A glimpse at what happened from 476 AD to about 1500 AD
The time known as the Middle Ages took place in Europe from the fifth to the fifteenth century. Also sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages, this time period was started by the collapse of the Western Roman Empire after being ransacked by the Visigoths. The Roman Empire had become steadily weaker because of rampant starvation and sickness. As the Empire became dependent on peoples such as the Visigoths to maintain its power, it also enraged them, leading the Goths to attack because of a lack of food. The next seven centuries saw a steady decline in quality of life, and Europe was trapped in constant warfare. Welfare, medicine, hygiene, building skills, education, and much more was lost in the steady decline of humans. The ruins of the Roman Empire were picked apart for materials and destroyed. Possibly because of the upheaval in this time period, religion started to spread. One of the large European forces at the time, the Francs, went from being pagans to Christians. When the king, Clovis, became Christian, it was seen as a change in belief for the entire French nation. Through the conflicts, the only commonality between the feuding parties was Christianity. The christian religion still had a minor impact until Emperor Constantine legalized it in 313 A.D. Then, Christianity became an advantage for many rulers as it spread through Europe. Clovis used his religion as a reason to fight others, rather than to just satisfy a thirst for power. In fact, he killed all his extended family so that they would not to take his wealth. Clovis also practiced many ordeals using "God" to see if his prisoners were innocent or not. Romans still in power in the east decided to reconquer their former lands. For tactical reasons, the Roman Empire split in two. This however lead to the downfall of the Western Empire while the Eastern one contained better resources and the strength to live on. The emperor of the eastern section was known for trickery, ways of making money, and still achieved much. The campaign to regain former Roman territories was one of the bloodiest, depopulating cities and towns and gradually conquering large areas. The areas surrounding the Mediterranean sea were conquered, putting them again under Roman rule. However, the bubonic plague started to put an end to this conquering as it infected half of the population including the emperor although he did survive. Yet, it caused him both physical and mental scarring causing the ruler to become paranoid and tyrannical. Eventually, the plague subsided. having killed a large number of people and leaving the empire to rebuild for centuries. In fact, the disease would resurface in different locations through Europe. When the emperor finally died, his dreams of a united Rome went down with him, and the Roman Empire disappeared. Europe was once again completely ruled by barbarian warlords. Trade and industry ceased, and life was sustained only through agriculture and herding. Monasteries became very important institutions during this time with great wealth and influence. One great source of culture and richness came from a monastery where a monk wrote a history of England from the time of Julius Caesar to his own. Not only did monks write books, but they also copied them allowing for people in our time to get information on the dark ages. In this time period, religion was a huge force and not just Christians, but also those who followed the Koran. These followers would have conquered and grown faster than Christianity except for one king. The Moors/Muslims wanted to do the will of God and rule over the earth. They found Europe to be an easy target as it was ruled by warlords who were in constant conflict with one another. The Moors wanted to conquer the entirety of France after they had raided many monasteries and left enemy armies for dead. The leader of the Frankish army wished to stop the Moors and be one step ahead of them. When the Moors confronted the Franks, they had completely underestimated them and the Christians stood "like a wall". Through the victory of a covert mission at the Moors camp, the Franks won the battle chasing the enemy into Spain. The battle was won because of the strategies devised by Charles "the Hammer". He and his family grew in power, so much so that his grandson, Charlemagne, became the greatest king of Europe in the Dark Ages. Charlemagne never lost a battle, reestablished education, and improved the economy. The empire under this new ruler encompassed present day France, Holland, Germany, and most of Italy. Charlemagne lead many campaigns to expand his empire and Christianity. Charlemagne felt he needed to convert everyone to his religion even if at sword point. Rather than the usual foes that Europe faced, Charlemagne's largest challenge were the Vikings. Their attacks were so extreme that the villagers began to pay for protection, and this cost so much money that at some points currency became nonexistent. Charlemagne died of natural causes when the Vikings were still "warming up". The main target of the Vikings were the British Isles as they were vulnerable to sea raids. Eventually the Vikings left or assimilated into the European population. Because of the Viking threat's disappearance, many soldiers were left without anything to do. They were then hired as warriors by counts to control small populations. In an attempt to stop the violence between the peasants and knights, the Church forced many knights to swear in front of a pile of relics. With the "Holy Land" having been conquered centuries before, Christians believed it was time for a crusade. Nine crusades in total were launched with eight generations of fighters. The "Holy Land" was devastated and no land was gained, though knowledge was brought back from the Middle East, including medicine and languages. This advance in knowledge lead Europe out of the Middle/Dark Ages and into the Renaissance or rebirth.
Brief timeline of the Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages (5th-10th century)
- Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD)
- Charles Martel (the Hammer) and the Battle of Tours, defeating the Moorish invaders (732 AD)
- Charlemagne, the Emperor of the Romans (western and central Europe) (800 AD)
- Treaty of Verdun, dividing the empire in 3 parts (843 AD)
- The Ottonian Holy Roman Empire of Germany (962 AD)
High Middle Ages (11th-13th century)
- Division into Eastern and Western Christian Church (1054 AD)
- The Battle of Hastings (1066 AD) and the victory of William the Conqueror of Normandy over the Anglo-Saxons
- Establishment of feudalism in England and on the European continent
Late Middle Ages (14th-15th century)
- The Charter of Magna Carta (1215 AD) restricts the power of the emperor
- The Great Famine (1315-1317 AD): death of many people in Northern Europe
- The Hundred Years' War (1337 AD) between England and France
- The Black Death/Plague (1348-1350 AD): huge epidemic that weakened the feudal system and the Church of Europe. The kingdoms lost economic and political power. The peasants demanded better treatment.
- The Great Schism (1378-1417AD): three-way contest for papacy that reduced the influence and power of the Church over common people.
Social Structure resulting from forms of government
Because the empires and states tended to be large, it was very difficult for an emperor or king, at the top of the social structure, to rule his land. So, they developed a system called feudalism where the king divided his land into fiefs that he gave to rich people to govern in exchange of allegiance. The lands were divided in smaller and smaller fiefs with a pyramid society where the people lower in the pyramid had to be loyal to their lords and pay them in exchange for their protection. The social structure went downwards from king to noble/lord to knight to peasant (freeman, serf, or slave).
The time known as the Middle Ages took place in Europe from the fifth to the fifteenth century. Also sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages, this time period was started by the collapse of the Western Roman Empire after being ransacked by the Visigoths. The Roman Empire had become steadily weaker because of rampant starvation and sickness. As the Empire became dependent on peoples such as the Visigoths to maintain its power, it also enraged them, leading the Goths to attack because of a lack of food. The next seven centuries saw a steady decline in quality of life, and Europe was trapped in constant warfare. Welfare, medicine, hygiene, building skills, education, and much more was lost in the steady decline of humans. The ruins of the Roman Empire were picked apart for materials and destroyed. Possibly because of the upheaval in this time period, religion started to spread. One of the large European forces at the time, the Francs, went from being pagans to Christians. When the king, Clovis, became Christian, it was seen as a change in belief for the entire French nation. Through the conflicts, the only commonality between the feuding parties was Christianity. The christian religion still had a minor impact until Emperor Constantine legalized it in 313 A.D. Then, Christianity became an advantage for many rulers as it spread through Europe. Clovis used his religion as a reason to fight others, rather than to just satisfy a thirst for power. In fact, he killed all his extended family so that they would not to take his wealth. Clovis also practiced many ordeals using "God" to see if his prisoners were innocent or not. Romans still in power in the east decided to reconquer their former lands. For tactical reasons, the Roman Empire split in two. This however lead to the downfall of the Western Empire while the Eastern one contained better resources and the strength to live on. The emperor of the eastern section was known for trickery, ways of making money, and still achieved much. The campaign to regain former Roman territories was one of the bloodiest, depopulating cities and towns and gradually conquering large areas. The areas surrounding the Mediterranean sea were conquered, putting them again under Roman rule. However, the bubonic plague started to put an end to this conquering as it infected half of the population including the emperor although he did survive. Yet, it caused him both physical and mental scarring causing the ruler to become paranoid and tyrannical. Eventually, the plague subsided. having killed a large number of people and leaving the empire to rebuild for centuries. In fact, the disease would resurface in different locations through Europe. When the emperor finally died, his dreams of a united Rome went down with him, and the Roman Empire disappeared. Europe was once again completely ruled by barbarian warlords. Trade and industry ceased, and life was sustained only through agriculture and herding. Monasteries became very important institutions during this time with great wealth and influence. One great source of culture and richness came from a monastery where a monk wrote a history of England from the time of Julius Caesar to his own. Not only did monks write books, but they also copied them allowing for people in our time to get information on the dark ages. In this time period, religion was a huge force and not just Christians, but also those who followed the Koran. These followers would have conquered and grown faster than Christianity except for one king. The Moors/Muslims wanted to do the will of God and rule over the earth. They found Europe to be an easy target as it was ruled by warlords who were in constant conflict with one another. The Moors wanted to conquer the entirety of France after they had raided many monasteries and left enemy armies for dead. The leader of the Frankish army wished to stop the Moors and be one step ahead of them. When the Moors confronted the Franks, they had completely underestimated them and the Christians stood "like a wall". Through the victory of a covert mission at the Moors camp, the Franks won the battle chasing the enemy into Spain. The battle was won because of the strategies devised by Charles "the Hammer". He and his family grew in power, so much so that his grandson, Charlemagne, became the greatest king of Europe in the Dark Ages. Charlemagne never lost a battle, reestablished education, and improved the economy. The empire under this new ruler encompassed present day France, Holland, Germany, and most of Italy. Charlemagne lead many campaigns to expand his empire and Christianity. Charlemagne felt he needed to convert everyone to his religion even if at sword point. Rather than the usual foes that Europe faced, Charlemagne's largest challenge were the Vikings. Their attacks were so extreme that the villagers began to pay for protection, and this cost so much money that at some points currency became nonexistent. Charlemagne died of natural causes when the Vikings were still "warming up". The main target of the Vikings were the British Isles as they were vulnerable to sea raids. Eventually the Vikings left or assimilated into the European population. Because of the Viking threat's disappearance, many soldiers were left without anything to do. They were then hired as warriors by counts to control small populations. In an attempt to stop the violence between the peasants and knights, the Church forced many knights to swear in front of a pile of relics. With the "Holy Land" having been conquered centuries before, Christians believed it was time for a crusade. Nine crusades in total were launched with eight generations of fighters. The "Holy Land" was devastated and no land was gained, though knowledge was brought back from the Middle East, including medicine and languages. This advance in knowledge lead Europe out of the Middle/Dark Ages and into the Renaissance or rebirth.
Brief timeline of the Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages (5th-10th century)
- Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD)
- Charles Martel (the Hammer) and the Battle of Tours, defeating the Moorish invaders (732 AD)
- Charlemagne, the Emperor of the Romans (western and central Europe) (800 AD)
- Treaty of Verdun, dividing the empire in 3 parts (843 AD)
- The Ottonian Holy Roman Empire of Germany (962 AD)
High Middle Ages (11th-13th century)
- Division into Eastern and Western Christian Church (1054 AD)
- The Battle of Hastings (1066 AD) and the victory of William the Conqueror of Normandy over the Anglo-Saxons
- Establishment of feudalism in England and on the European continent
Late Middle Ages (14th-15th century)
- The Charter of Magna Carta (1215 AD) restricts the power of the emperor
- The Great Famine (1315-1317 AD): death of many people in Northern Europe
- The Hundred Years' War (1337 AD) between England and France
- The Black Death/Plague (1348-1350 AD): huge epidemic that weakened the feudal system and the Church of Europe. The kingdoms lost economic and political power. The peasants demanded better treatment.
- The Great Schism (1378-1417AD): three-way contest for papacy that reduced the influence and power of the Church over common people.
Social Structure resulting from forms of government
Because the empires and states tended to be large, it was very difficult for an emperor or king, at the top of the social structure, to rule his land. So, they developed a system called feudalism where the king divided his land into fiefs that he gave to rich people to govern in exchange of allegiance. The lands were divided in smaller and smaller fiefs with a pyramid society where the people lower in the pyramid had to be loyal to their lords and pay them in exchange for their protection. The social structure went downwards from king to noble/lord to knight to peasant (freeman, serf, or slave).