1. Unit 3 English summary of historical people

2. Clovis  Was baptized by the bishop of Reims.  Crowned by the will of God.  Became first Christian King of France.  After he died, his descendants were the weak kings.

3. Charles Martel  Nicknamed the hammer after his favorite weapon.  Was a palace mayor (head of administration for the king).  The Palace Mayors were given power by the church to take over for the weak kings.

4. Charles Martel  Became king due to support from the nobles.  Was the head of the army who lead the “hammering” of the Arab invasion.  Stopped the Arabs in Poitiers in 732.  Reattached the southwest of France (Provence) to France.

5. Charlemagne  The grandson of Charles Martel.  Was a military leader.  Crowned emperor by the pope in Rome on Christmas day in 800.  The church gave their support to Charlemagne.

6. Charlemagne  Grew his empire.  Established bases of administration. Sent missi dominici to relay messages and information to the people.  Founded schools.  Couldn’t read, but liked to discuss abstract ideas and philosophy.

7. Charlemagne  Tried to dislodge the Arabs from Spain but after all the fighting, not much had changed.

8. Charles le Simple  Descendant of Charlemagne.  Gave the Vikings the northwest of France (Normandy) to stop their invasions.

9. Edward the Confessor  King of England (before 1066).  Didn’t have children.  Died without a direct heir.  Designated Guillaume as next king.

10. Harold  Was an English baron.  Tried to take crown of England for himself when Edward the Confessor died.  Died in Battle of Hastings.

11. Guillaume  Duke of Normandy.  Edward the Confessor gave him the crown of England.  When Harold took the crown, Guillaume took an army to fight him.  Guillaume won the battle of Hastings.  King of England in 1066 as well as Duke of Normandy.

12. Roland  Soldier in the Rear Guard of Charlemagne’s army.  Died in an attack returning from Spain.  Was the main character in the epic poem, “La Chanson de Roland.”