TRANSFORMING THE ROMAN
WORLD: GERMANIC
KINGDOMS, THE CAROLINGIAN
EMPIRE, AND CHARLEMAGNE
DO NOW:
• Grab a textbook and use the map on page 303 to
answer these questions:
• Which Germanic kingdoms were the largest in
500?
• What Geographic factors kept Constantinople
from being conquered?
OBJECTIVE/ESSENTIAL QUESTION: COPY ONTO NOTES
SHEET
• How did Germanic tribes transform the Roman
Empire?
NEW GERMANIC KINGDOMS
• Germanic peoples had begun to move into lands of the
Roman Empire by the third century and set up new states
• Visigoths: occupied Spain and Italy
• Ostrogoths: took control of Italy from the Visigoths in
the 5th century
• Angles and Saxons: tribes from Denmark and northern
Germany that moved into Britain
• Eventually became the Anglo-Saxons
GERMANIC SOCIETY
• Germans and Romans intermarried and created new society
• Most important social bond among Germanic peoples was family
• Extended family including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents
• Worked land together and passed it down to future generations
• Provided protection in violent atmosphere of the time
• Affected way Germanic law treated crime and punishment
• How did Roman system deal with crime and punishment?
• Germanic law was personal: injury by one person against another resulted in blood feud
between families and savage acts of revenge.
• To avoid bloodshed, new system developed called wergild
• A fine paid by wrongdoer to family of person he/she injured or killed
• Value of a person in money
• Varied according to social status
KINGDOM OF THE FRANKS
• Only German state on European continent that lasted
long time
• Frankish kingdom established by Clovis
• Strong military leader
• 500 A.D. became first Germanic ruler to convert to
Christianity
• Won him support of the Catholic Church
• Covered modern day France and western Germany
• Defeated surrounding Germanic tribes and unified
Franks as a people
• After Clovis’ death, sons divided kingdom among
themselves
CHARLEMAGNE AND THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE
• During 600s and 700s, Frankish kings gradually lost power to their
officers
• One of them, Pepin, assumed kingship for himself and his family
• 768: Pepin dies and his son, Charles the Great or Charlemagne,
becomes new Frankish king
• Ruled from 768-814
• Fierce warrior, strong statesman, devout Christian
• Greatly expanded Frankish kingdom and created the
Carolingian Empire
• Covered much of western and central Europe at its height
• Most powerful Christian ruler
• 800: acquired title Emperor of the Romans
• Symbolized joining of Roman, Christian, and German
elements
THE END OF THE
CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE
• Carolingian Empire weakened from within by division after Charlemagne’s death and from outside by
enemy attacks
• From within:
•
814: Charlemagne dies
•
Less than 30 years later, empire divided among his grandsons into 3 major sections
• West Frankish lands
• Eastern Frankish lands
• Middle Kingdom
•
Local nobles gained power while Carolingian rulers fought each other
• From outside:
•
Ninth and tenth centuries, western Europe experienced wave of invasions
•
Invaders
•
Muslims attacked southern coasts of Europe up to southern France
•
Magyars, people from western Asia, moved into Central Europe, settled in Hungary and invaded western Europe
•
Vikings, Germanic people from Scandinavia, most far-reaching attacks
THE VIKINGS
• Sacked villages and towns, destroyed churches,
defeated small local armies
• Warriors, superb shipbuilders, and sailors
• Their ships were the best of the period
• Dragon ships
• Long and narrow with beautifully carved,
arched prows
• Carried 50 men
• Construction allowed them to sail up
European rivers and attack places far inland