Download Middle Ages

Middle Ages
Charlemagne and the Germanic
Kingdoms
Key Terms
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Middle Ages
Franks
Monastery
Carolingian Dynasty
Charlemagne
Middle Ages
• Era of European history
following the decline of
the Roman Empire
• Lasted between years of
500-1500
• Roots in:
1. classical heritage of
Rome
2. beliefs of the Roman
Catholic Church
3. customs of various
Germanic tribes
Changes to Western Europe
• By the end of the 400’s
Germanic tribes overran
the western half of
Roman empire
• Remember the empire
was spilt in 2
Constant Warfare led to:
• Disruption of trade• Population shiftsbusinesses collapsed
nobles retreated to
and breakdown of trade
rural areas, and Rome
destroyed European
left with no strong
cities, money became
government, others
scarce
fleeing to countryside
to grow own food
• Downfall of cities- cities
were abandoned
Decline of Roman Culture
• Germanic tribes could
not read
• People moved to rural
areas
• Less stress on learning
• Germanic tribes had no
written language, but
had oral tradition of
songs and legends
Loss of Common Language
• Latin changed as
Romans and Germans
mixed
• New languages evolved
from Latin
• The different languages
was a symbol of the
breakup of the Roman
Empire
Germanic Kingdoms
• Societies held together by
family ties and personal
loyalty
• Governed by unwritten
laws and traditions
• Germanic chiefs led
warriors who were loyal
to him
• In peacetime, warriors
lived in their lord’s hall
• Given weapons, food, and
treasure
• In battle, fought until the
death at their lord’s side
• No obligation to obey
king they didn’t know
• Did not obey officials
collecting taxes or
administering justice
• Impossible to establish
orderly government over
them.
The Franks
• Germanic people located
in Gaul
• Leader was Clovis
• His wife urged him to
convert to Christianity
• In 496, he asked for
assistance of the Christian
God in battle
• They won and soon Clovis
and 3,000 warriors asked
to be baptized
Germans Adopt Christianity
• Frankish rulers convert
many Germanic people
• Missionaries work to
convert Germanic and
Celtic group bordering
Roman Empire in the 300s
and 400s
• Fear of Muslim attacks on
the coast led to many in
southern Europe to
become Christians in the
600s
• To adapt to rural
conditions, Churches built
monasteries , or religious
communities
• Christian men called
monks gave up private
possessions and became
servants of God
• Women became nuns and
lived in convents
Kingdoms
• After Roman Empire
dissolved, tiny kingdoms
sprang up all over Europe
• England had 7 tiny
kingdoms
• Under Clovis, the Franks
controlled the largest and
strongest kingdom-Gaul
• By the time Clovis died in
511, he had extended rule
over what is now France
Major Domo
• By 700, official named
major domo (mayor of
the palace) had become
most powerful person
in kingdom
• Officially, he had charge
of royal and household
estates
• Unofficially, he
commanded armies and
made policies
Charles Martel
• In 719, Charles Martel
(Charles the Hammer)
was named mayor of
the palace, and had
more power than the
king
• Extended Franks power
to the north, south and
east
• Defeated Muslim
raiding from Spain at
the Battle of Tours
• Victory made him a
Christian hero
• A loss would have
meant Europe could
have become part of
the Muslim Empire
Pepin the Short
• Son of Charles Martel
who wanted to be king
• Cooperated with pope
• Fought a tribe who
invaded Italy and
threatened Rome, on
behalf of Church
• Pope anointed Pepin as
“king by the grace of
God”
Carolingian Dynasty
• Pepin the Short died
and left a greatly
strengthened kingdom
to his two sons,
Carloman and Charles
(Charlemagne)
• After Carloman’s death,
Charles (Charlemagne)
took control of the
kingdom
Charlemagne
• Intro to Charlemagne
• Built an empire larger as any
since the Roman empire
• Every summer he would
take his army to fight
enemies surrounding his
kingdom
• Fought Muslims in Spain
and other Germanic tribes
• Spread Christianity while
conquering new lands
Charlemagne
• In 800, Charlemagne traveled to Rome to
crush an unruly mob that attacked the Pope
• Pope Leo was so grateful that he crowned
Charlemagne emperor
• The coronation was historic- a pope had
claimed the right to award the title “Roman
Emperor” to a European king
• Event signaled the joining of Germanic power,
the Church, and the heritage of the Roman
Empire
Charlemagne’s Government
• Strengthened royal power by limiting noble
power
• Sent out royal agents to make sure those
ruling their counties did so justly
• Charlemagne would visit every part of his
kingdom regularly
• He judged cases, settled disputes and
rewarded faithful followers
Importance of Learning
• One of Charlemagne’s greatest
accomplishments was his praise of learning
• Surrounded himself with scholars of all
languages
• Opened a palace school for his children and
others
• Ordered monasteries to open schools and
train future monks and priests
Kingdom Divided
• Charlemagne crowned his only son Louis the
Pious emperor a year before his death
• Louis would have been a better monk, and is
ineffective as a ruler
• Louis had 3 sons: Lothair, Charles the Bald,
and Lewis the German
• All 3 of Charlemagne’s grandsons fight each
other for control of the empire
Kingdom Divided
• A civil war takes place and ends when the
brothers signed the Treaty of Verdun, dividing
the empire into 3 kingdoms
• After the treaty Carolingian kings lost power
• Central authority breaks down
• The lack of strong rulers leads to a new system
of governing and land holding- feudalism
Kingdom Divided
Reflection
• What role did Christianity play in the
development of Western Europe during the
early Middle Ages?