The Early The Early Middle Ages Middle Ages ‘aka’‘aka’ Medieval Medieval

Era:Era: Feudalism Feudalism 800-1100800-1100

Why Feudalism Is NeededWhy Feudalism Is Needed

•People looked to People looked to local landlords or local landlords or nobles to provide nobles to provide security and security and meet their non-meet their non-religious needsreligious needs

How Feudalism WorksHow Feudalism Works

FeudalismFeudalism was a was a loosely organized loosely organized system of rule in which system of rule in which powerful local lords powerful local lords divided their divided their landholdings among landholdings among lesser lords.lesser lords.

In exchange, In exchange, lesser lords, or vassalslesser lords, or vassals, , pledged service and pledged service and loyalty to the greater loyalty to the greater lord.lord.

• The Three Estates: function and divine order in theory

–Church (pray, provide "social services")

–Nobles (fight, keep order)

–Commoners (work; = everyone else)

How feudalism works…How feudalism works…

Under the feudal Under the feudal system, system, everyone had a everyone had a well-defined well-defined place in society.place in society.

How Feudalism WorksHow Feudalism Works

Gettin down on the farm

• Usually one bedroom houses• Animals sleep in the house• Dirt floors• Sleep on straw• 6 work days…

CRUSADESCRUSADES

REQUEST OF HELPREQUEST OF HELP

1093 AD– Alexius Comnenus

sent letter to Robert, Count of Flanders

– Asked for help against Muslim Turks• Threatening

Constantinople– Pope Urban II read

the letter

CRUSADESCRUSADES

Holy War - 4 main warsGoals

1. Gain control of Jerusalem and Holy Land

2. Rid of Muslim ControlLasted 200 yrs - 50,000-60,000

soldiersIf you die, you go to heaven

“God wills it”

Economic and Religious motives

11STST CRUSADE CRUSADE

1095 – 1099

• Against Seljuk Turks

• Defended Constantinople

• Gained control of Jerusalem

• Crusader States est.

• Kingdom of Jerusalem est.

22NDND CRUSADE CRUSADE

1145-1149

• Muslims conquered Edessa

• Crusaders attacked Damascus

–Failed

• Muslims gain more control in Holy Land

• 1187 – Muslims capture Jerusalem

3rd Crusade

• Lead by Europe’s 3 MVPs: –French King: Philip Augustus (went

home) –English King: Richard the Lion-

Hearted–German Emperor: Frederick

Barbarossa (drowned on the trip) *ends with a truce between Richard

and Saladin.

Where did the Black Death come from?

What were the symptoms of the plague?

How was the plague transmitted?

We now know that the most common form of the Black Death was the BUBONIC PLAGUE! This disease was spread by fleas which lived on the black rat. The fleas sucked the rat’s blood which contained the plague germs. When the rat died the fleas jumped on to humans and passed on the deadly disease.