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The Early Middle Ages:
The Franks & Feudalism
Or..were the Dark Ages really a
dark as they seemed?
Who sacked the city of Rome?
The Franks
• In the Roman province of Gaul (France)
• No cities or written laws
– 100s of tiny kingdoms
– Farmers or herders
• Swore loyalty to King
– weapons & loot
Clovis
• Converts to Christianity after
a battle
• Roman Catholic Church
welcomed & supports
Clovis’s conquests
• by 511 AD—united all of the
Franks into one kingdom
• two forces were now allied
1. Military (Franks)
2. Spiritual (Church)
• Merovingian Dynasty
Charles Martel
• Mayor of the Palace
• extended Frank’s reign to the north,
south, and east
• defeated Muslims at the Battle of
Tours
– Stopped the Muslim expansion into
W. Europe
– becomes a Christian hero
Pepin the Short
• son of Charles Martel
• Fights the Lombards for the Church
• pope declares him “king by the
Grace of God”
• this begins the Carolingian
Dynasty
Charlemagne
• Greatest European empire since Rome
• Summer military campaigns
– Muslims in Spain and Germanic tribes
• Spread Christianity by conquering the
east and south
• Holy Roman Emperor
– joining of Germanic power, the Church,
and the heritage of the Roman Empire
Charlemagne’s Empire
Included
2/3 of
Italy, all of
France, a
small part
of Spain,
and
Germany
Charlemagne Cnt.
• Encourages learning and law
• Limits rule of the nobles
• counts governed their counties
justly
• Visits whole kingdom
– judges cases, settles disputes,
and rewards faithful
• Irish, English, German, Italian,
and Spanish scholars
– school for court children
• Monasteries—trained monks
– expanded libraries
– handwritten copies of books
After Charlemagne
• Grandsons split empire in 843 AD
– Louis the German
– Lothair
– Charles the Bald
• Magyars—900 AD, cavalry from
Hungary invade
• Vikings—From Scandinavia,
sailors
– Raided and looted from Ireland to
France
How the Mighty Empire
Split Up
What is Feudalism?
• Social Structure of the Middle Ages
• Based on loyalty and importance of the Oath
• Keep these words in mind while you are watching
the film:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Manor
Lords
Vassals
Fief
Knights
Serf
Peasants
Self-Sufficiency
Feudalism
The Manor System
• Self-Sufficient
– All needs provided
on estate
• Controlled by
Lord
– (who was
someone else’s
Vassal)
– Remember:
Social Pyramid
Gives
Gets
King/Lord
Vassal
Land (fief)
Power/authority
Collects Taxes
Loyalty
Military service
Taxes
Loyalty/Honor
Military protection
Land
Power/Authority
Right to collect
taxes
King
Lords
Lesser Nobles,
Knights
Gives
Serfs
• Cannot leave manor
•Need permission to marry
Gets
Manor
Lord
Serf
Small land
Labor/taxes
Protection
Loyalty
Basic
needs
Military service
(sometimes)
Labor
Small tract of
land
Money
Protection
Loyalty
Basic needs
Peasants
• Free
Chivalry
• Complex rules governing
society
• Three Masters:
– Feudal Lord
– Heavenly Lord
– Chosen Lady
• Knights usually wealthy
– Education starts at 7 till 21
• Tournaments, troubadours,
poetry
– Real warfare brutal
• Few women had authority
Medieval Letter Writing:
Take one of the following roles and write a
letter to a family member in a different
country. Tell them what your life is like on
the manor, what rights you have, and the
work you do. You may only use your
notes from today. Make it at least 1
page:
– Lord (Major Lord)
– Vassal (Lesser Lord)
– Knight
– Serf
– Peasant