Chapter 17: The Foundations of Christian Societies in Western Europe and Chapter 20: Western Europe During the High Middle Ages

Vocabulary

• • Germanic Tribes: The Germanic tribes were European tribes/groups that came to take control of the majority of the Mediterranean Sea basin region and most of Western Europe. Some examples were the Visigoths, Franks, Lombards, and Angles. 

  • Charlemagne: Charlemagne translates directly to “Charles the Great”. He ruled over the Frankish realm from 764 to 814. He reestablished a centralized government, and maintained friendly relations with the also powerful Abbasid and Carolingian Empires. 

  • Feudalism: Feudalism was the term most commonly associated with the political and social systems of medieval Europe. This “feudal system” was based on a hierarchy of nobles and vassals to control military and political affairs. However, this was deemed inappropriate because historians determined their social and political systems much more complex than this stated. 

  • Serfs: People who held obligations to overlords because they were given land to cultivate. These were also known as free peasants and they made up the majority of the population in Western Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire. 

  • Pope Gregory I: The most influential and important individual to the early Roman church. He provided direction to other Catholics. He was also known as Gregory the Great.

  • Benedictine Monasticism: Also known as Benedict’s Rule (Benedict was a saint), these outlined rules for monasteries throughout Europe. This did not allow ascetism, but it required monks to lead communal and clean lives. Poverty, chastity, and obedience were the three most important virtues to Benedictine Monasticism. 

  • Holy Roman Empire: The Holy Roman Empire arose after the Carolingian empire faded. Otto of Saxony was a noble who was aggressive in expanding his territorial control and thus he conquered the majority of central Europe. Pope John XII proclaimed him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. 

  • Three Estates: The three estates (or classes) were; “those who pray, those who fight, and those who work.” The first were monks or clergymen. The second were soldiers. And the last were workers, who did all the specialized jobs. 

  • Guilds: Guilds were groups or classes of people who had the same or similar occupation. These were formed to create a better controlled economy, establish quality standards on goods, and to determine prices of goods. 

  • St. Thomas Aquinas: St. Thomas Aquinas was a scholar in theology. From his works, scholastic theology was created, which is an attempt to blend Greek philosophy and the beliefs and virtues of Christianity. 

  • Dominicans and Orders: of mendicants (beggars) that were Franciscans organized by St. Francis (1182-1226) and St. Dominic (1170-1221) into monasteries. They emphasized spiritual values over materialistic values. 

  • The Crusades: Conquests made by different European regions to conquer regions of “pagans”. The first crusade was started near Paris, France and went southeast through Europe all the way to the modern-day Gaza Strip. The third and the fourth crusades were started by soldiers from the Holy Roman Empire, from Genoa and Venice respectively.

Focus Question #1

          In what ways did the Catholic Church increase its power?

          The Catholic Church increased its power by going on the crusades and by diffusing all across Europe through empires based on Christianity.

          The crusades were conquests supported and, in some cases, thought up by the Roman Papacy. These were made by European soldiers from Christian empires. The first crusade was started near Paris, France and went southeast through Europe all the way to the modern-day Gaza Strip. The third and the fourth crusades were started by soldiers from the Holy Roman Empire, from Genoa and Venice respectively. The purpose of these crusades was to conquer pagan nations and then convert into Christian states.

          Some of the empires that arose in Europe that were based on Christianity were; the Holy Roman Empire, France, Byzantine Empire, the Carolingian Empire, and others. The Carolingian Empire was the first of these, and then eventually broke up into many others, including the others listed.

Focus Question #2

          In what ways did European states change after the 11th century?

          After the 11th century, the European states’ religious leaders were much more aggressive in their promotion of expanding their states’ territory by conquering pagan states.

          The crusades occurred in large part, if not all, because of religious leader’s promotion and persuasion to embark on them. They did this because they wanted to convert many people to their religion so it would increase in popularity. Regions such as the eastern portion of the Middle East and Eastern Europe were conquered during these crusades. The term crusade itself translates to holy war, which makes sense because it was, simply put, a war between Christian states and Islamic states.

          This exchange of war between the two religions also caused a large diffusion of ideas and technologies. These ideas, goods, and technologies largely helped shape Europe during its development.