Fragmentation of Europe & Legal Systems in the Middle Ages

Fragmentation of Europe

• Collapse of the Roman Empire led to the rise of many new peoples and tribes, including Goths, Franks, and Saxons.
• Various invasions and attacks from different groups weakened the centralized power.
• Examples include the Saxons, Lombards, Bavarians, Magyars, Northmen/Vikings, and Arab attacks.
• Mongol sack of Kiev in 1240 contributed to the fracturing of Europe.
• By the 14th century, Europe comprised many smaller, independent states and city-states.
• These states often had independent judicial, political, and economic institutions.
• City-states in Italy and German trade towns maintained their independence.

Legal Systems in the Middle Ages

• Three main legal systems existed:
  • Civil Law: Based on written laws and decrees of rulers, impacting political and human affairs. This often developed sovereign states.
  • Canon Law: Established by Church councils and codified by Church Fathers, applying to Church matters.
  • Common Law: Based on local customs and previous court decisions, prevalent in areas where Roman Law wasn't dominant, like England.

Cultural Fragmentation

• Multiple languages, such as dozens in France, emerged.
• Latin was the primary language of the church and academics.
• Significant decline in communications and travel due to infrastructural issues (roads, bridges).
• Travel times between cities increased.

The Schism of 1054

• Split between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
• Divided political and religious spheres in Eastern and Western Europe.
• By the 1500s, most people in the Balkans were Eastern Orthodox.

The Ottoman Empire

• Islamic, political, and religious authority of the empire.
• Control over large territories from Spain to North Africa and from Anatolia to the Indian subcontinent and islands in Southeast Asia.
• The Ottoman Empire expanded into the Balkans, conquering Serbia, Bosnia, Albania, and Herzegovina by the early 1500s.
• Eventually, the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (Istanbul).

Conflicts and Crusades

• The first Crusade (1095) aimed to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
• The Fourth Crusade (1204) targeted and sacked Constantinople, weakening the Byzantine Empire.

European and Islamic Empires

• 1054 Schism - Separation between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
• The crusades - Series of religious wars, including the First Crusade (1095) and the Fourth Crusade (1204).
• Dominance of Islamic empires in certain parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Explore the complex changes in Europe following the collapse of the Roman Empire, including the rise of various tribes and the eventual establishment of independent states. This quiz also covers the three main legal systems of the Middle Ages: Civil Law, Canon Law, and Common Law.