Middle+Ages





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The Middle Ages lasted from 500 AD - 1500 AD. This Era was the period between the Roman Era and the Present Era. The Germanic peoples are the ones that moved into the Roman Empire in the third century starting the Middle Ages. When most people think or hear stories about the Middle Ages, the majority involve knights in shining armor riding on a magnificent horse. The reason why some people might think that is because it is true!

Knights in the Middle Ages were mounted warriors who proved themselves in battle. Their shiny armor wasn't for looks, it was for protection. Another form of protection a knight would wear is chain mail. Chain mail is armor made with metal links that they would wear while they held their other fighting gear such as a sword, shield, and lance. A contest where knights would ride on horseback and try to knock the opponent off of there horse with a lance. Being a knight is hard work. You have to go through stages of training and work your way up to the honor of being called a knight. At the age of 7 you would be a page and learn knightly manners. The next stage would be to become a squire which is a knights assistant. Usually kids are around 15 at this stage and learn to use weapons, ride horses, and they start to train. Knights have rules of warfare which limit their fighting. Chivalry is also important to a knight because it is their code of conduct.

During the Middle Ages there where many problems with the church. In the 1200's the church power peaked. The medieval church carried out the functions of a modern government. Some things the church would would control would be the laws, courts, and taxes. The church had more money than all the kings in Europe combined. The church hierarchy starts with the Pope. The Pope of the church was the spiritual leader and held great power. Cardinals are the advisors to the Pope and they elect new popes. The Bishops were in charge of managing the Diocese. Many people thought that the church was gaining to much power and this caused many conflicts. Conflicts that occurred would be the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of religious wars between the Christian knights and the Muslims. These wars lasted from 1096 - 1291.


 * __People__**
 * 1. Charles Martel:** "Charles the Hammer". He defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours. He was also the founder of Feudalism in Europe.
 * 2. Charlemagne:** He was known as the "Holy Barbarian" and "Charles the Great". He was crowned emperor on Christmas Day by Pope Leo III. He founded the Holy Roman Empire.
 * 3. Eleanor of Aquitaine:** "Queen of 4 Kings". She was the most powerful woman of the era. Was the mother to King Richard I and King John.
 * 4. Thomas Becket:** He was the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. He opposed the Kings policy so he was murdered in the Cathedral by four of Henry II's knights.
 * 5. Henry II:** "Godfather English State". He laid the foundation of our legal system. The Kings law replaced the Feudal Law. He also had four of his knights kill Thomas Becket.

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 * __Vocabulary__**
 * Schism:** The separation between the two great branches of Christianity that occurred when the Roman Pope Leo IX and the Byzantine patriarch Michael Cerularius excommunicated each other in 1054.
 * Magna Carta:** The “Great Charter” of rights, which King John was forced to sign by the English nobles at Runnymeade in 1215. One of the most important documents in history. It limited the power of the King.
 * Chivalry:** In the Middle Ages, the ideal of civilized behavior that developed among the nobility; it was a code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold.
 * Feudalism:** Political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages, when royal governments were no longer able to defend their subjects; nobles offered protection and land in return for service.
 * Monk:** A man who separates himself from ordinary human society in order to dedicate himself to God; monks live in monasteries headed by abbots.


 * "In the year of our Lord 1348 the deadly plague broke out in the great city of Florence . . . A great many breathed their last in the public streets, day and night; a large number perished in their homes, and it was only by the stench of their decaying bodies that they proclaimed their death to their neighbors. Everywhere the city was teeming with corpses . . . Huge trenches were dug in the crowded churchyards and the new dead were piled in them, layer upon layer. A little earth covered the corpses of each row, and the procedure continued until the trench was filled to the top." - The Decameron, Giovannni Boccaccio**

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Crusades This gives insight on what the Crusades were and talks about all the Crusades that took place. William the Conqueror This site is a biography on William the Conqueror's life. Charlemagne This website tells the tale of Charlemagne's life and accomplishments. Vikings On this site there is a timeline of major events that happened with the vikings. Feudalism This link goes into great depth of what feudalism was.
 * __Links__**