Download The Rise of the Middle Ages A.D. 432 – A.D. 1328

Bell Quiz
Use pgs. 288-293
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Who are the Franks?
Who was the first king of the Merovingians?
After the death of Charles Martel in 741 A.D. who
took over as the “mayors of the palace”?
In what year was Pepin III anointed king of the
Franks?
What actions helped Charlemagne to unify the
Frankish kingdom?
Answers
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A Germanic tribe
Clovis
His sons, Pepin III and Carloman
751 A.D.
The alliance between the Franks and
the church, and the spread of
Christian beliefs
The Rise of the Middle
Ages
A.D. 432 – A.D. 1328
The Rise of the Franks
Frankish Rulers
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Following the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe
experienced a period of widespread disorder and
change lasting hundreds of years.
Between the 400s and 1500s Europeans began to
restore order and transition into a period of
European development known as the Middle Ages.
During this transition period many Germanic tribes
plundered Europe and established small kingdoms.
The Franks were one Germanic tribe that did much
to shape Western culture in post-Roman Europe.
Clovis and the
Merovingians
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In 481 A.D. a man named
Clovis became the king of one
of the Frankish tribes.
Clovis and his followers were
know as the Merovingians.
Clovis was a skillful military
leader who conquered and
absorbed many other Frankish
tribes; and soon controlled all
of northern Gaul.
After Converting to Christianity
Clovis gained the support of
the church and with it the
control of southwestern Gaul.
Clovis and the
Merovingians
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The Area ruled by Clovis is
today occupied by France,
which was named after the
Franks.
When Clovis Died in 511 A.D.,
his sons divided the kingdom.
The division of Clovis’s
kingdome lead to frequent
conflicts amongst his sons and
later his grandsons. These
conflicts left the Merovingina
kings weak, and opened the
door for a new ruler.
The division of the Frankish kingdom among the sons of Clovis at
his death in 511.
The Carolingians
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With the Merovingina kings fighting
amongst them selves, a man named Pepin
II and his successors were able to assume
power and unite the Frankish kingdoms.
Pepin II never held the title of King; instead
his title was the mayor of the palace. A title
he held from 687 to 714 A.D.
After Pepin II died, his son, Charles Martel
inherited the title of mayor of the palace.
The Carolingians
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Charles Martel, also know
as Charles the Hammer
died in 741 A.D.
His sons Pepin III and
Carloman became the joint
mayors of the palace.
In 751 Pepin III anointed
himself king of the Franks
after overthrowing Childeric
III, the last Merovingian
king.
Pepin III’s coronation
established a new line of
Frankish kings know as the
Carolingians.
The Carolingians
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The Carolingians new empire was strengthened
when the Pope gave his blessing to Pepin III.
In 754 A.D., under the request of the pope, Pepin
III led a Frankish army into Italy and defeated the
Lombards, a Germanic tribe that threatened Rome.
With this victory the Franks won control of the
territory around Rome and gave it to the pope as a
gift.
This gift known as the Donation of Pepin created an
alliance between the Franks and the church that
paved the way for the rise of Pepin III’s son
Charlemagne, the greatest and most recognizable
of all Frankish kings.
Charlemagne’s Empire.
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Charlemagne inherited the
Frankish throne in 768 and
ruled until 814.
Charlemagne worked to
build a new Rome centered
in what is now France and
Germany.
He helped to spread church
teachings and Christian
beliefs.
His rule did much to bring
civilization, order, and
learning to Europe during
the 800s
Charlemagne’s Empire
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Charlemagne spent most of his life at war;
he defeated the Lombards, the Saxons, the
Avars, drove the Moors out of France, and
united much of western Europe for the first
time since the fall of Rome.
For this reason Pope Leo III declared
Charlemagne the “Emperor of the Romans”
on Christmas Day 800 A.D.
The coronation of Charlemagne further
demonstrated the close ties between the
Franks and the Christian church.
The Decline of the
Frankish Empire
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After the death of Charlemagne the thrown
was left to his only son Louis the Pious.
After Louis died in 840 is sons Lothair,
Charles the Bald, and Louis the German
divided the empire among themselves under
the Treaty of Verdun.
Similar to the division of Clovis's kingdom,
the Treaty of Verdun lead to frequent
conflicts amongst Charlemagne’s sons and
later his grandsons. As a result the empire's
strength decline and eventually collapsed.