1. The Rise of the Franks

2. I. Invasions of Western Europe
Fall of Roman Emp.=Middle Ages ( )
New society emerged that had roots in:
1. classical heritage of Rome
2. beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
3. customs of various Germanic tribes
5th cent. --results of Germanic invasions
1. disruption of trade
2. downfall of cities
3. population shifts

3. A. Decline of Learning Germanic tribes = illiterate Result?
Germanic tribes had oral tradition, but no written language

4. B. Loss of a Common Language
Latin changed
Different dialects developed
By 800s: French, Spanish, & others evolved from Latin

5. II. Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
: Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces
the Church survived
Provided order & security

6. A. Governmental Concepts Change
Govt. changed
Roman society = govt. & written law
Germanic society = family ties & personal loyalty
Lived in small comms. governed by unwritten rules & traditions
Germanic chiefs led bands of loyal warriors
Warriors not obligated to obey unfamiliar king
Stress on personal ties = impossible to establish orderly govt. for large territories
Franks = Germanic tribe that played the greatest role

7. B. Clovis & the Merovingians
481: Clovis became king of
a Frankish tribe
--traced ancestry back to
Merovech
--conquered other Franks
--seized Gaul

8. Became supporter of Christianity 511: united Franks into one kingdom
Married a Christian
Became supporter of Christianity
Gained support from Church
511: united Franks into one kingdom
Kingdom divided among sons
Weak rulers
Pepin II ( )—united &
ruled the Frankish kingdom

9. C. Charles Martel & Pepin the Short
Charles Martel (Pepin’s son)
Succeed as mayor of palace
Defeated Moors near Tours
741: died—left kingdom to Pepin III & Carloman
Pepin the Short became sole ruler
751: pope crowned Pepin “King by the grace of God”
This est. the Carolingian Dynasty (r )

10. Pope asked for Pepin’s help against Lombards
Gave territory around Rome to the Pope
“Donation of Pepin” (Papal States)
Formed alliance betw. Church
& Franks

11. III. Germans Adopt Christianity
Politics helped spread Christianity
Franks converted many Germanic tribes
Missionaries also spread the word of God

12. A. Monasteries, Convents, Manuscripts
Monasteries: religious communities
Monks
Convents
Nuns

13. Benedict (Italian monk)
Wrote book describing rules of monasteries
Scholastica (twin sister)—adapted rules for convent
Monks & nuns devoted lives to prayer & good deeds
Monasteries = best educated comms.
Monks opened schools

14. 731: the Venerable Bede (English monk)
Wrote history of England
Ecclesiastical History of the English People

15. IV. Charlemagne’s Empire
Pepin’s son (r )
Little education, but deeply religious
Conquered many lands

16. Goal: restore power & glory of the Old Roman Emp.
Renovatio imperi romani
800: larger than Byz. Emp.
Most powerful king in W. Euro.
800: Char. crowned emperor by Pope Leo III
Signified that Char. was the successor to the emperors of Rome

17. A. Govt. Char’s. empire = several hundred regions/counties
Ruled by a count
Overseen by the Lord’s Messengers
Raised own army & administered laws
Capital city = Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany)

18. B. Education & Learning Char. Promoted education
Founded a school in his palace
Learned scholars (monks) taught
Produced the Carolingian Bible
Bishops created libraries & organized schools

19. C. Decline of the Frankish Emp.
Char’s. empire crumbled under Louis the Pious
840: Louis died—Emp. divided among 3 sons
Lothair, Charles the Bald, Louis of Germany

21. Char’s. descendents fought among themselves
870: middle kingdom broke up (divided by eastern & western
Carolingian kings lost power
Lack of strong rule led to feudalism