Download Germanic Kingdoms Unite under Charlemagne

The Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages:
Germanic
Kingdoms
Unite under
Charlemagne
What Happened to Rome??
th
5
• By the end of the
century,
Germanic invaders had
destroyed
the Roman
Empire…
What Happened to Rome??
• The Impact of Invasion:
• Disruption of Trade
• Downfall of Cities
• Population Shifts
• Decline of Learning
• Loss of Common Language
What Happened to Rome??
• BUT, there was one institution
that survived the fall of Rome…
The CHURCH!!
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• Between AD 400 & 600 small
Germanic Kingdoms replaced
large Roman provinces
• What impact did these small
kingdoms have on government?
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• In GAUL, a Germanic people
called the FRANKS
held power
• Influential Frankish
Ruler:
• Clovis
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• CLOVIS:
• Converted to Christianity
• Gained support of the Church in
Rome
• United Franks into one kingdom
Europe & the Muslim World
Europe & the Muslim World
• 622: The development of Islam…
• The Muslims built
a huge empire &
began to overrun
Christian lands
Europe & the Muslim World
• Battle of Tours (732):
• Frankish ruler, Charles Martel
defeated a
Muslim raiding
party from Spain
Europe & the Muslim World
• Important victory
for European
Christians
• Made Charles
Martel a
Christian hero
The Family Tree
• Charles Martel
• Martel’s SON:
• Pepin the Short
• Pepin’s SON:
• CHARLEMAGNE
(Charles the Great)
Charlemagne
Charlemagne’s Empire
• Empire included:
• 2/3 of Italy
• All of present
day France
• Small part of Spain
• All of German Saxony
Charlemagne, the Hero?
• Spread Christianity through his
conquest of other lands
• AD 800 – Pope Leo III called
Charlemagne to Rome in order
to crush an unruly mob
• SUCCESS!!!
Charlemagne, the Hero?
• In gratitude, the Pope crowned
Charlemagne & called him the
“Roman Emperor”
Charlemagne, the Hero?
• Significance?
• A Christian Pope crowned a
German king as the successor to
the Roman Emperors
• Legitimized Charlemagne’s rule
over the former Roman Empire
Charlemagne, the Hero?
• Revived the ideal of a UNITED
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
• Also paved the way for future
power struggles between Roman
Catholic Popes and German
Emperors
Charlemagne’s
Accomplishments
• Government:
• Appointed nobles to
rule over local
regions
• STRONG, EFFICIENT
& ORDERLY!
Charlemagne’s
Accomplishments
• Learning:
• Wanted to make
a “second Rome”
in Aachen
• Revived Latin learning
(Greek & Roman)
Charlemagne’s
Accomplishments
• Curriculum included grammar,
rhetoric, logic, arithmetic,
geometry, music & astronomy
• Became the EDUCATIONAL
MODEL for Medieval Europe
Charlemagne’s Heirs
• A year before
his death,
Charlemagne
crowned his
only surviving son, Louis the
Pious, as emperor
Charlemagne’s Heirs
• Louis was an
INEFFECTIVE leader,
but had 3 sons:
• Lothair, Charles the Bald & Louis
the German
• Fought for control of the empire…
Charlemagne’s Heirs
• Civil War ended in 843
with the TREATY OF
VERDUN
• Divided
Charlemagne’s
Empire into 3
Kingdoms
Charlemagne’s Legacy
• Despite the breakdown of the
empire, Charlemagne left a
lasting legacy…
1. Extended Christian civilization
into N. Europe
Charlemagne’s Legacy
2. Further blended Greek, Roman
& Christian traditions
3. Educational model
4. Strong, efficient gov’t –
example for later medieval
rulers