Charlemagne Unites the Germanic Kingdoms

Ch. 13: European Middle Ages

Charlemagne Unites The Germanic Kingdoms

Invasions of Western Europe

Germans migrated into the land of the disintegrating Western Roman Empire and set up large regional kingdoms across Europe.
The blending of Roman, Christian, and Germanic societies under regional Germanic Kings created a new European society—The Middle Ages
Repeated invasions and constant warfare caused a series of changes that altered the economy, government, and culture in the 5th century A.D.

Disruption of trade —businesses collapsed due to invasions of the land and sea
Downfall of Cities—with the fall of Rome, cities were abandoned as centers of administration
Population Shifts—people moved from cities to the rural country; Western Europe became mostly rural

a)The Decline of Learning

Germanic invaders of Romecould not read or write so level of learning shrank, especially when nobles retreated to the countryside; Greek language was almost lost
Priests and other church officials, along with few other people, were left literate;

Mostly illiterate, no written language; rich oral history of songs and legends; LOSS of COMMON LANGUAGE LATIN>???

b)Loss of a Common Language

Latin changed as a result ofGerman-speaking peoples mixing with Romans—by 800s, French, Spanish and other Roman-based languages had evolved from Latin
The development of new languages shows the breakup of a once unified Europe.

Germanic Kingdoms Emerge

Between 400-600 small Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces, constantly changing boundaries because of war, Catholic Church survived the Fall of the Roman Empire and during this time of political chaos provided people with order and security

c)The Concept of Government Changes

In Roman times-loyalty to government and written law unified society
Germanic times-

familyties and personal loyalty held Germanic society together
people lived in small communities that were governed by unwritten rules and traditions

Germanic stress on personal ties made it impossible for an orderly government to be set up for large territories

d)Clovis Rules The Franks

Franks-Germanic people who ruled in the Roman province of Gaul
Clovis was leader of the Franks—he brought Christianity to the region so the Church in Rome supported his military campaigns against other Germanic people
By 511, Clovis united the Franks (all those he conquered) into one kingdom which set up an alliance between Clovis’s Frankish kingdom and the Church—powerful alliance
After Roman empire collapsed, Franks controlled the largest and strongest of Europe’s kingdoms

Germans Adopt Christianity

Politics played a key role in spreading Christianity. By 600, the Church, with the help of the Frankish rulers, had converted many Germanic peoples; converts had settled into former Roman lands

e)Monasteries, Convents, and Manuscripts

Monasteries- religious communities built by the Church to adapt to rural communities where Christian men called monks gave up their private possessions and devoted their lives to serving God. Women who did this were called nuns and lived in convents
Monasteries served as centers for learning; Preserved the Greco-Roman literature.
Education was traditionally for the aristocracy and members of religious orders.
Many monks because of their education, served as advisors and administrators in the king’s bureaucracies.

f)Papal Power Expands Under Gregory I

In 590-Gregory I became pope (head of the Church in Rome)
He broadened the authority of the papacy beyond religious matters they were now involved in politics

pope’s palace—center of Roman government
church revenues (money) was used to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor
negotiated peace treaties with the Lombards (Italy)

Idea of a churchly kingdom, ruled by a pope, would be a central theme of the Middle Ages

An Empire Evolves

g)Charles Martel Emerges

Roman empire dissolves so small kingdoms sprang up all over Europe
Charles Martel- 719 he ruled the Franks as mayor of the palace (more power than the king) and extended the Franks’ reign all over Europe, he defeated Muslim raiders from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 which made him a Christian hero
Pepin the Short- son of Charles Martel—wanted to be king so he made a deal with the pope—agreed to fight the Lombards who were threatening Rome—and then the pope anointed Pepin “king by the grace of God.” = This began the Carolingian Dynasty—family that ruled the Franks from 751-987

Charlemagne Becomes Emperor

son of Pepin the Short, aka Charles the Great, ruled the Franks

h)Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule

Charlemagne conquered many lands and built a large empire while spreading Christianity, he reunited western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire, by 800 his empire was larger than the Byzantine Empire and he had become the most powerful king in western Europe
In 800- Charlemagne went to Rome to crush the mob who attacked the pope-so Pope Leo III crowned him emperor to say thank you. This was a historic coronation because the pope claimed the right to give the title “Roman Emperor” on a European king—this event signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

i)Charlemagne Leads a Revival

He strengthened his power by limiting the nobles’ power
He sent royal agents to govern his empire to make sure powerful landowners (counts) governed their counties justly
One of his greatest accomplishments was the encouragement of learning—his children were taught, opened a school for children at court and had monasteries open schools to train future monks and priests

j)Charlemagne’s Heirs

Before Charlemagne died in 814 he crowned his son, Louis the Pious, emperor but he was an ineffective ruler
Louis the Pious had 3 sons who fought one another for control of the Empire…in 843 the 3 brothers signed the Treaty of Verdun dividing the empire into three kingdoms which resulted in a loss of power and central authority for the Carolingian kings. This lack of strong rulers led to a new system of governing and landholding called feudalism.
The Treaty of Verdun essentially divided Europe into three regional kingdoms
Charles the Bald received what we know as France
Louis the German received what is now Germany
Lothar received what is known now as Italy
This division of Charlemagne’s empire among his grandson’s weakened the dynasty
It foreshadowed the early modern map of Europe

Feudalism in Europe

Invaders Attack Western Europe

After the Treaty of Verdun and the breakup of the Carolingian Empire there was constant warfare and political turmoil. This led to the rise of European feudalism- a political and economic system based on land ownership and personal loyalty

k)The Vikings Invade from the North

Vikings invade from the North-from Scandinavia, called Northmen or Norsemen and were a Germanic people, worshipped warlike gods

led many raids against villages and monasteries
were warriors, traders, farmers and explorers-Leif Ericson, an explorer reached North America around 500 years before Columbus
reign of terror ended around time of exploration and they gradually accepted Christianity

l)Magyars and Muslims Attack from the East and South

Magyars-nomadic people who attacked from the east, superb horsemen who invaded and attacked villages and monasteries around the late 800s, they did not settle the lands, but instead took captives to sell as slaves
Muslims attacked from the south (600s and 700s they wanted to conquer and settle Europe, but 800s and 900s goal was plundering)
Invasions by Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims caused disorder and suffering, people lived in constant danger

kings could not defend their lands from invasion so people began looking elsewhere for protection
people turned to local rulers who had their own armies for security
leaders whose armies could fight the invaders gained political strength

A New Social Order: Feudalism

m) Feudalism Structures Society

850-950—worst years of invaders’ attacks
Rulers made agreements all over Europe for protection, this system of governing and landholding called feudalism emerged in Europe

System based on rights and obligations
In exchange for protection and other services, a lord (landowner) granted land called a fief to a vassal
Feudal Pyramid

King
Powerful vassals—wealthy landowners (nobles and bishops)
Knights-mounted horsemen who pledged to defend their lords’ lands in exchange for fiefs
Peasants

n)Social Classes are Well Defined

Social classes were inherited
Most people were peasants
most peasants were serfs-people who could not lawfully leave the place where they were born, they were bound to the land, but were not slaves, lords could not buy them or sell the, but what their labor produced belonged to the lord

Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism

Manor- the lord’s estate, it rested on the rights and obligations between a lord and his serf

lord provides housing, farmland and protection to the serf
serf tends the lords lands, cared for his animals and maintains the estate
peasant women shared the farm work with their husbands
all peasants (free or serf) owed the lord certain duties

o)A Self-Contained World

Most peasants never traveled more than 25 miles from their manor
Manor contained the lord’s manor house, a church and workshops
15-20 families lived in the village on the manor
Manor was self-sufficient-produced everything needed for daily life

p)The Harshness of Manor Life

peasants paid high taxes on grain
paid taxes on marriage—could only get married with the lord’s consent
owed village priest a tithe (church tax) which was 1/10 of their income
serfs lived in crowded quarters
serfs’ lives revolved around work
many children did not survive to adulthood
disease and malnutrition were common

IX. The Age of Chivalry

During the Middle Ages, nobles constantly fought one another; the feuding kept Europe in a fractured state
Feudal lords defended their estates, seized new territories, and increased their wealth; It was a violent society that prized combat skills

q)Knights: Warriors on Horseback

Soldiers mounted on horseback became valuable in combat during the reign of Charles Martel in the 700s
Martel observed that the Muslim cavalry often turned the tide of battles; organized the Frankish troops of armored horsemen or knights

r)The Technology of Warfare Changes

Leather saddles and stirrups changed the way warfare was conducted in Europe during the 700s
The saddle kept a warrior firmly seated on a moving horse; stirrups enabled him to ride and handle heavier weapons

s)The Warrior’s Role in Feudal Society

By the 11th Century, western Europe was a battleground for warring nobles vying for power
Feudal lords raised private armies of knights; in exchange for military service, lords gave land away (fiefs)
Wealth from the fiefs allowed knights to devote their lives to war
As a lord’s vassal, the knights’ main obligation was to serve in battle; 40 days of combat a year
Always training for war; Wrestling and hunting helped them gain strength and practice the skills needed on the battlefield

X. Knighthood and the Code of Chivalry

By the 1100s, the code of chivalry, a complex set of ideals, demanded that the knight fight bravely in defense of three masters

Feudal lord
Heavenly lord
Chosen lady

The chivalrous knight protected the weak and poor; was loyal, brave, and courteous; most failed these standards

t)A Knight’s Training

At age 7, a boy would be sent off to the castle of another lord; acted as page, practicing fighting skills
At age 14, he became a squire, acting as a servant to a knight; around 21, the squire became a full-fledged knight
After being dubbed a knight, most young men traveled for a year or two, gaining experience fighting in local wars
Some participated in tournaments, which combined recreation with combat training

u) Brutal Reality of Warfare

By the 1100s, massive walls and guard towers encircled stone castles; fortress designed for defense
Siege of a castle was gory; Defenders of a castle used boiling water, hot oil, or molten lead on enemy soldiers
Archersfired deadly bolts that could pierce full armor

v) Epic Poetry

In the 1100s, the themes of medieval literature downplayed the brutality of knighthood and feudal warfare
Feudal lords and their ladies enjoyed listening to epic poems; recounted a hero’s deeds and adventures
The Song of Roland is one of the earliest and most famous medieval epic poems
It praises a band of French soldiers who perished in battle during Charlemagne’s reign; transforms it into a struggle; A few brave knights led by Roland battling Muslims from Spain in which they are outnumbered
The code of chivalry promoted a false image of knights making them more romantic than brutal

XI. Women’s Role in Feudal Society

Most women in feudal society were powerless, just as most men were; but with the added burden of being inferior to men
This was the view of the Church and was generally accepted in feudal society
Under the feudal system, a woman could inherit an estate from her husband
When the husband was off fighting, she acted as military commander and a warrior; defended the castle by hurling rocks and firing arrows
Peasant women performed endless labor around the home and often in the fields;
Bore children and took care of the family; young peasant girls learned practical household skills from their mother at an early age; poor and powerless

XII. The Power of the Church

Without strong central governments in feudal Europe, the Church emerged as a powerful institution; shaped the lives of all social statuses
Strong rulers began to question the pope’s authority

w) The Structure of the Church

In crowning Charlemagne as the Roman Emperor in 800, the Church sought to influence both spiritual and political matters
It was recognized earlier that conflicts could arise between the Church and the state
God had created two symbolic swords—the pope held the spiritual sword and the emperor held the political one
The pope should bow to the emperor on political matters and emperor should yield on religion
If in his own realm, the two leaders could share power in harmony; disagreements on the boundaries
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church and various European rulers competed for power
Like the system of feudalism, the Church had its own organization; power based on status

Pope – headed the Church from Rome
Cardinals
Bishops – supervised priests
Priests – contact between people and the Church

x) Religion as a Unifying Force

Feudalism and the manor system created divisions among people, but the shared beliefs in the teachings of the Church bonded people together
Stable force in a constant state of turmoil
Provided sense of security and belonging
Priests provided sacraments; rites paved the way to salvation in harsh times
Church served as the religious and social center

y) The Law of the Church

All medieval Christians, kings, and peasants alike were subject to canon law (Church law) in matters such as marriage and religious practices
The Church also established courts to try people accused of violating such law; serious offenders were excommunicated
Popes used the threat of excommunication, or banishment from the Church, to wield power over political rulers
Excommunication would free all vassals from their duties to the king
Interdict -- many sacraments and religious services could not be performed in the king’s lands

XIII. The Church and the Holy Roman Empire

z) Otto I Allies with the Church

Crowned king in 936, Otto I an effective ruler from Germany, formed a close alliance with the Church; invaded Italy on Pope’s behalf
Otto’s rewarded by being crowned emperor by Pope
The German-Italian empire Otto created later became known as the Holy Roman Empire; strongest state in Europe until 1100
Future Popes and Italian nobles resented German power over Italy
The Church was not happy that kings, like Otto, had control over clergy; resented the practice of lay investiture, a ceremony in which kings and nobles appointed church officials
Power was in naming bishops; Church reformers felt that kings should not have that power; in 1075, Pope Gregory VII banned lay investiture

aa) The Emperor Clashes with the Pope