Transcript The Rise of the Franks

The Rise of the Franks
I. Invasions of Western Europe
• Fall of Roman Emp.=Middle Ages (500-1500)
• New society emerged that had roots in:
– 1. classical heritage of Rome
– 2. beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
– 3. customs of various Germanic tribes
• 5th cent. --results of Germanic invasions
– 1. disruption of trade
– 2. downfall of cities
– 3. population shifts
A. Decline of Learning
• Germanic tribes = illiterate
• Result?
• Germanic tribes had oral tradition, but no
written language
B. Loss of a Common Language
• Latin changed
– Different dialects developed
– By 800s: French, Spanish, & others evolved
from Latin
II. Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• 400-600: Germanic kingdoms replaced
Roman provinces
• the Church survived
– Provided order & security
A. Governmental Concepts Change
• Govt. changed
• Roman society = govt. & written law
• Germanic society = family ties & personal loyalty
– Lived in small comms. governed by unwritten rules &
traditions
• Germanic chiefs led bands of loyal warriors
– Warriors not obligated to obey unfamiliar king
• Stress on personal ties = impossible to establish
orderly govt. for large territories
• Franks = Germanic tribe that played the greatest
role
B. Clovis & the Merovingians
• 481: Clovis became king of
a Frankish tribe
--traced ancestry back to
Merovech
--conquered other Franks
--seized Gaul
• Married a Christian
• Became supporter of Christianity
– Gained support from Church
• 511: united Franks into one kingdom
• Kingdom divided among sons
– Weak rulers
– Pepin II (687-714)—united &
ruled the Frankish kingdom
C. Charles Martel & Pepin the
Short
• Charles Martel (Pepin’s son)
– Succeed as mayor of palace
– Defeated Moors near Tours
– 741: died—left kingdom to Pepin III & Carloman
• Pepin the Short became sole ruler
• 751: pope crowned Pepin “King by the grace
of God”
– This est. the Carolingian Dynasty (r. 751-987)
• Pope asked for Pepin’s help against Lombards
• Gave territory around Rome to the Pope
– “Donation of Pepin” (Papal States)
• Formed alliance betw. Church
& Franks
III. Germans Adopt Christianity
• Politics helped spread Christianity
– Franks converted many Germanic tribes
• Missionaries also spread the word of God
A. Monasteries, Convents,
Manuscripts
• Monasteries: religious communities
– Monks
• Convents
– Nuns
• Benedict (Italian monk)
– Wrote book describing rules of monasteries
– Scholastica (twin sister)—adapted rules for
convent
• Monks & nuns devoted lives to prayer &
good deeds
• Monasteries = best educated comms.
– Monks opened schools
• 731: the Venerable Bede (English monk)
– Wrote history of England
– Ecclesiastical History of the English People
IV. Charlemagne’s Empire
• Pepin’s son (r. 768-814)
• Little education, but deeply religious
• Conquered many lands
• Goal: restore power & glory of the Old
Roman Emp.
– Renovatio imperi romani
• 800: larger than Byz. Emp.
• Most powerful king in W. Euro.
• 800: Char. crowned emperor by Pope Leo III
– Signified that Char. was the successor to the
emperors of Rome
A. Govt.
• Char’s. empire = several hundred
regions/counties
– Ruled by a count
• Overseen by the Lord’s Messengers
• Raised own army & administered laws
– Capital city = Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany)
B. Education & Learning
• Char. Promoted education
– Founded a school in his palace
• Learned scholars (monks) taught
– Produced the Carolingian Bible
– Bishops created libraries & organized schools
C. Decline of the Frankish Emp.
• Char’s. empire crumbled under Louis the
Pious
• 840: Louis died—Emp. divided among 3
sons
– Lothair, Charles the Bald, Louis of Germany
• Char’s. descendents fought among
themselves
• 870: middle kingdom broke up (divided by
eastern & western
• Carolingian kings lost power
• Lack of strong rule led to feudalism