Overview of the Middle Ages

This video is brought to you by Captivating History. The Middle Ages The period of European history between the 5th century and the 15th century is an era with an unfounded reputation. Also called the Dark Ages or Medieval times, most people associate this time with brutal cruelty, devastating wars, and great plagues. Worse, it's often considered as a time when society, academics, and the arts did a backward slide. Although there were wars, plagues, and a fair share of cruelty during the Middle Ages, it was not a period of history when intellectual pursuits came to a halt. Great strides were taken. The spread of Christianity, the Crusades, the Hundred Years'War, the Battle of Hastings, the Magna Carta's penning, and Geoffrey Chaucer's works are just a few of its highlights. Let's look at some of the Middle Ages'key moments, beginning with the Roman Empire's fall and continuing until the Renaissance. For centuries, Rome held tight control over much of Europe, parts of North Africa, and portions of the Middle East. But the empire experienced growing pains. Its land holdings were so vast that it was impossible to defend its borders. Infighting and civil wars weakened Rome from the inside out. Christians, a group that started in the minority, were often rounded up by the Romans and forced to battle the fierce gladiators in the Colosseum, a favorite entertainment form for Roman citizens. But as Christianity spread, the prevailing beliefs of people underwent a profound change. A weakened Roman Empire was exactly what some other groups in Europe were hoping for. The Germanic tribes and Visigoths saw it as an opportunity. Alaric, a Goth leader, developed the final blow to the Roman Empire. Furious that the Roman Emperor refused to keep his promise, granting his people Roman citizenship in territories in the Balkans, Alaric was determined to get what was promised to him. He formed a massive army comprised of Goths, Huns, and former Roman slaves who marched across the Alps and into Italy to confront the Roman Emperor Honorius. A foolish and self-centered leader, Honorius remained in his villa as the Goth army approached the city. He ignored the threat and refused to listen to his advisors, who came to warn him of the impending battle. Alaric cut off the supply chain going into the city. and waited for it to become sufficiently weak before he attacked. Rome was left wounded, but not dead. Yet, it could not recover its former glory. The end of the Roman Empire came in 476, when the heir to the empire, a 14-year-old boy, was displaced. The fall of the once-great Roman Empire drastically changed the face of Europe, allowing other groups, like the Goths, to become more powerful. The demise of the Roman Empire marked the start of the Middle Ages. One group able to gain more power and control after Rome's fall was the Byzantines, who thought of themselves as Roman. Their empire, centered in Constantinople, was almost like the relocation of Rome. In fact, Constantine originally called the city New Rome. After Constantine died, the Byzantine Empire splintered. In the southeastern part of Europe, a charismatic leader and extraordinary military strategist named Charlemagne used his power of persuasion. and his great armies to unite much of Western Europe. The son of a king, and destined to become a king himself, Charlemagne conquered the Saxons, a powerful Germanic tribe, forcing them to convert to Christianity. Like Constantine, however, the empire Charlemagne built could not survive his death, as armies marched to and fro across Europe. So did Christianity. However, the church's teachings were divided into two philosophies. The Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church. Regardless of the differences, Christianity worked its way into all aspects of life for people living in the Middle Ages, becoming the most powerful entity of its time. The Middle Ages is almost synonymous with knights riding off to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all felt a connection to the Holy Land in the Middle East. In the 11th century, Muslims expanded their land holdings to include many sacred religious locations. Europe's most important religious places were the Holy Land, which European Christians feared that the Holy Lands, so important to their religion, would be destroyed or blocked by the Muslims. Their solution was to reclaim them in the church's name. Beginning in 1095 and lasting until 1291, pious European knights banded together to journey on crusades to Jerusalem and other key locations in the Holy Land. Powerful kings financed the knights, but as the crusades proved less and less effective, these wealthy patrons questioned their return on investment. After 200 years of fighting and plundering in the Holy Spirit, lands, the Crusades ended. Meanwhile, on the British Isles, the English were building their nation away from the continent's conflicts. Descended from the Germanic Anglo-Saxons, with a healthy dose of Roman influence, the English experienced a crisis when their heir to the throne was disputed. One of the most significant moments in the Middle Ages'history was the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which was fought to establish the crown's rightful heir. The battle also ushered in the Norman conquest of England. The royal succession line had been established, but some kings were less interested in ruling the land than others. For example, King Richard felt it was more important to go on crusades than to deal with the matters back in England. Various members of nobility rose to fill the void left by King Richard and other monarchs like him, but their hold on power was tenuous. Once a new king took over, these nobles were relocated back to their previous positions, and many resented the king for this. King John and a group of noblemen met to discuss possible solutions. In 1215, they drafted the Articles of the Barons, the rough draft that later became the Magna Carta, one of the more important documents in Europe. The Magna Carta ensured that the king would protect the holdings of land barons in England from outside invaders, such as France. In return, the noblemen would remain loyal to the king. The noblemen's rights and roles were outlined, and they were given the right to rule the kingdom. guaranteed to retain their land holdings and political influence from monarch to monarch. Because of the Magna Carta, England became a united country, able to concentrate its efforts on building its global empire. Just as England had to deal with the issues of succession, France was thrown into turmoil when King Charles IV failed to produce an heir to the throne. A power grab ensued, and it took a long time and much bloodshed to resolve. The War of French Succession lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453. But historians rounded down, labeling this the Hundred Years'War. Fighting was not contained in just France, but included several countries, including England. An unlikely hero emerged from the Hundred Years'War, a teenage girl we know as Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans. She went around 1412 to a peasant family. At the age of 13, she began having visions that compelled her to fight to recognize Charles VII as the rightful king. Dressed in battle armor, Joan of Arc led soldiers against the English. She succeeded for a time, but was captured by the English, who charged her with crimes of heresy, witchcraft, and cross-dressing. She was burned at the stake in 1431. While Middle Ages wars were brutal and devastating, an even deadlier force was about to be unleashed on Europe. The booming population put a strain on food production, resulting in famine, starvation, and malnutrition. In 1347, the Great Plague, a deadly illness, was brought to the land from traders from Asia and the Near East. It spread quickly from merchant ships and through the unsanitary cities of Europe, most likely carried by rats. The fleas that bit the rats then transmitted the disease, bubonic plague, to the humans they bit. The plague killed healthy people within a week. caused horrendous skin boils, fevers, and bloody coughing fits. Historians believe that the deadly disease killed as much as a third of the population of Europe. To make matters worse, the plague was not a one-time occurrence. It periodically swept through Europe again throughout the centuries, though subsequent outbreaks were not as deadly as the first. The Black Death, as it became known, has a tremendous impact on the Middle Ages. It caused people to question the Christian church's doctrine. become more suspicious, and worry about their reliance on others for food. Losing so many people gave room for a middle class to evolve. As many opened shops and crafted goods to sell, it altered the politics of Europe, as different people were elevated to positions of power to replace those who died. The plague forced people to think differently about politics and religion, and become more independent. This change in attitudes and thinking helped bring about the Dark Ages end. Ushering in a New Age The Renaissance. To discover more about the history of the Middle Ages, then check out our book, The Middle Ages A Captivating Guide to the History of Europe, Starting from the Fall of the Western Roman Empire through the Black Death to the Beginning of the Renaissance. It's available as an e-book, paperback, and audiobook. Also, grab your free mythology bundle e-book for free while it's still available. All links are in the description. If you enjoyed the video, Please hit the like button and subscribe For more videos like this

Worse, it's often considered as a time when society, academics, and the arts did a backward slide. Although there were wars, plagues, and a fair share of cruelty during the Middle Ages, it was not a period of history when intellectual pursuits came to a halt. Great strides were taken.

The spread of Christianity, the Crusades, the Hundred Years'War, the Battle of Hastings, the Magna Carta's penning, and Geoffrey Chaucer's works are just a few of its highlights. Let's look at some of the Middle Ages'key moments, beginning with the Roman Empire's fall and continuing until the Renaissance. For centuries, Rome held tight control over much of Europe, parts of North Africa, and portions of the Middle East. But the empire experienced growing pains.

Its land holdings were so vast that it was impossible to defend its borders. Infighting and civil wars weakened Rome from the inside out. Christians, a group that started in the minority, were often rounded up by the Romans and forced to battle the fierce gladiators in the Colosseum, a favorite entertainment form for Roman citizens. But as Christianity spread, the prevailing beliefs of people underwent a profound change.

A weakened Roman Empire was exactly what some other groups in Europe were hoping for. The Germanic tribes and Visigoths saw it as an opportunity. Alaric, a Goth leader, developed the final blow to the Roman Empire.

Furious that the Roman Emperor refused to keep his promise, granting his people Roman citizenship in territories in the Balkans, Alaric was determined to get what was promised to him. He formed a massive army comprised of Goths, Huns, and former Roman slaves who marched across the Alps and into Italy to confront the Roman Emperor Honorius. A foolish and self-centered leader, Honorius remained in his villa as the Goth army approached the city. He ignored the threat and refused to listen to his advisors, who came to warn him of the impending battle.

Alaric cut off the supply chain going into the city. and waited for it to become sufficiently weak before he attacked. Rome was left wounded, but not dead. Yet, it could not recover its former glory.

The end of the Roman Empire came in 476, when the heir to the empire, a 14-year-old boy, was displaced. The fall of the once-great Roman Empire drastically changed the face of Europe, allowing other groups, like the Goths, to become more powerful. The demise of the Roman Empire marked the start of the Middle Ages. One group able to gain more power and control after Rome's fall was the Byzantines, who thought of themselves as Roman. Their empire, centered in Constantinople, was almost like the relocation of Rome.

In fact, Constantine originally called the city New Rome. After Constantine died, the Byzantine Empire splintered. In the southeastern part of Europe, a charismatic leader and extraordinary military strategist named Charlemagne used his power of persuasion. and his great armies to unite much of Western Europe. The son of a king, and destined to become a king himself, Charlemagne conquered the Saxons, a powerful Germanic tribe, forcing them to convert to Christianity.

Like Constantine, however, the empire Charlemagne built could not survive his death, as armies marched to and fro across Europe. So did Christianity. However, the church's teachings were divided into two philosophies.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church. Regardless of the differences, Christianity worked its way into all aspects of life for people living in the Middle Ages, becoming the most powerful entity of its time. The Middle Ages is almost synonymous with knights riding off to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all felt a connection to the Holy Land in the Middle East. In the 11th century, Muslims expanded their land holdings to include many sacred religious locations. Europe's most important religious places were the Holy Land, which European Christians feared that the Holy Lands, so important to their religion, would be destroyed or blocked by the Muslims. Their solution was to reclaim them in the church's name. Beginning in 1095 and lasting until 1291, pious European knights banded together to journey on crusades to Jerusalem and other key locations in the Holy Land.

Powerful kings financed the knights, but as the crusades proved less and less effective, these wealthy patrons questioned their return on investment. After 200 years of fighting and plundering in the Holy Spirit, lands, the Crusades ended. Meanwhile, on the British Isles, the English were building their nation away from the continent's conflicts. Descended from the Germanic Anglo-Saxons, with a healthy dose of Roman influence, the English experienced a crisis when their heir to the throne was disputed.

One of the most significant moments in the Middle Ages'history was the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which was fought to establish the crown's rightful heir. The battle also ushered in the Norman conquest of England. The royal succession line had been established, but some kings were less interested in ruling the land than others.

For example, King Richard felt it was more important to go on crusades than to deal with the matters back in England. Various members of nobility rose to fill the void left by King Richard and other monarchs like him, but their hold on power was tenuous. Once a new king took over, these nobles were relocated back to their previous positions, and many resented the king for this.

King John and a group of noblemen met to discuss possible solutions. In 1215, they drafted the Articles of the Barons, the rough draft that later became the Magna Carta, one of the more important documents in Europe. The Magna Carta ensured that the king would protect the holdings of land barons in England from outside invaders, such as France. In return, the noblemen would remain loyal to the king. The noblemen's rights and roles were outlined, and they were given the right to rule the kingdom.

guaranteed to retain their land holdings and political influence from monarch to monarch. Because of the Magna Carta, England became a united country, able to concentrate its efforts on building its global empire. Just as England had to deal with the issues of succession, France was thrown into turmoil when King Charles IV failed to produce an heir to the throne. A power grab ensued, and it took a long time and much bloodshed to resolve.

The War of French Succession lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453. But historians rounded down, labeling this the Hundred Years'War. Fighting was not contained in just France, but included several countries, including England. An unlikely hero emerged from the Hundred Years'War, a teenage girl we know as Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans.

She went around 1412 to a peasant family. At the age of 13, she began having visions that compelled her to fight to recognize Charles VII as the rightful king. Dressed in battle armor, Joan of Arc led soldiers against the English.

She succeeded for a time, but was captured by the English, who charged her with crimes of heresy, witchcraft, and cross-dressing. She was burned at the stake in 1431. While Middle Ages wars were brutal and devastating, an even deadlier force was about to be unleashed on Europe. The booming population put a strain on food production, resulting in famine, starvation, and malnutrition.

In 1347, the Great Plague, a deadly illness, was brought to the land from traders from Asia and the Near East. It spread quickly from merchant ships and through the unsanitary cities of Europe, most likely carried by rats. The fleas that bit the rats then transmitted the disease, bubonic plague, to the humans they bit.

The plague killed healthy people within a week. caused horrendous skin boils, fevers, and bloody coughing fits. Historians believe that the deadly disease killed as much as a third of the population of Europe.

To make matters worse, the plague was not a one-time occurrence. It periodically swept through Europe again throughout the centuries, though subsequent outbreaks were not as deadly as the first. The Black Death, as it became known, has a tremendous impact on the Middle Ages.

It caused people to question the Christian church's doctrine. become more suspicious, and worry about their reliance on others for food. Losing so many people gave room for a middle class to evolve. As many opened shops and crafted goods to sell, it altered the politics of Europe, as different people were elevated to positions of power to replace those who died. The plague forced people to think differently about politics and religion, and become more independent.

This change in attitudes and thinking helped bring about the Dark Ages end. Ushering in a New Age The Renaissance. To discover more about the history of the Middle Ages, then check out our book, The Middle Ages A Captivating Guide to the History of Europe, Starting from the Fall of the Western Roman Empire through the Black Death to the Beginning of the Renaissance. It's available as an e-book, paperback, and audiobook. Also, grab your free mythology bundle e-book for free while it's still available.

All links are in the description. If you enjoyed the video, Please hit the like button and subscribe For more videos like this

Transcript for:Overview of the Middle Ages

Transcript for:
Overview of the Middle Ages