12i franks

The Rise of

Medieval Europe

European consequences of the fall of Rome:

1. Less trade, less mobility

2. Roads, cities, bridges in disrepair

3. Education disappeared

4. Money no longer used / barter

The Franks emerged as the strongest Germanic group in Western Europe and established a series of Merovingian Kings. The first of these was Clovis.

Clovis was the first Merovingian King and the first Germanic King to become Christian. It was this conversion that gave his kingdom stability! (Why?)

Pull myfinger...

It was Clovis who defeated Alaric and secured Western Europe for the Franks. Remember Alaric?

But these kings divided their lands among their sons. This led to smaller and smaller kingdoms that fought among themselves. Eventually, power passed to the mayors of the palaces.

The most powerful of these, Charles “The Hammer” Martel, led his people against Muslims at Tours, France (732AD) and became the dominant leader in Western Europe.

Vous ne pouvez pas le toucher!

Temps de marteau!!

In 752, Charles’ son, Pepin the Short, became the king of the Franks with the blessing of the nobles and the Church.

The Pope anointed Pepin with oil to signify his blessing. In return, Pepin agreed to help the pope against his enemies. What does this signify about how you become king?

This partnership was to forever link the Catholic Church with the rulers of Western Europe.

You moron, this is super-

glue!

Pepin’s son Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus) did several things: 1. Gave the name Carolingian to his family dynasty. 2. Enlarged his land to create the Frankish Empire. 3. Agreed to defend Pope Leo III. In return, he (CM) was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor!

This series of events made Charlemagne’s empire a Christian empire. He relied on local “counts” to help rule. These “elector counts” would elect future Holy Roman Emperors.

Frankish Dominions

Why the Carolingian Empire falls apart:

1. Charlemagne’s grandsons fight for control of the empire (eventually dividing it 3 ways.) 2. Vikings, Muslims, and Slavs all raided the empire from different directions.

The Merovingian and Carolingian empires made one important contribution to history. They permanently linked the Nobles to the Church. This gave Europe the stability that other regions lacked.