Middle Ages

Charlemagne and the Germanic Kingdoms

Key Terms

• Middle Ages• Franks• Monastery• Carolingian Dynasty• Charlemagne

Middle Ages• Era of European history

following the decline of the Roman Empire

• Lasted between years of 500-1500

• Roots in:1. classical heritage of Rome2. beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church3. customs of various Germanic tribes

Changes to Western Europe

• By the end of the 400’s Germanic tribes overran the western half of Roman empire

• Remember the empire was spilt in 2

Constant Warfare led to:

• Disruption of trade- businesses collapsed and breakdown of trade destroyed European cities, money became scarce

• Downfall of cities- cities were abandoned

• Population shifts- nobles retreated to rural areas, and Rome left with no strong government, others fleeing to countryside to grow own food

Decline of Roman Culture

• Germanic tribes could not read

• People moved to rural areas

• Less stress on learning• Germanic tribes had no

written language, but had oral tradition of songs and legends

Loss of Common Language

• Latin changed as Romans and Germans mixed

• New languages evolved from Latin

• The different languages was a symbol of the breakup of the Roman Empire

Germanic Kingdoms• Societies held together by

family ties and personal loyalty

• Governed by unwritten laws and traditions

• Germanic chiefs led warriors who were loyal to him

• In peacetime, warriors lived in their lord’s hall

• Given weapons, food, and treasure

• In battle, fought until the death at their lord’s side

• No obligation to obey king they didn’t know

• Did not obey officials collecting taxes or administering justice

• Impossible to establish orderly government over them.

The Franks• Germanic people located

in Gaul• Leader was Clovis• His wife urged him to

convert to Christianity• In 496, he asked for

assistance of the Christian God in battle

• They won and soon Clovis and 3,000 warriors asked to be baptized

Germans Adopt Christianity• Frankish rulers convert

many Germanic people• Missionaries work to

convert Germanic and Celtic group bordering Roman Empire in the 300s and 400s

• Fear of Muslim attacks on the coast led to many in southern Europe to become Christians in the 600s

• To adapt to rural conditions, Churches built monasteries , or religious communities

• Christian men called monks gave up private possessions and became servants of God

• Women became nuns and lived in convents

Kingdoms• After Roman Empire

dissolved, tiny kingdoms sprang up all over Europe

• England had 7 tiny kingdoms

• Under Clovis, the Franks controlled the largest and strongest kingdom-Gaul

• By the time Clovis died in 511, he had extended rule over what is now France

Major Domo

• By 700, official named major domo (mayor of the palace) had become most powerful person in kingdom

• Officially, he had charge of royal and household estates

• Unofficially, he commanded armies and made policies

Charles Martel• In 719, Charles Martel

(Charles the Hammer) was named mayor of the palace, and had more power than the king

• Extended Franks power to the north, south and east

• Defeated Muslim raiding from Spain at the Battle of Tours

• Victory made him a Christian hero

• A loss would have meant Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire

Pepin the Short

• Son of Charles Martel who wanted to be king

• Cooperated with pope• Fought a tribe who

invaded Italy and threatened Rome, on behalf of Church

• Pope anointed Pepin as “king by the grace of God”

Carolingian Dynasty

• Pepin the Short died and left a greatly strengthened kingdom to his two sons, Carloman and Charles (Charlemagne)

• After Carloman’s death, Charles (Charlemagne) took control of the kingdom

Charlemagne• Intro to Charlemagne• Built an empire larger as any

since the Roman empire• Every summer he would

take his army to fight enemies surrounding his kingdom

• Fought Muslims in Spain and other Germanic tribes

• Spread Christianity while conquering new lands

Charlemagne

• In 800, Charlemagne traveled to Rome to crush an unruly mob that attacked the Pope

• Pope Leo was so grateful that he crowned Charlemagne emperor

• The coronation was historic- a pope had claimed the right to award the title “Roman Emperor” to a European king

• Event signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

Charlemagne’s Government

• Strengthened royal power by limiting noble power

• Sent out royal agents to make sure those ruling their counties did so justly

• Charlemagne would visit every part of his kingdom regularly

• He judged cases, settled disputes and rewarded faithful followers

Importance of Learning

• One of Charlemagne’s greatest accomplishments was his praise of learning

• Surrounded himself with scholars of all languages

• Opened a palace school for his children and others

• Ordered monasteries to open schools and train future monks and priests

Kingdom Divided

• Charlemagne crowned his only son Louis the Pious emperor a year before his death

• Louis would have been a better monk, and is ineffective as a ruler

• Louis had 3 sons: Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Lewis the German

• All 3 of Charlemagne’s grandsons fight each other for control of the empire

Kingdom Divided

• A civil war takes place and ends when the brothers signed the Treaty of Verdun, dividing the empire into 3 kingdoms

• After the treaty Carolingian kings lost power• Central authority breaks down• The lack of strong rulers leads to a new

system of governing and land holding- feudalism

Kingdom Divided

Reflection

• What role did Christianity play in the development of Western Europe during the early Middle Ages?