World History Class Notes November 12th 

World History Class Notes November 12th 

The Holy Roman Empire

  • Otto I of Saxony takes advantage of decline of Carolingian Empire to establish kingdom in north Germany, mid 10th century CE
  • Military forays into eastern Europe 
  • Pope John XII names Otto Emperor of Holy Roman
  • A dispute between the secular and ecclesiastical powers known as the Investiture Controversy emerged beginning in the mid-11th century.


Regional States

  • The Establishment of Regional States
    • Feudal Monarchies in France and England
      • Capetian France 
      • The Normans
  • Capetian France 
    • Hugh Capet succeeds last Carolingian Emperor, 987
    • Slowly expands authority out from Paris 
  • Normans in England
    • Descendants of Vikings, settled in northern France 
    • Invade England in 1066 under William the Conqueror 
    • Dominate Angles, Saxons, and other Germanic groups 


The Bayeux Tapestry 

  • Consists of seventy-five scenes with Latin inscriptions. Depicting the events leading up to the Norman conquest and culminating in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 


Italy 

  • Series of ecclesiastical states, city-states, and principalities 
  • Papal State directly controlled by Pope, good-sized territory in central Italy 
  • By 12th century, city-states increasingly displace church control in northern Italy.
  • Normans invade southern Italy, displace Byzantine and Muslim authorities 


Accelerating Change in the West 

  • Ecological changes, 1000-1300
  • Warming trend that started after 750 peaked in eleventh and twelfth centuries, enhanced agricultural production 
  • Forests reduced to 20% of land area (deforestation) 
  • Fresh water sources started to see signs of pollution 


High Middle Ages

  • Time of clear growth and expansion
  • European population in 1000 was about 35 million; about 80 million in 1340 
  • Opening of new land for cultivation 


Demography 

  • 400-600 (late antiquity):  population decline
  • 600-100 (early middle ages): stable at a low level, with intermittent growth 
  • 1000-1250 (high middle ages): population boom and expansion 
  • 1250-1348 (late middle ages): stable or intermittently rising at a high level 
  • 1348-1420 (late middle ages): step 1470-onward: slow expansion gaining momentum in the early 16th century. 


High Middle Ages 

  • Feudalism 
  • Serfs and Manors 
    • Sefs
    • Serfs' Obligations 
    • Manors
      • Large, diverse estates
      • Lord provides governance, police, justice services 
      • Serfs provide labor, income 
  • Peasants worked the land for the nobles and knights who in turn offered them protection
  • In return these knights fought for nobles and the king
  • the nobles gave some land to professional soldiers
  • in return the lords and nobles agreed to supply the king with soldiers and horses for his army
  • The king owned all the land in the country and made the law- he gave an area of land called a fife to rich lords and nobles 
  • Growth of long distance trade, from two major centers 
  • Northern Italian towns
  • Great trading fairs (especially in Champagne areas of France) enabled exchange between northern and southern merchants 
  • European towns and city populations rose
  • Venice by 1400 had around 150,000 people 
  • Still smaller than great cities elsewhere in the world
  • New specializations, organized into guilds 
  • Urbanization follows increase in food supply 
  • Specialization of labor
    • Textile production 
  • Mediterranean Trade
    • Italy well-positioned for sea trade
    • Italian colonies established in major ports of Mediterranean, Black seas
  • The Hanseatic League 
    • "hansa" association of trading cities
    • Trade in Baltic and North Seas
      • Poland


Social Change

  • The Three Estates
    • Those who pray: clergy
    • Those who fight: knights
    • Those who work: peasants 
  • Oversimplification of complex social reality 


Intellectual Foundations 

  • Contemptus mundi: "Contempt of the world"
  • Cf. Augustine: City of God
  • Renaissance Challenges 


Schools, Universities, and Scholastic Theology

  • During early middles ages, European society too unstable to provides institutions of advanced learning
  • Rudimentary education at monasteries, occasional scholars at courts
  • High middle ages increasing wealth makes education possible
  • Schools based in cathedrals
  • Curriculum of Latin writings
    • Literature, philosophy, some law, medicine, theology 
  • The influence of Aristotle 
  • Latin translation of Byzantine Greek texts circulate in Europe 
  • Jewish and Muslim scholars provide other translations 
  • St.Thomas Aquinas major proponent of Scholasticism 
  • Synthesis of Christianity and Aristotle 
  • Prima Causa 
    • From Aristotle's "unmoved mover" 


The Crusades 

The beginning of the Crusades

  • Pope Urban II calls for liberation of Jerusalem from Muslim control, 1095 at council of clermont 
  • God wills it!
  • Salvation promised for casualties
  • Rapid, enthusiastic response Lord and Knights 
  • Peter the Hermit raises popular frenzy, mob destroys on way to Jerusalem 


The first Crusade 

  • 1096-1099 organized expedition 
  • Capture Edessa, Antioch
  • Capture Jerusalem, against poor Muslim organization     
    • Found Christian Kingdoms, Armenia Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, Jerusalem
    • Outremer (lands across the sea )
    • Re-identification of Sacred Landscape 
    • Salah al-din recaptures Jerusalem in 1187