Middle Ages

**1. Middle Ages Overview:**
– The Middle Ages is one of the three major periods in European history.
– The term ‘medieval’ comes from ‘medium aevum’.
– Traditionally spans from around 500 to 1500.
– Commonly given starting points include 476 and the conversion of Constantine the Great.
– Major developments include predominance of agriculture, exploitation of the peasantry, and slow interregional communication.
– The movements of tribes led to the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire.

**2. Middle Ages Sources and Historiography:**
– Available sources limit comprehensive study of the period.
– Systematic publication of medieval written sources began with Ludovico Muratori.
– Collections like the Monumenta Germaniae Historica mainly contain annals and chronicles.
– The Rolls Series in the UK also contributed to the study of medieval sources.
– State and church documents are crucial for medieval history.

**3. Middle Ages Society and Political Developments:**
– Population of Europe increased greatly after 1000.
– Technological and agricultural innovations led to a commercial revolution.
– Feudalism system emerged where noble knights owed military service to lords.
– Difficulties like the Black Death characterized the 14th century.
– The Byzantine Empire and Balkan states were conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

**4. Middle Ages Political Entities and Kingdom Formations:**
– Fusion of Roman culture with invading tribes documented.
– Small kingdoms like Wessex and Mercia formed in Britain.
– Various monarchies established by Visigoths, Suebi, Vandals, and Lombards.
– Britons fleeing Britannia settled in present-day Brittany.
– Local leaders accumulated wealth in emerging societies.

**5. Language and Cultural Shifts in the Middle Ages:**
– Latin gradually replaced by Romance languages in Western Europe.
– Greek remained the language of the Byzantine Empire.
– Slavic languages expanded in Central and Eastern Europe due to migrations.
– Settlement of peoples led to changes in languages.
– Latin evolved into distinct vernacular languages.