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The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe

• Dates of the Middle Ages (all C.E.)
  • Early Middle Ages 426 - 1000
  • High Middle Ages 1000 - 1300
  • Late Middle Ages 1300 - 1450
• Feudalism - the economic and political system that held Europe together during the Middle Ages
  • Monarchs ruled by the divine right of kings
  • Lords were powerful landowners
  • Knights, armed warriors, fought on behalf of their lords
  • Peasants worked the land
  • Serfs were peasants who were not free to leave their lord's land

 

The Byzantine Empire

• The eastern part of the Roman Empire, it lasted about 1000 years after the western side fell (from 500 to 1500)
• Capital was Constantinople
  • City has had many names: Byzantium, New Rome, Constantinople
  • Today it's Istanbul, in Turkey
  • Located on the Bosphorus, between the Mediterranean and Black Seas
  • It was a hub of trade and a place of great wealth (P1)
• Hagia Sophia
  • Church built by Emperor Justinian
  • Later became a mosque when Constantinople came under Islamic rule
• Conflict Between East and West
  • Christian church was divided: popes were leaders of church in Rome, patriarchs and emperors in Constantinople.
  • Three big disagreements led to the "schism," or break between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
    • Iconoclasm
    • Crowning a Holy Roman Emperor
    • The break between Patriarch Cerularius and Pope Leo IX (P2)

Choosing the President

• Election every 4 years
• Candidates must be 35 years old, natural born citizens
• Electoral College, not popular vote, determines president
• Steps to becoming president
  • Primaries - Elections or caucuses in each state to choose each party's candidates
  • Convention - Each party confirms its candidates with a big -- party!
  • General election - The people vote and electoral votes determine the outcome
  • Inauguration - The new president is sworn in!

The Assassination of Julius Caesar

• March 15, 44 B.C.E.
  • A soothsayer warned Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March!" (in other words, March 15)
  • Caesar felt sick and almost stayed home that day
  • Caesar's wife had a bad dream about Caesar's death and begged him to stay home
• Caesar's Death
  • Happened in the middle of the Senate building
  • Brutus led the assassins - he had been chosen because he was seen as "honest."
  • "Et tu, Brute?"
• After Caesar's Death
  • Many Romans angry with assassins
  • Marc Antony led a campaign of revenge on killers
  • Brutus committed suicide when defeated by Marc Antony
  • After more years of civil war, Octavian (Augustus) became first emperor

Chapter 34

• The First Period of Expansion - 400's and 300's B.C.E.
  • Rome became Republic in 409 B.C.E.
  • Rome sacked by Gauls in 390 B.C.E. and rebuilt
  • Rome came to control entire Italian peninsula
• The Second Period of Expansion - 200's and 100's B.C.E.
  • Rome fought three brutal "Punic Wars" with Carthage, a North African city.
  • Rome eventually destroyed Carthage and won territory and wealth.
• The Third Period of Expansion - 100's to 00's B.C.E.
  • Powerful generals won territory for Rome, but ended up fighting for control.
  • The senate was losing control.
  • Julius Caesar used his army and his popularity to defeat his enemies and seize power.

Chapter 33:

• Rome was first ruled by Etruscan Kings
• In 509 B.C.E., the kings were thrown out and the Romans formed a Republic, or a government of elected leaders.
• The Roman Republic first consisted of:
  • A Senate of 300 men elected by the patricians. They appointed government officials, served as judges, and made laws.
  • Two elected Consuls, who shared command of the army.
• After the plebeians' revolt, major changes in the Roman government gave more power to the plebs.
  • Tributes of the Plebs spoke for the plebs to the Senate, and later had the power to veto laws
  • The Council of Plebs was formed to make laws for the plebs
  • In 451 B.C.E. the laws were written down on the Twelve Tables
  • In 367 B.C.E, a new law said that one of the Consuls had to be a plebeian.
  • In 287 B.C.E. assemblies of all Roman citizens could approve or reject laws, and nominate Consuls, Tribunes, and Senators.