5/19/14

Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne

Main Idea

• Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire.

Why it matters?

• Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us came from.

Middle Ages= medieval period (same thing)
500-1500 AD
medieval Europe is fragmented (many different tribes that have settled in different parts)

Invasions trigger changes in western Europe

• Invasions constant warfare spark new trends
• Disruption of trade
• Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
• Money is scare
• Downfall of cities
• Cities are no longer centers of administration
• Population shifts
• nobles retreat to the rural areas
• Cities don't have strong leadership
• Decline of learning
• Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
• Only priests and church officials could read and write
• Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
• Loss of a common language
• Dialects develop in different regions
• By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin

Germanic Kingdoms emerge

• The concept of government changes
• Roman society: loyal to public government
• Germanic society: loyal to family
• Germanic chief led warriors
• During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall)
• During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
• "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
• Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
• The Franks under Clovis
• Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine)
• Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishops
• The Church in Rome approves of this "alliance"
• Clovis and the Church begin to work together

Clovis' military expertise + the Church's support and money = a strategic alliance between two powerful forces!

Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

• Gregory I (Pope) expands papal power
• Papacy= pope's office
• Secular power = worldly power
• So.. under Gregory the Great...

Papal power (power of the pope) is Political Power; Presented from the Pope's Palace

• The church can use church money to
• raise armies
• repair roads
• help the poor
• Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthy Kingdom