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The Middle Ages
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The middle
ages refers to a time period when the This happen roughly between 476 AD to
1500AD. Sometimes the middle Ages are separated into the Early Middle Ages
and the Later.
Between 476AD
and 1000AD the German tribes had invaded the Romans and began building their
own kingdoms. the Germans brought with them their own culture which in many
ways was not as sophisticated as the Romans. However the two cultures mixed
and became one. Sometimes this time period is called The Dark Ages because it
was a time of little learning or enlightenment and little progress.
Improvements in farming and trading methods came slowly and in some parts of
Europe the Roman culture continued.
Cities become
less important during this time period. The cities of the Roman Empire were
mostly in ruins after the Viking invasion. This caused a lack of trade and
the cities that did remain in the western part of Europe were no longer the
centers of life. The majority of people became farmers and living on farms.
During Roman times these large farms were called Villas and were worked by
farmers in debt. Basically the farmer had to give up a large portion of his
crop. By far it was much safer to work as a tenant farmer on these large
farms than to stay with their small farms. The small farms were invaded and
taken over by the Germans who forced other Germans to work the land for them.
The Germans
came with their own laws but they also used the Roman laws already in place.
One of the things the Germans did is to set up a system of fines. These
fines were used to punish almost any kind of crime. An exception being the
murder of the King, which was punishable by death.
One kind of
German law called the Ordeal was a test to determine if some one was innocent
or guilty. It required the person to carry a hot piece of iron or place their
hand in boiling water. If the person's hand healed quickly they were deemed
innocent. If the hand did not heal the person was found guilty.
The Roman
Catholic Church is the largest and most powerful religious organization of all
time. It had so much more influence over folks than anything else that it was
just referred to as "The Church". The question is why was the Church so
powerful?
One
reason is that folks lived very hard and short lives and believed that
although it was rough on Earth they would get their reward in Heaven. This
brought people much comfort. The clergy, men who performed services in the
Church, helped people follow the Church rules about how one should live. They
also performed marriages and funerals, blessed the sick and dying, and
listened believers when they confessed their sins. The Church believed that
the clergy could forgive the sins and issue penance.
Another
reason is the The Church performed many of the functions that the government
is responsible for in the US. The Church made laws, collected taxes and got
fiefs for services. The land the Church collected was tended by Nuns and
Monks who helped developed better ways of growing crops and tending livestock.
The
Church also played peacekeeper. The high ups in the Church gave counsel to
Kings. This helped to limit the feudal wars. If a Lord rebelled the Church
could threaten to excommunicate him. This means that he wouldn't be able to
participate in Church life. Everyone shunned a person excommunicated.
Charlemagne (SHARR-luh-main)
meaning Charles the Great was the son of Pepin the Short. His name was
Charles Martel. In around 751 A.D. Charles became ruler of the Franks.
He spent most
of his reign conquering new lands for his empire. He conquered Northern
Spain, the land south of the Danube River, and northern Italy. He even
conquered the Saxons of Northern Germany, forcing them to become Christians.
The Church
saw how powerful Charlemagne had become and decided that they needed his
support. The pope at the time was Leo the Third. In 800 A.D. his declared
Charlemagne protector of the Church and "Emperor of the Romans".
Charlemagne
ruled his empire well. He divided the land into districts. Courts ruled each
district. He did send out two officials to each district to make sure the
courts were following the rules he set forth.
Until his
death in 814 Charlemagne ruled his empire with the wisest government since the
Roman Empire. During his rule his established schools to promote learning and
culture.
Investigate
Further
As you
browse through the different histories of Charlemagne think about what each of
them says about Charlemagne. What information do the resources have in
common? Is there anything strikingly different?
Take notes
at each website
Use your
notes to write on the following topic:
What made
Charlemagne a good leader?
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