Middle+Ages

**500A.D-1500A.D** By: Austin & Cole

** "One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." **
 * -Joan of Arc **

The Middle Ages was a time period between the Ancient Times and the Modern Period. It was a period of many different groups from around Europe. Some of those groups include: The Franks,The Anglo-Saxons, The Danes, and many others. These groups fought to control the lands of Europe. Many of these groups were Vikings, many of which who raided towns and villages. Some even had disregard for the Church. This created many problems.

The Medieval Church was a powerful political figure during the Middle Ages. They carried out functions of modern goverment such as creatation of laws, courts, and taxes. To the church, everyone was a member, king to peasants. This group dominated Europe in the 1200s, where the church's power peaked. The church had more money than all the kings of Europe combined. This created problems due to the large amount of money. This then lead to the fall of the church.

The Crusades was a period of battle during the Middle Ages. The Crusades consisted of 4 main battles or Crusades that lasted from 1096 to 1291. The goal was to capture the Holy Land from the Muslims. The First Crusade was the church's first successful battle, in which they capture Jerusalem. The Second Crusade was the Muslims 1st success against the Christians where Edessa fell to the Turks. The Third Crusade was known as the 3 Kings Crusade. This is where Jerusalem fell to the Muslims in 1187. Finally, the Fourth Crusade was where merchants from Venice paid Crusaders to attack Contantinople. In all, The Crusades was a series of long battles in which many lives were lost.

__**Top 5 Most Important People of the Middle Ages:**__
===__1.__ Charlemagne- Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was know as the "Holy Barbarian". He was the first to unite Europe ("King Father of Europe"). He was also creditted for the spread of Christianity. He founded the Holy Roman Empire so that's why he is number 1.=== ===**__2.__ Charles Martel- Also know as Charles the Hammer, he was known for defeating the invading Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD. If he did not win this battle, there is a strong chance that the world would be donimately Muslims. He was also known to have started Feudalism in Europe.**=== ===**__3.__ Gregory the Great- Gregory was the first Pope of the Christian Faith in 590. He held a lot of power and he was the spiritual leader of Christendom. He had many people below him, such as: Cardinals, BIshops, and Priests.**=== ===**__4.__ Edward I- Edward was know as Long Shanks in 1295. He needed money for the war with France. He was created Parliament, the legislative body of England. It had two Houses: House of Lords and House of Commons. Parliament is still used in England today.**=== ===**__5.__ Joan of Arc- Joan was one of the few important women of the Middle Ages. She was known as the The Maid and she inspired a French victory over England during the 100 Years War. She was later burned at the stake for witchcraft and for "being a hereitc".**===



**__5. Squire-__** A Knights Assistant whose job was to train and to take care of the weapons and horses. Squires were usually at the age of 15.


Medieval LifeThis site shows how life was back in the Middle Ages. It explains the types of clothing they wore, the games that they play, and the kind of food they ate and the type of healthcare that they recieved back then. Charles Martel This site shows the life of Charles Martel and what he did in the Battle of Tours. This site explians that if it wasn't for him, the Muslims wouild have spread their religion over Europe. Charlemagne This site explains what Charlemagne did for Europe. It shows his accoplishments, what he did during his reign, and finally a lot of good background information that is very interesting. Vikings This site gives some great history about the Vikings. It shows the life they lived, family life, the ships the used to capture many towns wealth. Finally it explains the battles they took part in. Medieval Church This explains how much of a role the church played in the Middle Ages. It shows some cool photos of churches that could be seen back then. These churches were funded by tithes, or taxes.

media type="custom" key="12049941"

**__Middle Ages Timeline.__**

 * 481AD-** Clovis becomes the first Barbarian King to become Christian.
 * 732AD-** Charles Martel defeats invading Muslims at the Battle of Tours.
 * 700AD-** Start of the Viking Age.
 * 768AD-** Charlemagne was born.
 * 843AD-** The Treaty of Verdun was signed; divided Charlemagne's Empire into 3 Kingdoms.
 * 1000AD-** Leif Erickson landed at Newfoundland (N. America).
 * 1096AD-** The beginning of the First Crusade.
 * 1215AD-** The Magna Carta (Great Charter) was written.
 * 1295AD-** Parliament, England Legislative Body, was created.
 * 1378AD-** The Great Schism begin. (Two Popes)

media type="custom" key="12049585" align="center"