Universal History Review

Universal History Review
Middle Ages:
- Began with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended with the beginning of modern times. (500-1500)
- Negatives: little learning in Europe, decline of trade and cities, no central government to keep peace
- Positives: development of western ideas (society, trade and government) and modern European languages, first universities, churches builtin all of Europe
-Based on: GRECO-ROMAN culture, CHRISTIAN faith, and GERMANIC practices
The Germans:
- Germans left the forests of northern Europe looking for warmer climate and new grazing land for their cattle, which they found in Roman territory.
- The Romans first considered the Germans enemies, but eventually let them in in small groups.
- German men were warriors, trained as youngbuys, who spent most of their time fighting, hunting or making weapons.
- Eventually the Germans accepted Roman culture and even adopted the Roman alphabet to create their own German language.
- The Germanic peoples who lived on the Balkan Peninsula (Spain, France, and Portugal) were known as Goths. They were divided into two groups: the Visigoths (west Goths) and the Ostrogoths (east Goths).
-In the late 300’s the Huns, led by Attila and sweeping down from central Asia, conquered the Ostrogoths and forced the Visigoths to ask for protection from the Roman Empire. Eventually, the Romans and the Visigoths began to fight and the Visigoths attacked and looted the city of Rome.
- The Vandals, who were also displaced by Attila and the Huns, had returned to Rome as pirates to rob and burn thecity.
- As a result of bad leadership and Germanic invasions, the Roman Empire in the West fell. It had broken into multiple small Germanic kingdoms.
The Franks:
- After the Roman Empire fell, learning, order, and civilization declined in western Europe. During this time a group of Germans known as the Franks became very important. The new civilization the created would become modern dayFrance and Germany.
- Unlike the Goths and Vandals, the Franks did more than just fight and rule, they settled and became farmers.
- A cruel but strong king called Clovis was the first to unite the Franks under one ruler. He was also the first Germanic king to accept the Catholic religion.
- Franks began to speak a version of Latin that eventually became the modern French language.
- After Clovis,there was a series of weak rulers. During this time, people accepted the leadership of a government official known as the Mayor of the Palace (MP).
- Charles Martel became the most important MP. He was known as Charles the Hammer for his great strength in battle. He defeated the Muslims in Spain, reunited Frankish nobles, and gained more support from the church.
- After his death CharlesMartel’s son Pepin became MP. He was blessed by the Pope for rescuing Italy from an invading Germanic tribe known as Lombards and giving the land back to the Pope.
- Eventually, Pepin removed the king and took the position himself.
- Charlemagne or Charles the Great was Pepin’s son (Charles Martel’s grandson) and the greatest of all the Frankish kings. He expanded the kingdom, united the Germanic tribesand set up schools throughout the empire, which caused the arts to flower again.
- After Charlemagne the empire did not last long. A series of weak rulers and independent nobles soon broke the empire into many small kingdoms again.
Irish/Anglo-Saxons
- The British islands never became part of Charlemagne’s empire. The original Roman Empire controlled the islands for about 400 years, buildingbridges, roads and cities.
- Eventually the Romans lost control of the island to groups of people known as the Picts, Scots, and Celts. After the Romans had gone, Germanic tribes known as the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded and controlled the Islands.
- A man named Saint Patrick founded the Irish Church, and its scholars were highly influenced by traditional Christianity.
- Eventually, Pope...