Download The Portrait of a Medieval King: Charlemagne

Daily Question
 Manor system
 lord provides:
 Peasants provide:
Out of the “Dark
Ages”?
Objective
 Understand the rise of the Catholic
Church as political leaders of Western
Europe
 Understand Charlemagne’s impact on
the development of the later medieval
period
Christianity after the fall
of the Roman Empire
The Rise of the Papacy
 After the fall of Rome,
there was no single
authority to maintain
order in society
 Catholic Church fills the
void left by Rome
 Bishop of Rome becomes
the Pope (father)
Peter is considered the 1st
Pope to many Christians
The Rise of Papacy
 Constantine calls the Council of Nicea to
organize Christian beliefs (325)
 Heresy-those who oppose or differ from the
traditional teachings of the Christian Church
 Organizing the Christian Church forced many
to abandon their beliefs or die
Growth of the Church
 Conversions throughout Europe:
 Clovis King of the Franks
 Anglo-Saxons Archbishop of Canterbury
becomes head of English Church
 Pope Gregory I
 Helped develop Church teaching during the
medieval period
 Monasticism-center of Christian life; where
Christian learning takes place (Monks)
Charlemagne
 Einhard was a gov’t official during the
time of Charlemagne
 Charlemagne:
 6 ft. Tall…well above the typical 5 ft.
 Piercing eyes, fair hair, and thick neck
 A great warrior…conquered Spain in the
west to the Danube River in the East
 Goal was to unite Germanic tribes under one
Christian kingdom
Important Events in the
life of Charlemagne
 Pepin III, his father, helped Pope defend
Rome
 Charlemagne helps Pope defend Rome
from Lombards in 774 CE
 Marched into Italy to defeat the Lombards
Important Events in the
life of Charlemagne
 December 25, 800 CE
 Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne Emperor
 Christian coronation provides legitimacy to
any king/emperor
 RESULT: THE POPE MAKES KINGS AND
EMPERORS
 Europe united under new Christian kingdom
(Christendom) called the Holy Roman
Empire
Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire in 800 CE
The Holy Roman Empire
 Created the Feudal system-giving land to
nobles in exchange for loyalty and
military service
 Carolingian Renaissance-attempt by
Charlemagne to revive Roman civilization
The Carolingian
Renaissance
 Emphasis on Education
 Many people, including the clergy, were
illiterate
 Importance of literacy-the ability to read and
write
 Carolingian miniscule-writing standard using
spaces between words and capital letters
An Early 10th Century manuscript that uses the
Carolingian miniscule. Charlemagne endorsed
this script to help make his people more literate
After Charlemagne
 Charlemagne dies in 814 CE
 His empire becomes weak…breaks into
3 different kingdoms
 Treaty of Verdun, 814 CE
 Eventually would be invaded by Muslims,
Magyars, and Vikings
The split of Charlemagne’s Empire in 814 CE.
Known as the Treaty of Verdun, it gave each son of
Charlemagne his own area to control
The impact of
Charlemagne
1.
2.
3.
Created a Christian kingdom under his
leadership
Improved education, literacy, and writing
Created feudalism
It could be argued that he pulled most of
Western Europe out of the Dark Ages
Question
 Describe one impact Charlemagne had
on Western Europe during the medieval
period. You must use at least one
supporting detail.