Chapter 12
The Making of
Europe
Chapter Outline
• 12-1 The Emergence of Europe in the Early Middle
Ages
• 12-2 Europe in the High Middle Ages
• 12-3 Medieval Europe and the World
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
• 12.1: Explain the contributions the Romans, the Christian
church, and the Germanic peoples made to the new
civilization that emerged in Europe after the collapse of
the Western Roman Empire and the significance of
Charlemagne’s coronation as emperor.
• 12.2: Summarize the roles aristocrats, peasants, and
townspeople played in medieval European civilization
and how their lifestyles differed. Compare cities in
Europe with those in China and the Middle East. Explain
the main aspects of the political, economic, spiritual, and
cultural revivals that took place in Europe during the
High Middle Ages.
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
• 12.3: Explain the ways Europeans began to relate to
peoples in other parts of the world after 1000 CE.
Summarize the reasons for the crusades, and who
or what benefited the most from them.
The Coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III, as
Depicted in a Medieval French Manuscript
12-1 The Emergence of Europe in the Early Middle Ages
• The New Germanic Kingdoms
– The Kingdom of the Franks
– The Society of the Germanic Peoples
• The Role of the Christian Church
– The Organization of the Church
– The Monks and their Missions
• Charlemagne and the Carolingians
– What Was the Significance of Charlemagne?
• The World of Lords and Vassals
– Invasions of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries
– What Was Feudalism?
– The Development of Fief-Holding
– The Practice of Fief-Holding
– The Manorial System
MAP 12.1 The Germanic Kingdoms of the Old Western
Empire (1 of 2)
Germanic tribes filled the power vacuum caused by
the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, founding
states that blended elements of Germanic customs
and laws with those of Roman culture, including large-
scale conversions to Christianity. The Franks
established the most durable of these Germanic
states.
MAP 12.1 The Germanic Kingdoms of the Old Western
Empire (2 of 2)
Saint Benedict
Benedict was the author of a set of rules that was
instrumental in the development of monastic groups in
the Catholic Church. In this sixth-century Latin
manuscript miniature, an abbot is shown offering
codes and possessions to Saint Benedict.
Charlemagne’s Empire
The Vikings Attack England (1 of 2)
The illustration on the left, from an eleventh-century
English manuscript, depicts a band of armed Vikings
invading England. Two ships have already reached the
shore, and a few Vikings are shown walking down a
long gangplank onto English soil. On the right is a
replica of a well-preserved Viking ship found at
Oseberg, Norway. The Oseberg ship was one of the
largest Viking ships of its day.
The Vikings Attack England (2 of 2)
MAP 12.2 A Typical Manor (1 of 2)
The manorial system created small, tightly knit
communities in which peasants were economically and
physically bound to their lord. Crops were rotated, with
roughly one-third of the fields lying fallow (untilled) at
any one time, which helped replenish soil nutrients.
MAP 12.2 A Typical Manor (2 of 2)
12-2 Europe in the High Middle Ages (1 of 4)
• Land and People
– The New Agriculture
– Daily Life of the Peasantry
– The Nobility of the Middle Ages
• The New World of Trade and Cities
– The Revival of Trade
– Trade Outside Europe
– The Growth of Cities
– Daily Life in the Medieval City
Comparative Illustration Earth & Environment: The New
Agriculture in the Medieval World (1 of 2)
New agricultural methods and techniques in the Middle
Ages enabled peasants in both Europe and China to
increase food production. This general improvement in
diet was a factor in supporting noticeably larger
populations in both areas. Below, a thirteenth-century
illustration shows a group of English peasants
harvesting grain. Overseeing their work is a bailiff, or
manager, who supervised the work of the peasants. To
the right, a thirteenth-century painting shows Chinese
peasants harvesting rice, which became the staple
food in China.
Comparative Illustration Earth & Environment: The New
Agriculture in the Medieval World (2 of 2)
Film & History: The Lion in Winter (1 of 2)
Watch The Lion in Winter (1968), a film based on a
play by James Goldman. The action takes place in a
castle in Chinon, France, in 1183. The powerful but
world-weary King Henry II, ruler of England and a
number of French lands (the “Angevin Empire”), wants
to establish his legacy and plans a Christmas
gathering to decide which of his sons should succeed
him. In contemporary terms, Henry and Eleanor are a
dysfunctional married couple, and their family is
acutely dysfunctional.
Film & History: The Lion in Winter (2 of 2)
Flanders as a Trade Center
Shops in a Medieval Town (1 of 2)
Most urban residents were merchants involved in trade
and artisans who manufactured a wide variety of
products. Master craftsmen had their workshops in the
ground-level rooms of their homes. In this illustration,
two well-dressed burghers are touring the shopping
district of a French town. Tailors, furriers, a barber, and
a grocer (from left to right) are visible at work in their
shops.
Shops in a Medieval Town (2 of 2)
Crime and Punishment in the Medieval City
Violence was a common
feature of medieval life.
Criminals, if apprehended,
were punished quickly and
severely, and public
executions, like the one seen
here, were considered a
deterrent to crime.
12-2 Europe in the High Middle Ages (2 of 4)
• Evolution of the European Kingdoms
– England in the High Middle Ages
– Growth of the French Kingdom
– Christian Reconquest: The Iberian Kingdoms
– The Lands of the Holy Roman Empire
– The Slavic Peoples of Central and Eastern
Europe
– The Development of Russia: Impact of the
Mongols
The Norman Conquest of England (1 of 2)
The Bayeux (bah-YUH or bah-YUR) tapestry, a
magnificent wall hanging of woolen embroidery on a
linen backing, was made by English needlewomen
before 1082 for Bayeux Cathedral. It depicts scenes
from the Norman invasion of England. The first
segment (left) shows the Norman fleet beginning its
journey to England. The second segment (right) shows
the Norman cavalry charging the shield wall of the
Saxon infantry during the Battle of Hastings.
The Norman Conquest of England (2 of 2)
MAP 12.3 Europe in the High Middle Ages (1 of 2)
Although the nobility dominated much of European
society in the High Middle Ages, kings began the
process of extending their power in more effective
ways, creating the monarchies that would form the
European states.
MAP 12.3 Europe in the High Middle Ages (2 of 2)
MAP 12.4 The Migrations of the Slavs (1 of 2)
Originally from east-central Europe, the Slavic people
broke into three groups. The western Slavs converted
to Catholic Christianity, while most of the eastern and
southern Slavs, under the influence of the Byzantine
Empire, embraced the Eastern Orthodox faith.
MAP 12.4 The Migrations of the Slavs (2 of 2)
12-2 Europe in the High Middle Ages (3 of 4)
• Christianity and Medieval Civilization
– Reform of the Papacy
– The Church Supreme: The Papal Monarchy
– New Religious Orders and New Spiritual Ideals
– Popular Religion in the High Middle Ages
Chronology: The European Kingdoms (1 of 2)
England
Norman Conquest 1066
William the Conqueror 1066-1087
Henry II 1154-1189
John 1199-1216
Magna Carta 1215
Edward I 1272-1307
First Parliament 1295
France
Philip II Augustus 1180-1223
Philip IV 1285-1314
First Estates-General 1302
Chronology: The European Kingdoms (2 of 2)
Germany and the Holy Roman Empire
Otto I 936-973
Henry IV 1056-1106
Frederick I 1152-1190
Northern Italian cities defeat Frederick 1176
Frederick II 1212-1250
The Eastern World
Alexander Nevsky, prince of Novgorod c. 1220-1263
Morgol conquest of Russia 1230s
A Group of Nuns (1 of 2)
Although still viewed by the medieval church as inferior
to men, women were as susceptible to the spiritual
fervor of the twelfth century as men, and female
monasticism grew accordingly. This manuscript
illustration shows at the left a group of nuns welcoming
a novice (dressed in white) to their order. At the right, a
nun receives a sick person on a stretcher for the
order’s hospital care.
A Group of Nuns (2 of 2)
12-2 Europe in the High Middle Ages (4 of 4)
• The Culture of the High Middle Ages
– The Rise of Universities
– Development of Scholasticism
– Romanesque Architecture
– The Gothic Cathedral
Barrel Vaulting (1 of 2)
The eleventh and twelfth centuries witnessed an
enormous amount of church construction. Utilizing the
basilica shape, master builders replaced flat wooden
roofs with long, round stone vaults known as barrel
vaults. As this illustration of a Romanesque church in
Vienne, France, indicates, the barrel vault limited the
size of a church and left little room in the walls for
windows.
Barrel Vaulting (2 of 2)
Chartres Cathedral: Stained-Glass Window (1 of 2)
The stained glass of Gothic cathedrals is remarkable
for the beauty and variety of its colors. Stained-glass
windows depicted a remarkable variety of scenes. The
windows of Chartres Cathedral, for example, present
the saints, views of the everyday activities of ordinary
men and women, and, as in this panel, scenes from
the life of Jesus.
Chartres Cathedral: Stained-Glass Window (2 of 2)
The Gothic Cathedral
The Gothic cathedral was one of the great artistic
triumphs of the High Middle Ages. Shown here is the
cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. Begun in 1163, it
was not completed until the beginning of the fourteenth
century.
12-3 Medieval Europe and the World
• The Early Crusades
– What Motivated the Crusaders?
– The First Crusade
– The Second Crusade
– The Third Crusade
• The Later Crusades
• What Were the Effects of the Crusades?
Crusader Kingdoms in Palestine
The First Crusade: The Capture of Jerusalem (1 of 2)
Recruited from the noble class of western Europe, the
first crusading army had taken Antioch by 1098.
Working down the coast of Palestine, the crusaders
captured Jerusalem in 1099. Shown here in a fifteenth-
century manuscript illustration is a fanciful re-creation
of the looting after Jerusalem’s capture by the
Christian crusaders.
The First Crusade: The Capture of Jerusalem (2 of 2)
Chronology: The Crusades
Pope Urban II's call for a crusade at Clermont 1095
First Crusade 1096-1099
Second Crusade 1147-1149
Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem 1187
Third Crusade 1189-1192
Fourth Crusade—sack of Constantinople 1204
Latin Empire of Constantinople 1204-1261
