New Technology

Leather saddles & stirrups through contact with Muslims

in Battle of Tours
Knights on horseback became most important part of army

Knights Role
Fought to defend the territory of their feudal lord
Rewarded with land (fiefs)
Weapons & armor were $$$ - had to afford to be a knight

Knights main obligation was to

serve in battle
Only 40 days of the year in combat!

Knighthood & Chivalry

Code of Chivalry ideals demanded of a knight
Be loyal to his feudal lord, obey God, and be nice to the ladies
Protected the weak & poor
Brave, courteous
Some took it seriously, others didnt.
It tended to break down especially
towards the later Middle Ages.
The Middle Ages wasnt a time of
fairy tale castles and noble,
honorable knights. It was a nasty
time of political intrigue, bloody wars,
and brutish men exercising their
limited power in order to gain more
power. Just like any other time.

Training
The prospective knight went through three stages:
1) Page
- Younger years (age 7)
- Assistant to squire & Lord
2) Squire (age 14)
- Was Robin to a knights
Batman
- Took care of knights
equipment
3) Knight (age 21)
- When he becomes a full-fledged
soldier who officially enters into a
feudal arrangement with a lord.

Tournaments

Literature of Chivalry
Themes = idealized castle life, glorified knighthood,
knights undying love for lady
The Song of Roland famous epic poem
Praised French soldiers killed in battle
Troubadours traveling poet-musicians

Roles of Women
Noblewomen

- Inherit estate
- Send knights to war,
defend castle
- Still limited, confined lives
Peasant women

- Endless labor in home

& fields
- No education

Enough about chivalry

What about the weapons
and warfare?

Plate Armor

Shields
Triangular shields meant to repel blows.

Coat of Arms
symbols to
represent family,
manor

Crossbows & Longbows

Siege
Weapons

Battering Ram
Siege Tower

Mantlet
Trebuchet

Castles

The Power of the Church

Far-Reaching Authority of the Church

Introduction
Pope Gelasius I (served as pope from 492-496) held a
view of two powers in the world
holy authority of bishops (auctoritas sacrata pontificum)
royal power (regalis potestas)

He held that in spiritual matters the state should bow

to the pope, but in political matters the pope to give
in to the state.
These ideas did not work out in reality. The church and
the state struggled with each other for power
throughout the middle ages.

Far-Reaching Authority of the Church

The Structure of the Church
Power within the Church is organized by status; the pope is the supreme
authority
Clergy--religious officialsincludes bishops, priests, and others
Bishops supervise priests and settle Church disputes

Far-Reaching Authority of the Church

Religion as a Unifying Force
Religion is important in the Middle Ages; shared beliefs bond people
Clergy administers the sacramentsrites to achieve salvation
Village church is a place of worship and celebration

Sacraments in Western Christianity

Roman Catholic
Baptism
Confirmation
Holy Communion
Reconciliation
(confession)
Anointing of the Sick
Matrimony
Holy Orders

Protestant

Baptism
The Lords Supper
(Holy Communion)

Far-Reaching Authority of the Church

The Law of the Church

The Church has a system of justice to guide peoples

conduct
All medieval Christians expected to obey canon law
Church law
Canon law governs marriages and religious practices
Popes have power over political leaders through
threat of:
Excommunicationbanishment from Church, denial of
salvation
Interdictionkings subjects denied sacraments and services

Kings and emperors were expected to obey popes

commands.

The Church and the Holy Roman Empire

Otto I Allies with the Church

Otto I (Otto the Great) is crowned king of Germany in 936

Limits strength of nobles with help of clergy
Gains support of bishops and abbots (heads of monasteries)
Invades Italy on popes behalf; pope crowns him emperor in 962

SOUND FAMILIAR?????

The Church and the Holy Roman Empire

Signs of Future Conflicts
Ottos German-Italian lands become Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire is the strongest European power until about 1100

The Emperor Clashes with the Pope

Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII bans lay investiturekings appointing Church officials
Henry IV orders pope to resign; Gregory VII excommunicates Henry

Showdown at Conossa
Henry goes to Canossa, Italy, to beg Gregorys forgiveness (see primary
source)
Gregory forgives Henry, buy lay investiture problem is not solved

The Emperor Clashes with the Pope

Concordat of Worms
Concordat of Worms is 1122 compromise

Compromise: pope appoints bishops, emperor can veto

appointment

This is an illustration of
the concept of lay
investiture.
In this picture a king from
the Middle Ages is
handing a bishop his
shepherds crook a
symbol of the office of
bishop.
The Catholic Church
insisted that bishops
were chosen by the
Pope, not by kings.

Disorder in the Empire

The Reign of Frederick I

In 1152, Frederick I becomes king; dominates German princes

Disorder breaks out whenever he leaves Germany
Frederick invades Italy, meets defeat at Legnano in 1176
Empire collapses after Fredericks death in 1190

Disorder in the Empire

German States Remain Separate
German kings after Frederick try to revive empire
German princes, who elect kings, prefer to keep them weak