The Franks

Europe After the Fall of Rome The Dark Ages overlapped with the Fall of Rome This was a time of cultural, social, and political change Europe was once one large unified empire, and had now shattered into a collection of warring tribes

The Geography of Western Europe Europe was small compared to many other civilizations From about 500-1,000 C.E. this region was considered frontier land Frontier = underdeveloped land on the outskirts of the civilization Though it was small and underdeveloped, there was a large amount of natural resources Fresh water, trees, harbors, fertile soil

Who are the franks? In the lands on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, the people were organized into smaller nomadic tribes Farmers and herders They did not have cities, organized governments, or laws Unwritten laws based on Pagan religious customs Elected leaders to lead them into battles Between 400-700 C.E., Germanic tribes carved Western Europe into smaller kingdoms The Franks were a group of Germanic people who lived in Northern Gaul Present day France They were one of the only kingdoms to rise out of the Dark Ages

King Clovis Was the first of the Frankish kings Conquered the former Roman province of Gaul This united the Germanic tribes into one civilization He ruled the Franks according to traditional customs but also tried to preserve Roman traditions He was polytheistic and worshipped Pagan Gods His wife, Clotilda, was a Catholic and encouraged him to convert to Christianity After a significant victory in battle, he converted, making Catholicism the official religion of the Franks He created The Law of the Salian Franks A written code of laws combining customs, Roman law, and Christian ideals

Charles Martel He was son of Pippin the Middle, King of the Franks His mother was Pippin’s mistress, which made him the illegitimate successor On his father’s deathbed, his wife convinced him to disinherit Charles as his child and choose her nephew as his heir Years later he escaped captivity and found support among the Frankish military He led a civil war against his cousin He regained his title as mayor of the palace or Prince of the Franks He focused his attention on preventing the invasion of the Moors He is considered the “Savior of Christianity”

The Battle of Tours Fought on October 10, 732 Between the advancing Muslims (Moors) and the Christians (Franks) Muslims led by Abdul Rahman Christians led by Charles the Hammer Muslim army was looking to expand the Islamic Empire and gain land, money, and power The Christians were vastly outnumbered The Muslims had the fiercer and more organized army The Christians were able to stop the northward advance of Islam This preserved Christianity as the controlling faith in England This spread the religion and made it an even more dominant force

Charlemagne In 800 Charles Martel’s grandson united much of Europe under his control Empire reached from France, to Germany, and part of Italy Charlemagne’s name translates to “Charles the Great” because he had many accomplishments Strengthened and brought order to Europe Helped the Romans hold off the Muslims Started the Missi Dominici Group of nobles who saw that the laws were followed Rebuilt Trade Focused on Education Spread Christianity

Fall of the Franks When Charlemagne died in C.E. 814, his empire began to crumble His empire was divided into 3 parts, one for each of his sons Called The Treaty of Verdun Charles Lothair Louis In 45 years the land continued to be divided up into smaller and smaller sections Invaders, like the Vikings, played a role in the deteriorating land