Transcript The Early middle ages

THE MIDDLE AGES
500-1500
THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
• 476
Fall of Western Roman Empire
• 496
Clovis adopts Roman Christianity
• 511
Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
• 590
Gregory I, also called Gregory the Great, becomes pope
• 596
Pope Gregory I sends missionaries to convert the Anglo-Saxons
• 732
Charles Martel defeats Muslims at Tours
• 771
Charlemagne becomes emperor of the Franks
• 800
Charlemagne is crowned emperor of the Roman by Pope Leo III
• 843
Treaty of Verdun: Empire divided into 3 kingdoms
EARLY HISTORY
•
I
.
Early History of France
• A. By 7th century BC – inhabited by Gauls
• B. 58-50 BC – conquered by Romans under Julius Caesar
• C. Until 5th century AD, ruled by Romans
• D. In the 5th century, France was settled by Germanic tribes
• E. 476 – Marked the end of the Western Roman Empire
•
THE FRANKISH KINGDOM
II. The Frankish Kingdom (Roman province of Gaul, Germanic
people called the Franks, held power)
• A. Clovis: Leader of the Franks unites the Franks into one
kingdom (In 496, he converts to Christianity and gains
support of the Pope)
• B. “Do Nothing Kings”: Clovis’ descendants, who nominally
ruled for more than two centuries, were incompetent and
became known as “Do Nothing” kings. Their reign was
marked by recurrent outbreaks of civil war and by sharp
power increases by the nobles at the expense of the king.
Control of the government eventually passed into the hands
of a powerful noble and official called the “Mayor of the
Palace”
CAROLINGIAN DYNASTY
• Leadership for Western Europe: During the 8 th and 9th centuries the
Franks dominated western Europe due to the capable rulers of the
Carolingian dynasty (Pepin, Charlemagne, Louis the Pious)
• Carolingian Dynasty
• A. Charles Martel: “Mayor of the Palace” led the Frankish army
against the invading Muslims from Spain and defeated them at the
Battle of Tours (732) (battle ended the Muslim thrust into Christian
Europe) Made Martel “Christian Hero”
CAROLINGIAN DYNASTY
• Pepin the Short (Charles Martel’s son): 741 – became “Mayor
of the Palace” upon the death of his father, Charles Martel.
• In 751, with the Pope’s approval, Pepin removed the last “do
nothing” king of the Lombards and assumed the Frankish
throne. In exchange, pope anointed Pepin “king by the grace of
God.”
• Thus began the Carolingian Dynasty – family that would rule
the Franks from 751 to 987
CHARLEMAGNE – 768 SUCCEEDED TO THE FRANKISH
THRONE UPON THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, PEPIN
• Charlemagne: Rules over Medieval Empire (768-814)
•
A. Warfare
• 1. Charlemagne’s Conquests – conquered the Lombards in northern Italy, the
Muslims in the Spanish March, a strip of land just south of the Pyrenees
Mountains in Spain, the Slavs in Bohemia and the Saxons, a pagan Germanic
people in northwestern Germany
• 2. Effects of Charlemagne’s Conquests – Increased the power of the Catholic
Church by ending the Lombard threat to the Papal Sates and converting pagan
peoples to Catholicism. He also expanded the Frankish realm into an empire
that included most of Western Europe
• 3. “Emperor of the Romans” At Rome in 800, Pope Leo III, recognizing
Charlemagne’s services to the Church and mastery of Western Europe,
crowned him “Emperor of the Romans.” Significant because a pope had
claimed political right to confer the title “Roman Emperor” on a European king.
EDUCATION: UNDER CHARLEMAGNE
•
Charlemagne, unlike most Germanic rulers, valued education. He established schools in
monasteries and cathedrals to instruct both the clergy and the common people.
Encouraged the collecting and copying of Latin manuscripts to preserve ancient learning,
and maintained a palace school at his capital, Aix-la-Chapelle, to educate the nobles’
children.
•
Believed it was his religious duty to raise the educational level of the clergy so that they
understood and could properly teach the faith
THE BREAKUP OF CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE
• Charlemagne’s Death: Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious
inherited the throne, although very religious, Louis was an
incompetent ruler.
• Upon Louis’ death, he divided his empire among his three
sons.
• In 843, the 3 brothers signed the Treaty of Verdun, which
divided the empire into three kingdoms
• As a result, Carolingian kings lost power!!!