Download Unit 8 Lesson 3 The Rise of the Franks

Unit 8
Lesson 3
The Rise of the Franks
Lesson 3 – The Rise of the Franks
Fill in the Blanks
1. The ____________ gets its name from the fact that it falls between ancient times and
the modern period. (Middle Ages/classical Age)
2. In the 500s a powerful group known as the ______________ conquered Gaul, the region
we now call France. (Franks/Muslims)
3. ___________________ was the first king of the Franks to convert to Christianity. (Saint
Patrick/Clovis)
4. A brilliant warrior and a strong king, _______________ led the Franks to conquer much
of what once was Roman Empire. (Clovis/Charlemagne)
5. While the Franks were building their empire, _________________, Magyar, and Viking
invaders were attacking settlements across Europe. (Christians/Muslims)
6. While it is unusual, Hilde loves to swim. She is 50 feet below the surface of the water.
She then swims up 20 feet. Which integer represents her starting depth?
Generalization: Leaders impact both their own people and other peoples
Big Idea – The Franks, led by Charlemagne, crated a huge Christian empire and brought
together scholars from around Europe
- analyze – what changes did the Franks make under
Clovis? Converted to Christianity and became one
of the strongest kingdoms in Europe
- compare – in what way was the empire of the
Franks under Charlemagne like the Roman Empire?
Covered much of the same territory
- evaluate – which of Charlemagne’s accomplishments
do you think had the most lasting effect? Why? He
built schools across Europe; the scholars he brought
together helped shape religious and social life in
Europe for centuries.
The Franks were a nomadic Germanic tribe from the Rhine River Valley
- in the 400s they moved into Gaul
- would give their name to their new country -- France
Why called the Dark Ages?
- Began with the collapse of Roman Civilization
- Economic
- collapse of trade and towns
- Cultural
- lose of literacy and a common language
- Political/Military
- personal ties of loyalty to a leader rather than
citizenship or loyalty to country or king
The Franks first great power to emerge from the Dark
Ages
Merovingian Dynasty
- first Frank Dynasty
- Clovis I (ruled 481-511)
- made the Franks most powerful group in Western Europe
- converted to Christianity in 496
- by wife – Clotilda
- his people converted with him
- sons and grandson extended kingdom
- all of France, Belgium and parts of Germany
- challenges to the dynasty
- officials and household corrupt
- murder and assassination common
- was divided into 3 independent kingdoms
- Outside threat
- Moslem invaders
- had taken Spain and was moving
on France
The Merovingians ruled in name, but not in fact
- real power – the Mayor of the Palace
- Charles Martel came to power 714
- king in everything but name
- defeated the Moslems in 732
- Battle of Tours
- stopped the Moslem advance into Europe
- Martel learned the advantage of mounted cavalry
Pepin the Short (son of Charles Martel)
- next Mayor of the Palace (ruled 741-768)
- convinced Pope Boniface that he was the real power
- 752 – Boniface crowned him king
- last Merovingian king shipped off to a monastery
Charlemagne – the first Carolingian King
- son of Pepin the Short
- he and his brother joint rulers – brother died 3 years later
- now the sole ruler
- maintained alliance between Franks and the Church
- protected the Pope from non-Christian barbarian tribes
- mainly the Lombards
- forcibly converted the Saxons to Christianity
- expanded his empire
- most of the old Western Roman Empire
- crowned emperor by Pope Leo III
- Holy Roman Empire
- Not well educated, but strong supporter of
education
- established schools throughout empire
- Carolingian minuscule
- learned to read as an adult
- Carolingian Renaissance
- Patron of the arts
End of the Carolingian Empire
- Followed by his son – Louis the Pious
- immediately divided the empire between his 3 sons
- Louis the German
- eastern lands (modern Germany)
- Charles the Bald
- western lands (modern France)
- Lothair the Elder
- got the lands in between, smaller, but included the capital and the
Papal States. He also got the title Holy Roman Emperor
- the sons immediately started fighting among themselves
Oaths of Strasbourg – 842
- agreement between Louis and Charles to join
together against Lothair
- treaty in two languages (French and
German)
- the Franks had already split into two
different groups
- 843 – fighting ended with the Treaty of Verdun
- permanent 3 way split
- would never reunite