Charlemagne Unites Germanic Kingdoms

• Gradual decline of the Roman Empire starts an era called Middle Ages in Europe (approx. 500-1500)

• In the 400’s, Germanic tribes invade western Rome and cause the following changes:

1. Disruption of Trade- merchants faced invasions2. Downfall of Cities- cities were abandoned 3. Population Shifts- nobles retreated to rural areas• The decline of learning- Germanic invaders could not read

or write. As noble romans flee to rural areas, many aspects of Greek culture were lost

• Loss of common language- as Germanic tribes mixed in with native Romans, language meshes. By 800 AD, the Latin language had evolved into different dialects that would make up Spanish, French, and other Roman based languages.

Germanic Kingdoms Emerge• During the time of political upheaval after the classical

period, Germanic kingdoms replace the Roman provinces. The Church remains the only constant

Concept of Government Changes• Germanic peoples lived according to unwritten laws, and

considered themselves loyal to family rather than state. Germans were loyal to their commanders before any king, and in general valued personal ties rather than formal ties.

Clovis Rules the Franks• The Franks rule over Gaul (present day France and

Switzerland) under Clovis• Clovis converts to Christianity upon his wife’s

request. In 496 AD he leads his warriors against a Germanic army and prays for their guidance. The Franks win, and Clovis asks for a bishop to baptize him and 3,000 warriors.

• The Church in Rome welcomes Clovis’s conversion and supports his military campaigns against other German tribes. The union between the Frankish kingdom and the Church would start a powerful partnership.

Germans Adopt Christianity • By 600 many Germanic peoples had converted to

Christianity

Monasteries, Convents, and Manuscripts• The church builds religious communities called monasteries

where monks and nuns devote themselves to serving God• Around 520, Benedect writes Scholastica for governing

religious monasteries. • Monasteries became Europe’s best educated communities

Papal Power Expands Under Gregory I• In 590 Gregory the Great becomes the Pope, and broadens

the power of the office beyond its spiritual role • The Pope’s palace becomes the center of Roman

government, making it a secular position. In addition, he used the church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor.

• Gregory felt that he controlled all the land from Italy to England, and from Spain to Germany. He strengthens the idea of “Christendom”, which is the idea of a churchly kingdom ruled by a pope that expands its rule outward from Rome.

An Empire Evolves

• After the Roman Empire dissolves, small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe.

Charles Martel Emerges• By 719, Charles Martel held more power than the king (major

domo mayor of the palace)• He defeated the Muslim raiders at the Battle of Tours in 732,

which was highly significant for Christian Europeans this makes him a Christian hero

• After his death, he passes his power to his son Pepin the Short. Pepin wants to become king, and works alongside the pope. In exchange, the pope names Pepin “king by the grace of God”

• This begins the Carolingian Dynasty (751-987)

Charlemagne Becomes Emperor• Pepin the Short died in 768 AD, leaving the kingdom to his

two sons, Carloman and Chales• Carloman died in 771, and Charles rules by himself for 47

years “Charlemagne” or “Charles the Great”

Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule• Builds an empire greater than any known since ancient Rome• Through conquests, Charlemagne spreads Christianity and

unites western Europe for first time since Roman empire• In 800, he puts down a mob attacking the pope. As a result

the pope crowns him “emperor” pope assumes the power to confer the title “Roman emperor” on a European king. Joining of Germanic power, the Church, and Rome.

Charlemagne leads a revival• Strengthens his power by limiting authority of nobles• Regularly visited each part of the kingdom• He encouraged learning by opening a palace school• Ordered monasteries to open schools to train monks and

priests

Charlemagne’s Heirs• A year before Charlemagne dies in 814, he crowned his son

Louis the Pious as emperor proved to be an ineffective ruler

• After Louis, his three sons fight for power and sign a peace treaty in 843 (Treaty of Verdun), which divided the kingdom into three sections

• Central authority broke down, leading to a new system of governing and landholding feudalism

Feudalism in Europe• After the Treaty of Verdun, the Carolingian Empire was

divided into three sections which would make invasions more easy than before. Political turmoil and warfare lead to feudalism political/economic system based on personal loyalty and land ownership

Invaders Attack Western Europe• 800-1000 AD invasions destroyed the Carolingian Empire

(Muslims from south, Vikings from north, Magyars from east)

Vikings Invade from the North• In search of better land for farming• Traveled from Scandanavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)• Attacked on warships, moved swiftly, and got back out to

sea before locals could build defense. • Leif Ericson travels across Atlantic to the Americas around

1000 AD

Magyars and Muslims from the East and the South• Came from around the Carpathian Mtns.• Magyars are superior horsemen who sweep across the

Danube River in the late 800’s• Magyars didn’t settle conquered lands; they took captives

to sell as slaves• Muslims originate back to Spain, Middle East, and N. Africa• Able to attack settlements on the Mediterranean Sea due

to their expertise in sea warfare

As a result of these invasions, kings could no longer protect their empires. People turned to local rulers who had their own armies.

New Social Order: Feudalism• In 911, Charles the Simple (France) and Rollo (Viking) reach

agreement to give Vikings a piece of French land in return for loyalty Normandy or “Northmen’s Land”

Feudalism Structures Society• During the worst years of invasions, European lords granted

vassals land for military protection• Feudalism is a two-sided bargain that depends on land

Feudal Pyramid1. King2. Vassals3. Knights4. Peasants

Well-Defined Social Classes• Social class was usually inherited• Classified into 3 groups1. Those who fought (nobles and knights)2. Those who prayed (men and women of the church)3. Those who worked (peasants)• Most peasants are serfs, which are people who aren’t

slaves but who also are bound to a piece of land. The labor they produced belonged to their lord.

Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism

• Manor- lord’s estate• Lords provided serfs with housing, land, and protection.

Serfs provided lord with tending the land, caring for animals, and other tasks to maintain the estate.

• Peasants and serfs owed the lord at least a few days labor each weak, and a portion of their grains

Self-Contained World• 15-30 families lived on the manors typically, and they were

self-sufficient • Produced nearly everything they needed (crops, milk and

cheese, fuel, cloth, lumber). Only outside purchases were salt, iron, and a few other unusual objects like millstones

Harshness of Manor Life• In return for living lord’s estate, peasants paid tax on grain,

marriage, and tithe• Serfs lived in cottages used pigs to warm dirt floors• Diet consisted of vegetables, cheese, bread, and soup• Illness and malnutrition crumble life expectancy 35• For the most part, they accepted their role in society b/c

they believed God determined a person’s place in society

Age of ChivalryKnights: Warriors on Horseback• Knights become valuable during the reign of Charlemagne’s

grandfather, Charles Martel Technology Changes• Leather saddles and stirrups change warfare in European 8th

century both developed in Asia around 200 BCWarrior’s Role in Feudal Society• Warriors were given fiefs from feudal lords $ from the land

gained was used for weapons, armor, and warhorses• Knights main obligation was to serve in battle (40 days a year)• Knights hunted and wrestled to hone skills they would need

on the battlefield

Knighthood and the Code of Chivalry• By the 1100’s, the code of chivalry demanded a knight fight

bravely in defense of 3 masters1. His feudal lord2. His heavenly Lord3. His chosen lady

• Knights were expected to protect the weak and the poor• In reality, most knights failed to meet chivalric expectationsA Knights Training• At 7, a boy would be sent off to a castle of another lord

page- boy who waits on hosts and begins fighting skills• At age 14, the “page” becomes a “squire”- a servant to a

knight• At 21, the “squire” becomes a full fledged knight

• After becoming a knight, most young men travel for 1-2 years battling in tournaments

Brutal Reality of Warfare• Small-scale violence of tournaments didn’t match actual

warfare• Defenders of a castle often poured boiling water, molten

lead, or hot oil on intruders• Archers stood atop the castle walls and shot down enemies

Literature of Chivalry• Stories downplayed actuality of warfare and idealized castle

life• Songs and poems about knights’ love for ladies were

popularEpic Poems• Recounted a hero’s deeds and adventures • Many epics on King Arthur and CharlemagneLove Poems and Songs• Love for one’s lady became as important as love for one’s

lord• Troubadors compose short songs about love

• The code of chivalry promoted a false idea of knights as loving rather than brutal, and a false idea of noblewomen as beautiful and pure

Women’s Role in Feudal Society• Women seen as inferior to men, but played important roles

Noblewomen• Could inherit an estate from her husband• Could send knights to war with lord’s request• When husband was off fighting, the lady may act as military

commander (fired arrows and hurled rocks in battle)• In general, however, women were confined to the home or

the convent

Peasant Women• For women of lower class, they performed labor in the

home and fields• Bore children and took care of the family• Peasant girls learned hospitality skills while noble girls were

educated by tutors

Power of the Church• While these feudal governments were relatively weak in

Europe during the Middle Ages, the Church was powerful• As the papacy expanded, people began to question the

authority of the pope, which led to power struggles in Rome

Far Reaching Authority of the Church• With Charlemagne being crowned emperor in 800, there’s a

problem….• 300 years later, Pope Gelasius provides a solution arguing

that the pope should rule religious matters and the emperor should rule political matters

• This didn’t work in practice because both parties argued the boundaries of their own realm Middle Ages is full of power struggles between the Church and the state

Structure of the Church• Pope was the head of the clergy• Bishops supervised priests (lowest level of clergy)• Priests were the main contact w/ Church for most people

Religion as a Unifying Force• Feudalism and the manor system create distinctions

between social classes, but the Church unifies them• Church was a stable force during a time of political warfare

and warfare• @ local level, the village helps unify people through the

Church through festive holidays (Easter, Christmas)

Law of the Church• Church’s authority is both political and religious• “Canon Law”- Church law that regulates marriage and

other religious practices• Church creates its own court to try people who violate

Canon Law punishments consisted of “excommunication” and “interdict”

The Church and the Holy Roman Empire

Otto I Allies with the Church• Otto I was crowned king of Germany in 936, and ruled as

the most effective ruler of medieval Germany• He forms an alliance with the Church, and dominated the

Church in Germany used this alliance to defeat German princes

• Following his hero Charlemagne, Otto I invades Italy on the pope’s behalf in return the pope crowns him emperor in 962

Signs of Future Conflicts• This empire Otto I creates was called the Roman Empire of

the German Nation later the Holy Roman Empire• It was the strongest state until 1100, when the popes and

Italian nobles begin to resist German power over Italy

Emperor Clashes with the Pope• Church isn’t happy with the emperors having control over

the clergy in particular “lay investiture” • In 1075, Pope Gregory VII bans lay investiture • The emperor @ the time, Henry IV, calls a meeting with the

German bishops (that he appointed) and orders Gregory VII to step down from the papacy.

• Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, the German bishops begin to side with the pope, and eventually Henry IV has to try and gain the pope’s forgiveness

Showdown at Canossa• In January 1077, Henry IV travels to Canossa, Italy to beg

forgiveness of Gregory VII• The pope is obligated to forgive, but Gregory VII makes Henry

IV wait three days in the snow before he forgives him public humiliation for Henry IV

• After being forgiven, Henry IV rushes home to Germany to punish unfaithful clergy and nobles

Concordat of Worms• Successors of Henry IV and Gregory VII continue to fight over

lay investiture until 1122• Rep’s from the Church met the emperor in the German city of

Worms (Wurms)• They reach a compromise Concordat of Worms- church alone

can appoint a bishop, but the emperor can veto an appointment

Disorder in the Empire• By 1152, German princes realized they needed a stronger ruler to

keep the peace and elect Frederick I (Barbarossa)Reign of Frederick• First ruler to call his lands the “Holy Roman Empire”, but in

actuality his lands were feudal territories• He repeatedly attacks Italy following Otto’s steps, causing the

pope and Italian merchants to form the “Lombard League”• In 1176, Lombard League soldiers face Frederick I’s soldiers @

the Battle of Legnano merchant soldiers use crossbows to defeat the feudal knights

• In 1177, Frederick made peace with the pope and returned to Germany German princes don’t believe in him anymore and after his drowning in 1190 the empire falls to pieces

German States Remain Separate• German kings after Frederick I try to revive Charlemagne’s

empire and alliance with the Church this led to wars with Italian cities and clashes with the pope

• These conflicts are why Germany never unifies during the Middle Ages

• The fact that princes were electing the king in Germany weakened royal authority because German kings controlled fewer royal lands to use as a base of power compared to the lands the French and English kings were controlling