Jee+yong

Monks** Monasteries were one of the most important in the middle (dark) ages. At that time, a monk called Bead writes a very important literary history of England from Julius Caesar to his own. It’s important because at that time, a lot of the books were burnt at the time. Bead collected 250 books. There was another monk who became famous. His name was Benedict and he became famous because he healed a lot of sick people. However he was too strict and many other monks plotted to kill Benedict. However 2 plots to kill him failed. The monks had to follow the Rules of St Benedict.
 * Assignment 8 - The church, the peasants, and the Vikings

Daily life for peasants was generally pretty hard and the peasants worked long hours to ensure that their families had enough to eat. Most peasants farmed on leased manor fields and were given protection from invaders by the lords. They were very busy during the harvest times but had little to do in the winter time. Peasants lived in small towns or nearby farms on a lord's manor. The average peasant lived in a two room with dirt floors. These huts had no chimneys, which made them very cold in the winter. In the middles ages, one would expect half of the children to die from illness before becoming adults.
 * Peasants**

In the A.D. 800s the Viking homeland of Scandinavia had become over crowded. Many of these Scandinavian warriors left their homes in search of wealth and adventure. These Vikings were very skillful at building ships and navigation and traveled in medium-sized sailing ships that were large enough to sail in the open sea, but small enough to navigate through the rivers of Europe. Vikings were very brutal and attacked monasteries at first. In AD 845 a leader called Ragnar with a fleet of 120 ships, targeted Paris through the Seine river. Everywhere Christians were their victims. Eric The Red settled in Iceland and Greenland and his son Leaf Ericsson explores and sets sail in 1000. He finds New Foundland in Canada and coverts to Christianity but returns to Greenland. Vikings had no solidarity and many kings so Christianity helped to consolidate power and people. No one was safe from their attacks and Vikings spread to all of Europe quickly. 1030 Norway is in civil war and a leader called Harold Hadrada goes to Kiev Ukraine, which is a trading center and learns the importance of trading. In 1047, Harold becomes King of Norway and quickly becomes very powerful. He makes Kiev as a model, builds Oslo as a trade center and Oslo people becomes good merchants. Vikings traded not just goods such as spices, gold, textiles, jewelry and pottery but also women and children as slaves. However he becomes too greedy and wants more and attacks England. In 1066 AD, Harold attacks York but he is defeated by the English and dies. Although the power of Viking quickly fades after that, it is important point that Normandy (North of England) and Russians are all of Viking descendants.
 * The Vikings**

1. How did the Church attempt to enhance the quality of life in medieval Europe?** The Church attempted to enhance the quality of life in medieval Europe as the church filled the leadership by performing many roles that governments provide today because of the short-lived kingdoms**.
 * Assignment 9 – The Medieval Church

2. Why do you think medieval peasants would support the Church?** I think the medieval peasants would support the church because a commoner could move up in the medieval world by being a member of the church hierarchy.

The church brought about an increase in political stability in Europe as church leaders also held positions of power as feudal lords and as advisors to kings and nobles.
 * 3. How did the Church bring about an increase in political stability in Europe?**

They are similar in the way which they have duties to do and the way they have hierarchy ranking.
 * 4. How were a feudal manor and a monastic community similar?**

One of the problems that arose was the practice of a noble such as a king appointing a friend or relative to be a bishop or abbot, the church leaders and moreover people could buy high positions with the church hierarchy
 * 5. What were some of the problems and abuses that arose within the medieval Church?**

The church provided greater order in medieval society.
 * 6. Did the Church provide for greater or less order in medieval society?**

Yes, the bishop or abbot could be feudal lords.
 * 7. Could a bishop or abbot be a feudal lord as well?**

I think it is known as the "Age of Faith" because the church had broad political powers probably because Europe’s central governments were weak and thus the church exerted great influence on not just political but also social and economical level.
 * 8.Why do you think that the European Middle Ages is known as the "Age of Faith?"**

Sacraments:** a religious ceremony at which participants received god’s direct favor, or grace, to help ward off the consequences of sin.
 * __Terminology:__
 * Canon law:** Its own code of law laid by the Papal states
 * Monastery:** the community where monks live
 * Monk:** religious men who lived apart from society in isolated communities and practiced their devotions to God in prayer, work and meditation.
 * Abbot:** a man who is the head of the monks community
 * Nun:** a woman who dedicates her life to serve God
 * Convent:** the community where nuns live
 * Benedictine Rule:** The rule that Benedict, an Italian monk, made to govern other monks’ lives. Monasteries and convents all over Europe adoped this rule
 * Law of primogeniture:** The system to inherit ownership or possession of a land from father to eldest son
 * Simony:** The practice to buy high positions within the church hierarchy
 * Tithe:** one-tenth of a Christian person’s income to pay for tax to support the church
 * Peter's Pence:** An annual tax of one penny from every English householder paid to the pope until it was discontinued in 1534
 * "Age of Faith":** Referring to the Middle Ages in both Europe from the time of Constantine to that of Dante.

Assignment 1- The Barbarians 1. Since these barbarian tribes were in the "Dark Ages", do you think they were friendly towards each other? Why or why not?** The word barbarian means uncivilized or cruel so I do not think these barbarian tribes were friendly towards each other during the Dark Ages. However although there were some battles and deaths of civilians, they were not as severe as one would think as the new Barbarian tribes settled in lands where already there was only a few people due to weakening economies and plagues.
 * //The Middle Ages//

Merovingian was the largest Germanic tribe which did not cause problem and destruction in medieval Europe, and were not barbarians, but instead settled in homes, and tried to help build up civilization. They settled in lands that are now part of western Germany and France from AD 400 until the AD 700s.
 * 2. One of the tribes we didn't study was called the Merovingians. Who were the Merovingians? (Use source 1 to answer this question.)**

Clovis was a Merovingian King who came to power in AD 481 and converted to Christianity 15 years later. His conversion to Christianity was important in history because he encouraged his people to also convert to this new faith and thus the Germanic tribes later played an important role in defending Christianity against the invading Muslims.
 * 3. Who was Clovis and why was his conversion to Christianity important in history? (Use source 2)**

1. What is considered the beginning of the Middle Ages?** The beginning of the Middle Ages is often considered the Dark Ages, because the great civilizations of Greece, and Rome had fallen.
 * Assignment 2- The Dark Ages

The Latin term for Middle Ages is medieval.
 * 2. What is the Latin name for the Middle Ages?**

The Middle Ages are often called the Dark Ages because life in Europe during the period was very hard and very few people could read or write and nobody expected conditions to improve. The only hope for most people during these difficult times was their strong belief in Christianity, and the hope that life in heaven would be better than life on earth.
 * 3. Why do you think the Middle Ages are often called the "Dark Ages"? What was the only hope for people during these difficult times?**

In the rest of the world, the Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa studied and improved on the works of the ancient Greeks while civilization flourished in sub-Saharan Africa, China, India, and the Americas.
 * 4. While Europe was in the "Dark Ages", what was happening in the rest of the world?**

The Dark Ages lasted about 1000 years and it ended by 1450.
 * 5. How long did the "Dark Ages" last and what year did they end?**

Renaissance means rebirth and during this time, Europe experience the beginning of modern history and great changes for example Columbus had sailed to America, literacy spread, scientists made great discoveries, and artists created great work that still inspires us today.
 * 6. What does Renaissance mean and what happened during this time?**

1. How did Charlemagne and the Franks turn their kingdom into an empire?** Charlemagne was a tall, friendly ruler, and was also a skillful politician and under his leadership, he doubled his kingdom size to include France, Germany, Spain and Italy to turn into an empire.
 * Assignment 3-THE FRANKS

In order to educate people, Charlemagne opened schools around his kingdom.
 * 2. What did Charlemagne do to educate people?**

Charlemagne gathered together the brightest scholars of his era, and had them preserve ancient texts and records in order to preserve them for future generations.
 * 3. How and why did Charlemagne preserve ancient texts?**

• Middle Ages** – The period of European history for around thousand years between the fall of Rome and Renaissance period (AD 476~1450) • Charlemagne –** Became King in AD771 and under his leadership, his kingdom size doubled to include France, Germany, Spain and Italy and became known as the Frankish empire. For the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire, all the people of Western Europe were ruled over by a single government and by a single leader.
 * THE MIDDLE AGES**
 * __Key Terms & People__
 * • Medieval –** Medieval is the Latin term for middle ages
 * • Patrick –** One of the first missionaries to travel to northern Europe, who took it upon himself to teach people about Christianity. In the mid-400s Patrick traveled from Britain to Ireland to convert the people there and eventually converted the Irish people to Christianity.
 * • Monks -** Religious men who lived apart in isolated communities and devoted themselves to praying and meditation
 * • Monasteries -** Communities of monks or places monks lived
 * • Benedict -** Most European monasteries followed a set of rules created in the early 500s by an Italian monk named Benedict. His code was called the Benedictine Rule, and those who followed it were called Benedictine monks**.

1. a. How are monks and monasteries related?** Monks are religious men who lived apart in isolated communities and devoted themselves to praying and meditation and monasteries is where monks live and these were built all over Europe in the Middle Ages.
 * Main ideas

Missionaries traveled to Northern Europe to teach people about Christianity and convert them to Christianity..
 * b. Why did missionaries travel to northern Europe?**

The monks had to follow strict rules because they though that they were intended to help them live as good Christians.
 * c. Why do you think monks followed such strict rules?**

Charlemagne was a brilliant warrior and a strong king, and he led the Franks in building a huge empire including former Roman Empire. For that reason, in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans. But not only that, Charlemagne’s greatest accomplishment was bringing in education and opened schools around his kingdom and brought in great scholars to help shape religious and social life.
 * 2. a. What is Charlemagne famous for?**
 * b. What do you think Charlemagne’s greatest accomplishment was? Why?**

The Vikings raided Britain, Ireland, and other parts of western Europe
 * 3. a. What areas of Europe did the Vikings raid?**

Because they looted towns and monasteries and took prisoners to sell into slavery. The attacks were swift and savage, and Europeans lived in terror of Viking raids.
 * b. Why were people in Europe so frightened of Viking raids?**


 * Assignment 6: Three aspects of life in the Middle Ages

Life as a commoner** Life as a commoners was hard and they were the lowest class of people and had to pay the highest amount of taxes. They had a small house and also they had a small field that they had to work on day and night. If the crop season was bad, they starved. The commoners worked hard and could not leave because they had nowhere to go as the land was owned by the king. The commoners belonged to neither the nobility nor the church and the bailiff, the craftsman, the servants, and the peasants are all part of commoners.

The king was the most important person in the Middle Ages and the highest person according to the feudal system. Even though the king was a very important man he had to have a way to maintain his position and thus a smart king would give gifts to his noblemen. A king also had to have a way to have a way to control his nobility and would lead his army into battles and have successful wars. The vassals (lords) served loyalty, advice, and armed support to their kings. In return, the king gave them wealth and mini-kingdoms. I believe life as king must be hard because many people want to take over his position and as barons grew more powerful, the King had to sometimes take their favors and requests.
 * Life as a King**

Life as a monk in the Middle Ages was very strict and boring as they had to follow rules in the monastery. Monks spent most of their time praying meditating, and doing tasks like preparing medicine, or sewing ,teaching, writing, and reading. Monks were very busy but also organized. The first prayer started very early in the morning and the last one started at midnight, thus monks usually did not get a good night sleep. Monks ate in a place called a refectory and while they ate, there was silence, except for a priest reading parts of the Bible. They must be hungry as they were allowed only one meal a day in the wintertime and two in the summertime. The monks did not eat meat except if they were ill and on certain days. In spare time, the monks would decorate books and manuscripts with beautiful paints and gold leaf in the scriptorium.
 * Life as a monk**