When the Roman Empire split into two separate empires, the Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire continued on for 1000 years after the Western Roman Empire, including Rome, collapsed in 476 CE. The Byzantine Empire ruled most of Eastern and Southern Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Its capital city, Constantinople, was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe during the time. Constantine Emperor Constantine I came to power as emperor in 306 CE. He made the Greek city of Byzantium the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The city was renamed to Constantinople. Constantine ruled as emperor for 30 years. Under Constantine, the Empire would thrive and become powerful. Constantine also embraced Christianity which would become a large part of the Roman Empire for the next 1000 years. Map of the Byzantine Empire Justinian Dynasty The peak of the Byzantine Empire occurred during the Justinian Dynasty. In 527 Justinian I became Emperor. Under Justinian I, the empire gained territory and would reach the peak of its power and wealth. Justinian also established many reforms. One major reform had to do with the law. First, he had all the existing Roman laws reviewed. These laws had been written down over the course of hundreds of years and existed in hundreds of different documents. Then he had the laws rewritten into a single book called the Corpus of Civil Law, or the Justinian Code. The Hagia Sofia Church in Constantinople (Istanbul today) Justinian also encouraged the arts including music, drama, and art. He funded many public works projects as well including bridges, roads, aqueducts, and churches. Perhaps his best known project was the Hagia Sophia, a beautiful and massive church built in Constantinople. Split from the Catholic Church In 1054 CE, the Catholic Church split. Constantinople became the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church and it no longer recognized the Catholic Church in Rome. Wars against the Muslims Throughout much of the Middle Ages the Byzantium Empire fought the Muslims for control of the eastern Mediterranean. This included asking the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire for help during the first Crusade to regain control of the Holy Land. They battled the Seljuk Turks and other Arab and Muslim forces for hundreds of years. Finally, in 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire and with it came the end of the Byzantine Empire. Fun facts about the Byzantine Empire
QUIZ The Crusades were a series of wars during the Middle Ages where the Christians of Europe tried to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. Why did they want to control Jerusalem? Jerusalem was important to a number of religions during the Middle Ages. It was important to Jewish people as it was the site of the original temple to God built by King Solomon. It was important to the Muslims because it was where they believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. It was important to Christians as it is where Christ was crucified and rose again. Who fought in the Crusades? The Crusades were between the armies of the Europe, mostly the Holy Roman Empire, and the Arabs that had control of Jerusalem. In the first Crusade this was the Seljuk Turks. There were around 30,000 soldiers from Europe in the first Crusade, they were made up of Knights, peasants, and other commoners. Some saw the army as a way to get rich and try out their fighting skills, while others saw it as a way into heaven. How they got started The initial Crusade began when the Seljuk Turks took control of the Holy Land. Prior to this, the Arabs had been in control of the land. However, the Arabs had allowed Christians to pilgrimage and visit the city of Jerusalem. In 1070, when the Turks took control, they began to refuse Christian pilgrims into the area. Byzantine Emperor Alexius I called for help from the Pope with defending his empire from the Turks and to help push them out of the Holy Land. The Pope helped to gather an army, primarily with the help of the Franks and the Holy Roman Empire. Timeline of the Crusades There were a number of Crusades that took place over the course of 200 years starting in 1095:
QUIZ Middle Ages
Daily Life History >> Middle Ages for Kids Life in the Country The majority of people living during the Middle Ages lived in the country and worked as farmers. Usually there was a local lord who lived in a large house called a manor or a castle. Local peasants would work the land for the lord. The peasants were called the lord's "villeins", which was like a servant. The peasants worked hard all year long. They grew crops such as barley, wheat, and oats. They also had gardens where they grew vegetables and fruits. They also sometimes had a few animals such as chickens for eggs and cows for milk. Life in the City City life was very different from country life, but it wasn't much easier. The cities were crowded and dirty. A lot of people worked as craftsmen and were members of a guild. Young boys would serve as apprentices for seven years learning a craft. Other jobs in the city included servants, merchants, bakers, doctors, and lawyers. What were their homes like? Although we often think of pictures of large castles when we think of the Middle Ages, most people lived in small one or two room homes. These homes were very crowded and usually everyone slept in the same room. In the country, the family animals, such as a cow, may also live inside the home. The home was usually dark, smoky from the fire, and uncomfortable. What did they wear? Most peasants wore plain clothing made from heavy wool to keep them warm during the winter. The wealthy, however, wore much nicer clothes made from fine wool, velvet, and even silk. Men generally wore a tunic, woolen stockings, breeches, and a cloak. Women wore a long skirt called a kirtle, an apron, woolen stockings, and a cloak. In order to separate the nobles from the peasants, laws were passed called "sumptuary" laws. These laws stated who could wear what types of clothes and what materials they could use. What did they eat? Peasants during the Middle Ages did not have a lot of variety in their food. They mostly ate bread and stew. The stew would have beans, dried peas, cabbage, and other vegetables sometimes flavored with a bit of meat or bones. Other foods like meat, cheese, and eggs were usually saved for special occasions. Since they didn't have a way to keep their meat cold, they would eat it fresh. Leftover meat was smoked or salted to preserve it. The nobles ate a wider variety of food including meats and sweet puddings. Did they go to school? Very few people attended school in the Middle Ages. Most peasants learned their job and how to survive from their parents. Some children learned a craft through apprenticeship and the guild system. Wealthy children often learned through tutors. They would go to live in the castle of another lord where they would work for the lord, learning about how a large manor was run. There were some schools run by the church. Here students would learn to read and write Latin. The first universities also began during the Middle Ages. University students would study a wide range of subjects including reading, writing, logic, math, music, astronomy, and public speaking. Interesting Facts about Daily Life in the Middle Ages
QUIZ The Black Death Plague
Back to Middle Ages for kids The Black Death is the name for a terrible disease that spread throughout Europe from 1347 to 1350. There was no cure for the disease and it was highly contagious. How did it start? The plague likely started in Asia and traveled westward along the Silk Road. The disease was carried by fleas that lived on rats. Historians think that black rats living on European merchant ships caught the disease, eventually bringing it to Europe. Crash Course How bad was it? It's hard to imagine how scary life was in the Middle Ages during the Black Death. By the time the disease ran its course, it had killed at least one third of the people in Europe and probably more. In Paris, France it's estimated that around 800 people died a day. There were so many dead that they couldn't bury them. They had to carry them to massive pits. Unfortunately, the people in the Middle Ages didn't know that the disease was carried by rats. This made larger cities and towns, which were very dirty during the Middle Ages, especially dangerous as there were lots of rats there. Sometimes entire towns or villages were wiped out by the plague. What did the people do? As you might expect, there was panic. Many people were sure it was the end of the world. People locked their doors and tried to hide in their houses. However, this did little good in cities where rats, and therefore fleas, were everywhere. They also burned down houses and even entire villages to try and stop the disease. The Bubonic Plague Today we call this disease the bubonic plague. Very few people get the disease today and most of those that do recover fine. When people got the disease in the Middle Ages, they almost always died. People would get really sick including black and blue blotches all over their body. Rebuilding After the Black Death Much of the infrastructure of Europe was gone when the Black Death finally subsided. It's estimated that it took around 150 years for Europe to rebuild. Facts about the Black Death
POP QUIZ THE WORST PLAGUE IN HISTORY THE RETURN OF BLACK DEATH http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/history_of_knights_questions.php
What was a knight? There were three main types of soldiers during the Middle Ages: foot soldiers, archers, and knights. The knights were heavily armored soldiers who rode on horseback. Only the wealthiest nobles could afford to be a knight. They needed very expensive armor, weapons, and a powerful war horse. The First Knights The first knights of the Middle Ages fought for Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, in the 700s. In order to fight battles across his large empire, Charlemagne began to use soldiers on horseback. These soldiers became a very important part of his army. Charlemagne began to award his best knights with land called "benefices". In return for the land, the knights agreed to fight for the king whenever he called. This practice caught on through much of Europe and became standard practice for many kings for the next 700 years. If you were a son born into the family of a knight, you generally became a knight as well. Orders of Knights Some knights decided to pledge themselves to defending the Christian faith. They formed orders that fought in the Crusades. These orders were called military orders. Here are three of the most famous military orders:
End of the Knight By the end of the Middle Ages, the knight was no longer an important part of the army. This was for two main reasons. One reason was that many countries had formed their own standing armies. They paid soldiers to train and fight. They no longer needed lords to come fight as knights. The other reason was a change in warfare. Battle tactics and new weapons such as longbows and firearms made the heavy armor the knights wore cumbersome and useless. This made it much easier to arm a soldier and pay for a standing army. Interesting Facts about Knights from the Middle Ages
Prince William Steps Up to His 1st Knighting Ceremony
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/10/prince-william-steps-up-to-his-1st-knighting-ceremony/ Becoming a Knight
http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/becoming_a_medieval_knight.php There were two ways that a man could become a knight during the Middle Ages. The first was earning the right on the battlefield. If a soldier fought particularly bravely during a battle or war, he may be awarded knighthood by the king, a lord, or even another knight. The second way was to become an apprentice to a knight and earn the title through hard work and training. Who could become a knight? No doubt many young men growing up in the Middle Ages dreamed of becoming a knight, but only a few could afford to become knights. The first requirement of a knight was someone who could afford a knight's weapons, armor, and war horse. These items weren't cheap and only the very rich could pay for them. Knights were also people from the noble or aristocratic classes. Page When a boy, or more likely his parents, decided that he wanted to become a knight, he would go to live in the household of a knight when he was seven years old. There he would serve the knight as a page. As a young page he basically was a servant for the knight, performing tasks such as serving meals, cleaning his clothes, and carrying messages. While working for the knight's household, the page learned the proper way to behave and good manners. The page also began to train to fight. He would practice with other pages using wooden shields and swords. He also would start to learn how to ride a horse using no hands and carrying a lance. Squire Around the age of fifteen, the page would become a squire. As a squire, the young man would have a new set of tasks. He would take care of the knight's horses, clean his armor and weapons, and accompany the knight to the battlefield. Squires had to be ready to fight. They trained with real weapons and were taught fighting skills by the knight. They had to be in good shape and strong. Squires continued to practice their horsemanship, perfecting their skills at jousting and fighting from the saddle. Most future knights worked as a squire for five or six years. Dubbing Ceremony If a squire had proven his bravery and skill at battle, he would become a knight at the age of twenty-one. He gained the title of knight at a "dubbing" ceremony. At this ceremony he would kneel before another knight, lord, or king who would then tap the squire on the shoulder with his sword making him a knight. At the ceremony, the new knight would take an oath to honor and protect his king and the church. He would be presented with a pair of riding spurs and a sword. Interesting Facts about Becoming a Knight
ISLAM
the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah. JIHAD (among Muslims) a war or struggle against unbelievers. CHRISTENDOM the worldwide body or society of Christians. THE CRUSADES lead or take part in an energetic and organized campaign concerning a social, political, or religious issue. BLACK DEATH The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and peaking in Europe in the years 1346–53. INQUISITION an official investigation, especially one of a political or religious nature,characterized by lack of regard for individual rights, prejudice on thepart of the examiners, and recklessly cruel punishments. RECONQUISTA in medieval Spain and Portugal, a series of campaigns by Christian states to recapture territory from the Muslims (Moors), who had occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula in the early 8th century. Obama compares the Crusades to Jihad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFNDIl42E20 Charles Krauthammer responds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh7zaAfmH9A A Timeline of the Crusades Some history books do slightly vary with their dates of when the Crusades started. The problem seems to be on deciding whether the date a crusade was called for is the date it started - or whether the start date was the date the troops actually left for a crusade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMjUFBYEzqQ The First Crusade : 1096 to 1099 The Second Crusade : 1147 to 1149 The Third Crusade : 1189 to 1192 The Fourth Crusade : 1201 to 1204 The Fifth Crusade : 1217 to 1221 The Sixth Crusade : 1228 to 1229 The Seventh Crusade : 1248 to 1254 The Eighth Crusade : 1270 How many times has Islam attacked Europe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7y2LRcf4kc In 1212 what became known as the Children’s Crusade also occurred. When the first crusaders set off (calling themselves 'pilgrims'), they wore large red cloth crosses, hence the subsequent naming of 'crusade', originally derived from the latin word 'crux'. The term 'crusades' never surfaced until a French historic text (L'Histoire des Croisades) was published in the 17th Century. As pilgrims, the original crusaders saw themselves as undertaking an armed mission or pilgrimage, and the 'taking of the crux' all the way to Jerusalem symbolised their vows that would only be fulfilled upon reaching their destination. Charlemagne 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyDPJENZOs0&list=PL7AvGaupl7h2KXGMqT2cS22mNqwu5arB3&index=2 Romanesque Architecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grz69X4sZLQ Gothic Architecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8g1e-JLrhM CASTLES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbPShUpjpg Roman City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K7Yds8bWz4 |
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