Three civilisations and three monotheisms
Around 800 CE three worlds touched the Mediterranean. Latin Christendom was western Europe: its Church was led by the pope in Rome and its language of learning was Latin. The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the old Roman Empire: its capital was Constantinople and its people spoke Greek. The Islamic world stretched along the south and east shores, from Spain and North Africa to Egypt and Syria.
These worlds followed three monotheistic faiths (faiths that believe in one God): Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three honour Abraham and have holy places in Jerusalem. Jewish communities lived in cities in all three worlds, and many were traders and translators.
Christendom and Islam: contact and clash
Contact did not mean only war. Merchants bought and sold. Pilgrims travelled. Scholars in Sicily, Spain and Italy translated Arabic books on medicine, maths and astronomy into Latin. Our "Arabic numerals" (0 to 9) reached Europe this way.
But there was also conflict. Muslim armies and Christian kingdoms fought over Spain, Sicily and the Holy Land. Pirates raided coasts on both sides. Rulers sometimes allied across faith lines when it helped them. So the true picture is a mix: exchange and conflict at the same time.
Rome and Byzantium
The western half of the Roman Empire broke up in the 400s. The eastern half lived on for another thousand years as the Byzantine Empire. Its capital, Constantinople, was the largest and richest city in Christian lands. In the west, new kingdoms grew; in 800 the pope crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as emperor, which annoyed Constantinople.
The two Churches also drifted apart over language, who had authority, and some teachings. In 1054 their leaders excommunicated each other. This is called the East-West Schism. After that, "Catholic" (west) and "Orthodox" (east) went separate ways. See the lessons on the Byzantine Empire and Crusades for more.
Bernard of Clairvaux and the Second Crusade
After the First Crusade (1096-99) European knights set up small states on the Levant coast. In 1144 Muslim forces took back the city of Edessa. The pope asked Bernard of Clairvaux, a famous monk and preacher, to rally Europe. His speeches in 1146 moved kings and ordinary people to join the Second Crusade (1147-49).
The armies of King Louis VII of France and King Conrad III of Germany marched east, but they were weakened on the way. In 1148 they failed to take Damascus and went home. Bernard was blamed and was shocked. The crusade shows how religion, politics and land mixed in medieval wars.
Venice: a maritime and trading power
Venice stood on islands in a lagoon at the top of the Adriatic Sea. It had little farmland, so its people lived by the sea: they built ships, sailed and traded. Its great shipyard, the Arsenal, could build ships very fast.
Venice traded with Byzantium, the Islamic ports of Egypt and Syria, and the cities of Europe. It sold wood, salt and metal, and bought spices, silk and cotton. The city was ruled by merchant families and a doge (an elected leader). In 1204 Venetian leaders helped turn the Fourth Crusade against Constantinople, which brought Venice more trade rights and island colonies. Venice shows that a power can grow by trade, not only by conquest.
Try it
In the 3D: in step 5, guess first: with the slider at "war", how many trade ships do you expect? Then move it and check. Notice that at "peace" there are no red arrows at all.
At home: make a chart with two columns, "Exchange" and "Conflict". Put each of these in the right column: spice trade, Second Crusade, translating books, pirate raids, Venice shipyard, pilgrim travel.
Key formulas and definitions
- Mediterranean world = Latin Christendom + Byzantine Empire + Islamic world
- Three monotheisms: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
- 1054 = East-West Schism (Rome and Constantinople split)
- 1147-49 = Second Crusade (preached by Bernard of Clairvaux)
- Venice = lagoon city + shipyard (Arsenal) + trade with every shore
Worked examples
1. Name the three civilisations around the medieval Mediterranean.
Latin Christendom (western Europe), the Byzantine Empire (east, capital Constantinople) and the Islamic world (south and east shores).
2. Give two examples of exchange and two of conflict in the medieval Mediterranean.
Exchange: trade in spices and silk; translation of Arabic science books into Latin. Conflict: the Second Crusade; pirate raids on coasts.
3. Why was Venice able to grow rich even though it had little farmland?
It lived by the sea. It built many ships fast in the Arsenal, traded with Byzantium, Egypt and Europe, and took a share of each deal.
4. How many years passed between the East-West Schism (1054) and the Second Crusade (1147)?
1147 - 1054 = 93 years.
5. Why is "Christendom against Islam" too simple a summary?
Because there was also trade, travel and learning between them. Rulers sometimes allied across faiths, and Christians also fought Christians, as in 1204.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the whole period was one long war. Trade and learning went on during the conflicts.
- Mixing up Rome and Constantinople. Rome = pope = Latin west. Constantinople = emperor = Greek east (Byzantium).
- Saying Bernard of Clairvaux led the army. He preached; kings led the armies.
- Thinking Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in separate regions. Small communities of each lived in many cities.