The+Early+Middle+Ages


 * SOCIAL STUDIES. Summaries in English **

** UNIT 1 ** ** THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES **


 * THE DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE **

German tribes lived to the north of the Roman Empire. The Romans called them barbarians (foreigners). Roman control over its northern territories gradually declined after the third century. In 395, Emperor Theodosius divided the empire (the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire) between his two sons to make it easier to defend. The Western Roman Empire fell in 476. For some historians, this date marks the beginning of the Middle Ages.


 * THE GERMANIC KINGDOMS **

Smaller kingdoms replaced the centralized government of the Western Empire: . The Franks, in France . The Visigoths, in Spain . The Ostrogoths, and later the Lombards, in Italy . The Angles and the Saxons, in Britain Because of the lack of safety, people moved from the cities to the countryside. At first, the Romans and the Germanic tribes had different laws, customs and religions. But they gradually intermingled and some of them spoke Latin and became Christians.


 * THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE **

The Eastern Roman Empire resisted the Germanic invasions. Its was known as the Byzantine Empire and it lasted for another ten centuries. Its capital city was Constantinople.


 * JUSTINIAN **

The most important Byzantine emperor was Justinian (the 6th century). He tried to rebuild the Roman Empire. Under Justinian: . The emperor, or basileus, had great power. He commanded the army and government, and he was also the religious leader. .The famous Justinian Code modernised Roman law.


 * A SLOW DECLINE **

After Justinian’s death, the Byzantine Empire began to lose territory in Italy, the Iberian Peninsula and the southern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean. By the 15th century, only Constantinople remained. In 1453, the city was conquered by the Turks. For some historians, this marked the end of the Middle Ages.


 * TRADITION AND RELIGION **

At first, the Byzantine Empire followed the traditions of the Roman Empire. After Justinian’s reign, they adopted an increasing number of Greek customs, like the language. In the 11th century, there was a separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Byzantine Orthodox Church, called the East-West Schism. Today, Orthodoxy is the main form of Christianity in Eastern Europe.


 * BYZANTINE ART **

The church of Hagia Sophia is the best example of its architecture. Mosaics covered their walls and ceilings.

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 * ISLAM IN THE MIDDLE AGE **


 * MUHAMMAD, THE FOUNDER OF ISLAM **

Arabia is a large peninsula in Asia, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Arabs lived in tribes, in conflict with each other. All of them were polytheists, and Mecca was their holy city. Muhammad was a merchant from Mecca. He learned about two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad heard the call of God, and preached a new religion: Islam. Allah being their only God. The rich merchants of Mecca thought that Muhammad was a danger to society. Consequently, he moved to Medina in 622. This date is known as the Hegira, and marks the start of the Muslim calendar. Muhammad formed a powerful army, and conquered Mecca. From there, Islam spread throughout Arabia.


 * ISLAMIC RELIGION **

The Koran is the sacred book of the Muslims. Islamic doctrine says that all Muslims have five obligations (the five pillars of their faith): . Testify that “there is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet” . Pray five times a day . Go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if possible . Fast during the month of Ramadan . Give alms to the poor Initially, Muslims spread their religion through jihad or holy war. Today, only extremist groups believe in this idea.


 * THE EXPANSION OF ISLAM **

The highest authority of the empire was the caliph. The first four caliphs were direct descendants of Muhammad. At first, the Muslim armies controlled the entire Arabian Peninsula. In 661, Caliph Ali was assassinated and the Umayyad family took power. The Umayyads moved the capital of the empire to Damascus and conquered many territories, like the Iberian Peninsula (al-Andalus). In 750 a rebellion ended the Umayyad dynasty and the Abbasid family came into power. Baghdad became the new capital of the empire. Internal fighting broke up the empire. After the 13th century, the Turks were the most powerful people in the Islamic world.


 * A BRILLIANT CIVILIZATION **

The islamic economy was based on agriculture, craftmanship and trade. They bought cloth and spices in Asia, gold, ivory and slaves in Africa, and metals in Europe. The souk, or market, was the centre of a city’s activity. Damascus, Baghdad, Córdoba and Cairo were the most important cities. They invented the use of zero, Arabic numerals, algebra and made important contributions to medicine.


 * THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE **

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Frankish Kingdom was established in France. The carolingians were a noble family that profited from the weakness of the old monarchy and became kings. First, Pippin the Short, after, Charlemagne, who wanted to restore the Western Roman Empire. Really, the Pope crowned him the new Emperor of the West in 800. Charlemagne had one surviving son, Louis the Pious. When he died his sons signed the Treaty of Verdun (843), which confirmed the division of the Empire. Today Charlemagne is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as //the father of Europe//.

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