Transcript Chapter 11 Section 3 The Middle Ages and Renaissance

Chapter 11 Section 3
The Middle Ages
and Renaissance
The Middle Ages or Medieval Era
• The Middle Ages is the
time period between
the fall of the Roman
Empire and the
beginning of the
modern era.
Medieval
• From the Latin word for “Middle
Ages”.
The Middle Ages or Medieval Era
• After the collapse of the Roman
Empire in A.D. 476, the next
1,000 years was dominated by
warfare, turmoil, and bloodshed in
Europe.
Charlemagne
• French king who conquered much
of western Europe and ruled from
768 to 814. During his reign there
was the only period of peace in
the Middle Ages.
Charlemagne
• He improved education, enforced
laws, and supported the Christian
Church.
Feudalism
• A decentralized government in
which a weak monarchy attempts
to control the lands of the realm
through agreements with regional
leaders.
Feudalism
Kings and Lords
• Land owning nobility.
• Owned a lot of land, but had little
money.
Vassals
• Military officers who were given
large tracts of land, called a fief
(feef), by the King or Lord of the
manor.
Knights
• Land holding nobles.
• They served as police and soldier
defending their lord’s lands
Serf
• Poor farmer who moved onto
plots of land and agreed to work
the land for the lord of the manor
in exchange for protection.
• Serfdom became almost slavery
once the serf promised to work for
a lord.
The Church
• During the Middle Ages the
Christian Church grew extremely
powerful.
• It formed its own governing body,
laws, courts, and systems of
taxation.
The Crusades
• Series of military campaigns from
1096-1204 led by Christians to
retake the Holy Lands from
Muslims.
Results of the Crusades
• Europeans learned of
discoveries of Muslim
scientists and
reconnected with the
histories of ancient
Greece and Rome.
• Opened trade between
the Middle East and
Europe.
The Black Death
• Occurred in the late Middle Ages,
1348-1350, and was called the
“black death” because of the dark
blotches that appeared on the
skin of victims.
The Black Death
• In western Europe the Black
Death killed up to 25 million
people, roughly 1/3 of the
population.
The Renaissance
• Period of “rebirth” coming
out of the Middle Ages
beginning in the 1300s.
• Was sparked by a
renewed interest in the
cultures of ancient Greece
and Rome.
The Renaissance
• Was a time of great artistic and
intellectual achievement.
Patrons
• Wealthy Italian traders who
supported artist and their work.
The Renaissance
• People began to see life as more
than a time to prepare for eternity
but a time to for personal
achievement.
The Renaissance
• The combination of the Black
Death and this new thinking
during the Renaissance led many
to question the Church.
Martin Luther
• A German priest that was troubled
by some of the teachings of the
Church.
Martin Luther
• In 1517, Luther wrote a list of 95
things he found wrong with the church
and nailed it to the door of the church
in Wittenberg, Germany, and sent
copies to church officials.
Martin Luther
• The ideas of the ways to change
the Catholic Church became
known as the Reformation.
Martin Luther
• Those who followed Luther’s
teachings became known as
Protestants, because they
protested against the church.
Gutenberg Press
• New device invented by a
German named Johannes
Gutenberg that
revolutionized the printing of
books by having moveable
letters that could be used
time and time again.
• Ideas could be spread more
quickly.
Gutenberg Press