Rise of the Franks

I. Frankish Rulers After the breakup of Western Roman Empire, Europe was the scene of widespread disorder and change. Waves of barbarian invasion and settlement brought new customs and lifestyles to many parts of western Europe. A. Age of Transition gradually Europeans began to restore order in their lives historian see 400s and about 1500s as a transition in the Develop of Western culture the period of this time is usually called Middle Ages or Medieval period

this period is the end of classical age and the beginnings of the modern world Many Germanic tribes plundered Europe and established small kingdoms. The Franks were a group that had a lasting impact in history B. Clovis and the Merovingian's the Franks came in contact with the Roman Empire during the 200s Clovis was the ruler of the Franks in 481 Clovis was a king of one of the Frankish tribes Clovis successors called Merovingian's Clovis was a able military leader

C. Charles Martel and Pepin the Short Charles Martel is the son of Pepin II and he is also known as Charles the Hammer, he became the mayor of the palace Charles defeated the Spanish Moors in 732 when they invaded France and halted the Muslims advance in western Europe Charles Martel died in 741 and his son Pepin III and also called Pepin the Short, he became the joint mayor of the palace with brother Carloman When Pepin III took over he established the Carolinians a new line of rulers the pope confirmation of Pepsin's rule strengthened the legitimacy of the new Carolingian dynasty

Clovis and his troops absorbed the Frankish tribes and soon he controlled northern Gaul Clovis became a Christian and the Franks were supported by the Christian church the Franks would seized and began to control southwestern Gaul Clovis died, his sons divided the kingdom, as was often the Frankish custom. The Merovingian kings who ruled after Clovis were weak rulers. The mayor of the palaces became the real ruler of the kingdom One of these mayors were Pepin II, who ruled from 687 to 714. Pepin and his successors united the Frankish kingdoms

European Christians believed that the pope’s blessing came directly from God. Over time the monarchs throughout western Europe sought the church’s blessing in order to support their rule. Pepin lead his army to defeat the Lombards which were a Germanic tribe that invaded Italy and was near Rome the Franks took control of the territory and around Rome and gave it to the pope. This was a gift of land from Pepin and was called Donation of Pepin. This created the Papal states which was the strong hold of the church for centuries This paved the way for Charlemagne which is Pepin son and the greatest of all Frankish kings

D. Charlemagne’s Empire his reign lasted 768 to 814 Charlemagne worked to build a “new Rome” centered in what is now France and Germany. he was a devout Christian and help spread church teachings and Christians beliefs Charlemagne spent much of his life at war. On Christmas of the year 800, Charlemagne was in Rome to worship, and he knelt in prayer, Pope Leo III placed a crown on his head and declared him “Emperor of the Romans”. He united much of western Europe for the first time in 400 years. He was admired for his skills as a warrior and for his devotion to Christianity.

E. Government Charlemagne’s empire was divided into regions, each governed on the emperor’s behalf by an official known as a count. the capital was a northern Frankish city called Aix-la-Chapelle Charlemagne would appoint officials to help him run his empire, these officials were called missi dominici (the lords messengers) these officials would travel through out the empire to hear complaints and investigate misconduct and determine the effectiveness of the laws F. Education and Learning Charlemagne was not educated but he started

at his palace for his own children and other young nobles monks were the teachers of these children Alcuin was the most respected thinker of the time and he was appointed to head the school and establish its course of learning Alcuin developed the Roman model, emphasizing grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, music, and astronomy Charlemagne brought in scholars to produce a readable bible II. Decline of the Frankish Empire The proud empire of Charlemagne had built and governed so well did not long survive after his death in 814

His descendants did not inherit Charlemagne’s energy, his ability, or his long range point of view. As a result, the empire’s strength declined rapidly. A. Empire after Charlemagne’s death Louis the Pious is the only son of Charlemagne he was well educated and religious king but a weak and shortsighted ruler Louis died in 843 and his sons Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German agreed to divide the empire among themselves after much dispute This agreement , signed in 843, became known as the Treaty of Verdun Most of the decline was caused within the Empire, they all fought with each other

the empire was invade by different types of people and they were Muslims from Africa, Slavs from east, Magyars from the east B. Vikings the most feared invaders in the 800’s and 900’s were the Vikings from Scandinavia in the north Vikings were also called Norsemen these were Germanic peoples that live in now present day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark the Vikings customs and myths center around the pagan gods archaeologists uncovered from Viking burial grounds include boats and tools for use in the afterlife

The Vikings would sometimes place a dead person in a boat and burn it The Vikings would sometimes place a dead person in a boat and burn it. The Vikings were ruled by kings and nobles, their government was surprisingly democratic for its time. Assemblies of landowners made the laws. The Vikings were primarily farmers but also gathered , fished and hunted. In the spring and summer the Vikings traveled south and west along the coasts of mainland Europe and British Isles They also sailed rivers into Germany, France and Baltic area

The Vikings would raid and loot settlements and bring captives back to work as slaves on their farms in Scandinavia. The way they captured towns was often savage and cruel. Their use of axes and large dogs struck terror into people. The Vikings were also skilled in siege operations and could capture even strongly fortified towns. Their ships carried them all the way to Iceland, Greenland and North America