1. The Early Middle Ages
450 A.D A.D.
Early Medieval Period

2. The Fall of Rome
In this lesson, students will be able to identify effects of the fall of Rome as well as the rise of Charlemagne and the Franks.
Students will be able to identify and/or define the following terms:
Effects of the Fall of Rome
The Roman Catholic Church
The Franks
Charlemagne

3. The Fall of Rome brought many important changes to Western Europe.
The fall of Rome did not happen over night. There were a series of events that led to the fall of Rome in Western Europe.
The Fall of Rome brought many important
changes to Western Europe.

4. The New Ways of Life Germanic kingdoms took over Roman lands.
Hundreds of little kingdoms took the place of the Western Roman Empire in Europe.
Constant warfare disrupted trade.
Kingdoms were always at war with one another.
People lost interest in learning.
The borders of these kingdoms changed constantly.
As cities collapsed, dwellers left and moved into the countryside to grow their own food. (This time is also referred to as the Migration Period.)
After the fall of Rome, it was hoped that this would be a time for recovery. But with invaders, this hope vanished. Wars raged, there was no rest for 500 years.
With invaders, new technology improved agriculture among the farmers. New varieties of wheat increased food production.
There was no control, so no taxes could be collected.
The barbarians that invaded the Roman Empire could not read or write. The level of learning sank rapidly. Survival was the most important. The language changed from Latin to a more German influence.

5. The Barbarian Kingdoms
This map is only an approximate idea of which group controlled which lands.
The Germanic people did not think of themselves as citizens of a state but as members of a family and followers of a particular leader. This made collecting taxes impossible.
Warfare increased. Pirates increased on the open sea. Bandits and outlaws became more dominant on land.

6. The Roman Catholic Church

7. The Roman Catholic Church
The church acted as the civilizing force in western Europe.
Catholic missionaries set out to spread Christianity throughout the barbaric lands.
Most famous and successful was Patrick of Ireland.
Often imprisoned, he established Catholic churches throughout the land.
In a time where things were uncertain, the Roman Catholic Church served as law over the land. This was a time of corruption and politics. The Roman Catholic Church was still in Rome. Its reach was shortened by the fall of Rome. Missionaries were essential in spreading Christianity. Catholic Christianity. Monasteries sprang up across Western Europe. Men and women could dedicate the life to worship and prayer.

8. The Franks
In 481 A.D., at the age of 15, Clovis came to rule the Franks.
After a battle with a Germanic army, he converted to Christianity.
The Roman Catholic church saw an opportunity to ally against the Germanic peoples.
By 511 A.D., he ruled most of modern day France.
Clovis and his successors are known as the Merovingian dynasty. He ruled a city called Gaul in now present day France. It was the largest and strongest kingdom in western Europe. He was ruthless and served pagan gods. He continually battled with the Germanic army. At their defeat, the church saw the importance of allying with Clovis. His conversion to Christianity helped aid their cause.

9. Mayors of the Palace The power of the Merovingian kings dwindled.
Charles Martel was the man behind the king.
He extended the power of the Franks.
Upon his death, he passed his power on to his son, Pepin the Short.
The mayor of the palace was in charge of the royal household and estates. Unofficially, he was the power behind the throne.

10. Pepin He was not content to be the power behind the king.
He obtained the Pope’s blessing for seizing the throne.
Pope declared him “King by the grace of God”. Kings now had spiritual authority.
The Frankish kings and the Roman popes entered into an informal alliance.
Pepin defeated the Lombards and collected the keys to all the cities he had conquered and gave them to the pope. Anointed by the pope. Started the tradition for future kings to be anointed by the pope.

11. Upon Pepin’s death in 768 AD, his son Charlemagne
became king
of the Franks

12. Charlemagne Unlike his father, he was a great sportsman and warrior.
He commanded his armies and fought in the front line.
By 800, the Frankish kingdom included two-thirds of Italy, present-day France, a small part of Spain and all of Saxony Germany. Larger than the Byzantine empire.
The most powerful king in Western Europe.
He was a large man, over six foot. Charlemagne visited every part of his kingdom to judge cases, settle disputes and reward faithful followers and keep the less loyal in line. Revived learning even though he never learned to write. He began a palace school and would pass down harsh punishments to students that were lazy.

13. The Empire of Charlemagne
He gave land to his nobles in exchange for their loyalty and military service.
He gave them royal estates. Specific instructions were given to each overseer of the royal estate. Each royal estate supported the royal court.

14. “Holy Roman Emperor” After aiding the pope, he was crowned emperor.
The crowning wasn’t a joyful occasion. It caused many problems. No one ever truly knew the real reason for the crowning. The crowning also caused a deeper split between the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Rome. Even after Charlemagne’s death, the idea of “Emperor” was given to every European king.
After aiding the pope, he was crowned emperor.
He was equal to the Byzantine emperor.

15. Charlemagne’s heirs ruled weakly
At Charlemagne’s death, his son Louis the Pious succeeded him as king and emperor.
A deeply religious man and an ineffective ruler.
Upon his death, the kingdom was split between the three sons. Louis the German ruled Germany, Charles the Bald ruled France, and the oldest son took the title and the remaining land.
In 843 A.D., the Treaty of Verdun was signed ending the fight over the empire.
The three sons battled over the land. Eventually they signed a treaty to end the civil war and the land was divided between them. The land given to Lothair became a constant battle ground for invaders.