Download Student Handout #1 - The Carolingian Empire and Charlemagne

Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Graphic Organizer
Religion and
shared
culture
Military and
government
systems and
a strong
ruler
a unified
Carolingian
Empire under
Charlemagne
Internal power struggles
weaken and divide the empire,
but also lay the foundation for
future nations.
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Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Word Cards
28
ancestor
29
descendant
one from whom
a person is
descended and
who is usually
more remote in the line of descent than a
grandparent
coming from an
ancestor or source
Example: Your great, great
grandmother is an ancestor.
Example:
Descendants of Charlemagne, his
grandsons, fought for control of the
Carolingian Empire.
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30
court
31
expansion
the extended
household of a ruler,
including his family,
his advisors, and even close friends or
allies.
when something
increases or grows
in size or amount
Example: The Duke was a member of
the king’s court.
Example: The expansion of the Roman
Empire occurred over an extended period
of time.
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32
Pope
33
cavalry
In Era 4, the Pope was the
Bishop of Rome and the
religious leader for all Christians in
central and western Europe. Today the
Pope leads the Roman Catholic church.
soldiers or
warriors who
fight mounted
on horseback
Example: A blessing from the Pope
could help a king have more influence
over his people.
Example: The army of the Huns was
primarily a cavalry force.
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Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
34
standardize
35
renaissance
to change things so that
they are similar and meet
an agreed upon set of
rules or standards
a period of rebirth or
renewed interest in
literature, science, and
the arts of earlier ages
Example: The king standardized the
weights people used so that everyone
used the same units of measurement and
fewer people got cheated.
Example:
Charlemagne promoted a renaissance of
cultural activities that focused on the
achievements of ancient Greeks and
Romans.
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Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Student Handout #1 - The Carolingian Empire and Charlemagne
As you read, Stop and Jot as directed. Be ready to share your thinking with a partner when you are done.
When Rome finally fell in 476 CE, different Germanic tribes such as the Goths, Vandals, and Franks took
control of Western Europe, often fighting with each other for power over certain areas. Two centuries later,
their descendants came into conflict with Muslim armies connected to the Umayyads who had moved into
what is now Northern Africa and Spain.
Western and central Europe, the area around what is now France and Germany, ended up being ruled by a
Frankish family dynasty called the Merovingians (the Franks were a group who lived in the area around the
Rhine River in Western Europe). The Merovingian kings grew weak over time, and other political leaders in
their courts actually gained more power than the king, even though they allowed the kings to rule in name
only. Pepin the Middle was one such man. He held lots of power even though he wasn’t king, and he
passed this power on to his sons. His son, Charles Martel, took on this role and became even more
powerful when he defeated a Muslim army trying to enter the kingdom through Spain at the Battle of Tours
in 732 CE. Charles Martel is often credited with stopping the expansion of Islam in this part of Europe and
uniting different parts of Europe under one rule.
Stop and Jot: When Rome fell, how did that affect the politics (power and decision making) in western and central
Europe?
Charles Martel had a son, Pepin the Short, and this Pepin officially took the throne and removed the
Merovingian king from power with the support of the Pope, the leader of the Christian religion in Rome.
Pepin the Short then passed on the throne to his sons, Carloman and Charles, also known as Charlemagne,
in 771 CE. The kingdom was divided in two, but Carloman died mysteriously after a few years, and
Charlemagne became king. Over time, he became the most famous Frankish king of all, and the empire he
helped build became known as the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne ruled until 814 CE. At the height of
his rule, there were between 10 and 20 million people living under his reign.
Figure 1: Coin showing the image
of Charlemagne
He tried to expand the area under his control and also spread Christianity by
forcing people in conquered areas to convert. He was a great military leader
and was often at war as he tried to maintain this empire. The military success
of Charlemagne and other Carolingians was in part due to their use of
advanced cavalry techniques (fighting on horseback). Under Charlemagne,
Germanic tribes who had been a problem for the Romans were defeated and
the Carolingian kingdom extended its area of control to the east.
Stop and Jot: What do you notice about the names of the kings? Why do you think they did this?
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools
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September 18, 2014
Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Charlemagne also helped bring about many cultural advances and development in Europe during his rule,
so much so that this time is called the Carolingian Renaissance. Charlemagne helped to establish regional
governments, he standardized weights and measures to help with trade across this region, and he also
improved the legal system. He invited scholars to his court and had a library created as well. Charlemagne
strengthened Christianity as well and is considered by some to be a founder of modern Europe.
In 800 CE, Charlemagne was actually crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III of Rome. Pope Leo had been
facing a rebellion, and when Charlemagne came to his aid and put down the rebellion, he was rewarded
with this honor. With this added title, Charlemagne added in the top half of Italy to his empire, which also
included present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and part of Germany.
Stop and Jot: What do you think was Charlemagne’s most SIGNIFICANT achievement? Why do you think this?
At the end of Charlemagne’s rule, different members of his family were given power over different parts of
the empire. The Carolingians, as you may have noted, believed that power and control of land should be
inherited from father to son (along with certain names like Pepin and Charles!). This caused problems
when more than one son wanted to rule. As a result the kingdom got divided and weakened. This is what
happened when Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, died, and the empire was split between his sons. They
fought each other in a civil war until they signed a treaty in 843, the Treaty of Verdun, and divided the
empire up. The treaty divided the empire into the Central Frankish Realm, the Eastern Frankish Realm, and
the Western Frankish Realm (sometimes called East Francia, Middle Francia, and West Francia). The names
of all these areas changed over time, but Germany and France were basically formed in this process.
Conflict over power and land didn’t end though, and regional rulers continued to fight for more territory
and try to extend their new borders. Vikings attacked from the west and north, causing further problems in
the region and weakening the kingdoms even more. In 881, Charles the Fat (a great-grandson of
Charlemagne) managed to get control over a large part of the kingdom and again unite these different
regions under one rule. However, in 886 he was forced to pay off Viking raiders to prevent them from
destroying Paris, and this made him look weak in the eyes of his political opponents. He fled the capital
when a rebellion broke out, and conflict developed again with more divisions of the empire taking place.
Over time, the kingdoms were divided up even further. Descendants of Charlemagne ruled parts of the old
kingdom for a time, but all were out of power by 987 CE. The modern nations of France and Germany have
their origins in this time, with some of today’s borders even being established during this time as the larger
kingdom was divided up. In addition, the medieval system of kings and lords controlling land, with knights
as an important group, all ruling over poor farmers working the land, really began in this time period.
Stop and Jot: What do you think was the biggest problem faced by the Carolingian rulers?
Turn and Talk: How do you think the Carolingians affected the future of Europe, for better and for worse?
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools
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Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Student Handout #2 – Mapping the Changes in Europe
For the first part of your map work, you will need a textbook with maps, a world atlas, or a computer and
website that shows modern Europe such as:
 http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/Europe/Political/Modern+Political+Map+of+Europe or
 http://www.yourchildlearns.com/europe_map.htm.
Label the countries listed below on the map of Europe:
Spain
France
Italy
Germany
United Kingdom
Belgium
Switzerland
the Netherlands
Luxembourg
Austria
If it makes it easier, you can use a numbering system to identify where each country is. There are several
nations you will NOT be labeling.
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
Copyright © 2010-2014 by Oakland Schools
Page 6 of 9
September 18, 2014
Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Use the information in Student Handout #1 - The Carolingian Empire and Charlemagne to help you
complete the next set of map exercises and questions. For each map, use the information in the
article to help you develop a title and labels for the highlighted areas. Your title should include a
date and it should describe what the map shows. Write the title in the textbox at the top of the
map. Label the shaded areas on the map by creating a key, or map legend, that includes the
names of the shaded regions.
Map 1:
Map 2:
Stop and Jot, then Turn and Talk: What is the larger pattern of how the control of territory in
Europe changed over time after the fall of the Roman Empire?
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September 18, 2014
Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Student Handout #3 – Charlemagne through a Primary Source Document
Einhard on the Life of Charlemagne
Charlemagne [i.e. Charles the Great] is one of the most famous rulers of the 8th and 9th centuries. He controlled a
large portion of western Europe and took the title of Roman Emperor, even though his territory came nowhere near
the extent of the original Roman Empire. His friend and associate Einhard wrote extensively about his life and his rule.
The excerpts below are from Einhard’s accounts of Charlemagne (or “Charles the Great” in translation).
Why do you think Einhard
included these details in this
section? What do you think
his purpose was? How did he
want Charlemagne to be
remembered?
Excerpts describing Charlemagne
What is most surprising or
interesting to you in this
section?
Charles was large and strong, and of lofty stature, though
not disproportionately tall (his height is well known to have
been seven times the length of his foot); the upper part of
his head was round, his eyes very large and animated, nose
a little long, hair fair, and face laughing and merry. Thus his
appearance was always stately and dignified, whether he
was standing or sitting; although his neck was thick and
somewhat short, and his belly rather prominent; but the
symmetry of the rest of his body concealed these defects.
His gait was firm, his whole carriage manly, and his voice
clear, but not so strong as his size led one to expect. His
health was excellent, except during the four years preceding
his death, when he was subject to frequent fevers; at the
last he even limped a little with one foot. Even in those
years he consulted rather his own inclinations than the
advice of physicians, who were almost hateful to him,
because they wanted him to give up roasts, to which he was
accustomed, and to eat boiled meat instead.
In accordance with the national custom, he took frequent
exercise on horseback and in the chase, accomplishments in
which scarcely any people in the world can equal the
Franks. He enjoyed the exhalations from natural warm
springs, and often practiced swimming, in which he was
such an adept that none could surpass him; and hence it
was that he built his palace at Aixla-Chapelle, and lived
there constantly during his later years until his death. He
used not only to invite his sons to his bath, but his nobles
and friends, and now and then a troop of his retinue or
body guard, so that a hundred or more persons sometimes
bathed with him.
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Seventh Grade: Early World History
SS070605
Unit 6: Patterns of Adaptation: Reorganizing and Restoring Order After the Fall of Empires (500 CE – 1000 CE) Lesson 5
Charles had the gift of ready and fluent speech, and could
express whatever he had to say with the utmost clearness.
He was not satisfied with command of his native language
merely, but gave attention to the study of foreign ones, and
in particular was such a master of Latin that he could speak
it as well as his native tongue; but he could understand
Greek better than he could speak it. He was so eloquent,
indeed, that he might have passed for a teacher of
eloquence. He most zealously cultivated the liberal arts, held
those who taught them in great esteem, and conferred
great honors upon them. ... The King spent much time ...
studying rhetoric, dialectics, and especially astronomy; he
learned to reckon, and used to investigate the motions of
the heavenly bodies most curiously, with an intelligent
scrutiny. He also tried to write, and used to keep tablets and
blanks in bed under his pillow, that at leisure hours he
might accustom his hand to form the letters; however, as
he did not begin his efforts in due season, but late in life,
they met with ill success.
Reflection:
What do we learn about life
in Carolingian Europe from
this text? What inferences
can you make about
leadership, education, and
recreation?
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.asp
Visualize!!
What did you visualize (see in your mind) when you read this text? Sketch an image from the text:
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