1. The Franks: Merovingians & Carolingians

2. Timeline Anglo-Saxon invasions: 400-600 Rise of Mercia: 650-800
Viking invasions:
Rise of Wessex:
Transformation of Wessex into England: 900s
Challenges to English stability:

3. Barbarian Migrations 350-500

4. Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms c. 700

6. Tribal Hidage c. 700-720 Hwinca syfan þusend hyda. 7,000
Ciltern sætna feower þusend hyda. 4,000
Hendrica þryu þusend hyda ond fif hund hyda. 3,500
Unecungaga twelf hund hyda. 1,200
Arosætna syx hund hyda. 600
Færpinga þreo hund hyda. is in Middelenglum Færpinga 300
Bilmiga syx hund hyda. 600
Eastwilla syx hund hyda. 600
Westwilla syx hund hyda. 600
East engle þrittig þusend hida. 30,000
Eastsexena syofon þusend hyda. 7,000
Cantwarena fiftene þusend hyda. 15,000
Suþsexena syufan þusend hyda. 7,000
Westsexena hund þusend hyda. 100,000

7. Viking Invasion

8. What was the impact of the Viking invasions on English political unification during the 800s?
They halted unification and England broke into a series of small states
They facilitated unification by eliminating rivals to the West Saxons
Historians are highly divided over the impact
They had no impact whatsoever

9. Alfred the Great

10. Guthrum’s Peace c. 886

11. The Burghal Clusters

12. Early Shire Structure approx. 30 shires. C. 950

13. Royal Writ

14. Anglo-Saxon Charter

15. Why were Germanic people unlikely to embrace charters to prove land ownership?
Most early charters were forgeries
Most Germanic people could not read before the 1100s
The concept of fighting for land was deeply ingrained in their culture
They were attached to memory and oral traditions

16. Chirograph

18. The Norman Conquest 1066

19. Which factor(s) contributed most to political unification of England between 600 and 950?
Stable succession of West Saxon kings
Viking invasions
Hierarchy
Written laws, histories, charters, tax accounts, and royal orders
Something else

20. The Franks

22. Clovis, King of the Franks r
Clovis, King of the Franks r Grandson of the legendary Merovech, founder of the dynasty

23. The Merovingians produced their first legal code 100 years before Aethelberht of Kent

24. What factors likely facilitated the political unification of the Franks?
Franks constituted a superior race of Aryans
Proximity to Rome
Previously Gaul had been in the Roman Empire
Knowledge of Latin was much more widespread in their dominions than in England or Germany
Bishops were administering laws and organizing dioceses since Roman times

25. The Merovingians adopted Anointing of Kings over 100 years before the Anglo-Saxons Anointing & Baptism of Clovis at Reims 496

27. The Merovingian kingdom was almost three times as large as the Anglo-Saxon kingdom

28. Battle of Tours 732

29. Charlemagne attempted to reconstitute public power through a program of education

30. Charlemagne’s Empire

31. Alcuin of York ( )

32. A Carolingian Court

33. Charlemagne’s Empire

34. The Treaty of Verdun

35. What caused the Frankish Empire to disintegrate by the late 800s?
Invasions: Viking, Huns, Muslims
Problems associated with governing a large territory in a fairly illiterate and violent age
Frankish warrior practices, including the practice of partible inheritance
None of these items makes sense

36. The Vikings carved out a territory in Northern France, known as Normandy

37. Motte & Bailey Castle

38. The Ideal Structure of Feudal Society

40. The Three Orders & Peace of God

41. Merovingians The Franks Roman Christians after 496
longstanding alliance with the papacy against
Lombards
Byzantines
Saxons
southwestward migration from mouth of the Rhine from
practiced partible inheritance
suffered from fragmentation of authority

42. From Merovingian to Carolingian
During the 8th century the Merovingian political authority unravelled
Gradually Charles Martel gained control between 725 and 740; he initiates a 70 year process of the political consolidation that ended with the death of Charlemagne
Martel’s descendants would later be known as the Carolingians, the descendants of Charles
By the mid-8th century, this family had established the most formidable fighting force in Europe; noted victory included the Battle of Poitiers against the Muslims from Iberia in 732-3

43. Carolingians Political successors to Merovingians
continuity of society and culture
Peppin the Short annointed in 751 at Soissons
political consolidation from
expansion of imperial borders
improvements in agriculture
increase in trade and fairs
intellectual revival (Alcuin)
eventually suffered from political devolution due to partible inheritance (see Treaty of Verdun)

44. The Papal-Frankish Alliance
Peppin the Short visited by Pope Stephen in early 754
Request for help occurs after no response from Eastern Emperor
Appeal to the salvation of Pippin's soul
Restore order in Italy
Gradually pope's demands increase
Turn over much of Italian peninsula to papacy
Franks to assume burden of protection

45. Charlemagne
Retains and surpasses the prestige of Charles Martel (grandfather) and his victory over Muslims at Tours-Poitier (732)
the Christian Warrior
crowned HRE on Christmas 800
revitalizes the notion of Empire
encourages learning and vernacular literature
symbolizes the fight against the infidel, which later inspires The Song of Roland (c. 1095)

46. Carolingian Revival Charlemagne’s collection of scholars
influence of Alcuin
establishment of schools
preservation of texts
improvement of writing
Reformation and standardization of Benedictine Rule
Resurgent neoplatonism
John Scotus
the Pseudo-Dionysius

47. The Treaty of Verdun (843)
Division of the Carolingian Empire into three distinct realms:
West Francia - modern France
Lotharingia - modern Holland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland
East Francia - modern Germany, Austria

48. Holy Roman Empire
The initial impulse by secular leaders was to be acclaimed Emperor or King of the Romans, a claim to assume the mantle of the Roman Emperors
The term “Holy Roman Empire” was not used until the 12th century and it lasted until the mid-17th century
Nevertheless from the 9th to the 13th centuries, Frankish and later Saxon rulers habitually came to Rome to be crowned King of the Romans by the Pope
This pilgrimage usually occurred in the early years of a new leader's accession; it was hoped that the crowning by the pope would bestow legitimacy

49. The Holy Roman Empire
Although both Pippin and his son, Charlemagne, avoided dependency on the popes, their sons and grandsons failed to heed their example
By relying on the popes for the legitimization of their authority, the Holy Roman Emperors became dependant on the popes and consequently they sought to install popes who advanced their cause and the cause of their dynasty
This tendency prompted Emperors to appoint their own popes, who were not recognized by the Roman Cardinals
Referred to as anti-popes, these imperial friendly popes plagued the papacy from the 10th to the 15th centuries

50. Long-term Trends Political unification
Development of Vernacular Literature
Conversion to Christianity
Cultural Fusion
Germanic & Christian
Tribal
Britons
Saxons
Danes
Normans

51. Anglo-Saxons Migrations Originally adamant pagans
begin from Continent in 5th century
initiate battles with Britons
Originally adamant pagans
Converted through domestic proselytization
Augustine of Canterbury arrives 597
Ethelbert of Kent and Queen Bertha
Establishment of Roman Christianity in Britain
eventual conflict with Irish Christianity

52. Christianity and Literacy
Clerical literati
Written legal codes
Ethelbert c. 600
Alfred c. 900
Written charters
Formal wills and writs

53. The Northumbrian Renaissance c.625- c.790
Illuminated Manuscripts
Intellectual revival
Bede
Alcuin
Conversion
Mercia
Continental Saxons, including Frisia
Composition of Beowulf?

54. Alfred the Great (849-99) Unification of Southern England
Establishment of Uniform Legal Code
Reinvigoration of Learning
Danish Invasions (793- c.900)
Danish cultural influence
Establishment of the Danelaw c. 900
Unification of Mercians and West Saxons
Danish rule ends 1042

55. English Society c. 1066 Political Unity and Administrative System
English Identity
Anglo-Saxon
Danish/Scandinavian
Thoroughly Christian
Uniform Currency
Established Vernacular Tradition

56. Summary
The conquests of the Franks, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans had an enduring impact on the formation of the political boundaries of Europe
Similarly the achievements of the Celtic Church during its golden age had an enduring impact on the spread of monasticism and the preservation of texts throughout Europe; ultimately, however, Celtic Christianity gradually receded as the papacy formed an enduring relationship with the Franks

57. In what capacity did the Carolingians gain power under the Merovingian dynasty?
As de facto leaders of the military
As mayors of the palace in Austrasia
As regents of child kings
All of the above

58. Which act concluded the ceremony of warrior becoming a vassal?
The vassal signed a contract to be faithful
The vassal had to demonstrate his warrior prowess by killing a peasant
The vassal swore on the Bible and then kissed his lord
The vassal and the lord cut themselves and became blood brothers by mising their blood