Charlemagne Unites Germanic
Kingdoms
• Gradual decline of the Roman Empire starts an era called
Middle Ages in Europe (approx. 500-1500)
• In the 400’s, Germanic tribes invade western Rome and
cause the following changes:
1. Disruption of Trade- merchants faced invasions
2. Downfall of Cities- cities were abandoned
3. Population Shifts- nobles retreated to rural areas
• The decline of learning- Germanic invaders could not read
or write. As noble romans flee to rural areas, many
aspects of Greek culture were lost
• Loss of common language- as Germanic tribes mixed in
with native Romans, language meshes. By 800 AD, the
Latin language had evolved into different dialects that
would make up Spanish, French, and other Roman based
languages.
Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• During the time of political upheaval after the classical
period, Germanic kingdoms replace the Roman provinces.
The Church remains the only constant
Concept of Government Changes
• Germanic peoples lived according to unwritten laws, and
considered themselves loyal to family rather than state.
Germans were loyal to their commanders before any king,
and in general valued personal ties rather than formal ties.
Clovis Rules the Franks
• The Franks rule over Gaul (present day France and
Switzerland) under Clovis
• Clovis converts to Christianity upon his wife’s
request. In 496 AD he leads his warriors against a
Germanic army and prays for their guidance. The
Franks win, and Clovis asks for a bishop to baptize
him and 3,000 warriors.
• The Church in Rome welcomes Clovis’s conversion
and supports his military campaigns against other
German tribes. The union between the Frankish
kingdom and the Church would start a powerful
partnership.
Germans Adopt Christianity
• By 600 many Germanic peoples had converted to
Christianity
Monasteries, Convents, and Manuscripts
• The church builds religious communities called monasteries
where monks and nuns devote themselves to serving God
• Around 520, Benedect writes Scholastica for governing
religious monasteries.
• Monasteries became Europe’s best educated communities
Papal Power Expands Under Gregory I
• In 590 Gregory the Great becomes the Pope, and broadens
the power of the office beyond its spiritual role
• The Pope’s palace becomes the center of Roman
government, making it a secular position. In addition, he
used the church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and
help the poor.
• Gregory felt that he controlled all the land from Italy to
England, and from Spain to Germany. He strengthens the
idea of “Christendom”, which is the idea of a churchly
kingdom ruled by a pope that expands its rule outward
from Rome.
An Empire Evolves
• After the Roman Empire dissolves, small kingdoms sprang up all
over Europe.
Charles Martel Emerges
• By 719, Charles Martel held more power than the king (major
domo  mayor of the palace)
• He defeated the Muslim raiders at the Battle of Tours in 732,
which was highly significant for Christian Europeans  this
makes him a Christian hero
• After his death, he passes his power to his son Pepin the Short.
Pepin wants to become king, and works alongside the pope. In
exchange, the pope names Pepin “king by the grace of God”
• This begins the Carolingian Dynasty (751-987)
Charlemagne Becomes Emperor
• Pepin the Short died in 768 AD, leaving the kingdom to his
two sons, Carloman and Chales
• Carloman died in 771, and Charles rules by himself for 47
years  “Charlemagne” or “Charles the Great”
Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule
• Builds an empire greater than any known since ancient
Rome
• Through conquests, Charlemagne spreads Christianity and
unites western Europe for first time since Roman empire
• In 800, he puts down a mob attacking the pope. As a result
the pope crowns him “emperor”  pope assumes the
power to confer the title “Roman emperor” on a European
king. Joining of Germanic power, the Church, and Rome.
Charlemagne leads a revival
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Strengthens his power by limiting authority of nobles
Regularly visited each part of the kingdom
He encouraged learning by opening a palace school
Ordered monasteries to open schools to train monks and
priests
Charlemagne’s Heirs
• A year before Charlemagne dies in 814, he crowned his son
Louis the Pious as emperor  proved to be an ineffective
ruler
• After Louis, his three sons fight for power and sign a peace
treaty in 843 (Treaty of Verdun), which divided the kingdom
into three sections
• Central authority broke down, leading to a new system of
governing and landholding  feudalism
Feudalism in Europe
• After the Treaty of Verdun, the Carolingian Empire was
divided into three sections which would make invasions
more easy than before. Political turmoil and warfare lead
to feudalism  political/economic system based on
personal loyalty and land ownership
Invaders Attack Western Europe
• 800-1000 AD invasions destroyed the Carolingian Empire
(Muslims from south, Vikings from north, Magyars from
east)
Vikings Invade from the North
• In search of better land for farming
• Traveled from Scandanavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway)
• Attacked on warships, moved swiftly, and got back out to
sea before locals could build defense.
• Leif Ericson travels across Atlantic to the Americas around
1000 AD
Magyars and Muslims from the East and the South
• Came from around the Carpathian Mtns.
• Magyars are superior horsemen who sweep across the
Danube River in the late 800’s
• Magyars didn’t settle conquered lands; they took captives
to sell as slaves
• Muslims originate back to Spain, Middle East, and N. Africa
• Able to attack settlements on the Mediterranean Sea due
to their expertise in sea warfare
 As a result of these invasions, kings could no longer protect
their empires. People turned to local rulers who had their
own armies.
New Social Order: Feudalism
• In 911, Charles the Simple (France) and Rollo (Viking) reach
agreement to give Vikings a piece of French land in return
for loyalty  Normandy or “Northmen’s Land”
Feudalism Structures Society
• During the worst years of invasions, European lords granted
vassals land for military protection
• Feudalism is a two-sided bargain that depends on land
Feudal Pyramid
1.
2.
3.
4.
King
Vassals
Knights
Peasants
Well-Defined Social Classes
• Social class was usually inherited
• Classified into 3 groups
1. Those who fought (nobles and knights)
2. Those who prayed (men and women of the church)
3. Those who worked (peasants)
• Most peasants are serfs, which are people who aren’t
slaves but who also are bound to a piece of land. The labor
they produced belonged to their lord.
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
• Manor- lord’s estate
• Lords provided serfs with housing, land, and protection.
Serfs provided lord with tending the land, caring for
animals, and other tasks to maintain the estate.
• Peasants and serfs owed the lord at least a few days labor
each weak, and a portion of their grains
Self-Contained World
• 15-30 families lived on the manors typically, and they were
self-sufficient
• Produced nearly everything they needed (crops, milk and
cheese, fuel, cloth, lumber). Only outside purchases were
salt, iron, and a few other unusual objects like millstones
Harshness of Manor Life
• In return for living lord’s estate, peasants paid tax on grain,
marriage, and tithe
• Serfs lived in cottages  used pigs to warm dirt floors
• Diet consisted of vegetables, cheese, bread, and soup
• Illness and malnutrition crumble life expectancy  35
• For the most part, they accepted their role in society b/c
they believed God determined a person’s place in society
Age of Chivalry
Knights: Warriors on Horseback
• Knights become valuable during the reign of Charlemagne’s
grandfather, Charles Martel
Technology Changes
• Leather saddles and stirrups change warfare in European
8th century  both developed in Asia around 200 BC
Warrior’s Role in Feudal Society
• Warriors were given fiefs from feudal lords  $ from the
land gained was used for weapons, armor, and warhorses
• Knights main obligation was to serve in battle (40 days a
year)
• Knights hunted and wrestled to hone skills they would need
on the battlefield
Knighthood and the Code of Chivalry
• By the 1100’s, the code of chivalry demanded a knight fight
bravely in defense of 3 masters
1. His feudal lord
2. His heavenly Lord
3. His chosen lady
• Knights were expected to protect the weak and the poor
• In reality, most knights failed to meet chivalric expectations
A Knights Training
• At 7, a boy would be sent off to a castle of another lord 
page- boy who waits on hosts and begins fighting skills
• At age 14, the “page” becomes a “squire”- a servant to a
knight
• At 21, the “squire” becomes a full fledged knight
• After becoming a knight, most young men travel for 1-2
years battling in tournaments
Brutal Reality of Warfare
• Small-scale violence of tournaments didn’t match actual
warfare
• Defenders of a castle often poured boiling water, molten
lead, or hot oil on intruders
• Archers stood atop the castle walls and shot down enemies
Literature of Chivalry
• Stories downplayed actuality of warfare and idealized castle
life
• Songs and poems about knights’ love for ladies were
popular
Epic Poems
• Recounted a hero’s deeds and adventures
• Many epics on King Arthur and Charlemagne
Love Poems and Songs
• Love for one’s lady became as important as love for one’s
lord
• Troubadors compose short songs about love
• The code of chivalry promoted a false idea of knights as
loving rather than brutal, and a false idea of noblewomen
as beautiful and pure
Women’s Role in Feudal Society
• Women seen as inferior to men, but played important roles
Noblewomen
• Could inherit an estate from her husband
• Could send knights to war with lord’s request
• When husband was off fighting, the lady may act as military
commander (fired arrows and hurled rocks in battle)
• In general, however, women were confined to the home or
the convent
Peasant Women
• For women of lower class, they performed labor in the
home and fields
• Bore children and took care of the family
• Peasant girls learned hospitality skills while noble girls were
educated by tutors
Power of the Church
• While these feudal governments were relatively weak in
Europe during the Middle Ages, the Church was powerful
• As the papacy expanded, people began to question the
authority of the pope, which led to power struggles in
Rome
Far Reaching Authority of the Church
• With Charlemagne being crowned emperor in 800, there’s
a problem….
• 300 years later, Pope Gelasius provides a solution arguing
that the pope should rule religious matters and the
emperor should rule political matters
• This didn’t work in practice because both parties argued
the boundaries of their own realm  Middle Ages is full of
power struggles between the Church and the state
Structure of the Church
• Pope was the head of the clergy
• Bishops supervised priests (lowest level of clergy)
• Priests were the main contact w/ Church for most people
Religion as a Unifying Force
• Feudalism and the manor system create distinctions
between social classes, but the Church unifies them
• Church was a stable force during a time of political warfare
and warfare
• @ local level, the village helps unify people through the
Church through festive holidays (Easter, Christmas)
Law of the Church
• Church’s authority is both political and religious
• “Canon Law”- Church law that regulates marriage and
other religious practices
• Church creates its own court to try people who violate
Canon Law  punishments consisted of
“excommunication” and “interdict”
The Church and the Holy Roman
Empire
Otto I Allies with the Church
• Otto I was crowned king of Germany in 936, and ruled as
the most effective ruler of medieval Germany
• He forms an alliance with the Church, and dominated the
Church in Germany  used this alliance to defeat German
princes
• Following his hero Charlemagne, Otto I invades Italy on the
pope’s behalf in return the pope crowns him emperor in
962
Signs of Future Conflicts
• This empire Otto I creates was called the Roman Empire of
the German Nation  later the Holy Roman Empire
• It was the strongest state until 1100, when the popes and
Italian nobles begin to resist German power over Italy
Emperor Clashes with the Pope
• Church isn’t happy with the emperors having control over
the clergy  in particular “lay investiture”
• In 1075, Pope Gregory VII bans lay investiture
• The emperor @ the time, Henry IV, calls a meeting with the
German bishops (that he appointed) and orders Gregory VII
to step down from the papacy.
• Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, the German bishops
begin to side with the pope, and eventually Henry IV has to
try and gain the pope’s forgiveness
Showdown at Canossa
• In January 1077, Henry IV travels to Canossa, Italy to beg
forgiveness of Gregory VII
• The pope is obligated to forgive, but Gregory VII makes Henry IV
wait three days in the snow before he forgives him  public
humiliation for Henry IV
• After being forgiven, Henry IV rushes home to Germany to
punish unfaithful clergy and nobles
Concordat of Worms
• Successors of Henry IV and Gregory VII continue to fight over lay
investiture until 1122
• Rep’s from the Church met the emperor in the German city of
Worms (Wurms)
• They reach a compromise  Concordat of Worms- church alone
can appoint a bishop, but the emperor can veto an appointment
Disorder in the Empire
• By 1152, German princes realized they needed a stronger ruler
to keep the peace and elect Frederick I (Barbarossa)
Reign of Frederick
• First ruler to call his lands the “Holy Roman Empire”, but in
actuality his lands were feudal territories
• He repeatedly attacks Italy following Otto’s steps, causing the
pope and Italian merchants to form the “Lombard League”
• In 1176, Lombard League soldiers face Frederick I’s soldiers @
the Battle of Legnano  merchant soldiers use crossbows to
defeat the feudal knights
• In 1177, Frederick made peace with the pope and returned to
Germany  German princes don’t believe in him anymore and
after his drowning in 1190 the empire falls to pieces
German States Remain Separate
• German kings after Frederick I try to revive Charlemagne’s
empire and alliance with the Church  this led to wars
with Italian cities and clashes with the pope
• These conflicts are why Germany never unifies during the
Middle Ages
• The fact that princes were electing the king in Germany
weakened royal authority because German kings controlled
fewer royal lands to use as a base of power compared to
the lands the French and English kings were controlling