europe was left confused and lost faith in RCC.
b. Hundred Years War: 113 year war between England and France that damages both countries, causes civil war in
England, makes French kings most powerful in Europe, but gives Spain a head start in exploration.
-French king dies without a direct heir
-Edward III, King of England, claims to be heir and invades France
-Battle of Agincourt: Henry V, successor of Edward III, crushes Fr. with longbow
-Battle of Orleans: Joan of Arc, 17 year old French peasant, saves French army
-Gun Powder: Muslim traders introduce gun powder from China, French used cannons to drive English out of France
c. War of the Roses: loss of the Hundred Years War caused a 30 year civil war in England; Henry VII becomes king over a
new dynasty, but England is further behind when Spain and France explore.