1. The Age of Charlemagne
8-4

2. The New Germanic Kingdoms
Visigoths – Spain and Italy
Ostrogoths – took Italy in the 5th century
Both the Visigoths and Ostrogoths retained the Roman structure of government
Group of Germanic warriors excluded Romans from holding power
Britain – Rome abandoned in the 5th century
Angles and Saxons (Germanic tribes from Denmark and N. Germany) took control – became the Anglo-Saxons

4. Kingdom of the Franks
Established by Clovis – 500 became the first Germanic ruler to convert to Catholic Christianity
Converted after a major battle win
Roman Catholic Church allied themselves with Clovis
Pyrenees (France) to German Lands (W. Germany)
When Clovis died the empire was divided among his 3 sons – as was the custom

5. German Society
Family was the most important aspect of society
Husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, cousins, and grandparents
Males were dominant and made all the important decisions
Woman obeyed her father until she married and then fell under the legal domination of her husband
An injury against one person could mean the start of a blood feud
Wergild – “money for a man”
More expensive for crimes against nobility
Ordeal – based on divine intervention
Involved a physical trial
If you came out unharmed you were innocent

6. Carolingian Empire
Son of King Pepin who became king in 768
Charles the Great – Charlemagne ( )
Fierce warrior, strong statesman, pious Christian
Monks copied Greek and Roman manuscripts
8,000 manuscripts survived from Charlemagne’s time
800 – Emperor of the Romans
Crowned by the Pope
“Father of Europe”