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Chapter 13.1 Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne
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What was Europe like following the decline of the Western Roman Empire?
State of disarray/ disorder
Lack of strong centralized government
Germanic tribes…
Church as unifying feature
Learning/ literacy in decline
Eventually movement towards feudalism for protection
Borders shifted…not unified
2. Who was Clovis? (time period, location, key achievements) 5th century AD…leader of
the Franks (modern day France)…converted to Christianity in 481 and helped to
strengthen the power of his kingdom, and an alliance with the Church.
3. Who was Charlemagne? (Time period, location key achievements)
Around 800 CE, leader of the Franks (Gaul/ modern-day France)…helped to expand his
empire…fought other Germanic groups, and the Muslims…helped defend the pope…crowned
Holy Roman Emperor by the pope on December 25, 800CE…expanded learning, sponsored a
court school and encouraged other schools in monasteries
Chapter 13.1 Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne
I.
Invasions Trigger Changes in Western Europe
 End of 5th century- invaders from many different Germanic groups overran the western
half of the Roman Empire…repeated invasions and constant warfare sparked new trends
 Disruption of Trade- businesses collapsed, money became scarce
 Downfall of Cities- with fall of Roman Empire, cities were abandoned as centers of
administration
 Population Shifts- nobles retreated to the rural areas…Roman cities left without strong
leadership…population of western Europe became mostly rural
A. The Decline of Learning
 Germanic invaders could not read or write
 Education among former Roman subjects also declined
 Few people were literate: priests and church officials (and not always them either)
 Knowledge of Greek almost lost…few people could read Greek works of literature,
science, and philosophy
 Germanic Tribes: rich oral tradition of songs and legends, but no written language
B. Loss of a Common Language
 As German-speaking peoples mixed with the Roman population, Latin began to change
o No longer understood from region to region
o Different dialects developed
 By 800’s- French, Spanish, and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin
 Development of various languages mirrored the continued breakup of a once unified
empire
II.
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
 In years of upheaval between 400 and 600, small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman
provinces
o Borders of kingdom changed constantly with the fortunes of war
 CHURCH was an institution that survived the fall of the Roman Empire
o During time of political chaos, Church provided order and security
A. The Concept of Government Changes
 With shifting boundaries, entire concept of government changed
 Loyalty to public government and written law had unified Roman society
 Family ties and personal loyalty bound Germanic society together
o Germanic peoples lived in small communities
o Governed by unwritten rules and traditions
o Every Germanic chief led a band of warriors, who had pledged their loyalty to
him
o In peacetime, warriors lived in lord’s hall
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 Provided them with food, weapons, and treasure
o Considered a disgrace to outlive their lord (in battle)
Germanic warriors did not feel the same allegiance to a king or an official
Germanic stress on personal ties made it impossible to establish orderly government for
large territories
Roman province of Gaul, Germanic people called the Franks, held power
The Franks Under Clovis
Clovis’s wife, Clothilde, urged him to convert to her faith of Christianity
496- Clovis led his warriors into battle against another Germanic army
o Fearing defeat, Clovis appealed to the Christian God…”I long to believe in Thee.
Only, please deliver me from my enemies.”
o Tide of battle shifted, and the Franks won
o Clovis and 3,000 of his warriors then asked a bishop to baptize them
Church in Rome welcomed Clovis’s conversion and supported his military campaigns
against other Germanic peoples
511: Clovis united the Franks into one kingdom
Germanic Peoples Adopt Christianity
Politics played a key role in spreading Christianity
By 600- Church, with help of Franks, had converted many Germanic peoples
Missionaries also helped spread Christianity
o in Southern Europe, fear of coastal attacks by Muslims also spurred many people
to become Christians
Monasteries and Convents
Monasteries- religious communities
o Monks in monasteries
o Nuns in convents
520: Benedict (Italian monk), wrote a book about a strict yet practical set of rules for
monasteries
o Benedict’s sister, Scholastica, headed a convent
Monks and nuns dedicated their lives to prayer and good works…vows of charity,
chastity, obedience
Gregory I Expands Papal Power
590- Gregory I became pope.
o As head of the Church in Rome, he broadened the authority of the papacy,
(pope’s office) beyond spiritual role
o Papacy also became secular (worldly)
o Pope’s palace was the center of Roman government
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o Gregory used Church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the
poor…negotiated peace treaties
o Gregory began to act as the mayor of Rome
o Gregory felt the entire region from Italy to England, from Spain to western
Germany, fell under his responsibility
o Strengthened the vision of Christendom
o Churchly kingdom, ruled by a pope, was a central theme of the Middle Ages
o Secular rulers also set their sights on expanding their own political kingdoms
A European Empire Evolves
After the Roman Empire dissolved, small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe
o Ex: England splintered into 7 tiny kingdoms
Clovis had the foundations of a kingdom in Gaul…and helped strengthen the
Merovingian Dynasty
Clovis’s Descendants
By 700- Major Domo (mayor of the palace) was the most powerful person in the
kingdom…in charge of royal households and estates…unofficially, he commanded
armies and made policy
719-mayor of the palace named Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer)- held more power
than the king…Charles Martel extended the Franks’ reign and defeated a Muslim raiding
party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in AD 732 (halted Muslim advance further into
Europe)
When Charles Martel died, power passed to his son, Pepin the Short
o Pepin wanted to become king
o Helped out the pope, by fighting the Lombards
o Pope anointed Pepin “king by the grace of God.”
o Began the Carolingian Dynasty- 751 to 987
Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule
Pepin the Short died in 768…Charlemagne then seized control of entire kingdom after
his brother, Carloman’s death
Charlemagne Takes Center Stage
Charlemagne fought he Muslims in Spain and tribes from other Germanic kingdoms
o Conquered new lands to the south and east…
o Charlemagne spread Christianity
o Reunited Western Europe for the first time since the Byzantine Empire
 2/3 of all of Italy, all of present-day France, small part of Spain, and all of
German Saxony
o Charlemagne was the most powerful king in western Europe
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800: Charlemagne traveled to Rome to crush an unruly mob that attacked the pope…in
gratitude, Leo III crowned him emperor
o Holy Roman Emperor
o Event signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of
the Roman Empire
A. Charlemagne’s Government
 Strengthened royal power by limiting the authority of the nobles
 Sent out royal agents to govern his empire
o Made sure that the powerful landholders called counts, governed their counties
justly
 Charlemagne regularly visited every part of his kingdom…judged cases, and settled
disputes
B. Cultural Revival
 Encouragement of learning
 Surrounded himself with scholars
 Charlemagne opened a palace school
 Ordered monasteries to open schools…expanded their libraries…handwritten
copies…scribes
C. Charlemagne’s Heirs are Weak Rulers
 Charlemagne died in 814…crowned surviving son, Louis the Pious…ineffective ruler
o Louis 3 sons: Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German
o Sons fought one another for the empire
o 843- Treaty of Verdun- pact divided Charlemagne’s empire into three kingdoms
 Carolingian kings lost power…central authority broke down