1.  Germanic tribes such as the Franks, Visigoths, Burgundians, Ostrogoths, and Vandals take over.  Trade stops, people move out of cities, and the exchange of ideas completely stops.  The Franks emerge as the most powerful of these groups.

2.  First major Frank ruler in Gaul  Brought Christianity to Gaul  Defeated Visigoths  Extends Frank rule across modern day France

3.  Created a strict set of rules for monasteries  Established Benedictine order  Made learning “religious” during the Middle Ages

4.  Nicknamed “The Hammer”  Defeated invading Muslims at Battle of Tours, kept Muslim expansion into Western Europe limited to Spain  Strengthened power of Franks  Started Carolingian Dynasty

5.  Built greatest empire of the European Middle Ages  Crowned “Roman Emperor” by Pope Leo III  Conquered lands to South and East  Was able to limit power of nobles and lords (one of only leaders of Middle Ages to be able to do this)

7.  Weak leadership and invasions cause the empire to be split soon after Charlemagne dies  Leads to more popularity for feudalism

9.  A German (and sometimes Italian) empire created in the tradition of Charlemagne’s Frankish empire and the Roman Empire  Not really Holy (conflicts with church), Roman (based mostly around Germans), or an Empire (did not have diverse group of citizens).

10.  Idolized Charlemagne  Formed close alliance between what would become the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope  Took over part of modern-day Italy  Crowned King in 936, crowned emperor in 962

11.  Famously involved in investiture controversy with Pope Gregory VII  Lost power for secular rulers everywhere

12.  Famously won power for church after humiliating Henry IV at the Showdown at Canossa (1077).  Issue is finally solved at Concordat of Worms (1122).

13.  Known as “Barbarossa”  Angered the Pope and Italian merchants, losing significant power  Famous Crusader  Drowned in 1190

14.  Church gains power  Europe does not unite- leads to further spread of feudalism