Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

1. 3. The byzantine empire

   • 3.1 The origins and expansion of the Byzantine empire
     • Theodosius I
       • Divided the Roman Empire in 395 A.D.
       • Made Byzantium the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire
       • The largest city in Europe
       • Located on the Bosphorus Strait
     • Grew its maximum size during reign of Justinian the Great (527-565 A.D.)
     • General defeat Vandals and Ostrogoths and conquered Italian Peninsula and parts of North Africa
     • They established a province called Spania
   • 3.2 The political structure
     • Byzantine emperor was highest political and religious authority
     • Empire was controlled by officials and a powerful army
     • Empire was divided in provinces Controlled by a governor
   • 3.3 Economy
     • Trade
       • The empire was the crossroads of trade routes
       • Leather, ivory, perfume, stones, slaves and spices arrived
     • Craftsmanship
       • Developed greatly
       • Manufactured products, gold and silver products, fabrics… were produced and exported
   • 3.4 Society
     • Was divide between nobility and the population
     • Emperor and Byzantine nobility imposed high taxes
     • the population was discontent
   • 3.5 Culture and religion
     • Culture
       • Combination of Greek, Roman and Eastern elements
       • Greek was the spoken language
       • Contributions in compilation of works and scientific treatises
     • Religion
       • Political and religious power were unified
       • Byzantine Empire was intolerant to other religions
       • Adaptation of Greek language to Slavic language resulted in Cyrillic alphabet
       • -Eastern Christian church became known as Orthodox Church

2. 2. An era of invasions

   • 2.1 The germanic people
     • Franks
       • Settled in Gaul
       • King Clovis l, expanded to the north the south
       • He defeated Visigoths in 507 A.D.
       • Later it became the Carolingian Empire
         • 4. The carolingian empire
           • 4.1 The origins and expansion of the Carolingian empire
             • Prime minister
               • Called the mayor of the palace or major-domo
               • 751 A.D. Pippin l the Younger occupied the throne of the Franks
               • Position became influential
             • Pope
               • Need help fighting the Lombard Empire
               • Pippin and Charles decide to help
             • Charles
               • Came to the throne when his father died in 768 A.D.
               • In 800 A.D. he was emperor
               • Was known as Charlemagne
               • Die in 814 A.D.
           • 4.2 The political structure
             • Governed with help of the court
             • Appointed counts to govern the provinces
             • Divided into marches and governed by a marquis
           • 4.3 The economy and society
             • Islam
               • Disrupted trade routes, making agriculture the only source of wealth
             • Charlemagne
               • Successors rewarded their nobles with large estates
               • Population were peasants and worked in lands
           • 4.4 Culture and art
             • Charlemagne brought the wisest people to his court
             • Monks copied ancient texts to preserve texts
             • Scribes devised a new rounded writing style
     • Visigoths
       • Emigrated to the Iberian Peninsula
       • Established the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo
     • Suebis
       • Settled in the north-east of Iberian Peninsula
     • Angles and Saxons
       • Settled in Great Britain
     • Ostrogoths
       • Created a kingdom on Italian Peninsula
     • Vandals
       • Established in North Africa
     • Germanic people
       • Organised into tribes
       • Settled in a region converted in kingdom
       • Relatively few in number, formed the ruling group and inhabitants submit
     • Germanic kingdoms
       • Dominant group was Germanic nobility
       • Monarch governed with help called royal council
       • Nobles fought themselves and it created instability

3. 1. The middle ages

   • 1.1 Political development
     • Frequent wars and sackings
     • Monarch depended of nobles
     • Late Middle Age, monarch’s power increase. monarch have more resources than nobles.
     • Byzantine Empire want decline when Islam appeared in Arabia (7th century)
     • Muslim world fragmented. Christians began the Crusaders
   • 1.2 Economic development
     • Trade recovered. New areas of production and trade routes created
   • 1.3 Social development
     • Invasions andsackings caused insecurity
     • Nobels and Lords were the higest authority
     • Peasants and serfs were the lower authority
   • 1.4 Cultural developments
     • Two stiles were: Romanesqe and Gothic
     • Religious authority was the only source of knowledge
     • Religious beliefs began