The Dark Ages II

Invasions and Feudalism

y While the Catholic Church grew and established itself as a rich and influential power in Western Europe, the same could not be said of the emerging kingdoms in this region. Invasions from the south and north combined with internal conflict led Europe into the darkest period of the dark ages where constant warfare ravaged the weak and unified regions.

Islamic Invasion
After the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D., Islam continued to spread out of Arabia through successors called Caliphs in an attempt to convert surrounding neighbors to Islam willfully and sometimes by sword. y Rashidun Conquest (632 661 A.D.) y Both the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire were weak following a lengthy war for control over Egypt and the Middle East. y 637 639 A.D. Byzantine territory in the Middle East was conquered. y 639 Egypt fell to Muslim Invaders y 633 651 the Persian empire fell to Muslim invaders y By 650 A.D., the Muslims had conquered the Byzantine Army in the Middle East and Egypt as well as the Persians y Upon the end of the Rashidun dynasty, the Umayyad Dynasty developed expanding Islamic influence even further. y

Umayyad Conquest (662 750 A.D.)

665 709 A.D. Islamic forces advanced from Egypt conquering the Berbers along the coast of North Africa as well as Carthage with their defeat, the rest of Northern Africa fell to the Muslim Invaders. - 711 A.D. a combined Arab and Berber force known as the Moors cross the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain and defeat the Visigoths marks Islam s first and only major spread into mainland Europe - By 725 A.D., Spain was under Muslim control - The Muslim Moors quickly begin crossing into Gaul to conquer the barbarian Franks - Battle of Tours (732 A.D) a battle between Muslim Moors and Christian Franks - Frankish King, Charles the Hammer, led a unified Frankish army to engage the invading army and ordered a small group to attack the Moor s camp behind enemy lines to a victory for the Franks. - The Moors return to Spain to defeated marks the end of Islamic (Arab) expansion of Europe. -

Despite two failed attempts to take Constantinople in 674 A.D. and 717 A.D. the Arab Muslims still managed to expand into the largest empire at that time, but by 750 A.D. the Muslim s advance had been halted

Reign of Charlemagne
(Grandson of Charles the Hammer)
y Ruler of the Frankish Kingdom who became the most powerful Christian ruler and greatest king of the Dark Ages. y Expanded the Frankish kingdom into the Carolingian Empire with an expansion into Italy. y Territory created from the Frankish kingdoms under Charlemagne. y Symbolize the combination of three distinct influences into the new empire. Roman Christian German Was instrumental in converting the central and Western Europe to Christianity with conquered people given a simple choice: convert or die! At Verdun (northern Germany) Charlemagne had 4,500 Saxons beheaded for worshipping false idols. Charlemagne micromanaged (very hands on) the empire spending most of his time visiting local rulers to ensure his will was being done he later employed court officials to do this task Charlemagne encouraged and appreciated education and built schools to improve the education of future generations for religious and secular (worldly) offices in the kingdom Charlemagne himself tried to become literate (one of the few outside of the clergy (religious) y Charlemagne was also instrumental in the creation of the feudal system in Europe In 800 A.D., Charlemagne is crowned by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope the division between the West and the Byzantine Empire widens as Rome relies more on the Franks for protection than the Byzantines. 814 A.D. the Carolingian Empire falls apart after Charlemagne s death and is divided up into three sections.

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Feudalism
y In the absence of strong centralized government and the constant threat of famine, disease, and invasion led the weak to seek out protection from the strong, which led to the creation of the feudal system A political system in which land was divided out by a rich noble in exchange for services and rent by weaker nobles

Weaker nobles (called vassals) were expected to fulfill military obligations to the stronger noble (lord) together these men formed an unwritten contract of allegiance to one another: y Lord promises protection and land y Vassal promise work and military aid (knights) y Fiefs lands or revenue-producing property granted by lord to a vassal to return for their allegiance and military service. y ) y Fiefs lands or revenue-producing property granted by lord to a vassal to return for their allegiance and military service. y Serfs enforced laborer in a condition of modified slavery who worked under the vassals peasants farmers, and craftsman. y The central focus of feudalism was the manor house where the lords lived which started as square towers encircled by wooden walls as time passes, they became imposing castles with turrets and slanted windows from which archers could shoot attackers and moated fortresses accessible only by crossing a drawbridge. y These castles began to dominate the countryside across central and Western Europe. y As more and more people took up arms or rakes in service to their lords, cities shrank smaller and smaller.

Scourge of the North

Vikings y y y Germanic people from Scandinavia who successfully invaded and raided Europe for nearly 250 years. 793 A.D. the Vikings first attacked a monastery on the British coast. because of the riches held in them, monasteries looked like banks ready for robbing. Vikings were great sailors and ship builders due to their raided narrow ships. The Vikings were able to sail long distances up river and raid far and wide from Spain to Russia and Constantinople although the British Isles were always a favorite. 1000 A.D. Leif Eriksson becomes the first European to discover America landing in what is now Newfoundland although they established a settlement, it doesn t last. Over time the Vikings converted to Christianity and were given land by the Franks in Normandy in 911 A.D. and integrated and settle in Britain by 1042 A.D. With the Viking threat gone, Europe was overrun with trained knights with nothing to do this led to internal conflicts as knights became gangs roaming the countryside attacking neighboring kingdoms including peasants Catholic Church attempts to Christianize the knights and issues two proclamations as to God s position on warfare:

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Peace of God = women, children, monks, those who could not defend themselves should be protected Truce of God = periods of time when warfare should not fight = Sundays, lent Christmas season

Chivalry
y Ideal civilized behavior that knights and proper gentlemen were expected to follow y Duties to countrymen and fellow Christians: protect the weak and the poor with courage, fairness, honesty y Duties to God: be faithful to God and the church, protecting both for the cause of good against evil y Duties to women: a knight was to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies with respect, gentleness and grace y Now armed with a code of ethics many knights were itching for a cause to take up. They would find their cause at the turn of the new millennium as a growing movement to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims gains momentum leading to the Crusades in 1095