- Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne’s empire.
- Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe,
which is where many of us came from.
- Middle Ages = medieval period
- 476 – 1453 AD
This new
society has roots in:
- classical heritage of Rome
- beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
- customs of various Germanic tribes overrun the western half of the Roman Empire
causing:
- disruption of trade
- downfall of cities
- population shifts to rural areas
Decline of
learning
- tribes had oral tradition, songs, but couldn't read Greek or Latin
- Romance languages evolve (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)
- few besides priests were literate
- Germanic Kingdoms emerge: AD 400 - 600
- Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor he provides them w/ food, weapons, treasure
Result:
- no orderly government for large areas
- small communities rule
- "I would die for my chief, but I see no reason to
pay taxes to a king I don't even know. So there."
- Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (which is where "France" comes from) in 496 he has a battlefield conversion - he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
- the Church in Rome likes this
- by 511 the Franks are united into one kingdom, with Clovis and the Church working as partners
- Church + Frankish rulers = rise in Christianity
- In 520, Benedict writes rules for monks:
- vows of poverty (live simply in monasteries)
- chastity (no marital relations)
- obedience (listen to church superiors)
- His sister Scholastica writes similar rules for nuns
they operate schools, maintain libraries, copy books
- Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) goes secular (worldly power)
- Church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads, and raise armies
- This is a theocracy
- Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany
- Clovis rules the Franks in Gaul until his death in 511
- Most of the rest of Europe consists of smaller kingdoms (seven in England alone)
- Clovis' descendants include Charles Martel, known as Charles the Hammer (great name!)
- Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732
- (If he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire - that's huge!)
- Charles Martel's son is Pepin the Short
- He works with the Church and is named "king by the grace of God) by the Pope (Popes can do that?)
- Pepin the Short dies in 768, leaving two sons
- Son #1 - Carloman - dies in 771
- Son #2 is Charles, known as Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great
- Six feet four inches of rocking ruling warrior greatness!
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