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As the Roman Empire weakened and eventually collapsed, most of Europe was plunged into the time period known as the Middle Ages. Rome’s internal weaknesses intensified to the point where they could no longer sustain military control, and they fell to invasions from Germanic tribes. These peoples were described by Rome as barbaric and uncivilized, and destruction quickly intruded into the lives of the citizens of the former powerful empire as thieves and robbers soon took control of the former Roman roads making travel a dangerous and life threatening venture. The previous routes for travel and trade which had increased growth and prosperity were now useless, as goods and items could not be transported which resulted in great deprivation. …show more content…
These unsafe travel routes also served to separate people of the Roman Empire from other civilizations. In fear and deprivation, people did not travel or improve their lives with trade or travel. Following the collapse of the Rome, the violence and isolation from other cultures proved to have drastic effects on the population of the former empire. The rise and the fall of the Frankish Empire also contributed to the events which led to the Middle Ages.
Without an established system of trade, which usually provided a means to wealth, land became the sign of wealth and power. Another impact of this lack of trade was that people had to become more self-sufficient and make resources for themselves. The Franks were the most influential of the Germanic tribes which had invaded Europe, and in 481, Clovis became king of one of the tribes and began to conquer the other nearby tribes. Following the death of the conquering King Clovis, the kingdom’s land was split among the sons which weakened the power as a whole. Pepin arose as a leader and his son, Charles Martel, won the Battle of Tours to the Moors which prevented the Muslims from moving into Europe and controlling the valuable land. Under the rule of Pepin’s grandson Charlemagne, the “most powerful Christian ruler,” the Frankish empire was at its height. After his death, and the subsequent splitting of the kingdom and land, the three regions warred among themselves leaving them open to the violent invasions of the Magyar and Viking peoples. This period was categorized by less wealth with land representing power and people’s increased …show more content…
resourcefulness. A strong conquering ruler did not follow Charlemagne, and without the structure of a strong centralized government controlling the land of Europe, less powerful kings rose to power that were not strong enough to resist periodic invasions.
A system of small, independent governments led to the concept known as feudalism. Kings with large land holdings would give land to nobles, who would give portions of their land to knights in exchange for protection from invasions. An economic structure, the manorial system, became the economic structure for many regions of Europe. This allowed for each manor to be a self-sufficient community by growing their own food and taking care of their clothing needs. The common people, known as serfs, would provide the labor for the farms and because of constant warfare, sickness and starvation the average life span was only thirty years during this period. The governmental system of feudalism and manorial economic system continued the pattern of isolationism contributing to the Middle Ages
period. In evaluating the circumstances which led to the Medieval Period, three of the most prominent events were the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise and fall of the Frankish Empire, and the development of a decentralized government system throughout Europe. The Roman Empire’s collapse ended the enforced peace Rome had held over the land as uncontrolled violence erupted and trade was cut off resulting in the separation of previously connected cultures. During the Frankish Empire, the lack of trade made land the source of wealth and power and forced people to become resourceful. The final significant contributor to this period was the decentralized government powers that formed all across Europe in the absence of a strong central leader and resulted in feudalism and the manorial system. As the Crusades, which were fought to remove invading Muslim armies in Europe, began to reestablish contact between different societies and trade with Africa and Southwest Asia was established, the transition from the Middle Ages to the period known as the Renaissance began.
Others were more like slaves. They owned nothing and were pledged to their local lord. They worked long days, 6 days a week, and often barely had enough food to survive”(“Middle Ages History”). Knights were above the peasants and they were given land granted by the barons in exchange for their military services if the king needed it. They were responsible for protecting the baron who granted them land as well as the baron’s family and the manor they lived at. The knights were able to keep any amount of land they were given, and they gave out the rest to the serfs. The lord, or baron, was above the knight in the social class divide. They were given land by the king and in return they showed loyalty to the monarch. They provided the king with fully equipped knights if the king needed some to serve. If the baron “did not have an army, sometimes they would pay the king a tax instead. This tax was called shield money”(“Middle Ages History”). The king was at the top of the feudal system and held the most power and wealth. The king could not maintain control over all the land in England so he divided the land up to the barons which eventually
The Dark ages is the time between the 500’s and 1400’s. The Dark ages was a time of civil wars, Death, diseases, invasions and thief. There was a lot of invasions and to protect them self from that communities made a code call The code of Chivalry as (Doc 5) states “Europe in the Middle Ages was a dangerous place. Invasions from Muslims, Mongols, Vikings, and other tribal groups were common. War between lords was also common. The value of protection and warriors created a social code called Chivalry. Knights fought for lords and ladies, and lived by a gentleman- warrior code of Chivalry.” And other big thing in The Dark Ages was Diseases. Diseases in the dark ages was deadly because there was not antidote and even Doctors were scared of
Imagine having to keep a promise to support a lord for exchange for land. Or having to work on land in transaction for protection and a bit of the harvest for your family. This is one effect of the rules of feudalism and the manor system (OI). For Europeans in the Middle Ages, the social, political and economic lives were influenced by the feudal system.
“Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king” (Doc. 1) "Social" life in the Middle Ages was the only kind of life people knew. Whether nobility, craftsperson or peasant your life was defined by your family, your community and those around you (OI). “The Church protected the Kings and Queens (OI).” “The King is above Nobles, Nobles above Knights, and the Knights are above serfs (Doc.1).” “ Nobles provides money and knights. Knights provide protection and military service (Doc. 1).” Social network, your village and your local nobility, was your family (OI).” “From the moment of its baptism a few days after birth, a child entered into a life of service to God and God’s Church (Doc.3).” “Every Person was required to live by the Church’s laws and to pay heavy taxes to support the Church (Doc.3).” “In return for this, they were shown the way to everlasting life and happiness after lives that were often short and hard (Doc. 3).” In conclusion, this is what it was like in the Middle Ages from a social
Beginning of the nineteenth century was very chaotic because during this period very important changes took place and the world was redesigned. Boundaries changed new countries emerged, new ideologies emerged and all this led to the new world. The most chaotic place was Europe as the great emperor Napoleon was leading his numerous armies to different locations and fighting the bloodiest battles Europe had not seen before. He was able to flip the power scale over and establish new ideology of nationalism and fulfill his nation with pride. Napoleon’s large scale operations needed a lot of supply. To maintain his armies equipped and his budget funds full he had established active trading with the America, which for this period of time was an independent
Barbaric tribes came to Rome. It became hard to govern the growing population. The road, aqueducts, buildings crumbled, so the government officials raised taxes. Then, the population of Rome decreased
Charlemagne’s reign as King of the Franks and as Holy Roman Emperor greatly influenced the course of Europe during the middle ages. The history of Charlemagne’s family and how they came to power had a large effect on how Charlemagne came to power. In the year 481 A.D, a warrior named Clovis claimed the title of King of the Franks (Abrams 185). He died in the year 511, and each of his four sons received a portion of his small Frankish empire (Abrams 185). Clovis’s death would later allow a clear passage to ensuring Charlemagne’s fate as future ruler of the Franks.
Feudalism is a system of land ownership and duties that were used in the Middle Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of his land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. Rulers in all society wanted to create law and order and ensure that people make good use of the society’s resources. That is why feudalism was created. Monarchs had to accept limits on their own personal power. They also needed to respond to expectations that other groups in society have a say in decision-making. People began to use medieval courts for problems that had previously been solved by trial by combat.
A hierarchical society of Kings granting land to nobles, who would then give a fief to a knight in return for service. The knight would then have peasants or serfs working on their fief. However, as the plague spread, many peasants died and their labour could not be replaced. This loss of workforce had a significant impact upon the economy as grain was not being harvested and livestock roamed free. The agrarian economy had been severely damaged, the land became uncultivated and returned back to its natural state.
During the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, Europe experienced a time known as the Dark Ages. During this time period, much of the knowledge that had been learned was lost. Political control was transferred to barbaric invaders, such as the Goths, Vandals, and Huns. These groups destroyed many buildings and artworks that had existed during the time of the Roman Empire. Most people were illiterate, and much of the previously learned knowledge was lost (“Dark Ages”). However, arts and knowledge still flourished in the East.
The early middle ages are generally recognized as a period of decline and stagnation, in the years following the fall of the Roman Empire in ad474, the west is generally viewed by historians as underdeveloped, in comparison to the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic world. However between 1,000 and 1215 ad, Western Europe began a series of profound changes . The period of tribal migration, war, and colonisation diminishes; this period gives way to a more settled system of emerging nation states. Now it becomes possible for the bourgeoning states to raise taxation such as the Norman Poll tax from the developing money economy, as well as technical advances in farming, and social changes, when taken in conjunction with population expansion this leads to Western Europe evolving, a merchant base, manufacturing, and agricultural production to equal, and even surpass in terms of trade, the Eastern Empire of Constantinople and the Islamic caliphates. The expanding population founds new towns and cities. The new cities such as Venice, in Italy and Lubeck in Germany would have a significant impact on the future development of pan European trade.
The Middle Ages also known as the Medieval Periods in Europe, generally lasting from 400 C.E to 1400 C.E is oftenly seen as a time of major cultural decay for Europe. This belief is commonplace so much that the time period is frequently labeled as the “Dark Age”, which originates from the idea that after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 C.E all sense of culture and sophistication was lost in Europe. However, contrary to popular belief, the Middle Ages were not a time of total cultural decline as some advancements in economy, education, and architecture were made.
The feudal system was one that arose in England after the invasion and conquest of William I. It has been said that this was the perfect political system for this time period. Life was really hard back in the Middle Ages and safety and defense were really hard to come by after the empire fell. There were no laws to protect the poor, so they turned to their lords to keep them safe. The king was in complete control of the system and he owned all the land. One quarter was kept as private property and the rest was given to the church or leased
The Roman Empire fell to barbarian tribes in 476. The Roman Empire had lasted for many years and stabilized the European continent. What came about after the fall of Rome has been referred to as Medieval Times, or The Dark Ages. The days were very long and dark for many Europeans. Thousands turned to religion to help escape from the world. The Catholic Church flourished, and many writers were influenced by Christianity. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written during this time.
As the Roman Empire shifted its center of power to the East, Rome lost much of the prestige and protection it had previously enjoyed. With Constantinople as the new seat of the empire, the West was left to stand alone, often defenseless.4 Barbarians attacked Rome in AD 410, and Rome found little help from Constantinople. With the Western Empire essentially abandoned, disease, poverty and instability were rampant. Many structures had fallen into disrepair, and famine ravaged the land. Most government officials had left Rome, leaving the churc...