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Medieval Europe
Germanic Tribes and
Charlemagne
Why the Dark Ages?
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
in 476, things are not so sunny in Europe
No strong central government to manage:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Roads
Bridges
Law
Education
Currency
Economy
Germanic Societies
Germanic Influences
Loss of literacy and common language
as territory is divided up, societies
become more rural
Shifting borders as kingdoms fight
over territory
o Loyalty to family or personal allies, rather
than the state
o No “greater good” as in Roman Republic
Germanic Influences
Loss of Greek and
Roman scholarship (The
development of various languages
mirrored the continued breakup of
a once unified empire)
Divisions and differences
in culture reflect the
crumbling of Rome
The Merovingians
The Merovingians were the first
dynasty of Frankish kings
o Located in Gaul
Clovis (466-511) becomes king at 15
o Brutal, warlike
o Converts to Christianity-uses Roman
Church to his advantage
o support him in war
“I take it very hard that these Arians hold part of Gaul. Let us
go with God’s help and conquer them and bring the land
under our control”
 Baptism of Clovis by Saint Remy in 496 (artist
unknown, 1500)
 Clothilde (Clovis’ wife) praying to St. Martin of Tours
Merovingians
Clovis’ four sons divide the territory
he united
Rulers that follow Clovis are
ineffective “Do Nothing” kings
o Power is held by the major domo-mayor of
the palace
o Pepin of Herstal (Pepin the II) - gained
territory throughout modern France
Merovingians
Pepin’s illegitimate son, Charles
Martel takes power in 719
o Defeats Muslims at Battle of Tours,
stops expansion into Europe
o Charles’ victories earn church support
Charles’ son, Pepin the Short succeeds
him
o Shaves the head of the actual king, forces
him into a monastery, where he dies within a
year. How convenient…
Carolingians
Pepin is crowned
king with the pope’s
blessing, first
Carolingian king
(from the Latin for Charles,
Carolus)
“Donation of
Pepin”-land given
by Pepin to the
pope, becomes
papal state
Coronation of Pepin by Boniface
Carolingians
Pepin divided his kingdom
between his sons,
Carloman and Charles
Charles becomes known as
“Charles the Great,”
“Charlemagne” in French
o Over 60 successful military
campaigns secure his legacy
Charlemagne
“He was large and strong, and
of lofty stature, though not
disproportionately tall
(seven-feet tall). His head
was round and well-formed,
his eyes very large and
vivacious, his nose a little
long, his hair white, and his
face jovial. His appearance
was always stately and very
dignified, whether he was
standing or sitting…His gait
was firm, his whole carriage
manly, and his voice clear.”
Einhard, Life of Charlemagne,
(New York: Harper and
Brothers, 1880.
“Then, one could see the
Charlemagne of iron, with his
head covered by a iron helmet,
his arms bearing iron
protectors; in his left hand he
carried an iron lance, and in
the right his always victorious
steel sword. His muscles were
covered with iron plates, and
his shield made of pure iron.
"When he appeared, the
inhabitants of Pavia cried out
with fear: O, the Iron Man! O,
the Iron Man!”
Historia Universal, Spanish
Edition, vol. IV, pg. 790.
Charlemagne
Physically: tall,
athletic, strong
horseman
Socially: gregarious,
honest, calm
Religiously: devout,
reformed the Church
Charlemagne
Intellectually:
illiterate, could
speak Frankish,
Latin, and Greek
Hobbies: War!
Father of the
“Carolingian
Renaissance”
Charlemagne
 Crowned “Roman” emperor in 800 on Christmas
day by Pope Leo III
 First time a pope had crowned a king
 Establishes the Church’s power over EVERYTHING
Charlemagne
Charlemagne had 3 main goals for his new
“Roman Empire”
1. Uniformity: standardization of writing,
language (Latin!), currency, measurements
2. Education: schools, imported scholars, free
public education, based around Church
3. Diplomacy: contact with the pope, emperor in
Constantinople, caliph in Baghdad
 Accomplished through complex bureaucracy,
“missi dominici”-messengers of the lord”

Left: Charlemagne’s palace chapel
Right: Charlemagne’s palace complex at
Aachen
Charlemagne
Charlemagne appoints his son, Louis,
emperor in 813
Louis is ineffective as a ruler, territory is
divided between his 3 sons : Lothair,
Charles the Bald, and Louis the German
Treaty of Verdun
Charlemagne’s grandsons divide the
empire officially in 843
Lack of central authority, empire
grows weak
o Vulnerable to attack by Vikings Magyars,
Slavs
Need for protection from invaders in
an agrarian society leads to
FEUDALISM!
 Gregarious: (adj.) fond of
the company of others;
sociable.