Medieval
Medieval Period (also called the Middle Ages) refers to the period in European history between
the fall of the Western Roman Empire (c. 476 CE) and the beginning of the Renaissance (c. 1300–
1500 CE). The name comes from the Latin medium aevum (“middle age”), because Renaissance
scholars viewed it as a “middle” time between the greatness of classical antiquity (Greece and
Rome) and their own “modern” rebirth of learning.
CENTRAL THEME: BBC
● Black Death - The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western
Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in
human history, causing the deaths of 75–200 million people, peaking in Europe from 1347
to 1351.
● Barbarians - refers to uncivilized people or evil people and their evil deeds — originated
in ancient Greece and it initially only referred to people who were from out of town or
did not speak Greek. The Middle Age were dominated by different groups of people:
o Visigoth – Alaric
o Vandals – Gaiseric
o Lombards – Alboin
o Magyar – Arpad
o Viking – King Harold Bluetooth
● Christianity – The church became the primary institution and greatest influence in the life
of many people in Europe. The pope in Rome, Vatican became the head of the states in
Europe.
Personalities Contributions
Constantine the Great Approved Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity.
Theodosius I Made Christianity Official and State Religion
Honorius Leader of Western Roman Empire
Arcadius Leader of Eastern Roman Empire
Romulus Augustulus Last Roman Emperor and was defeated by Odoacer
Creation of new kingdom from the tribes of:
• Franks in Gaul (France)
• Visigoths in Spain
500 CE • Ostrogoths and Lombards in Italy
• Anglo-Saxons in England
The church as the protector and propagator of peace and
education
Justinian I (Byzantine Empire)
He tried to revive the Roman Empire by re-conquering
previous territories in Western Roman Empire.
Early Middle Age 526-565
CE Created Code of Justinian (Corpus Juris Civilis) – became
the basis of laws in Europe.
Constructed the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
The Spread of Islam
Islam began with Prophet Muhammad's teachings in Arabia.
After Muhammad's death, his successors (caliphs) led
600 CE powerful empires:
• Umayyad Caliphate: Expanded rapidly across the
Middle East, North Africa, and into Spain (Al-
Andalus).
• Abbasid Caliphate: Overthrew the Umayyads and
moved the capital to Baghdad.
Major cities like Baghdad (House of Wisdom), Cordoba,
and Cairo became global hubs for science, medicine,
philosophy, and culture, preserving and advancing classical
knowledge while Europe was in its early Middle Ages.
Expansion of the Frankish Empire
Charles Martel – defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours
(732 CE) → halted the expansion of Islam into Europe.
Charlemagne (768–814 CE) – expanded the empire, called
the "Father of Europe."
In 800 CE, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the
Pope.
Early Middle Age 700 CE
On Christmas Day in Rome, Pope Leo III crowned
Charlemagne as "Emperor of the Romans." This act
revived the idea of a Western Roman Empire, creating
the Holy Roman Empire, and cemented the strategic
alliance between the Frankish monarchy and the Papacy. It
also established a model of Christian kingship that shaped
medieval Europe
Barbarian Invasion
Vikings from Scandinavia → attacked France, England, and
Ireland.
Magyars from Hungary and Muslim raiders from the
Mediterranean → caused fear in Europe.
Because of this, Feudalism strengthened (protection by
nobles in exchange for service from peasants).
Feudalism a social-political system where:
• Peasants (serfs) pledged their labor and service to a
local lord.
• In return, the lord provided military protection and
800 CE land to farm.
• This created a decentralized, hierarchical society
based on land-holds.
Social Structure:
King
Lord (Noble)
Knights (Vassal)
Peasants
Stabilization of Europe
The kingdoms of France, England, and Germany were
formed.
The Holy Roman Empire grew strong again under Otto I (962
CE).
High Middle 900-1000
During this time, the church became the most powerful
Ages CE
institution.
1. Formation of Centralized Kingdoms:
o After the fragmentation of Charlemagne's
empire and the Viking Age,
powerful hereditary monarchies began to
coalesce.
o France: The Capetian dynasty (starting with
Hugh Capet in 987) slowly consolidated royal
power from Paris.
o England: Unified under Anglo-Saxon kings,
then decisively shaped by the Norman
Conquest (1066).
o Germany: Emerged from the eastern part of
Charlemagne's empire, with powerful ducal
families.
2. Revival of the Holy Roman Empire (962 CE):
Otto I (Otto the Great) of Germany
o
defeated the Magyars (955 CE) and was
crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the
Pope in 962.
o This revived Charlemagne's idea of a
Christian Roman Empire in the West, now
centered in Germany and Northern Italy.
It became a major power but was often in
conflict with the Papacy.
3. The Peak of Church Power:
o The Papacy reached its height of political
and spiritual authority.
o The Church was the continent's unifying
institution, controlling religion, education,
and a vast amount of wealth and land.
o It launched the Crusades (1095 onward),
established canon law, and oversaw the
building of great Gothic cathedrals.
o This period is often called the "Age of
Faith."
Crusades
1. First Crusade (1096–1099):
The most successful Crusade.
The Christians captured Jerusalem and established
Crusader States.
2. Second Crusade (1147–1149):
Launched after the fall of Edessa (one of the
Crusader States).
Failed; the Christians were defeated.
1096-
3. Third Crusade (1189–1192):
1291
Known as the "Crusade of Kings" (Richard the
Lionheart of England vs. Saladin of the Muslims).
Did not recapture Jerusalem, but an agreement was
reached allowing Christian pilgrims to enter.
4. Fourth Crusade (1202–1204):
Deviated from its goal → the Crusaders attacked
Constantinople (Byzantine capital).
Deepened the schism between Eastern and Western
Christianity.
Effects:
Trade between Europe and the East grew stronger (silk,
spices, paper, gunpowder).
There was a cultural exchange of knowledge (mathematics,
medicine, philosophy).
Crisis in the Late Middle Age
• The Black Death (1347–1351): Killed 1/3 of Europe’s
population. Cause: The Yersinia pestis bacterium,
spread by fleas on black rats, arriving from Asia via
trade routes (like the Silk Road).
Late Middle Age 1300 CE • Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453): War between
France and England → rise of nationalism.
Joan of Arc – Maid of Orleans
• Decline of Feudalism: Due to labor shortages,
peasants' power increased.
• Strengthening and Crisis of the Church: Pope vs.
kings → Great Schism (1378–1417).
1. Fall of Constantinople (1453)
• Event: The Ottoman Empire, under Sultan Mehmed II,
captured the capital of the Byzantine Empire after a
long siege.
• Immediate Consequence: The end of the Roman
Empire (the last remnant, Byzantium, fell).
• Cultural Impact:
o Greek Scholars fled West: Many Byzantine
scholars escaped to Italy, bringing with them
precious ancient Greek and Roman
manuscripts that had been preserved in the
East for centuries.
o Fueled Renaissance Learning: This influx of
classical texts, particularly works by Plato,
Homer, and Greek dramatists, directly fueled
the humanist revival of classical learning that
defined the Renaissance.
2. Invention of the Printing Press (c. 1455)
• Inventor: Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany.
Renaissance 1400 • Innovation: Movable metal type, adapted from
existing technologies (wine press, metal punch).
• First Major Book: The Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455).
• Revolutionary Effects:
o Mass Production of Books: Reduced cost and
time of copying, making books affordable for
the emerging middle class.
o Spread of Ideas: Enabled the rapid
dissemination of Renaissance humanism,
scientific theories, and religious debates (later
crucial for the Reformation).
o Rise of Literacy: Created a new reading
public and fostered critical thinking and
debate.
3. Patronage: The Medici Family of Florence
• Who they were: An immensely wealthy banking
family who became the de facto rulers of Florence.
• Role as Patrons: They used their wealth (patronage)
to commission art, architecture, and scholarship
to demonstrate power, piety, and civic pride.
• Key Figures Supported:
o Lorenzo de' Medici ("the Magnificent"): The
most famous patron, whose court included:
▪ Leonardo da Vinci (painter, inventor,
scientist) Mona Lisa or La Gioconda
▪ Michelangelo (sculptor, painter of the
Sistine Chapel)
▪ Raphael (painter of harmonious
Madonnas and frescoes)
▪ Botticelli, Donatello, and many
humanist philosophers (like Marsilio
Ficino).
• Impact: Their funding created a competitive, thriving
artistic environment that made Florence the birthplace
of the Renaissance.
1. Humanism
• An intellectual movement that revived the study of
classical antiquity (Greek and Roman literature,
philosophy, history) and emphasized human potential,
reason, and individual achievement.
• Focus: Studia Humanitatis – grammar, rhetoric,
poetry, history, and moral philosophy.
• Key Belief: That education should create well-
rounded individuals (“the "Renaissance Man")
capable of contributing to civic life, not just prepare
them for the afterlife.
• Example: Petrarch (the "Father of Humanism"),
2. Secularism
• Not atheism, but a growing interest in the material
world alongside—or separate from—religious
concerns.
• Art and literature began to depict everyday life,
classical mythology, and portraits of individuals, not
just religious scenes.
• Politics and economics were increasingly analyzed
through a non-religious lens (e.g., Machiavelli's The
High Prince).
1500 3. Art and Science Revolution
Renaissance
Figure Contribution Significance
Leonardo Da Mona Lisa – La Embodied
Vinci Gioconda the Renaissance
(psychological ideal of artist-
depth), The Last scientist-
Supper, Vitruvian engineer.
Man (blend of art
& science).
Michelangelo Sistine Chapel Supreme mastery
ceiling (Biblical of sculpture,
grandeur), painting,
David (perfect architecture
human form), St. expressing
Peter's Basilica human emotion
dome. and divinity.
Rafael Sanzio The School of Quintessential
Athens, Sistine Renaissance
Madonna masterpiece –
blends classical
philosophy with
Christian
humanism
Nicolaus Proposed Began the
Copernicus heliocentric model Scientific
(sun-centered Revolution,
universe) in On challenging the
the Revolutions Earth-centered
(1543). (geocentric)
universe of the
Church.
Galileo Galilei Used a telescope Provided
to confirm empirical
heliocentrism; evidence for the
laws of motion; new cosmology,
conflict with the cementing the
Church. scientific method.
4. Age of Exploration (15th–17th Centuries)
• Causes: Search for new trade routes to Asia
(bypassing Ottoman control), desire for spices/gold,
religious zeal, and improved technology (caravel ship,
astrolabe, compass).
• Key Explorers:
o Christopher Columbus (1492): Sailing for
Spain, reached the Caribbean, opening
the Columbian Exchange between Old and
New Worlds.
o Vasco da Gama (1498): Sailing for Portugal,
reached India by sea, establishing a lucrative
spice trade route.
o Ferdinand Magellan (1519–1522): His
expedition (he died en route) completed
the first circumnavigation, proving the world
was round and vast.
• Consequence: Globalization began, with Europe at its
center, leading to colonization, the Atlantic slave
trade, and immense wealth for European power
5. Protestant Reformation (1517 Onwards)
• Spark: Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the
Wittenberg church door (1517), criticizing Church
corruption like the sale of indulgences.
• Core Lutheran Doctrines:
o Sola Fide (Salvation by Faith Alone)
o Sola Scriptura (Bible as sole religious
authority, not Pope)
o Priesthood of all believers.
• Spread of Protestantism:
o John Calvin: Calvinism (predestination, strict
moral code) in Switzerland, France
(Huguenots), Netherlands, Scotland.
o King Henry VIII: Anglicanism (Church of
England) broke from Rome over papal refusal
to annul his marriage.
• Catholic Response: The Counter-Reformation
o Council of Trent (1545–1563): Reaffirmed
Catholic doctrine, ended abuses, improved
clergy education.
o New Religious Orders: The Jesuits (founded
by Ignatius of Loyola) became leaders in
education, missionary work, and reconverting
Protestants.
o Result: Permanent split in Western
Christianity, leading to centuries of religious
wars and reshaping European politics and
culture.
These movements were interconnected:
• Humanism's critical thinking → led to questioning Church authority (Reformation).
• Scientific curiosity (from Humanism & new global discoveries) → fueled
the Scientific Revolution.
• Wealth from Exploration & trade → funded artistic patronage (Renaissance art).
• Printing Press → spread Humanist texts, Reformation ideas, and scientific
knowledge rapidly.