The Middle Ages
Overveiw
Feudalism and Manorialism
Feudalism was the dominant social system in medieval Europe. The cast system consisted of the pope and church on top, then monarchy, nobles, then knights and vassals, after that there's merchants along with farmers and craftsmen, then last but not least there were the peasants and serfs.
Manorialism was an essential element of feudal society. The lords and peasants worked together to support one another. The wealth of the lords came from the peasants which worked the land. For exchange The Lord would protect them, give them food, and a place to live. Because there was a lot of war the manor had to be self sufficient. With in their little manor they had to make everything they needed to survive.
Europe
Map of Europe.
Crusades
This is a picture of the crusades. They lasted from 1095 to 1291. The crusades were a series of wars. The purpose of these wars was for the Christians to reclaim the holy land of
Jerusalem from the Muslims .Pope Urban II started the first crusade.
Torture in the Spanish Inquisition
This is a picture of The Rack. It was a torturing device during the Spanish incision, which lasted from 1478 to 1820. The purpose of the Spanish Inquisition was to purify Spain of heretics, such as Muslims and even Jews. Queen Isabella and king Ferdinand started it.
Monarchs
The monarchs gave land to the lords in return for protection by knights. Monarchs were basically the kings. The had the highest authority over their kingdom. Some examples are William the conquer, Henry II, and William Rufus.
Catholic Church
Religion was very important during this time, and was essential for life. The head of the church was the pope. The pope also was a strong spiritual leader and powerful political leader. Many ceremonies were held at the church; here is a list of some: weddings, funerals, baptizing, christening, communion, and mass. People during this time had a high piety, which means the had a high level of devotion to the church.
Black Death along with photo
People say the Black Death is like being shot at with arrows, you don't know if it's going to hit you or not. The Black Death was a terrible plague that wiped through Europe in the Middle Ages. It lasted from 1347 to 1351. Some of the symptoms included, very high fever, black decaying flash, and buboes.( which were swellings on the victims body. )The Black Death wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population.( about twenty five million people ) It came from Central Asia and was spread by fleas. The fleas lived on the rats and the rats lived in the peoples filth, so I guess you could say they got the plague from being dirty.
Knight
This is what a knight from the Middle Ages looked like. You can clearly see the importance of religion and church even here with all of the crosses on his uniform. Knights served the monarch and country by fighting in battles. According to the Code of Chivalry the knight had to be brave in battle but also be kind and have manors.
Cannon
A cannon was one of the advancement made in the Middle Ages. China invented the gunpowder that helped make the cannon, but the Moors were the ones who spread gunpowder to Europe. Nationalism was another advancement. It was the pride in one's country. Usually people just stayed within the manor and didn't consider themselves a part of a whole country, so it was a big deal for them.
Trade
Florence was the most important city in Italy because it was where the trade took place. Trade opened up a whole lot of new options to people, like becoming a merchant, artisan, or a craftsman.
Popes and Kings
The pope was the head of the church, and the king was the head of the kingdom, but since religion was very important in the Middle Ages the pope ended up having more power than the king! For example in 1076 Emperor Henry IV chose a bishop that Pope Gregory VII didn't approve of, so Gregory excommunicated Henry from the church. In fear, Henry begged for forgiveness by standing in the snow for three days. That proves just how much power the pope had over the king.