1. The Birth of Europe

2. Merovingians, 457 – 752 485 – Clovis (466 – 511) united Frankish Gaul. – First “King of the Franks” – Unity provided by conquest (power) Christianity. – Clovis converted by 498. – Allied with the Pope and bishops of Gaul. Weakness of dynasty was inheritance tradition of leaving property to all heirs.

4. Power shifts to the Carolingians, 751 – 843 Charles Martel (688 – 741) – “Charles the Hammer” – “Mayor of the Palace” – Supported monasteries missionaries used them as administrative centers. Won the Battle of Tours, c. 732. Pepin III, son of Martel, became king of the Franks in 751. – Crowned by the pope, increasing ties between Frankish state and popes. – By being anointed by the Pope the king was established as sacred.

6. The Western Church Developed through two main branches: – regular clergy - priests inside monastaries – secular clergy - priests and bishops outside monasteries Regular clergy – monastics, who live according to a rule – “Rule” of St. Benedict (d. 543) – particularly important to monastic development in Western Europe. – monasteries opened up more land for agriculture. – Promoted economic self-sufficiency and manual labor as prayer. – preserved classical and early Christian culture.

7. Bishop of Rome emerged as head of the Church in the West Gregory I “the Great” ( c. 540 – March 604) – Elected in 590, made the papacy powerful – The “Father of Christian Worship” – Promoted Benedictine monasticism The ideas of St. Augustine Wrote Pastoral Care, a guide to church administration. Made alliance with the Frankish kings.

9. Charlemagne, c. 747 – 814 Son of Pepin III, became King of the Franks in 768 Synthesized Roman, German, and Christian traditions. – “Western Culture” Created largest empire in the West since the collapse of Roman rule in 476. Built a palace at Aachen Reformed legal system.

11. Carolingian Renaissance – Chief court scholar, Alcuin of York – Schools created – Curriculum standardized – Northern Europe embraced Greco-Roman artistic ideas

12. The Seven Liberal Arts Trivium – grammar – rhetoric – logic Quadrivium – arithmetic – geometry – music – astronomy

16. Charlemagne granted the title “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III A new Roman emperor in the West separated the West from the Byzantine Empire.

18. Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. 962 (?)

21. Charlemagne 768-814 Louis the Pius 814-840 Treaty of Verdun 843 Empire divided between Louis’ sons

22. ... and then came the Vikings.

23. Feudalism Developed in the West Frankish Kingdom. – Power at the regional level – Vassals rewarded for service with a fief (land) In theory all land belonged to the king. Fief organized around a manor.

24. King Vassal

25. King Vassal (?)

26. King Vassal (?)

27. Bayeux Tapestry c. 1077