Germanic
kingdoms unite under Charlemagne
Main idea
- Many Germanic kingdoms that
succeeded the Roman empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
Why it matters now
- Charlemagne spread Christian
civilization throughout northern Europe. Which is where many of us come
form
Setting the stage
- Middle ages = medieval period
- 500 - 1500 AD
- Medieval Europe is fragmented
A.Invasion trigger
changes in western Europe
1.Invasions
and constant warfare spark new trends
a.Disruption
of trade
- Europe`s cities are no longer
economic centers
- Money is scarce
b.Downfall
of cites
- Cities are no longer centers
of administration
c.Population
shifts
- Nobles retreat to the rural
areas
- Cities don’t have strong
leadership
2.Decline
of learning
a.Germanic
invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
b.Only
priests and church officials could read and write
c.Knowledge
of Greek (literature, science, philosophy)
3.Loss
of a common language
a.Dialects
develop in different regions
b.By
the 800s, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
B.Germanic kingdoms
emerge
1.The
concept of government changes
a.Roman
society: loyal to public government
b.Germanic
society: loyal to family
- Germanic chief led warriors
- During peace, he provided
food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
- During wartime, warriors,
warriors fought for the lord
c."The
king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are
you?"
d.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 began
to work together
A
simple mathematical equation
Clovis`
military expertise
+ the church's support and money
- Germanic peoples adopt
Christianity
- (Pope) Gregory I
expands papal power
- Papacy = popes
office
- Secular power = worldly
power
- So…under Gregory the Great…
PaPal Power(the
power of the pope) is Political Power
Presented
from the PoPe`s Place
- The church can use church
money to:
Raise
armies
Repair
roads
Help
the poor
- Gregory the Great began to
act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an Earthly kingdom (Christendom)