Lessons 1 · 1 lessons · T. O‘. Salimov, F. E. Sultonov. Jahon tarixi (milodiy V asr oxiridan – XV asr oxirigacha) (World history, late 5th – late 15th century), Grade 7. «O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi» State Scientific Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017 (revised and expanded 3rd edition)
1
Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire
Textbook: pp. 8–11
GoalExplain the causes of the “Great Migration of Peoples”, the life of the Germanic tribes and the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
New words
Great Migration · buyuk ko‘chishlarbarbarians · varvarlarkonung (tribal leader) · konungtwo-field crop rotation · ikki dalali almashlab ekish
Explanation
In the 4th–6th centuries CE the “Great Migration of Peoples” swept across Europe, set in motion by Hun tribes from the east. Population growth, the need for new land, growing inequality of property and climate change also played a part. The Romans called peoples they thought culturally behind them “barbarians”. The Germanic tribes (Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards) lived in the basins of the Rhine and Elbe; their main occupation was herding, and farming developed later. The iron-tipped plough and the two-field system raised harvests. Each tribe had a leader, the konung, and society was splitting into rich and poor. Step by step the Germanic tribes founded kingdoms on Roman land, and in 476 the Western Roman Empire fell, opening the transition to feudal society in Europe.
Worked examples
The two-field system: the land is split in two — one half is sown with grain while the other rests fallow; next year they swap.
The Germans sold slaves, cattle and hides to the Romans and received wine, cloth and vessels in return.
Class activity
“Migration map”: the class marks on a map where the Germanic tribes first lived (Rhine–Elbe) and shows with coloured arrows the lands they later took (Gaul, Spain, North Africa, Italy, Britain).
Practice
1
Which centuries does the “Great Migration of Peoples” cover, and who set it in motion?
The 4th–6th centuries CE; it was set in motion by the Huns from the east.
2
Which Germanic tribes founded kingdoms on Roman land? Name three.
For example: Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Franks, Burgundians.
3
Why did two-field rotation raise the harvest?
Half of the land rested and recovered its fertility; fields did not become exhausted so quickly, so there was less need to clear new ones.
4
Why is the year 476 famous and what did it mean for Europe?
In that year the Western Roman Empire fell; the Middle Ages and the transition to feudal society began in Europe.