Medieval History For Dummies

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

How This Book is Organised 3

Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages (450–800) 3

Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe (850–1100) 4

Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad (1050–1300) 4

Part IV: Dealing with Domestic Dramas: Parliament, Priories and Plagues (1200–1300) 4

Part V: Ending the Middle and Beginning the Age of Discovery (1300–1492) 5

Part VI: The Part of Tens 5

Icons Used in This Book 5

Where to Go from Here 6

Part I: Starting Up the Middle Ages (450–800) 7

Chapter 1: Journeying Back to the Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who? 9

Pinpointing the Middle Ages: The Middle of What Exactly? 10

Having the time of their lives 10

Establishing a timeline 11

Locating the Medieval World 12

Getting to Know the People of the Middle Ages 13

Moving around – a lot 13

Minding your language 14

Appreciating an Era 15

Bucking the trend: Medieval inventions 15

Encountering fascinating people 17

Chapter 2: Finishing Off the Roman Empire and Entering the (Not So) Dark Ages 19

Saying Goodbye to Antiquity 19

Dismantling Rome: The Empire that Died 20

Trying to manage a new threat: Attila the Hun 23

Crowning the last Emperor: Romulus Augustulus 24

Enduring in the East: Byzantium 26

Delving into the Dark Ages 28

Migrating during the fifth century 28

Moving on up with the Merovingians 29

Spreading Christianity 30

Chapter 3: Settling in England with the Anglo-Saxons 33

Keeping On Moving On: Early Migrations and Anglo-Saxon Action 33

Stepping in to help (and hinder): The Saxons 34

Setting up the Super Seven: The heptarchy 35

Christianising England, again 38

Assessing the Anglo-Saxon Impact 39

Governing England: Resistance is feudal 40

Laying down the law 40

Enjoying Anglo-Saxon culture 42

Chapter 4: Organising Early France & Germany: The Merovingians and Carolingians 45

Making Major Moves: The Merovingians 45

Amassing land 47

Squabbling constantly 47

Pondering Merovingian power 49

Rising to Power: The Carolingians 50

Making the most of the mayor 50

Running in the family 51

Hammering the Merovingians: Charles Martell 51

Playing with power after Charles: Pippin 52

Chapter 5: Becoming Great: Charlemagne and the New Roman Empire 57

Growing into Greatness: Charles’s Early Years 57

Laying into the Lombards 58

Suffering a small setback in Spain 58

Wrestling with the Saxons 59

Extending his reach 60

Becoming Emperor: Charles to Charlemagne 61

Gaining a crown 62

Defining the Holy Roman Empire 62

Bickering with the Byzantines 63

Living and Ruling as Emperor 64

Making reforms 65

Finding things grim up north 67

Passing On: Charlemagne’s Legacy 67

Part II: Forming the Basis of Europe (850–1100) 69

Chapter 6: Laying the Foundations of Europe 71

Following Charlemagne: Louis the Pious 71

Dividing up authority 72

Pondering mortality: The ordinatio imperii 72

Behaving less than piously 73

Marrying again – and fuelling civil war 74

Slicing Up the Pie Again: Lothair I and Afterwards 75

Forging a New England: Alfred the Great 77

Preparing for great things abroad 78

Turning things around 79

Reorganising the military 80

Influencing others after his death 81

Chapter 7: Linking East and West: Islam in Europe 83

Storming In from the Desert 84

Going back to the beginning 84

Powering up the caliph 85

Heading west 86

Seizing Hispania 86

Vanquishing the Visigoths: Tarik 86

Taking over: Abdar-Rahman 87

Venturing Farther Afield 88

Hammering into France 88

Reaching into Italy 89

Living Under Muslim Rule 91

Encountering Slaves and Pirates 92

Selling people 92

Hunting the seas: Pirates of the Mediterranean 94

Losing Power 95

Chapter 8: Invading from the North: The Vikings 97

Transitioning from Norsemen to Vikings 98

Attacking the British Isles 99

Raiding farther afield 99

Sailing Far and Wide 100

Taking long journeys on longships 101

Colonising: Creating a new home away from home 102

Shifting from raiders to traders 103

Reaching into Russia 103

Connecting with Constantinople 104

Living the Viking Life 105

Examining Viking religion and beliefs 105

Grinding their axes: Viking warfare 107

Dispelling misconceptions about the Vikings 108

Declining and Leaving a Legacy 110

Changing with the times: Testaments and trade bans 110

Reaching far and wide 111

Chapter 9: Splitting the Church: Schisms between East and West 113

Walking the Walk: Early Medieval Missionaries 113

Following the leader of the pack: Boniface 114

Taking God on tour: Cyril and Methodius 117

Experiencing conversion issues 118

Creating Cracks in the Church: The Photian Schism 118

Pitting the pope against the patriarch 119

Coming to a head in 863 120

Splitting the Church: The Great Schism 122

Writing a letter with enormous impact: Michael I 122

Trying to heal the breach 123

Chapter 10: Revving Up the ‘Real’ Middle Ages with the Normans 125

Stormin’ Normandy 126

Settling in Northmannia 126

Building up the Duchy of Normandy: Gold and Frankish sense 127

Mounting the Norman Invasion – 1066 and All That! 129

Claiming William ‘The Bastard’ 129

Making friends and foes 130

Looking towards England 130

Invading England: The Norman Conquest 131

Waging the Battle of Hastings 132

Transforming England: Normanisation 135

Building towers of power 135

Ringing the changes135

Constructing Castles: The New Big Things 137

Defending your land and hosting guests 137

Touring early buildings: Motte and bailey castles 138

Visiting medieval castles 139

Journeying South: The Normans in the Mediterranean 141

Fortune hunting in southern Italy: the de Hauteville clan 141

Setting their sights on Sicily 142

Part III: Waging Holy War: Crusading at Home and Abroad (1050–1300) 145

Chapter 11: Uncovering the Origins of the Crusades 147

Seeking the Causes of the Crusades 147

Going berserk at Manzikert 148

Hungering for land 149

Calling for Crusade 149

Bringing on the knights 150

Venturing into the Kingdom of France 152

Finding your way round France 153

Meeting the king of France 153

Extending the call to France 154

Preparing for the First Crusade 155

Meeting some notable Crusaders 155

Planning the journey 156

Covering travel expenses 157

Chapter 12: Waging the First Crusade: 1096–1099 159

Participating in the People’s Crusade 159

Palling around with Peter the Hermit 160

Marching with the great unwashed 160

Falling apart 162

Persecuting Jews 162

Heading East 164

Taking Alexius’s oath 164

Making moves on Nicaea 164

Achieving the first victory at Dorylaeum 166

Establishing a new state in Edessa 166

Laying siege on Antioch 168

Capturing Jerusalem 171

Negotiating with the Egyptians 171

Stumbling onward 172

Retaking the city 172

Establishing the Kingdom of Jerusalem 173

Chapter 13: Struggling for Power: Popes Versus Monarchs 175

Getting Busy with Pope Gregory VII 175

Taking a broader view of the Church’s role: Papal reform 176

Creating and stating new rules 176

Putting people in power: The investiture question 177

Expanding the Kingdom: Henry I of England 181

Going from fourth to first 181

Laying down the law and nabbing Normandy 183

Presenting the Charter of Liberties 184

Dabbling in investiture 184

Dealing with Unfinished Business: Henry V 185

Gaining Paschal’s agreement 186

Reaching resolution with the Concordat of Worms 186

Comparing the Ends of Two Henrys 187

Chapter 14: Waging the Second Crusade and Crusading at Home 189

Maintaining Semi-Order in Outremer 189

Responding to Holy War 191

Stepping up jihad in Edessa 192

Catching Crusade Fever 194

Calling for another round 194

Going on Crusade – without leaving Europe 196

Venturing East Again: The Second Crusade 198

Going with the Germans199

Following the French 200

Encountering Nured-Din: A new enemy 200

Losing focus in Antioch 202

Dead-ending at Damascus 202

Playing the blame game 204

Chapter 15: Pitting Richard I Against Saladin: The Third Crusade 205

Turning Up the Heat: The Rise of Saladin 205

Coming out on top in Egypt 206

Sweeping all before him 206

Taking Jerusalem 207

Readying for Round Three: Europe Prepares for Crusade 209

Dealing with false starts and empty promises 210

Roaring into battle: Richard the Lionheart 212

Duelling for Dominance: Richard versus Saladin 214

Vying for Outremer 214

Besieging Acre – for years 215

Dealing with diplomatic baggage 216

Regaining Jerusalem (sort of) 217

Chapter 16: Following the Fourth Crusade and Other Failures 219

Playing a Game of Smash ’n’ Grab: The Fourth Crusade 219

Upping the ante: Bigger papal bargains 220

Struggling to find a leader 220

Securing Venetian transport 221

Sacking Constantinople 221

Crusading in Europe 224

Converting the Baltic region, again 224

Reclaiming Castile: The Reconquista 225

Fighting the enemy within: Heretics a plenty 225

Finishing with the Final Crusades 227

Regaining Jerusalem: Frederick II and the Sixth Crusade 228

Experiencing the last hurrah 231

Critiquing Crusading 235

Part IV: Dealing with Domestic Dramas: Parliament, Priories and Plagues (1200–1300) 237

Chapter 17: Having Trouble in England: John, Henry III and Edward I 239

Reliving the Ruinous Reign of King John 239

Splitting with France 240

Collapsing further 244

Agreeing to the Magna Carta 245

Reaching an ignominious end 246

Making the Best of a Bad Job: Henry III 247

Pitting baron against baron 247

Bursting out in civil war 248

Recovering the crown: The battle of Evesham 249

Passing quickly 249

Haggling over Homage: Edward I 250

Waging Welsh wars 251

Losing himself in France 251

Taking up the Great Cause: The Scottish question 252

Ending things in a draw 254

Chapter 18: Meeting Medieval Monks and Merchants 255

Contemplating the Religious Orders 256

Examining the origins of monasticism 256

Going about monastic work 259

Balancing Profits and Losses: Medieval Trade 261

Changing the very nature of trade 262

Trudging through Italian trade wars and tribulations 265

Expanding in the North 266

Chapter 19: Piling On the Popes: Avignon and the Antipopes 269

Reaching Crisis Point: Church versus State 269

Continuing an eternal argument 270

Making mounds of money 270

Fighting for the top: Boniface VIII and Philip IV 272

Establishing the New Papacy in Avignon 273

Fleeing to France 274

Living like kings 274

Breaking Up: Another Schism and the Antipopes 276

Returning to Rome: Gregory XI 276

Healing the split: The Council of Constance 278

Continuing the argument 280

Chapter 20: Facing God’s Judgement: Dealing with the Black Death 281

Journeying Far and Wide: Death Comes West 282

Tracking down the plague’s origins 282

Spreading across Europe 282

Creating the perfect breeding ground 284

Experiencing the symptoms 285

Treating the plague 286

Responding to the Plague 286

Posing theories and propagating persecutions 286

Regrouping after the plague: England 288

Assessing the Plague’s Impact 290

Calculating the death toll 290

Affecting culture 291

Part V: Ending the Middle and Beginning the Age of Discovery (1300–1492) 293

Chapter 21: Beginning One Hundred Years of War 295

Laying the Groundwork for a Long Struggle 296

Delving into dynastic ding-dong 296

Stepping in discreetly: Philip of Valois 298

Gathering the storm 298

Beginning the Battle: The Edwardian War 299

Spinning the ‘wool war’ 300

Feeling a credit crunch 301

Fighting – and taunting – the French 301

Surveying fights elsewhere in France 302

Taking the Advantage: England 303

Fighting all the way 303

Meeting at last: The battle of Crecy 303

Rising up with the Black Prince 305

Collapsing in France 307

Recovering with the French: The Caroline War 309

Stoking the flames of war 309

Busting the English at Biscay 310

Regrouping: The Plantagenets need a new plan 310

Chapter 22: Pausing the War: Dealing with Unrest at Home 311

Getting Riled Up in England 311

Rooting out the causes of revolt 312

Revolting with the peasants 314

Regarding Henry IV: Bolingbroke Seizes Power 317

Perusing Henry’s path to power 317

Muddling through an unhappy reign 319

Chapter 23: Turning the Tide of War (Twice!): Henry V and Joan of Arc 321

Envisioning English Triumph: Henry V and the Lancastrian War 321

Travelling the road to Agincourt 322

Conquering France (almost) 323

Recovering with the French: Riding to the Rescue with Saint Joan 327

Rising from the bottom 327

Taking the initiative 328

Mounting a holy war 328

Recovering miraculously 329

Going on trial and meeting her end 330

Wrapping Up the Hundred Years’ War 331

Realigning at the Congress of Arras 331

Retreating, little by little 332

Ending the matter 333

Assessing the legacy 333

Chapter 24: Moving On from the Medieval Era 335

Heading Back to the Future: The Renaissance 335

Digging for the Renaissance’s roots: Cold hard cash 336

Feeding on the stream of culture 336

Extending the Renaissance throughout Europe 337

Bidding Bye-Bye to Byzantium 339

Making way for the new Turks 339

Crusading for the sake of trade 340

Taking Constantinople, in all its faded glory 340

Launching a new empire 341

Exploring a Whole New World 341

Sailing to the East: Vasco da Gama 341

Going off the map: Christopher Columbus 342

Part VI: The Part of Tens 345

Chapter 25: Ten Rubbish Rulers 347

King Stephen of England (c. 1096–1154) 347

King John of England (1166–1216) 348

Vortigern (c. 450) 349

Charles ‘The Bad’ of Navarre (1332–1387) 349

Louis V of France (c. 967–987) 350

John I of France (1316–1316) 350

Louis X of France (1289–1316) 351

Justinian II of Byzantium (669–711) 351

Justin II of Byzantium (c. 520–578) 352

Aethelred ‘The Unready’ (968–1016) 352

Chapter 26: Ten Medieval Pastimes 353

Playing Football 353

Savouring Subtleties 354

Trying Out Charms and Remedies 354

Enjoying Music and Dancing 355

Hocking Your Friends 355

Cucking 356

Hunting for Sport 356

Laughing Aloud at Mummery 357

Going Ga-Ga for Goliards 357

Jousting the Day Away 358

Chapter 27: Ten Great Castles 359

Krak des Chevaliers, Syria 359

The Tower of London, London, England 360

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, England 360

Caernarfon Castle, Wales 361

Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, England 361

Bodiam Castle, East Sussex, England 362

Wartburg Castle, Eisenach, Germany 362

Malbork Castle, Malbork, Poland 362

Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, Wales 363

Guedelon Castle, Treigny, France 363

Chapter 28: Ten Medieval People Who Changed the World 365

Charlemagne (742–814) 365

Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) 366

William of Normandy (c. 1027–1087) 366

Pope Urban II (c. 1035–1099) 367

Kublai Khan (1215–1294) 367

Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274) 367

John Wycliffe (1320–1384) 368

Johannes Gutenberg (1398–1468) 368

Lorenzo d’Medici (1449–1492) 369

Christopher Columbus (c. 1451–1506) 369

Chapter 29: Ten Great Medieval Innovations 371

Creating Europe 371

Developing New Languages 371

Inventing Books 372

Bringing About Banking 372

Establishing World Trade 372

Improving Navigation and Cartography 373

Setting Up Universities 373

Combating with the Cannon 373

Taking On Sports 374

Innovating and Inventing 374

Index 375