4.24 Europe: a.d. 1001 to 1100  (Page 4/11)

In this century the German drive toward the east took two different lines. There was expansion by colonization along the shores of the Baltic, up the valleys of the Oder and Elbe rivers and down the plains by the Danube. German speaking cities and monasteries were founded throughout these areas with subsequent extension through Bohemia and Silesia. The second method was political expansion. By 1100 the boundary of the empire had been shifted from the Elbe to the Oder and this new territory eventually became the Kingdom of Brandenburg. Frequent uprisings of Slavs prevented significant growth in this century, however. (Ref. 184 )

The towns of medieval Germany, as in all Europe, were relatively small and closely surrounded by grain fields. Pigs roamed the streets which were so dirty and muddy that they had to be crossed on stilts in the areas where no wooden bridges were available. At the time of fairs the main streets of Frankfurt were covered with straw or wood shavings. (Ref. 260 ) (Continue on page 582)

NOTE: Insert Map 39: Europe in 1100

Austria

German-speaking people were now the major element in the population of Austria. Although under the suzerainty of the German Empire, it was ruled locally by the Babenburg family.

Hungary

As the century opened Hungary, under King Stephen, was a member in good standing of the Christian nations. The descendants in the male line of the old Magyar conquerors made up the body of freemen, having special positions and paying taxes only to the church. Slavery continued and the freed slaves and foreigners attained an intermediary position, paying dues to the king for their land. Upon Stephen's death in 1038 there followed a long series of disputes for the throne which lasted for the remainder of the century. This dynastic warfare did much harm to Hungary, not only because of the blood and devastation but because some of the contestants called in foreign help, German and Polish, leading to political degradation and losses of territory. Christianity was retained, although there were some rebellions of the old Magyar pagans against the tithe, one occurring immediately after Stephen's death and the last one in 1063. At the end of the century the throne went to Ladislas I, a powerful protector of the church. Foreign monks, including Germans, French and Italians, did help to raise the cultural standards of the country. As will be noted on the preceding map, by 1100 Hungary controlled Slavonia and Croatia, most of what is modern Romania, the southern part of current Czechoslovakia, the northern part of present day Yugoslovia and Dalmatia. The Hungarians had ready access to the Adriatic Sea. (Ref. 126 )

Czechoslovakia

Although Bohemia had most of the gold ore that was available in the West, it could not really capitalize on this potential wealth because of extraneous pressure from the Poles on the north and the Hungarians on the south. Boleslav I, creator of the Polish state, took Prague in 1013, then in 1034 Bretislav I of the same country made himself Duke of Bohemia. Still another Polish king, Boleslav II, conquered Slovakia. Nevertheless, Bohemia did retain a kingship, with Spytihnev ruling from 1055 to 1061, followed by Vratislav II. (Ref. 222 ) By 1100, however, as we have seen, the Hungarians took over the entire southern part of present day Czechoslovakia.