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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 came from

Setting the stage:

·        Middle ages= medieval period

·        500-1500 AD

·        Medieval Europe is fragmented

A.   Invasions trigger changes in western Europe

1.     Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends

B.    Disruption of trade

-         Europe’s cities are no longer economic

-         Money is scarce

C.    Downfall of cities

-         Cities are no longer centers of administration

D.   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 (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost

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

MAIN LANGUAGE IN ROME IS LATIN

B. Germanic kingdoms emerge

1. The concept of government changes

A. roan society: loyal to public gov’t

B. Germanic society: loyal to family

- Germanic chief led warriors

During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, and a place to live (the lord’s hall)

-         During wartime, 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

B. Germanic kingdoms emerge

2. The franks under Clovis

A. another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine)

B. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop

C. the church in Rome approves of this “alliance”

d. Clovis and the Church begin to work together

CLOVIS’ MILITARY EXPERTISE + THE CHURCH’S SUPPORT AND MONEY= A strategic alliance between two powerful forces! Woo-hoo

C. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

- Pope Gregory I expands papal power

A. Papal- pope’s office

B. Secular Power= worldly power

C. So…. Under Gregory the Great…

Papal Power (Power of the pope) is political power presented from the pope’s palace

The church can use church money to:

-         Raise armies

-         Repair roads

-         Help the poor

E.    Gregory the great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly Kingdom

Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

1.     511 AD- Clovis unites Franks into on kingdom

2.     600 AD- Church + Frankish rulers convert many

3.     Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians

4.     Monasteries and convents

a.      520 AD- benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries

-         Poverty, chastity, obedience, study

b.     His sister scholastic did the same for nuns in convents

c.      731 AD- the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England

d.     Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (bibles, Greek text)