Chapter 13

EUROPEAN MIDDLE AGES500-1200

Section 1 – Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne

• The gradual decline of the Roman Empire ushered in an era of European History called the Middle Ages – spanning from 500 – 1500

Invasions Trigger Changes in Western Europe• Different Germanic groups over-ran western Europe

ushering in changes in government, economy and Trade– Disruption of Trade – invasion from land and sea caused

business to collapse and breakdown of trade– Downfall of cities – With the Collapse of the Roman Empire,

cities became abandoned– Population Shifts - Nobles retreated to rural areas, city dwellers

fled to the countryside and grew their own food, population of western Europe became mostly Rural

• The Decline of Learning– German invaders were illiterate – Learning among citizens sank sharply– Only Church officials were literate– German tribes had a rich oral history with songs a

legends

Loss of a Common Language– German-speaking people mixed with Roman

population Latin began to change– Different dialects developed, French and Spanish

evolved from Latin

• Germanic Kingdoms Emerge– Germanic Kingdoms replaced old Roman provinces,

borders changing constantly– The Church was the only institution that survived the

fall of the Roman empire, providing order and security

The Concepts of Government Changes– Family ties and personal loyalty, rather than

citizenship bound the Germanic people• Governed by unwritten rules and traditions• Germanic chiefs had warriors who pledged loyalty to him,

they willingly died for a chief the respected, no obligation to a king or officials sent by the king

• In the province of Gaul, a Germanic people, The Franks held power, their leader Clovis would bring Christianity to the ppl

• The Franks Under Clovis– Clovis’s wife urged him to convert to her faith– Under the stress of battle he appealed to the

Christian God– The Church in Rome welcomed his conversion and

supported his military campaigns– He united the Franks under one kingdom– Clovis’s alliance with the Church marked the

beginning of a special partnership of powerful forces

Germanic Peoples Adopt Christianity• Politics played a key role in spreading

Christianity• By 600, with the help of Frankish rulers, The

Church had converted many Germanic people• Missionaries risking their lives to advance

their faith• In southern Europe, attacks by Muslims

caused many to convert as well

• Monasteries and Converts– Church built religious communities called monasteries– Monks and nuns ran these monasteries– 520 – Benedict wrote a book that set practical guidelines for Monks

and Nuns to follow– Devoted their lived to prayer and good works

Gregory I Expands Papal Power– 590 Gregory I became Pope, broadened the authority of the papacy– Papacy became secular,– He used church revenues to raise armies, repair roads , and help the

poor– Strengthened the vision of Christendom – the spiritual kingdom– The idea of a Churchly Kingdom would be a central theme throughout

the middle Ages

A European Empire Evolves• As the Roman Empire dissolved, small kingdoms sprang up

everywhere• England split up into seven different kingdoms• The Franks controlled the largest, All of France

– Clovis’s descendants• 700 – the Major Domo, or mayor, of the palace ruled the

kingdom• Charles Martel, mayor in 719, extended the Franks reign

to the north, south and east– Defeated a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the

Battle of Tours– Held great significant for Christians, he became a

Christian hero

• After Martel’s death his son Pepin the Short took power and was anointed Pepin “King by the grace of God”

• Setting up the Carolingian Dynasty – 751 – 987

• Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule– Pepin the Short died in 768– His two sons took power– After his older brothers death Charlemagne took

control of the entire kingdom

• Charlemagne Take Center Stage– Charlemagne build a great empire– He fought Muslims in Spain and Germanic tribes– Conquered new lands in the south and east– He helped spread Christianity– He reunited western Europe for the first time since the

Roman Empire– 800 – He traveled to Rome to crush an unruly mob

attacking the Pope– Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in return – Claimed the right to confer the title “Roman Emperor”– Even signaled the joined of Germanic power and the

Church

• Charlemagne’s Government– Strengthened his power by limiting the authority

of the nobles– Made sure landowners governed justly– Regularly visited various parts of his kingdom

Cultural Revival– Charlemagne great accomplishment was that he

encouraged learning– Ordered monasteries to open schools to train

future monks and priests– Monasteries expanded their libraries

Charlemagne's Heirs Are Weak Rulers• Crowned his son, Louis the Pious, heir to his

kingdom• Proved an infective leader• Louis’s sons fought each other and his death

and set off a civil war – Ended with the treaty of Verdun that divided Charlemagne Empire into three kingdoms

• Carolingian kings lost power and the lack of strong leaders lead to a new system of governing and landholding