Middle Ages

• 400s-1500 AD– Period of transition

from the end of the classical age and the beginning of the modern world

Anglo-Saxons

• Had taken control of Britain by 450– Alfred the Great kept

the Vikings out

• After his death, Vikings eventually took over in 1016– Edward the Confessor

becomes king

King John

• One of Edward’s successors required more taxes to pay for military efforts– Outraged, nobles

forced King John to sign the Magna Carta

Clash of Church and State

• Charlemagne’s descendants: Henry III and Henry IV– Viewed the church as a

branch of imperial power

• Power popes: Gregory VII and Innocent III– Viewed kings and

emperors as servants of the church

Clash of Church and State• Innocent III able to greatly strengthen the church’s

worldly power– How?– Used power of excommunication

Impact of the Crusades

• New weaponry– Crossbow, catapult, and

war strategies• Political Changes

– Lords sold land to join Crusades• More power to kings

– Church maintained high power

• Cultural Diffusion– Spreading of ideas and

trade

Manufacturing

• Domestic system– Goods made in the

home

• Fairs– Bartering

• Growth of cities

City Life

• Very unhealthy• No police or street

lights• Dangerous• Dumped wastes

Black Death

• Most believe it was passed by rats

• ~25 million deaths• Shook faith – Why?

• Working class demanded higher wages– Began uprisings

What did Europe look like?

• Germanic tribes set up their own weak governments.

• Each kingdom had many tribes within it

• The most influential were the Franks

The Franks• Each tribe had its own king• Clovis:– 481 became king of one of the tribes– Began taking over other tribes– A few years later converted to Christianity

• Following Frankish custom Clovis’ Empire was divided among his sons1.Weakens the whole2.In-fighting 3.Unaware of danger (out & in)

Franks

• Clovis- king of the Franks– United several

Frankish tribes around Gaul

• Merovingians- Clovis and his successors

Rise of the Franks• The Franks controlled the

largest of the Post-Roman Kingdoms starting in about 500

• The King of the Franks was weak, and one of the nobles, known as ‘Mayor of the Palace’, Charles the Hammer, became very powerful.

• Charles the Hammer led a group of knights that defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732.

Charlemagne

Rise of Charlemagne• To repay Charles the Hammer for

defeating the Muslims, the Pope crowned his son Pepin the Short King of the Franks officially in 751.

• When Pepin died, his son Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great, took over.

(At this point Charlemagne is just King of the Franks)

Pope=leader of the Catholic Church

• Pepin– 687 Began reunification of the Empire

• Charles Martel (Pepin’s son)– 714 succeeded his father– 732 defeated the Moors @the Battle of Tours

Franks

• Pepin III (The Short)– New line of kings,

Carolingians– Endorsed by the church

after defeating Germanic tribes advancing on Italy

• Charlemagne- Pepin’s son– Becomes the greatest of

all Frankish kings– 768-814 AD

Charlemagne

• Martel’s grandson• “Most powerful

Christian ruler”• Coronated by the Pope,

“Emperor of the Romans”

• Intellectual Renewal– Learned to read as an

adult– Felt clergy and leaders

should know as well– Mini-Renaissance

• At 6 feet tall, he was a towering figure, and became very powerful.

“Charlemagne was the most potent [powerful] prince with the greatest skill and success in different countries. Great and powerful as was the land of the Franks, when Charlemagne inherited it from his father, he nevertheless almost doubled it!”

-Christian Monk

Question: According to the Monk, What is Charlemagne’s greatest accomplishment?

Bigger Empire• Charlemagne created the biggest

Empire in Europe since Rome.• He introduced many new people

to Christianity.• Most powerful King in Europe• He defeated a group of Lombards

threatening the Vatican in Italy.• To thank him, in 800 Pope Leo III

crowned him emperor of the “Holy Roman Empire”

Charlemagne

• Crowned as Roman emperor

• Appointed counts to manage regions– Also appointed “the

lord’s messengers”• Encouraged the spread

of Christianity– Sometimes by force

ConquestsBefore Charlemagne After Charlemagne

Running an Empire• Charlemagne limited the power of nobles• Visited every part of his empire• Built new Christian schools

Charlemagne

• Died in 814• Throne passed to

Louis the Pious• Then on to his sons:– Lothair– Charles the Bald– Louis the German

• Split empire among themselves in the Treaty of Verdun

Charlemagne Dies• Charlemagne named his only son Louis to be

the next emperor.• Louis died and the empire was split between

his three sons.• The sons fought for control, and in the end

split the empire, making them very weak.

• After this, Europe turns full force to feudalism, VERY WEAK kings, strong Pope!

The Decline of the Frankish Empire

• Following tradition—what happened to Charlemagne’s empire?

1. Weakens the whole2. In-fighting 3. Unaware of danger

(out & in)

• Invaders swarmed in

Decline of the Franks• Factors leading to decline:– Constant fighting among the sons– Always threatened by outside invasion

• Vikings• Magyars• Muslim invaders