Written as a reference for students in Mr. Bruha's 6th grade Social Studies classes, these notes are intended for review. Students are expected to hand-write these into their Social Studies notebooks to help them mentally process and re-learn what is covered in class. These notes can not be used during test taking.

Chapter 10/15: Middle Ages and Renaissance Vocabulary: L1: Rome's Decline and Division (100 - 400 CE) Trouble in the Roman Empire • the end of Pax Romana (Roman peace) came during the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 - 180 CE)      - 167 CE - a rebellion leads to war      - Parthians invaded from the east      - Germanic tribes invaded from the north • More disorder came under the harsh rule of Commodus (the son of Marcus Aurelius) • After he dies in 192 CE, Roman leaders fight civil wars for control of the empire • 235 - 284 CE - more than 25 leaders serve as emperor      - most do not serve for very long before being overthrown • Roman soldiers had more loyalty to their generals than to the Roman government • 250 - 265 CE - a plague spreads across the empire, killing as many as 5,000 people a day The Roman Empire Splits in Two • 284 CE - Diocletian, a Roman general, is made emperor by his troops      - he thought the empire had become too large, so he splits leadership of the empire between two leaders      - he puts his friend Maximian in charge of the western part      - Diocletian rules the eastern part • 330 CE - Constantine moves the capital of the empire to Byzantium • 395 CE - the empire is officially split into easter and western parts:      - the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire The City of Constantinople • Constantinople had a location much like Rome:      - built on 7 hills      - fed water by aqueducts      - on importan trade routes      - many monuments and statues in the city      - became a very wealthy (rich) city • Today it is called Instanbul (in Turkey) Rome's Legacy • Roman ideas and culture have influenced later civilizations in many ways. They passed down:      - Greek culture - art, religion, writing, philosophy      - government - the idea of the republic, like the U.S. uses      - law - rights and protections applied evenly for all classes of citizens      - city sanitation - plumbing and wast-removal systems keep people healthy      - architecture - basilica (large open room), hollow domes      - language - Latin influences modern languages, gives us our alphabet L2: Invasions and Change (200 - 1000 CE) The Germanic Tribes • considered by Romans to be barbarians (they were not educated in Roman ways) • most were herders, rather than farmers • most had no form of government (they were led by the strongest and wisest when needed) • some Germanic people lived within the Roman Empire for a long time • late 300s and 400s CE - Germanic tribes begin entering Roman territory in large numbers • tribes were being driven out of their own lands by the Huns      - Huns were a wandering, warlike people from central Asia      - their invasion of Germanic lands started the Germanic invasions of Roman lands The End of the Western Roman Empire • 370 CE - the Huns attack the Visigoths, who flee into the Western Roman Empire • 410 CE - the Visigoths invade the Italian Peninsula and take Rome by force • 406 CE - the Vandals invade and take control of Gaul • 455 CE - the Vandals attack Rome, looting valuables and destroying some things they couldn't take • 476 CE - Odoacer, a Germanic soldier fighting for the Roman army, leads a revolt when his men aren't given land to settle      - overthrows the emperor Romulus Augustulus      - becomes the first Germanic king of the Italian Peninsula      - this ends the Western Roman Empire More Germanic Conquests • Britian:      - the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes (collectively called the Anglo-Saxons) enter the island      - by the 500s, they control most of eastern and southern Britain      - their smaller kingdoms soon unite to form England (Anglo-Saxon for "land of the Angles) • Gaul:      - 486 CE - Clovis, leader of the Franks, invades Gaul      - he defeats the Gauls, Romans, and Visigoths that were there      - the land eventually came to be called France, after the Franks Life in a Changing Land • the Germanic invasions destroyed much of what the Romans had built • Roman roads were no longer used • cities and towns became less important as more people turned to farming • Europe broke up into many small kingdoms • kingdoms were broken up into manors (large plots of land or estates) Manors • Buildings:      - manor house - home to the lord of the manor and his family      - church      - peasant houses      - mill • People:      - lord of the manor - owner of the manor      - priest - leader of the manor church      - peasants - common farmers and craftspeople      - serfs - peasants that were bound to the land            - owned by the lord of the manor            - like slaves, but could only be sold when the land was sold            - lived in small shelters around a manor house or castle • Peasants gave the lord of the manor 1/3 of crops/goods they produced • peasants gave 1/3 to the church • lord of the manor provided peasants with land to farm on and protection from outsiders • The manor was pretty much self-sufficient (able to produce all the serfs and lord needed) L3: Early Middle Ages in Europe (500 - 1000 CE) The Growing Influence of the Church • pope - leader of the Catholic church pope gained more power as more people became Christians missionaries - people that spread and promoted their religion to others in order to try to convert them when kings converted, their people often followed along 496 CE - Clovis, king of the Franks, was the first such leader to convert to Christianity Pope Gregory I - (590-604 CE) created rules of behavior for priests set up monasteries - centers of Christian life and learning planned to unite everyone in Europe in a Christian kingdom Charlemagne • his name means "Charles the Great" • he was an imposing warrior king (standing 6'4" when the average male height was 5'4") • his father was Pepin the Short, his grandfather was Charles Martel ("Charles the Hammer") • 774 CE - Charlemagne marches his army into Rome to save the pope and Rome from attackers • 800 CE - the pope crowns Charlemagne as Augustus (or emperor of the Romans)      - this was the start of the Holy Roman Empire • Charlemagne improved eduction in his lands • he rewarded loyal nobles with land, which they maintained, then provided the emperor with military support (this was the start of European feudalism) A New Wave of Invaders • Vikings were from Scandinavia (modern day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) • 700s CE - a population boom in Scandanavia leads to food shortages • many Scandinavian warriors set out in longboats (narrow, flat-bottomed ships with oars and a sail) to search and raid for food      - this raidig was called going "a-viking", which meant fighting as a pirate or warrior (the source of the Viking name) • Vikings were also called Norsemen or Northmen • This culture is the source of myths about gods like Loki, Thor, and Odin • Vikings often attacked villages at night, killing everyone there and taking away what they wanted • Vikings never really conquered inhabited lands, just raided for what they wanted • eventually the Vikings began to settle in places such as Iceland, Greenland, and North America (centuries before Columbus ever lived)      - after starting settlements on previously unihabited lands, they no longer raided (didn't need to) L1: Europe's High and Late Middle Ages (1000 - 1500 CE) An Age of Faith • In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was powerful, with its own government, laws, and taxes. • Pope Gregory VII:      - outlawed the selling of church positions (jobs)      - encouraged the building of cathedrals (large Christian churches) • the pope had the power to send soldiers to war and to crown emperors • 1095 CE - Pope Urban II calls for the first Crusade (holy war to take control of Jerusalem from the Muslims)      - many volunteer to fight for different reasons in addition to religion           - knights - well armed and armored, they had training in combat (fighting) and wanted glory           -peasants - wanted wealth from raiding enemy lands           -serfs - were offered freedom if they fought           -criminals - were offered their freedom if they fought • 1095 - 1291 CE - there were 8 Crusades • the crusaders never gained permanent control of Jerusalem • crusaders did encounter and bring back:      - ideas in science and medicine from Muslims (who were more scientifically advanced than Europeans at the time)      - spices (very valuable for flavoring foods)      - silks (an amazing fabric that is smooth and very strong, with was made only in China) Trade and Cities • improved farming methods led to more food available to Europeans • more food leads to more people • more people results in bigger cities (just like today) • the rise of cities and increased trade led to a new social class, the burghers (middle class merchants and craftspeople, ranking above peasants but below nobles) • merchants eventually began to form guilds (trade associations meant to protect prices and quality of products for the merchants) • new forms of banking developed, with moneylenders loaning money to merchants on a larger scale • eventually the first European universities were started as people became more interested in learning The End of Feudalism • in the late Middle Ages, kings began to take control away from nobles and the church • nation-states began to develop in Europe • 1215 CE - English nobles limited the power of their kings by forcing King John (of Robin Hood fame) to sign the Magna Carta      - the name means "Great Charter"      - it was a contract with a list of 63 demands      - it included such things as trial by jury, which is still used in our own government today, and consent of the realm before new taxes could be enacted      - it was intended to protect the right of nobles • 1337 CE - the start of the Hundred Years War between England and France disrupts many lives • 1347 - 1351 CE - the Black Plague (Black Death) spreads through Europe, killing 1/4 of the population      - this bubonic plague was spread by the fleas living on rats in the crowded, garbage-filled cities • many people blamed the kings and the church for not being able to stop the plague and people were becoming tired of war and wanted change L2: The Renaissance (1400 - 1600 CE) The Cradle of the Renaissance • the Renaissance began in Italy • Italy was a good place for this, since it had:      - big, busy cities      - a location on important trade routes      - wealthy merchant families • wealthy merchants became patrons of the arts      - it was a great way to show off the wealth of the merchants and their city-states      - the merchants began to compete for the best artists, philosophers, scholars, and writersv • scholars began to rediscover the writings of ancient Greeks and Romans, which had been preserved by Muslim scholars and in monasteries New Ways of Thinking and Seeing • new ways of thinking became known as humanism (thinking focused on the ideas and actions of individuals) • writers began to write more in the vernacular (common language), so more people could learn new ideas • books began to appear targeted at informing specific groups of people on different topics      - one prominent example is Machiavelli's The Prince, which gave leaders methods of staying in power over their rivals and people • artists began to paint more real life topics than before      - they began to paint scenes of everyday life (rather than mostly religious imagery)      - they learned to use perspective to show depth and people that looked more human and 3-D • individual talented artists and thinkers became famous, such as:      - Leonardo da Vinci           - painter (Mona Lisa, The Last Supper)           - inventor (tools, armored tank, helicopter, parachute)           - scientist           - engineer (buildings, large machines)           - philosopher           - writer      - Michelangelo           - painter (Sistine Chapel took him over 4 years)           - sculptor      - Copernicus           - used math calculations to show the earth moved around the sun (rather than the earh being still and everything else moving around it)      - Galileo Galilei           - used observations and experiments to prove his ideas (the scientific method)           - used his telescope and observations to prove Copernicus was right           - he was forced by the church to say he was wrong The Spread of Ideas • ideas spread with the help of the invention of moveable type for printing presses (making books much cheaper, so more people could buy them)