Rachel's Western Civ Blog

1346 The strain of Y. pestis appears in Mongolia and is possibly passed to humans by a tarabagan. King Janiberg and his army contract the disease after laying siege for a year. May, 1347 The survivors of the siege in Caffa escape by sea and leave dead bodies on the streets. On ship arrived in Constantinople and gets infected, which loses 90 percent of its population. October, 1347 A Caffan ship docks in Sicily with their crew barely alive. The plague kills half the population in Sicily and moves to Messina. When citizens flee, they spread it to Italy. The plague kills 1/3 of the population in Italy by summer. November, 1347 Another Caffa ship brings the plague to France by docking in Marseille. January, 1348 Another plague strain enter Europe through Genoa by another Caffan ship. The Genoans attack the ship and it leaves but the Genoans are still infected. Italy has to deal with the second strain while still facing the first. Y. pestis goes from Sicily into h...

Reading Guide:  1. The Great Schism occurred after the death of Pope Gregory XI when both Clement VII and Urban VI became pope and tried to excommunicate the other. This lead to the split known as the Great Schism. 2. The Schism was ended when all three popes were forced to resign in 1414. 3. People began to ignore papacy and preach that the pope was not the head of the Church but the head was instead Jesus Christ. 4. The plague began in Asia. It was spread through a traveling fleet in 1347 that was carrying the plague and spread it to Sicily which later spread to all of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, Europe and North Africa. 5. Town populations fell, trade declined and prices rose, serfs left the manor to find better wages, nobles fiercely resisted peasant demands for higher wages and caused revolts in England, France, Italy and Belgium, Jews were blamed for bringing the plague and were driven from their homes or killed. 6. The Church suffered a loss of prestige whe...

Reading Guide:  1. The land of English lords who supported Harold was lost, William kept 1/5 of England for himself and unified control of the lands and laid the foundation for centralized government in England. 2. Henry II introduced the use of a jury in the English court. Jury trials became more popular and eventually a unified body of law called the common law was created. 3. He seized Normandy and gained the territory and collected all of the King's taxes. 4.  It created a basis for basic human rights and gave everyone in England and the U.S. equality. 5. He created a French appeals court, which could overturn the decisions of local courts. Assessment:  William the Conquerer - the first Norman King of England Henry II - King of England from 1154 to his death common law - a unified body of law formed from rulings of England's royal judges that serves as a basis for law in many English-speaking countries today, including the United States Magna Carta - a docu...

Reading Guide:  1. horses were used to plow fields more than oxen  2. food production increased, well fed people could better resist disease and live longer  3. guilds set standards for quality of work, wages, and working conditions 4. there was a new way of business and an increased ability of trading goods  5. the small communities became a powerful force for changes in Europe 6. merchant class dwellers organized themselves and demanded rights 7. literature was brought to many people and masterpieces were written that are still around today 8. universities were established in Paris, Bologna, Italy and Oxford and Salerno, Italy 9. Europeans discovered a new body of knowledge Assessment:  three field system - a system of farming developed in medieval Europe, in which farmland was divided Ito three fields of equal size and each of these was successfully planted with a winter crop, planted with a spring crop and left unplanted  guil...

Reading Guide:  1. The reformers wanted to return to the basic principle of Christian religion 2. They began to take care of the church more and run it like an Empire 3. They were big and had a new build that made it look like it was reaching up to God 4. They were not prepared for the war 5. He wanted to gain control over the Holy Land 6. Everyone who participated in the Crusade were told that they have a guaranteed spot in Heaven 7. The Crusaders won a strip of land 8. A truce was created 9. They wanted to unify their country under Christianity and increase their power Assessment:  simony- the selling or buying of a position in the Christian church Gothic- relating to a style of church architecture that developed in medieval Europe, featuring ribbed vaults, stained glass windows, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and tall spires Urban II- the bishop of Rome from 1088 to his death Crusade- one of the expeditions in which medieval Christians warriors so...

Reading Guide: Otto invades Italy on pope's behalf:  Causes: he followed in Charlemagne's footsteps and became allies with the pope Outcomes: the pope rewarded Otto by crowning him emperor Pope Gregory bans lay investiture:  Causes: the Church felt that the kings should not have that much power Outcomes: Gregory excommunicated Henry IV Henry IV travels to Canossa:  Causes: he was excommunicated by pope Gregory Outcomes: Henry was forgiven Representatives of Church and emperor meet in Worms:  Causes: Gregory and Henry were fighting over lay investiture Outcomes: German princes regained their power that was lost from Otto Lombard League fights Battle of Legnano:  Causes: Fredrick repeatedly invaded the rich cities of Italy Outcomes: Fredrick's authority was undermined Assessment:  clergy: a body of officials who perform religious services sacrament: one of the Christian ceremonies in which God's grace is transmitted to people canon law...

Reading Guide: Education: - knights began training at an early age - they gained experience by fighting in mock battles Weapons and Equipment:  - knights could afford to get their own weapons - they poured boiling water, hot oil and molten lead on their enemies in battle War Games:  - people would watch the tournaments for entertainment - this is where knights would get most of their experience Code of Chivalry:  - a knight's duty to his lady was as important as his duty to his lord - troubadours would write songs and poems for their ladies Castle Life:  - the castle was also a fortress to protect from battle Romantic Love:  - songs and poems were written about ladies Assessment:  chivalry: a complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters tournament: a combination or recreation and combat training where two armies of knights would charge at each other troubadour: traveling poet-musicians at ...