First recorded raid by Danes in Anglo-Saxon England-787
Otto crowned emperor in Rome-1962
William the conqueror defeats the last Anglo-Saxon king-1066
Capture of Toledo from Muslims-1085
Death of Basil II, emperor-1025
Terms, people, events
Carolingian Renaissance: this refers to the period under which the ancient literature, education, art, and architecture from Italy was intensified across the entire Europe during the reign of Carolingians.
Counties: refers to the land ruled by count or countess in ancient Europe.
Marches: refers to the regions on Italy
Feudalism: is the complex network of relationships between landholding and the obligation to provide service to the lord.
Fief: refers to the estate that is held by a superior through military conquer.
Knight: this refers to the status or surname to someone who was mounted a soldier.
Lord: refers to the person who is having authority over others.
Vassals: refers to the one who keeps the land of the lord (superior) and who vow to remain faithful to the lord.
Ottonian Renaissance: this refers to the period where the art, learning, art, architecture, and literature were spread over Europe during the reign of Otto.
Agricultural revolution: this refers to the period where the traditional methods were suddenly replaced with a modern production of farming.
Serfs: refers to the semi free peasants who are slavishly attached to the land owned by lord, and he is required to labor with minimum customary rights.
Communes: refers to a local political division in many of European counties.
Liturgy: refers to a prescribed set of rituals usually perform by a religion.
Cluny: it refers to abbey that works objectively to improve the administration and discipline of the monasteries.
Lay investiture: it refers to planning for the possession of power bestow to kings.
Simony: refers to act of buying and selling ecclesiastical offices and pardons.
Macedonian Renaissance: this refers to the time under which the art, literature, architecture, and learning during the reign of Macedonian was spread across Europe.
Caliph: this refers to the political leader of the Muslim community and he is not a religious or spiritual.
Spanish Reconquest: it is the subjugation of Spain for the second time.
Charlemagne: was a king of Franks, and he was the son of Pepin the Short.
Alcuin of York: he was born into a high-ranking family in England, and he was later appointed the head of Charlemagne’s palace school.
Treaty of Verdun: it was signed in 843, and it was a treaty that divided Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms.
Magyar: Pagan raiders who harassed Christian Europe, and they later on formed a kingdom of Hungary and accepted Christianity.
Vikings: pagan raiders who harassed Christian Europe and later own settled in Britain, France, and North Atlantic.
Beowulf: refers to a conventional title of an old English epic poem which consist of 3182 alliterative long lines.
The Rus: it refers to societies of western Slav farmers ruled by Varangian nobles.
Vladimir the Great: He was a Grand Prince of Kiev
Abbasid Caliphate: caliphate who seized the caliphate from the Umayyads and he caused the political unity of the Islamic world to fracture.
The Song of Roland: refers to a heroic poem which is based on the battle during the reign of Charlemagne.
Making connections
1) Limitations of the early kingship
A) Insecurity of food: hunger and reduction of food weaken the Empires, and they could be easily attacked and defeated.
B) Growth of different forms of Christianity causes internal wrangles and fighting hence weakening the kingdom.
C) Different kingdom could have the different religion and causing unrest invasion which eventually overwhelmed the other.
D) The merging of different empires could have different norms of succession and may eventually lead to splitting up of the kingdom.
e) They depend on their vassals who might be holding fiefs and hence obliged to more than one lord.
2) Charlemagne seized ruthlessly the kingdom of his brother and subsequently declares constant warfare, eventually made him the mightiest king. He ruled all over Europe except Ital, British, and Spain. Charlemagne imitated the ancient empire and vows to protect the pope in exchange that the pope will sanction the rule of the Carolingian. Charlemagne created a personal government, and this made his empire weak. That is the reason it causes a subsequent fragmentation through his subsequent generations. The divisions later on increase warfare and violence. Charlemagne’ Empire did not survive for long after his death because: 1) His empire was never unified; there was ethnicity and linguistic diverse people. 2) The Charlemagne’s heir was not outstanding. 3) The central kingdom disappears soon after the death of the Charlemagne, leaving the east franks and west franks to dominate.
3) It was characterized with ancient literature, intensified education, and finest scholars in Europe staffed schools.
4) The strength of the eastern empire was revived because of the support by Macedonian Dynasty. Papacy was given a small area known dioceses to enforced correct beliefs and punishes immorality. The papacy was able to succeed in his responsibilities because he was supported by kings.
5) The breaking up of Islamic caliphate intensified invasion of Muslim to other kingdoms. Ethnicity and linguistic differences in other kingdoms weaken them, and they became vulnerable to be attack Islam.
6) Islam invasion in Europe led to the conflict between the Christian and Muslim religions. The Islam influenced the Christians to unify in order to fight against Muslims. Muslims invasion in Europe helps the Christians to become civilized.
Documents questions
1) When the lord pledged to serve God under Christianity religion, the rules also applied to the vassals. The lord has advantage over the vassals if they are to exchange the agreement.
2) Lbn Fadlan presents a positive description about the Rus. He likes the social welfare of Rus they were carried themselves in farming and businesses activities.
Putting larger concepts together
1) The governments were politically fragmented, and the Germanic kings were ruling over a number of different kingdoms. The Carolingians were able to unite the Frankish kingdoms into a larger empire under the reign of Charlemagne.
2) The division of the Islamic world into competing caliphates enhances the political Islamic and cultural authority. The border areas between Christians and Muslims became area of conflicts and peaceful interactions.
Self-test of factual information
1. C
2. D
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. C
9. C
10. B
