4.24 Europe: a.d. 1001 to 1100  (Page 16/11)

Europe

Back to Europe: A.D. 901 to 1000

The ages of feudalism and chivalry continued, but under most classifications the "Dark Ages" ended toward the end of this century and the true "Middle Ages" began. Three classes existed in the population of most of Europe at this time:

• the nobles, who fought
• the clergy, who prayed
• the peasants, who worked

The bloodshed accompanying the violent period of knighthood seemed well accepted by all peoples north of the Alps. (Ref. 279 )

Southern europe

Eastern mediterranean islands

These islands remained essentially under the control of Byzantium although there was some infiltration by Genoese and Turks.

Greece

In the early part of the century Constantinople and Greece attempted to regain prestige by resuming the Byzantin-Bulgarian Wars and they did succeed in reconquering most of the Balkans. In the middle two-thirds of the century, however, Greece was caught up in the turmoil associated with the multiple changes of control of the Byzantine Empire as the military commanders, the great landowners and the bureaucracy struggled. The year 1081 was a fateful one for the entire region. The Byzantine general Alexius Comnenus revolted with a force of mercenaries, seized Constantinople and plundered it, while at the same time Normans under Robert Guiscard were landing in Epirus at the northwest corner of Greece. While the Normans besieged Durazzo, Alexius bought the support of the Venetians with extensive trade privileges, but even so, Guiscard defeated the emperor in the battle of Pharasalus and went on to finally take Durazzo. Robert and his son, Bohemund, then attacked various sites on the peninsula, including Corfu, Castorias, Larrissa and Nicopolis. Their advance on land was finally halted by guerrilla tactics of the natives, who hated the "Latins" and by Seljuq cavalry hired by the emperor. In 1085 the Normans were also defeated at sea by the combined Byzantine and Venetian fleets. (Ref. 8 , 119 )

Upper balkans

It was a bad century for the Balkans. First the region was conquered and made a Byzantine province (1018) so that the First Bulgarian Empire came to an end.