Download Western Civilization from Prehistory to 1650

Western Civilization from Prehistory to 1650
Dr. Edrene S. McKay ! (479) 855-6836 ! Email: [email protected]
TOPIC 9.1. CLASSICAL, CHRISTIAN, & GERMANIC TRADITIONS
Supplement to Chambers, The Western Experience, Chapter 6: The Making of Western Europe, pp. 178-207.
NEW EMPIRE IN
THE WEST
Writing after the fail of Rome but before the emergence of Islam, AUGUSTINE (354-430)
eloquently elaborated the Christian message and the force of its appeal in his chaotic times.
In his CITY OF GOD he defended Christianity against those who held it responsible for the
collapse of Roman civilization, allegedly because it rejected the Roman gods and because its
message of love and forgiveness fostered weakness.
He pointed out the empire's internal weaknesses and the constructive nature of Christian
teaching, which he deemed superior to the ancient philosophies. He stressed in particular the
discipline of the Church and the power of its sacraments to heal and unite humankind in a
new spiritual empire. The book became a favorite of the Frankish king Charlemagne nearly
400 years latter.
CLOVIS AND THE
MEROVINGIANS
In the blending of the Roman and Germanic peoples and cultures, the Franks played an
especially significant part. The KINGDOM OF THE FRANKS was not only the most
enduring of all the Germanic states established in the West, but it became, with the active
support of the Church, the CENTER OF THE NEW EUROPE that arose upon the ruins of
the western Roman Empire.
Before the Germanic invasions the several tribes that made up the Franks lived along the
east bank of the Rhine close to the North Sea Late in the 4th century the Franks began a slow
movement south and west across the Rhine into Gaul. By 481 they occupied the northern
part of Gaul as far as the old Roman city of Paris, and in this year CLOVIS I of the
Merovingian House became ruler of one of the petty Frankish kingdoms.
United the Franks
By the time of his death in 511, Clovis had UNITED THE FRANKS into a single kingdom
that stretched southward to the Pyrenees. As a first step, Clovis allied himself with other
petty Frankish kings to dispose of Syagrius, the last Roman general in Gaul. The victor then
TURNED AGAINST HIS FRANKISH ALLIES and subdued them.
Converted to
Christianity
Clovis became CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY in 496 as a result of a battle against the
Allemanni, a pagan Germanic tribe whose name became the French word for Germany. On
the verge of being defeated, Clovis called upon Christ for help, won the battle, and was
baptized together with his whole army. He became the ONLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
IN THE WEST, for other Germanic tribes were either pagan or embraced the heretical form
of Christianity known as Arianism.
Alliance with
Papacy
The conversion of the Franks was a decisive event in European history. Ultimately it led to
an ALLIANCE OF THE FRANKS AND THE PAPACY, and immediately it assured Clovis
the loyalty of the Gallo-Roman bishops, the leaders of the native Christian population of
Gaul. This was a political advantage not open to the heretical Arian Visigothic and
Burgundian kings. Thus with the help of the native population of Gaul, Clovis was able to
expand his realm in the name of Christian orthodoxy,
Attacked the
Visigoths
In 507 Clovis ATTACKED THE VISIGOTHS, who ruled Gaul south of the Loire River
and all of Spain. The Visigothic king was killed, and his people abandoned most of the
Gallic territory. Clovis died four years later at the age of 45 – a ripe old age for a barbarian.
Although never hardly more than a Germanic chieftain, he had created France.
Topic 9.1. The Classical, Christian, Germanic Traditions
Conquered
Burgundian
Kingdom
Page 2
Clovis' sons and grandsons CONQUERED THE BURGUNDIAN KINGDOM and extended
the Frankish domain to the Mediterranean and further into Germany. At the same time,
however, the Merovingian House began to decay from inner weakness.
Decline of
Merovingians
The Germanic practice of treating the kingdom as personal property and dividing it among
all the king's sons resulted in constant and bitter civil war. The royal heirs plotted murders
and became adept at intrigue and treachery. The Merovingian princes also engaged in all
manner of debaucheries, including excessive drinking.
Power in Hands of
Major of the Palace
Soon the Frankish state broke up into THREE SEPARATE KINGDOMS; in each, POWER
WAS CONCENTRATED in the hands of the chief official of the royal household, the
MAJOR OF THE PALACE, a powerful noble who desired to keep the king weak and
ineffectual. The Merovirigian rulers were mere puppets.
A DARK AGE
Roman System
Collapsed
By the middle of the 7th century western Europe had lost most of the essential
characteristics of Roman civilization. The ROMAN SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION
AND TAXATION HAD COMPLETELY COLLAPSED, and the dukes and counts who
represented the Merovingian king received no salary and usually acted on their own
initiative commanding the fighting men and presiding over the courts in their districts.
Int’l Commerce
Ceased
INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE HAD CEASED except for a small-scale trade in luxury
items carried on by the adventurous Greek, Syrian, and Arab traders, and the old Roman
cities served mainly to house the local bishop and his retinue.
Absence of a
Middle Class
The virtual ABSENCE OF A MIDDLE CLASS meant that society was composed of the
NOBILITY, a fusion through intermarriage of aristocratic Gallo-Roman and German
families who owned and exercised authority over vast estates, and, at the other end of the
social scale, the semi-servile COLONNI who were bound to the land. These serfs included
large numbers of formerly free German farmers. Only about 10 percent of the peasant
population of France maintained a free status.
CHARLES
MARTEL AND THE
CAROLINGIANS
Defeated Muslims
Used Mounted
Soldiers
Grants of Land
Alliance with
the Papacy:
Papal Sanction of
Pepin the Short
Donation of Pepin
Separated East
and West
A new period dawned when CHARLES MARTEL became major of the palace in 714. His
father, one of the greatest Frankish landowners, had eliminated all rival mayors, and Charles
ruled a united Frankish kingdom in all but name. For the time being, however, the
Merovingian kings were kept as harmless figureheads at the court. Charles is best
remembered for his VICTORY OVER THE MUSLIM INVADERS of Europe, which
earned him the surname Martel (the Hammer). A major military reform coincided with the
battle of Tours.
To counteract the effectiveness of the quick striking Muslim cavalry, Charles recruited a
force of professional MOUNTED SOLDIERS whom he rewarded with sufficient land to
enable each knight to maintain himself, his equipment, and a number of war horses. Such
GRANTS OF LAND later became an important element in feudalism.
Charles Martel's son, PEPIN THE SHORT, who ruled from 741 to 768 legalized the royal
power already being exercised by the mayors of the palace when he requested and received
from the pope a ruling which stipulated that WHOEVER HAD THE ACTUAL POWER
should be the legal ruler. In 754 the pope crossed the Alps and personally ANOINTED
PEPIN, in the Old Testament manner, as the Chosen of the Lord. In exchange, the pope
secured Pepin's promise of armed intervention in Italy and his pledge to give the papacy
Ravenna, once it was conquered. Known as the DONATION OF PEPIN, the gift made the
pope a temporal ruler over the Papal States, a strip of territory that extended diagonally from
coast to coast.
The alliance between the Franks and the papacy affected the course of politics and of
religion for centuries. It ACCELERATED THE SEPARATION OF LATIN FROM GREEK
Topic 9.1. The Classical, Christian, Germanic Traditions
Papal States
Religious Sanction
of Monarchy
CHARLEMAGNE
Coronation
Page 3
CHRISTENDOM by providing the papacy with a dependable western ally, created the
PAPAL STATES which played a major role in Italian politics until the late 19th century. In
addition, by virtue of the ritual of anointment, it provided western kingship with A
RELIGIOUS SANCTION that would in time contribute to the rise of monarchs strong
enough to pose a treat to the papacy.
Under Pepin's son, CHARLEMAGNE (Charles the Great), who ruled from 768 to 824, the
Frankish state and the Carolingian House reached the summit of their power. One of the
most important single events in Charlemagne's reign took place on Christmas Day in the
year 800. The previous year the unruly Roman nobility had ousted the pope, charging him
with moral laxity. Charlemagne came to Rome and restored the pope to his office. Then, at
the Christmas service while Charlemagne knelt before the altar at St. Peter's, the pope placed
a crown on his head Charlemagne was crowned not only by, but presumably with the
consent of the pope. He was EMPEROR BY THE GRACE OF GOD, with heaven and its
earthly agency, the Church, on his side.
The extent of Charlemagne's empire was impressive. His territories included all of the
western are of the old Roman Empire except Africa, Britain, southern Italy, and most of
Spain. Seven defensive provinces, or marks, protected the empire against hostile neighbors.
The Carolingian territories were divided into some 300 administrative divisions, each under
a count or margrave. In addition, there were local military officials, the dukes.
Administration:
Missi Dominici
In an effort to solve the problem of supervising the local officials, Charlemagne issued an
ordinance creating the MISSI DOMINICI (the king's envoys). Pairs of these itinerant
officials, usually a bishop and a lay noble, traveled throughout the realm to check on the
local administration. To make the missi immune to bribes, they were chosen from men of
high rank, were frequently transferred from one region to another, and no two of them were
teamed for more than one year.
The Carolingian
Renaissance
Charlemagne also fostered a revival of leaning and the arts. In 789, he decreed that every
monastery must have a school for the EDUCATION OF BOYS in "singing, arithmetic, and
grammar." At Aixi-la-Chapelle, his capital, the emperor also sponsored a PALACE
SCHOOL for the education of the royal household and the stimulation of leaning throughout
the realm. The REFORM OF HANDWRITING and the PRESERVATION OF
CLASSICAL MANUSCRIPTS were significant achievements of the Carolingian revival.
Charlemagne is one of the great constructive figures of world history.
The Division
of the Empire
Under Charlemagne's weak successors the EMPIRE DISINTEGRATED amid the confusion
of civil wars and devastating new invasions. Progress toward an advanced civilization in the
new Europe founded by Charlemagne was delayed for two centuries. During the 9th and
10th centuries, the remnants of Charlemagne's empire were battered by new waves of
invaders. Scandinavian attacked from the north, Muslims from the south, and a new wave of
Asiatic nomads, the Magyars, struck from the east. Christian Europe had to fight for its life
against these plundering and murdering raiders, who did far more damage to life and
property than the Germanic invaders of the 5th century.
EUROPE IN 900
Invasions
Europe's response to the INVASIONS was not uniform. In England by 900 Viking
occupation initiated a strong national reaction which soon led to the creation of a united
English kingdom. Similarly, Germany in 919 reacted to the Magyar danger by installing the
first of a new and able line of kings who went on to become the most powerful European
monarchs since Charlemagne. The Viking attacks on France had the effect of accelerating
the trend toward political fragmentation that began under the Merovingians.
Surrender of Land
and Personal
Freedom
When Charlemagne's successors were unable to cope with the incessant Viking assaults,
PEOPLE INCREASINGLY SURRENDERED BOTH THEIR LANDS AND THEIR
PERSONS to the many counts, dukes, and other local lords in return for protection. The
decline of trade further strengthened the aristocracy, whose large estates, or manors, became
Topic 9.1. The Classical, Christian, Germanic Traditions
Page 4
economically self-sufficient. In addition, the old Germanic band of foot soldiers, who
provided their own arms when called to battle, was dying out in favor of a professional force
of heavily armed mounted knights, who received land grants from the king in return for
military service.
Out of these elements, new patterns of society -- feudalism and the manorial system -- took
shape:
The disintegration of central power
The need for protection
The decrease in the class of freemen
The rise of a largely independent landed aristocracy
The creation of the mounted knight.
Adapted from The Western Heritage by Donald Kagan et al.
Presentation
(Optional)
ONLINE
RESOURCES
An optional PowerPoint presentation and handout, which give additional details about
CHARLEMAGNE, are available in “Course Documents.”
For more information on this topic, explore one or more of the following topics:
Charlemagne the King: Will Durant’s biography of Charlemagne.
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance: Places Charlemagne in the context of his
times.
Historical Figures: Pages from illuminated manuscripts telling the story of Charlemagne’s
rule.
Medieval Sourcebook: Carolingians and After: Primary source documents on the rise of the
Carolingian dynasty and papal support, Charlemagne, legal and social documents,
Carolingian culture, and Carolingian decline and division.
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
Drawing on the resources you have had an opportunity to explore (textbook, course
documents, online resources, library resources), answer one or more of the following
questions:
Why was Clovis important to the Christian Church?
How was the pope involved in making Pepin the first Carolingian king? How did the
pope benefit?
How did Charlemagne help preserve Roman culture?
How did Greco-Roman culture and the Germanic tribes blend together to form the
foundation of medieval Europe?