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2021/22 Academic Year History Lesson Note for Grade 9

UNIT FOUR
MEDIEVAL EUROPE & DEVELOPMEN OF EARLY CAPITALISM
4.1 Medieval Europe (500-1500 AD)
 The Medieval Period, or Middle Ages, covers the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire & the
rise of feudalism to the rise of capitalism in 1500 AD.

What is the difference between Medieval Period & Dark Age?

The Dark Age (500-1000 AD)

 It was the early part of the medieval period. It was called the Dark Age because civilization in Western
Europe declined during this period.
 The West Roman Empire was destroyed both by internal & external problems.
Internally, the empire suffered from divisions & decay.
Externally, it was invaded in the 5th century AD by the:
i) Anglo-Saxons & Franks from the Germanic tribes
ii) Huns & Magyars from the Asiatic tribes

What were the outcomes of the external invasions of Western Europe?

 The invasions brought the following changes in Western Europe:

 Greco-Roman civilization declined
 Societies became rural (cities & towns declined)
 Sharp decline in the population & wealth of towns & cities
 Feudalism became the basis for economic & political life of West European society
 There were, however, some bright marks even in the Dark Age:
 Bishops & monks kept old records & learning
 Churches were constructed; castles & palaces were built
 Chivalry was practiced by the knights
 The two large empires in Western Europe:
Carolingian Empire (481-882) – was centered in present-day France.
Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) – founded by the German Emperor Otto the Great (r.912-973), was
made up of German & Italian territories.
 Both empires did not include all parts of Western Europe.
 The Roman Catholic Church:
 It was the only unifying institution in Western Europe during the Dark Age.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
  It had authority over both the common peoples & their rulers; also owned lands.
 Western Europe continued under pressures from invaders.
711 AD – Muslim Arabs from north Africa invaded Western Europe & conquered Spain, where they
established the Arab Omayyad Caliphate of Cordova.
732 AD – The Carolingian Empire achieved a decisive victory over the Arab armies at the Battle of Tours
(in France).
Northmen – From the 8th to 11th centuries, they invaded Europe from Denmark & Norway in the direction
against present-day Ireland, England, France, Iceland & Greenland.

Identify the terms feud, knights, vassalage, manor, serfs:

Feudal Society
 In Western Europe, the collapse of the Western Roman Empire led to the birth of feudalism that lasted
from 500-1500 AD.
The ruling class – was made up of kings, nobles, knights & the higher clergy. They had political power &
owned lands.
Knights – were soldiers of the Middle Ages who came from the nobility.
Vassalage – was a system in which a higher lord gave land called feud to a lower lord. In return, the lower
lord became the vassal of the higher lord; fought his wars; & served him loyally.
Manorial lords – were the lower group of lords that exercised the real power. Manors were the basic units
of European feudalism.
o The manorial lord lived in his castle, surrounded by his peasants & their plots of farms.
o He exercised political, administrative, judicial & military powers over the peasants of his manor.
The masses of peoples – were made up of peasants, craftsmen & traders. They had no political or economic
powers.
Serfs – formed the majority of the peasants who rented the land, paid tributes & gave free labour services
to the lords; they were permanently tied to the lands of manorial lords.
 Peasants (serfs) fought wars of their lords. Craftsmen & merchants paid tributes to the manorial lords.
 The manorial system was the basis of the European feudal society, which was oppressive & exploitative.
 The Roman Catholic Church was also owned lands which were also responsible for religion, education &
culture.

Why did the Byzantine Empire survive for long?

The Byzantine Empire

 Though the West Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD, the East Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire),
centered at Constantinople since 330 AD, continued to survive for another 1000 years.
 The name Byzantine comes from Byzantium, the old name of the city of Constantinople.
 When civilization declined in Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire remained a center of Greco-Roman
& Christian civilizations.
1054 AD – The Byzantine Orthodox Church was officially separated from the Roman Catholic Church &
Greek became the national language of the empire.
 Features of the Byzantine Civilization:
 It was Greco-Roman & Christian in character.
 Greek language was used instead of Latin.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
  Palaces, libraries & churches were built - Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople is a good example
of Byzantine architecture.
 The city was a centre of theological conflicts among the clergy & also a centre of pleasure &
commerce.
 Al though the empire (headed by the Emperor who was supported by the Orthodox Church) was a feudal
empire with a good armies & sea fleets, there were strong rivalries for leadership. Plots & murders of
emperors were common.
 The economic basis of the Byzantine Empire was agriculture, crafts & trade.
 The empire survived repeated foreign attacks.
o In the 8th century, it defended itself from Muslim Arab attacks;
o Between the 7th & 11th centuries from the attacks of the Slavic peoples (Bulgars & Serbs).
o Since 1071, the empire pushed back Norman attacks, but it defended itself from the attacks of the
Seljuk Turks by the military aid from the Crusaders.

What were the purpose & effects of the Crusades?

The Crusades – were the wars of Christian Europe against the Muslim Seljuk Turks who occupied the
Christian Holy Lands.
 Of seven major crusades over a period of 200 years, the most important were the first (started in 1096)
& the third.
 Consequences of the Crusades:
 The Crusaders failed to crush Muslim power in the Holy lands.
 But they saved the Byzantine Empire from falling into Muslim hands until 1453.
 They also introduced new products such as sugar, rice & apricots in Western Europe.
 Moreover, the Crusaders encouraged commerce & weakened the power of the nobility, while they
helped strengthen the Catholic Church.

European States & the Ottoman Turkish Empire

 The Seljuk Turks came to power in Asia Minor, Palestine & Arabia before the Ottoman Turks.
1040 AD – From Turkestan as nomads, the Seljuk Turks began their military occupation of Muslim
territories & controlled Persia, followed by Asia Minor & Syria in 1071.
1299 – The Ottoman Turks replaced the Seljuks in Arabia, Palestine & Asia Minor led by their chief called
Osman or Othoman. The Ottoman Empire was centered in what is now Turkey.
 The Ottoman Turks conquered the following regions/peoples:
1336 – The Anatolian city of Bursa, which became their capital
1356 – Adrianople & Salonika (1387)
1389 – The Serbs & the Bulgarians (1393)
 At the beginning of the 15th century, they had conquered much of the Balkan Peninsula, including
Greece.
Muhammad II (1453) – led the Ottoman army of 150,000 troops & captured Constantinople that ended the
Byzantine Empire. The Turks renamed the city Istanbul & made it their capital. They also conquered Syria
(1516) & Egypt (1517).
Suleiman I (the “Magnificent”) - ruled the Empire from 1520-1566. His army conquered Hungary (1526)
& also expanded the empire to Yemen in the south, Morocco in the west & Persia in the east.
1529 – European forces successfully defended the Austrian capital of Vienna from a Turkish attack.
Battle of Lepanto (1571) – European fleets defeated the Turkish navy & this ended the Turkish expansion in
Europe.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
 Ottoman Empire was the most powerful empire in the world during the 16th & 17th centuries. At its
height, the empire included what is now:
♦ Turkey, parts of northern Africa, southwestern Asia & southeastern Europe; & ruled
♦ Arabs, Armenians, Greeks, Serbs, Bulgarians, Rumanians & Hungarians
 The Ottomans spread Islam throughout the empire, & their sultans had both political & religious
powers.
Janissaries – were a group of highly trained soldiers formed by the Ottomans. Most of the people in the
empire worked as farmers.
 The Ottomans gained great wealth through trade because they controlled the trade routes from Europe
to Asia. They even prevented European merchants from going to the Far East.

4.2 Development of Early Capitalism

► Early Capitalism took shape in Western Europe in the period between 1500 – 1700 AD.
► The transition from feudal Middle Age to Early Capitalism in Europe was slow & actually made
between the 14th & 16th centuries.

Explain what capitalism is:

 Among the new developments that gave rise to early capitalism were:
 Revival of long-distance trade
 Emergence of early capitalist relations
 Beginnings of explorations & discoveries
 The Renaissance & the Reformation
A) Explorations & Discoveries
 During the Middle Ages, the geographical knowledge of Europeans was limited to Europe, northern
Africa & western Asia.
 But in the 15th century, they discovered new regions in Africa, the Far East & the Americas.

Identify what factors encouraged explorations & discoveries:

 Encouraging factors were as follows:

o Europeans‟ interest in long distance trade & their taste for luxury goods of the Far East
o The blockade of the old routes to the Far East by the Ottoman Turks forced Europeans to look for a
new sea route
o They were also interested in geographical knowledge
o New inventions like the compass, better ships & maps
o Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) of Portugal & Queen Isabella (1451-1504) of Spain to the
voyages of explorers.
► In the 15th & 16th centuries, Spain & Portugal were the leaders in the voyages of explorations
& discoveries.
Vasco da Gama – (Portuguese) discovered a new sea route to India & the Far East (1498).
Christopher Columbus – (an Italian) discovered America in the service of Spain (1492). Though his intention
was to reach India, China & the East, the had reached the Caribbean Islands & the main
land of the American continents.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
Amerigo Vespucci – (Italian map-maker) The lands found by Columbus came to be known as America
from his name. The newly “discovered” areas also began to be known as the “New World”.

Magellan – (Portuguese) circumnavigated the world between 1519-1522 in the service of Spain; he reached
the Philippines where he was killed in 1521. Only „The Victoria‟ ship finally reached Spain in 1522.

 The newly “discovered” lands were later conquered & became colonies of European powers.
15th& 16th centuries – The Spanish & Portuguese were leaders of the building of colonial empires.
17th& 18th centuries – Holland, Britain & France caught up them.
18th century – Britain & France became dominant empire builders.
B) The Long-Distance Trade
 Long-distance trade - One result of the crusades was the revival of economic life in Western Europe.
♦ Merchants of Italian city-states, who hired their vessels to crusaders, succeeded to control trade in
eastern Mediterranean coasts.
♦ The link with Western Europe gave life to the declining urban centers of the Middle Ages.
 Urbanization - Urban centers had various economic activities.
 They provided markets for the sale of goods.
 Merchants made trade with the Far East in luxury goods, & brought silk, spice, etc. from China &
India to Europe.
 By 1500 AD, the development of long-distance trade marked the beginning of new capitalist
economic relations.
C) The Beginning of Early Capitalist Relations
 The important cities of the 14th century had developed into big trading centers by the 15th century, which
in turn transformed into bigger capitalist business centers by the 16th century (centers were like Genoa,
Florence, Venice …).
 Small craft workshops that worked by hand methods produced textiles & metals. These factories were
located in the cities.
 Two social classes emerged:
The Bourgeoisie – made up of factory owners & merchants.
o The term bourgeois comes from the word burgher, which means town-dwellers.
Wage laborers – were employees who engaged in factories & they were originally peasants from the
countryside.
17th century – Urban population had increased greatly. Paris, Florence & Genoa had a population of about
100,000 each.
 Factors that transformed the old feudal economic system into a new system of capitalist relations:
♦ The increased use of money for local & long distance trade
♦ The manufacturing of industry & banking

For what reason governments of national states gave protection to LDT?

 Governments of national states gave protection to long distance trade.

 Kings worked to ensure the safety of the trade routes.
 The bourgeoisie provided the monarchs with money & increased states‟ income.
 The bourgeoisie also engaged in the construction of public works.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
 D) The Renaissance: Rebirth of Learning
 It was a series of literacy & cultural movements from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

What is Renaissance?

 It began in Italy in the 14th century & expanded into Germany, France, England & other parts of
Europe; it marked the transition between Medieval & Modern Western Europe.
 It began with the rediscovery of the Greco – Roman civilization & it emphasized reason, a
questioning attitude & free inquiry.
 It was closely tied to learning of ancient Greece & Rome. The Renaissance thinkers paid great
attention to the study of humanity.
 It was also characterized by the use of the vernacular, or national languages such as Italian or
English rather than Latin in writing, the invention & use of printing which began in 1454.
Renaissance Scholars were as follows:
A) In Literature
Dante Aligheri – (Italian) wrote divine comedy
Cervantes – (Spaniard) wrote a book entitled „Don Quixote‟
Thomas More – (Englishman) wrote „Utopia‟
Martin Luther – (German) translated the Bible into German
William Shakespeare – (Englishman) was often considered as the greatest poet & play writer
of all the time
B) In Art
Leonardo da Vinci – (Italian) painted the Last Supper (1497) & Mona Lisa (1503).
Michelangelo – (Italian) painted the Creation of Adam; made the statues of David, Moses & the Virgin & the De
Christ.
Donatello – Italian sculptor, made the “Equestrian monument of Cattamelata” and
“Mary Maqdalen”. He was known for his life-size statue of St. George in armor.
C) In Science
Vesalius – (Belgian) studied the human anatomy
Copernicus – (Polish) declared that the earth revolved around the sun.

E) The Reformation

Was it religious or intellectual movement? How?

 It was a religious movement, started in Germany in 1517, that led to the separation of Protestants from the
Catholic Church.
 The reformers broke away after they accused the church officials of corruption & immorality.
 They opposed to the authority of the Pope, on matters of religious teachings, practice of pardons of sins in
return for money by the church.
 The reformers supported some of the principles of capitalism such as individualism & national states.
 They encouraged saving of money & hard work; German peasants stood on the side of the reformers
believing that their movement would enable them to get land.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9
 Differentiate one from another – Luther, Calvin & Knox:

Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) – (German) started the actual Reformation Movement in
1517.
♦ He established the Lutheran Church.
♦ German peasants & princes supported Luther.
 Peasant wars of Germany against Catholics were fought between 1524-1525.
Jean Calvin – a French reformer, who lived in Geneva & established the Calvinist Church
in 1541.
o Calvinism spread in Switzerland, Holland & northern Europe.
o In France, Calvin‟s followers were called Huguenots.
John Knox – helped establish Calvinism to become official state religion, called the
Presbyterian Church, in Scotland, in 1560.
Henry VIII and Elizabeth I – separated the English Protestant Church from the Roman
Catholic Church.
 The English Protestants managed to establish a national church which came to be
known as the Anglican Church.

Counter-Reformation (Catholic Reformation) – was a religious movement of the Catholic Church to reform
itself as a response to Protestantism.
Ignatius Loyola – formed a missionary organization known as the Society of Jesus, in Spain, in 1534. The
members of the Society, called the Jesuits, were active in the Americas, Asia & Africa.

ፈጣሪ የምንወዳቸው ልጆቻችንን ፣ ሀገራችንን እና ህዝባችንን ይጠብቅልን!

History Lesson Note for Grade 9