Germanic Kingdoms Unite Under Charlemagne

Today in West Civ we started another PowerPoint of Medieval times/Middle Ages/ Dark Ages

Main Idea:

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

Why does it matter?

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

Setting the Stage:

• Middle ages- medieval period
• 500-1500 AD
• Medieval Europe is fragmented

Invasions trigger changes in Western Europe

• Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
• Distribution of trade
• Europe's cities are no longer economic centers
• Money is scarce
• 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 is almost lost (literature, science, and philosophy)
• Loss of common language
• Dialects develop in different regions
• By the 8005, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolved from Latin.
• Germanic kingdoms emerge

  - the concept of government changes

• Roman Society: loyal to public governors
• 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 war time, warriors fought for the lord
• "The king? Who is 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 bishop
• The Church in Rome approves of this alliance
• Clovis and the Church begin to work together
• The Church is getting really powerful
• Church is the support and money while the King is the military strength
• Germanic peoples adopt Christianity
• 511 AD- Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
• 600 AD- Church + Frankish rulers convert many people
• Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
• Monasteries and convents
• 520 AD- Benedict wrote the rules for the monks and monasteries
• Poverty, chastity, obedience, and study
• His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
• 731 AD- the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
• Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books
• Pope Gregory I expands papal power
• Papacy- pope's office
• Secular power- wordy power
• So.. Under Gregory the Great…
• The church can use church money to:
• Raise armies
• Repair roads
• Help the poor
• Gregory the Great began to act as major of Rome, and as head of an Earthly kingdom (Christendom)